Many times my friend June would say, “If I ever get rich, I’m getting a completely new wardrobe and moving into a bigger apartment.” I thought of her words and her chances of being rich are about as good as mine. But, to everyone’s surprise, a few years ago June did come into a large inheritance(遗产).

At first June said very little about the money. As the initial(最初的)shock disappeared, she became excited. June is a great believer in making lists, so I wasn’t surprised to find her writing down all the ways she would spend her new wealth.

As time went on, what had been midway down the column was now at the top. At last, I said to her, “You know, it isn’t necessary to spend all your inheritance at once. Take some time; think about it.” “I know, I know,” she answered with a little bit anger.

Then one morning June called. “I’ve decided how I want to use my new inheritance. I want to see what you think,” she said. This wasn’t something I looked forward to, but we had been friends so long.

As we sat, June spread a sheet of paper on the table. To my great surprise, she had written only two words: Charities(慈善), and Grandchildren—in that order. Though I had vowed（发誓）to keep quiet, I couldn’t keep from asking how she came to this decision.

“Well,” she said, “I took your advice and thought about it.” She added, “Helping others means a lot to me, so I’m hoping this gift will help people in need.”

I interrupted. “But what about this big apartment you most hope to have?”

“At first it was hard, but it doesn’t seem as important any more,” she answered with a smile.

Then June moved her hand, and I could see a few words written in tiny letters at the bottom of the page. After having a look at the small print, I burst into laughter. June had written: AND one new wardrobe.

21. From the passage we can learn that the writer_______.

   A. was richer than her friend June                          B. was no richer than her friend June

   C. was poorer than her friend June                        D. was interested in money as June

22. After making a list of how to deal with her inheritance, June _______.

A. didn’t change it at all                                   B. had a quarrel with the writer

C. asked the writer for advice                                D. often made some changes of it

23. When June called the writer to talk about her new decision, the writer _______.

   A. felt that June would do something meaningful

B. refused at first, but changed her mind later

C. was eager to learn more about the new list

D. had decided not to make any comments on June’s list

24. We can learn from the text that_______.

   A. helping others is more important than buying a bigger apartment

B. friendship doesn’t mean accepting the shortcomings of a friend

C. giving away one’s wealth needs time and courage

D. money can’t bring people real and lasting happiness

BEIJING—Family planning officers will handle the illegal birth case of film director Zhang Yimou by following legal procedures, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.

When asked to comment on Zhang’s case at a press conference, Yao Hongwen, spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission(NHFPC), said “Every citizen is equal before the law and nobody is allowed to have privileges(特权)to give birth to more children than allowed.”

Yao’s comment came after media stories claimed that Zhang had remarried and fathered a total of seven children: one with his former wife, three with his present wife, Chen Ting, and another three from two lovers.

“The NHFPC’s attitude towards citizens’ birth violations(违法)is consistent and clear. Every Chinese citizen should obey and safeguard the seriousness of laws and regulations.” NHFPC spokesman Yao Hongwen said.

China’s family planning policy, introduced in the late 1970s to slow down the country’s growing population, limits most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two. The policy was recently relaxed, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child.

Those who break the policy face severe fines. The amount of the fine is generally several times the yearly annual income of the two spouses(配偶). Some media calculations put the fine that Zhang may face at as much as 160 million yuan(over $26 million).

Zhang’s birth case has caused criticism online about famous people who have more children than the policy allows.

In an open letter on December 1, Zhang admitted that the couple has two sons and daughter and they are willing to accept investigation and punishment according to China’s laws and regulations. He apologized to the public.

However, the letter denied that Zhang had lovers and was father to as many as seven children from various mothers.

Zhang, one of the “fifth generation” of Chinese filmmakers, made his first directorial work in 1987 with “Red Sorghum” and has won a number of award worldwide. He was chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games.

25. The purpose of the news report is to_______.

A. claim that Zhang Yimou remarried and fathered a total of seven children

B. inform us that Zhang’s illegal birth case will be dealt with by the government

C. convince us that Zhang is a famous director and his case will be pardoned

D. confirm that Zhang’s illegal birth case has resulted in lots of criticism online

26. According to Yao Hongwen, which of the following statements is true?

A. Every Chinese citizen should obey and safeguard laws and regulations.

B. Few people have the privileges to give birth to more children than allowed.

C. China’s family planning policy has never been relaxed since introduced.

D. Zhang will be fined as much as 160 million yuan for his violations.

27. Judging from the recent relaxed policy, a couple_______.

A. can have as many as three children if they live in a rural area

B. will definitely be fined if they have two children nowadays

C. can give birth to two children if one of them is an only child

D. can only give birth to two children if they live in an urban area

In the United States of America, the legal voting(选举) age is 18 years. Though some Americans have expressed interest in raising the voting age, saying that these important decisions should not be left in the hands of a teenager, I disagree. I believe that those who are 18 years are ready to take on the responsibility(责任)for voting.

We all know that in the United States, 18 is the age when an individual is considered an adult by the government. Being an adult in the eyes of the law is quite different than simply being a juvenile. Punishments for illegal activities become much heavier. Additionally, at 18, an individual can join the army without receiving permission from his parents to do so. So, when a citizen turns 18, the politics of the country start affecting him in a completely different way. It is unfair to let one lead a severer lifestyle and not allow him any choice in the matter.

Furthermore, by allowing a teenager to vote, we are helping to ensure that he will become more politically minded at a younger age. I didn’t care at all about the politics of my country when I couldn’t vote. As I couldn’t do anything about the politics at the time, I couldn’t see why I should care. It wasn’t until I turned 18 years of age that I started actively trying to understand who ran my government and the way in which it was governed. By allowing 18-year-olds to vote, we are getting them engaged in the world of politics much sooner.

In addition, teenagers today are much smarter than we think. Today’s society is much more technologically advanced than it was in the past. Teenagers have access to all kinds of information through the Internet and their smartphones. So, teenagers have enough knowledge to make good decisions.

Therefore, I think 18 is indeed a proper age to make important political decisions and those who are 18 should be allowed to make important decisions that will affect their nation.

28. The underlined word “juvenile” in Paragraph 2 probably means_______.

A. child                   B. soldier                   C. teenager                      D. criminal

29. When reaching 18, the author_______.

    A. loved his country more than before

    B. changed his attitude towards politics

C. worked in a governmental institution

D. called for a reduction in the voting age

30. The author believes “teenagers today are much smarter than we think” because they_______.

    A. are quick-minded

B. are well-informed

C. can use modern technologies on their own

D. can act according to changing circumstances

31. Which of the following shows the structure of the text_______.

CP: Central Point             P: Point            Sp: Sub-point(次要点)       C: Conclusion

If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don’t blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.

Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently—and much more strongly—than men’s. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kinds of food. Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive about what they eat.

Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institution of Psychiatry in King’s College London used brain scanning(扫描) technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (f MRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women.

The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. Their brain reactions were observed by the scientists.

They found that the female brains reacted much more strongly than those of males.

The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believe this means women think more about food than men tend to do.

Dr. Uher said, “This could be related to biological differences between men and women. But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure.”

Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, “For centuries women have had a providing role—preparing and cooking food for their families. And it’s part of that role to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive(敏感的) to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain reacts to food because it historically has developed neural(神经的)pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress. Food actually, is a comfort for women.”

But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said, “ Looking at an fMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate(天生的) differences or a learned process.”

32. Dr. Uher and his colleagues carried out the research by comparing_______.

   A. fMRI’s effectiveness on women and men

   B. women’s and men’s reaction to different images

   C. volunteer’s reaction to food before and after meals    

   D. volunteer’s reaction to different kinds of food

33. In Dr. Uher’s opinion, women react more strongly to food than men most probably because they are_______.

   A. told to do so for a long time.

   B. influenced by advertisements

   C. forced by powerful social influences

   D. born to do so due to biological reasons

34. According to Professor Carey Cooper, women_______. 

   A. turn to food when they feel sad

   B. are stressed because of food safety

   C. accept their social role from the heart               

   D. are satisfied with preparing food for their families

35. What was Angelo del Parigi’s attitude towards the research result?

   A. Surprised.   B. Doubtful.   C. Uninterested.   D. Curious.

 “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain (抱怨) but it takes character and self–control to be understanding and forgiving.”— Dale Carnegie

If we really want to be happy, why do we act like such babies?

We can claim(声称) to be proactive（主动的）in our life by settings goals and going after what we want. But if we’re always whining and complaining all the time, are we really living effectively?

   36   . Whether it is being stuck in traffic, being bothered by the weather, not enough mustard on your sandwich, or whatever it is, there are endless instances where you can find a reason to complain.

But it’s not just outside circumstances that we complain about.   37   . We complain that we don’t have enough time, we don’t have enough money (this one is huge because it’s often “true”), that we’re not smart enough, cool enough, or just enough.

   38   . I never really thought about it much until I found this website about “living in a complaint-free world.”

Imagine how much happier you would be if you simply stopped complaining? Much of what you complain about is outside of your control anyway. What’s the point of thinking about something you have no power to change?   39   .

Simply becoming conscious of how much you complain is the first step to stopping. When you recognize that you’re complaining, stop and take notice of it. Ask yourself if you would rather complain, or be happy.

   40   .

A. We complain about ourselves too

B. Not very intelligent, if you ask me

C. Why can’t we complain about things around us?

D. Are you ready to live a complaint-free, happier life?

E. What you’re complaining about may make you quite unhappy

F. If you don’t believe me, count how many times you complain in one day

G. I know I’ve experienced lots of unpleasantness for complaining about things I can’t control