I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.

I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows (誓约)mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends. And they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.

       So here’s what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.

       Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.

       It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours and our minutes. It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I could choose, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.

       I learned to love the journey, not the destination, I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.

       By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face, Learn to be happy, and think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.

21. The best title of this passage probably is _____________.

      A. Love your friends                      B. Live a real life

      C. Don’t waste time                       D. Be a good mother and wife

22. How did the author form her view of life?

       A. Through social experience.               B. By learning from her friends.

C. Through an unfortunate experience.        D. From her children and husband.

23. By the underlined sentence “It is so easy to exist instead of to live” in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to ___________.     .

       A. make a living rather than live a real life        B. work rather than enjoy life

       C. waste a lot in life                         D. forget the most important lessons in life

For the business traveler who is all about efficiency: Check out these hotels that will get you in and out with a minimum of trouble. When you are pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can infuriate you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process.

1.  Yotel New York

The self-service kiosks at this high-tech New York hotel work just like the ones you’d see at an airport. There are just five-steps to register and obtain your card key. There is even a robotic luggage bellboy. You tap in the number of bags you are carrying and sizes, then wait for a robot arm to swing down and store your luggage in a locker (say, for a day trip). This also speeds up the check-in process if the first thing you need to do, like me, is head to a series of meetings.

2.  Marriott Detroit Airport

Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I’ve tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) Here is the basic idea: you download the iphone or Android app. The night before, you can “check-in” virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk.

3.  Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. Like the Yotel, the kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about three minutes, when I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out. An agent meets you in the lobby with an ipad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage: you never have to wait in line.

4.  Radisson: LaCrosse

The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster, at a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin, you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode by email or text. When you get the kiosk, you scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It’s super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.

24．What does the word “infuriate” in paragraph 2 most mean?

A. annoy         B. remind        C. amuse       D. impress

25．Which two hotels offer a mobile app for customers to check in?

A. Yotel New York and Marriott Detroit Airport.

B. Marriott Detroit Airport and Radisson: LaCrosse.

C. Marriott Detroit Airport. and Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis and Radisson: LaCrosse.

26．Which hotel will send you a receipt by email?

A. Yotel New York.

B. Marriott Detroit Airport.

C. Radisson: LaCrosse.

D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.

27．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. At Yotel New York, a robot will help you with all the check-in process.

B. With its check-in app, you may enter your room in Marriott without a key.

C. The barcode you receive from Radisson contributes to the fast check-in.

D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis is close to an airport terminal.

In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.

   Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.

   Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.

   Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.

28. There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may ________.    

A. cause a shortage of apartments

B. worry those who rent apartments as homes

C. increase the profits of landlords

D. encourage landlords to invest in building apartments

29. We can safely say that rent control ________.       

A. will always benefit those who rent apartments

B. is unnecessary

C. will probably bring inactive effects in the long run

D. is necessary under all conditions

30. There will be the problem of unemployment if ________.    

A. the minimum wage is set too high

B. the minimum wage is set too early

C. the workers are unskilled

D. the maximum wage is set for poor workers

31. The passage tells us about ________.

A. the relationship between supply and demand

B. the possible results of government controls

C. the necessity of government control

D. the urgency of getting rid of government control

Being physically active three times a week reduces the odds of being depressed by about 16%, according to new UCL research carried out as part of the Public Health Research Center.

The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found a two-way relationship between depression and physical activity. People who increased their weekly activity reported fewer depressive symptoms but those with more depressive symptoms were less active, particularly at younger ages.

Researchers followed 11,135 people born in 1958 up until the age of 50, recording depressive symptoms and levels of physical activity at regular intervals in adulthood. They found that each additional activity period per week reduced odds of depression by 6%. In England 19% of men and 26% of women are currently classed as “inactive”, and this study suggests that activity could significantly improve their mental as well as physical health.

“Assuming the association is causal, physical activity has a protective effect against depression. If an adult between their twenties and forties who isn’t physically active became active 3 times per week, they would reduce their risks of depression by about 16%.” says Dr Snehal of the UCL Institute of Child Health, lead author of the study.

Professor Mark, Director of the Public Health Research Center, said, “Many people are already aware of the benefits of physical activity on their general health, but now we are seeing more evidence that suggest it also has a positive effect on a person’s mental well-being. The latest research highlights just how important it is to ensure that people are working and living in environments that allow them to be both physically active and mentally healthy.”

32. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

   A.  To tell us a fun story about how to protect us against depression.

   B.  To introduce a research on the link between activity and depression.

   C.  To persuade readers to increase their weekly activity.

   D.  To describe the disadvantages of physical activity.

33. According to the second paragraph, if people increase their weekly activity, ______.

   A.  their depressive symptoms will be fewer        B. their depressive symptoms will be more

   C.  they will become much younger                     D. they will become more depressive

34. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

   A.  Dr. Snehal thinks it important to be both physically and mentally healthy.

   B.  The research shows men are more active in physical activities than women.

   C.  Adults who insist on physical activity will reduce depression completely.

   D.  Increasing physical activities can free people from depression in a way.

35. The author shows his view mainly by_______.

   A. doing research             B. comparing and contrasting 

   C. trying on himself           D. discussing and summarizing

Things You Should Stop Doing to Be Successful

Are you a happy person? How often do you think of reasons why everyone around you is successful though they are not better than you in general? What do you do wrong? Here are some things you should stop doing to be successful.

1.   36  

Different people may interpret “success” in different ways： some of them measure it in money, other ones — in positive changes to people around them and the world in general.   37   Don’t worry about what other people think but come after what makes you happy.

2. Do not believe anything without questioning it.

   38    They are critical thinkers, and they understand that we all are ruled by our prejudices, so they will always question new information.

3. Do not worry about all unpredictable things that may happen to you.

If you want to be successful, stop thinking about everything that MAY happen to you.   39    Be ready to improve and change your deeds and decisions when things suddenly don’t go according to your plan.

4. Do not care about what other people think of you.

   40    Your attempts to become “good” for everyone will turn into nothing but new worries, stresses, and problems. Successful people do not concentrate on the quantity of people to please, but worry about their quality and focus on developing friendships with people they really care about.

A. Do not wait for the “right time” to do anything.

B. Do not let others decide what “success” is for you.

C. Successful people do not just accept any new information to be true.

D. As far as we all know, it’s impossible to please all the people who surround us.

E. Try to feel comfortable with the reality and accept the fact that your future can’t be predicted.

F. If you want to be successful, do not let others force their interpretation of success on you.

G. Successful people never ignore or avoid problems，no matter how big and awful they seem.