When you’re having a hard time with your homework or when you’re preparing for your term paper, these student-focused websites can help you with just about anything you need. The key to getting the most out of these online resources is to know how they can best be used to your advantage.

    Facebook

    Although Facebook can be one of your biggest time-wasters and distractions when you are supposed to be getting work done, it can also be one of your most valuable resources. Most of your classmates will probably have a Facebook account, so anyone you need to connect with about a class you missed or about a problem is usually just a few clicks away.

    SparkNotes

    With a free library of history timeline, philosophy study guides and library summaries, SparkNotes has covered just about any reading-related jam you find yourself in. Just run a search for the book, play, or short summary of the material you are supposed to read.

    Amazon.com

    Do you finish every term with many expensive textbooks you will never open again? Instead of letting the money spent go to waste, get back some of your cash by selling your books on Amazon.

   RateMyProfessors.com

   Choosing new classes can sometimes be like trying to pick out your clothes in the dark, a total guessing game. Which teacher gives out the hardest problem sets? How much homework will that history professor give you every week? At RateMyProfessors.com, students all over the country rate their professors on quality, helpfulness, and how hard their classes are.

   Wikipedia

   While Wikipedia isn’t aimed specifically at students, it is difficult to think of another website that does more to reduce the pain of paper writing and researching. Wikipedia gives you a quick way to find sources and get the details of almost any topic you need to research — all without walking to the library.

21. The passage was mainly written to _____.

A. explain some websites for parents

B. compare some educational websites

C. offer some websites that may help students

D. introduce different parts of a website

22. While you are taking great pains to write a research report, _____ can most probably be a help.

A. Facebook            B. Wikipedia       C. Amazon.com         D. SparkNotes

23. RateMyPorfessors.com is a place _____.

A. where you can make friends all over the country

B. that gives you information about professors in advance

C. where you can communicate with your professors

D. that gives tips on how to get along with your professors

24. Which of the following will you most probably refer to, if you need brief ideas for class discussion in reading?

A. Wikipedia.            B. Facebook.           C. SparkNotes.          D. Amazon.com.

The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.

     I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100, 000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, "They are one skill away from great wealth."

     There is an old saying that goes, "Job means" just over broke (破产)" ". And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers" live within their means". They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.

     When I ask the classes I teach, "How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald’s?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, "So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald’s makes more money than you?" The answer is obvious: McDonald’s is excellent at business systems. The reason so many talented people are poor is because they focus on bui1ding a better hamburger and know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.

25. The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that      .

A. he has a sharp sense of hearing           B. he is ready to help others

C. he is just one of the talented people       D. he knows little about car repairing

26. The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by  “      ”.

A. spend more than they can afford            B. do in their own way

C. live in their own circle                        D. live within what they earn

27. Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?

A. They lack financial intelligence.     

B. They don’t work hard enough. 

  C. They don’t make full use of their talents. 

  D. They have no specialized skills.

28. The main purpose of the author is to tell us       .

A. how young people can find a satisfactory job

B. what schools should teach students

C. how McDonald’s makes much money.

D. why so many talented people are poor

Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much. Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?

It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives.

Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need faith that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior（自卑）. They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise. A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true.” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful.

Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self respect. It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life.

29. The first paragraph is mainly about______.

A. the effect of shyness on people     B. the cause of shyness

C. the feelings of shy people         D. the questions in the minds of shy people

30. According to the writer, self-awareness is______.

A. harmful to people          B. a healthy quality

C. the cause of unhappiness    D. a weak point of shy people

31. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to_____.

   A. shyness     B. criticism    C. sensibility   D. praise

32. We can learn from the passage that shyness can ______.

A. have nothing to do with lack of self respect

B. help us to live up to our full development

C. enable us to understand ourselves better

D. be overcome with determination

Forget about the “post—1995 generation”. Young people born in 1995 or later have another name in English—Generation Z.

Now entering adulthood and soon to join the workforce, Generation Z grew up in a special period of time—a time in which technology developed fast, social changes happened every day, the internet became universal and, sadly, so did global terrorism.

It is believed that Generation Z is the generation that is going to shape our future, which is why policy makers, sociologists and company leaders are trying their best to understand these young people.

So, what are Gen Z-ers really like?

Most people agree that the single biggest difference between Gen Z and other generations is how connected they are. This is a group of people who have been familiar with social media as soon as they were born. Social media has changed the way Gen Z-ers communicate with each other and how they get and understand information.

“We are the first true digital natives. I can almost create a document, edit it, post a photo on Instagram and talk on the phone, all at the same time,” said Hannah Payne, an 18-year-old student at UCLA, according to The New York Times. “Generation Z takes in information very fast and loses interest just as fast.”

It may be true that Generation Z-ers have a shorter attention span (注意力持续时间)than a goldfish, but sice they grew up among social changes, they are more active in politics. According to the British Election Study, 58 percent of 18-t0-24-year –old voted in the 2015 general election in the UK, a big jump from 38 percent in 2005.

Generation Z-ers are also culture creators. “Growing up with the internet has freed this generation from traditional cultural expression.” Wrote Grace Masback, a Huffington Post blogger and a Gen Z-er herself. According to Masback, these young people are no longer willing to let their creativity. According to Masback, these young people are no longer willing to let their creativity be limited by their parents of traditional rules. They watch videos and read news online instead of on TV, and they share their experiences on social media.

“We decide what kind of content we want to experience and choose how we experience it,” wrote Masback.

33. Which is TRUE about Gen Z-ers, according to the article?

   A. Face-to-face communication is challenging for them

   B. Often doing many things at the same time affects their efficiency

   C. They don’t bother to think about the information they at carefully

   D. They show more interest in politics than in other fields

34. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

   A. Gen Z-ers enjoy great freedom to express themselves

   B. Gen Z-ers enjoy teaching their parents about new cultural trends

   C. Gen Z-ers are against traditional culture

   D. Gen Z-ers are unwilling to obey their parents

35. Which word can best describe the author’s attitude towards Generation Z?

   A. Worried     B. Critical    C. Appreciative    D Neutral(中立的)

Most cars have seat belts as part of their equipment. Seat belts protect drivers and passengers in case of accidents. They also reduce the effect of a crash on the body.

___36___Worldwide, the devices have protected up to a million people.

America first recognized the invention of an automobile seat belt in 1849. The government gave a patent to an engineer named Edward Claghorn of New York City so that others would not copy his invention of a safety device. ___37  This early version of safety belt was said to include hooks and other attachments for securing the person to a fixed object.

Other inventors followed with different versions of the seat belt. 38  It resulted from the work of a Swedish engineer, Nils Bohlin. His three-point, lap and shoulder seat belt first appeared on cars in Europe 50 years ago.

Nils Bohlin recognized that both the upper and lower body needed to be held securely in place. His invention contained a cloth strap（带子）that was placed across the chest and another strap across his hips(臀部) .39

Volvo was the first company to offer the modern seat belt to its cars. This company also provided use of Nils Bohlin's design to other car-makers.

__40  He received a gold medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 1995. He died in Sweden in 2002.

A. Claghorn called his invention a safety belt

B. The design joined the straps next to the hip.

C. The Swedish engineer won many honors for his seat belt.

D. Safety experts say that seat belts save thousands of lives a year in America alone.

E. There are many companies adopting Nils Bohlin's invention of the belt.

F. Claghorn was a promising young engineer with many honors all his life.

G. But more than 100 years passed before the current seat belt was developed.