Questions 17 to 20 are based on the following talk about school meals in the UK. You now have 20 seconds to read Questions 17 to 20. What food is not provided for most British children at school
A hot, cooked meal.
B. A packed lunch.
C. Burgers & pizzas.
D. Healthy food.
Text 2 Years of watching and comparing bright children and those not bright, or less bright, have shown that they are very different kinds of people. The bright child is curious about life and reality, eager to get in touch with it, embrace it, unite himself with it. There is no wall, no barrier between him and life. The dull child is far less curious, far less interested in what goes on and what is real, more inclined to live in worlds of fantasy. The bright child likes to experiment, to try things out. He lives by the maxim that there is more than one way to skin a cat. If he can’t do something one way, he’ll try another. The dull child is usually afraid to try at all. It takes a good deal of urging to get him to try even once; if that try fails, he is through. The bright child is patient. He can tolerate uncertainty and failure, and will keep trying until he gets an answer. When all his experiments fail, he can even admit to himself and others that for the time being he is not going to get an answer. This may annoy him, but he can wait. Very often, he does not want to be told how to do the problem or solve the puzzle he has struggled with, because he does not want to be cheated out of the chance to figure it out for himself in the future. Not so the dull child. He cannot stand uncertainty or failure. To him, an unanswered question is not a challenge or an opportunity, but a threat. If he can’t find the answer quickly, it must be given to him, and quickly; and he must have answers for everything. Such are the children of whom a second-grade teacher once said, "But my children like to have questions for which there is only one answer." They did; and by a mysterious coincidence, so did she. The bright child is willing to go ahead on the basis of incomplete understanding and information. He will take risks, sail uncharted seas, explore when the landscape is dim, the landmarks few, the light poor. To give only one example, he will often read books he does not understand in the hope that after a while enough understanding will emerge to make it worthwhile to go on. In this spirit some of my fifth graders tried to read Moby Dick. But the dull child will go ahead only when he thinks he knows exactly where he stands and exactly what is ahead of him. If he does not feel he knows exactly what an experience will be like, and if it will not be exactly like other experiences he already knows, he wants no part of it. For while the bright child feels that the universe is, on the whole, a sensible, reasonable, and trustworthy place, the dull child feels that it is senseless, unpredictable, and treacherous. He feels that he can never tell what may happen, particularly in a new situation, except that it will probably be bad. Why does the bright child refuse to get help from others even when he fails
A. Because he is confident of his own ability.
Because he looks down upon other people.
C. Because he wants to have another chance to try by himself.
D. Because he is willing to have difficulties all his life.
Part AText 1 People in the United States are becoming more and more aware of the influence of the automobile on their lives. The automobile has an influence on social life, on the economy, and on the environment. It is particularly its influence on the environment that people are increasingly worrying about. It has become obvious that the automobile contributes to air and noise pollution, traffic congestion, urban decay, and suburban sprawl, and that it has kept mass transit systems from developing. People are not so aware, however, of the relation between the automobile and energy problems. In the past few years the country has had energy problems such as brownouts and blackouts, fuel shortages, rising fuel prices, and bad effects on the environment caused by producing energy and converting it from one form to another. These energy problems are in fact closely related to the automobile. An enormous amount of energy, supplied mainly by petroleum, is required by the automobile. In fact, the automobile is responsible for 25 percent of the total energy consumption in the United States. Gasoline is only part of the energy required. It also take energy to manufacture the automobile in the first place. Then it must be transported to dealers who advertise and sell it, all of which takes energy. Energy is also required to make replacement parts for automobile repair. Once the car is on the road, energy still must go into producing gasoline for it. Oil fields must be discovered. Oil must be pumped to the surface and refined. And think of the energy required annually to build and maintain highways and roads. All together the energy requirements of a car are about 50 percent for gasoline and 50 percent for all these other needs that we have just mentioned. The question is, what can we do about all this What can we do to lower this figure, to conserve energy resources so as to reduce air pollution and help solve both our energy and automobile problems The most important thing we can do is to promote changes in passenger transportation. Bicycles are 22 times as energy-efficient as cars, walking 18 times, buses almost 4 times, and railroads 2.5 times. Only airplanes are less energy-efficient than cars. If we promote such changes, we won’t only conserve energy. We will also reduce the crowding and noise in the cities and we can use land for parks instead of for parking lots. It will take time for such changes to come about. Fortunately the sale of bicycles is increasing. And one thing we can do immediately is to increase the energy-efficiency of cars by using smaller cars and carrying more passengers. These changes that have just been suggested will require other changes in our society too, which some people may resist. It will not be easy to make these changes. But consider the alternatives. Which of the following statements is not true
A. The large number of cars makes public transportation less necessary.
B. The best thing we can do to save energy is to encourage the use of bikes.
C. Energy consumption of automobiles accounts for the main energy shortage problem in the U.S.
D. If we reduce the use of automobiles, we will have more land for parks.
A is for always getting to work on time. B is for being extremely busy. C is for the conscientious (勤勤恳恳的) way you do your job. You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics. Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago: Hard work alone doesn’’t ensure career advancement. You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes. Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics -- a better job, a raise, praise -- many people are still unable -- or unwilling -- to "play the game." "People assume that office politics involves some manipulative (工于心计的) behavior," says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University. " But politics derives from the word "polite". It can mean lobbying and forming associations. It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying to please your superior, and then expecting something in return." In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue one’’s own self-interest in the workplace. In many cases, this involves some form of socializing within the office environment -- not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well. "The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis," says Neil P. Lewis, a management psychologist. "But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best. It’’s simple human nature." Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. Still others associate politics with flattery (奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors. Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion. Why are many people unwilling to "play the game" (Line 4, Para. 5)
A. They believe that doing so is impractical.
B. They feel that such behavior is unprincipled.
C. They are not good at manipulating colleagues.
D. They think the effort will get them nowhere.