Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars. The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.
【小題1】What is the piggy bank strategy?
| A．Paying 1% income tax at a time. |
| B．Setting a goal before making a travel plan. |
| C．Aiming high even when doing small things. |
| D．Putting aside a little money regularly for future use. |
| A．To delight him with the latest fashion. |
| B．To encourage him to climb mountains. |
| C．To help him form the habit of saving. |
| D．To teach him English pronunciation. |
| A．Money | B．Gifts |
| C．Financial success | D．Good luck |
| A．a potter’s instrument |
| B．a cheap clay container |
| C．an animal-shaped dish |
| D．a pig-like toy for children |
| A．the seriousness of educating children |
| B．the enjoyment of taking a great trip |
| C．the importance of managing money |
| D．the difficulty of starting a business |
【小題1】D
【小題2】C
【小題3】A
【小題4】B
【小題5】C
解析試題分析:正如不積跬步無以至千里，不積小流無以成江海。財富也是這樣，需要從點滴做起。在本文中作者介紹了the piggy bank strategy也就是存錢策略，并介紹了the piggy bank的起源和目的，號召人們都養(yǎng)成儲蓄的好習慣。
【小題1】D推理判斷題。根據文章第二段中If you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day.可知作者用這個例子告訴我們piggy bank strategy就是指每天都存一點錢以備未來之用，選D。
【小題2】C細節(jié)理解題。根據第三段第一句When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it.父母親給我這個儲蓄罐的目的是告訴我：如果想要得到某個東西，就要自己存錢來買。通過這個做法父親培養(yǎng)他養(yǎng)成存蓄的習慣，選C。
【小題3】A猜測詞義題。根據本句Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it可知世界各地的人都認為儲蓄罐是一個很好的能夠帶來好運和經濟成功的禮物，但是條件是你要向里面放錢。因為儲蓄罐就是用來養(yǎng)成存錢的習慣的，如果你不存錢，那就失去了價值。由此判斷something指money，選A。
【小題4】B推理判斷題。根據文章第四段中people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Pottersmade these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.可知以前沒有銀行的時候，人們就是使用粘土罐來存放零錢的，The piggy ban就是最初的儲蓄罐。故B正確。
【小題5】C主旨大意題。根據末段前兩句Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons.可知本段講述的是儲蓄罐的重要性，儲蓄罐不僅可以幫助孩子養(yǎng)成存錢的好習慣，而且對成年人也是有好處的，所以選C。
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：完型填空
When we read books we seem to enter a new world. This new world can be similar to the one we are living in, or it can be very . Some stories are told they were true. Real people who live in a world do real things; in other words, the stories are about people just like us doing what we do. Other stories, such as the Harry Potter books, are not . They are characters and creatures that are very different from us and do things that would be for us.
But there is more to books and writing than this. If we think about it, even realistic writing is only . How can we tell the difference between what is real and what is not real? For example, when we read about Harry Potter, we seem to learn something about the real world. And when Harry studies magic at Hogwarts, he also learns more about his real life than . Reading, like writing, is an action. It is a way of . When we read or write something, we do much more than simple look at words on a page. We use our -- which is real-- and our imagination-- which is real in a different way --- to make the words come to life in our minds. www.zxxk.com
Both realism and fantasy(幻想) the imagination and the “magic” of reading and writing to make us think. When we read realistic, we have to imagine that the people we are reading about are just like us, even though we that we are real and they are . It sounds , but it works. When we read, we fill in missing information and about the causes and effects of what a character does. We help the writer by 52 that what we read is like real life. In a way, we are writing the book, too.
Most of us probably don’t think about what is going on in our when we are reading. We pick up a book and lose in a good story, eager to find out what will happen next. Knowing how we feel we read can help us become better readers, and it will help us discover more about the real magic of books.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：完型填空
Most glasses help people see better, but a new invention from Japan may soon improve language skills and language barriers instead.
High-tech Company NEC has a device that it says will users to communicate with people of different .
Shaped like a pair of eyeglasses without the lenses(鏡片), the computer-assisted Tele Scouter would a picture-forming device to present almost real-time translations directly onto the retina（視網膜）. The text, provided through voice recognition and programs, would effectively provide movie-like “subtitles” (字幕)during a conversation between two people the glasses.
“You can keep the flowing,” NEC market development official Takayuki Omino told reporters at Tokyo exposition the device was on display. “This could also be used for talks with secret information,” says Omino, that there would be no need for translators.
Each user’s words would be by microphone, translated, and be instantly for conversation partners in visual texts and as audio delivered through headphones.
Users can still see their conversation partner’s face because the text is onto only part of the retina—the first time such technology is used in a commercial product, according to NEC.
The company plans to put the Tele Scouter in Japan in November next year, at the beginning without the translation mode.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：完型填空
When I was in high school, my father retired and set up a food booth on the street near my school. He was particularly good at making . Every day after I finished school, my classmates and I would his food booth. But I really talking to him before his food booth, because I didn’t want my classmates to know my father was selling noodles on the street!
One night, I couldn’t it any more and shouted, “Dad, could you selling your annoying noodles? I don’t need a father who sells noodles on the street!” At that moment, my father was . He tried to say something but didn’t. When he turned , something happened that I would never . His eyes were filled with tears. I saw him for the first time. My mother later told me my father was selling noodles to money for my college education. Even today I still feel for what I did that night.
Time really flies. I finished and then left my home to work. During the past years, whenever I home, he was always there meeting me at the railway station. Whenever he saw me off, he never tried to hug me, although I always his hug. When I was away from home, he never wrote or telephoned me, he always pushed my mother to telephone me. Whenever my mother was telephoning me, he’d sit beside her with a list of questions. He’d my mother to talk to me for him. That’s the way he is, and that’s how he shows his to me.
My father is quiet, but I feel a , which is deep and powerful. It lives in a place far beyond , and it is something special－“a silent father’s love”.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Google has started Google Science Fair (GSF) 2014, its annual online competition for bright, creative and ambitious teenagers who want to change the world with science. While the project is led by Google, it also has the support of the Lego Group and world-famous publications National Geographic and Scientific American. The competition is open for students aged 13 to 18, who can sign-up now, form a team and begin working on a submission(提交申請).
The winner will be rewarded with a ten-day exploration to the Galapagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavor, as well as a VIP tour of “Spaceport America” in New Mexico. Google is also throwing in a $50,000 scholarship and $10,000 for the winner’s school to purchase cutting-edge science lab equipment.
Google suggests that each project should be “an in-depth investigation of a science question or engineering problem” but otherwise, it’s up to students to pick and develop an idea that follows the competition rules.
Completed projects need to be submitted by May 12, 2014 at 11:59 PDT. Google will announce the regional competitors in June, ahead of global finalists in August and the competition winners in September.
Interested? Here are the rules.
If you want to enter the competition as an individual, you should register first. Complete requested information about yourself and your project in the registration section before creating your project. You may edit this later. Click the box stating that you have read, accept, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and Terms.
Upon completion of registration you may begin working on your project. The project must follow the technical, creative, and legal entry requirements set out in these Official Rules and the Googlesciencefair.com Site. You will be required to complete all sections of the Project Site.
You may begin working on your project after completing the registration process, however, you may not submit it for judging until you have requested and received parental consent (允許). Once you have done this, your parent or guardian will receive an email from Google with instructions on how they can give their consent for you to participate. The project will not be judged unless this consent is received.
【小題1】From the first paragraph, we can learn that .
| A．GSF is a science competition |
| B．teenagers should form a team |
| C．every teenager can take part in it |
| D．GSF is organized by Google alone |
| A．a ten-day exploration to the Galapagos Islands |
| B．a tour of “Spaceport America” in New Mexico |
| C．a sum of scholarship of $50,000 |
| D．a school equipped with advanced science labs |
| A．you should create your project as the first step |
| B．you needn’t follow the official rules at all |
| C．you should provide some personal information |
| D．you should start your project before registration |
| A．Parental consent. | B．Submission time. |
| C．Registration process. | D．Project requirements. |
| A．explain problems on how to enter GSF |
| B．provide information about GSF |
| C．persuade teenagers to enter GSF |
| D．tell us the importance of GSF |
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Is the “Go to College” Message Overdone?
Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.
“We’ve been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there’s a lot of truth to that,” Ms. Sawhill said. “On average it does pay off… But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don’t graduate, that is a very bad situation.”
One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April’s national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn’t attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16—24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists warns that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.
Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one’s major: Students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than ones who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition (學費) and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.
She suggested two ways to improve the situation: increasing vocational (職業(yè)的)-technical training programs and taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. “The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades,” she said. “Then they have a higher bar for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you’re more likely to be highly subsidized (資助).”
She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills.
【小題1】People usually think that .
| A．the cost of technical schooling is a problem |
| B．technical skills are most important for finding a job |
| C．one will not succeed without a college degree |
| D．there is an increased competition in getting into a college |
| A．Learning from. | B．Changing from. |
| C．Differing from. | D．Hearing from. |
| A．Public institutions charge more for education. |
| B．European universities are stricter with students. |
| C．Canadian students prefer to major in engineering. |
| D．Students with certain skills are in great demand. |
| A．technical training is more important than college education |
| B．too much stress has been put on the value of college degrees |
| C．a college degree will ensure promising employment |
| D．it’s easier for art students to find favorite jobs |
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are out main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款機）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (現(xiàn)金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Change it to me, ” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
【小題1】The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits_________ .
| A．hoped to have the food first and pay later |
| B．promised to obey the store rules |
| C．forgot to take any money with him |
| D．could not afford anything more expensive |
| A．kind and lucky | B．friendly and helpful |
| C．poor and lonely | D．hurt and disappointed |
| A．he felt no pity for the old gentleman |
| B．he considered the old man dishonest |
| C．he expected someone else to pay for the old man |
| D．he wanted to keep his present job |
| A．Wealth is more important than anything else |
| B．Experience is better gained through practice |
| C．Obeying the rules means more than compassion. |
| D．Helping others is easier said than done |
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
A study by St． Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents． The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents（居民）．
Dr． Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team出at built a home-assistance robot． "If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions," he said．
To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St, Louis.
One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog．The groups' respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits．
After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached． Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks.
"He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him," said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago．
Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature．Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him． He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing（發(fā)出聲音）, and blinking his lights．
"AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him," said the study's author, Dr． William Banks, " He's an attractive sort of guy． He gives a feeling: of being personal, not just a robot． "
【小題1】Before the new study, it was known that ．
| A．dogs could help get rid of old people's loneliness |
| B．robots could build close connection with humans |
| C．robots were more effective at reducing people's loneliness |
| D．dogs and robots were equally effective at reducing loneliness |
| A．accepted it immediately |
| B．found it easy to interact with it |
| C．were not quite comfortable with it |
| D．were confused by its behavior |
| A． robots are actually attractive sorts of guys |
| B．robots could make a good companion of the old. |
| C．it's easy for people to become close with robots |
| D． the elderly will have a robot assistant in no time |
| A．Robots Serve People Better Than Thought |
| B．No More Lonely Old Age with Emotional Robots |
| C．Dogs equipped with robots to Help the Elderly |
| D．Robots and Dogs Can Equally Cheer up the Elderly |
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
One afternoon last week, I saw three tearful children from my son’s school being comforted by teachers. That morning, my 11-year-old had stomach pains, retching（干嘔）into a bowl. Talking to other mothers later, I heard about other children with stomachache or difficult sleeping the night before.
What caused so much pain? Sports day. Sports day might be necessary at a highly-competitive independent school, but not at a village primary school. For the children who can fly like the wind, sports day cause no problem. For those who are overweight or just not good at sport, it is nightmare（噩夢）. Even for those who enjoy running but fall halfway down the track in front of the entire school and their parents, it can prove a disease.
Why do we put our children through this annual suffering? Some may say competition is character building; or it’s taking part, not winning, that’s important; or that’s a tradition of school life. I just felt great pity for those children in tears or in pain.
Team games at the end of sports day produced some close races, wild enthusiasm, lots of shouting — and were fun to watch. More importantly, the children who were not so fast or quick at passing the ball were hidden a little from everyone’s eyes. Some of them also had the thrill of being on the winning side.
I wish that sports day could be abandoned and replaced with some other less competitive event. Perhaps an afternoon of team games, with a few races for those who want them, would be less stressful for the children and a lot more fun to watch.
【小題1】What can we learn about the author’s son from Paragraph 1?
| A．He talked with some mothers. |
| B．He comforted his classmates. |
| C．He had difficulty in sleeping. |
| D． He suffered from stomachache. |
| A．this is an independent school |
| B．it is a tradition of the school |
| C．it helps children lose weight |
| D．children enjoy watching sports |
| A．They should include more stressful races. |
| B．They are acceptable to different children. |
| C．They should be abandoned at primary school. |
| D．They are less fun for those who love running. |
| A．Critical. | B．Neutral. | C．Positive. | D．Ambiguous. |
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