The political career of Cicero, a great Roman statesman and the most well-known speech-maker of his time, was a remarkable one. At the time, high political offices in Rome, though technically achieved by winning elections, were almost exclusively controlled by a group of wealthy noble families that had held them for many generations. Cicero’ s family, though noble, was not one of them, nor did it have great wealth. But Cicero had a great deal of political ambition: at a very young age he chose as his basic belief the same one Achilles was said to have had: to always be the best and overtop the rest. Lacking the advantages of a proper family origin, there were essentially only two career options open to him. One was a military career, since military success was thought to result from exceptional personal qualities and could lead to popularity and therefore political opportunity as was the case much later for American presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Cicero, however, was no soldier. He hated war, and served in the military only very briefly as a young man. Instead, Cicero chose a career in the law. To prepare for this career, he studied law, rhetoric, and philosophy. When he felt he was ready, he began taking part in legal cases. A career in the law could lead to political success for several reasons, all of which are still relevant today. First, a lawyer would gain a great deal of experience in making speeches. Second, he could also gain exposure and popularity from cases. Finally, a successful lawyer would build up a network of political connections, which is important now but was even more important in Cicero’ s time, when political competition was not conducted along party lines or on the basis of doctrine, but instead was based on loose, shifting networks of personal friendships and commitments. Cicero proved to be an excellent speech-maker and lawyer, and an outstanding politician. He was elected to each of the principal Roman offices on his first try and at the earliest age at which he was legally allowed to run for them.

What kind of car does the woman plan to buy?W: What kind of car should I buy, Larry? I like to get something we can use for a long trip as well as taking the children around town. M: Well, we have a jeep. We like it when we travel. W: We thought about a jeep, but I understand they are not very fuel-efficient. M: Our Jeep is better than the most of the jeeps on the market. Consumer Report said it’ s the most fuel-efficient of any of the jeeps. W: Did Consumer Report compare jeeps with estate cars? We thought about an estate car. M: I don’ t remember the number exactly, but I do remember that the jeep was less efficient than estate cars. We decided to against estate car because we got a better price on the jeep. The dealer was running a special sale. W: Well, I like the style of the estate car better than the jeeps and it has room for all the equipment for the children. We need a larger car. M: My friend works at the dealer’ s shop north of the town. He was telling me about the sale they are going to start next month. You might be able to get an estate car cheaper if you wait till then. Here is his card. W: Thanks, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll go and see what he has. A wagon. A sports car. An estate car. An energy-saving jeep.

In 2009, Dan Black was hit by a car in his hometown of Chepstow, Wales, as he was biking to his job at a grocery store. 【C1】______During his recovery, he suffered a stroke that rendered his right arm useless. Once a promising guitarist, Dan, now 25 , lives with his parents and requires around-the-clock care that costs nearly $300, 000 a year. After the accident, a friend of Dan’ s started the Help Dan Black fund to cover some of Dan’ s medical expenses. Dan learned about an experimental stem cell treatment in China that could enable him to walk again. 【C2】______ One day, in 2013 , a news story caught the eye of Dan’ s mother, Michaela, who then shared the story with her son. The story featured a five-year-old boy named Brecon Vaughan.【C3】______The boy’s family had created a website with which to raise nearly $ 100, 000 needed for a trip to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where treatment was offered that could help Brecon walk. Only half the amount had been raised, said the report. Dan deliberated. Then, after considering that his own dream of walking could be years away, he donated his $ 30, 000 to Brecon’ s cause. “【C4】______Brecon doesn’ t. He needs it much more than I do. “Dan told a newspaper. Dan’ s generosity received a great deal of attention, and contributions started pouring in to the Vaughan website.【C5】______They’ ve promised to give the excess funds, about $ 17, 000, to the Tree of Hope charity, which helps sick children in the United Kingdom find specialized medical help.In October, Brecon and his family traveled to St. Louis to begin treatment. “What Dan did is great, “Brecon’ s mother said. “It is an extraordinary gift. “ [A] I know how it feels to walk. [B] The family soon exceeded their fund-raising goal. [C] He had a rare form of disease and had never walked by himself. [D] After four years, donations to Help Dan Black totaled nearly $30, 000. [E]The accident left him unable to move from the chest down. [F]This is the only thing I could do to help him. [G]His dream to be a musician shattered.

Do you give your children money when they perform well at school? According to a study, such an action could be【C6】______to their development, and cause them to be more materialistic as adults. The study suggests that those who were rewarded and spoiled as children were more likely to think possessions define who they are. “Using material possessions to express love or reward children for their【C7】______can have bad effect, “ wrote the authors of the study. “It can【C8】______materialism in them. “ The authors surveyed 701 adults to measure the long-term【C9】______of material parenting. They were asked to describe their current life situation and values, and also reported on a【C10】______of childhood circumstances, their relationship with their parents, and the rewards and punishments they received. Results showed adults who had received more material rewards and punishments as children were more likely than others to use possessions to define and express who they are. And they were likely to continue rewarding themselves with material【C11】______ Parents should, therefore, be cautious about using material possessions to express their love and reward their children for good behavior, 【C12】______the authors. They say【C13】______emphasis on material possessions during childhood can have significant effects. It can【C14】______“ the way for their children to grow up to be more likely than others to【C15】______people with expensive posses- sions and judge success by the kinds of things people own, “the authors conclude. [A] achievements [B] admire [C] blame [D] careful [E] develop [F] excessive [G] goods [H] harmful [I] impact [J] level [K] motivate [L] pave [M] responsibilities [N] variety [O] warn

John: One of the main differences between a man’ s and a woman’ s body is that men are generally less capable of bending their body than women. You may think it is not important whether your body can bend easily or not, but it is. Stretching your muscles regularly will help you to move more effectively. It can also help you to stay injury-free, relax your muscles and in turn reduce stress. Mike: Doing uninterrupted sessions may make you feel like you are doing the best thing for your body. But not giving yourself a break between workouts will mean that you will burn out, and do more harm than good. You should be taking a day off from exercising every two to three days as a minimum ideally. Taking a rest will mean that when you train again you can train harder. Paul: Lots of men fall into the trap of thinking that in order to be better and achieve more, they have to perform all of their exercises at a super fast pace. Although it’ s true for some exercises, for others this is just not the case. Take weight lifting for example. When lifting slowly, you can increase the amount of time your muscles are tense for and increase the blood flow. David: Some men are terrible for sticking to the same fitness routine, but doing different types of fitness activities means that you work different parts of your body, and by doing this you improve your core strength and your balance. It is often difficult for most men to try new things. If you don’ t want to go into a fitness class on your own, take a friend with you. Helen: Women seem to be much better than men at taking a different approach to fitness. They engage physically and mentally with their fitness programs, which has many health benefits. One is that your stress levels can decrease. And some practices of this approach, such as Tai Chi, can improve bone health. To take advantage of these health benefits, find what suits you best from among the many different fitness techniques that are out there. Now match the name of each person(36 -40) to the appropriate statement. Note: there are two extra statements. Statements [A]Try to diversify your fitness activities. [B] Body and mind should be engaged in exercising. [C] Slow fitness activities fit men better. [D]Men should take intense sessions frequently. [E]Regular stretching improves body’s flexibility. [F] Workout speed depends on what exercise you do. [G]A regular rest between workouts is necessary.

56. You work for a foreign company. Now you want to ask for a short period of leave. Write an email to your boss Mr. Smith to tell him: 1) why you want to ask for leave: 2) how long you want to be away: 3 ) what you plan to do about your current work. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of your email. Use “Wang Lin “instead.

What do we learn about Bill?M: Did Bill really have his two wisdom teeth pulled out? W: Yes, his dentist suggested that he should because he had suffered a great deal of toothache since last September. M: Oh, good. He won’t be bothered by them again. He had his two teeth pulled out. He paid a lot for his dental care. He had a quarrel with his dentist. He had to ease his toothache first.

How long has the man been working here?W: Hello, I’ m Jennifer. I’ m new here. M: Nice to meet you, Jennifer. I’ m David. I just had my first month here. Are you seasonal helper too? W: Yes, but I hope I can stay on after the holidays. M: Me too. It depends on us in part. We have to do a good job and go the extra mile. W: I agree. Hard work will finally pay off. M: Right. You know, the manager of the shoe department started just two years ago as a temporary worker. He’ s about our age. I bet you will be the manager of the company someday. W: I like to have a career in fashion design. There is a lot of opportunity for advancement. M: I want to owe my own store one day, so I want to learn all I can. W: I’ m taking designing classes in college. There’ s a lot to learn. M: It’ s a hard work, but it has rewards. I find satisfaction in doing a job well. W: If you enjoy doing something, it’ s easier. I just finished watching the orientation videos. Now I’ m training on the computers. It’ s fun so far. M: Yes, it is. Oh! It looks like my break is almost over. I need to work now. It’ s been nice talking to you. One day. Two weeks. One month. Two years.

What did the man receive for his role in the movie?W: Congratulations on all the success you have received from your role in The First Greater? Have you taken it all in yet? You have so many awards for it. M: Yes, I’ ve taken it all in. It’ s very exciting. I hope it can leave a better thing for me and for other people. W: Why do you think this role is so touching? M: I think it’ s a role that enhances the idea that education is important. It is also a role that inspires people, particularly those have missed out on going to school, realizing that an old man at the age of 84, can still want to go to school and learn to read and write. W: Were there aspects of him that were challenging for you? Having to play an elderly man? M: Yes, the character is challenging in many ways. He’ s many characters in one. He is a young man who missed education because it was expensive, and then he joins the struggle for independence. When the country finally gets its freedom, he has become an old man. You have a young man, you have an old man. I had to devise ways of portraying those characteristics in those situations. A lot of fans. A lot of money. Many awards. Many comments.

What does the woman want the man to do?W: Mike, we’ll need to rent a car for our trip next week. Could you do that for us? M: Certainly. I need to know whether you want an ordinary car, a sport’ s model, or a station wagon. W: Just the ordinary one. Help plan a trip. Rent a car for her. Help repair her car. Take a trip with her.

Who are the research subjects of Dr. Stone’ s study?W: Dr. Stone, you have studied 25 people who never get sick. Could you give us some easy-to-follow tips on how they’ ve successfully stayed away from illness in their whole lives? M: Our study shows that some habits will help you to stay well and live longer. Such as, cold shower, napping, weightlifting and swimming. W: Do you mean that taking a cold shower is good to our health? M: Yes. Professor Smith is 82 years old now. He has taken a cold shower every day for most of his adult life, and never suffers from colds. W: That sounds great. Maybe I can try it myself. What else can we do to keep us against illness? M: Besides exercise, friends are also very important. You might not think having a social network would count as much as diet and exercise when it comes to good health. But studies have found that good friends can protect against everything from memory-lost to heart attacks, to infectious diseases. Mary is a former nurse. She can’ t remember being ill in all her 75 years, and she credits this to the fact that she is constantly seeking out new friends. Sociability increases self-respect which in turn supports the immune system. Elderly patients. Seriously ill patients. People who never get sick. People who have just recovered.

One of the key challenges in urban architecture over the next 50 years will be figuring out how to squeeze vast numbers of additional people into urban areas that are already extremely crowded. London, for example, will somehow have to deal with a projected 100, 000 extra inhabitants every year until 2016. The current plan of building new“ satellite towns “of the city causes a lot of problem—but architecture think tanks are working on ambitious solutions that go vertical instead of horizontal in search of space. In terms of population density, London is one of the least crowded major cities in the world—four times fewer people per square kilometer than Paris, for example, six times fewer than New York and eight times fewer than Cairo. But the fact remains that the city’ s population is growing at a rapid rate, and horizontal expansion into the surrounding areas is eating up increasingly important agricultural land, as well as worsening all the transport problems that come with urban growth. Popular Architecture would propose a radically different solution. The proposal is to go upwards , with vertical towers of considerable size, each representing an entire new town by the time it’ s completed. Each tower would be 1500 meters high. Beyond mere accommodation, each tower would function as an entire town unit, with its own schools, hospitals, parks and gardens, sports facilities, business areas and community spaces. The population density of such a tower could help lower the individual energy requirements of each inhabitant, reducing the ecological impact of the population as a whole. The village towers are considered as hollow tubes, with large holes to allow light and air through the entire construction. Occasional floor discs spread throughout the height of the building will give inhabitants large central areas in the middle of the tube to use as gathering spaces. While the building itself is unlikely ever to be seriously considered for construction—imagine the number of elevators it would need, let alone the safety implications of open areas at such heights and with such wind exposure—the concept can serve as a conversation-starter for urban planners looking to face the challenges of the current and coming centuries.

Read the text below. Write an essay in about 120 words, in which you should summarize the key points of the text and make comments on them. Try to use your own words. It seems the nation’ s younger citizens are finally favoring the beauty of the natural world over the cries of amateur singers. The BBC has confirmed that the first three episodes of Planet Earth II have attracted more viewers in the 16 to 34 age group than The X Factor. The best ratings so far were for the second episode, which brought in 1. 8 million young viewers compared to The X Factor’ s 1. 4 million. The show’ s narrator, Sir David Attenborough, credited improvements in technology with the show’ s increased success in its second season, which have brought animals close to the viewer and made their environments look real. “ You feel like the camera is with the animals, “ said producer Mike Gunton. “ It’ s very active. For example, you see a monkey leaping through the forest. Normally you’ll stand back to film that. But here the monkey almost jumps over your shoulder. The camera is running with it. Visually, Planet Earth told you to look down on the Earth and see the scale of the planet. What Planet Earth II is doing is saying’ Let’ s get ourselves into the lives of the animals, and see it from their perspective. “The music of Hans Zimmer is also a big factor, “added Attenborough. “That pleases me enormously. “ Besides technology and music, Attenborough said that viewers are “ reconnecting with a planet whose beauty is spoiled and whose health is failing. “He believes that young people are learning that their future is linked to that of the environment.

To win an important office in Cicero’ s time, a candidate should______.

Cicero came from a family with______.

Unlike Cicero, Ulysses Grant attained his political position due to______.

A Roman politician’ s career prospects were strongly influenced by______.

Cicero was elected to the principal offices when______.