Waris Dirie, born in 1965, is a Somali models author, actress and social activist. From 1997 to 2003, she served as a US Special Ambassador.
Waris was born into a nomadic (游牧的) family in 1965 in Galkayo, Somalia. At 13, she fled to Mogadishu to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Waris along with a few relatives later moved to London, where she worked for an uncle who had been appointed Somali ambassador. When his term ended, Waris remained in the city and held a job at a local McDonald’s, where she was discovered by photographer Terence Donovan. Since then, her modeling career took off, appearing in advertisements for top brands such as Chanel, Levi’s, and L’Oreal.
In 1997, at the height of her modeling career, Waris spoke for the first time with Laura Ziv of the women’s magazine Marie Claire about the female genital mutilation (FGM) (割礼) that she had undergone as a child. From then on, she abandoned her modeling career to focus on her work against FGM. That same year, she was appointed the UN Special Ambassador for the Elimination of FGM.
In 1998, Waris authored her first book, Desert Flower, an autobiography that went on to become an international bestseller. In 2009, a feature-length film based on Desert Flower was released, with the Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede playing her.
In 2002, she founded the Desert Flower Foundation in Vienna, Austria, an organization aimed at raising awareness regarding the dangers surrounding FGM. Waris followed that in January 2009 with the establishment of the PPR Foundation for Women’s Dignity and Rights. Waris has also started the Desert Dawn Foundation, which raises money for schools and clinics in her native Somalia, and supports the Zeitz Foundation, an organization focused on sustainable development and conservation.
In 2010, Waris was appointed Peace Ambassador for the Year of Peace and Security by the African Union.
【小题1】What is the correct order of the following events that happened to Waris Dirie?
a. wrote her first book.
b. established the PPR Foundation.
c. moved to London with some relatives.
d. became a UN ambassador for the abolition, of FGM.

A．cdab	B．cadb
C．abdc	D．bacd

【小题2】What is the possible meaning of the underlined word “Elimination” in Paragraph Three?

A．control	B．start
C．end	D．approval

【小题3】Which of the following foundations was not founded by Waris Dirie?

A．the PPR Foundation	B．the Zeitz Foundation
C．the Desert Dawn Foundation	D．the Desert Flower Foundation

【小题4】What may be the best title of the passage?

A．Waris Dirie-a Lucky Woman	B．Waris Dirie-a Famous Model
C．Waris Dirie- a UN Ambassador	D．Waris Dirie-a Desert Flower

I considered an active social life as basic human necessity. Yet when it dawned on me just how much time I was spending socialising, I realised I may be taking it to an extreme. I calculated that, on average, I was spending 22 hours or more each week on social activities. So, to see what would happen to my work output, health and wellbeing, I decided to try and cut out my social life entirely.
I knew, at times, I filled my schedule simply out of fear of missing out (FOMO), but also as a way to shift focus away from my work. For one month, I declined all in-person activities with friends: going out for drinks; dinners; parties and non-work related events, to see if it would make me more productive, improve my focus and career prospects.
On day one of the month-long experiment, I had to fight some anxiety over missing out. But as the days passed, I started to relax. I only had one option to consider for Saturday night—to stay home—and this limitation left me more satisfied in my decision. I felt more content working, reading or watching TV.
While I found more time to work, I also noticed a change in my overall health. I found myself cooking more at home, doing daily exercise, getting to bed earlier each night, reading, and enjoying moments of rest and boredom throughout the day.
Having no social life left me more free time than I’d imagine. Such idle moments are vital for creativity, and mind wandering has been linked to creative problem solving. During the experiment I found myself regularly brainstorming new ideas and reimagining existing projects.
Of course socialising is an important way to build work contacts. While one month of no social life did not impact my relationship with existing clients, if I had continued, it may harm my ability to build new ones.
【小题1】What did the author realize about his socializing?

A．It was difficult for him to contact people.

B．It’s a necessary part of his life and work.

C．He had spent too much time in socializing.

D．He should have spent more time socializing.

【小题2】How did the author feel on the first day of his experiment?

A．He felt anxious that he might be left out.

B．He felt more energetic to get clown to work.

C．He felt relaxed not having to contact people.

D．He felt doubtful whether he could hold on.

【小题3】What benefit did the author find to let his mind wander lazily?

A．He could have more time with his family.

B．He could solve problems in a creative way.

C．He could be more concentrated on his work.

D．He could free himself from the work contacts.

【小题4】What would the author do after the experiment?

A．Live a quiet life with his family away from the outside.

B．Make a new social life with any possible customers.

C．Spare some time regularly for creative thinking alone.

D．Continue his work contacts with his customers.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They combine funny words, pictures, and social opinions.
Dr. Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called AndtoThinkISawItonMulberryStreet. A number of publishers refused to publish it. They said it was too different. A friend finally published it. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.
By the middle 1940s, Dr. Seuss had become one of the best loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He had a strong desire to help children. In 1954, the Life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children’s books were not interesting. Dr. Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.
In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote TheCatintheHat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six­year­old should be able to read. The story is about a cat who tries to entertain two children on a rainy day while their mother is away from home. The cat is not like normal cats. It talks. The book was an immediate success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults say it is still one of the stories they like best.
【小题1】What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Some of Dr. Seuss’ books for children

B．What are Dr. Seuss’ books mainly about

C．Dr. Seuss — a famous writer of children’s books

D．Why are Dr. Seuss’ books different

【小题2】What do we know about Dr. Seuss’ first book for children?

A．It was Dr. Seuss’ worst book.

B．It dealt with a very serious subject.

C．Neither children nor adults like it.

D．Many publishers didn’t take it seriously at first.

【小题3】How did Dr. Seuss help children according to Paragraph 3?

A．By asking others to help them in magazines.

B．By writing interesting and simple books.

C．By changing his old books into simpler ones.

D．By giving them books for free.

【小题4】We can most probably hear this passage on a radio program called ＂____________＂.

A．Travel in America	B．This is America
C．People in America	D．American Stories