One morning, a blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind. Please help me.” There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote something on it. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by could see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Are you the one who changed my sign this morning? May I know what you wrote?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth, I said what you said but in a different way.” What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was a blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. It reminded you to be thankful for what you have. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.
We can learn from the text that the man helped the blind boy by __________.
A.sitting together with him | B.rewriting the sign |
C.teaching him some principles | D.raising money for him |
Why did the man come back that afternoon?
A.To bring some food to the boy. |
B.To explain to the boy why he had left. |
C.To make sure the boy was still there. |
D.To check if there were some changes. |
It can be inferred that the boy was ________ after he found out what the man had written.
A.moved | B.amazed | C.excited | D.worried |
What is the main idea of the text?
A.We should help those who are in trouble. |
B.We should value what we have in life. |
C.We should respect people with disabilities. |
D.We should use a wise way when helping others |
A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.
By Ariel Lewiton
When the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.
A.was frightened that she had no idea what she wanted from life |
B.started to think about her own life |
C.realized I should buy a house. |
D.wondered why her parents had settled down early |
What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
A.Their attitude toward high technology. |
B.Their ways of making their way to the top. |
C.Their attitude towards responsibility. |
D.Their ways of gaining experience. |
Which of the following might the author agree with?
A.It’s all right to try more before settling down. |
B.It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier. |
C.It involves too much effort to rise vertically. |
D.It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”. |
What can we conclude from the article?
A.The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age. |
B.Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships. |
C.“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and love to be taken care of by their parents. |
D.The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better. |
What is the main theme of the article?
A.The sudden realization of growing up. |
B.A comparison between lifestyles of generations. |
C.Criticisms of the young generation. |
D.The factors that have changed the young generation. |
If I were writing a history of my family, some of the darkest moments recorded would be those surrounding Christmas trees. One would certainly think otherwise; selecting and putting up our trees have always been filled with risk.
For example, one afternoon dangerously close to Christmas Eve my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain, a glorious tree that was so full and tall that we could hardly get it into the house. Once we did, my father immediately realized that we would have to hire a carpenter to build a stand for it.
Another December, perhaps the very next one, we bought a tree earlier than we ever had before. We were happy with its shape and delighted that its size was manageable. We easily placed it in a stand, decorated it from top to bottom, and then self-satisfiedly sat back by the fire in its soft light.
Two or three days passed and the truth could not be hidden; we had bought a tree cut so long ago that its needles were coming off. There was nothing to do but undecorated it, take it down, and begin tree shopping again.
Our most recent Christmas tree offered still another difficult task. When we brought it home, once again it seemed larger than it was in the great outdoors. To complicate matters, we had bought a new stand, one whose nuts(螺帽)and bolts(闩子)worked more mysteriously than those of our old stands. I persuaded two young neighbors to stop playing basketball and to help us get the tree into the house and set it correctly in the stand. Unfortunately, no one noticed the mud on our helpers’ shoes, so only after removing several reddish brown sports from the carpet were we able to discuss the question of where the lights and ornaments(装饰)were stored. Perhaps those who cut their own trees have tales more painful than these. I don’t care to hear them, as my family’s experiences are enough to cause me to make the following suggestion: “Let’s forget the tree next Christmas. Let’s simply hang some flowers on the front door and over the mirror in the hall.”
The darkest moments in the writer’s family were with the fact that .
A.the family bought big Christmas trees |
B.they had problems decorating their Christmas trees |
C.they had problems picking suitable Christmas trees |
D.they had problems finding carpenters for putting up Christmas trees |
We can learn from the passage that the writer would like to .
A.forget about Christmas stories |
B.get the neighbors to put up their trees |
C.buy a better tree to celebrate Christmas |
D.make other decorations rather than Christmas trees |
When the writer said “my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain”, he means .
A.she bought the tree at a cheap price | B.she didn’t really want to buy it |
C.she had to bargain hard with the salesman | D.she couldn’t afford a more expensive one |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.How to Select a Christmas Tree | B.No More Christmas Tree for Us |
C.Dark Moments of Life | D.Christmas Without Trees |
While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had an experience which occurred merely two feet away from me.
Trying to locate my friend among the passengers coming through the jet way, I noticed a man walking toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he kissed his three children one by one and said, “It’s nice to see you. I missed you so much!” Then he hugged his wife, “I’ve saved the best for last!” giving her the longest, most passionate (热情的) kiss I ever remember seeing. They stared at each other’s eyes, smiling at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.
Full of admiration, I asked, “Wow! How long have you two been married?” “Being together for fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” He replied, without breaking his stare from his lovely wife’s face. “Well, then, how long have you been away?” I asked. “Two whole days!” “Two days?” I was astonished. By the intensity (热烈) of the greeting, I had thought he’d been gone for at least several weeks — if not months. I knew my expression gave away me, so I turned away my eyes and said quietly, “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after so long!”
The man suddenly stopped smiling and looked at me straight in the eye. With forcefulness he told me something that left me a different person. “Don’t hope, friend…decide!” Then he smiled again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”
With that, he and his family turned and walked away together.
I was still watching that man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What are you looking at?” Without hesitation, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”
The best title of the passage may be __________.
A.Long Loving Hugs | B.My Future |
C.Love Is Everywhere | D.Don’t Hope, Decide |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.It was fourteen years since the couple had got married. |
B.After being away for several weeks, the man missed his family very much. |
C.The man replied to the author, with his eyes still fixed on his wife’s face. |
D.Their three kids reminded the author of newlyweds. |
By saying “my expression gave away me” (in Paragraph 4), the author means that __________.
A.he failed to express his ideas to the man |
B.his expression was not faithful to him |
C.he didn’t believe in his expression any more |
D.the man sensed his real feelings from his expression |
From the passage, we can infer that __________.
A.the author will live a passionate life from now on |
B.the experience may be easily forgotten by the author |
C.the author will be away from his family and hug them passionately upon his return |
D.Americans prefer to save the best for last |
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Bird, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded.
When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration (迁移) is probably the migration of the fish, which is called “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mouse. They leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobster(龙虾). Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go.
So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to _________.
A.give birth | B.enjoy warmer weather |
C.find food more easily | D.find beautiful places |
The fish called “salmon” spends a long life in _________.
A.salt water | B.rivers | C.fresh water | D.its birthplace |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Animals move in order to find food more easily. |
B.The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration. |
C.Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel. |
D.sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another, but sometimes we don’t. |
A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International.Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time(01:55GMT)in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state.Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born.In addition to baby Nargis in India,Bangladesh,the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies.The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October.the world's population would reach seven billion.
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia.At the same time,low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999.They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest.India is second at 1.2 billion.But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.
India will also have one of the world's youngest populations.Economists say this is a chance for a so-called.demographic dividend.India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations.But economists say current rates of growth,although high,may not create enough jobs.Also,the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality.Another concern is health care.Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).
Michal Rutkowski,the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action.He says,“I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really,really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition,and to provide for access to health services,water and schooling.”
What is true about the world's seven billionth person?
A.Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby. |
B.Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby. |
C.Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby. |
D.The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person. |
Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?
A.Labor shortage. | B.Poor health care. |
C.Not enough jobs. | D.Schooling of poor quality. |
According to population experts,how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?
A.About 12 years. | B.About 40 years. | C.About 50 years. | D.About 110 years. |
What does the underlined phrase“demographic dividend”in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A.Possibility of lower birth rate. |
B.Benefit gained by working young people. |
C.Chances for more employment. |
D.Disadvantages caused by aging population. |
Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?
A.To encourage late marriage. | B.To reduce world's population. |
C.To gain economic equality. | D.To improve health and education. |
We know the famous ones — the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells— but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)?Shouldn’ t we know who they are?
Joan McLean thinks so. In fact, McLean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’ s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, McLean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why”and“how”questions. According to McLean,“When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”
Her students agree. One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’ s statement.“If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’ s invention,”said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major,“I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive.” Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.
So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy,but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’ t be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham,Alabama. Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆) on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations. It’ s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’ s traffic light. It’ s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’ s innovation that makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?
By mentioning “traffic light”and “windshield wiper”, the author indicates that countless inventions are________.
A.beneficial, because their inventors are famous |
B.beneficial, though their inventors are less famous |
C.not useful, because their inventors are less famous |
D.not useful, though their inventors are famous |
Professor Joan McLean’ s course aims to________.
A.add colour and variety to students’ campus life |
B.inform students of the windshield wiper’ s invention |
C.carry out the requirements by Mountain University |
D.prepare students to try their own inventions |
Tommy Lee’ s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was________.
A.not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer |
B.inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper |
C.due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm |
D.not related to Professor Joan McLean’ s lectures |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
A.How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers? |
B.How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window? |
C.Shouldn’ t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper? |
D.Shouldn’ t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities? |
下面文章中有5处(第81~85题)需要添加小标题,请从以下选项中选出符合各段意思的小标题,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑,选项中一项为多余选项.
A.Learn Everyday |
B.Agree to Disagree |
C.Respect Each Other |
D.Arrange Some Time to Go Out |
E. Develop Healthy Relationships
F. Learn to Listen and Speak
Healthy Relationship Tips
Healthy relationships are effortless, if both the people involved take equal effort to maintain it. Here are a few healthy relationship tips to help you build the dream of your life.
81. ________________
Communication is an art of putting your thoughts into words, so that they are exactly understood by the opposite person. Communication does not mean going on talking unnecessarily. This is the first mistake that couples make. One person in the relationship assumes the role of talker and the other becomes the listener. Their roles remain so forever. The talker forgets to listen and the listener becomes used to listening and not reacting. If your partner takes time to open up, help them out by asking questions. So hear them out and give proper reactions. You will obtain the benefits of a healthy relationship through increased confidence in both of you to open up and hear things out.
82. ________________
Regular conversations take the form of heated arguments amongst many couples. Understand that not every statement needs a reaction. Maybe a certain reaction may lead to an argument with your partner. Just agree with whatever it is and there will be no harm done. Try and reach a mutual (相互的) agreement. If that’s not possible leave the topic for later. If you give it time, maybe both of you will be able to think about it rationally.
83. ________________
Every single day is a blessing. Each moment with your partner is a moment to learn something new and discover the finer nuances (细微差别) of your relationships. Each one of us keep changing everyday, the circumstances around us change everyday and with that our attitude also needs to change. The same applies when you are living with a person. Learning everyday and taking everyday as a challenge will help you perfect healthy relationship tips.
84. ________________
This tip is especially meant for couples with children to maintain healthy relationships. After a certain period, couples complain about romance being lost. To keep your relationship healthy, take some time out from your day-to-day routines to spend some quality time with your partner. This can be done as dinners, indulging in outdoor activities or just hanging out at a coffee shop like old times.
85. ________________
Respect has to be earned. It can only be earned only if you learn to respect. Often, one of the partners plays the role of a dictator to give orders, while the other simply follows. Both sides involved are equally responsible for this mistake. Learn to respect each other and understand that both of you are equally responsible for the relationship.
Creating a healthy relationship takes equal effort from both sides. Sharing, caring, being apologetic, forgiving and having realistic expectations are some of the important ingredients to the recipe of a healthy relationship.
The law is a great mass of rules, showing when and how far a man is possible to be punished, or to be made to hand over money or property to his neighbors, and so on. These rules are contained in books. A lawyer learns them mainly by reading books.
He begins by doing nothing but read, and after he has prepared himself by three years study practice, still, all his life long and almost every day, he will be looking into books to read a little more than he already knows about some new questions which he has to answer.
The power to use books, then is a special skill which the would - be lawyer ought to possess. He ought to have enough flexibility(灵活性)to make it easy for him to collect ideas from printed words. He ought to have no difficulty in finding what a book contains, and something of an instinct(直觉)for where to look for what he wants.
But although this is the power of which he will first feel the need, it is not the most important. A lawyer does not study law to recite it; he studies it to use it and act upon the rules which he has learned in real life. His business is to try cases in court and to advise men what to do in order to keep out or get out of trouble.
After three years of reading________.
A.he can study law |
B.he can stop reading |
C.he still has to continue reading |
D.he is able to give clever answers |
The major business of a lawyer is________.
A.to discuss the material he has read |
B.to advise people who have law problems |
C.to learn about real life |
D.to study the law |
According to the passage, a good lawyer should know how to________.
A.understand and use what he reads |
B.be convenient in everything |
C.collect ideas from different source |
D.use power in the court |
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a batter student in several ways. 71 Second, your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test. Third, note-taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.
You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. 72 Whenever or however you take notes, keep in mind that note-taking is a selective process.73
The following methods may work best for you.
● Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.
● Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.
● Write your notes in your own words.
● 74
● Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.
As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand(速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time.75
A. Use words, not complete sentences. B. There are three practical note-taking methods. C. You must write your notes on separate paper. D. Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later. E. You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes. F. That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes. G. First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it. |
When 19-year-old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation (基金会),nobody understood what she was talking about.But Sophia knew just how important Make-A-Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one of her best friends .We were interested in finding out more,so we went along to meet Sophia and listen to what she had to say.
Sophia told us that Make-A -Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.“It's a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses.Make-A-Wish helps children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true ,” Sophia explained .
We asked Sophia how Make-A-Wish had first started.She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris ,who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman .Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris's dream come true—so, with everybody's help, Chris, only seven years old at the time,had been a “policeman” for a day.” When people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too,and that was the beginning of Make-A-Wish,” explained Sophia.
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time.A Make-A-Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world.Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary,or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.
Sophia found out about Make-A-Wish because her best friend had________.
A.benefited from it | B.volunteered to help it |
C.dreamed about it | D.told the author about it |
According to Sophia,Make-A-Wish________.
A.is an international charity |
B.was understood by nobody at first |
C.raises money for very poor families |
D.started by drawing the interest of the public |
What is said about Chris in Paragraph 3?
A.He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
B.He gave people the idea of starting Make-A-Wish |
C.He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
D.He was the first child Make-A-Wish helped after it had been set up. |
Which of the following is true about Make-A-Wish volunteers?
A.They are important for making wishes come true. |
B.They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
C.They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
D.They provide what is necessary to make Make-A-Wish popular. |
Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father,“But,Dad,you can’t be healthy if you’re dead?”
Dad,in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run,had forgotten to wear his safety belt——a mistake 75% of the US population make every day.The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago.The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One:It’s best to be“thrown clear”of a serious accident.
Truth:Sorry,but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear”is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing.And chances are you’ll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃)or door to do it.Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are“thrown clear.”
Myth Number Two:Safety belts“trap”people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth:Sorry again,but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷)due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents,People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations,not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three:Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour(mph).
Truth:When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other,an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.
Why did Elizabeth say to her father,“But Dad,you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?
A.He didn’t have his safety belt on. |
B.He was running across the street. |
C.He was driving at great speed |
D.He didn’t take his medicine on time. |
The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was that he____.
A.wasn’t feeling very well |
B.wanted to take some exereise |
C.hated to drive in the dark |
D.didn’t want to be caught by the police |
According to the text,to be “thrown clear”of a serious accident is very dangerous
because you_____.
A.may be knocked down by other cars |
B.may get caught in the car door |
C.may find it impossible to get away from the seat |
D.may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car |
Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe__.
A.they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
B.the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
C.they will be caught when help comes |
D.cars catch fire easily |
What is the advice given in the text?
A.Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour. |
B.Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving. |
C.Try your best to save yourself in a car accident. |
D.Drive slowly while you’re not wearing a safety belt. |
In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A.A lot of amusements compete for children’s time nowadays. |
B.Children have lots of fun doing mindless activities. |
C.Rebecca is much too busy to enjoy her leisure time. |
D.Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing. |
What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A.She was constantly under pressure to write more. |
B.Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
C.She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
D.Her road to success was full of pain and frustrations. |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
A.She believed she possessed real talent for writing. |
B.She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
C.She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
D.She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
The author took great pains to improve her daughter’s stories because _______.
A.she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer |
B.she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing |
C.she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much |
D.she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance |
The underlined sentence probably means that the author was _______.
A.trying not to let her daughter enjoy her own life |
B.trying to get her daughter to do the thing as the author wished |
C.making sure that her daughter would win the contest |
D.helping her daughter develop real skills for writing |
What’s the author’s advice for parents?
A.Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. |
B.Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. |
C.Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. |
D.A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. |
The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago.
Not all cases of Alzheimer’s disease(老年痴呆症) look like this, but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75. It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, people may exhibit short-term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry. As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.
While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain’s nerve fibers (神经纤维), their effect is certain. Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients, but also spouses(配偶), friends and families.
What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease? Though many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis(诊断)and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.
What feeling will you likely experience if a loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn’t remember you are married.
Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.
What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired day?
A.She has been living with her father. |
B.She was sad about the death of her father. |
C.She can’t search for her father without being watched. |
D.She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. |
When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, ________.
A.their families and friends will suffer from the same disease |
B.their families and friends will experience mental sufferings |
C.they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years |
D.they will forget everybody but their spouses |
Memory loss occurs ________.
A.from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else |
B.from sadness, shock, anger, and so on |
C.for a number of reasons |
D.with changes in personality |
From the passage we know that .
A.early treatment may stop Alzheimer’s disease occurring |
B.it is still unknown what causes the changes in the brain’s nerve fibers |
C.nerve fibers in the brain will cause Alzheimer’s disease |
D.when one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he will be buried |
Banks are not ordinarily prepared to pay out all accounts(账,账户); they rely on depositors (储户) not to demand payment all at the same time. If depositors should come to fear that a bank is not safe, that it cannot pay off all its depositors, then that fear might cause all the depositors to appear on the same day. If they did, the bank could not pay all accounts. However, if they did not all appear at once, then there would always be enough money to pay those who wanted their money when they wanted it. Mrs. Elsie Vaught has told us of a terrifying bank run that she experienced. One day in December of 1925 several banks failed to open in a city where Mrs. Vaught lived. The other banks expected a run the next day, and so the officers of the bank in which Mrs Vaught worked as a teller had enough money on hand to pay off their depositors. The officers simply told the tellers to pay on demand. The next morning a crowd gathered in the bank and on the sidewalk outside. The length of the line made many think that the bank could not possibly pay off everyone. People began to push and then to fight for places near the tellers’ windows. The power of the panic atmosphere was such that two tellers, though they knew that the bank was quite all right and could pay all depositors, drew their own money from the bank. Mrs Vaught says that she had difficulty keeping herself from doing the same.
A bank run happens when _______.
A.too many depositors try to draw out their money at one time | |
B.a bank is closed for one or more days |
C.there is enough money to pay all its depositors at one time |
D.tellers of a bank take their own money from the bank |
The tellers in Mrs. Vaught’s bank were told to ________.
A.explain why they could not pay out all accounts |
B.pay out accounts as requested |
C.make the depositors believe that the bank was stand |
D.pay out money as slowly as possible |
According to the passage, the actions of the depositors of Mrs. Vaught’s bank were affected mainly by the _______.
A.ease with which they could get their money |
B.confidence that Mrs. Vaught showed |
C.confidence shown by other depositors of the bank |
D.failure of several other banks to open |
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