FOR many young people, having to attend school with a parent would be their worst nightmare. However, Senior 1 student Li Qinmei is happy taking her father with her as long as she can go to classes. He is disabled and unable to take care of himself.
The 16-year-old country girl in Zhucheng, Shandong Province has experienced one disaster after another in her short life. Li lost her mother at three. Four years later, her father became paralyzed after a tractor accident. At 12, her misfortune returned with the death of her grandma. Since then she has been forced to shoulder all the responsibility for her broken family.
Li learnt to cook and managed to live a life with an allowance of only 24 yuan per month. The most difficult thing she had to deal with was helping her father bathe, dress and use the toilet as he could hardly move.
"I felt embarrassed, and so did my dad. It was really hard at the beginning," she recalled.
During most of her junior school years, Li went to classes only once a month as her father was seriously ill at the time.
"I taught myself at home and asked teachers for help on my school days," she explained.
Li's hard work paid off this fall. She was admitted by Zhucheng No 1 High School, a local key school, based on her good performance in the entrance exams.
The school offered Li and her father a room on campus to live in so she could look after him during breaks.
Once in a while, Li felt sad when she saw her classmates going shopping or hanging out with friends.
"I envy them sometimes because they have both mum and dad to look after them. However, I soon feel relieved as I still have my dad with me," she said.
Li admitted that the difficulties in life had taught her to be strong.
"I believe I will go on and continue my studies at a good university," she said, in a confident tone.
Her teacher Mr. Wang has the same belief. Li made great progress in the recent monthly exams. "She works hard and is always eager to excel (好强的). It's not easy for her never to be late for school, but she has managed to make it work," Wang said.Li Qinmei has to shoulder the family because ________.
| A．her father was badly injured in a car accident |
| B．her mother passed away when she was 3 |
| C．her grandma died when she was 12 |
| D．misfortune in her life forced her to do so |
From the passage we can infer that _________.
| A．Li Qinmei doesn’t like others talking about her father |
| B．many young students hate going to school with their parents |
| C．Li Qinmei has made great progress in her study |
| D．Li Qinmei has lost three relatives and has to take care of her father |
What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “hanging out” in the passage?_________.
| A．playing outside | B．working hard | C．exchanging ideas | D．talking happily |
According to the passage, which statement is Not True? __________.
| A．Li Qinmei was admitted to a local key school because of his good scores in the exams |
| B．Li Qinmei is not very embarrassed when she helps her father bathe |
| C．Li Qinmei often goes to attend her father after class |
| D．Li Qinmei is able to go to class on time though she has to attend her father |
What’s the best title of the story?________.
| A．Difficulties make strong |
| B．A touching story |
| C．A strong-minded girl-Li Qinmei |
| D．Li Qinmei’s successful study life |
Some people believe that a Robin Hood is at work, others that a wealthy person simply wants to distribute（分发）his or her fortune before dying. But the donator who started sending envelopes with cash to deserving causes, accompanied by an article from the local paper, has made a northern German city believe in fairytales（童话）.
The first envelope was sent to a victim support group. It contained €10,000 with a cutting from the Braunschweiger Zeitung about how the group supported a woman who was robbed of her handbag; similar plain white anonymous（匿名）envelopes, each containing €10,000, then arrived at a kindergarten and a church.
The envelopes keep coming, and so far at least €190,000 has been distributed. Last month, one of them was sent to the newspaper’s own office. It came after a story it published about Tom, a 14-year-old boy who was severely disabled in a swimming accident. The receptionist at the Braunschweiger Zeitung opened an anonymous white envelope to find 20 notes of €500 inside, with a copy of the article. The name of the family was underlined.
“I was driving when I heard the news,” Claudia Neumann, the boy’s mother, told Der Spiegel magazine. “I had to park on the side of the road; I was speechless.”
The money will be used to make the entrance to their house wheelchair-accessible and for a course of treatment that their insurance company refused to pay for.
“For someone to act so selflessly, for this to happen in such a society in which everyone thinks of himself, was astonishing,” Mrs. Neumann said. Her family wonder whether the donator is a Robin Hood character, taking from banks to give to the needy.
Henning Noske, the editor of the Braunschweiger Zeitung, said: “Maybe it is an old person who is about to die. We just do not know.” However, he has told his reporters not to look for the city’s hero, for fear that discovery may stop the donations. The Braunschweiger Zeitung is name of _____.
| A．a church | B．a bank | C．a magazine | D．a newspaper |
Which of the following is TURE about the donation to Tom?
| A．The donation amounted to €190,000. |
| B．The donation was sent directly to his house. |
| C．His mother felt greatly surprised at the donation. |
| D．All the money will be used for his treatment. |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．the donation will continue to come |
| B．the donator is a rich old man |
| C．the donation comes from the newspaper |
| D．the donator will soon be found out |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Money Is Raised by the Newspaper. |
| B．Unknown Hero Spreads Love in Envelopes. |
| C．Newspaper Distributes Money to the Needy. |
| D．Robin Hood Returns to the city. |
I bent down in the shade under a sixty-foot-tall cactus（仙人掌）, waiting for them to appear. The time was eight thirty in the morning. For seven mornings I had come to the same distant spot in the Sonoran Desert, in southern Arizona. I was here to watch the roadrunner, a small fast-running bird.
I spotted two birds under a bush with red flowers. The roadrunners rushed out from under it. The birds moved rapidly on long skinny legs. Their feathers were brown and black. Their tails were seven inches long. Roadrunners use the tail for balance when running.
That day, the roadrunners performed a courtship（求婚）dance. They ran in wild circles. Suddenly, one stopped and stood still, its round eyes full of light. The second bird took hold of a small stick off the ground and presented it to the first, a gift serving as a symbol of their partnership.
I returned to the spot each day, leaving bits of boiled chicken hoping they would return. Roadrunners eat snakes, lizards, mice, beetles, and spiders. Food is in short supply in the desert, so my offerings were welcome. The pair grew used to me.
Soon after the pair finished building their nest six white eggs appeared in the nest bowl. In about three weeks, six roadrunner chicks, skin as black as coal, cried for food. Their parents brought food such as fence lizards and stink bugs. They fed their young until they were a month and a half old.
Early one morning, a coyote（丛林狼）came around, nose to the ground, for fresh bird meat. The roadrunners fearlessly drove the coyote away, but it was soon back. After three attacks the coyote went away for good, tail between its legs.
I stopped watching the nest when the little roadrunners, at two months of age, were ready to live on their own. It was hard to break away from “my roadrunner family.” Whenever I see a roadrunner now, rushing over the ground, I say hello to it as an old friend.The author went to the Sonoran Desert to .
| A．go on a tour of the desert |
| B．carry out research into some animals in the desert |
| C．make an observation about a kind of bird |
| D．enjoy an adventure in southern Arizona |
What can we learn about roadrunners from the text?
| A．They have short tails and legs. |
| B．They move at a fast pace. |
| C．Their feathers are red and brown. |
| D．They don’t like boiled chicken. |
We can learn from the last but one paragraph that the roadrunners were .
| A．brave | B．clever | C．easily-frightened | D．lazy |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．How do roadrunners seek a partner? |
| B．My close friendship with roadrunners. |
| C．Roadrunner family in the Sonoran Desert. |
| D．How did I find roadrunners in Arizona? |
In the kitchen of my mother's houses there has always been a wooden stand with a small notepad and a hole for a pencil.
I'm looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can't be the same pencil. The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
"I'm just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years." I say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. "You still use a pencil. Can't you afford a pen?"
My mother replies a little sharply. "It works perfectly well; I've always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days. "
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, "One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on."
This story, which happened before I was born, reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is also a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible exhibits at every meal.Why has the author's mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?
| A．To leave messages. |
| B．To list her everyday tasks. |
| C．To note down math problems. |
| D．To write down a flash of inspiration. |
What is the author's original opinion about the wooden stand?
| A．It has great value for the family. |
| B．It needs to be replaced. |
| C．It brings her back to her lonely childhood. |
| D．It should be passed on to the next generation. |
The author feels embarrassed for____________.
| A．blaming her mother wrongly |
| B．giving her mother a lot of trouble |
| C．not making good use of time as her mother did |
| D．not making any breakthrough in her field |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The mother is successful in her career. |
| B．The family members like traveling. |
| C．The author had little time to play when young. |
| D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared. |
The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever . He sent his camera crew（摄制组）out one evening to film the sunset for him .
The next morning he said to the men , “ Have you provided me with that sunset ? ”
“ No , sir . ” the men answered .
The director was angry . “ Why not ? ” he asked .
“ Well , sir , ” one of the men answered . “ we’re on the east coast here , and the sets in the west . We can get you a sunrise over the sea , if necessary , but not a sunset . ”
“ But I want a sunset ! ” the director shouted . “ Go to the airport . take the next flight to the west coast , and get one . ”
But then a young secretary had an idea . “ Why don’t you photograph a sunrise . ” she suggested . “ and then play it backwards ? Then it’ll look like a sunset . ”
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay（海湾）. Then at nine o’clock they took it to the director . “ Here it is sir . ” they said , and gave it to him . He was very pleased .
They all went into the studio（摄影棚）. “ All right . ” the director explained . “ now our hero and heroine are going to say good-bye . Run the film backwards so that we can see the ‘ sunset behind them . ’ ”
The “ sunset ” began , but after a quarter of a minute , the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop .
The birds in the film were flying backwards . and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach .One evening, the director sent his camera crew out .
| A．to watch a beautiful sunset |
| B．to find an actor and an actress |
| C．to film a sunset scene on the sea |
| D．to meet the audience |
Why did the director want to send his crew to the west coast ?
| A．Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset . |
| B．Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset . |
| C．Because it was his secretary’s suggestion . |
| D．Because he was angry with his crew . |
Which of the following is NOT true ?
| A．The crew had to follow the secretary’s advice . |
| B．If you want to see a sunrise , the east coast is the place to go to . |
| C．The camera crew wasn’t able to film the scene the first day . |
| D．The director ordered his crew to stop filming the “ sunset ” . |
The director wanted to film a sunset over the ocean because .
| A．it went well with the separation of the hero and the heroine |
| B．when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening |
| C．it was more moving than a sunrise |
| D．the ocean looked more beautiful at sunset |
After the “ sunset ” began , the director suddenly put his face in his hands .
| A．because he was moved to tears |
| B．as he saw everything in the film moving backwards |
| C．as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined |
| D．because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and heroine |
I’m a 20-year-old boy, and the following is my story．
A month after I graduated from high school in August，2007，I was coming home from swim practice in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital．
I suffered a lot from the experience of dying eight times during my coma and I couldn’t open my mouth to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around．At that time，it seemed that walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body，my dreams were completely destroyed. But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams．
After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions, I had to make every great effort to learn to talk，eat，walk，shower，and live on my own again．When I was out of hospital，I still had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, Maryland．After I spent a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own．It was a miracle that I was able to walk again, but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but also run. When it came true, I wanted to get back into the pool again．After having a few lung tests，I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week．After a few months of swim training，I began my freshman year at Mary’s College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team．
By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world．I am just trying to 1ive every day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is to them. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed，I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members．I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow，things would work out for the best.The underlined word “coma” in Paragraph 2 probably has the meaning of __________.
| A．operation | B．unconsciousness | C．treatment | D．emergency |
According to Paragraph 3, it can be inferred that the author ________.
| A．was unable to talk or communicate |
| B．was in despair |
| C．faced physical and mental challenges |
| D．felt anxious about his state |
What is the correct order of the following events?
a．went to outpatient therapy
b．received membership of the swim team
c．was pushed around to visit other patients
d．walked 1ike a baby
e．1earnt to live all by himself
| A．d,a,c,b,e | B．e,c,d,a,b | C．d,c,a,b,e | D．e,c,a,d,b |
In the last paragraph，the author mainly wants to show_______．
| A．his positive influence on other patients |
| B．his meaningful life |
| C．his purpose of sharing his story |
| D．his great achievements |
The best title for the passage would be“____________”
| A．Attitude is everything |
| B．Actions speak louder than words |
| C．Everything happens for a reason |
| D．A good beginning is half done |
Howard Dill is a giant among giant pumpkin(南瓜) growers. He grew world champion pumpkins for four years running，from 1979 to 1982, and missed winning the fifth year by only 5 pounds. Today, his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds are sold worldwide to more than 50 seed companies. The pumpkins grown from his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds commonly weigh in at over 1,000 pounds. “I don’t have any training in genetics(遗传学); it was all trial and error,” Dill says. He got his love of pumpkins from his father and has enjoyed growing them for years.
Dill still grows giant pumpkins, but not for competition. In the fall, visitors come to enjoy the pumpkins on his 90-acre farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. He plants ten acres of pumpkins for Halloween and two acres of giant pumpkins. One of giant pumpkins was recently baked into 442 pumpkin pies and sold at $5 each for charity.
It you want to try growing a giant pumpkin, Dill recommends starting with a soil test and then adding fertilizer(农药) as needed. Plant the giant pumpkin seed. A giant pumpkin can gain 15 to 20 pounds a day, so careful watering—every day or two—is necessary. You should wait about 130 days until the pumpkin matures and then you can harvest it.
Dill’s favorite pumpkin set the Guinness Book record in 1981. It weighted 493.5 pounds. “I’ve grown them larger since, but that one meant a lot,” he remembers. “I never would have imagined ten
years ago that there would be a 1,000-pounder, but there are many of them now,” says Dill. The 2006 world record holder is Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania. He grew a 1,469 pounder. Dill says, “These world champions are grown from my seeds, so I feel like a winner right along with them.”What can we learn about the world champion pumpkin of 1983?
| A．It weighed over 1,000 pounds. |
| B．It was missing after the competition. |
| C．It was 5 pounds heavier than that of 1982. |
| D．It was 5 pounds heavier than Dill’s biggest one that year. |
One of Dill’s giant pumpkins earned .
| A．$2210 | B．$442 | C．$1000 | D．$1469 |
In the third paragraph Dill mainly tells about .
| A．how to do a soil test |
| B．how to plant the giant pumpkin seed |
| C．when to water the pumpkin |
| D．how to grow a giant pumpkin |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Gardening Giant: Howard Dill |
| B．World Champion Pumpkin |
| C．Dill Atlantic Giant Seeds |
| D．How to Grow Giant Pumpkins |
Lynn was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of l6, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In l922, with limited education and skills, the future didn’t look bright for Lynn. Her father demanded that Lynn find a job as soon as possible, but she didn’t have the confidence to ask for a job.
One day, Lynn gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lynn told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.
Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, “Lynn, let’s see how good you really are.” She directed Lynn to type a single letter, and then left. Lynn looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.
On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. “At noon,” she said to herself, “I’ll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again.”
On her second attempt, things didn’t get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55—five minutes to freedom.
Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lynn, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl’s shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, “Lynn, you’re doing good work!”
Lynn was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, “Well, if she thinks it’s good, then it must be good. I think I’ll stay!”
Lynn did stay at Carhartt Overall Company…for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents—all because someone had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door.Why did Lynn leave school at an early age?
| A．To learn English well. |
| B．To earn money for her family. |
| C．To get self-confidence. |
| D．To become a typist. |
When Lynn applied for the job, she .
| A．could speak good English |
| B．didn’t know much about typing |
| C．knew Margaret very well |
| D．never wrote any letter |
How many attempts did Lynn make to type the letter?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
Who does the underlined word “someone” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Lynn’s father. | B．Lynn herself. | C．A president. | D．Margaret. |
What can we learn from Lynn's story?
| A．Encouragement makes a difference. |
| B．Honesty is the best policy. |
| C．Virtue(美德) leads to success. |
| D．Time waits for no man. |
Mayor Boris Johnson Monday outlined plans to make London “the cleanest” by the 2012 Olympics and called for commitments from other world cities at a climate change conference. Leaders of the world's 40 largest cities are meeting in Seoul this week for a summit on combating global warming ---- the third to be held since 2005.
"What we should do in Seoul is agree that we will stop the endless addiction of mankind to the internal combustion engine (内燃机)," said Johnson. He told a press conference the world's cities consume 75 percent of its energy and produce 80 percent of the emissions which cause climate change. "The problem of our planet is an urban problem," Johnson said.
He said the British capital wants to use the Olympics "to drive the greening and the improvement of our city" and noted that London is committed to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2025.
Johnson said the key measure was addressing the problems relating to domestic and commercial buildings, which accounted for 70 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in London. This involved retrofitting (翻新) ---- installing lagging (绝缘层材料) ---- in large numbers of public buildings.
Johnson proclaimed himself a "passionate cyclist" and said he would push ahead with cycle super-highways around London.
London's air quality problem, he said, was caused by vehicle emissions from 8,300 antiquated (陈旧的) diesel (柴油) buses, which could be replaced by low-carbon vehicles. There were also 32,000 taxis running on diesel fuel, which could be replaced by electric vehicles.
Johnson said there would be a substantial (实质上的) program in the next few years to produce a "cleaner, greener" bus for his city. "The age of the diesel-emitting bus has got to be over in London."Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to this passage?
| A．The used buses running on diesel will be replaced by electric vehicles. |
| B．London’s air quality will be improved in the near future. |
| C．London promises to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent by 2025. |
| D．Plans have been made to solve the problem of carbon dioxide emissions. |
What does the underlined word mean in the first paragraph?
| A．discussing | B．resisting | C．agreeing | D．supporting |
The topic of the meeting in Seoul might be __________.
| A．climate change | B．London Olympics in 2012 |
| C．global warming | D．green environment |
If the passage was continually written, the following might be __________.
| A．measures to replace the old and used vehicles |
| B．measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in London |
| C．measures to solve housing and commercial items |
| D．measures to end the age of the diesel bus |
I fell in love with music from a young age and often sat down making a few songs of my own．What would life be like, I wondered, without a beautiful song? In 1992, I made two love songs to my darling wife and watched tears run down her face as I sang．"Sam," she said earnestly, "Your songs should be heard by more people."
She got my ballads and started bothering various media people about me, her singing barber husband．Two radio stations took an interest and played the songs．After the programme was aired, I became known in our community as the Singing Barber．
The biggest surprise, however, was still to come．I received a call from a music promoter who offered me a long-term recording contract．He explained that he would be investing a lot of money to market my songs．I needed to be wholly focused on selling my records all over Australia．
But I hesitated．
My friends all told me to go for it．And Mary also thought I should do．"Go, Sam．I'll manage with the family．．．it'll be OK．"
I watched my daughter and son playing in the backyard．Soon they would both be in high school．．．and where would I be? I was so used to my family turning to me for love and support．If I were to start a singing career, I would not only miss them terribly, I'd also certainly miss out on watching them grow up．Signing this contract would put a huge gap between my family and me．．．and I couldn't bear it．My family was my life．So I refused the music promoter's offer．I'm still making music, I'm rich in love and I have no regrets．When the author was offered the contract, most of his friends _____．
| A．envied him | B．laughed at him | C．encouraged him | D．didn't believe him |
Why did the author give up the contract?
| A．Because his wife was strongly against it． |
| B．Because the pay was not attractive enough． |
| C．Because he wanted to care about his two kids． |
| D．Because he didn't want his family life damaged． |
According to the passage, we can infer the author _____．
| A．used to be a country singer |
| B．preferred his present life |
| C．went on the road to fame |
| D．regretted giving up his contract |
What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．One should know himself． |
| B．Interest is the best teacher． |
| C．Family should come first． |
| D．Every dog has its day． |
When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
“Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.
“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.
“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “the educationally handicapped”?
| A．The learning difficulty. |
| B．The physical problems. |
| C．The psychological problems. |
| D．The communication difficulty. |
According to the writer, which of the following about Jim is TRUE？
| A．He was always sad about his school marks. |
| B．His parents always scolded him about his bad school marks. |
| C．His study needed more attention from his parents and teachers. |
| D．He was killed in a car accident. |
What did Polly think of Jim?
| A．He was a lovely boy with a beautiful smile who always loved others. |
| B．He was physically sick but always happy. |
| C．He was an irritating boy with some bad habits. |
| D．He seldom expressed his love for his parents. |
The purpose of Polly’s letter is to _______. .
| A．memorize her son |
| B．teach parents to appreciate their children |
| C．teach children how to be good boys |
| D．give some advice on how to deal with children’s problems |
Early one morning the sub-inspector at a station at the other end of the town rang me. An elephant was damaging the town. Would I please come and do something about it? I did not know what I could do, but I got onto a horse and started out. I took my gun, maybe too small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might scare him. Various local people stopped me on the way and told me about the elephant's doings. It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one. It had been chained up but last night it had broken its chain and escaped. Its owner had set out to run after it, but had taken the wrong direction. He was now twelve hours' journey away, and in the morning the elephant had suddenly appeared in the town. It had already destroyed somebody's bamboo hut (棚屋), killed a cow and turned over fruit¬stalls. I came round the hut and saw a man's dead body sprawling in the mud. He was an Indian, and he could not have been dead many minutes. The people said that the elephant caught him with its trunk, put its foot on his back and grounded him into the earth. This was the rainy season and he was lying on his stomach in the soft mud, the peacebreaker standing beside, looking innocent. As I lifted my gun, I hesitated a few seconds. Then I fired. That was a shot for him. You could see the pain of it knocking the last strength from his legs. But in falling he seemed for a moment to rise, his trunk reaching skyward like a tree. He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And then down he came, with a crash that shook the ground.
Which of the following statements about the author is TRUE?
| A．He was an Indian. |
| B．He knew elephants well. |
| C．He was not a local villager. |
| D．He was the owner of the elephant. |
The elephant made so much trouble because ________.
| A．its owner treated him cruelly |
| B．it got out of control |
| C．it hated the village people |
| D．it was a wild elephant |
The underlined words “the peacebreaker” in Paragraph 4 refer to ________.
| A．the elephant | B．the dead man |
| C．the author | D．the sub¬inspector |
It can be inferred that the author felt ________ when he shot the elephant.
| A．excited | B．sad | C．frightened | D．happy |
Each spring brings a new wildflower blooming in the fields along the highway I travel daily to work.
There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eye. I've noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours. The afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day each year for about two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers.
This spring, I started a wildflower garden in my yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I've often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the fields would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers.
Every day I drove past the flowers, thinking, "I'll stop on my way home and dig them." "Gee, I don't want to get my good clothes dirty…" Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband even gave me a tool one year for that expressed purpose.
One day on my way home from work, I was saddened to see that the highway department had cleared up the fields and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, "Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring. "
A week ago we were shocked and saddened to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a cancer. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven't been as close as we all would have liked.
I couldn't help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband's sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us.
And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, I'm sure I'll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden.How long might the blue flower bloom in spring?
| A．About two weeks. | B．The whole season. |
| C．About one week. | D．The whole day. |
Where did the writer want to transplant the flowers?
| A．Across the fields. | B．Along the highway. |
| C．In the garden. | D．Outside the yard. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the writer's sister-in-law?
| A．She is seriously ill. |
| B．She is twenty years old. |
| C．She lives far away from the writer. |
| D．She is not in close touch with the writer. |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．Value now and don't lose chances. |
| B．Visit our relatives only after they get ill. |
| C．Refresh our wonderful moments every year. |
| D．Plant flowers and don't enjoy them in the field. |
A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about 26 in work and life. To offer his guests coffee, the 27 went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of 28 — porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some 29 , some expensive, some delicate — telling them to help themselves to the 30 .
When all the students 31 a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, "If you have 32 , all the nice-looking expensive cups have been taken up, 33 the plain and cheap ones. While it is 34 for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the 35 of your problems and stress. "
"Be assured that the cup itself adds no 36 to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even 37 what we drink. "
"What all of you really want is coffee, 38 the cup, but you 39 went for the best cups … And then you began 40 each other's cups. "
"Now consider 41 : Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain 42 , and the type of cup we have does not determine, nor 43 the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we 44 to enjoy the coffee. Fully appreciate the coffee, not the cups! Don't let the cups 45 you ... enjoy the coffee instead. "
A．stress B．progress C．condition D．pride
A．advisor B．professor C．monitor D．graduate
A．glasses B．bowls C．trays D．cups
A．plain-looking B．beautiful C．modern D．nice-looking
A．pot B．sugar C．milk D．coffee
A．made B．had C．cooked D．served
A．talked B．discussed C．noticed D．decided
A．leaving behind B．falling about C．leaving about D．falling behind
A．strange B．wonderful C．normal D．important
A．source B．purpose C．doubt D．result
A．price B．quality C．sweet D．color
A．proves B．tastes C．hides D．steals
A．more than B．less than C．other than D．rather than
A．consciously B．wisely C．shyly D．carelessly
A．showing B．eyeing C．exchanging D．praising
A．it B．that C．this D．one
A．jobs B．money C．position D．life
A．change B．increase C．discover D．lower
A．try B．manage C．fail D．plan
A．envy B．drive C．support D．assess
Afraid that her son would be too tired, Ms. Wendy would sometimes tell the boy to skip school, but each time, Fabian would insist on going to school.
“I don’t like it because when I return to school, I don’t know what’s going on,” the 12-year-old boy explained. He suffers for SMA－a neuromuscular（神经肌肉的）disease that leads to weakness in muscles－and gets around in a wheelchair.
Fabian’s determination to excel in his studies was evident when he was disappointed that he got a total score of 236 yesterday in his Primary School Leaving Examination. He was hoping for a score of at least 240, but his mother was full of pride. “I am happy with his results. He’s very motivated,” said Ms. Wendy.
When Fabian was two months old, he was diagnosed with SMA. Ms. Wendy, who used to go to other homes to teach piano lessons, started teaching lessons at home so she could take care of her son. Fabian proved to be a fighter. Ms. Wendy said, “ He would study every day on his own even though he was weak and his spine（脊柱）was already starting to curve quite badly.”
Fabian is also active in the Singapore Disability Sports Council, where he plays boccia（滚球）, a ball sport for those who require a wheelchair due to physical disability.
At just 133cm tall and weighing 14kg, he knows that he will have to rely on others all his life. “I’m afraid that when my parents grow older, they will not be able to carry me and that there will be nobody to carry me,” said Fabian. “But for now, I feel lucky that I get to go out and do a lot of things that I thought I couldn’t.”
His dreams aren’t lofty（崇高的）either－all he want to be able to do is work and provide for his parents. “I just want to study hard so that I can be a businessman, like my dad.” He is planning to apply to study at Victoria School.The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
A. going to school. B. being absent from school
C. studying hard. D. suffering from SMA.We can know from the text that Fabian ______.
| A．got the disease at the age of 12. |
| B．was proud of his exam results. |
| C．has no interest in any sports. |
| D．wants to be a businessman like his father. |
What do we know about Ms. Wendy?
| A．She insists that her son go to school. |
| B．She used to be a piano teacher in a school. |
| C．She is satisfied with her son’s performance at school. |
| D．She fears that her son will be helpless when she is older. |
Which words can best describe Fabian?
| A．Sensitive and weak. | B．Active and optimistic. |
| C．Clever and strong. | D．Stressed and concerned. |
What is the best title for the text?
A. He Is Disabled but He Is a Fighter.
B. A Great Mother and Her Special Son.
C. How to Fight Against SMA.
D. A disabled boy’s dream.
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