高中英语故事类阅读阅读理解

Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission(录取) to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school, she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon(外科医师) , but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women.
Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?

A．She couldn’t get admitted to medical school

B．She decided to further her education in Paris

C．A serious eye problem stopped her

D．It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States

What main obstacle(障碍) almost destroyed Elizabeth’s chances for becoming a doctor?

A．She was a woman.

B．She wrote too many letters.

C．She couldn’t graduate from medical school.

D．She couldn’t set up her hospital.

How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?

A．Eight years

B．Ten years

C．Nineteen years

D．Thirty-six years

According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blackwell except that she ______.

A．became the first woman physician

B．was the first woman doctor

C．and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children

D．set up the first medical school for women

Elizabeth Blackwell spent most of her life in _______.

A．England

B．Paris

C．the United States

D．New York City

A driver stopped his car on a street side to have a rest. As he lay down in the seat and closed his eyes, a person came up and knocked at the window to ask him the time. The driver opened his eyes and looked at his watch. “It’s 8:05,” he said. Then he went to sleep again. But soon he was waken up again because a second person was knocking at the window. “Sir, do you know the time?” he asked. The driver looked at his watch, and told him it was half past eight.
In this way, the driver thought he could not have a good rest, so he wrote a short note and stuck it on the window for all to see. It said, “I don’t know the time.”
Again, he lay down in the seat for his sleep. A few minutes later, a third person came and began to knock at the window, “Hey, sir,” he said. “It is a quarter to nine.”
Where did the driver sleep?

A．At the window.	B．In the street road.
C．In his car	D．In his room.

How long had the driver been there when the third person called him?

A．40 minutes.

B．25 minutes.

C．50 minutes.

D．70 minutes.

Why did the driver write a note and stick it on the window?

A．Because he didn’t know the time.

B．Because he didn’t want anybody to trouble him.

C．Because he needed somebody to wake him up.

D．Because he wanted somebody to tell him the time.

The third person knocked at the window to ______.

A．ask him the time

B．ask him not to sleep

C．see if the driver was sleeping

D．tell him what time it was

Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team " Football, tennis, cricket - anything with a round ball．I was useless," he says now with a laugh．But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England．
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him．At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest．Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend． Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength．At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon．
The following year, he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learnt about Ridgway's cold - water exploits．Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, then decided that this would be his future．
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long - distance expedition towards the North Pole．It took unbelievable energy．He suffered frostbite （冻疮） ,ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply -loaded sled （雪橇） up and over rocky ice． Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900 - kilometer journey that has never been completed on skis．
What change happened to Saunders after he was 15 yeas old?

A．He became good at most sports．

B．He began to build up his body．

C．He joined a sports team．

D．He made friends with a runner．

The underlined word "exploits" （Paragraph 3） is closest in meaning to______．

A．journeys	B．researches
C．adventures	D．operations

Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Saunders?
a．He ran his first marathon．         b．He skied alone in the North Pole．
c．He rode his bike in a forest,        d．He planned an adventure to the South Pole．

A．acdb

B．cdab

C．acbd

D．cabd

What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?

A．He is a success in sports．

B．He is the best British skier．

C．He is Ridgway's favorite student．

D．He is good instructor at school．

Wherever she goes, Molly leaves her mark. Without saying a word, she speaks to people with her kind eyes. Even when she walks away, she leaves an impression．Molly’s mark is a smile, stamped into the ground by the horseshoe at the bottom of her false leg．
A few years ago, Molly was badly attacked by a dog．The dog bit all four of Molly’s legs and left large cuts in her face. Molly’s owner, Kate Harris, took her to an animal hospital．Doctors there were able to save Molly’s life, but soon one of her legs became very infected(感染).
At first, doctors thought Molly would have to be put to sleep．But Molly changed their minds. This pony, doctors noticed, shifted her weight, and rested her good leg from time to time. Doctors knew that Molly had amazing intelligence, and that she wanted to live.
Several doctors operated on Molly, and removed her infected leg. A false leg was made for her. The leg was a hollow cast with a pole at the bottom for balance. Doctors gave Molly a special horseshoe at the bottom of the leg. This horseshoe she had had a stamp of a smile face in it!
After the operation, Molly walked around on all four legs, as if nothing had ever happened to her! Now, with every step she takes, she stamps a smile in the dirt．But she leaves her m ark in other ways, too.
Kaye Harris took Molly to the false leg center. There were children there who, like Molly, had artificial arms or legs. They were amazed to see a pony with a false leg. Molly made them smile and gave them hope. Soon, Molly began to visit schools, nursing homes, army bases and hospitals. A book was even written about Molly!
Molly is the name of a        .             .

A．dog

B．horse

C．parent

D．child

Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．Molly can speak to people in kind words.

B．Kay Harris took Molly to a children’s hospital after the attack.

C．In the beginning, doctors had planned to end Molly’s life.

D．Molly sometimes leaves smiling marks on people’s faces.

What is unique about Molly?

A．Molly has a false leg with a horseshoe shaped like a smiling face.

B．Molly ran a race and won the first prize.

C．Molly often visits places such as schools and parks.

D．Molly has become a symbol of hope for people of all ages.

Which is the best title for the passage?

A．A Book on Molly	B．A False Leg
C．A successful Operation	D．Leaving her Mark

Galaxy saw a man and a woman who communicated with the sign language at the train station when she was on the way home one evening. She noticed that the woman asked the mon for the direction. He told her that he did not know. Galaxy decided to help them. She had learned the sign language when she served as a volunteer in the deaf and mute（聋哑）school. Then she showed the woman the direction and left her email address to them in case they needed her help later.
She received an email from that man the next day. Kazrim was his name. Galaxy replied his mail sincerely. They both started chatting online soon after and began seeing each other. Although they only communicated with the sign language, it never bothered her.
Galaxy was fond of him gradually. Obviously, Kazrim was the same too. He presented Galaxy with a bunch of sunflowers and asked her sincerely, “Are you willing to be my girlfriend?” Galaxy was pleasantly surprised. She requested him to give her some time to persuade her parents.
As she had expected, her parents were very angry after they had learned of their love story. Galaxy explained, “Kazrim is an excellent and a very optimistic person. He has a very positive attitude towards life and work. He cares for others always. He is 100％ better than the normal. Moreover, the mute is still a human. He should possess a perfect and wonderful love. ”
Her parents asked to see him, then. The very worried Galaxy took Kazrim home a few days later. When they were on the train, Kazrim told her, ‘‘I’m going to tell your parents I’ll be looking after you well with all my life!” Galaxy was deeply moved.
As soon as they had entered the house, Galaxy introduced him to her parents. She said, ‘‘This is Kazrim.” Just right after her speech, an unbelievable thing happened. Kazrim threw the gift away and held her in his arms tightly.
He said, “YOU CAN TALK?” It was the same question that Galaxy wanted to ask, too.
The four people were shocked all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, Kazrim always believed that Galaxy was a mute and he still fell in love with her deeply.
How did Galaxy and Kazrim get to know each other?

A．They met each other by chance.

B．They were introduced to each other,

C．They once studied at the same university.

D．They both served in a special needs school.

How did Galaxy probably communicate with Kazrim before she took him home?

A．Writing words on paper.

B．Using the sign language.

C．Judging from his expression.

D．Speaking her native language.

What did Galaxy expect her parents to do?

A．To have a talk with Kazri.

B．To prepare for her marriage.

C．To treat Kazrim as a normal man.

D．To accept Kazrim as her boyfriend.

What can we learn about the two young people from the passage?

A．They fell in love at the first sight.

B．They cheated each other to win love.

C．They mistook each other for being mutes.

D．They ignored the anger of Galaxy’s parents.

Lisa was running late．She had a lot to do at work, plus visitors on the way; her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown．But as she hurried down the subway stairs, she started to feel uncomfortably warm．By the time she got to the platform, Lisa felt weak and tired - maybe it hadn't been a good idea to give blood the night before, she thought．She rested herself against a post close to the tracks．
Several yards away, Frank, 43, and his girlfriend, Jennifer, found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop．They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying．
But when he heard the scream, followed by someone yelling, "Oh, my God, she fell in!" Frank didn't hesitate．He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails．"No! Not you! his girlfriend screamed after him．
She was right to be alarmed．By the time Frank reached Lisa, he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming．The train was about 20 seconds from the station．
It was hard to lift her．She was just out．But he managed to raise her four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the arms and drag her away from the edge．That was where Lisa briefly re-gained consciousness, felt herself being pulled along the ground, and saw someone else holding her purse．
Lisa thought she' d been robbed．A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head．And she tried to talk but she couldn't, and that was when she realized how much pain she was in．
Police and fire officials soon arrived, and Frank told the story to an officer．Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40 - minute train ride downtown - just as he had been seconds after the rescue, which made her think about her reaction at the time．"I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die．"she explained．
What was the most probable cause for Lisa' s weakness?

A．She had run a long way．

B．She felt hot in the subway．

C．She had done a lot of work．

D．She had donated blood the night before．

Why did Jennifer try to stop her boyfriend?

A．Because they would miss their train．

B．Because he didn't see the train coming．

C．Because she was sure Lisa was hard to lift．

D．Because she was afraid the train would kill him．

How did Frank save Lisa?

A．By lifting her to the platform．

B．By helping her rise to her feet．

C．By pulling her along the ground．

D．By dragging her away from the edge．

The passage is intended to _____．

A．warn us of the danger in the subway

B．show us how to save people in the subway

C．tell us about a subway rescue

D．report a traffic accident

A few years ago, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, where I was employed. purchased Norand Corporation. Pioneer's sales representatives in the field used Norand hand-held terminals to upload daily sales information and download new price and sales incentive information. Pioneer bought so many of these hand-held-terminals, the economies made the purchase of Norand look interesting. Owning Norand also allowed Pioneer to explore high-technology markets outside agriculture.
But after a few years, the emerging laptop PC technology made the hand-held units obsolete (已废弃的). Pioneer sold Norand at a loss. Pioneer always took a given percent of the annual profits to divide equally among all employees, so our profit-sharing checks were lower than if Pioneer had not purchased Norand. Additionally, my Pioneer stock was lower than it had been before the purchase of Norand. I was not pleased.
The CEO of Pioneer, Tom Urban, made annual formal visits to each of the Pioneer divisions to talk about the state of the business and to listen to employees' concerns. When he walked into the meeting room for his first visit after the sale of Norand, he acknowledged the group, remove his jacket, and neatly folded it across the back of the chair. He loosened his tie, undid his collar and rolled up his sleeves.The next thing he said was the last thing I ever expected to hear a CEO say.
He said, "I made a mistake buying Norand and I am sorry. I am sorry your profit-sharing was lower because of the purchase, and I am sorry your stock was hurt by the purchase. I will continue to take risks, but I am a bit smarter now, and I will work harder for you."
A great man and leader stood before us that day. As I sat listening to him, I knew I could trust him, and that he deserved every bit of loyalty I could give to him and to Pioneer. I also knew I could take risks in my own job.
In the brief moment of silence before the questions started, I recall thinking that follow him into any battle.
All of the following are the results brought by Pioneer's purchase of Norand except     .

A．Pioneer can explore high-technology markets outside agriculture

B．Pioneer's sales representatives can upload information using Norand hand-held terminals

C．some of Norand's employees joined the Pioneer

D．it later led to the lower of profit-sharing checks of Pioneer's original employees

The underlined sentence in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to       .

A．the next thing he said was what I expected least to hear a CEO say

B．the next thing he said was the last thing I heard from a CEO

C．the next thing he said was what I expected most to hear a CEO say

D．the next thing he said was what I heard from the last CEO

Why did Tom Urban remove his jacket, loosen his tie, undo his collar and roll up his sleeves before he spoke?

A．He felt hot in the room.

B．He wanted to look cool by doing this.

C．He was too excited.

D．He wanted to be close and frank with his employees.

What did the employees feel after Tom Urban apologized to them?

A．They felt he was a stupid CEO.

B．They felt he did not deserve their loyalty

C．They felt he was more trustworthy.

D．They didn't want to take risks with him.

A famous teacher was speaking to the students at our school. He began his lesson by holding up a ￡100 bill. Then he said to the three hundred students, "Who would like to have this ￡100 bill?" The students began to put up their hands at once.
Then he said, "I am going to give this bill to one of you, but first, let me do this." He then made this bill into a ball. Then he said, "Who wants it?" Hands went into the air.
"Well," he said, "What if I do this?" and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He picked up the dirty, crumpled bill and said, "Who still wants it?" Hands went back into the air.
"My friends," he said, "You've learned a valued lesson today. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it didn't go down in value. It was still worth ￡100.
Many times in our lives, we're dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the things that happen to us. We feel as if we are worth nothing. But remember, no matter what has happened to you, you will never lose your value. You are always valuable to those who love you. Your value doesn't come from what you drop or whom you know，but WHO YOU ARE .
You are special and valuable. Don't ever forget it!
The story happened ______.

A．when the teacher gave the students some advice on how to learn English

B．when the students were having a meeting

C．when the teacher gave the students a speech

D．when the students were discussing something interesting with their teachers

Even though the money was dirty, it _______.

A．went up in value	B．was worth much
C．didn't reduce in value	D．was still ours

The underlined sentence “Hands went back into the air.” in the third paragraph
means_______.

A．the students put up their hands again

B．the students put down their hands

C．the students agreed to what the teacher said

D．the students put their hands in front of them

Why did the famous teacher use a ￡100 at his lesson?

A．Because he wanted to give a lecture about money.

B．Because he was used to dropping a bill on the floor and stepping on it.

C．Because he was going to give the bill to one of the students.

D．Because he wanted to make the students know what the value was.

What lesson can you learn from the passage?

A．￡100 bill is worth the same no matter what you do with it.

B．All people love money most.

C．Your value doesn't change no matter what happens to you.

D．The value of money changes when it is made dirty.

A long time ago, there lived a poor man whose real name has been forgotten. He was little and old and his face was wrinkled, and that was why his friends called him Mr. Vinegar. His wife was also little and old, and they lived in a little old cottage at the back of a little old field.
"John," said Mrs. Vinegar, "you must go to town and buy a cow. I will milk her and churn（搅拌） butter and we shall never want for anything."
"That is a good plan," said Mr. Vinegar, so he started off to town while his wife waited by the roadside.
Mr. Vinegar walked up and down the street of the town looking for a cow. After a time, a farmer came that way, leading one that was very pretty and fat.
"Oh, if I only had that cow," said Mr. Vinegar, "I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"She's a very good cow," said the farmer.
"Well," said Mr. Vinegar, "I'll give you these 50 gold pieces for her."
The farmer smiled and held out his hand for the money, "You may have her," he said, "I always like to oblige（施恩惠） , my friends!"
Mr. Vinegar took hold of the cow's halter and led her up and down the street. "I am the luckiest man in the world," he said, "for only see how all the people are looking at me and my cow!"
But at one end of the street, he met a man playing bagpipes（风笛） . He stopped and listened -- Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dee.
"Oh, that is the sweetest music I ever heard," he said, "and just see how all the children crowd around the man and give him pennies! If I only had those bagpipes, I would be the happiest man in the world!!"
"I'll sell them to you," said the piper.
"Will you? Well then, since I have no money, I will give you this cow for them."
"You may have them," answered the piper, "I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes and the piper led the cow away.
"Now we will have some music," said Mr. Vinegar, but try as hard as he might, he could not play a tune. He could get nothing out of the bagpipes but "squeak, squeak". The children instead of giving him pennies laughed at him.
The day was chilly and in trying to play the pipes, his fingers grew very cold. He wished he had kept the cow.
He just started for home when he met a man who had warm gloves on his hands. "Oh, if I only had those pretty gloves," he said, "I would be the happiest man in the world."
"How much will you give for them?" asked the man.
"Oh, I have no money, but I will give you these bagpipes," answered Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have them for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar gave him the bagpipes and drew the gloves on over his half frozen fingers. "How lucky I am," he said as he trudged（跋涉） homeward. His hands were soon quite warm, but the road was rough and the walking hard. He was very tired when he came to the foot of the steep hill. "How shall I ever get to the top?" he said. Just then he met a man who was walking the other way. He had a stick in his hand which he used as a cane to help him along.
"My friend," said Mr. Vinegar, "if only I had that stick of yours to help me up this hill, I would be the happiest man in the world!"
"How much will you give me for it?" asked the man.
"Well, I have no money, but I will give you this pair of warm gloves," said Mr. Vinegar.
"Well," said the man, "you may have it for I always like to oblige a friend."
Mr. Vinegar's hands were now quite warm, so he gave the gloves to the man and took the stout（结实的） stick to help him along. "How lucky I am!'' he said as he toiled upward.
At the top of the hill he stopped to rest. But as he was thinking of all his good luck that day, he heard someone calling his name. He looked up and saw only a green parrot sitting in a tree.
"Mr. Vinegar, Mr. Vinegar," it cried.
"What now?" said Mr. Vinegar.
"You're a dunce（傻瓜） , you're a dunce!'' answered the bird, "you went to seek your fortune and you found it, then you gave it for a cow, and the cow for some bagpipes, and the bagpipes for some gloves, and the gloves for a stick which you might of cut by the roadside. He He He, you're a dunce! You're a dunce!''
This made Mr. Vinegar very angry. He threw the stick at the bird with all his might. But the bird only answered, "You're a dunce! You're a dunce!" And the stick lodged in the tree where he could not get it again.
Mr. Vinegar went on slowly for he had many things to think about. His wife was standing by the roadside and as soon as she saw him, she cried out, "Where's the cow? Where's the cow?" "Well, I just don't know where the cow is," said Mr. Vinegar. And then he told her the whole story.
What’s the meaning of the underlined word in the passage?

A．成功

B．财富

C．幸福

D．健康

How many exchanges happen in the passage?

A．1

B．2

C．3

D．4

Why does the parrot think Mr.Vinegar foolish?

A．Because Mr.Vinegar married an old woman

B．Because Mr.Vinegar gave his fortune for nothing

C．Because Mr.Vinegar was little and old

D．Because Mr.Vinegar did nothing but be angry

What’s Mrs.Vinegar’s feeling after she knew the fact?

A．Sad

B．Calm

C．Happ

D．Angry

The personal computer has overtaken the family dog as man's best friend．according to a study．
Researchers found that just 6 per cent of us believe that“ most people rely more on their dog than they do on their PC”，while 67 per cent think the opposite to be true．
Even 38 per cent of dog owners admitted to relying more on their PC than on their dog, although 36 per cent disagreed.
And 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old dog owners said they relied more on their computer．
Paul Allen，editor of Computeractive magazine said：“These days you can even you’re your PC for fl walk，provided you have a laptop or tablet.”
“It's only a matter of time until the first PC that fetches your slippers．”
Researchers questioned 2，000 British adults to find out the change modern technology has brought to their home life．
They found that male dog owners are almost twice as likely as female owners to rely on their computer than a canine companion.
Mr．Allen said：“With broadband bringing them global news and newspaper sales falling，the family dog even misses out on the pleasure of taking the paper to his owner．”
But it's not all bad news for obedient dogs．
“The family PC has given dog owners access to a wealth of resources and information that can help with the long-term care that a dog needs，”Mr．Allen said．
Who are most likely to rely on computers?

A．Teens．

B．People in their early twenties．

C．People in their early thirties．

D．People in their early forties．

What is the general idea of the passage?

A．The personal computer has replaced the dog as man's best friends．

B．The computer and the dog as man's best friends．

C．Modern technology has brought changes to people's home life．

D．The dog as a pet will disappear completely from people's life．

The advantage of dogs as pets over the personal computer now is that

A．the dog can go out for a walk with people

B．the dog can help people fetch something

C．the dog can bring people more pleasure

D．the dog is more likely to follow its owner's orders

The underlined word“canine”in Paragraph 8 probably means

A．human

B．pet

C．family

D．dog

According to Mr. Allen，the personal computer

A．won't have effect on newspaper sales

B．can't help people take better care of the dog

C．will drive the dog as a pet out completely

D．will be able to help people fetch something

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 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（新婚夫妇）, 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 gaze 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 assumed he’d been gone for at least several weeks --- if not months. I knew my expression betrayed 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 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．Don’t Hope. Decide	D．Love Is Everywhere

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The man replied to the author, with his eyes still fixed on his wife’s face.

B．After being away for several weeks, the man missed his family very much.

C．It was fourteen years since the couple had got married.

D．Their three kids reminded the author of newlyweds.

By saying “my expression betrayed me” (in Paragraph 4), the author means that __________.

A．he failed to express his ideas to the man

B．the man sensed his real feelings from his expression

C．he didn’t believe in his expression any more

D．his expression was not faithful to him

From the passage, we can infer that __________.

A．the experience may be easily forgotten by the author

B．the author will live a passionate life from now on

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

Without any hesitation, he said, “I’d be better off dead.” Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. Nevertheless, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement.
According to the first paragraph, what the author’s friend said made the author feel ______.

A．puzzled

B．heart broken.

C．frightened

D．hopeless

By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.

A．he is always ready to help his friend.

B．he hardly spares time to help his friend.

C．he has no good excuse for refusing his friend.

D．he is not good at communicating with his friend.

From the passage we learn that the author’s friend ________.

A．had a happy childhood but everything changed later

B．wanted to share his story but no one listened.

C．took it for granted that he was made fun of

D．was always of sad appearance

What does the author learn from his experiences?

A．How to make a big difference to others.

B．The importance of encouragement.

C．How to get rid of depression

D．The necessity of security

We once had a poster competition in our fifth grade art class.
“You could win prizes,” our teacher told us as she wrote the poster information on the blackboard. She passed out sheets of construction paper while continuing, “The first prize is ten dollars. You just have to make sure that the words on the blackboard appear somewhere on your poster.”
We studied the board critically. Some of us looked with one eye and held up certain colors against the blackboard, rocking the sheets to the right or left while we conjured up our designs. Others twisted their hair around their fingers or chewed their erasers while deep in thought. We had plans for that ten-dollar grand prize, each and every one of us. I’m going to spend mine on candies, one hopeful would announce, while another practiced looking serious, wise and rich.
Everyone in the class made a poster. Some of us used parts of those fancy paper napkins, while others used nothing but colored construction paper. Some of us used big designs, and some of us preferred to gather our art tidily down in one corner of our poster and let the space draw the viewer’s attention to it. Some of us would wander past the good students’ desks and then return to our own projects with a growing sense of hopelessness. It was yet another grown-up trick of the sort they seemed especially fond of, making all of us believe we had a fair chance, and then always—always—rewarding the same old winners.
I believe I drew a sailboat, but I can’t say that with any certainty. I made it. I admired it. I determined it to be the very best of all of the posters I had seen，and then I turned it in.
Minutes passed.
No one came along to give me the grand prize, and then someone distracted me, and I probably never would have thought about that poster again.
I was still sitting at my desk, thinking, What poster? when the teacher gave me an envelope with a ten-dollar bill in it and everyone in the class applauded for me.
What was the teacher’s requirement for the poster?

A．It must appear in time.

B．It must be done in class.

C．It must be done on a construction sheet.

D．It must include the words on the blackboard.

The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.

A．formed an idea for

B．made an outline for

C．made some space for

D．chose some colors for

After the teacher’s words, all the students in the class________.

A．looked very serious

B．thought they would be rich

C．began to think about their designs

D．began to play games

After seeing the good students’ designs, some students________.

A．loved their own designs more

B．thought they had a fair chance

C．put their own designs in a corner

D．thought they would not win the prize

We can infer from the passage that the author________.

A．enjoyed grown up tricks very much

B．loved poster competitions very much

C．felt surprised to win the competition

D．became wise and rich after the competition

I was walking along the deserted main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to get in touch with the Automobile Association .Low gray clouds were drifting across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.
I could see no call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his job, but the town was completely dead.
Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town's only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint, I hurried forward but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was very fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat and rubber boots. I could not see his face - he was bending forward over the phone with his back pressed against the glass and didn't even raise his head at the sound of my coming nearer and nearer. Carefully and surprisedly, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door.
The author was walking through the small seaside town__________.

A．late morning

B．before midnight

C．early morning

D．late evening

The weather of the day was ____, when the story happened.

A．stormy, damp and clear

B．windy, cold and cloudy

C．rainy, cold and clear

D．rainy, windy and cold

Why was the author astonished when he saw that there was a man in the call box? Because___

A．the man inside was still wearing a raincoat

B．he didn't expect it to be taken up

C．the man had his back with him

D．the man did not seem to be moving

The author waited, standing a few feet away from the box because____.

A．it was bad manners to overhear other's phone calls

B．the man didn't notice his coming

C．he wanted to have a cigarette to calm himself down

D．it was not safe to be close to the box

What do you suppose happened to the man in the call box?

A．He slept.

B．He was too fat to move around.

C．He was lost in his important phone call.

D．He had most probably been killed.

Chinese female film stars, like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, due to the charm of their films, have set a good image for Chinese women in the world. Compared with Chinese women, the image of Chinese men is not so good in the eyes of Western women, the Shanghai Evening Post reported.
In March 2006, Zhang Jiehai, a doctorate（博士学位） holder at the Sociology Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, led a research team to investigate how Western women look at Chinese men. The survey shows that many Western women think Chinese men are mostly known for their care for the family. Chinese men, as the Western women say, are willing to spend money for women. As to their shortcomings, Western women think that Chinese men do not have good manners and that some Chinese men have the habit of spitting everywhere, keeping nails and hair long, picking their noses and ears in public places, and not cleaning their teeth thoroughly. These bad habits make many Western women think that Chinese men are unwilling to take care of their personal image.
The survey was carried out in two ways, by questionnaires and interviews. All the respondents（调查对象） agreed that Chinese men show much tender loving care for the family and that many Chinese men do know how to respect women. They open the door for women and carry their handbags for them. For some American women, the bad image of Chinese men in the world is largely because of Hollywood films. In many Hollywood films, Chinese men usually do not have a good image. But this has been changed by Hong Kong film star Chow Yun-Fat. After the Chinese film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was shown in cinemas in the United States in 2002, many Westerners began to change their impression of Chinese men.
Which statement best expresses the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Chinese female film stars enjoy as great fame as Chinese male film stars in the world.

B．Chinese male film stars do not perform well in their films in the eyes of Western women.

C．Chinese female film stars don’t like Western male film stars.

D．Chinese female film stars have set a good image for Chinese women.

Which is NOT mentioned as the shortcoming of Chinese men in Paragraph 2?

A．Spitting everywhere.

B．Speaking too loudly in public places.

C．Not cleaning their teeth thoroughly.

D．Picking their noses and ears in public places.

In some American women’s eyes, Chinese men’s images are bad because of ______.

A．Chinese female film stars

B．Chinese male film stars

C．Hollywood films

D．Film stars in Hong Kong

What does the passage mainly deal with?

A．Chinese men in the eyes of Western women.

B．Foreign film stars and Chinese film stars.

C．Chinese women in the eyes of Western men.

D．Chinese film stars in Hollywood films.