In life, people come across many experiences, which they remember throughout their lives. I had a similar experience, too.
I was very excited. It was the day of my last paper of the final examination. My mind was full of thoughts of how I would spend my vacation. I was especially excited of the invitation that my uncle had given me to stay with him for a few days in Cambridge.
I was prepared for the subject, physics. My friends and I were on the ground doing the last minute revisions and also discussing the questions that were supposed to come in the paper. Suddenly the bell rang and we got into our classrooms. The teacher came and quickly handed out the answer paper and the question paper. The paper was of two hours and some of the expected questions came. I finished it almost forty-five minutes earlier. But since it was a rule not to collect the answer paper before the allotted(规定的)time. the teacher was not collecting and I had to sit till the time was over. I checked my paper twice and corrected some of the mistakes in it. I started thinking about the place my friends and I had planned to go after the paper.
Though I was thinking for a long time, the time seemed to be endless. So I thought of drawing something on the question paper and turned it overleaf. I was shocked to see that the page which I had supposed to be blank had four more questions on it which carried 20 marks and would take at least half an hour to complete. I had a quick glance at my watch. There were only 10 minutes left. I was so nervous that I was hardly in a state to write anything. They were the sub-questions(小题)of the last question. Suddenly our physics teacher came in and told all of us that in the last question, out of 6 sub-questions only 2 had to be solved. I felt very much relieved.
Thereafter I never made such mistakes again. But I realized that my anxiousness and excitement could have cost me to lose 20 marks and decided never to make such a mistake again.
Which of the following statements is true?
A.The writer didn’t work hard at physics. |
B.The writer lost 20 marks for the last question. |
C.The writer made some mistakes during the exam. |
D.The questions on the paper were difficult for the writer. |
The underlined word “relieved” means ________.
A.more nervous | B.less afraid |
C.more surprised | D.less worried |
We can infer from the passage that _____________.
A.the writer did 2 sub-questions of the last question |
B.the writer turned overleaf to do the sub-questions |
C.the writer spent 45 minutes finishing the paper |
D.the writer got full marks in the physics exam |
We can learn from the passage that we should _____________.
A.learn some exam skills |
B.concentrate on what we are doing |
C.try our best to do well in the exam |
D.be careful not to make mistakes in the exam |
Have you ever complained why life is so tiring? Does the sky sometimes seem dark to you? Are your studies sometimes not successful? Well, friends, cheer up and smile all the time. If you see the world with your warm heart, you’ll find that the whole world smiles to you.
While in school, sometimes you are tired of your lessons, but have you ever noticed the happy smile on your teacher’s face when you did a good job?
One day it is fine. Just before you go out, it suddenly starts to rain. Maybe you would feel very sad and start to complain about the weather. But dear friends, why don’t you sit down and listen to the free concerts that the nature offers you? And with the timely rain, crops in the fields will grow better and better and farmers will have a good harvest.
Although everyone wants to succeed in what he tries to do, sometimes failure can’t be avoided. I think failure is not terrible, and the terrible thing is that we are afraid of it and give up hope. When we face failure, we must be confident in ourselves, draw a useful lesson from it and try our best to finish what we have decided to do. As a popular saying goes, “Failure is the mother of success”.
Attitude decides everything. With an optimistic attitude life is easy and pleasant. Let’s smile to whatever we meet and the whole world will smile to us.
People sometimes complain _________.
A.the sky is always dark |
B.their studies are successful |
C.they see the world with their heart |
D.life is tiring |
When we face failure, we ___________.
A.must be confident in ourselves |
B.shouldn’t be afraid of it |
C.shouldn’t give up hope |
D.All of the above |
The best title for the passage is_______.
A.Smile and the World Smiles to You |
B.Complaining about Life |
C.Failure is the Mother of Success |
D.It is Very Hard to Succeed |
By May,after three months, I had lost 22 pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds. My friends would say “Alice you look great !” or “ How did you lose so much weight? ”. Those praises made me feel good and confident.
Soon I dropped to 110 ponds. A few of my friends told me that I need to stop dieting because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present——a bag of chocolates, which I later gave to my sister. My mum would come to my room, with tears in her eyes, and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop. My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school, telling me that it would do serious harm to my body.
By mid-June, when school was coming to an end, I was down to an only alive state of 95pounds. All of a sudden, I knew I had to do something. I guessed the number itself scared me. I recalled my doctor. He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying. I knew I was putting my life at risk, but for what?
To make those who love me worried? Is it worthwhile to be thin?
Now I realize that models in magazines, TV and movies are not realistic. The price to pay for the “perfect body” is living with the dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder. And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are.
The author’s mother went to her room to ________.
A.bring her some chocolates. |
B.tell her she missed her.. |
C.ask her to stop dieting. |
D.talk about her studies. |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to ______ .
A.the author’s cellphone. |
B.the author’s diet to lose weight . |
C.the parent from the author’s friends. |
D.the author’s father’s long chat with her. |
The author decided to stop dieting____ .
A.when her friends told her to do so |
B.when her father left some messages |
C.when her weight dropped to 95 pounds |
D.when her mother had a talk with her |
What does the writer want to tell us?
A.It is too expensive for people to lose weight. |
B.You will be healthy as long as you stop dieting. |
C.There is no model with a perfect body in real life. |
D.Being thin is not the most important thing in our life. |
Jean is a bright young woman who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything. The problem is that Jean’s family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. In fact, Jean is quite lonely. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous, talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall , good looking young man with big , happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean’s father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David’s door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is _________.
A.rich | B.young | C.lonely | D.a bad student |
Jean thought “David” was special because he _________.
A.made her quite happy on QQ |
B.was from San Francisco |
C.was tall and good-looking |
D.was rich |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Don’t believe those you get to know on QQ so easily |
B.People don’t use their real names on QQ so often |
C.Don’t go to meet those you get to know on QQ |
D.Don’t spend much time on QQ |
If you want to be a volunteer, you have to answer the following typical questions. Do you want to work with people, animals or machines? Do you want to work indoors or outdoors, directly serve people in need or serve people behind the scenes? Every year, thousands of people in the west offer volunteer service. Volunteering greatly strengthens the community because it helps the old, the young, the weak, the sick, and the disabled and the injured to solve problems.
Volunteers usually help in many different ways. They may give people advice, offer friendship to the young, drive the elderly to church (if up to the driving age), advise kids against drugs, work as assistants in schools or nursing homes, raise funds, plant trees, help out in local libraries and do many other things. Volunteering can be a few hours a week or a few hours a month. Anybody who wants to serve people in need can become a volunteer.
In fact, the art of volunteering is a process of both giving and receiving. Volunteering allows volunteers to meet new people, make new friends and mix with people from all walks of life. Volunteering is an excellent way to experiment and try out new techniques and skills, discover your individual talents and explore career choice. Being a volunteer will take you on a wonderful journey and help you learn more than what you can get from books.
As a volunteer, only when you grow old enough can you _______.
A.plant trees on hills |
B.drive the elderly to church |
C.give advice to others |
D.help out in local libraries |
How is the second paragraph mainly developed?
A.By listing examples. | B.By comparing. |
C.By giving explanations. | D.By discussing. |
It can be inferred from the passage that to be a volunteer, _______.
A.you can do experiments |
B.you must be very strong |
C.you need to work very long |
D.you can get something valuable |
What’s the best title of the passage?
A.How to hunt for jobs |
B.Volunteer service in the west |
C.How to make friends |
D.How to work with animals |
“Can you take me golfing sometimes?” my 13-year-old son asked.
I had a bathroom to remodel(改建). I wanted to say no. “Sure,” I said.”What did you have in mind ?”
“Well, maybe you could, like, pick up Jared and me after school on Friday and take us out to Oakway.”
“Sounds good.”
Friday came. In front of the school, Ryan and Jared piled in. Ryan looked confused.
“What’s with the golf hat, Dad ?” he asked
It was, I thought, a silly question, like asking a diver: “What’s with the swim fins (脚蹼)?”
“Well, I thought we were going to play some golf.”
There was a strange pause. “Uh, you’re going, too ?” He asked. Suddenly, it struck me that I hadn’t been invited. Thirteen years of parenting flashed before my eyes.
All these memories sped by in about two seconds, leaving me about three seconds to reply.
I had to say something. I wanted to say this: “How could you do this to me? We have always been a team.” But I said: “Me? Play? No. You know I’m up to my ears in the remodel project.”
We drove on in silence for a few moments. “So, how are you planning to play for this?” I asked, my wounnded ego(自我) reaching for the dagger(匕首)
“Uh, could you loan me $7?”
Oh, I get it. He doesn’t want me, but he’ll gladly take my money.
“No problem, ” I said.
I dropped him and Jared off, wished them luck, and headed for home. Life would never be the same.
I walked in the door. “What are you doing home?” my wife asked.
“I wasn’t invited.” I replied.
Another one of those strange pauses came. Then my wife laughed. Out loud. At first, I was hurt. Then I, too, laughed.
I went back to the bathroom remodel and realized that this is what life is all about: change.
A few hours later, I heard Ryan walk in the front door.
“Dad,” he said, “My game stinks(糟透了). Can you take me golfing sometime ? I need some help.”
I wanted to hug him and shout: “I’m still needed!”
Instead, I got one of those serious-dad looks on my face and said: “Sure, Ry, anytime.”
After the author picked up his son and Jared at school, he ____________.
A.went to play golf with them |
B.refused to pay for his son’s game |
C.realized that he had not been invited to the golf game |
D.realized that he had forgotten to bring along his golf hat |
The underlined phrase “up to my ears” probably means ____________.
A.having a deep interest in something |
B.being very busy with something |
C.being satisfied with something |
D.losing control of something |
When his son Ryan asked him for help playing golf, the author felt ____________.
A.confused | B.excited |
C.peaceful | D.disappointed |
What kind of father is the author according to the article ?
A.He is so strict with his children that they are afraid of him |
B.He loves his children, but is not good at communicating with them |
C.He is always ready to help his children, but also respects their independence |
D.He spends little time with his children because he is so busy at work |
Have you ever been to the world’s smallest bookstore?
The World’s Smallest Bookstore,whose official name is just these three words,sits quietly about 100 miles northeast of Toronto.
The bookstore is about 10 feet by 10 feet,so it is easy to imagine how tiny it really is.The bookstore is open 24 hours a day.Inside the bookstore are various books,especially literary books and classic authors’ works.So if you are looking for something less popular,you may get a bit disappointed there.
Another special feature of this bookstore is that each book only costs three dollars.All the expenses are paid on the honor system,which means buyers should make a note of what they’ve bought and leave their money by themselves.So the tools of the trade in this bookstore are quite simple: pens,papers,light bulbs and a label-maker.
In order to catch passers-by’s attention,the billboards(广告牌)of the bookstore are several times bigger than the store itself.With these large eye-catchers,many people are willing to stop by and have a visit.
What’s the passage mainly about?
A.The world’s smallest bookstore. |
B.A strange way of selling books. |
C.The popular books nowadays. |
D.The popular bookstores in the world. |
Which of the following books might you most probably get in the store?
A.Books on popular science. |
B.Literary books. |
C.The year book of a university. |
D.Books on economic control. |
How could you buy a book from the store?
A.The salesman will help you find the book. |
B.The salesman will get the money for the book. |
C.Choose the book(s)and leave the money there. |
D.Pay on the net and then get the book(s)in the store. |
Recently a lot of managers complain that their employees don’t work hard and what they care about is only how much money they can get.
How does this happen? I think it is time for them to think about that seriously now.
Shakespeare once said that “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”. So it is with leadership. Some persons are born with the ability of leadership. Some gain that art by watching and studying the actions of those around them. Other persons find themselves forced into special situations which require them to make the best of the resources they never realized they had and events bring out strong leadership. Most of us are never put to such tests. Most of us are not born leaders.
We often hear people say, “He is a great fellow to work for.” We see workers try their best to do things for certain managers. We see them carry out instructions cheerfully and well or even add something to the doing of the job which was unexpected. In other words, they put themselves into the job and give it their “extra effort” which people give only when they feel that they are part of the team, that they are making a contribution to its success, and that their contributions are understood and appreciated by their managers.
However, this is not something which happens naturally or by chance. It is built on one-to-one relationship. It is a reflection of a person’s attitudes toward the job, the manager and the company. Where it exists, it has been developed over a period, as a result of three simple factors: confidence, cooperation and understanding of their manager who understands them, appreciates their efforts and tries to give them all a fair deal.
The author quotes Shakespeare's words in order to ________.
A.introduce the topic of the passage |
B.stress the importance of good leadership |
C.help to describe three different kinds of leaders |
D.compare the difference between greatness with leadership |
According to the author, as a manager, you should ________.
A.understand and appreciate your workers and their contributions |
B.make good use of those workers born willing to work hard for you |
C.treat different workers in different ways and different attitudes |
D.not only control your workers but understand and appreciate them |
Most people gain the art of leadership because ________.
A.they are born with the ability of it |
B.they are always put into some special tests |
C.they are much wiser than others |
D.they like to watch and study the actions of others |
I’m writing to complain about the service offered by your company.
I told your service department on November 21 that my washing machine needed repairing, Your service engineers have since been here four times—on December 1l, December 19, December 25 and January 5.The problem was found out on the first visit and the wrong parts were brought by different engineers on the two next visits. The correct part was fitted by the first engineer on the fourth visit.
In short, my complaints are:
a.I had to wait three weeks for an engineer to call and nearly two months for the machine to be repaired.
b.The engineers who called on December 19 and December 25 had been given wrong information by the company, which made me take two half days off unnecessarily.
c.The first and fourth visits lasted a total of thirty minutes. But in the invoice (发票), I have to pay for four visits of four hours’ work. I will not be paying the invoice for their mistakes and I do hope to receive your answers to these complaints.
Yours,
Robert White
Robert’s main purpose in writing to the company is to tell the company ________.
A.how its service department is operating |
B.how its different engineers came for the repair |
C.that all of the engineers didn’t give him any help |
D.that he refuses to pay the company for their mistakes |
The first of Robert’s complaints is that________.
A.it took him three weeks to have the machine repaired |
B.it took him nearly sixty days to get his machine repaired |
C.it had been almost two months before the first engineer came |
D.it took the engineer 3 weeks to find out something wrong with the machine. |
The second and third engineers brought the wrong parts because________.
A.the company didn’t tell them exactly what they should do |
B.the company didn't tell them where the correct parts were |
C.they were not sure about whether the machine worked or not |
D.they hadn’t been told where the right parts should be fitted. |
It can be inferred from the letter that Robert promises to pay for________.
A.three hours’ work | B.half an hour’s work |
C.an hour’s work | D.four hours’ work |
While it is impossible to live completely free of stress, it is possible to prevent stress as well as reduce its effect when it can't be avoided. The US Department of Health and Human Services offers the following suggestions for ways to deal with stress.
Try physical activity
When you are nervous, angry or upset, try releasing the pressure through exercise or physical activity. Running, walking, playing tennis, or working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try. Physical exercise will relieve your anxiety and worry and help you to relax. Your body and your mind will work together to ease the stress in your life.
Share your stress
It helps to talk to someone about your anxieties and worries. Perhaps a friend, family member, teacher or even your leader can help you a better view of what's troubling you. If you feel your problem is serious, you might seek professional help from a psychologist or a doctor. Knowing when to ask for help is an important step in avoiding serious problems later.
Take care of yourself
You should make every effort to eat well and get enough rest. If you easily get angry and cannot sleep well enough, or if you're not eating properly, it will be more likely that you will fall into stressful situations. If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you should consult a doctor. Make time for yourself.
Make a list of the things you need to do
Stress can result from disorganization and a feeling that "there's so much to do, and not enough time". Trying to take care of everything at once can be too much for you and as a result, you may not achieve anything. Instead, make a list of everything you have to do, then do one thing at a time, checking off each task as it is completed. Set out to do the most important tasks first.
Go ahead and cry
A good cry can be a healthy way to bring relief to your anxiety. It might even help you avoid a headache or other physical effect of anxiety and stress.
What is most probably the writer's purpose in writing the article?
A.To release his or her working tiredness. |
B.To help solve the universal problem of stress. |
C.To strengthen his or her anxiety. |
D.To have more people cry out. |
Physical activity can help people release stress because________.
A.only your body movement can help you relax |
B.your mind can work better to free you of anxiety |
C.your body and mind can cooperate in releasing stress |
D.physical activity doesn't play an important part in reducing nervousness |
What is similarity between "Share your stress" and "Go ahead and cry"?
A.They both help you let out your feelings. |
B.They both need physical movement. |
C.They both require mental relaxation. |
D.They can cause a headache. |
The underlined sentence is close to the meaning of "________".
A.Strike while the iron is hot |
B.More haste, less speed |
C.Practice makes perfect |
D.Quietness wins time |
Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure(肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes(甜瓜) filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.
As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew(炖菜).Dad pulled out a pressure cooker(高压锅)and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn’t look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn’t offend the nose so much, edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup.
Why did Dad clean Old Man Mocolgin’s chicken house regularly?
A.To earn some money for the family. |
B.To collect manure for his crops. |
C.To get rid of the terrible smell. |
D.To set a good example to us. |
What can we infer about Dad’s stew?
A.It is popular among the neighbors. |
B.It contains honey and vegetables. |
C.It looks very wonderful. |
D.It tastes quite delicious. |
What does the underlined word “offend” in the last paragraph mean?
A.To attract | B.To upset |
C.To air | D.To shut |
A cafe owner has defended her decision to pen a Facebook post (an Internet message to be discussed) stating “No, we are not child-friendly,” saying it breaks her heart when children damage her possessions.
On Monday, the Little French Cafe in Newcastle, Australia, posted an announcement on their Facebook page: “Are we child-friendly? If you are looking for a cafe with a children’ s menu, a play area, lounges for your children to jump on, vast space for your baby carriages, an area for your children to run around, and annoy other customers, while you are unaware of them—then the short answer is ‘No, we are not child-friendly.’ However, if you would like to bring your children here and they are happy to sit at a table with you and behave properly, please come in. Otherwise, there are plenty of places that are specifically designed to entertain your children.” The post has since been deleted.
Some Facebook users called the post “arrogant (傲慢的)” and an “attack on parents,” The Newcastle Herald reports. The cafe owner responded with this statement: “I built the cafe myself. It has my blood, sweat and plenty of tears in it.”
The post came about after the cafe owner was asked by a customer, who had left a one-star review on the cafe’s business page, about whether the cafe was child-friendly. Ms Kotz told news.com.au she wrote the bad review because she felt staff reacted negatively towards children at the cafe.
The cafe owner said it broke a piece of her heart every time when she was watching children emptying salt and pepper shakers into her fireplaces, parents changing nappies (尿布) on her lounges, or kids throwing their own food onto her carpet.
Although the cafe’s policy has attracted a lot of criticism, most people who commented on the Little French Cafe’s Facebook page stood by the owner. One woman named Lesley wrote, “I don’t think there was anything wrong with what you said by any means. If parents want to take their children to your cafe, they need to be responsible for their behavior.”
What is the text mainly about?
A.An Australian cafe’s policy on children. |
B.A Facebook post about parents’ manners. |
C.The protection of the customers’ basic rights |
D.The relationship between staff and customers. |
Which of the following is permitted according to the cafe owner’s post?
A.Parents demanding a children’s menu. |
B.Children entertaining themselves in the cafe. |
C.Children running around their own carriages. |
D.Parents taking well-behaved kids to the cafe. |
The cafe owner wrote the post _____.
A.after a kid damaged her possessions |
B.in response to a customer’s question |
C.in order to improve the efficiency of the cafe |
D.after the cafe was criticized by some Facebook users |
What did Lesley think of the cafe owner’s action?
A.It was slightly unfair. |
B.It was very misleading. |
C.It was highly controversial. |
D.It was quite understandable. |
When my friend went to Europe last summer, instead of snapping photographs of the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower or Stonehenge, she brought back 32 rolls of ... cathedral ceilings. Ceilings. For the 10 years I’ve known her I had never suspected that she was this passionate about stained glass.
Still one of the best things about such pictures — despite their obvious narrow appeal — is that they can’t help but tell us a great deal about the people who took them.
So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I got the roll of film back from my 5-year-old son’s first camping trip. I opened the envelope, naively expecting to see pictures of the nightly campfire, the sun setting over the forest, and possibly even a deer or two.
Instead, I saw an off-center picture of tennis shoes. Not even his tennis shoes, mind you, but a pair someone had lost and left in the cabin. Mystery shoes. And that’s not all.
As I went through the stack, I found that my son had also taken a picture of his sleeping bag, a penny he found in the gravel next to the car, a leaf, an orange sock, a close-up of his father’s ear, a burned hot dog, his thumb, a piece of gum, and many other similar things.
There was barely one sign of nature in the whole stack. I couldn’t help thinking that if he’d wanted pictures of assorted junk, it would’ve been cheaper had he spent the weekend in our back-yard.
AT LEAST that is what I thought until I showed the photographs to my ceiling-snapping friend, the mother of three teenagers, who said simply, “There’s nothing wrong with these.”
But of course, this is just the type of answer you’d expect from someone who photographs ceiling.
Then she told me about the time her daughter went to Yosemite Valley and returned with rolls of photographs of the hotel, restaurant, and gift shop. She also told me about the time her son took his camera to a Major League Baseball game and returned with 24 pictures of cloud formations.
I had a feeling she was just trying to make me feel better.
Then again, to a 5-year-old boy, finding a penny is more exciting than seeing a squirrel. And why would he waste good film on something like, say, some endangered water buffaloes, when he could take a picture of cool tennis shoes? Or his shiny new green sleeping bag?
Face it: Things like beautiful sunsets and campfires can’t compare to a bag of extra-large marshmallow.
So I did what any good mother would do: I marked the date on the back of the pictures and slid them into our family vacation photo album — right after the five pages of ice sculptures I took last year on our cruise to the Bahamas.
Which of the following proverbs best displays the author’s final thought?
A.Every dog will have its day. |
B.Every man has his hobby-horse. |
C.If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. |
D.You can take a horse to the water but you cannot make him drink. |
Who might have taken a picture of the back seat of the family car in his or her trip mentioned in this passage?
A.The author’s friend. | B.The author’s son. |
C.The author. | D.The author’s friend’s daughter. |
The author changed her mind on her son’s picture taking because______ .
A.her friend persuaded her to do so |
B.her son’s pictures finally struck her |
C.she realized the truth by herself inspired by the surrounding examples |
D.it suddenly occurred to her that she herself had also taken unique pictures before |
What can we infer from this passage?
A.Age and gender play an important role in one’s vision of the world. |
B.The author’s friend is a better mum in terms of educating children. |
C.The author will allow her son more freedom to choose in his future life. |
D.The author will take vacation pictures of different kind from her past ones. |
Dear Guys,
I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected to me last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better - than - average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.
One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the strong desire to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I unwillingly agreed.
Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably(可笑的) simple request. However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.
It hit the middle of the fence and bounced(弹跳,反弹)back to me.
Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, Oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.
The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.
This is the point where I start to take issue(争论,不同意见) with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, still.
Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate(绝望的). Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.
“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.
“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.
And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”
I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.
Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.
It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.
I surprised myself --- and I’m sure you as well --- by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery. Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”
Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period was just enough blow for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”
And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment never to throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.
Sincerely, Jen Cordery
The writer agreed to throw the ball because _______.
A.she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries |
B.she wanted to refresh her childhood memories |
C.she could not refuse the polite request from the young man |
D.she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight |
Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?
A.To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back. |
B.To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills. |
C.To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were. |
D.To express her dislike towards softball. |
What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.
A.inspired | B.encouraged |
C.embarrassed | D.depressed |
What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?
A.To express her regret over what she did the day before. |
B.To announce that she would never play ball games again. |
C.To joke on her own inability to throw the ball over the fence. |
D.To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her pride. |
Guide to Stockholm University Library
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Group-study places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits(学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.
Library computers on the ground floor __________.
A.help students with their field experiments |
B.are mostly used for filling out application forms |
C.are for those who wan to access the wi-fi |
D.contain software essential for schoolwork |
What condition should be met to book a group-study room?
A.One should first register at the university |
B.Three-hour use per day is the minimum |
C.A group must consist of 8 people |
D.Applicants must mark the room on the map |
A student can rent a locker in the library if he __________.
A.can afford the rental fee |
B.attends certain courses |
C.has earned the required credits |
D.has nowhere to put his books |
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