高中英语日常生活类阅读阅读理解

People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18^th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.
The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes       .

A．when he was a little boy	B．while he was in Paris
C．because his parents told him so	D．from books

According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?

A．the President himself	B．a French cook
C．the President’s cook	D．the President’s wife

From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were       .

A．people from other countries	B．from France
C．men only	D．people of his own country

According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes.

B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice.

C．All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice.

D．None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.

Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who the true winners of a game were.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test---unless the person cheats again.
People lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and may be at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating, even when there seems to be a good reason for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before the day and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with you parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions(解决办法) together. Talking about these problems and working them out will feel better than cheating.
The author thinks that when kids cheat in class, ______.

A．it is unfair to other people.

B．it does harm to their health.

C．teachers should punish them.

D．teachers shouldn’t stop them at once.

Some students like cheating mainly because______.

A．the material in the test is very difficult.

B．they want to do better than the others.

C．cheating can make hard things seem very easy.

D．they have little time to study their lessons.

The fourth paragraph mainly tells us______.

A．some kids can’t pass the test without cheating

B．why kids cheat in the test.

C．cheating isn’t a good idea.

D．some kids don’t spend the time studying.

We can learn from the passage _______.

A．cheaters are often thought highly of

B．people show no respect for those who cheat.

C．parents whose kids cheat are often in trouble.

D．kids cheat in the test because of swim practice.

Dear Betty,
My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.
Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late?  At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?
Yours,
Knowing Nothing
Dear Knowing Nothing,
It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.
You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.
Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.
If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.
Yours,
Betty
Knowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.

A．tell Betty some good news

B．invite her to dinner

C．answer some questions

D．ask for some advice

According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.

A．can only bring some flowers

B．should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late

C．can’t bring wine

D．should arrive twenty minutes late

Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.

A．keep silent at table

B．watch the other guests

C．ask the person beside him

D．relax at the dinner table

Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humor. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes(蚊子) in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.

A．to see one of his friends

B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing

C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there

D．to see one of his relatives

The waiters felt sorry because _____.

A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain

B．their hotel was too small

C．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room

D．the room was not very clean

All the people present laughed heartily because _____.

A．Mark Twain made a joke

B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number

C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents

D．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room

From the story we know _____.

A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night

B．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night

C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night

D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer

Finding a good friend can be quite difficult in the contemporary lives of teenagers. I was once baffled by what the definition of a good friend was，until I discovered a single step that，if taken，would make you the greatest friend.
It is willingness. That is all it takes in order to be considered a good friend. Willingness must come from within your heart. Listening to your friends makes them feel important, special and wanted. The will to sacrifice(牺牲) for your friends will also take you a step closer to being a good friend. For instance，as you are about to leave to enjoy your Saturday night，your best friend calls you right when you are stepping out and tells you how terrible he feels，and then you must be willing to give up your Saturday night and go to your friend’s house and try to comfort him in any way that you can.
You must always be willing to give advice to your friends. For example, if your friends are in a situation where they do not know what to do，you must be willing to think things through and try to give them the best advice. The willingness to care is also a big must in being a good friend. You must care about how your friends feel and what they’re experiencing. Caring about your friends is one of the best things you can do，because when your friends are in their time of need and the whole world seems to turn against them，you must be the one to care.
Nobody ever said being a good friend was easy. If you want to be a good friend，you have to be willing to listen, sacrifice，give advice and care about your friends.
From this passage，we can learn that if a friend is confused about what to do next, we’d better _____ .

A．give up our benefit to help him

B．leave him alone and let him calm down

C．listen to him quietly

D．offer him some reasonable advice

The underlined word “baffled” in the first paragraph probably means “_____”.

A．confused	B．frustrated
C．curious	D．frightened

We can learn from the passage that _____ .

A．being a good friend is so difficult that few people can do it

B．willingness can make a person a good friend

C．friendship always means sacrificing your own interests

D．a person doesn’t need to care about his friends all the time

What method does the author use to explain his opinion in the second paragraph?

A．Making a definition.	B．Citing an example.
C．Making a comparison.	D．Listing some numbers.

What is the passage mainly talking about?

A．How to encounter a good friend.

B．How to be a good friend.

C．How to make friends with others.

D．How to maintain friendship.

Last year my wife and I spent a most interesting month in Turkey. Before we left, we were reminded of the difficulties of driving in Turkey. We certainly did not find this to be the case and, except for a few places in faraway mountain areas, the roads were wide, and well-paved (铺设). We drove for 12 days along the Western Coast of Turkey and had no problems at all. We found the Turkish drivers to be very polite and well educated. We also found that eating lunch in the smaller towns was difficult, so we picnicked almost every day.
The following day after our arrival was Turkey’s Children’s Day, started by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk loved children and he often said: “Children are a new beginning of tomorrow.” He even dedicated (奉献) the day 23rd of April to the children which today is celebrated as Children’s Day as well as the date when the Republic of Turkey was founded.
On that day certain children are picked to take over the places of the government, and a lucky kid will be the president of Turkey for a whole day. He can decide what’s going to happen and whether or not he is going to have the president next to him. There are a very large number of possibilities of things he can do but some shops aren’t open because they are celebrating the day as well.
All in all, it was a more enjoyable trip. I would recommend (推荐) a trip to Turkey to anyone with an adventurous (冒险的) spirit!
Before the author and his wife went on a trip to Turkey, they were told that ________.

A．it was difficult to travel in Turkey

B．it was not easy to drive in Turkey

C．the streets in Turkey were dangerous

D．there were many mountainous roads

Which of the following is TRUE, according to the first paragraph?

A．Places in mountain areas were difficult to reach.

B．The couple drove for 12 days during their journey.

C．The Turkish drivers had good manners.

D．It was difficult to eat meals in Turkey.

The underlined word “He” in Paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A．every one of us

B．the government

C．the president of Turkey

D．the lucky child

What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The couple had no difficulty making their way in Turkey.

B．Turkey’s National Day falls on the 22nd of April.

C．The author joined in celebrating Children’s Day.

D．On Turkey’s Children’s Day everyone had holidays.

What does the author think of the trip to Turkey?

A．Interesting and dangerous.	B．Difficult and expensive.
C．Enjoyable and exciting.	D．Boring and adventurous.

Years ago, there lived a wealthy man named Mr. Cooper who, with his dearest young son John, loved art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, collecting the finest art treasures.
One winter, war came to the nation, and John left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram reading that John had died while saving a fellow soldier. Filled with sadness, the old man cried. On the coming Christmas morning, a soldier called on him and gave him a picture of John.
The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. According to his will, all of his works of art would be auctioned (拍卖) on Christmas Day, when he had received the greatest gift of his life. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to buy some of the world’s greatest paintings. The auction began with a painting of the old man’s son. “Who will open the bidding (出价) with $100?” the auctioneer (拍卖人) asked. Minutes passed, but no one spoke. Finally, a neighbor of the old man’s spoke. “Can I take the painting for ten dollars? It is all I have, and he is a good man.”
“Will anyone go higher?” called the auctioneer. After more silence, the auctioneer said, “Going once, going twice, gone.” The gavel(槌) fell. “Now we can get on to the real treasures,” someone shouted angrily. But the auctioneer said that the auction was over. Someone asked, “It’s over? We didn’t come here for a picture of some old guy’s son. There are millions of dollars worth of art here!” The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son ... gets all.”
Why did they travel around the world?

A．They wanted to visit some well-known artists.

B．They had their own companies around the world.

C．They wanted to visit all kinds of places of interest.

D．They wanted to collect the world’s finest art.

When did the old man die?

A．The morning when the solider visited him.

B．Several months after John died.

C．A few days after John served in the army.

D．The day he received the news of John’s death.

The underlined words “the greatest gift” in Paragraph 3 refer to ________.

A．a picture of John

B．the painting John collected

C．the finest work of art

D．the telegram about his son

A neighbor of the old man’s bought the painting of John ________.

A．because he knew the will of the old man

B．to pick up the world’s greatest paintings

C．in honor of John, who was worth respecting

D．because no one else was willing to buy it

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．the old man and the auctioneer were good friends

B．no art collectors wanted to buy Mr. Cooper’s collection of art

C．John was a successful art collector and an excellent artist

D．the old man, Mr. Cooper, loved his son very much

Kieron Williamson, a seven-year-old British boy, is being recognized as an art genius after selling 16 paintings for 18, 000 pounds in just 14 minutes. This boy has artistic skills that would
be the envy of any serious painter and drawn comparisons to Pablo Picasso, a child prodigy（神童）who became one of the most recognized artists of the 20th century. It all began on a family holiday to Cornwall on the southwest English coast when Kieron was five. Inspired by the view, he asked his parents for his first sketch-pad （速写纸）. From that moment on, he became deeply interested. While supportive, Kieron’s parents are careful not to push their son. He only paints when and what he wants.
He has a waiting list of hundreds and requests for his works have been flooding in. His father said a sale of Kieron’s works held in November even drew a buyer from Japan. “We had people driving down that night, there were people on the door waiting to come in the morning who had been standing outside, the phones were going mad as soon as the door opened at nine o’clock and within 14 minutes all the 16 pictures had gone, ” he said.
All this talent, money and high praise could so easily go to a young boy’s head, but Kieron said his friends keep him grounded. “Some of them want to be as good as me and some of them think. . . Umn, ‘you are not too special’,” he said.
Kieron’s favourite painter is British artist Edward Seago and he has spent some of his earnings buying a work by his hero. The rest is being invested by his parents until he reaches 25. Kieron’s parents and his younger sister Billi-Jo don’t see him as anything other than a normal seven-year-old boy who likes to tear around the house and who’s mad about football. But for now, with so much still to learn, there’s only one thing he wants to be when he grows up. He said, “I think I’ll definitely be an artist. ”
According to Paragraph 1, we can know Kieron Williamson ______ .

A．painted 16 paintings in only 14 minutes

B．draws as well as Picasso did

C．is one of the most recognized artists

D．has unusual ability in painting

What made Kieron Williamson begin to love painting?

A．His first sketch-pad.

B．His parents’ encouragement.

C．The view at the seaside.

D．His swimming near the coast.

In Kieron Williamson’s friends’ opinion, he ______.

A．is famous but a little proud

B．isn’t very special from other children

C．isn’t worth praising at all

D．is hard to get along with

It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A．Edward Seago thinks highly of Kieron’s painting

B．Kieron likes doing sports and painting instead of studying

C．Kieron’s family is very poor

D．Kieron wants to be a great painter

The passage mainly tells us ______.

A．a seven-year-old painting genius

B．how to be a great painter

C．Kieron Williamson may become the second Picasso

D．the painting changed Kieron Williamson’s life greatly

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the story of the detective(侦探) Sherlock Holmes, was having a trip in Europe. One day he got out of the railway station and climbed into a taxi. Before he could say a word, the driver turned to him and asked, “Where can I take you, Mr. Doyle?”
Doyle was rather surprised. He asked the driver if he had ever seen him before. “No, sir,” the driver replied, “I have never seen you before.” Then he explained, “This morning’s newspaper had a story about your being on vacation in Marseilles. This is the taxi stop where people who return from Marseilles always come. Your skin color tells me you have been on vacation. The ink spot on your right fingers suggests to me that you are a writer. Your clothes are very English, not French. Adding up all those pieces of information, I conclude that you are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”
“This is truly surprising!” the writer cried out. “You are a real-life copy to my fictional(虚构的) story, Sherlock Holmes!”
“And there is one other thing,” the driver added, with a smile on his face.
“What’s that?”
“Your name is on the front of your suitcase.”
The conversation between the two people took place________.

A．at a bus stop	B．in a taxi
C．in Marseilles	D．in a railway station

Doyle was rather surprised because ________.

A．the driver had seen him before

B．the driver could call him by his name

C．the driver was waiting for him

D．the driver answered no questions from him

After he heard the driver’s analysis, Doyle concluded that ______.

A．the driver was Sherlock Holmes

B．the once wrote a story about the driver

C．he had met the driver long before

D．the driver was a real life-copy to his story

From what the driver said, we could know ________.

A．Doyle was from England

B．Doyle could not speak French

C．Doyle liked English very much

D．Doyle was writing a French story

The driver knew the writer’s name because _______.

A．Doyle told the driver himself

B．it was on the front of his suitcase

C．the morning’s newspaper had said that

D．the detective let out the information

You could feel sorry for Alberto Torres, who is blind. The last thing he remembers seeing was his daughter being born 13 years ago. Then the world went blank; he can only imagine what his only child looks like now, as a teenaged honor student. Bad luck is no stranger to this warm and thoughtful 37-year-old man. His mother died of cancer when he was 4, and his father, who was often ill, had to give him up to the care of the state when he was 11. He later worked for 19 years in a workshop making household goods, deathly boring work. Earlier this month, Alberto Torres’s wife, who had just been laid off from her job, had to have a breast removed due to cancer and now faces a year of radiation treatments. Things seemed always to go from almost incredibly bad to worse. Even Mr. Torres’s good luck has a dark side: Five years ago, his lovely guide dog pulled him out of the path of a truck. Mr. Torres was not hurt. The dog was killed.
But Mr. Torres does not feel sorry for himself. “These are just little bumps you have to go over in your life,” he said. At 5 a.m. on a recent morning, we caught up with Mr. Torres at a subway stop in Brooklyn, New York, near where he lives in a third-floor apartment (with no elevator). He had been up since 3 a.m., feeding his new dog, making coffee, getting ready. “When you’re blind, it takes a little longer to do things,” he said.
Mr. Torres was beginning his two-hour trip to his job developing film in the X-ray department of the emergency room of the Bronx hospital. He would take the G train to Queens Plaza station to the R train, heading towards Manhattan. He would then ride the R train to 59th Street where he would walk upstairs to switch to the Number 6 train. At one point along the journey, he might chat with a stranger. At another, someone would pat his dog, calling him by name. People offered assistance, even seats. At 125th Street, Mr. Torres would transfer to the Number 4 train by crossing the platform. At 149th Street, he would go down to the Number 2. He would take that to East 180th Street where he nearly always has a long wait for his final train, to Pelham Parkway. Then he and his dog would walk 20 minutes to the hospital.
It was a hard job to come by. Before he got the job, Mr. Torres was determined to escape the workshop run by an organization dedicated to help people who can’t see. He wanted a job developing X-ray film, something that everyone must do in the dark. He had to handle the long trip, as well as the work. “Our philosophy here is that blind people can do just about anything except drive buses,” it was the thinking about disabled people at the Bronx hospital. “We find what a person can do rather than what he can’t do,” said the hospital’s director.
One day a while ago marked the first anniversary of Mr. Torres’s hiring. He developed 150 or so X-rays, his usual output, to celebrate. Mr. Torres works by himself in a small, dark room that smells of chemicals. He cannot wear gloves, because he needs to feel. It is hard work, related to emergency of lives. His immediate supervisor says he trusts him 100%. Mr. Torres makes $20,000 a year. But his motivation goes beyond money. “If I start feeling like a victim, that makes me bitter. And why be bitter? That makes you go into a hole and stay there.” he said. “I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary,” insisted Mr. Torres as he quickly completed the task.
Mr. Torres became blind when________.

A．his daughter was just born

B．he was thirteen years old

C．his mother died of cancer

D．his wife was out of work

Mr. Torres does not feel sorry for himselfbecause he ________.

A．was once saved by his lovely guide dog

B．is taken good care of by the government

C．thinks it’s natural to have setbacks in life

D．believes it takes a little longer to do things

The description of Mr. Torres’s long trip to work shows ________.

A．the effective traffic system

B．the kindness of New Yorkers

C．the loyalty of his guide dog

D．his will to overcome difficulty

What is the principle of the hospital in employing a worker?

A．Sympathy counts most.

B．Ability comes first.

C．Preference for the blind.

D．Easy job for the weak.

Mr. Torres works very hard in order to ________.

A．make plenty of money

B．win his supervisor’s trust

C．live like a normal person

D．complete his daily task

In the eyes of the writer, Alberto Torres is a man of _______.

A．deep thinking	B．weak motivation
C．special talents	D．great independence

Surfing the net when you should be finishing a work report, changing clothes when you have a train to catch, or perhaps even lying in bed when you’ve promised yourself you’ll work out. Sound familiar? You aren’t alone. We all procrastinate (拖延) sometimes, especially when it comes to things we aren’t really fond of. And while the number of activities we delay doing in any given week varies from person to person, it’s fair to say that none of us is super-efficient 100 percent of the time.
A study revealed that we spend about 218 minutes procrastinating every day, which amounts to 55 days of lost time each year. We might not think these figures particularly worthy of worry, but when we look at the overall impact of procrastination on our lives, it’s a different story. Not only does this cost financial loss, it also affects peace of mind. And procrastination isn’t just a money thief —— it steals time too. In general, people who continually put things off are unhappier, as well as being less wealthy and healthy.
So why do we do it? “When we avoid taking action, we’re really avoiding pain,” explains psychiatrist (精神病学家) Phil Stutz. For most of us, pain avoidance isn’t limited to one situation. It applies to almost anything that’s painful. Most of us try our best never to leave a comfort zone. That’s why we sacrifice something much more valuable: time. “Our time on earth is limited,” Stutz adds. “Every moment is an opportunity we’ll never have again. Procrastinators act as if they have all the time in the world. But deep down, they know they’re wasting parts of their life. The trouble is, most of them don’t know how to free themselves.”
One way he says we can reach this level of freedom is by overcoming the pain of avoidance using daily visualization (想象). “Picture the pain you’re avoiding as a black cloud in front of you,” Stutz says. “Notice how you’re fed up with the ways this pain has held you back in life, and tell yourself that you’re determined to conquer it. Then it’s time to get through the cloud and to the other side — where you’re free.” It is obvious that this tool works when we want to procrastinate. We then get into the habit of moving “towards” pain instead of away from it.
In addition to the fact that procrastinators suffer more health problems, procrastination also destroysteamwork and personal relationships because it shifts the burden of responsibilities onto others. So next time you think about putting something off, remember the impact it will have. Experts insist: procrastinators can change their behavior, it takes a lot of self-work but in the end, it’s worth the effort. And start today, not tomorrow.
The writer begins the passage by ________.

A．presenting abnormal things

B．asking related questions

C．mentioning habitual activities

D．comparing different opinions

By saying “it’s a different story”, the writer thinks procrastination _______.

A．leads to different results for different persons

B．is likely to have bad effects on people’s life

C．may not be particularly worthy of concern

D．tends to cause unhappiness among people

According to the passage, people procrastinate because they_______.

A．get accustomed to taking action

B．prefer to stay in the comfort zone

C．don’t know how to free themselves

D．are not aware of the limited time

One possible way to stop procrastination is to ________.

A．overcome it mentally

B．avoid the pain

C．take some self-work

D．reach the freedom

What’s the writing purpose of the passage?

A．To analyze the trouble procrastination causes.

B．To show what contributes to procrastination.

C．To solve the problems caused by procrastination.

D．To encourage people to defeat procrastination.

It was a weeknight. We were a half dozen guys in our late teens, hanging around “the flat” — as usual. The flat was poorly furnished, which, after some time, grew tiresome. We wanted action.
We got in a car, big enough for all of us to crowd into — and off we went, in search of adventure. We soon found ourselves at Blue Gum Corner, a place named after the huge old blue gum tree that stood by there, a well-known local landmark. It stands at a minor crossroad leading to our town. The trunk is tall and smooth with no handholds for climbing. About six metres from the ground the first branch sticks out over the road. We parked beneath the huge old tree and discussed what we might do. All of a sudden we hit upon an idea — a hanging! I was chosen as “hangee”.
The plan was quite simple. As I stood upon the roof of the car, the rope(绳子) was threaded down my jacket through my collar and down one leg of my jeans. I put my foot through the loop at the bottom. There I hung, still. The boys rolled about laughing until, a car, I hear a car! Before they ran to hide in the nearby field, they gave me a good push so that “the body” would swing as the car drove by.
To our disappointment, the car simply turned off for town without even slowing. The boys came out of their hiding places and we discussed the situation. Surely they had seen me, hadn’t they? Then we heard another car. The act was repeated, but still without any obvious reaction. We played the game about five or six times, but as no one seemed to notice, we abandoned the trick.
What we did not know was that every car that had passed had unquestionably seen “the body” and each one, too scared to stop, had driven directly to the local Police Station. Now at that time of the night, the local policeman was sound asleep in his bed, so the first person sent to the scene was the traffic officer that happened to be on duty that particular night. He had been informed that some person had been killed, by hanging, at Blue Gum Corner. When he arrived, the body was gone! And he was hearing “unnatural sounds” from the surrounding area. As far as he knew, some fierce animal was hiding in the field before him, possibly dragging a body behind him — and we thought we were scared!
He went to his radio and made a call that really began to worry us. I lay so close that I could hear every word. He called for the “armed police” and a “dog team, better make it two” and he had a “serious situation” at Blue Gum Corner. Then the police officer arrived. After a briefing from the traffic officer he decided not to go into the field until armed police and dog teams arrived. Now two spotlights were on the field and none of us could move.
As luck would have it, police cars cannot leave their spotlights on all night without charging their batteries. So, after a time, the two officers began lightening the field by turns, allowing us the opportunity to move on our fours for freedom. One by one, we all managed to steal away and make our way home. Behind us we left what must have looked like a small city of lights, police cars, roadblocks, barking dogs, armed officers and an old rope hanging from a tree.
When I think back to that night, to that tree, to what the drivers of the cars think happened, to what police believe happened, and to what I know happened, I am reminded of a simple truth — our eyes see darkness and light, color and movement, our ears hear only vibrations(振动) in the air. It is how we explain these vivid pictures that shapes our “reality”.
The boys made the “hanging” plan in order to ______.

A．make a fool of the police	B．draw public attention
C．seek fun and excitement	D．practise acting skills

Seeing that no car passing by stopped, the boys must have felt ______.

A．discouraged

B．proud

C．annoyed

D．confident

Why was the traffic officer sent to the scene of “hanging”?

A．Because a fierce animal kept the traffic in disorder.

B．Because the local policeman was not available at that time.

C．Because some naughty kids ware playing a terrifying game.

D．Because many scared drivers turned directly to him for help.

The boys managed to escape from the field when ______.

A．the two police cars were being charged

B．the police officer was taking over the duty

C．the traffic officer was making a call for help

D．the two spotlights were not working together

What is conveyed in the passage?

A．Actions speak louder than words.

B．The truth lies beneath the surface.

C．Experience is the best teacher.

D．To see is to believe.

What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Blue Gum Tree

B．A Body Found Hanging

C．Escape to Freedom

D．A Disappointing Experience

To honor the best books for young adults and children, TIME has created this list of classics: Best Young-Adult and Children’s Books.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie’s coming-of-age novel shows family and traditions through young Arnold Spirit, torn between his life in an Indian community and his largely white high school. The specifics are sharply drawn, but this novel, with its themes of self-discovery, speaks to young readers everywhere.
Harry Potter
What more can be said about J. K. Rowling’s unique series? How about this: seven years after the final book was published, readers young and old still go crazy at the slightest rumor of a new Potter story.
The Book Thief
For many young readers, Markus Zusak’s novel provides their first in-depth reflection of the Holocaust(大屠杀). Although terror surrounds Liesel, a young German girl, so too does evidence of friendship, love and charity — recovering lights in the darkness.
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L’Engle’s super-realist adventure has provided generations of children with their first-ever exciting experiences, as Meg travels across the fifth dimension(维度) in search of her father. But the science fiction also has a message: Meg learns independence and bravery in the process.
Charlotte’s Web
Readers are still drawn to the simplicity and beauty of spider Charlotte’s devotion to her pig friend Wilbur. Though family farms may be less common than they were in 1952, E. B. White’s novel remains timeless for its lasting reflection on the power of friendship and of good writing.
Holes
Louis Sachar’s story of a family curse(诅咒), fancy sports shoes and poisonous lizards moves forward and backward through time, telling of how Stanley Yelnats IV ended up in a prison camp. It’s an introduction to a complex story, filled with fun, warmth and a truly memorable criminal.
Matilda
With apologies to the lovable Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this may be Roald Dahl’s most inspiring book for young people. Poor Matilda feels troubled and ignored by her family — a sense that many preteens share. They don’t share her supernatural powers, but that’s the lasting appeal of this escapist fun.
The Outsiders
Published when author S. E. Hinton was just 18, this coming-of-age novel offers evidence that even the youngest writer can provide valuable wisdom. Her striking look at Ponyboy and gang life in the 1960s has continued to have a powerful effect for decades on readers of all kinds, whether they identify more with the Greasers or the Socs.
The Phantom Tollbooth
In a humorous, sharp fairy tale(童话故事) that shows language and mathematics through a story of adventure in the Kingdom of Wisdom, Jules Feiffer’s unusual drawings do as much as Norton Juster’s plain language combined with complex ideas to carry readers through Digitopolis and the Mountains of Ignorance.
The Giver
Lois Lowry’s tale of self-discovery in society has a memorable central character, Jonas, and an unforgettable message — that pain and harm have an important place in individual lives and in society, and to forget them is to lose what makes us human.
Which of the following shares the same theme with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

A．A Wrinkle in Time	B．The Giver
C．The Book Thief	D．Harry Potter

According to the passage, The Phantom Tollbooth ______.

A．contains a lot of fancy pictures

B．talks only about maths problems

C．describes a journey in complex language

D．sets its background in the Kingdom of Freedom

It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．Charlotte fell in love with Wilbur

B．Matilda was well cared for in her family

C．Stanley Yelnats IV got punished

D．S. E. Hinton was best at telling fairy tales

What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To advertise for some booksellers.

B．To introduce some famous writers.

C．To admire some classics for kids and young adults.

D．To recommend some great works of TIME magazine.

Marjorie Baer used to joke about her retirement plans．She wasn't married and had no kids, but she didn't intend to be alone—she and all her single friends would move into a fictional home she called Casa de Biddies．Instead, Baer developed terminal brain cancer when she was 52．But just as she'd hoped, her friends and family provided her with love and care to the end．
Ballance was only the first of Baer's friends who became her unofficial caregivers．With her brother Phil Baer from Los Angeles, they worked out a system to watch over their friend and allow her to keep some of the privacy and independence she cherished.
Baer's good friend Ruth Henrich took Baer to doctors' appointments and helped her deal with all the aspects of life —answering machines, TV controls, and even phone numbers．After Henrich sent out an e-mail request, a group of volunteers signed up to ferry Baer back and forth to radiation therapy（放疗）．Others in Baer's circle offered up particular talents: A nurse friend helped Baer figure out how to get what she was due from Social Security and her disability insurance; a lawyer pal helped Baer with her will; a partner who was an accountant took over her bills when she could no longer manage them．"There was this odd sense that the right person always showed up," says Ballance．Their arrangement worked remarkably well．
Unmarried women are one of the fastest-growing groups in America; experts are concerned about how care-giving will be managed for them as they age．If the experience of Baer's friends is a guide, the Internet will play a role．It's already making it possible to create communities of caregivers who may have only one thing in common: the person who needs their help．On personal "care pages" set up through services such as Lotsa Helping Hands, friends and family members can post a list of tasks that need to be done, volunteer to do them, and keep updated on the person's condition．As Baer's cancer progressed, for example, her friends set up a page on Yahoo! where people could sign up to deliver meals or do errands（差事）.
Catherine Fox, one of the friends who were present when Baer died, was deeply affected．"It was so comforting to know that if you're willing to ask for help, the generosity of family and friends can be phenomenal（显著的）．It makes me feel secure and hopeful to know that help is there when you need it．"
The most appropriate title of this passage should be ______．

A．On her own, but not alone

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed

C．A new practice of American government

D．A phenomenal advantage of the Internet

Who helped Marjorie Baer get her disability insurance?

A．Ruth Henrich.	B．Her brother.
C．A nurse friend.	D．Ballance.

The underlined part in paragraph four suggests that the Internet will ______.

A．play a role in American future pension system

B．provide online medical care for aged unmarried women

C．help manage care-giving for unmarried women as they age

D．help those aged unmarried women to kill their spare time

The writer tells us the story of Marjorie Baer for the purpose of ______．

A．reminding us to be kind and make as many friends as we can

B．informing that there will be a new trend of care-giving for the single elderly

C．persuading us that we can enjoy our retirement even if we don’t have a child

D．introducing the convenience that will be brought by the Internet after we retire

These days, it seems that almost all of us are too serious．My older daughter often says to me, “Daddy, you’ve got that serious look again．” Even those of us who are committed to non-seriousness are probably too serious．People are frustrated and anxious about almost everything -- being five minutes late, witnessing someone look at us wrong or say the wrong thing, paying bills, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, making an honest mistake -- you name it, and we all lose perspective（理性判断） over it．
The root of being anxious is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way, from our expectation．Very simply, we want things to be a certain way but they’re not a certain way．Life is simply as it is．Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don’t fit our ideas, they become our difficulties．” We spend our lives wanting things, people, and events to be just as we want them to be -- and when they’re not, we fight and we suffer．
The first step in recovering from over-seriousness is to admit that you have a problem．You have to want to change, to become more easygoing．You have to see that your own anxiety is largely of your own creation -- it’s made up of the way you have set up your life and the way you react to it．
The next step is to understand the link between your expectations and your frustration level．Whenever you expect something to be a certain way and it isn’t, you’re upset and you suffer．On the other hand, when you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you’re free．
A good exercise is to try to approach a single day without expectation．Don’t expect people to be friendly．When they’re not, you won’t be surprised or bothered; if they are, you’ll be delighted．Don’t expect your day to be problem-free．Instead, as problems come up, say to yourself,  “Ah, another barrier to overcome．” As you approach your day in this manner you’ll notice how elegant life can be．Rather than fighting against life, you’ll be dancing with it．Pretty soon, with practice, you’ll lighten up your entire life．And when you lighten up, life is a lot more fun．
Why are people easily frustrated and anxious these days?

A．Because their children are disappointing．

B．Because they have to look serious in public．

C．Because life is becoming a greater burden．

D．Because people have lost sensible judgment．

According to Benjamin Franklin, what was the cause of over-seriousness?

A．The fact that people’s perspective, hopes and fears are limited．

B．The fact that people can’t change life itself．

C．The fact that things fail to meet people’s expectations．

D．The fact that circumstances turn out to be difficult．

In what pattern is this article developed?

A．Phenomenon, causes and solutions．

B．Problems, explanation and conclusion．

C．Examples, causes and arguments．

D．Phenomenon, analysis and conclusion．

What might be the best title for the passage?

A．People seem to be too serious

B．Life is simply as it is

C．Hopes can turn into difficulties

D．A good exercise removes over-seriousness