When I was a child，I stayed with my grandmother a lot of the time while my mother was at work. One day some money problems started to arise for my grandmother and the family. They needed a little more income so she decided to sing at the nearby retirement home(养老院)．

So I had to go with her. I wasn't sure about it at first，but as soon as my grandmother actually persuade me to get on stage and start singing，I loved it. I just loved seeing that sparkle(光亮)in those people's eyes. They would stand up and dance and clap to the beat of the music. Eventually，we were singing at many of the homes in the surrounding area 5 out of 7 days a week.

Making other people happy has always made me happy. And during that experience I even discovered my gift，singing. My grandma still sings to those people 15 years later，only for no charge now. I moved to North Carolina when I was 13，leaving my grandma in Florida，but I still carry on her effort and try and go out of my way to do something kind，even if very small，for at least one person every day. There is no better feeling in the world than the one you get when you hear appreciation in someone's voice.

1. The author stayed with her grandmother as a child because ________.

A．her mother was busy working

B．her mother had no ability to care for her

C．her grandmother liked her more

D．her grandmother was richer

2. The author's grandmother sang at the nearby retirement home probably to ________.

A．bring joy to the old people there

B．start a new career

C．make some money

D．satisfy her husband

3. We can infer from the second paragraph that ______.

A．the author had great confidence when she started to sing

B．the audience were surprised that the author could sing at such an early age

C．the audience didn't like the author at first

D．the author was loved by the audience

Your house may have an effect on your figure. Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. You can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of your diet plan.

Open the curtains and turn up the lights. Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less self­conscious (难为情) when they’re in poorly lit places—and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn’t have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.

Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it’s time to repaint, go blue.

Don’t forget the clock—or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories (卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you’re at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.

Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12­inch plate instead of a 10­inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake (摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we’ll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.

4. The text is especially helpful for those who care about ____________.

A．their home comforts	B．their body shape
C．house buying	D．healthy diets

5. A home environment in blue can help people ______________.

A．digest food better	B．reduce food intake
C．burn more calories	D．regain their appetites

6. What are people advised to do at mealtimes?

A．Eat quickly.	B．Play fast music.
C．Use smaller spoons.	D．Turn down the lights.

7. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Is Your House Making You Fat?	B．Ways of Serving Dinner
C．Effects of Self­Consciousness	D．Is Your Home Environment Relaxing?

Christmas in America means different things to different people. To some people, Christmas means brightly wrapped packages under a decorated tree. To others, it means family reunions and a wonderful meal together. To Christians, it means Jesus' birthday. Christmas also means lending a helping hand to people in need. Along with all the hubbub （忙乱）of shopping for presents and sending Christmas cards, many people in America take time to help others.

In America and around the world, Christmas offers many opportunities to spread "peace on earth, good will toward men." For example, Salvation Army bell ringers are a familiar sight to most Christmas shoppers. They stand outside malls and stores collecting money for the needy. Many churches and other organizations collect toys and clothes as Christmas gifts for poor families. Going caroling is another traditional way to bring cheer to neighbors--especially the elderly and people who can't get out much. The Christmas spirit encourages people to help each other in many large and small ways.

The spirit of helping others isn't limited to Christmas, however. Americans help others year round. Civic clubs such as the Lion's Club, the Elk's Club and the Rotary Club take part in local community projects. Many organizations exist just to help others. The Make a Wish Foundation gives <u>terminally ill children</u> a chance to have their dream come true. Habitat for Humanity helps poor people build their own houses. And besides supporting worthy causes with their money, thousands of Americans donate their time by serving as volunteers in hospitals, homeless shelters and schools.

As the old saying goes, "Charity begins at home"--but it doesn't stop there. Americans are concerned about helping needy people in other countries, as well. The U.S. is often one of the first countries to provide relief to areas of the world in severe need. Many American organizations reach out to suffering people in other countries. Some of them have programs by which donors can sponsor needy children. For a certain amount per month, people can provide these children with food, clothing and education.

8. According to the passage, Christmas in America means things EXCEPT______

A．that many people spend the day with family members.

B．that many people offer and receive various beautiful presents.

C．that stores are crowded with shoppers

D．that Americans have very few chances to offer their kindness.

9. In the second paragraph, the author tries to tell the readers:_________

A．Americans have different customs in Christmas.

B．in America Christmas offers many opportunities to help others.

C．in Christmas many Americans have trouble with their life.

D．in America Christmas is a cheerful festivals.

10. The underlined phrase “terminally ill children” in the third paragraph means_____

A．the children who are dying of some incurable illness.

B．the children who have got some poor babies.

C．the children who are recovering from some illness.

D．the children who have been disabled because of some illness.

11. Which might probably be the suitable title of the passage?

A．Cheerful Christmas	B．Colorful Christmas
C．Kind Christmas	D．Kind Americans

Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840, in Paris, but he spent most of his childhood in Le Havre, a city of southern France. By the time he was fifteen Monet had become popular as a caricaturist(漫画家). Through an exhibition of his drawings at a local frame shop in 1858, Monet met the French landscape painter Eugene Louis Boudin, who introduced Monet to outdoor painting, an activity that soon became his life’s work.

By 1859 Monet had devoted himself to a career as an artist and began to spend as much time in Pairs as possible. During the 1860s he met Edouard Manet. With other ambitious French painters, they formed the impressionist school.

Working outside, Monet painted simple landscapes and he began to have some success. As his style developed, however, Monet broke one traditional artistic convention(常规)after another. His experiments with bright color became more and more daring, and he seemed to cut himself off from the possibility of a successful career as a conventional painter supported by the art establishment.

In 1874 Monet and his friends decided to organize their own exhibition. They called themselves independents, but the press soon labeled them impressionists because one of Monet’s paintings had borne the title Impression: Sunrise. Then the name stuck.

By the mid-1880s , Monet , generally regarded as the leader of the impressionist school, had achieved recognition and financial security. In 1890 he was able to buy a house in the village of Giverny, not far from Paris, and there he began to build a water garden—a water lily pond with a Japanese bridge. Beginning in 1906, paintings of the pond and the water lilies occupied his mind for the rest of his life. His famous series Water Lilies, painted between 1990 and 1926, clearly shows the artist’s strong interest in color and produces a remarkable(不寻常的)visual effect. Despite failing eyesight, Monet continued to paint almost up to the time of his death, on December 5,1926, at Giverny.

12. We know from the passage that Monet _________ .

A．spend most of his childhood in Paris

B．devoted his whole life to painting people

C．mainly relied on traditional painting skills

D．was greatly influenced by Boudin

13. Which of the following is TRUE about impressionists?

A．They formed an influential artistic school in the 1850s.

B．They got the name partly because of a painting of Monet’s.

C．They are conventional painters.

D．They are fond of using dark color.

14. What’s the right order of the events related to Monet?
a. Monet bought a house in the village of Giverny.
b. Monet got to know Edouard Manet.
c. Monet became the leader of the impressionist school.
d. Monet began to paint his pond and water lilies.

A．abdc	B．cbda
C．dbac	D．bcad

15. It can be learned from the last paragraph that Monet_________ .

A．spent the rest of his life in Le Havre

B．changed his painting style many times

C．continued to paint when he became old

D．was unknown until many years after his death