As a teenager, I terrorized my mother. We often quarreled about whether or not I would empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, or clear the dinner plates. My brothers referred to these infamous screaming matches as World War III every time a battle began. The fights lasted as long as my mother could put up with my sharp tongue and snide remarks, after which I was sent to my room without dinner.
Now we don’t argue anymore. It’s not because I’ve matured, gotten married, and left my parents, house, but because my mother cannot utter enough words to form sentences. Her brain is a mess that cannot communicate like a room full of people speaking different languages with no interpreter.
At fifty-four, she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and now, four years later, she is completely dependent on my family and me to function. We feed her, dress her, bathe her, drive her around, and pray that the disease progresses slowly.
Alzheimer’s has changed both the relationship we share as a mother and daughter and the fundamental beliefs that guide my life. I now believe that I am fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to my mother with the same love and devotion she always shared with me.
I visit her as often as my schedule permits. Sometimes I share stories with her, reducing any details to basic terms that she can understand. Sometimes we sit in silence and comment every now and then about how good the coffee is. “Makes you feel good,” she tells me, talking about the coffee, and I want to say the same thing about the time spent with her. I am so grateful for these moments, for the experiences we share, and for the chance to make up for the way I treated her years earlier. The funny thing is that she may never remember those arguments.
1. What does the underlined word “matches” probably refer to?| A．Games. | B．Remarks. | C．Arguments. | D．Moments. |
| A．Her basic beliefs. | B．Her mother’s disease. |
| C．Her being mature. | D．Her mother’s devotion. |
| A．Sad. | B．Funny. | C．Anxious. | D．Thankful. |
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【推荐1】Tim Ma’s parents went to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s and opened a restaurant, which was not a success. They hoped Ma would become an engineer or doctor out of financial security.
Ma grew up in the state of Arkansas, a challenging place to live in for him. He said, “There was some racism and I came up through a very non-equal environment.”
Ma did well in math and science in high school and ended up choosing to study electrical engineering in college.
Several engineering jobs later, Ma had a change of heart. He wanted to leave the engineering world behind and enter the restaurant business.
His parents could not understand why he left such a good job to open a restaurant, which they had worked long hours for but still failed.
But Ma remained certain. He was going to do things differently from his parents. He was able to learn from their major mistake as restaurant owners—they knew very little about the art of cooking.
So, at age 30, Ma left engineering and returned to school to study cooking. He attended the International Culinary (烹调) Center in New York and received training in French cooking. Ma soon discovered it was similar to engineering and liked it. He said, “Professional cook is consistency, efficiency, cleanliness. Everything has a theory.”
In 2009, Ma opened his first restaurant in Virginia called Maple Avenue and served American cuisine. He cooked, cleaned the ovens (灶, 烤箱), fixed equipment and paid bills for seven days a week.
His long hours of work paid off. Last year he opened his fourth restaurant Kyirisan in Washington, D. C. Ma says, “My success just comes from ‘sheer hard work’.”
“I think in this country you can create your own success just by working hard. Not because you’re smarter, not because you’re more creative than anybody, just by working hard.”
1. Why did Tim Ma’s parents expect him to be an engineer or doctor?| A．Being an engineer or doctor was the best choice. |
| B．Ma liked the jobs of engineering. |
| C．The jobs provided enough for a living. |
| D．Ma studied well in math and science. |
| A．He learned to cook from his parents. | B．He opened a restaurant upon graduation. |
| C．He owed his success to his creativity. | D．He proved promising in his restaurant. |
| A．Careful. | B．Pure. |
| C．Extreme | D．Slight. |
| A．Engineering promises achievements. | B．Creation matters much in business. |
| C．Americans face challenge of equality. | D．Success comes from hard work. |
【推荐2】The sun is shinning. I get on No. 151 bus. I’m heading for my office. The sight on the bus is striking: People sit so close together, using those thin sheets of newspapers to keep their distance.
As the bus approaches the National Park, a voice suddenly rings out, “Attention! Attention! This is your driver speaking.”
No one speaks. We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice carries authority. “Put your papers down. All of you.” The newspapers come down and they are placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.” Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles. Just follow the order.
I face an old woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly everyday. Our eyes meet. We wait for the next order from the driver. We smile to each other. There is a feeling of relief. The barrier (隔阂) has been broken. We cannot help saying, “Good morning, neighbor.”
It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh. The bus driver says nothing more. Slowly, I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on the bus.
When we reach my stop, I say good-bye to my seatmate, and then jump from the doorstep. As No. 151 bus drives away, I smile as I watch the happy faces of the passengers. This day is starting off better than most.
1. Where does the story take place according to the passage?| A．On a street. | B．On a bus. | C．In a park. | D．In an office. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To stress the effect of reading on people. | B．To introduce the ways of communicating. |
| C．To ask people to use more public transport. | D．To encourage people to break the barriers. |
【推荐3】My grandma is the best pie maker in the world. So when she called me to say that one of her pies was missing, I knew that it was serious. I hurried to Grandma's house and suddenly realized that I hadn't visited her in a long time.
“Start from the beginning,” I said. “I cut the pumpkin pie into six pieces,” she began. “A pumpkin pie! My favorite kind! This is even more serious than I thought.”
I took out a small notebook and a pencil. “Now, when did you last see this pie?” “You mean the whole? I baked it this morning,” said Grandma. “Then the doorbell rang. It was the leaf collector.”
“Just as I suspected,” I said, writing down “leaf collector”. “He stole the pie.” “Oh, no,” Grandma said. “He just wanted me to know that he was finished. I gave him a piece for his good job.” I put a line through "leaf collector"."Then what happened?"
“When I went outside with his piece, the mail carrier was there. She told me she could smell that pie all the way. “Aha!” I wrote down “mail carrier”. “She stole the pie.”“No, I gave her a piece myself.” “Go on, please.” I said.
“Then the phone rang, and it was my neighbor, Gloria Ketchum with the cats." I nodded and wrote "G.K.”. “She calls me every day to see if I need anything. So I invited her and her daughter over for some pie.”
“Grandma! No one stole the pie. You gave away all the pieces. One to the leaf collector. Another to the mail carrier. You and Gloria each had one. And her daughter's is five.”
“Altogether six pieces!” Grandma said. “Maybe it was one of Gloria' s cats, or maybe a monster took it.” Grandma hid her face in her handkerchief; I couldn't tell if she was laughing or blowing her nose.
I had to search for more clues.
I opened the door of the refrigerator and asked “What's this?” Grandma looked surprised. “That's it!” She said, “I'll just warm it up. You must be hungry from the work, Jane!”
I did find the pie. And it was delicious, just as I suspected.
1. Who got a piece of pie for bringing Grandma's groceries?| A．The leaf collector. | B．The mail carrier. | C．The neighbor. | D．The author. |
| A．She found a piece of her pumpkin pie missing. |
| B．Someone was needed to look into the strange case. |
| C．The author did well in making the right judgement. |
| D．She wanted to find a good excuse to meet the author. |
| A．Because she believed the pie was stolen. | B．Because she didn't know where the pie was. |
| C．Because she didn't want to ruin the game. | D．Because she thought Grandma made a mistake. |
| A．He who laughs last laughs best. | B．You are the apple of my eye. |
| C．Honesty is the best policy. | D．Observation is the best teacher. |
【推荐1】It was 1961 and I was in the fifth grade. My marks in school were miserable and, the thing was, I didn't know enough to really care. My older bother and I lived with Mom in an ugly multifamily house in Detroit. Every night after supper, we'd lie on Mom's bed and stare for hours at the TV screen.
But one day Mom changed our world forever. She turned off the TV, sat us down and explained that her sons were going to make something of themselves. “You boys are going to read two books every week and write a report on what you read.”
We moaned (不满，发牢骚) and complained about how unfair it was. Besides, we didn't have any books in the house other than Mom's Bible. But she explained that we would go where the books were: “I'll drive you to the library.”
So pretty soon there were these two peevish (坏脾气的) boys in her Oldsmobile on their way to Detroit Public Library.
The first book I read clear through was Chip the Dam Builder. It was about beavers (河狸). For the first time in my life I was lost in another world. No television program had ever taken me so far away from my surroundings as did this virtue visit to a cold stream in a forest and these animals building a home.
It didn't dawn on (明白) me at the time,but the experience was quite different from watching TV. There were images forming in my mind instead of before my eyes. And I could return to them again and again with the flip (快速翻动) of a page.
Soon I began to look forward to visiting this quiet sanctuary from my other world. Along the way a funny thing happened:I started to know things. Teachers started to notice it too. I got to the point where I couldn't wait to get home to my books.
Now my older brother is an engineer and I am chief of pediatric neurosurgery (儿童神经外科). Sometimes I still can't believe my life's journey ends up to this position, but I know when the journey began.
1. We can learn from the beginning of the passage that ________.| A．the author did worse in school than his brother |
| B．the author was old enough to worry about life |
| C．the author spent much time watching TV after school |
| D．the author lived a poor and miserable life |
| A．They were afraid. | B．They were unwilling. |
| C．They were impatient. | D．They were eager to go. |
| A．he began to see something in his mind |
| B．he could visualize what he read in his mind |
| C．he could go back to read the books again |
| D．he realized that books offered him new experience |
| A．Oldsmobile was a popular TV program |
| B．Chip the Dam Builder was a book about beavers' virtue visit to a river |
| C．the author made improvements in his study after taking much reading |
| D．the teachers found the author became funny |
| A．Mom makes efforts to encourage her children to become something |
| B．Mom does not allow watching TV and buys books for her children's development |
| C．the children are lost in books and never watch TV |
| D．the children focus on their study to become famous |
【推荐2】Sweat (汗水）rail its way down my cheek. It was hot，but the air was still and wet. One final play and the State Softball Championship was ours.
I looked towards people who were watching the game. Sure enough, I found my mom. I always wished my dad were here. The farm needed his full attention, but I did not care.
Finally, we won! State Champs! I let out a scream of happiness, fall of tears. My mom made a “V” to celebrate my success and smiled. I smiled back at her.
We all received medals (奖牌), but I cannot remember any of it. I concentrated my thoughts on my dad, I ran to my mom，asking for her cell phone. I had to tell my dad about the happiest day of my life，and complained (抱怨）about how he did not care.
The phone rang twice, and no one answered. My heart sank with sadness, but I tried again anyway.
“Hello?” My dad answered.
“Dad!” I cried. “We won State!” Silence.
“Dad?” I could hear something on the other end. “Are you—crying?”
“I’m just really happy for you, Meggie，” he said. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”
An apology（抱歉）was all I needed. I hung up the phone feeling relaxed, and I began to understand how it must feel to be a father. I forgave him for never being there. He worked so I could play. My father loved me enough to let me experience life's happiest moments without him.
1. Meggie's father didn't go to watch her game because .| A．Meggie did not care about his being there |
| B．Meggie's mother took his place to be there |
| C．the game wasn't so important to her father |
| D．he had a full schedule to work on the farm |
| A．express her anger |
| B．show off her medals |
| C．get her father's praise |
| D．share her joy of success |
| A．Meggie would thank her father for all he did for her. |
| B．Meggie could spend more time doing the farm work. |
| C．Meggie would apologize for being rude to her father. |
| D．Meggie could enjoy every moment without her father. |
| A．My final game |
| B．A father’s love |
| C．My growing pain |
| D．A father's farm |
【推荐3】We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn't even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. While I watched mouth open in surprise, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.”
“Yes, I'm glad they've finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren't you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe(拖一下)of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to write in the big book.
After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining. She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me, “Dagmar is fine. No fever.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It's a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is no good. You need a brush.”
1. When she took a mop from the small room, what Mum really wanted to do was__________.| A．to clean the floor | B．to please the nurse |
| C．to see a patient | D．to surprise the story-teller |
| A．nurse | B．visitor | C．patient | D．cleaner |
| A．the story-teller's sister | B．Mum's friend |
| C．the story-teller's classmate | D．Dad's boss |
| A．strange. | B．warm-hearted. | C．clever. | D．hard-working. |
【推荐1】In 1971 we were living in Wichita, Kansas — Lincoln was about seven, Brendan was three and Kristen was a baby. Mom was staying with us during the holidays. On Christmas Eve I stayed up very late. I was totally alone with my thoughts, alternating between joy and sorrow, and I got to think about my paper route(送报), that tree, what my mother had said to me and how dad had tried to make things better.
I heard a noise in the kitchen and discovered that it was Mom. She couldn’t sleep either and had gotten up to make herself a cup of hot tea which made her feel better. As she waited for the water to boil, she walked into the living room and discovered me there. She saw my open Bible and asked me what I was reading. When I told her, she asked if I would read it to her and I did.
When the kettle began to whistle, she went and made her tea. She came back. I told her how happy I was that she was with us for Christmas and how I wished that Dad could have lived to see his grandchildren and to enjoy this time because he always loved Christmas so much. She went very quiet for a moment and then she said, "Do you remember that time on Twelve Mile Road when you bought that tree with your paper route money?"
"Yes," I said, "I’ve just been thinking about it you know."
She hesitated for a long moment, as though something was bottled up so deeply inside her soul that it might take courage to get it out. Finally, great tears rolled down her face and she cried, "Oh, son, please forgive me. That time and that Christmas have been a burden on my heart for twenty-five years. I wish your dad were here so I could tell him how sorry I am for what I said."
1. How many children did the author have?| A．One. | B．Two. |
| C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．He lived with the author. |
| B．He loved his grandsons. |
| C．He loved his wife deeply. |
| D．He had passed away. |
| A．Because she needed to care for the children. |
| B．Because she remembered the previous thing. |
| C．Because she wanted the author to read for her. |
| D．Because she was unwilling to live with the author. |
| A．How they would celebrate the Christmas. |
| B．How the author’s father supported the family. |
| C．What happened to the author’s parents in the past. |
| D．The reason for the author’s parents’ divorce. |
【推荐2】Alex Elman runs a big business—something hard to imagine after she lost her sight in her twenties. But Elman says that losing her sight helped her focus on finding success.
Elman’s father planted a hillside vineyard(葡萄园) in western Massachusetts in 1981. It’s where Elman spent the darkest period of her life. When she was 27 years old, she went blind as a result of diabetes(糖尿病) 17 years ago. She recalled, “I hid in my home. I hid in the place, to me, that was the safest place in the world.”
However, she found a new way forward.
Elman is the founder of Alex Elman Wines, a growing competitor of organic wines from all around the world: Chianti from Italy, Torrontes from Argentina.
Elman isn’t solitary in her work. Instead, she has a good assistant, a guide dog named Hanley. Hanley is something of a professional wine taster and travels to all of the wine factories that Elman runs, from South America to Europe.
At first, Elman wouldn’t accept a guide dog. Now it’s hard to imagine her life, or her business, without him. She said, "When someone tells me something is organic and I don’t really believe it because I taste something funny on it, I’ll put it in front of his face and if he likes the wine, he’ll actually go in and sniff it. If it’s not right, he’ll turn his head away. That’s how we know whether the soil is actually organic.”
Elman believes the loss of her sight was a gift from God. She said, “It allowed me to pay attention to what I thought was important. Therefore, adapt to a situation, and you’ll be all right. Because you can’t change it anyway, right?”
1. How old was Elman when she began suffering from diabetes?| A．About 10 years old. | B．About 17 years old. |
| C．About 27 years old. | D．About 37 years old. |
| A．Fortunate. | B．Alone. |
| C．Skilled. | D．Active. |
| A．He will shake his head. |
| B．He will make faces at Alex Elman. |
| C．He will turn away and go home. |
| D．He will refuse to go in and sniff it. |
| A．She is something of a professional wine taster. |
| B．She found herself a guide dog soon after she went blind. |
| C．She takes a positive attitude towards her loss of sight. |
| D．She always regards her home as the safest place in the world. |
【推荐3】Mark Twain,the famous American writer,was once traveling in France.He went by train to Dijon.He was very tired and wanted to sleep.He therefore asked the conductor to wake him up when the train came to Dijon.
But first he explained he was a very heavy sleeper,“I may possibly protest(抗议)loudly when you try to wake me up,” he said to the conductor.“But don’t take any notice of what I say.Just put me off the train anyway.”
Then Mark Twain went to sleep.Later,when he woke up it was night time and the train had reached Paris already.He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon.He was so angry that he ran to the conductor and began to shout at him.
“I have never been so angry in my life,” Mark Twain said.
The conductor looked at him calmly(平静地).“You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off the train at Dijon,” he said.
1. Mark Twain knew that he was a heavy sleeper,so ________.| A．he protested loudly to the conductor |
| B．he did not sleep before he arrived in Dijon |
| C．he told the conductor to wake him up no matter how loudly he might protest |
| D．he slept lightly that time |
| A．he didn’t take Mark Twain’s words seriously |
| B．he forgot Mark Twain’s words when the train came to Dijon |
| C．he did not want to bear his protest |
| D．he mistook another American traveler for Mark Twain |
| A．did not want to get off at Dijon |
| B．wanted to get off at Paris |
| C．wanted to get off at Dijon |
| D．did not want to get off at Paris |
| A．The conductor didn’t take Mark Twain’s words seriously. |
| B．The conductor did take Mark Twain’s words seriously. |
| C．The conductor was a heavy sleeper. |
| D．Mark Twain must get off at Paris. |
【推荐1】The Walkmeter Walking & Hiking GPS has characteristics that are excellent for fitness walkers who want to improve their speed and distance. It uses your phone's GPS to measure the distance of your walks and hikes. It includes audio and voice integration（集成）so you can not only be informed of your workout statistics, but you can also listen to replies your friends send about your workout posts from Facebook and Twitter while you walk. Upgrading is less than $10 per year, far less than with some other apps, such as Endomondo.
Argus packs a lot into one lifestyle app. It functions as an all-day pedometer app. Your daily step count updates from your phone and includes active time, distance, calories, steps. and an hourly graph, It can also measure your heart rate at any time. You can easily take your heart rate during exercise and at rest. Besides, you can use the app’s food diary and sleep timer. A wide range of fitness and diet plans are also provided on it.
Charity Miles gives your walking a purpose, because it turns your exercise into donations to a certain cause, which offers a fresh donating means. Open up this free app（iOS or Google Play）and choose a charity. Start a workout, choosing walking, running, or cycling. For each completed mile, you’ll have earned a donation for your chosen charity. The basic rate is 25 cents for walking and running miles and 10 cents for cycling miles, subject to a periodic cap(最高限额). When you finish your walking, you must post to Facebook or Twitter to earn money for your charity.
1. What can users do with the Walkmeter Walking & Hiking GPS while exercising?| A．Upgrade the app for $10. | B．Check comments of friends. |
| C．Reply to friends’ posts online. | D．Make personalized fitness plans. |
| A．It measures your heart rate. | B．It can earn you money. |
| C．It offers a new way of donating. | D．It is connected to social software, |
| A．A website on app ratings. | B．An online fitness course. |
| C．A medical report. | D．An advertisement for phones. |
【推荐2】WHERE TO EAT
As Garzas
011-34-981-721-765
The food is equal to the views at this Michelin-starred restaurant serving traditional Galician food right on the Lighthouse Way. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for lunch and 9 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday for dinner. Reservations only taken by phone. 7-course tasting menu costs $56; the 13-course one is $90.
Mar de Ardora
011-34-981-754-311
Reserve a table looking out at Carballa Beach in this stone-house-turned-into restaurant. The menu features (以…为特色) fresh-caught local seafood. Entrees (主菜) from $18.
Bar Playa Lires
011-34-664-57-70-85
Casual lunch and dinner spot near Lires Beach that offers typical Spanish food, local seafood and great sunset views. Open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Entrees from $17.
O semafORO restaurant
011-34-981-110-210
Upscale (高档的) dining featuring locally caught seafood in a historic building. Entrees from $30. The restaurant offers mainly fish and other seafood from the local fish markets, which were caught using traditional methods of fishing by fishermen, who live off the sea and who want to live on it for many more years.
1. Which number should you call if you want to book a seat in Michelin-starred restaurant?| A．011-34-981-721-765. | B．011-34-981-754-311. |
| C．011-34-664-57-70-85. | D．011-34-981-110-210. |
| A．$17. | B．$18. | C．$30. | D．$56. |
| A．It is cooked by fishermen. |
| B．It is caught in an eco-friendly way. |
| C．It is of high quality but low in price. |
| D．It is imported from foreign countries. |
【推荐3】When it comes to the greatest inventions of the world, China's name is sure to be mentioned several times. There are hundreds of things which were invented by the Chinese.
Alcohol
Shocked? It was because when they said alcohol I thought about either the US or the UK. China had never crossed my mind. In China, alcohol was made by two legendary persons named Yi Di and Du Kang who belonged to the Xia Dynasty. This period was about 2000 BC—1600 BC. Research says that in ancient China, beer with 4% alcoholic content was widely consumed by people.
Tea
China is the proud inventor of tea which was first drunk by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor around 2737 BC. Tea production was rapidly developed, making tea a popular drink during the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The Mechanical Clock
Have you ever wondered what on earth we would be doing without any idea of time? A clock really is an invention without which things were incomplete. The credit of making the first mechanical clock goes to ancient China. The first mechanical clock was invented by Yi Xing in the Tang Dynasty. This was during 618 AD and 907 AD.
Silk Fabric
Silk, the favorite fabric of many girls out there, is also a Chinese invention. Although we all know that silk is made by silkworms, it was Chinese people who first invented a way to harvest the silk and then use it to make clothes. The oldest silk which has been found so far is in Henan Province and dates back to 3630 BC.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．Beer was popular in the Xia Dynasty. | B．Yi Di and Du Kang invented alcohol. |
| C．Alcohol was first invented in the US. | D．It is well known that alcohol is a Chinese invention. |
| A．ancient Chinese inventors were wiser | B．many things in our lives are incomplete |
| C．ancient Chinese people never wasted time | D．the mechanical clock is an important invention |
| A．Silk fabric. | B．Tea. |
| C．Alcohol. | D．The mechanical clock. |
