I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed？”I asked myself. I didn't answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear！”I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed！”We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate (绝望的) now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
1. When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________.
| A．asleep | B．working in bed |
| C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn't keep them open |
| D．he hadn't studied hard before the examination |
| A．He went to a church to pray again. |
| B．He passed the exam by sheer luck. |
| C．He failed in the exam. |
| D．He was punished by his teacher. |
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】My name is Pablo. I think I’m a lucky guy. I have a good family, and we live in a nice neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. People travel here from many countries for their vacations. We have beautiful beaches, hotels, restaurants, shopping and sports.
However, in my beautiful hometown, there are also very poor neighborhoods. These areas are crowded and have a lot of crime (犯罪). Life is terrible for many of the children in these areas. Some don’t really have a childhood because they’re homeless and live on the streets. They don’t have education. They don’t have enough food. Many use drugs or have illnesses or other problems.
Last year, I came back to Puerto Vallarta from my university in Mexico City, I spent one year as a volunteer with an organization called Outreach International. They have several programs. I volunteered for one program to help street children.
I worked in a home for street children (all boys, at this one). At this home, the boys have a place to sleep and three meals daily. The home keeps the boys off the streets. It shows them another way of life. As a volunteer, I helped to prepare meals. I taught games—such as basketball, football and art. I helped the kids with their homework. These kids can be fun. They have a lot of energy, but they’re also really tough (坚韧的). Their long and difficult time on the streets make them strong and not always “sweet little children”.
At this boys’ home, I met two other volunteers—Brian from Canada and Greg from Australia. In many ways, we were very similar. We were the same age, came from good homes and had a good education. They were both college students, like me. We became very good friends. Now, we email each other.
It was the best—and most difficult—year of my life. I learned a lot that year.
1. The paragraph 2 is mainly about .| A．street crime in poor neighborhoods | B．the author’s childhood experience |
| C．the author’s beautiful hometown | D．the terrible life of the homeless children |
| A．helping to prepare meals | B．helping them to make money |
| C．teaching the kids art | D．teaching them to play games |
| A．loves travelling around Mexico. |
| B．enjoys his work as a volunteer |
| C．is now working for an university in Mexico City |
| D．has made friends with the homeless children |
| A．My Special Year. | B．A Sweet Home. | C．My family | D．Street Children. |
【推荐2】When he first rose to stardom in the NBA, Yao Ming could not possibly have known the influence he would have on the American understanding of China.
In the eyes of many Americans, Chinese are short, bookish, and not especially athletic. Yao, 26, has turned that image on its head. A giant at 2.26 metres, he has been the most talked-about player in the league since he topped the NBA draft（选秀）in 2002.
When Yao first joined the Rockets and struggled with an American style of basketball, many were quick to label（标记）Yao “a failure”. But Yao played on. He did not let the criticism affect his performance. Even when former NBA star Charles Barkley bet that Yao could not score more than 19 points in a single game, Yao kept his self-respect. The same cannot be said for Barkley, who was forced to kiss a real donkey's ass（屁股）when Yao passed the 19-point mark early in his first season.
For Americans, Yao's polite and friendly personality is a welcome contrast to the rude behaviour of the NBA's bad boys. Compared with most other NBA players, Yao Ming is a true gentleman. He respects all of his opponents（对手）, even those who are not friendly to him.
“He is so wise and humourous that he seems like a diplomat（外交家）rather than a basketball player sometimes,” said Ron Burke, an NBA TV reporter.
In addition, Yao's witty answers have changed the opinion that Chinese people are boring When asked what were his favourite English words, Yao told the press that the five words were “This is the last question.” Yao is winning supporters within the league as well. After a Rockets-Lakers game that Shaquille O'Neal had to sit out with an injury, O'Neal said, “You played pretty good, Yao Ming.” Yao replied, “That's because you weren't there.”
1. What attitude do many people take with Yao Ming when he first joined the Rockets?| A．Friendly. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Sincere. | D．Angry. |
| A．proved that he was athletic | B．passed the 19-point mark early |
| C．showed his politeness and friendliness | D．beat former NBA star Charles Barkley |
| A．Yao Ming was respectful and smart | B．Yao Ming was boring and proud |
| C．Yao Ming topped the NBA draft | D．Yao Ming wasn't a failure any more |
【推荐3】To me, inspirations mean to put my thoughts, heart, and creations into my jewelry. Sometimes I become so inspired with what I’m working on that I can finish one or more sets in less than an hour. Because of that feeling, I have named my jewelry collection “Inspirations”.
I am a 17-year-old senior with sickle-cell anemia. With this, I am in and out of the hospital a lot. So I started making jewelry a year ago when I was in the hospital. I really needed something to do, so I was introduced to jewelry making by a child life expert.
One day while lying in my hospital bed, I decided to get up and go to the patient’s playroom, and look through the craft designs. That was when I became inspired to design my jewelry collection, and named it “Inspirations”.
When I’m not sick, I try to keep a positive attitude through reading, schoolwork, and craft activities. Even though it’s a lot of work, I try to stay focus at all times. When I need a break or just to be free I turn to my craft activities. This is a way to ease my mind and it always helps me to especially get through those stressful times.
I am getting very excited about graduating next year and preparing myself for college. Who knows my collection of Inspirations, would take me to the places I always dreamed of? I may see celebrities I admire and even sell them some of my beautiful “Inspirations”. If they wear my “Inspirations,” it will become well known and more demanding. What a great way to make some extra money for college! I never thought being sick would bring me “Inspirations”. I want people to look beyond my illness and see the creations I’ve made in my collection called “Inspirations”.
1. What does “sickle-cell anemia” refer to?| A．A hospital. | B．A place. |
| C．An illness. | D．A doctor. |
| A．Because it was designed by a patient. |
| B．Because it was designed in the hospital. |
| C．Because its designs came from inspiration. |
| D．Because the designs were very various and fresh. |
| A．The writer is a senior high school student. |
| B．The writer will graduate from college next year. |
| C．The writer wants to be a doctor in the future. |
| D．The writer plans to be a jewelry designer after graduation. |
| A．My Jewelry Collection |
| B．My Illness |
| C．Creating Inspirations |
| D．How to Get Through Bad Times |
Nowadays in China, parents care about their children’s education more than anything else. They spend a lot coaching their children in their studies; those who have no time or are not able to do it have tutors hired for their children. Many have their children sent to after-class schools. Some others even have tried to improve their living environment. It seems as if a better education is all that parents expect for their children.
The situation can be explained by the following reasons. First of all, the swift development of China’s economy is calling for more and more skilled and knowledgeable workers and professionals. Second, the awareness of today’s parents’ has been growing that success in this world depends more on skills and knowledge than on anything else. Skills and knowledge means competitiveness. Last but not least, with school education becoming more and more expensive, it is natural for parents to expect their children could become somebody or doing something great.
Of course, I’m happy to see much of parents’ attention paid to their children’s education. However, they should not go too far to ignore their children’s abilities and personal qualities. I think the first thing to learn is how to survive and how to be a qualified citizen. If parents can try their best to help build their children’s characters, it will bring a happy life to their children when they grow up.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage? (No more than 15 words)2. According to the paragraph 2, why are more and more skilled and knowledgeable workers needed? (No more than 15 words)
3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “coaching”? (No more than 8 words)
4. In author’s opinion, what is also important for children besides skills and knowledge? (No more than 10 words)
5. Do your parents care about your education? How? (No more than 20 words)
【推荐2】A study session(会议) with friends can be an excellent way to learn.
●
●Take quizzes(小测试). Another great aspect of working with a group is the ability to quiz one another. You can simply ask each other questions out loud.
●Share notes. Three or four heads are better than one!
●Answer each other’s questions. Knowing what you don’t understand and putting that into a question for your group is an excellent exercise.
●Create a routine(常规). If you can make some kind of routine within your study session, you are likely to be more productive. It may take a little time. You may have to try out different methods with your group to see what works for you.
| A．Teach one another |
| B．When it comes to friendship |
| C．If you make it a regular event |
| D．This means quizzing one another in speech |
| E．The first question can be related to self-introduction |
| F．Try exchanging the notes that you each take in class |
| G．The attempt to answer each other’s questions is great for every member and the group. |
Art and music are a precious culture legacy(遗产), which bring us pleasure and enjoyment. Have you ever been deeply moved by Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony(第五交响曲)? Have you ever been fascinated by the colorful starry night produced by Vincent Van Gogh in his paint? Have you ever longed for the moving love between the Butterfly Lovers when you hear this well-known Chinese melody(曲调)? Art and music are not only images and sounds, but something beyond them. They are the products of passion and human wisdom(智慧).
Art and music help make students more creative. Artists and musicians are considered the most creative people in the world. It is because art and music sharpen their senses and provide a different perspective (视角) for them to see the world. Many great scientists benefited from art and music. Einstein, the greatest physicist in the 20th century, as well as an excellent violin player, is a good example.
Enjoying art and music is also a good way to relax. Middle school students, who typically carry heavy burdens of study, will definitely(明确地) benefit from it.
To sum up, art and music should absolutely be included in the middle school courses, for they can bring students pleasure and relaxation.
1. According to the author, people who think art and music are useless for middle school students __________.
| A．don’t understand the value of art and music |
| B．don’t know the history of art and music at all |
| C．never benefit from artists and musicians |
| D．know little about the trend of future education |
| A．Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians |
| B．art and music help express people’s emotions |
| C．art and music are precious pictures and sounds |
| D．art and music bring people joy and quality life |
| A．show the importance of creativity |
| B．prove that scientists are creative |
| C．encourage students to study art and music |
| D．provide students with a new way to see the world |
| A．Relaxing themselves regularly while studying. |
| B．Attending concerts during holidays or after school. |
| C．Avoiding too much homework by studying art and music. |
| D．Listening to music while studying language, maths or other subjects. |
| A．Art and music help people become scientists. |
| B．Art and music provide people with more opportunities. |
| C．Art and music are beneficial to students in other subjects. |
| D．Art and music are helpful to make students creative learners. |
【推荐1】In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand（木架）with a small notepad（记事本）and a hole for a pencil.
I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these year.” I say to her, walking bank into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”
My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days.”
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”
This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible（看不到的）exhibits at every meal.
1. Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?| A．To leave messages. | B．To list her everyday tasks. |
| C．To note down maths problems. | D．To write down a flash of inspiration. |
| A．It has great value for the family. |
| B．It needs to be replaced by a better one. |
| C．It brings her back to her lonely childhood. |
| D．It should be passed on to the next generation. |
| A．blaming her mother wrongly. |
| B．giving her mother a lot of trouble. |
| C．not making good use of time as her mother did. |
| D．not making any breakthrough in her field. |
| A．The mother is successful in her career. |
| B．The family members like traveling. |
| C．The author had little time to play when young. |
| D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared. |
| A．strange in behavior. | B．keen on her research. |
| C．fond of collecting old things. | D．careless about her appearance. |
【推荐2】About 20 years ago, while on the way to a student’s house, Zhang Guimei, then a rural teacher in Huaping county, Lijiang, Yunnan province, noticed a girl sitting on the hillside. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married though she wanted to go to school. It was arranged by her parents.
Zhang went to her house and tried to persuade her parents to let the girl return to school and promised to pay for her tuition herself. However, they didn’t agree. Zhang felt sorry for not being able to help. “We always say that each child should stand on the same starting line, but these girls didn’t even have a chance to get on the track,” Zhang said.
It persuaded Zhang to build a free high school for girls with the objective of helping break the cycle that saw women drop out of education, marry early and spend their whole life in the remote mountain. Zhang had spent years trying to raise funds, and in 2008, Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school, was founded, where Zhang is the principal. Over the decades, Zhang has walked thousands of kilometers, visiting students’ families in the deep mountain, talking to villagers, and persuading girls to go back to school. It has been worth it. More than 1,800 graduates have been admitted to college. It is regarded as a “miracle” in the remote area, as most students didn’t perform well in academic study before the school was established.
Though lacking full health, Zhang insists on a daily routine — get up around 5 a.m. to call students to get up with a loudspeaker, accompany students to classes and sleep after senior students’ study ends at midnight. Zhang’s husband died in the 1990s. She doesn’t have children or a house, so she lives at the student dormitory. Besides girls in her school, Zhang also donates all her income to help rural education and poor people.
In early December, she was given the honor of the country’s “role model for teachers” and “outstanding woman”. Her commitment to her education career inspires thousands of people.
1. Why did Zhang feel sorry when the girl’s parents refused to let the girl return to school?| A．The girl’s family was too poor to pay for her tuition fees. |
| B．The girl had to marry a man who was much older than her. |
| C．The girl didn’t even have the chance to complete her education. |
| D．The girl was unable to find a high school nearby to continue her education. |
| A．Not many girls want to attend this school. |
| B．Few parents support their girls’ going to school. |
| C．The local government didn’t offer the land for the school. |
| D．It was not easy for Zhang to get enough money to build the school. |
| A．A teacher shows girls how to reach the top. |
| B．Let girls stand on the same starting line. |
| C．Inspiring stories of girls’ education. |
| D．Huaping High School for Girls. |
【推荐3】Michael Jackson (1958-2009) spent many of his later years alone in a mansion called Neverland.The name “Neverland” is taken from the children’s story Peter Pan.It’s about boy who never grows up.Cruel critics of Jackson thought he was like Peter Pan,but that he was childish rather than childlike.They laughed at his taste,his clothes and his pet chimpanzee,Bubbles.
But perhaps Jackson acted like a child because he hadn’t had a proper childhood.He began to work as a professional singer at the age of 9,performing with a group made up of his brothers.Besides working with this group. The Jackson Five,be also had a solo career.He didn’t choose to make music like this;he was under a lot of pressure from his father and the music business.He started young and began to sell lots of records while he was still young. With this kind of pressure,who can blame him for living in his own way once he’d become an adult and gotten rich enough lo do what he liked?
His great originality came from the fact that he wrote,performed and recorded music that appealed to different communities.Before there had been “white” music and “black” music.But Jackson made “crossover” music,songs that had parts of funk,rock ‘n’ roll and disco in them.He broke down a lot of barriers with this approach.A great example of this “crossover” style is the songBeat It.It has guitars like rock music,but it also has a beat like disco music.
If you look up theBeat Itvideo on the Internet,you’ll understand another reason for his fame.He made imaginative music that went well with equally imaginative videos.Beat Itis,in part,about a war between young gangs. Jackson and his team made a great job of showing the rival gangs facing each other.You also see great dancing,and Jackson shows off his strong sense of fashion.Jackson was as much a video artist as a music artist.
This is why he was such a hit not just in the United States,but also globally.People loved his music and videos everywhere.He had a great effect on so many household names.Britney Spears,Justin Bieber and many others.In all of them you can find the combination of catchy danceable music and great videos that Jackson started.His music videos were must-see TV,and young would-be artists learned that it took more than just holding a microphone if they really wanted to make it big.
“When I was just starting out,many first producer used to make me listen to Michael Jackson’s live performance ofWho’s Loving You(1969).He would make me watch and listen to that for hours back to back,“said American singer Beyonce,just one of many singers to be inspired by Jackson.
He was,for many of the younger generation,the first to cross over and explode onto the pop charts.“ I felt like he set the standard for artists.I don’t care what genre you make music in,you should always try to be like Michael Jackson,”said American singer Bruno Mars.That is why was called “The King of Pop” and why he lives on in the hearts of hundreds of millions.
1. Why did Michael Jackson act like a child?| A．Because he liked Peter Pan so much. |
| B．Because he was childlike and childish. |
| C．Because he lived in a mansion called Neverland. |
| D．Because he didn’t live a proper life in his childhood. |
| A．Beyonce and Bruno Mars were asked to exactly what Michael Jackson did. |
| B．Beyonce and Bruno Mars attach great importance to becoming famous. |
| C．Michael Jackson lives in the heart of millions of fans. |
| D．Michael Jackson is a very influential super star. |
| A．Childlike and popular. | B．Creative and talented. |
| C．Influential and responsible. | D．Imaginative and generous. |
【推荐1】Big messaging apps abroad
While WeChat is China's biggest mobile messaging app,there are many equivalent apps in other countries that offer similar features.
WhatsApp (US)
Users: more than 300 million
Platforms: Android,iOS,Windows Phone,BlackBerry
Features: Text chat,push-to-talk,file sharing,location sharing
With more than 300 million active users,WhatsApp is one of WeChat's biggest competitors.Developed by two ex-Yahoo employees in 2009,WhatsApp originally focused on text chat,but on Aug.6 it also started push-to-talk service.It's noted for its accessibility,ease of use and the absence of adverts.The service is free for the first year,after which $0.99 (6.06 yuan) is charged for a one-year subscription.
Kakao Talk (South Korea)
Users: more than 100 million
Platforms: Android,iOS,Windows Phone,BlackBerry and Bada (an operating system developed by Samsung)
Features: Text chat,group chat,push-to-talk,group calls,file sharing
With more than 100 million users in more than 230 countries,Kakao Talk is a multi-platform texting applicbtion that allows users to send and receive messages for free.With Kakao Talk,users can message each other one-on-one or in group chats with unlimited numbers of friends.You can also choose from more than 250 animated emoticons and share them with friends.
Line (Japan)
Users: more than 200 million
Platforms: Android,iOS,Windows Phone,BlackBerry and PC
Features: Text chat,group chat,push-to-talk,file sharing,location sharing,gaming,stickers
Line tops the list of the most downloaded free apps in 52 countries.Apart from text and voice messaging,Line provides its users with more than 250 original stickers and emoticons to buy from its own shop.In the first quarter of 2013 alone,it made $17 million just from stickers.The popular app also allows friends to battle each other in the LINE Game.
1. Compared with the other two apps,which of the following features makes Line stand out?| A．Group mobile games. | B．Free emoticons. |
| C．Free download of the app. | D．Text and group chat. |
| A．Users can always send and receive messages for free with WhatsApp. |
| B．Users can share files with any of the three apps. |
| C．Kakao Talk frees users from unwanted advertisjments. |
| D．Line ranks first in the list of the most downloaded apps in 52 countries. |
| A．Advertisement. | B．Economy and Finance. |
| C．Entertainment. | D．Science and Technology. |
【推荐2】Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the U. S. Department of Homeland Security recommends having at least a two - week supply of water and food.
Potatoes
Shelf life ： 2 to 5 weeks if stored in a cool, dry, dark place
Yukon Gold, red, and fingerling potatoes will last from two to three weeks. Larger white potatoes can last for three to five weeks. Sweet potatoes have about the same shelf life. Don't store them next to onions, however. The two might go together well in cooking, but raw, each gives off gases and moisture that might cause the other to spoil faster.
Tea
※Shelf life： 6 to 12 months past "sell - by" date
Dried tea leaves, whether loose (in a sealed container) or in teabags (in an unopened box) can easily last a year or more if they' re not subjected to damp or humidity. However, the tea does tend to lose flavor over time.
Peanuts
● Shelf life ： 1 to 2 months
Peanuts in their shell, especially when kept cool and dry, are perfectly happy in the cupboard for as long as two months.
Canned fruits and vegetables
● Shelf life ： 1 to 2 years past "sell - by” date
Canning is an extremely efficient means of preserving food. Generally speaking, if canned foods aren't subjected to extreme heat, their contents should stay good for two years or more. Be aware, however, of dented cans or those with swollen tops, which may indicate the presence of bacteria inside.
1. Which can go bad faster if stored with onions?| A．Potatoes. | B．Tea. |
| C．Peanuts. | D．Canned fruits and vegetables. |
| A．The flavor of tea can always remain the same. |
| B．Tea leaves are better to be preserved in an open jar. |
| C．Tea leaves should be kept away from the state of being wet. |
| D．The maximum length of time that tea can be stored is 6 months. |
| A．Shapes of cans. | B．Categories of foods. |
| C．Decline of the temperature. | D．Exposure to high temperature. |
【推荐3】Wandering the British Museum, you can see some of the finest objects ever created by human hands. But some of our most precious objects are things that were once thrown away. Today, they have become invaluable tools for learning about the past.
On display in Room 3, Disposable? exhibits a group of objects: finds from Staple Howe, a settlement sometime between 700 BC and 450 BC. These pot pieces, animal bones, and tools were cast aside when they were no longer useful. Thousands of years later they allow us to study the people who made, used, and threw them away. From Staple Howe’s rubbish we know that its inhabitants were very resourceful: a broken pot was recycled to make a spindle whorl, and a razor has been heavily sharpened to lengthen its life.
The second half of the Disposable? displays the human impact of modern waste in the Pacific Island nations. Single-use products made from plastic are often thrown away poorly. This has led to almost eight million metric tons of plastic entering our oceans every year.
A simple yet technically beautiful yellow fishing basket made by Guam artist Guerrero highlights the plastic waste problem in the Pacific. For centuries, fishing baskets in Guam were made of coconut leaves but here Guerrero used plastic wrapping found on his local beach. While the basket is made using traditional techniques, the plastic wrapping is more durable than plant fibers. Guerrero has found a creative and practical way to give this single-use material a second life.
Communities across the Pacific are working together to fight the problem through re-purposing thrown — away items and banning some single-use plastic items. However, these local responses can by no means reduce the scale of the problem. The plastic crisis cannot be left to individuals or communities and will take a concerted international effort by governments across the globe.
If the rubbish from Staple Howe can help us build stories and details of people living in ancient Britain, what can today’s plastic rubbish tell us about ourselves?
1. Why are the deserted objects in Staple Howe valuable?| A．They were created by hand. | B．They were beautifully decorated. |
| C．They consist of precious materials. | D．They bear information of life in the past. |
| A．Material. | B．Technique. |
| C．Color. | D．Wrapping. |
| A．is displayed in two rooms |
| B．is held by Pacific communities |
| C．displays both ancient and modern items |
| D．shows Staple Howe’s influence on Pacific communities |
| A．Leaving it to individuals. |
| B．Holding international concerts. |
| C．Local responses from Staple Howe. |
| D．A united effort by global governments. |
