As a child I was one of the 125 people at our family get-together for New Year. These days we were a much smaller group in Belle Valley, Ohio. I insisted on acting as hostess and wanted to bring back the joy I’d felt at my childhood New Year that filled with love.
As family members arrived at the hall, I handed each one of them a numbered card and said, “Time for the alphabet (字母表) game.” “What kind of game is that?” one of my great-grandchildren asked. “Well,” I said, “who’s got number one?” A cousin raised her hand. “Tell us something you never forget,” I said. “Something that begins with the letter A.” My cousin smiled. “Apple pie!” she said. Great-granddaughter Mindy was next. “B,” she said. “I am impressed by Buckeye Country.” “Cookies!” Number 3 shouted.
Until N umber 17, “The next one’s a challenge,” I said. “Who’s got 17?” Ryan, my son, slowly raised his hand. “Q,” he said. “Quaker City Carnival (狂欢节).” The room went silent. “It’s one of the oldest traditions in Ohio,” Ryan said. “Grandma and Grandpa met there. That’s where they fell in love. That’s where this whole thing started. This whole family.” Ryan looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone. “We wouldn’t be here celebrating New Year together if it wasn’t for Quaker City Carnival.”
The room burst into laughter and was full of love. “This is the best New Year we’ve ever had,” a great-grandson said to me secretly. Whatever their New Year would look like when they grew up, they’d remember this one. And for me, I had an unforgettable New Year to treasure—a memory where love started with the letter Q.
1. Why did the author want to organize the alphabet game?| A．To enjoy the family get-together. |
| B．To share moving stories with family. |
| C．To act as the hostess of the New Year party. |
| D．To experience long-lost New Year happiness. |
| A．Teddy Bear. | B．Yogurt. | C．Watermelon. | D．Steak. |
| A．It was connected with their family roots. | B．They understood the meaning of love. |
| C．They knew their grandparents better. | D．It brought a tradition back to them. |
| A．A Letter Full of Love | B．A Traditional New Year Game |
| C．A Family Custom at New Year | D．A Love Story About the Carnival |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap(代沟) has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood. No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality (平等) can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot strictness and authority (权威) on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College, “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these changing roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
1. The underlined word “gulf” in Para. 3 most probably means ________.| A．interest | B．problem | C．difference | D．habit |
| A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
| B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
| C．Parents and children talk less about sex and drugs. |
| D．Parents share more interests with their children. |
| A．Less confusion among parents |
| B．New equality between parents and children |
| C．More respect for parents from children |
| D．More strictness and authority on the part of parents |
| A．describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
| B．discuss the change of the parent-child relationship |
| C．suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship |
| D．stress the importance of parent-child relationship |
【推荐2】How to Improve Your Mother-Daughter Relationship
You don't always get on well with your daughter. She might be busy with her things while you might be busy with yours. When you try to talk to her, she doesn't listen. Does either of these situations sound like you?
Set aside time to spend with her.
Listen.
Not only should your daughter listen to you, but you must listen as well. If you don't, she'll think it's okay to not pay attention. She'll be aware that you aren't truly listening and it isn't a pleasant feeling. While you are listening, look at her and have good eye contact with her.
Trust your daughter as best you can.
Trust can be difficult, but it's the key basis of any relationship.
| A．Try to find time in your schedule. |
| B．Spare your time at any moment if it is needed. |
| C．Respect that, and find a different time to spend together. |
| D．Your daughter will never listen to you during your talking. |
| E．If so, you need to improve your mother-daughter relationship. |
| F．To show that you are listening, ask her questions that you have. |
| G．If you find yourself doing untrustworthy things frequently, stop. |
【推荐3】I always pictured myself graduating from college, getting a cool job and even having a cute little place of my own. So far, I have a master's degree and the coolest job ever as a physician assistant. But instead of waking up in a pretty apartment, I hear the early morning sound of my parents making coffee downstairs. At 27, I still live with my parents, and I love it.
As a physician assistant, I make a good salary and would be able to live on my own comfortably if I needed to do so. By the time I finished graduate school, I had had a ＄150,000 debt from both undergraduate and graduate education. My father calculated that my loans were increasing by ＄15 a day in interest (利息) alone. At this rate, it would take me 30 years to pay off my student loans. At last, I decided to live with my parents.
Several of my physician assistant friends are in the same boat as I am — we are all highly educated, white collar employees who live at home. Our coworkers in the medical field think it is a great idea because many of them are facing the same piles of debt. They often say if they could do it all again, they would do the same thing.
There's a stigma (耻辱) that comes along with this arrangement. Some people might think that we are too lazy to find a job. I don't think my neighbors understand it, as they continually ask me when I am going to graduate and if I am old enough to look after their children. My mom just tells them that I'm successful, well educated and that I save lives.
1. What did the author once dream to do before ?| A．Take care of her parents. | B．Have her own beautiful house. |
| C．Make her parents pay for her living. | D．Live with her parents after graduation. |
| A．She missed them very much. | B．She couldn't cook by herself. |
| C．She needed to repay a huge debt. | D．She was not ready to support herself. |
| A．Critical. | B．Approving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．She is a helpful lady. | B．She is popular with kids. |
| C．They don’t think she has a job. | D．They know she is well educated. |
【推荐1】I had just made a memorable speech, and I was about to learn how the judges decided my performance. The audience leaned forward and a period of silence fell across the room. I felt the drum rolled in my heart.
The third-place winner was announced. The name was not mine. Then the second-place winner, still not me. At last, the moment of truth came. I was about to either enjoy the warmth of victory or regret the months’ preparation. My heart felt closer to the latter.
Losing is a part of life, and I have dealt with it on more than one occasion. However, it was an indescribable feeling to drive a 200-mile round trip, get up very early on a freezing Saturday morning, and yet still finish fourth out of four competitors in my group.
I had spent many hours in front of a computer and in libraries doing research for the Lincoln Bicentennial (200周年) Speech Contest. After not placing (获得名次) in the first year of the contest, I really wanted to compete again. Lincoln had many failures, but he never allowed them to defeat his spirit or ambition, so I was not going to give up on a second contest! I reworked my speech for the following year, but again I did not place.
I couldn’t accept the fact that I failed twice in something that I had worked so hard on, until I thought about my hero. Never mind the lost prize money and praise—through learning stories about Lincoln, I discovered that I can fail successfully.
1. How did the author feel after finishing his speech?| A．Angry. | B．Nervous. | C．Confused. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．He was regretful about his not being fully prepared. |
| B．He felt so disappointed and didn’t want to try again. |
| C．He felt upset for getting up early on a freezing morning. |
| D．He turned out to be the last one of his group in the contest. |
| A．Brave and determined. | B．outgoing and talented. |
| C．Enthusiastic and easygoing. | D．creative and attractive. |
| A．Stand up from where we fall. |
| B．Don’t rely too much on others. |
| C．Never mind others’ judgments. |
| D．Learn to value memories in our life. |
【推荐2】You Mi, a lovely and confident 17-year-old student, is the first Chinese high school student to appear on the cover of the popular young adults’ fashion magazine Seventeen.
“You is IN,” said Wang Lihua, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen, “She is active and mature (成熟的). We found she was the very style we’re looking for to represent young people’s attitudes. You also impressed Wang with her fluent English when they first met last year. As the hostess of an English broadcasting program at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, You is always praised for speaking English almost like a native speaker.”
In Senior I, You met a talented boy who showed self-made DV movies at the English Corner in her school. “I thought it was so cool and I knew that I should start making my own films.” she said. So she wrote a school story, persuaded schoolmates to star in it and then began shooting a 30-minute DV movie, all in English. “I played one of the leading roles; actually I was everything in my film.” she recalled. The movie finally became a big hit on campus, earning a strong reputation for her as a DV movie director.
But this is not the only field she wants to master. Despite being a science student, You likes art, literature and fashion design very much.
“There are people who can be artists, there are people who edit books, and there are people who become film producers. But I just hope to mix all the things up in the future!” She said “There is an old saying I believe: Chance favors only the prepared mind.”
1. Why did You Mi appear on the cover of Seventeen according to Wang Lihua?| A．Because she is beautiful. |
| B．Because she is lovely and humorous. |
| C．Because she is active and helpful. |
| D．Because she can represent young people’s attitudes. |
| A．The 30-minute DV movie is made by You Mi and a studio. |
| B．The 30-minute DV movie is about a school story. |
| C．Some of the actors in the 30-minute DV movie are teachers. |
| D．Most of the students don’t like the 30-minute DV movie. |
| A．bringing her an ideal job. | B．helping her become rich. |
| C．making her famous. | D．earning her a medal. |
| A．A famous editor. |
| B．A successful artist. |
| C．A mixed talent. |
| D．A gifted scriptwriter. |
【推荐3】In many practical ways, I chose a nursing career because I wanted to improve lives.
My mom was a nurse, so I knew something about the profession. Her nursing magazines lay around our house, and I’d pick them up and read them when ran out on the back of the breakfast box. Some of the stories were pretty interesting. So between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I enrolled in a nurses’ aide course. I figured the class was a chance to explore the world of nursing while earning money for college.
If I liked the class, I told myself, I’d major in nursing. After all, it was a stable, respectable profession.
To be honest, the class wasn’t always exciting. I learned how to make beds! And I also learned about diseases, dementia (痴呆) and documentation. I leanred how to assess vital signs, how-to help .patients with activities of daily living, and-how to communicate to our supervising nurses. Before long, I was released onto the floor to practice our new skills — and that’s when things got interesting.
Nursing is not about the role (机械的) application of procedures; nursing is about people. Out on the floor, I worked with a 90-year-old woman who’d come over on a boat from the Old Country, alone, at the age of 13. I cared for a man who’d reverted to his native language, and quickly learned that I could ease his confusion by telling him “Gut en Natch” ( “good night” ) before tucking him into bed.
What I learned that summer is that nursing is about people, and that nurses help those who are struggling with both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. When things got tough — and they did, nursing can be an incredibly demanding job — it was my patients who pulled me through. They needed me, and their stories inspired me to help them anyway. That summer, I decided to become a nurse.
1. Why did the author take a nurses’ aide course?| A．She wanted to read more interesting stories about nursing. |
| B．Her mom encouraged her to take the course. |
| C．She wanted to improve lives. |
| D．She wanted to know more about nursing and make money for college. |
| A．She learned how to evaluate vital signs. |
| B．What she learned in the class were not exciting at all. |
| C．Practicing new skills on the floor interested her. |
| D．Helping patients with living activities didn’t make things interesting. |
| A．Covering | B．pulling | C．putting | D．pushing |
| A．She found the true meaning of nursing. |
| B．The nursing course made her to be needed by her patients. |
| C．Nursing was tough for her. |
| D．She pulled her patients through. |
【推荐1】A well-dressed man came into a famous jeweler shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl (珍珠) for his wife's birthday and that the price didn't matter since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a number of beautiful and valuable pearls, he chose a nice black one that cost $ 5,000. He paid for the pearl, shook hands with the jeweler and left.
A few days later the man returned and said his wife had liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality(质地) as she wanted a pair of earrings (耳环) made. "Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl?" said the man. The jeweler replied, "I would say it's nearly impossible to find an exact one like that pearl. "
The rich man asked the jeweler to advertise(登广告) in the newspapers, and offered $25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the ad(广告), but nobody had a pearl that was just right. Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came in. To his surprise, she pulled the wonderful pearl from her handbag. "I don't like to sell it," she said sadly. "I inherited(继承) it from my mother, and my mother inherited from hers. But now I really need the money. "
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The rich man, however, was nowhere to be found.
1. From the first paragraph we can guess that the jeweler considered the well-dressed man as________.| A．an honest jeweller to make friends with |
| B．a clever cheat (骗子) with a 1ot of money |
| C．a rich businessman and good husband |
| D．a poor gentleman who spent money freely |
| A．because he loved his wife very much |
| B．in order to get it as quickly as possible |
| C．since his business had been successful |
| D．so as to make the jeweller believe him |
| A．possible to find an exact one like that pearl |
| B．difficult to get the matching pearl |
| C．impossible to advertise in the newspaper |
| D．easy to buy a similar pearl |
| A．The people who answered the ad wanted to sell their pearls at a high price. |
| B．The woman was the well-dressed man's wife. |
| C．The jeweller was lucky enough to buy the little old lady's pearl. |
| D．The rich man didn't know the little old lady. |
| A．had moved to another hotel |
| B．was busy doing business with others |
| C．had escaped with $ 20,000 |
| D．had told the wrong telephone number |
【推荐2】It was December 27th, 2004 in Malaysia. People were in a holiday mood for various reasons. It was the day after Christmas, a Sunday. On Penang Island, hotels were fully-booked by holiday-makers from home and abroad. The Dillon family had come all the way from Europe to shelter from the coldness of winter. They were up early to swim in the sea and eat a late breakfast in the Crystal Restaurant on Fisherman’s Pier.
While enjoying their Asian breakfast in a room facing the water, Mr. and Mrs. Dillon saw a strange sight through the glass windows. People on the beach were pointing at the sea which was crashing quickly into the horizon. Some were excitedly picking up shells and fish that had been exposed (暴露) when a Japanese man at the next table shouting “Tsunami! Tsunami!”. He jumped from his seat, waving wildly to everyone else, and rushed for the exit. The couple sensed that they were in danger.
Suddenly a huge wall of water came crashing through the restaurant windows, knocking over everyone. The couple held their son’s hands. However, the boy’s little hand slid out of his parents and the waves tossed him forcefully, leaving him in danger. Luckily, when his head was seen rising above the water, he was pulled up in time. Just as forcefully, the waves pulled back, breaking whatever it could. Fortunately, everyone had run onto drier ground. They rushed out to the street, shaken by the tsunami. The shocked boy burst into tears. Everyone shook with fear.
The deadly tsunami of 27th December 2004 killed more than 60 people in Malaysia. Its force was most destructive in northern Sumatra, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India. There were also deaths in Somalia, the Maldives, and Myanmar. Altogether, about a quarter of a million people were killed, thousands went missing, and more than half a million lost their homes. Never has a natural disaster traumatized so many nations.
1. Why did the Dillon family come to Malaysia?| A．To avoid winter coldness in Europe. |
| B．To taste food in the Crystal Restaurant. |
| C．To swim in the sea on Fisherman’s Pier. |
| D．To celebrate Christmas with Malaysians. |
| A．The crashing sea waves. |
| B．The exposed shells and fish. |
| C．The sea view through windows. |
| D．The Japanese’s unusual behavior. |
| A．Left alone. | B．Threw upward. |
| C．Moved up and down. | D．Wetted all over. |
| A．Warning signs of the tsunami. |
| B．Terrible effects of the tsunami. |
| C．Great efforts to fight the tsunami. |
| D．Surviving countries after the tsunami. |
In Mrs. Totten’s eighth-grade math class at Central Avenue School in Anderson, Indiana, we were learning to add and subtract decimals (小数).
Our teacher typically assigned daily homework, which would be recited in class the following day. On most days, our grades were based on our oral answer to homework questions.
Mrs. Totten usually walked up and down the rows of desks requesting answers from student after student in the order the questions had appeared on our homework sheets. She would start either at the front or the back of the classroom and work toward the other end.
Since I was seated near the middle of about 35 students, it was easy to figure out which questions I might have to answer. This particular time, I had completed my usual two or three problems according to my calculations.
What I failed to expect was that several students were absent, which threw off my estimate. As Mrs. Totten made her way from the beginning of the class，I desperately tried to determine which math problem I would get. I tried to work it out before she got to me, but I had brain freeze and couldn’t function.
When Mrs. Totten reached my desk，she asked what answer I’d got for problem No. 14. “I…I didn’t get anything,” I answered，and my face felt warm.
“Correct,” she said.
It turned out that the correct answer was zero.
What did I learn that day? First, always do all your homework. Second, in real life it isn’t always what you say but how you say it that matters. Third，I would never make it as a mathematician.
If I could choose one school day that taught me the most, it would be that one.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 indicate?
| A．It is wise to value one’s time. |
| B．It is important to make an effort |
| C．It is right to stick to one’s belief. |
| D．It is enough to do the necessary. |
| A．recite their homework together |
| B．grade their homework themselves |
| C．answer their homework questions orally |
| D．check the answers to their homework questions |
| A．asked questions in a regular way |
| B．walked up and down when asking questions |
| C．chose two or three questions for the students |
| D．requested her students to finish their usual questions |
| A．the class didn’t begin as usual |
| B．several students didn’t come to school |
| C．he didn’t try hard to make his estimate |
| D．Mrs. Totten didn’t start from the back of the class |
| A．An Unforgettable Teacher |
| B．A Future Mathematician |
| C．An Effective Approach |
| D．A Valuable Lesson |
