Car Talk
When I got the driving license last summer, Mom and I took our first trip around an empty parking lot. Then I found that my mother was not the best teacher for me. It wasn’t that she shouted, or told me that I was doing poorly. As you can imagine, my mother’s “helpful instructions” only managed to make me more nervous.
Since I could no longer practice with her, the job was placed in the hands of my father. The idea of learning from Dad was not one that thrilled me. I loved him dearly, but I just did not see Dad as someone I could be comfortable learning from. He almost never talked. We shared a typical father-daughter relationship. He’d ask how school was, and I’d say it was fine. Unfortunately, that was the most of our conversations. Spending hours alone with someone who might as well have been a stranger really scared me.
As we got into the car that first time, I was not surprised at what happened. Dad and I drove around, saying almost nothing, aside from a few instructions on how to turn. As my lessons went on, however, things began to change. Dad would turn the radio up so I could fully appreciate his favorite Stones music. And he actually began talking. I was soon hearing about past failed dates, “basic body” gym class, and other tales from his past, including some of his first meeting with Mom.
Dad’s sudden chattiness was shocking until I thought about why he was telling me so much in the car. In all the years that I had wondered why my father never spoke that much, I had never stopped to consider that it was because I had never bothered to listen. Homework, friends, and even TV had all called me away from him, and, consequently, I never thought my quiet father had anything to say.
Since I began driving with him, my driving skill has greatly increased. More important, though, is that my knowledge of who my father is has also increased. Just living with him wasn’t enough—it took driving with him for me to get to know someone who was a mystery.
1. The author couldn’t practice driving with her mother because ________.| A．she couldn’t talk with her mother |
| B．her father wanted to teach her |
| C．her mother made her nervous |
| D．she didn’t trust her mother |
| A．happy | B．uneasy | C．satisfied | D．disappointed |
| A．Her Dad liked modern music. | B．Her Dad was the best teacher. |
| C．Her Dad was a chatty person. | D．Her Dad told her his sad stories. |
| A．fathers love their daughters dearly |
| B．mothers are less patient than fathers |
| C．family members need real communication |
| D．it takes time to improve the father-daughter relationship |
相似题推荐
Then I remembered a family tradition when our children were small. When leaving our grandparents’ home after a visit, each child would write a love note to their grandparents. We hid notes in a box, under a hairbrush or next to the phone or even in the microwave oven. For days, our grandparents would smile as they discovered these reminders of our love.
So as I tidied Dad’s kitchen and made up a bed for him downstairs in the living room, I wrote some notes. Some were practical, "Dad, I put the food in the fridge so it wouldn't spoil". Some expressed my love, “Dad, I hope you will sleep well in your new bed.” Most notes were downstairs where he would stay for several weeks until he recovered strength, but one note I hid upstairs under his pillow, "Dad, if you have found this note, you must be feeling better. We are so glad!"
Just like his medicine strengthened him physically, these "emotional vitamins" would improve his spiritual health. Several weeks later, in one of our regular phone calls, I asked Dad how he was doing. He said, "Pretty good. I just found your note under my pillow upstairs!"
1. We can infer from the text that the writer's father_______.
| A．had suffered from the same illness before. |
| B．lived with his relatives |
| C．asked her to return to work |
| D．got home from hospital alone |
| A．follow a family tradition |
| B．play jokes on their grandparents |
| C．show their gifts to their grandparents |
| D．make their grandparents feel pleasantly surprised |
| A．She called her father regularly. |
| B．She wrote some notes to her father . |
| C．She bought all kinds of vitamins to her father. |
| D．She hid some notes upstairs under her father's pillow. |
| A．The writer believed that a family tradition was not good. |
| B．The writer enjoyed talking with her father. |
| C．The writer tried to comfort her father with love. |
| D．The writer thanked her children for looking after her father. |
【推荐2】It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking, and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him.
He looked up, smiling. “I’m making you a surprise.” I thought it could be just about anything. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us. Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught up in the business of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise.
Until one gloomy day the next March when I glanced out of the window, saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花) throughout the front lawn blue, yellow and my favorite pink, with little faces moving up and down in the cold wind. I remembered the things Dad secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father’s crocuses bloomed (开花) each spring for the next five seasons, always bringing the same assurance: Hard times are almost over. Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms and the next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses, so I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did. He died suddenly one October day. My family were in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith.
On a spring afternoon four years later, I was driving back when I felt depressed. It was Dad’s birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual－my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived up to his faith. Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. There on the muddy grass with small piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years ago, one that hadn’t bloomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day, but it built my faith for a lifetime.
1. According to the first three paragraphs, we learn that .| A．it kept bothering the author not knowing what the surprise was |
| B．the author was unpacking when her father was making the surprise |
| C．it was not the first time that the author’s father had made a surprise |
| D．the author knew what the surprise was because she knew her father |
| A．The author usually felt depressed in the season of winter. |
| B．The author’s father planted the crocuses to lift her low spirits. |
| C．The author often thought about her father after he died. |
| D．The crocuses bloomed each spring before her father died. |
| A．a part-time worker who loved flowers |
| B．a kind-hearted man who lived with faith |
| C．a full-time gardener with skillful hands |
| D．an ordinary man with doubts in his life |
【推荐3】My mother, a nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital, worked at night so that she could come home in time to send me to school.She'd sleep during the day and be ready when we returned home before heading out again in the evening.This went on for 23 years.She never complained (抱怨).No matter how tired she was, she always had enough energy to be my mom.
She often had to work on holidays, even on New Year's Eve, which made me unhappy.However, before holidays she always decorated the inside and outside of our house.She'd also have cookies baking in the oven, a holidaythemed movie in the VCR, and music playing throughout our house for us.But when it was time to go to work, there was no room for debate."Why do you have to work on this day of all days?" I'd ask sadly."They need me, too, dear son," she'd say.
For a long time I didn't understand why she should care so much about those sick strangers.Recently, as my grandmother became ill, I found myself spending more time in the hospital.The scenes I saw in the hospital made me see the different side of my mother.The nurses checked the heart, blood and oxygen levels to make sure patients were comfortable.They lifted patients in and out of bed and helped them to the bathroom.Beyond their duties, the nurses showed consideration(体贴) for each patient.
What I saw helped me understand why my mother was devoted to her occupation (职业).I was filled with more admiration for my mother.
1. Why did the author's mother work in the evening?| A．To take him to school. |
| B．To enjoy a movie. |
| C．To decorate their house. |
| D．To sleep during the day. |
| A．The mother loved her patients more than her son. |
| B．Nurses are paid double salary working on holidays. |
| C．The author wished his mother could stay home on holidays. |
| D．Only people with mercy on patients would make good nurses. |
| A．When he asked his mother to stay with him during holidays. |
| B．When he looked after his sick grandma in hospital. |
| C．When he saw how tired his mother was after work. |
| D．When he helped patients to the bathroom. |
【推荐1】You start by running around the school track three times to warm up. This is followed by exercises or long jump for the girls and football or basketball for the boys. That is an average 45 -minute PE class— but do you really enjoy it?
For students at the Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, sports classes have experienced a welcome change. Senior 2 students now learn the traditional Chinese martial art of sword-fighting (中国剑术), making PE the most popular lesson on the timetable. “The classes used to be boring as we just did the same things again and again,” said Xiao Tong. “But now PE classes are such fun. Sword-fighting is so cool.” His classmate Wei Jie agrees. “As well as being fun, we learn about traditional Chinese culture,” she said. The usual morning exercises performed to music on the school playground have been replaced by kicking and punching practice (搏击操) to a pop music by Zheng Xiuwen. “We didn't pay much attention when we heard the old music,” Xiao explained, “But when Zheng's music is played, we get excited.” Mao Min, the PE teacher who introduced the changes, is pleased that the students now enjoy sports lessons more. “The classes encourage healthy lifestyles and I am always looking for creative ways to keep the students active,” he said. Schools offer activities according to what sports facilities (设备) they have. For example, students at the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University can choose to learn swimming, taekwondo (跆拳道) or volleyball. “I take my volleyball very seriously so I keep fit by playing it,” said Senior 2 student Zhang Zheng. “Students only try hard in sports that interest them.”
1. Why was Xiao Tong not interested in PE classes in the past?| A．Because he didn't do well in sports. |
| B．Because he disliked the same activities. |
| C．Because he thought the classes too long- |
| D．Because he was tired of the PE teacher. |
| A．Sword-fighting. | B．Volleyball. | C．Skating. | D．Punching practice. |
| A．Sword-fighting appears in PE classes. |
| B．Students try hard in all sports at school. |
| C．Schools offer necessary sports facilities. |
| D．PE classes are welcoming new changes. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐2】My aunt Cindy has her own cake shop. She can make nice cakes for special occasions, such as weddings. I spent a week last summer helping her in the shop. Making a nice cake is harder than I thought it would be.
I practised for hours in Aunt Cindy’s shop. I made little colored dots (圆点) on a piece of wax paper (蜡纸). Unluckily, I could not get the dots to be the same shape or size.
I decided to take a break from making the dots, so I helped move cakes. However, that was not easy for me, either. I dropped a cake when trying to take it out of the freezer (冰箱) by myself. Luckily one of Aunt Cindy’s assistants was there. He saved the cake from hitting the floor.
It takes a whole team to make a huge cake. That’s one of the most important things I learned. Each person on the team has to be great at his or her job. Aunt Cindy designs the cakes on paper, Larry does the mixing and baking, and assistants carve and put frosting on the cakes. Aunt Cindy and Larry do most of the decorating while the assistants help make small parts like flowers and figures. Building a big cake is like playing a team sport. If one person doesn’t do his or her job well, the whole team pays for that.
Even though I was not much help to my aunt, I’m glad I spent the week in Aunt Cindy’s shop. Designing cakes takes more than just baking skills. It takes art and painting skills too. Now when I see a really nice cake, I don’t think of eating it first. Instead, I look at it and wonder how many hours it took to make.
1. Why did the writer take a break from putting colored dots on wax paper?| A．Because Aunt Cindy did not want her to make any more dots. |
| B．Because Aunt Cindy wanted her to help somewhere else. |
| C．Because she practised for hours and could make one perfectly. |
| D．Because she could not make the dots good enough for a cake. |
| A．Aunt Cindy. | B．Larry. | C．Assistants. | D．The writer. |
| A．She learned how to make a nice cake. |
| B．She learned how to make good dots on wax paper. |
| C．She learned the importance of teamwork. |
| D．She learned art and painting skills. |
【推荐3】The world will become a better place when we realize that everyone can have bad days and that we care enough and take actions. A Kansas fourth-grade teacher Rachel Harder recognized this, and she found an amazing way to help out both her students and their families.
A few years ago, Rachel attended a trauma (精神创伤) conference. She learned that some police stations partnered with schools. They could let teachers know when their students need help, patience or extra care.
A year after the conference, Rachel had a student with autism who frequently had difficult days. To support the student, Rachel told the student’s mom to simply text her “Handle with Care” to let her know when the student was experiencing difficult time. “When she would text me, I knew that her daughter needed some extra time and a quiet place to get help, not going to the playground for morning announcements (通告), so that the rest of her daughter’s day went well,” Rachel said.
The simple method was such a success that Rachel decided to send all of her students home with a note for their parents. It explained what the “Handle with Care” system was and how they could make use of it. In no time, the parents began to show their appreciation for Rachel’s unbelievable act of kindness.
But Rachel’s kindness didn’t end with her class. News spread of the amazing system, and teachers across the country began giving it a shot in their own class. Printed materials could be found on the school website, and the feedback (反馈) has been extremely positive!
1. What happened to Rachel a few years ago?| A．She met with a policeman. |
| B．She noticed some students in need. |
| C．She acted as a host at a contest. |
| D．She raised a girl with autism. |
| A．She asked to stop the morning announcements. |
| B．She talked with her in the playground. |
| C．She took her home ahead of time. |
| D．She comforted her at a quiet place. |
| A．They paid no attention to it. |
| B．They changed it in daily use. |
| C．They accepted it thankfully. |
| D．They introduced it to others personally. |
| A．A proper system. |
| B．A considerate teacher. |
| C．A story going online. |
| D．A class influencing the nation. |
The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem on one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home phone number and was greeted with a child’s whisper, “Hello?”
Feeling it was inconvenient to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, “Is your daddy home?” “Yes,” whispered the small voice. “May I talk with him?” the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, “No.”
Wanting to talk with an adult. the boss asked. “Is your mommy there?” “Yes,” came the answer, “May I talk with her?” Again the small voice whispered, “No.”
Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child. “Is there any one there besides you?” the boss asked the child. “Yes,” whispered the child, “a policeman.”
Wondering what a policeman would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, “May I speak with the policeman?” “No, he is busy,” whispered the child. “Busy doing what?” asked the boss. “Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the fireman,” came the whispered answer.
Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, “What is that noise?” “A hello-copper,” answered the whispering voice. “What is going on there?” asked the boss, now alarmed. In a low whispering voice the child answered, “The search team just landed the hello-copper!”
Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated the boss asked, “The search team?Why are they there?” Still murmuring, the young voice replied, “They are looking for me!”
1. Why did the boss call his employee?(no more than15 words)2. Who did the boss want to talk to?(no more than 5 words)
3. Who called the police most possibly?(no more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined word “murmuring” in the last paragraph probably mean? (no more than 5 words)
5. What do you think will happen next?(no more than 20 words)
【推荐2】Robert is a boss who hires me as a helper. He has lost his home and now has to live back at home, with his mother, at 46.
We had a job in Fort Bending. Robert bought me breakfast there. As we were leaving, a man walked to us asking if he could get some work from Robert's company. Robert explained there was no work for the man and the man started to walk away. As I looked from the leaving man back to Robert, l saw Robert getting out some money and went after the man to give it to him. I asked Robert, “Why did you do that？” Robert said “He really had bad luck—what does a few dollars matter？”
After a very long, hard day, we stopped at a Quick Trip for a soda. I got through the check out ahead of Robert and went back out to the work truck. Beside the truck was a woman in a car. She had 3 kids and asked me if I could help—she had been evicted—had nowhere to go with her children—they were living in the car. I told her I was also hurting in these times—sorry I could not. Robert came out, opened the work truck and we got in. I told him about the lady. I didn't even finish the story when Robert was out. He gave the women money to help her and her kids out. When Robert returned I asked, “Why did you do that, she didn't even ask you”. He said “I have an exwife(前妻)and a kid—if they need help and I am not able, someone will help them”
1. Why did the man walk to the writer and Robert?| A．To ask for a lift in Robert's truck. |
| B．To look for a job in Robert's company |
| C．To beg for some money to buy a ticket. |
| D．To expect Robert to buy him breakfast. |
| A．Robert had a lot of dollars to give. |
| B．Robert didn't value dollars at all. |
| C．Robert took a few dollars seriously. |
| D．Robert didn't care about money. |
| A．driven away | B．picked up |
| C．looked down | D．turned down |
| A．Kind. | B．Proud. |
| C．Rich. | D．Cruel. |
| A．he expected to get married to the woman |
| B．she made him think of his exwife and kid |
| C．she asked him whether he could give a hand |
| D．he felt sorry for being unable to support his family |
【推荐3】Whenever I heard strangers singing out loud, whether it was in the supermarket or on the street, I used to think how annoying it was. That was until a few months ago.
Recently, my daughter Zoe started her second year of middle school with a new sense of awareness, asking me to fix the “little girl” pattern on her wheelchair seat. Not wanting her to stand out at school, I spent hours filling in pale yellow stars with a black marker, eager to erase whatever childish signs I could. Shortly after, Zoe got really sick and had to miss 20 days of school.
This meant our days were filled with rushing between hospital appointments and meetings with the school, as we tried to make sure she didn’t fall behind on her schoolwork. I felt pulled back to a time when she was little and her sickness was a huge part of her life. Back then, it seemed like Zoe lived in hospitals, as she spent so much time in them.
No matter how sick she got, however, she always had a positive attitude. But this was different: Zoe was no longer singing like she normally did.
Zoe usually sings all the time, whether she’s playing, riding in the car, or just doing her homework. There was no need for a radio in our house; Zoe provided the music for us. Consumed (被折磨) with my motherly worries, it was more concerning to me than her sickness.
One day, however, I heard her beautiful voice as I was cooking dinner. I stopped what I was doing and just smiled. “Pure delight,” I thought to myself Her voice slowly grew stronger, and soon, both the car and the house were filled with her music once more.
How had I not noticed her singing had completely stopped, weeks and weeks ago? Now, thankfully, she’s back in school, smiling and singing, and I’m thankful for each and every song she sings.
These days, whenever I hear a stranger singing a song to themselves, I don’t get mad. Instead, I smile, as I know that by singing out loud, they’re simply sharing their happiness with the world.
1. How did the author use to feel when she heard strangers singing?| A．Bothered. |
| B．Excited. |
| C．Surprised. |
| D．Confused. |
| A．Considerate and helpful. |
| B．Competitive and hardworking. |
| C．Optimistic and strong-willed. |
| D．Self-aware and modest. |
| A．Zoe’s love for music. |
| B．Zoe’s falling behind at school. |
| C．Zoe’s silence during her sickness. |
| D．Zoe’s slow recovery from her illness. |
| A．A way to get rid of stress. |
| B．A way to express love to others. |
| C．A way to communicate with others. |
| D．A way to share happiness. |
