I'm from the South Bronx. At 7, my neighborhood was the beginning and end of my universe. It was a small town to me. Everyone knew each other, so if you got into trouble in school, chances are your mom knew about it before you got home. I felt watched over and safe.
But just before I turned 8, things began to change. I watched two buildings on my block burn down. I remember seeing my neighbor Pito go up and down the fire escape to get people out. Where were the firemen? Where was the truck? Somebody must have called them.
That same summer, after serving two tours in Vietnam, my brother was killed in the South Bronx. He was shot above the left eye and died instantly.
People who could moved out of the neighborhood, and all I wanted to do was get out, too. I used education to get away from there and got good at avoiding the topic of where I was from. To be from the South Bronx meant that you were not a good person. It felt like a stain.
After college, I didn't want to come back to the South Bronx, but in order to afford graduate school, I had to. I was almost 30 and could only afford to live at my parents' home. It felt like a defeat, and I hated it.
At the same time, the city was planning a huge waste facility here, and no one seemed to care — including many of us who lived here. They were like, "Well, it's a poor community; what's the difference?"
I was very angry. It drove me to act. It moved my spirit in a way that I didn't know was possible. And it changed my beliefs — it changed the way I felt about myself and my community. I worked hard with others who felt the same way, and together, we defeated the plan.
After that, I realized it's just as important to fight for something as it is to fight against something. So we dreamed up a new park on the site of an illegal waste dump — and after many community clean-ups, along with $3 million from the city, we have one. And it's a glory. It was the seed from which many new plans for our community have grown.
Today, the South Bronx is no longer a stain; it's a badge(象征) of honor for me. I believe that where I'm from helps me to really see the world. Today, when I say I'm from the South Bronx, I stand up straight. This is home, and it always will be.
1. Paragraphs 2 and 3 make the readers believe ____________.| A．the author felt watched over and safe |
| B．he author’s brother was a bad man |
| C．the author’s neighbor Pito was braver than a fireman |
| D．the author felt his hometown was not a safe place to live in |
| A．he couldn’t afford to live without his parents’ help |
| B．he loved his hometown very much |
| C．he was defeated in studies at college |
| D．he almost reached the age of 30 |
| A．the author wondered where the firemen and the truck were |
| B．the author wanted someone to call the firemen |
| C．the firemen didn’t come to help although called |
| D．the firemen didn’t find a place to park the truck |
| A．Great changes have taken place in the South Bronx. |
| B．The South Bronx is a beautiful place. |
| C．You can make a difference to your hometown if you act. |
| D．Everyone should love his hometown. |
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【推荐1】When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.
I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was to busy in those days.
Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.
One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call. My father was in the hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.
After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.
1. When the author was a little girl, she .| A．liked playing on the swing |
| B．often talked with her father |
| C．was good at repairing things |
| D．learned to take care of her family |
| A．received a call from her father every Sunday morning |
| B．phoned her father every Sunday morning |
| C．asked her father to call her every Sunday |
| D．asked her father to talk with her |
| A．She had got tired of talking with him. |
| B．She was busy painting her house. |
| C．Her daughter asked her to play. |
| D．She was busy planning a trip. |
| A．After her father's sudden death. |
| B．Many years after her father's death. |
| C．On her way to the hospital to see her father. |
| D．As soon as she got the news that her father was ill. |
【推荐2】One way to prevent anxiety from getting out of control is to recognize its benefits. It is a mistake to think that we can make better decisions if we keep our feelings under control.Instead,a mix of feelings like anxiety and logical thinking leads to sound decision-making. There is plenty of research showing that higher levels of anxiety can make us more likely to avoid risks in our decision-making.There is also evidence that anxiety can increase the attention you pay to relevant information.
Recent studies have shown that people who are anxious about their relationships (for example,they fear to be abandoned) tend to be better at recognizing people who tell lies and are more likely to raise the alarm when danger approaches.
In the real world though, it’s worth realizing that feeling anxious for a while is very common.It helps you communicate with others that you care about, and what’s more, it’s probably a sign that you are intelligent. At least two published studies have identified that people who score higher on measures of anxiety also tend to perform better on intelligence tests. This seems reasonable: If you’re a thinker, you are sure to be always thinking about the future and imagining possible plots, including bad ones.
The important thing, if you are a person likely to worry, is not to let your fear destroy your dreams. And don’t bury your head in the sand. Instead, act on your fears - do research as well as preparation.So rather than walk blindly into what you fear, why not meet challenges in full readiness?
When anxiety beats you, or casts a shadow over your life, this is a serious problem.No one is denying that. But like everyday anxiety of this kind that you feel before a presentation or interview,you needn’t see it as your enemy. Anxiety is an important feeling，developed through evolution(进化).As for people who are fairly anxious by nature, there is a reason to cheer,too.Your nerves are a sign of your watchfulness. Listen to them and act on them. Then you can turn your nervousness into your advantage.
1. What can we infer about anxiety from paragraph 1?| A．It enables us to be more focused. |
| B．It stops us from thinking logically. |
| C．It makes us more willing to take risks. |
| D．It contributes to bad decision-making. |
| A．They sense danger in advance. |
| B．They score higher in tests. |
| C．They prefer to interact with strangers. |
| D．They tend to be thoughtful about future. |
| A．By regarding it as our enemy. |
| B．By taking action to control it. |
| C．By making use of it properly. |
| D．By treating it as a minor feeling. |
| A．Effective ways to prevent anxiety. |
| B．Unexpected benefits of anxiety. |
| C．Tips on how to keep a good mood. |
| D．Misunderstandings about anxiety. |
Early in the twentieth century, two famous scientists developed different ideas about dreams. Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud published a book called The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900. Freud believed people often dream about things they want but cannot have. These dreams are often linked to sex and aggression.
For Freud, dreams were full of hidden meaning. He tried to understand dreams as a way to understand people and why they acted or thought in certain ways. Freud believed that every thought and every action started deep in our brains. He thought dreams could be an important way to understand what is happening in our brains.
Freud told people what their dreams meant as a way of helping them solve problems or understand their worries. For example, Freud said when people dream of flying or swinging, they want to be free of their childhood. When a person dreams that a brother or sister or parent has died, the dreamer is really hiding feelings of hatred for that person. Or a desire to have what the other person has.
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung worked closely with Freud for several years. But he developed very different ideas about dreams. Jung believed dreams could help people grow and understand themselves. He believed dreams provide solutions to problems we face when we are awake.
He also believed dreams tell us something about ourselves and our relations with other people. He did not believe dreams hide our feelings about sex or aggression.
1. According to the passage, Sigmund Freud held that ________________.| A．dreams can help understand people’s action |
| B．when people dream that they fly in the sky, they are actually desire something |
| C．if a person dreams that a brother has died, he or she must hates the brother |
| D．if people want to better understand themselves, they will dream |
| A．His dreams are different from those of Sigmund Freud. |
| B．Whenever we face problems, we can find solutions to them in our dreams. |
| C．Dreams help understand people’s thoughts. |
| D．Dreams at times show our relations with other people. |
| A．The Interpretation of Dreams was written by Freud as well as Jung |
| B．Freud helped people solve problems by telling what their dreams meant |
| C．Freud and Jung always worked together |
| D．both of them told us clearly why we dream |
| A．in favor of Freud | B．in favor of Jung | C．objective | D．critical |
The 10－to－12－year－old girls found out where beavers lived, set traps, and skinned the two animals they caught. The girls hope to catch ten more beavers so that the entire troop can make mittens and hats with the fur. They also want to cook beaver meat.
Troop leaders and members say the Scouts are doing a good deed by helping control the state’s beaver population. But animal－rights activists say trapping is cruel. They want the Girl Scouts to stop in their tracks.
Beavers aren’t only causing a problem in Alaska. Residents in Sampson County, N.C. , have turned to a local committee to help them battle the growing beaver population there.
County landowners are frustrated after the county spent more than $ 50,000 in eight years trying to reduce the beaver population through a government program. The joint state and federal program included paying money to trappers for every beaver carcass they trapped.
Many local residents say that the program didn’t work because there were too few trappers. That’s why the county set up its own committee to investigate other ways to control the area’s beaver population.
The county will rely on its own beaver－trapping program. It has hired a trapper to set traps in various areas. The county will pay $10 for every beaver carcass.
Why do many people say that beavers are a nuisance? For beavers to survive, they need lots of water. Water provides the large rodent （啮齿动物）with a place to hide from meat – eating animals. Beavers also store food underwater for the winter. When there’s not enough water in a particular area, beavers get busy building dams.
Beaver dams can cause major flooding and damage to the surrounding countryside as the animals cut down trees to use in their construction projects. Beavers build canals to transport heavy objects.
1. What is Alaska’s Troop 34?
| A．A team of the Boy Scouts. | B．An army. |
| C．A team of the Girl Scouts. | D．A sports team. |
| A．To fulfill their task. |
| B．To sell them for money. |
| C．To get enough fur. |
| D．To exchange them for mittens and hats. |
| A．Sampson County has to find a new way to control the beaver population there. |
| B．The government program in Sampson County has proved to be a success. |
| C．The local government has controlled the number of beavers in the County. |
| D．More and more trappers now start to set traps in Sampson County. |
| A．cause damage to dams |
| B．block up canals with heavy objects. |
| C．do great harm to construction projects. |
| D．badly damage the environment and cause floods. |
【推荐2】Everyone can experience loneliness from time to time, which causes concern about our health and well-being.
Some of us are lonely because we don’t have close relationships in our lives. But if that’s not the case for you, by all means let your friends or family know how you’re feeling and ask for support. Calling or texting can be an active way to shift your mood and help relieve loneliness.
Adopt a pet
There are many reasons to have pets.
Try loving-kindness meditation (冥想)
Not everyone likes to engage in loving-kindness meditation. But it has been found to reduce loneliness, perhaps because it helps you to accept negative emotions more easily.
Count your blessings
| A．Reach out to friends or family |
| B．Be kind to the relatives around you |
| C．What can you do when you feel lonely |
| D．Even though this practice can help you feel much happier |
| E．It can also help you increase a sense of connection to others |
| F．While expressing gratitude toward others can fight loneliness directly |
| G．One of them is that they can provide companionship and unconditional love |
【推荐3】There’s no single best way to cheer someone up when they are feeling down.
Write them a handwritten note. If you want to cheer someone up, you don’t have to write a six-page letter detailing every happy thing you can think of.
Have a movie night. Perhaps you won’t be talking a lot during the movie, but it’s an excuse to come together with the person you’re trying to support. Sometimes they just need a little company when they’re feeling down.
Bring them their favorite food. Surprising someone with their favorite meal is an act of kindness that many like. They’re called our “comfort foods” for a reason, and sharing them will help your friends feel better.
| A．Try something new together. |
| B．Talk about interesting things. |
| C．It shows them that you value them. |
| D．Often, it just depends on the person. |
| E．Being close to someone can help them feel less alone. |
| F．A simple note with a supportive sentence or a little card will be OK. |
| G．Plus, sharing a meal together is a good chance to chat about whatever they want. |
【推荐1】Many people have discovered that hobbies can be profitable as well as fun. Some people have such fine collections of bottles, flags, buttons or shells that others are willing to pay to see them or they offer to buy their collections for large sums of money.
Some of the best collections are owned by people who started their hobbies as young boys or girls. Some of the things that American children like to collect are stamps and dolls. Older people also save stamps, but they collect coins and things made of glass more often than dolls.
Painting, writing and taking photographs are the best examples of hobbies that may become occupations. Every writer, artist and photographer probably started as a hobbyist before becoming a professional.Other hobbies that could be profitable include cooking, sewing and making things out of wood.
Many doctors believe that hobbies help to make our lives more enjoyable. They believe that people who raise fish or collect recorders are too busy to spend their time worrying. Doctors also think that an active person, such as a baseball player, should have a restful hobby such as reading, while a person who sits at a desk all day should have lively hobbies such as tennis, golf or swimming. Most people in the United States agree with the doctor. It is difficult to find an American who does not have a favorite hobby.
1. The underlined word “occupations”(paragraph3) can be replaced by _______.| A．lives | B．jobs | C．collections | D．things |
| A．worry too much about themselves | B．are very busy in their lives |
| C．don’t have time to worry | D．work busily in their business |
| A．starts his hobby during his childhood |
| B．has a favorite hobby |
| C．spends a lot of money on the lively hobby |
| D．follows the doctors’ advice to have a hobby |
| A．Hobbies can cause us a lot of trouble . |
| B．Football players should have lively hobbies |
| C．All of the people started their hobbies from childhood. |
| D．A writer should have tennis , golf or swimming as his hobbies. |
【推荐2】In the UK, most children have their midday meal at school, but in many schools, parents can choose what their children eat. The children can have a school lunch—a hot, cooked meal; or they can take a packed lunch with them, which usually includes cold food like sandwiches.
Often parents prepare lunches on the basis of what their children want. Cathy, a mother of three children, told us, “My children have packed lunches, because they say they hate school dinners. I make 3 packed lunches every morning, so we’re like a sandwich bar in our kitchen in the morning.”
However, another mother, Susan, made her choice based on the nutritious value of the food. She said, “My daughter always has school dinners. I think she probably gets healthier food by having a cooked lunch at school than she would if I made sandwiches.”
But how healthy are school dinners? Kaz, a father, wasn’t impressed with them. “Fizzy (有泡沫的) drinks were offered and I think there were a lot of chips.”
The question of how healthy school food is was brought to Jamie Oliver, who launched a campaign to improve children’s nutrition, after spending a year working in a school kitchen. The TV series about the campaign won an award this week.
He was horrified (惊恐的) at the junk food he saw being served, which included burgers, pizza and chips. He decided to ban the junk, and started cooking good stews (炖菜) and curries for the children instead.
Jamie improved the school dinners in that particular school, and trained the dinner ladies to cook healthy food. Then he put pressure on the government to improve the standards of school food across the country. And it looks as if the changes have begun.
1. What would be the best title for the passage?| A．School Dinners | B．Healthy Food |
| C．Dinners in the UK | D．Research on Dinners |
| A．by comparison | B．according to |
| C．in spite of | D．for the good of |
| A．in Britain, all children have their lunch at school |
| B．Cathy’s children like school dinners |
| C．stews and curries are healthy food |
| D．Jamie Oliver works in a school kitchen |
| A．There are many schools in Britain. |
| B．Susan chooses food for her daughter according to its nutrition. |
| C．In the past, the food provided by British schools was not healthy enough. |
| D．None of the parents in Britain like school food. |
【推荐3】About 1 million adult New Yorkers are obese(肥胖的), but nearly two-thirds of them don’t think they are, according to a study released on Tuesday by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(卫生).
Among the obese, who account for about one in five New Yorkers, only 39% described themselves as “very overweight”, according to the report. 2% said they were very underweight, 1% said they were slightly underweight, 16% said they were just right and 42% said they were slightly over weight.
Some 2 million more New Yorkers are overweight, the report said, and one in five children in kindergarten is obese.
Only 44% of the city’s adults are at a healthy weight, and nearly 75% say they do not participate in(参加) any regular physical activity.
New York City’s adult obesity rate was 20% in 2003 compared with 23% nationwide in 2004.The national average has nearly doubled from 12% in 1993, the report said.
Overweight and obese are defined by body mass index, or BMI (=" kg/m)" , which is based on a person’s weight , adjusted(调整) for height, the department said.
Being obese means having a BMI of 30 or greater, while being overweight means a BMI of more than 25 but less than 30.
A 5-foot, 10-inch (1.78-meter) man weighing 175 pounds(79kg) would have a BMI of 25.1 and be considered overweight according to the department . If he weighed 210 pounds (95kg), he would have a BMI of 30.1 and be obese.
The report came from results of the department’s 2002 and 2003 yearly telephone surveys of some 10,000 adults.
1. New York City has a population of about _____ according to the passage.| A．5,000,000 | B．2,000,000 | C．1,000,000 | D．500,000 |
| A．most adult New Yorkers go in for many regular physical activities |
| B．New Yorkers think that obesity shows economic development |
| C．New York City’s adult obesity rate increased from 1993 to 2004 |
| D．most of the New York City’s adults are at a healthy weight |
| A．overweight | B．underweight | C．slightly underweight | D．obese |
| A．Population explosion in USA. |
| B．Weight problems in New York. |
| C．Weight controlling measures |
| D．Diet habits in USA |
【推荐1】How I wish to go to the bottom (底部) of the sea for an adventure (探险)! There are quite a lot of beautiful fishes swimming here around me and they are in different shapes and colors. A big whale or a shark might appear. Frightening, isn’t it? But most fishes are friendly and won’t hurt you if you do not attack them. It would be great fun just to watch the fishes quietly and even play with them. — from Qin Yixing.
Last night, I had a dream. I was flying to Africa. Once I reached the land, I found a jeep to the grasslands. I was about to get into the jeep when I saw a few snakes in front of me. Luckily, they went away without hurting me. Soon I happened to find some nice giraffes and a crowd of zebras. On my way back, there was something wrong with the jeep. I was so scared that I fell with the jeep upside down. Much to my surprise, a helicopter (直升飞机) came in time to rescue me. What a dream adventure! — from Zhang Liang.
1. Qin Yixing dreams to go to the bottom of the sea to ______.| A．have a holiday | B．take an adventure | C．find a job | D．watch a game |
| A．noisy | B．frightening | C．friendly | D．quiet |
| A．by plane | B．by jeep | C．by water | D．by bus |
| A．snakes | B．giraffes | C．zebras | D．tigers |
【推荐2】Jerome David Salinger was an American author,best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye,as well as his reclusive(隐居的) nature.His last original published work was in 1956 ;he gave his last interview in 1980,Raised in Manhattan,Salinger began writing short stories while in secondary school,and published the critically praised story A perfect Day for Bananafish in The New Yorker magazine,which became home to much of his following work. . In 1951 Salinger released his novel The Catcher in the Rye,an immediate popular success.His description of adolescent alienation(疏远) and loss of innocence in the leading role Holden Caulfield was influential ,especially among adolescent readers.The novel remains widely read,selling around 250,000 copies a year.
The success of The Catcher in the Rye led to public attention and monitor:Salinger became reclusive,publishing new work less frequently .He followed Catcher with a short story collection,Nine Stories(1953,) a collection of a short novel and a short story, Franny and Zooey(1961), and a collection of two short novels,Raise High the Roof Beam,Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). His last published work,a short novel entitled Hepworth 16,1924, appeared in The New Yorker on June 19,1965.
Afterwards Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton and the release in the late 1990s of memoirs (回忆录) written by two people close to him: Joyce Maynard, an ex-lover,and Margaret Salinger, his daughter .In 1996 ,a small publisher announced a deal with Salinger to publish Hapworth16,1924, in book form, but amid the ensuing publicity, the release was indefinitely delayed.He made headlines around the globe in June 2009, after filing a lawsuit against another writer for copyright infringement (侵犯) resulting from that writer’s use of one of Salinger’s characters from The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger died of natual causes on January 27,2010, at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.
1. When did J.D.Salinger start to writing short stories?| A．In 1965. | B．In 1951. |
| C．While he served in World War Ⅱ. | D．When he studied in secondary school.. |
2. The underlined part “The New Yorker magazine,which became home to much of his following work.”tells us ______.
| A．later he worked in The New Yorker magazine |
| B．many of his works were published in The New Yorker magazine |
| C．his home was moved into The New Yorker magazine |
| D．he felt at home when in The New Yorker magazine |
| A．Its release was definitely delayed. |
| B．It was published in The New Yorker |
| C．A small publisher published Hapworth 16,1924, in book form. |
| D．Up to today it hasn’t come out yet. |
| A．to make headlines around the globe |
| B．to struggle with unwanted attention |
| C．to protect his own copyright |
| D．to use one of his own characters from The Catcher in the Rye |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel.
Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practise in secret.
One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.
Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.
Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.
After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.
In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.
If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.
1. How did Handel begin to learn to compose?
| A．His father was sure of his future success. |
| B．His performance impressed a duke. |
| C．He begged his father to send him to Italy. |
| D．He practised hard and taught himself music. |
| A．bought secretly | B．took secretly | C．carried in advance | D．possessed personally |
| A．Because he could find better jobs in London. |
| B．Because he enjoyed greater fame in London. |
| C．Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along. |
| D．Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera. |
| A．bad-tempered | B．talented | C．enthusiastic | D．optimistic |
| A．Handel was born in the same year with Bach. |
| B．Many people worked both as a barber and surgeon. |
| C．Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy. Handel was buried in London and was built a monument. |
