1 . "Mum, can I invite my classmate Brett over to stay tomorrow night, please? It's Friday, and we don't have any
"I'm so sorry, James," she said.
"I'm never allowed to have friends come to the house? Why, Mum?" James asked sadly, almost in
"I know it's
"No, they wouldn't, Mum," James protested. "We're not
Mum sighed heavily. "To tell you the truth, James, my neck has been so painful that it's given me a heavy
"I can help, Mum!" James said. "
"Well. . . " Mum began.
"Great! Thanks, Mum!" James almost shouted. "Just sit there, don't move. " He rushed over to the kitchen drawer and
"Easy," James said
"What about your father? Can you
"I'll try," James replied. He
"I guess so," replied Mum. "Your friends will just have to
A.chance | B.message | C.homework | D.difficulty |
A.asleep | B.reading | C.alone | D.standing |
A.explain | B.see | C.agree | D.doubt |
A.terror | B.tears | C.surprise | D.silence |
A.fair | B.easy | C.good | D.hard |
A.strange | B.normal | C.popular | D.anxious |
A.headache | B.loss | C.task | D.day |
A.ill | B.funny | C.sorry | D.well |
A.As | B.If | C.Since | D.Before |
A.kept | B.controlled | C.found | D.returned |
A.requests | B.thoughts | C.repairs | D.instructions |
A.sympathy | B.satisfaction | C.bitterness | D.politeness |
A.embarrassedly | B.gratefully | C.impatiently | D.proudly |
A.adjusted | B.collected | C.produced | D.covered |
A.greet | B.accompany | C.help | D.ask |
A.lifted | B.caught | C.gave | D.filled |
A.television | B.power | C.light | D.gas |
A.grew up | B.lay down | C.broke down | D.sat up |
A.food | B.temperature | C.battery | D.blood |
A.prove | B.expect | C.suspect | D.accept |
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different Spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.
1. In what way was this expedition different for Larry?
A.His daughter had grown up. |
B.He had become a famous diver. |
C.His father would dive with him. |
D.His daughter would dive with him. |
A.Larry had some privileges. |
B.Larry liked the rented diving suits. |
C.Divers had to buy diving equipment. |
D.Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive. |
A.To protect himself from danger. |
B.To dive into the deep water. |
C.To admire the underwater view. |
D.To take photo more conveniently. |
A.Larry didn’t wear a watch. |
B.Larry was not good at math. |
C.Larry had a poor memory. |
D.Larry enjoyed the adventure. |
A.Become a successful diver. |
B.Make a good diving guide. |
C.Take a lot of photo underwater. |
D.Have longer hours of training. |
One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool.He was no bigger than I was,so I thought him
I was frightened and felt ashamed.How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small?I decided to apologize immediately.“I am sorry,”I said,“I mistook you for a Grade Four boy.You are so small.”He didn’t seem pleased at all,so I added in a most brilliant word.“
1. The writer thought Amery “a fair game” because the boy______.
A.looked like an animal |
B.was fond of games |
C.was of similar size |
D.was good at sports |
A.he was laughed at by other boys |
B.Amery turned out to be in the same grade |
C.he pushed Amery hard and hurt him |
D.he played a joke on an outstanding athlete |
A.tried to please Amery |
B.challenged Amery |
C.threatened Amery |
D.admired his father |
A.The writer could run faster than Amery. |
B.The writer liked playing jokes on boy of all sizes. |
C.Amery was a student in Grade Four. |
D.Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior. |
4 . Many people write to newspaper and magazines to express their opinions. Letters to the editor must carry the writer’s full name, address and telephone number, although the information is not necessary for publication. This requirement to provide personal particulars is a clear indication that writers are held responsible for what they say. When a writer wants his voice heard, he needs to claim ownership of his voice. Responsibility is the name of the game.
“People today prefer living together to putting their signatures on a marriage certificate because they refuse to accept responsibility for the relationship,” said social worker Ken Yip, “and this is what is causing a lot of family problems.” When we sign a paper, for example, a business contract or a bank document, the signature is a seal of consent, an agreement to take the matter seriously. Most governments and many organizations will not process written complaints if they do not bear the writer’s signature. The absence of a signature, they explain, tells us that the writer cannot be too serious and therefore does not deserve a reply.
There are people who wish to remain anonymous (匿名的) for various reasons. Multi-billionaire Mr. King donates generously to charity several times a year. He gives simply because he wants to help but not for the publicity his donations may bring, and he does not want his good deeds to make news. In other cases, people insist on anonymity because they are afraid of the consequences of revealing their identity. Crime witnesses may be willing to assist the police, but most are unwilling to give their names when reporting a crime.
Name or no name? The answer is very personal and lies in how much we want to get involved. We all have a name. It is a matter of responsibility to use it when we make a statement, a claim or an accusation. We all want to honor our own name, and it is only by stamping our expression of an opinion with our own name that we honor what we say.
1. What does the writer mean by saying “Responsibility is the name of the game”?A.Writers need to provide their personal information in the game. |
B.Publication must bear the writer’s full name, address and phone number. |
C.Writers should be responsible for their names. |
D.Names are required to indicate writers’ responsibility for what they say. |
A.not get a reply |
B.help to end a relationship |
C.be accepted all the same |
D.become a family problem |
A.hesitant to make a donation |
B.unwilling to draw public attention |
C.afraid of an accusation |
D.ready for involvement |
A.honor and writers |
B.identity and signature |
C.signature and responsibility |
D.anonymity and signature |
What a busy day! The three boys were fed, bathed and changed into their nightclothes. Mary had
“Sleep,” she considered, “if only I could!” But she had difficult homework to complete. Leaning back, she
Strangely enough, she soon
That is, until she became too
She got shocked and confused —
A.given | B.written | C.told | D.taught |
A.successful | B.helpful | C.tiring | D.surprising |
A.shook | B.put | C.bent | D.kept |
A.difficult | B.boring | C.important | D.easy |
A.eyes | B.mind | C.heart | D.legs |
A.nicely | B.exactly | C.curiously | D.carelessly |
A.realized | B.reminded | C.learnt | D.dreamt |
A.decision | B.fortune | C.business | D.plan |
A.cooking | B.reading | C.running | D.babysitting |
A.just | B.ever | C.even | D.only |
A.selfish | B.proud | C.stubborn | D.sensitive |
A.everything | B.something | C.anything | D.nothing |
A.tried | B.arranged | C.managed | D.prepared |
A.Panic | B.Pain | C.Noise | D.Stress |
A.frozen | B.dragged | C.pushed | D.brought |
A.because | B.until | C.as | D.unless |
A.smoke | B.light | C.water | D.fire |
A.cheerful | B.strange | C.guilty | D.confident |
A.busy | B.hungry | C.worried | D.asleep |
A.promised | B.allowed | C.expected | D.persuaded |
6 . Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady's work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen-a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof-the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
"We have to got and help her," whispered Amy.
"What if it is a trick?" replied Ben.
"Don't be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already," reasoned Meg. "Come on Amy, let's go." The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady's face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. "Go and get Dad," Amy yelled to her brother. "Tell him about the accident."
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.
1. Why were the children hiding in the tree?A.They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely |
B.They were playing a hide-and-seek game |
C.They wanted to find out if the story about Mrs. Tailor was true |
D.They were pretending to be spies |
A.her front steps were clean |
B.she noticed the children in the tree |
C.she was ready to take a flight |
D.she heard the hen cackling |
A.he thought that she could be tricking them |
B.he knew that they could not have been in the tree |
C.he did not see the old lady fall down |
D.he was afraid of the three-legged cat |
A.Make hay while the sun shines |
B.Never judge a book by its cover |
C.People in glasshouses should not throw stones |
D.A bird in the hands worth two in the bush |
With existing medical knowledge and skills, two-thirds of the world’s 42 million blind should not have to suffer. Unfortunately, rich countries possess most of this knowledge, while developing countries do not.
ORBIS is an international non-profit organization which operates the world’s only flying teaching eye hospital. ORBIS intends to help fight blindness worldwide. Inside a DC-8 aircraft, there is a fully-equipped teaching hospital with television studio and classroom. Doctors are taught the latest techniques of bringing sight back to people there. Project ORBIS also aims at promoting peaceful cooperation (合作) among countries.
ORBIS tries to help developing countries by providing training during three-week medical programs. ORBIS has taught sight-saving techniques to over 35,000 doctors and nurses, who continue to cure tens of thousands of blind people every year. ORBIS has conducted 17 plane programs is China so far. For the seven to ten million blind in China ORBIS is planning to do more for them. At the moment an ORBIS is working on a long-term plan to develop a training center and to provide eye care service to Shanxi Province. ORBIS needs your help to continue their work and free people from blindness.
For just US$38, you can help one person see; for $380 you can bring sight to 10 people; $1,300 helps teach a doctor new skills; and for $13,000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your money can open their eyes to the world. Please help ORBIS improve the quality of life for so many people less fortunate than ourselves.
1. The first paragraph is intended to ______.A.introduce a new way of reading |
B.advise the public to lead a simple life |
C.direct the public’s attention to the blind |
D.encourage the public to use imagination |
A.They are adequate. |
B.They have not been updated. |
C.They are not equally distributed. |
D.They have benefited most of the blind. |
A.teaching medical students |
B.training doctors and nurses |
C.running flying hospitals globally |
D.setting up non-profit organization |
A.Appeal for donations. | B.Make an advertisement. |
C.Promote training programs. | D.Show sympathy for the blind. |
A.ORBIS in China | B.Fighting Blindness |
C.ORBIS Flying Hospital | D.Sight-saving Techniques |
8 . Many people think that listening is a passive business. It is just the opposite. Listening well is an active exercise of our attention and hard work. It is because they do not realize this, or because they are not willing to do the work, that most people do not listen well.
Listening well also requires total concentration upon someone else. An essential part of listening well is the rule known as “bracketing”. Bracketing includes the temporary giving up or setting aside of your own prejudices and desires, to experience as far as possible someone else’s world from the inside, stepping into his or her shoes. Moreover, since listening well involves bracketing, it also involves a temporary acceptance of the other person. Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will seem quite willing to open up the inner part of his or her mind to the listener. True communication is under way and the energy required for listening well is so great that it can be accomplished only by the will to extend oneself for mutual growth.
Most of the time we lack this energy. Even though we may feel in our business dealings or social relationships that we are listening well, what we are usually doing is listening selectively. Often we have a prepared list in mind and wonder, as we listen, how we can achieve certain desired results to get the conversation over as quickly as possible or redirected in ways more satisfactory to us. Many of us are far more interested in talking than in listening, or we simply refuse to listen to what we don’t want to hear.
It wasn’t until toward the end of my doctor career that I have found the knowledge that one is being truly listened to is frequently therapeutic. In about a quarter of the patients I saw, surprising improvement was shown during the first few months of psychotherapy, before any of the roots of problems had been uncovered or explained. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, but chief among them, I believe, was the patient’s sense that he or she was being truly listened to, often for the first time in years, and for some, perhaps for the first time ever.1. The phrase “stepping into his or her shoes” in paragraph 2 probably means _______.
A.preparing a topic list first | B.focusing on one’s own mind |
C.directing the talk to the desired results | D.experiencing the speaker’s inside world |
A.How to listen well. | B.What to listen to. |
C.Benefits of listening. | D.Problems in listening |
A.listen actively | B.listen purposefully |
C.set aside their prejudices | D.open up their inner mind |
A.they were taken good care of. | B.they knew they were truly listened to. |
C.they had partners to talk to. | D.they knew the roots of problems. |
A.Science fiction | B.A news report. | C.A medical report. | D.Popular science |
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals. “How did this place get its name?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it? It’s a scary story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the area looked quite different — it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man. ‘The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’”
“‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder. He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back — just as the old man warned,” Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never found.”
“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (晕倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.
1. The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed in meaning to ________.
A.courage | B.assistance | C.instruction | D.challenge |
A.To frighten them. |
B.To satisfy their curiosity. |
C.To warn them of the danger of the place. |
D.To persuade them to camp in the swamp. |
A.The old man envied him. |
B.The old man was foolish |
C.He was too busy to listen to others. |
D.He was greedy for more crops. |
A.He saw Dennis’s shadow. |
B.He was scared by a plant. |
C.His friends played a joke on him. |
D.The weather became extremely cold. |
A.Grasp all, lose all. |
B.No sweat, no sweet. |
C.It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
D.He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
10 . Diane Ray was completely self-centered and very spoilt. Her parents gave her
That was why she was alone on the
“What are you doing ?” a voice asked. Diane jumped. She did not know that the man was there
“I’m going diving, ” she answered.
“You shouldn’t swim that day, ” the man
“You should mind your own
“If you go out there you’ll be
Diane slipped into the water and dived
Panicking, she began to
A.either | B.neither | C.nothing | D.everything |
A.jump | B.lie | C.spin | D.sleep |
A.set out | B.set in | C.gave in | D.gave out |
A.beach | B.bed | C.floor | D.ship |
A.allow | B.warn | C.get | D.prefer |
A.changing | B.recovering | C.appearing | D.traveling |
A.alone | B.away | C.again | D.aside |
A.time | B.money | C.food | D.fun |
A.when | B.until | C.after | D.once |
A.decided | B.intended | C.advised | D.repeated |
A.business | B.swimsuit | C.friends | D.parents |
A.angry | B.sorry | C.confused | D.excited |
A.nervously | B.sadly | C.shyly | D.happily |
A.rise | B.swim | C.stop | D.row |
A.difficult | B.easy | C.comfortable | D.suitable |
A.speak | B.sing | C.sniff | D.scream |
A.calm | B.frightening | C.beautiful | D.disgusting |
A.regret | B.relief | C.interest | D.ease |
A.power | B.safety | C.danger | D.thought |
A.house | B.wave | C.beach | D.boat |