1 . I'd done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip, as always, I'd bring back nothing more than some mud on my boots, a hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.
The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home's dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family's temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I'd ever seen, she yelled, "Ma, Ma, they really came! " I didn't know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she’d say another word near me.
Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair—her grandmother, we'd soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire—damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Grabbing our tools, we went to work. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times. I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.
By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change.
Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room so much, in fact, that she'd begged to sleep in it the previous night, even though it wasn't quite ready. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before—Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother. Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and big smile. She was simply adorable. I wanted so much to hug her, but respecting her shyness, I kept my distance.
Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn't until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she'd made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls—one much taller than the other—and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart. Now almost in tears, I couldn't control myself anymore—I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither one of us could let go.
By early afternoon, we finished Dakota's bedroom, and so I gladly used the rare free time to get to know my newest friend. Sitting under a tree away from the others, we shared a few apples while she told me about her life. As I listened to her stories about the struggles she and her family went through daily, I began to realize how boring various aspects of my own life were.
I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too—a greater appreciation for all of the blessing of my life. I’ll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she’ll never forget me either.
1. From the appearance description of the little girl, we know _______.| A．she formed a bad living habit |
| B．she hoped for a better education |
| C．she was an innocent and lovely child |
| D．she was strong and calm in the inner world |
| A．Enjoy your help. |
| B．Please don’t leave. |
| C．Help me, please. |
| D．Hug me close. |
| A．She worried about the little girl’s future. |
| B．She decided to keep helping the little girl. |
| C．She felt a greater affection for the little girl. |
| D．She got surprised at the little girl’s worthless gift. |
| A．One must learn to share life experiences. |
| B．One often wants to lead a meaningful life. |
| C．One occasionally benefits from the poverty. |
| D．One should be more grateful for the gift of life. |
2 . America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
1. The writer of this passage must be ______.| A．an American | B．a Chinese |
| C．a professor | D．a student |
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport | B．offered a ride to his home |
| C．treated hospitably at his home | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
| A．Friendships between Chinese | B．Friendships between Americans |
| C．Americans’ hospitality | D．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships |
3 . Fathers Day is a day to thank fathers for all the love and support they give to their children. It is celebrated on different dates in different countries. Some countries like the US, the UK, Canada and India celebrate this festival on the third Sunday of June.
Many men didn't like the creation of Father's Day though. They laughed at the holiday's sentimental attempts to celebrate Father's Day with flowers and gift-giving, and they laughed at the creation of such holidays as a commercial trick to sell more products - often paid for by the father himself.
During the 1920s and 1930s, in the US there was a movement to promote the combination of Mother's Day with Father's Day to be a new holiday, Parents' Day. Every year on Mother's Day, Parents' Day supporters would gather in New York City's Central Park to remind the public that both parents should be loved and respected.
However, this attempt failed due to the Great Depression. Struggling retailers(零售商)and advertisers made more efforts to make Father's Day a"second Christmas" for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and greeting cards.
When World War II started, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father's Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war. By the end of the war, Father's Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national event.In 1972, in the middle of a hard-fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed an announcement making Father's Day a federal holiday at last. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than SI billion each year on Father's Day gifts.
1. Why didn't some men like the idea of Father's Day？| A．They thought it was a"second Christmas"for men. |
| B．They hated flowers and gift-giving. |
| C．They had to pay for the gifts. |
| D．They thought it was too sentimental for men and it was a commercial trick. |
| A．Because of the Great Depression. |
| B．Some men were not in favor of it. |
| C．Some women were not in favor of it. |
| D．Businessmen made their efforts to prevent it. |
| A．Parents' Day supporters movement. |
| B．The Great Depression. |
| C．The presidential re-election campaign. |
| D．Advertisers promotion during World WarⅡ. |
| A．Father's Day: Its Orign and Development. |
| B．Father's Day: the Same as Christmas. |
| C．Father's Day: the Great Man. |
| D．Father's Day and Mother's Day |
4 . Sagrada Familia ( 2,056,448 visits/year)
Opening hours: 09:00-18:00 (October-March) 09:00-20:00 (April-September).
Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled access: Yes.
The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they’ve still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project’s vast scale (规模) and its special design have made it one of Barcelona’s top tourist attractions for many years.
La Pedrera (1,133,220 visits/year)
Opening hours: 09:00-18:30 (November-February) 09:00-20:00 (March-October)
Admission: $9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled access: No.
This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it’s more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓷砖).
Barcelona FC Museum (1,032,763 visits/year)
Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00-20:00; the rest of the year: 10:00 to 18:30.
Admission: $8.50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour.
Disabled access: Yes.
It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies (奖杯), pictures and statues of great football players. I’m not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum.
Miró Museum (518,869 visits/year)
Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.
Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled access: Yes.
This museum has a wide range of Miró’s works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.
1. What can we know about the four tourist attractions?| A．Sagrada Familia is the largest building in Barcelona. |
| B．La Pedrera is well known for its colors. |
| C．Barcelona FC Museum will attract football fans. |
| D．Miró Museum was built in as early as the year of 1914. |
| A．$8.5 | B．$25.5 | C．$17 | D．$25 |
| A．They are famous for their architectural styles. | B．They are all accessible for the disabled people. |
| C．Their opening hours are changeable in different times. | D．Tourists can get a discount of 20% with the Barcelona Card. |
5 . I prefer Lynne Truss’s phraseology: I am a grammar “sticker”. And, like Truss – author of Eats, shoots & Leaves – I have a “zero tolerance” approach to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.
Now, Truss and I disagree on what it means to have “zero tolerance”. She thinks that people who mix up basic grammar “deserve to be struck by lightning, hacked (砍) up on the spot and buried in an unmarked grave”, while I just think they deserve to be passed over for a job – even if they are otherwise qualified for the position.
Everyone who applies for a position at either of my companies, iFixit or Dozuki, takes a compulsory grammar test. If job hopefuls can’t distinguish between “to” and “too”, their applications go into the bin.
Of course, we write for a living. iFixit.com is the world’s largest online repair manual (指南), and Dozuki helps companies write their own technical documentation, like paperless work instructions and step-by-step user manuals. So, it makes sense that we’ve made a strong strike against grammar errors.
But grammar is relevant for all companies. Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the Internet. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between “their” “there” and “they’re”.
Good grammar makes good business sense – and not just when it comes to hiring writers. Writing isn’t in the official job description of most people in our office. Still, we give our grammar test to everybody, including our salespeople, our operations staff, and our programmers.
Grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English. I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing – like stocking shelves or labeling parts. It is the same with programmers. Applicants who don’t think writing is important are likely to think lots of other things also aren’t important.
1. What’s the author’s “zero tolerance” approach to these job seekers who mix up basic grammar?| A．They should be left out for a job. | B．They have to correct their mistakes. |
| C．They aren’t qualified for their jobs. | D．They must be severely punished. |
| A．Only one of them has a compulsory grammar test. |
| B．They are companies where one learns grammar. |
| C．Grammar is quite important for their existence. |
| D．They depend on grammar correction for a living. |
| A．Companies giving grammar tests may have no good business sense. |
| B．Grammar becomes unimportant as language is constantly changing. |
| C．A “zero tolerance” approach to grammar errors might seem a little unfair. |
| D．People who pay attention to writing may pay attention to other things. |
6 . Years ago, I volunteered at a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, handing out food. Once I got talking with Albert., a tall and skinny young guy in line. He said he liked my socks. “Want to see mine?” he joked, lifting his leg. He was barefoot. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
The next day, after work, I stopped at Ross and filled up my truck with socks. The following early morning, I drove over to Santa Monica's Palisades Park, which is a common destination for homeless people.
I took one of the bags from my trunk. It was still dark out. I headed for a group of three men, standing around a tree, probably using it as a windbreaker. Two were asleep under heavy blankets, and the third was digging through his collection. As I walked toward him, he watched me, perhaps questioning my motives. “I thought you guys might need some fresh new socks,” I said, handing him a pair. He looked confused at first but took them and said, “Thank you.” I gave him two more pairs for his friends.
I moved on. An hour later, I had given out all the socks. Most people were sleeping, and I felt like Santa. I knew that when they wake up they would find a very meaningful present.
That was nine years ago. Every week I’ll hand out as many socks as I can. If I’m on vacation or on a business trip for more than a week, I bring a bag of socks with me and hand them out to the homeless on the streets in other states and countries.
It’s extremely satisfying to operate “under the radar（雷达）” to help make some people’s lives a little bit easier. Part of me hopes to see Albert out there one of these days, but even if I don’t, I like to think one of the pairs will find him.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph I most probably mean?| A．Homesick. | B．Sorry. |
| C．Regretful. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．A garage. | B．A public park. |
| C．A store. | D．A homeless shelter. |
| A．Playing Santa in public. | B．Making weekends as holidays. |
| C．Spending early morning at a park. | D．Helping others silently. |
| A．Helping the Homeless in an Unexpected Way. |
| B．The Easy Way Out of Helping the Poor. |
| C．A Unique Experience at a Homeless Shelter. |
| D．Satisfactory Return from Kindness. |
7 . At least 20 people died and hundreds were injured in a bridge collapse in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata Thursday. Witnesses said many people and vehicles, including two buses carrying more than 100 passengers, were under the bridge when it fell. They also said construction workers had set up camps near the bridge site where they would sleep and cook.
Before rescue teams arrived, local residents and firefighters used their bare hands to try to rescue people trapped under the debris. The collapsed bridge is in a busy commercial area of Kolkata. Its location has made it difficult for rescue operations. Access to the area is blocked on both sides by buildings, and the streets are blocked with heavy traffic.
Reuters (路透社) reports that the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, rushed to the scene of the collapse. She said that rescuing those trapped is her “top priority”. Banerjee said those responsible for the disaster will be punished. Yet she faces questions about the safety of the construction project. The Telegraph newspaper reported last November that Banerjee wanted the bridge — already five years overdue — to be completed by February. Project engineers said they were concerned over whether this would be possible, the newspaper said at the time. Construction workers had been on a strict schedule to complete the bridge. The disaster could affect the West Bengal election next month. An Indian company, IVRCL, was building the 2kilometer bridge, its website said. IVRCL’s director of operations said the company was not sure of the cause of the disaster.
1. Why were so many people killed or injured in the accident?| A．Many people were under or near the bridge. |
| B．The rescue work responded too slowly. |
| C．The bridge was under construction. |
| D．Construction workers had set up camps there. |
| A．Buildings. | B．Ruins. |
| C．Vehicles. | D．Disasters. |
| A．It was designed by a company called IVRCL. |
| B．Project engineers were unwilling to cooperate. |
| C．It should have been completed five years ago. |
| D．The cause of the disaster has been discovered. |
8 . Plays are an important part of British culture. The West End theatre district in London is the best place to watch a professional play, but acting also takes place in every school and village hall and the country.
There are over 2,500 non-professional drama groups in the UK today and they are an active part of community life. People from all walks of life take on acting roles in addition to their regular jobs. They do it for fun, for the love of acting and as a way to meet new people.
Not everyone in a drama club is a skilled actor, but enthusiasm(热情) is considered to be more important than talent. Friends, family members and neighbors enjoy getting together to watch the final performance and tell the people they know to “break a leg(祝演出成功)”. It’s a great way of bringing people together. Also, in many rural（乡村的） parts of Britain, the non-professional theatre is the only chance that people have to see plays for miles around.
Many people get a taste of acting at school. Every school puts on a play at least once per year, usually at Christmas, and parents love coming to watch their children perform. Ask many British persons and they’re sure to have happy memories of being in their school’s Christmas play, whether they played the role of Mary or Joseph or perhaps even a sheep or a monkey.
Another Christmas theatre tradition is the pantomime（童话剧）. Pantomimes are a type of the musical comedy for families. The audience is encouraged to take part in the performance —singing along with music and shouting at the actors. Pantomimes are really fun to watch, especially for children.
British people love going to the theatre, professional or not, and many of them also enjoy performing. If you have the chance, go and see a play in the UK.
1. In the writer’s opinion, what is more important for an actor in a drama club?| A．talent. | B．support from family. |
| C．professional training. | D．enthusiasm. |
| A．All the performers are professional child actors. |
| B．The audience is allowed to play some small roles in them. |
| C．The audience is encouraged to take part in the performances. |
| D．The musical comedy is always about family life. |
| A．greatly enjoy acting roles in plays. |
| B．have good memories of their schools. |
| C．have no interest in plays. |
| D．watch plays only in the West End theatre district in London. |
| A．Everyone in a drama must be a skilled actor. |
| B．Plays are very popular among British people. |
| C．In Britain, acting can only take place in theatres. |
| D．The writer doesn’t think the pantomime is good for children to watch. |
9 . (CNN) — This photograph of two men sharing a drink 30 meters below the water is part of an art project exploring the mysterious world of freediving — a form of underwater diving that relies on a diver’s ability to hold his or her breath until resurfacing rather than on the use of oxygen tanks (氧气瓶).
Each man, dressed in shirt, jeans and sunglasses, sits in a chair at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea with local sharks — harmless to humans — swimming just meters away. Of course, these aren’t ordinary men, but freedivers: extreme athletes who dive on a single breath of air.
American photographer Lia Barrett had been taking pictures of brave divers competing at the Caribbean Cup off the coast of Honduras, when she decided to create a fantastic underwater world in which humans go about everyday tasks — such as drinking coffee or riding bikes.
“After the competitors had a great time in the new national and world records set at the competition, I took advantage of their breath-holding skills to do photo shoots I had only dreamed of before,” said the 29-year-old.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Barrett is often asked whether the amazing pictures are Photoshopped. She laughs quietly as she insists they’re 100% real.
The picture of two men having coffee took 50 minutes to create, with the men receiving oxygen from standby assistants around every three minutes.
“On the way back up, we were holding onto the table during our decompression (减压) stop in the strong current (水流) — it was quite a scene.”
The underwater models made an 11-minute stop on the way back to the surface, making sure they didn’t rise too quickly and suffer decompression sickness — which can cause deadly blackouts (眩晕).
1. The photograph mentioned in the first paragraph _____.| A．has set a new world record |
| B．aims to call on people to protect sharks |
| C．realizes the photographer Barrett’s dream |
| D．is one activity of the Caribbean Cup |
| A．swimming skills |
| B．Photoshop skills |
| C．photography skills |
| D．breath-holding skills |
| A．not real | B．not perfect |
| C．not surprising | D．not interesting |
| A．To have more photographs taken. |
| B．To enjoy the underwater world. |
| C．To bring back the table. |
| D．To avoid getting sick. |
| FISH FOR FUN! DO NOT FISH FOR FOOD! FISHERMEN! FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOUR HEALTH! FISH FROM THESE WATERS SHOULD NOT BE EATEN BECAUSE OF MERCURY CONTAMINATION. Department of Land and Forests |
1. What’s this? It’s a ________.
| A．letter | B．diary |
| C．newspaper | D．notice |
| A．to give an order for fish |
| B．for a concert |
| C．to warn fishermen of the danger |
| D．for making fun of fishermen |
| A．to stop fishing |
| B．that the fish from the waters is unfit to eat. |
| C．that they would never go fishing. |
| D．that fishing was not allowed here. |
| A．can feed up fish for people to eat |
| B．is helpful for health |
| C．can make people lose weight |
| D．is poisonous (有毒的) and dangerous to health |
