1 . Charity in Action
In a busy city like Shanghai, the hustle and bustle often overshadow the needs of those less fortunate. However, amidst this chaos, there are still stories of
One such story unfolded one sunny afternoon in the heart of the city. Li Hua, a high school student, was walking home from school,
Curious, she approached and saw an elderly woman sitting on the ground,
Without
Inspired by this encounter, Li Hua decided to take action. She organized a charity event at her school,
To her surprise, the response was
The charity event was a huge success. Not only did it raise a significant amount of money and goods, but it also
Li Hua’s actions not only
In the busy and often impersonal world of Shanghai, Li Hua’s story is a beacon of hope, a reminder that amidst the noise and crowds, there is still room for
| A．charity | B．success | C．adventure | D．courage |
| A．advocated | B．annoyed | C．amused | D．amazed |
| A．happy | B．lost | C．helpless | D．hopeless |
| A．sorrow | B．happiness | C．confusion | D．surprise |
| A．hesitation | B．permission | C．doubt | D．invitation |
| A．sad | B．nervous | C．warm | D．proud |
| A．reducing | B．gaining | C．losing | D．raising |
| A．carried out | B．gave away | C．put up | D．took down |
| A．negative | B．indifferent | C．overwhelming | D．disappointing |
| A．offering | B．demanding | C．expecting | D．refusing |
| A．created | B．destroyed | C．ignored | D．avoided |
| A．ignored | B．highlighted | C．linked | D．analyzed |
| A．helped | B．hurt | C．ignored | D．frightened |
| A．shaking | B．showing | C．lending | D．pointing |
| A．kindness | B．wealth | C．fame | D．power |
2 . The train was at a standstill, some twenty minutes outside Kolkata, when an unexpected stroke of luck presented Piya with an opportunity to go for a seat beside a window for some fresh air. She had been sitting in the stuffiest part of the train compartment, on the edge of a bench, now, moving to the open window, she saw that the train had stopped at a station called Champahati.
Looking over her shoulder, Piya spotted a tea-seller on the platform. Reaching through the bars of the window, she called him with a wave. She had never cared for the kind of chai, Indian tea, sold in Seattle, her hometown in the USA, but somehow, in the ten days she had spent in India she had developed an unexpected taste for milky, overboiled tea served in earthenware cups. There were no spices in it for one thing, and this was more to her taste than the chai at home.
She paid for her tea and was trying to get in the cup through the bars when the man in the seat opposite her own suddenly turned over a page, jolting her hand. She turned her wrist quickly enough to make sure that most of the tea spilled out of the window, but she could not prevent some from spilling over his papers.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Piya was very embarrassed: of everyone in the compartment, this was the last person she would have chosen to injure with her tea. She had noticed him while waiting on the platform in Kolkata and she had been struck by the self-satisfied tilt of his head and the way in which he stared at everyone around him, taking them in, sizing them up, sorting them all into their places.
“Here,” said Piya, producing a handful of tissues. “Let me help you clean up.”
“There’s nothing to be done,” he said testily (暴躁地). “These pages are ruined anyway.”
For a moment she considered pointing out that it was he who had knocked her hand. But all she could bring herself to say was, “I’m very sorry. I hope you’ll excuse me.”
“Do I really have a choice?” he said. “Does anyone have a choice when they’re dealing with Americans these days?”
Piya had no wish to get into an argument so she let this pass. Instead, she opened her eyes wide and, in an attempt to restore peace, came out with, “But how did you guess?”
“About what?”
“About my being American? You’re very observant.”
This seemed to do the trick. His shoulders relaxed as he leaned back in his seat. “I didn’t guess,” he said. “I knew.”
1. In the first paragraph, Piya was relieved when she got a window seat because it meant that ________.| A．there was more room for her luggage |
| B．she no longer had to suffer from a lack of air |
| C．there was less chance that she would miss her stop |
| D．she didn’t have to stand for the rest of the train journey |
| A．was disappointingly weak in taste |
| B．reminded her of her home in Seattle |
| C．would have tasted better if served fresh |
| D．was preferable to the chai she had had before |
| A．find out what the man really thought about Americans |
| B．ensure the man realized that she had apologized |
| C．try to calm the situation down by starting a conversation |
| D．make sure the man knew he was being rude |
3 . When I first moved away from home to study, I started out living in student housing. We all had our own rooms, but every floor shared a kitchen and a common room. There was no supervision from family members, and we were expected to take care of ourselves. I had a neighbor who had, like most of us, just moved away from home. It was his first time on his own, and he felt unhappy.
We had to teach this poor boy EVERYTHING. It started with the mystery of why the plates in the cupboard were always greasy (有油渍的). It turned out that the boy didn’t know he had to use hot water to wash the dishes; he just washed them in cold water and put them back.
He spent the first six months complaining about how he was always running out of money. This was because he didn’t know how to cook. The rest of us lived on the usual student diet and treated ourselves to a pizza on weekends. However, he got fast food every single day. I could feed myself for a month on his weekly meal budget. Moreover, he had no idea how to wash clothes with a washing machine. I had to take him shopping for laundry detergent (洗衣粉) first because he didn’t know what it was. He thought he could just put ordinary soap in the washing machine.
To his credit, the boy was very grateful for the help and very depressed that no one had taught him how to do all these things before he moved out.
One day, the boy’s mother came to visit. He happily introduced all of us to his mother. After we graduated, I was invited to his wedding. He introduced me to his new wife as “the one who taught me how to be a man”.
1. What does the underlined word “supervision” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Difference. | B．Guidance. | C．Escape. | D．Hope. |
| A．He lacked common sense in housework. | B．He got married to the author. |
| C．He always washed dishes in hot water. | D．He didn’t get along well with his mother. |
| A．He often cooked expensive meals. | B．He bought himself a pizza every month. |
| C．He treated his neighbors on weekends. | D．He didn’t know how to spend reasonably. |
| A．Worrying. | B．Poor. | C．Close. | D．Disappointing. |
4 . People used to find it safe to keep their treasure and money in some secret or unknown places. They tried various ways as they could think out. They buried treasure to stop other people from taking it. They chose a quiet place, dug a deep hole and buried the treasure in it. Then they made a map of where the treasure was or wrote down other clues that would help them or someone else to find it again.
In Britain a few years ago, a writer wrote about some treasure that he had buried. He put clues in the story to help readers find it. Thousands of people hunted for the treasure. They dug holes all over Britain, hoping to find it.
One of the most popular adventure stories ever written is Robert Louis Stephenson’s “Treasure Island”, an exciting story about a young boy, Jim Hawkins, who is captured by pirates (海盗) and later finds some buried treasure.
Then there is the true story about a man who had to travel overseas for a year. He did not trust banks, so he buried his life savings in a park. Then he went away. On his return, he went straight to the park. But the park was no longer there. In its place there was a huge building.
And then there was a woman who buried her savings, all in bank notes, in a waterproof bag. When she dug it up years later, there was nothing left. Worms and insects had eaten the bag and everything in it.
And of course, these are stories about people who bury things and either forget where they have buried them or lose the map.
Although it is true that people sometimes lose their money because a bank fails, banks are still the safest place to keep our savings and treasures.
1. _________ could help them or someone else to find it again.| A．Making a map of the place and writing down some clues |
| B．Digging another hole and writing some clues |
| C．Colouring the place and making the map |
| D．Asking someone else and numbering the place |
| A．really had buried some small coins |
| B．started a nationwide treasure hunt |
| C．had lost his treasure and wanted people to help him find it |
| D．caused trouble because people dug holes everywhere |
| A．thought his money was safer there than in a bank |
| B．stayed away longer than he expected |
| C．got his life savings back again |
| D．travelled on the sea for a year |
| A．we cannot trust banks |
| B．we should not trust anyone |
| C．burying may not be the safe way to keep something valuable |
| D．insects can keep anything valuable |
5 . Uncle Jeremiah sighed. He wondered if he had made the right decision in agreeing to looking after Ant and Cleo over the school holidays while their parents went to London to catch a month-long festival of Shakespeare plays.
Ant and Cleo were having a waste of time staying with their research scientist uncle. They easily bullied (欺负) him into letting them stay up to watch the late-night creature features. It was fun, they said, being scared socked by vampires (吸血鬼), wolfmen and other not-to-nice people. They could handle the late nights; what they couldn’t were the nightmares (梦魇). Watching such fearsome movies as the Curse of the Yeti, the Dread of Dracula (雪人), Fangs of the Wolfman and More Dread of Dracula had resulted in the most terrifying nightmares imaginable.
Once Cleo dreamed she at a dico wearing a fur coat which turned into a yeti that totally ruined her evening by eating her boyfriend. Ant had a frightful dream about being a wolfman, going all hairy and getting locked in the dog house where he was bullied by a brainsick huge dog. And the nightmare that caused Cleo to wake up in a cold sweat was all about a pale, toothy plumber (水暖工)who kept trying to fit a tap to her neck.
Uncle Jeremiah sighed again. He trailed back to bed and buried his head under the pillow. Ant and Cleo settled down to watch The Great, Great Nephew of Frankestein.
1. The children were staying with Uncle Jeremiah_________.| A．overnight | B．at weekends | C．several weeks | D．permanently |
| A．play with Uncle Jeremiah | B．watch horror movies |
| C．watch creatures outside the window | D．meet not-so-nice people |
| A．amused | B．upset | C．scared | D．surprised |
| A．Aggressive. | B．Responsible. | C．Critical. | D．Helpless. |
6 . I was in Chicago for a job training when I knew a nearby theatre was releasing a film about saving dogs. I love animals and this fundraising event sounded right up my alley. However, none of my co-workers could squeeze time for me. I got cold feet for anxiety about navigating the streets by myself at night alone.
But in my hotel room I felt restless and bored. The theatre was only about five blocks away from the hotel. How could I stray? Hence, I decided to brave it. I gathered my room key and set off.
I managed to find the street of the theatre but when I turned the corner I stopped in shock. The street in front of the theatre was full of bikers-lots of very big, tough-looking bikers.
Now I was a woman all alone at night. There were many large men, all wearing insignia suggesting they were in some sort of club or gang. Warning bells began to sound and my heart jumped in my throat. Was I at the right theatre? Had I misread the date of the event?
I finally decided that I would be safer inside the theatre where there was, presumably, a crowd of people. I scurried into the theatre. As I sat there, heart racing, waiting for the film to start, I muttered a prayer to contain my anxieties. A local blues-rock band was the opening act and their performance drew my attention. Enthusiasm for the band’s performance soon took away all my worries from my mind and I began to relax.
After the band, the film began and I understood the presence of the bikers after a conversation with the staff. Being part of an animal rescue group, they had escorted dogs from New Jersey to Chicago. At that moment, I was struck by the bond that had drawn so many disparate folks to the theatre. Singers, sportsmen, ordinary workers had all been brought together by our shared love of animals. I made new friends. I discovered a new band and supported an important cause. I stayed till the very end and made it to my hotel without any incident, overjoyed that I broke out of the boundary I used to set for myself and ventured into the unknown. To my amazement, the reward was one of the best nights of my life.
1. The author didn’t go to the theatre at first because ________.| A．the theatre was far right up the alley |
| B．she couldn’t spare time from the training |
| C．she was afraid of getting lost on the way |
| D．she was concerned that she would catch cold at night |
| A．The group of bikers accompanied her into the theatre. |
| B．People inside the theatre rescued her from the harm of bikers. |
| C．She rang bells to warn people of possible dangers. |
| D．The opening act was successful in calming her down. |
| A．respectable | B．diverse | C．restless | D．common |
| A．she discovered a band she loved |
| B．she successfully went back to the hotel safe |
| C．she knew the reason for the presence of all the bikers |
| D．she stepped out of comfort zone and got good results |
7 . Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas. He didn’t care much for high school. One day during his senior year, he cut class and walked into the school library. He discovered a book written by Frank Yerby. The book was The Treasure of Pleasant Valley and it attracted Neal’s attention. But there was one problem — if Neal took the book to the check out counter (收银台), his friends would know he was reading books.
“Then my fame (名誉) would be down,” Neal said. “I wanted them to know that all I could do was fight and cuss (咒骂).” Finally, Neal decided to steal the book.
A week later, Neal had finished the book. He brought it back to the library. But when he put it back, there was another book by Yerby. He took it as well. The same thing happened again. He read four of Yerby’s books that term — checking out none of them.
But Neal’s sneaky action turned out not to have been so sneaky after all. Attending his 13-year high school get-together, Neal met the school’s librarian, Mildred Grady. She saw Neal take that book. She said, “My first thought was to call him out, and then I realized what his situation was. So I decided that if Neal was showing an interest in books, I would find another one for him and put it in the same place where the one he had taken was.”
This was not an easy matter, because Frank Yerby’s books were not especially available. But the woman’s efforts paid off: Neal went on to attend law school and later became a great judge. When Grady died, Neal told the story and he said, “I thank Mrs. Grady for helping me get into the habit of enjoying reading, so that I was able to go to law school and survive.”
1. Why did Neal steal the book instead of checking it out?| A．To prove he was a skillful thief. |
| B．To show the book to his friends. |
| C．To keep being known as a troublemaker. |
| D．To avoid communicating with the librarian. |
| A．Secret. | B．Dangerous. | C．Brave. | D．Illegal. |
| A．She taught Neal how to survive. |
| B．She persuaded Neal to be honest. |
| C．She encouraged Neal to study law. |
| D．She helped Neal develop reading habits. |
| A．Reading changes people’s life |
| B．A librarian changed a boy’s life |
| C．A senior student became a judge |
| D．Frank Yerby’s books attracted a boy |
8 . Mother liked Roger because he was fun, paid attention to me, and was generous. He paid for her to come to see me several times when she was in New Orleans, and he probably paid for the train trips Mammaw and I took to see Mother.
Papaw liked Roger because he was nice both to me and to him. For a while after my grandfather quit the icehouse because of severe bronchial problems, he started running a liquor store. Near the end of the war, Hempstead County, of which Hope is the county seat, voted to go “dry.” That’s when my grandfather opened his grocery store. I later learned that Papaw sold liquor under the counter to the doctors, lawyers, and other respectable people who didn’t want to drive the thirty-three miles to the nearest legal liquor store in Texarkana, and that Roger was his supplier.
Mammaw really disliked Roger because she thought he was not the kind of man her daughter and grandson should be tied to. She had a dark side her husband and daughter lacked, but it enabled her to see the darkness in others that they missed. She thought Roger Clinton was nothing but trouble. She was right about the trouble part, but not the “nothing but.” There was more to him than that, which makes his story even sadder.
As for me, all I knew was that he was good to me and had a big brown and black German shepherd, Susie, that he brought to play with me. Susie was a big part of my childhood, and started my lifelong love affair with dogs.
Mother and Roger got married in Hot Springs in June 1950, shortly after her twenty-seventh birthday. Only Gabe and Virginia Crawford were there. Then Mother and I left her parents’ home and moved with my new stepfather, whom I soon began to call Daddy, into a little white wooden house on the south end of town at 321 Thirteenth Street at the corner of Walker Street. Not long afterward, I started calling myself Billy Clinton.
1. According to the article, which of the following statements is NOT true?| A．Papaw is the writer’s grandfather. | B．Susie is the name of a dog. |
| C．Hope is the name of a place. | D．Roger is Mammaw’s son. |
| A．was a perfect man | B．meant nothing but trouble |
| C．was not wealthy at all | D．cared about him |
| A．the author’s grandfather sold alcohol secretly |
| B．the weather was very dry at the time |
| C．the author’s grandfather ran a grocery store for health reasons |
| D．Roger was a regular customer of the author’s grandfather’s |
| A．How Mother Liked Roger Clinton | B．How Roger Became My Stepfather |
| C．How Good Roger Was to My Family | D．How My Grandparents Disliked Roger |
9 . During recent years legends have grown up among people who live near the park, legends of life among the treetops.
One story was of a young, handsome man who had been spotted from time to time among the branches. This rumour about a modern Tarzan (人猿泰山) turned out to be true. The young man had been living in the treetops for eight years until discovered by the city authorities.
It is a touching tale. Bob Redman, brought up by his mother in a tiny Manhattan apartment, had always been addicted to trees. When he was 14, he went into the park and built himself a tree house. It was the first of 13 houses, each one more elaborate than the last. “I like to be in trees,” Redman explained to a reporter from the New York Times. “I like to be up, away from everything. I enjoy staying alone.”
Redman went to great pains to hide his tree houses, building them in neglected corners of the park and camouflaging them with branches and green paint. Friends used to come to visit him, sometimes as many as 12 people at a time, bringing sandwiches and radios and books and torches.
The park authorities quickly became aware of his activities. However, the houses were often not detected for long periods of time. Some lasted as long as a whole year before they were found and destroyed by officials, with a mournful Bob Redman watching from a distance. His magnificent final house went unnoticed for four months before Bob was awoken one morning with the words: “Come down! The party’s over!”
Rather than being thrown into jail, Redman was offered a job. He is now a professional gardener and tree climber for the Central Park. However, he has had to promise not to build any more tree houses. He says he cannot believe that a job so perfect for him could possibly exist.
In our busy, competitive world, I suppose it is comforting to know that a man like Bob Redman exists.
1. Which of the following statements about Bob Redman is TRUE?| A．He built 14 tree houses altogether. | B．He rented his final house to some friends. |
| C．He was raised amid trees in the countryside. | D．He gave an interview to the New York Times. |
| A．decorating | B．hiding | C．equipping | D．integrating |
| A．parties should not be held overnight |
| B．parties are not allowed in the Central Park |
| C．no more tree houses should exist in the Central Park |
| D．the owner of the tree house should get down to work |
| A．Tarzan of the Central Park | B．Locked Up or Breaking Free |
| C．A Special Job Hunter in New York | D．Tree Houses — the Ultimate Habitat |
10 . Jacob hated finishing things almost as much as he loved starting them. As a result, he had gotten into a million hobbies and activities, but he never stuck with any of them long enough to get any good.
He begged his mother for months for a guitar so that he could play Black Eyed Peas songs to Angie, a girl he liked, but after he finally got one for Christmas, he found out that guitars don’t play themselves. He took a few lessons, but the strings hurt his fingers and he didn’t like holding the pick, so now the five-hundred dollar guitar lives under his bed.
After reading an ad in the back of one of his comic books, Jacob decided that he wanted a Wonder-Sweeper 5000 metal detector, so that he could find buried treasure. So he mowed lawns all summer and shoveled driveways all winter. He didn’t spend his money on ice-cream like his younger brother, Alex. By the time spring came he had saved $200, and he purchased the Wonder-Sweeper 5000 metal detector. He beeped it around the park for a while, be he soon found out that no one had ever left any treasure in his neighborhood. He buried the metal detector in his closest.
Given Jacob’s history with hobbies, it was no surprise that Jacob’s father was reluctant to buy him a magician’s kit for his birthday. Jacob was insistent. “Dad, this time I’ll stick with it for real. I promise!” Jacob begged. Jacob’s father sighed. But he was reminded of his own youth long ago, when he quit football and started boxing practice before hardly getting his equipment dirty. So when Jacob’s birthday came around, Jacob was both surprised and pleased to find the magician’s kit that he had desired so badly. Jacob opened up the box and unwrapped the many parts in the kit. He took the many fake coins, trick cards, and rope pieces of varying length on the kitchen table and imagined pulling rabbits out of his hat and turning them into pigeons with a mysterious puff of smoke.
As Jacob continued pulling plastic thumbs, foam balls, and giant playing cards out of the magic kit, a commercial on the TV caught his attention.
“Hey kids! Have you ever wanted to go to space? Experience what it’s like to be an astronaut? Do you want to explore the universe? Well, now you can.” As the commercial continued playing, Jacob walked away from the magic kit on the kitchen table and stared at the TV screen longingly. “For only $195 you can go to space camp and live life like an astronaut for a whole weekend. Enroll now for a once in a life time experience.” Jacob’s cry rang throughout the house as he yelled, “MOM!” He now knew what his true purpose in life was.
1. Why did Jacob stop playing the guitar?| A．It hurt his fingers. | B．He’d rather play drums. |
| C．It was too expensive. | D．He became interested in comic books. |
| A．Jacob was insistent on having it | B．Jacob’s birthday was coming |
| C．Jacob quit many expensive activities | D．Jacob reminded his father of himself |
| A．Become a great magician. | B．Learn to play guitar well. |
| C．Detect an incredible hidden treasure. | D．Raise money to go to space camp. |
| A．He was persistent in pursuing his dreams. | B．He never stuck with anything for long. |
| C．He has always wanted to be a magician. | D．He finally found his true purpose in life. |
