Dad had a green comb(梳子). He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his ________ and say, "Good girl, help Daddy clean it, OK?"
I was ________ to do it. At age five, this boring task brought me such ________. I would excitedly turn the tap ________ and brush the comb carefully. Satisfied that I'd done a good job, I would happily return the comb to Dad. He would________affectionately(慈祥地) at me and place the comb on his wallet.
Two years later, Dad started his own ________, which wasn't doing so well. That was when things started to ________. Dad didn't come home as early and as much as he used to. Mum and I became ________ with him for placing our family in trouble. With________ passing, an uncomfortable silence grew between us.
After my graduation, Dad's business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home ________. As usual, I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said, "Hey, would you help me ________ my comb?" I looked at him a while, then ________ the comb and headed to the sink(水槽).
It hit me then: why, as a child, ________ Dad clean his comb was such a pleasure. That routine(习惯) meant Dad was home early to ________ the evening with Mum and me. It ________a happy and loving family.
I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and ________ placed his comb on his wallet. But this time, I noticed something ________. Dad had aged. He had wrinkles(皱纹) next to his eyes when he smiled, ________ his smile was still as________as before, the smile of a father who just wanted a good ________ for his family.1.
| A．brush | B．bag | C．wallet | D．comb |
| A．pleased | B．annoyed | C．comfortable | D．shy |
| A．pain | B．joy | C．sadness | D．courage |
| A．on | B．out | C．over | D．in |
| A．laugh | B．stare | C．smile | D．shout |
| A．journey | B．family | C．business | D．task |
| A．form | B．progress | C．change | D．improve |
| A．strict | B．satisfied | C．delighted | D．mad |
| A．comfortable | B．time | C．patience | D．speed |
| A．hardly | B．sometimes | C．early | D．often |
| A．keep | B．sharpen | C．repair | D．clean |
| A．threw | B．dropped | C．took | D．handed |
| A．hearing | B．watching | C．letting | D．helping |
| A．spend | B．find | C．lose | D．waste |
| A．supported | B．affected | C．broke | D．meant |
| A．carefully | B．firmly | C．hurriedly | D．easily |
| A．urgent | B．different | C．exciting | D．interesting |
| A．yet | B．for | C．or | D．so |
| A．pure | B．happy | C．heartwarming | D．serious |
| A．education | B．origin | C．life | D．reputation |
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet (he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”
1. The author finally hired David because________.
| A．there were no other workers in the shop then |
| B．he needed someone who was willing to work then |
| C．David kept showing up |
| D．he realized David was dependable |
| A．the author feels lucky to hire David |
| B．David has had his character changed through work |
| C．the author prefers David to be more outgoing |
| D．some customers just play jokes on David |
| A．find a person who is reliable |
| B．find a part-time worker in need |
| C．give him some practice |
| D．show sympathy for him |
| A．pity | B．wonder |
| C．disappointment | D．appreciation |
Ten-year-old Cara Turner loves the giant saltwater pond on her grandparents’ farm. When her grandfather Tom Turner bought the land 15 years earlier, he stocked the pond with fishes._____ in winter, Tom _____ regularly visit the 5.5-acre pond to feed the fishes. One afternoon, _____ the sun melted toward the horizon, Tom _____ to head home from the pond. _____, he was unable to put one foot in front of the other and then ____ backward into the pond’s deep water. When he didn’t _____immediately, Cara jumped in. It was too deep to touch the _____. With one hand, Cara grabbed the bank. With the other, she _____ for her grandfather.
Tom had _____ a stroke（中风）the year before. Now Cara wondered if he had _____again. She grabbed her grandfather’s head, pulled his face out of the water and then pulled him up onto the solid ground. The winter sun almost disappeared, and they were both shaking _____ the coldness. Cara knew she would have to get Tom to _____first, a quarter mile away. But sixty feet from the car, Tom fell. From there, he crawled(爬), _____ himself under a gate, to the car. Caro helped him into the passenger’s side and then got into the driver’s seat. “I used to sit on my dad’s lap and watch him_____,” said Cara. Although she felt _____, she pushed on the gas and drove toward the nearest hospital _____her grandmother Esca was to meet them.
Tom spent six days _____ in the hospital from a stroke. Since the accident, he has _____going to the pond alone. “If Cara hadn’t helped, she might not have a grandpa _____,” said Esca.1.
| A．Even | B．If | C．Thus | D．But |
| A．should | B．could | C．might | D．would |
| A．because | B．though | C．as | D．since |
| A．turned over | B．turned back | C．turned up | D．turned out |
| A．Once in a while | B．As a result | C．By all means | D．All of a sudden |
| A．fell | B．jumped | C．rolled | D．dived |
| A．hurt | B．surface | C．wake | D．sink |
| A．bottom | B．bank | C．water | D．pond |
| A．waited | B．cared | C．reached | D．looked |
| A．felt | B．seen | C．stood | D．suffered |
| A．that | B．one | C．everything | D．something |
| A．from | B．to | C．of | D．through |
| A．the farm | B．the gate | C．the car | D．the house |
| A．devoting | B．rushing | C．carrying | D．dragging |
| A．drive | B．sing | C．dance | D．play |
| A．relaxed | B．nervous | C．satisfied | D．embarrassed |
| A．when | B．which | C．where | D．that |
| A．recovering | B．treating | C．struggling | D．experiencing |
| A．continued | B．agreed | C．managed | D．stopped |
| A．after all | B．any more | C．at least | D．any better |
4 . Nicolai Calabria has already become one of the best 106-pound wrestlers. He has successfully climbed to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, and most importantly, he’s changed the attitude of any normal person who watches him compete.
The 17-year-old teenager has one leg. He was born that way, but his goal is to show it’s not the one thing that defines(给……下定义) him. He will also be the first one to tell you that he just wants to prove to others and himself that he’s just like other normal ones.
When Calabria was young, his parents tried different prostheses(假肢) to find out which was the most comfortable for their son as he tried to keep up with a family, who has a preference for sports.
At first, the Calabrias had their middle child in a prosthesis that looked and functioned like a "real" leg, but soon they decided to choose a different path when they found it wasn’t beneficial to his movement. Then the family moved him to arm crutches(腋杖) and from there a new burst of energy was found.
Getting others to believe that he could take off on the soccer field took a little bit longer. When the Calabrias moved to Concord, they had a hard time convincing the town soccer team to allow a child like him to compete with able-bodied kids. After months and months of debates and meetings, the family received the answer they were looking for. Since then, witnessing a young man on crutches who competes against those with two legs has become a fixed event in the Concord community.
"At that time I had nothing but discouragement working with the soccer community, however, now I have nothing but admiration for the fact that he’s been allowed to play, and people see that he adds value to the game," his father said. "I just think it’s a great result."
1. This passage shows us a boy with one leg can .| A．do what a normal teenager can |
| B．realize as many dreams as he can |
| C．make a sport event more valuable |
| D．add value to society |
| A．Calabria proved to be the most excellent player of the team |
| B．it was not easy for Calabria to be accepted into the town soccer team |
| C．Calabria’s parents didn’t allow him to play soccer at first |
| D．there were some other disabled children in the soccer team |
| A．a must-see | B．a planned programme |
| C．an extra game | D．a special occasion |
| A．has been discouraged since Calabria played soccer |
| B．thinks that Calabria is playing a key role in the team |
| C．is very delighted that Calabria can play soccer in the team |
| D．hasn’t expected that Calabria can be allowed to play soccer |
5 . A cancer－stricken British teenage girl said Thursday she had been moved by messages of support from around the world after writing an online “Bucket List” of things she wanted to do before dying.
Alice Pyne, 15, created an Internet blog in which she described her fight against a cancer of the white blood cells. “I've been fighting cancer for almost four years and now I know that the cancer is gaining on me and it doesn't look like I'm going to win this one，” she wrote.
For her list, the teenager took inspiration from the 2007 film “The Bucket List”， in which two terminally ill (患绝症的) men, played by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, draw up a list of things they wish to do before they die.
On her list, at the site www. alicepyne, blogspot. com, she has included making everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor (骨髓捐赠者), swimming with sharks, meeting boy band Take That and getting a purple iPad computer.
Messages of support and offers of help quickly flooded her web page and it became one of the most talked about subjects on Twitter.
“Oh dear and I thought that I was just doing a little blog for a few friends！” she wrote after her site attracted huge attention. “Thank you so much for all your lovely messages to me. ”
Pyne, who lives with her family in the northwest English town of Ulverston, revealed (透露) the management of Take That had arranged for her to see the band after reading her blog. A group of local lawmakers have also joined forces with the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity to encourage people to join its stem cell register.
1. What happened after Alice Pyne wrote her “Bucket List”？| A．The media called on people to help her. |
| B．People sent gifts to her from all over the world. |
| C．A lot of people offered to donate bone marrow to her. |
| D．People around the world sent messages to support her. |
| A．express her last few wishes |
| B．say goodbye to a few friends |
| C．give comfort to two terminally ill men |
| D．catch people's attention |
| A．is unaware of her own conditions |
| B．is calm to know that death is approaching |
| C．is very sad to know that she will die |
| D．is still quite confident in fighting against the cancer |
| A．To meet a boy. |
| B．To get a cool computer. |
| C．To swim with sharks. |
| D．To ask people to donate bone marrow. |
Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water, and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps.
As he walked down toward the lake, Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before.
By the time where he reached the small boat, a thick white mist（雾气）had spread over the surface of the water. He stepped into the boat, sat down, and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore.
The outer fringe（边缘）of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly. All he could see was the enveloping whiteness. He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake.
Dave rowed steadily ahead, relying on a mental picture of the surroundings. Then the mist began to rise, slowly.
The magic time had arrived. Dave raised his pole. Dawn was broken. He was excited with expectancy.
1. Dave got up early in the morning to .
| A．enjoy the scene of the lake | B．seek adventure at the lake |
| C．go fishing in the lake | D．take a walk by the lake |
| A．Dave broke the quietness of the lake. |
| B．Dave was familiar with the surroundings. |
| C．Dave took a picture of the lake with him. |
| D．Dave forgot the fishing pole at the beginning. |
| A．fish | B．boat | C．silence | D．mist |
| A．Dave was hopeful of catching a lot of fish. |
| B．Dave wished the weather would be better. |
| C．Dave was happy that dawn was broken. |
| D．Dave expected someone else would come. |
Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.”
For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion.
A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000, a huge sum for that time.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.
1. Why did the girl have a purse with 57 cents?
| A．To save money for her future career. |
| B．To build a large building for more children to live in. |
| C．To help build a church big enough for every child to go to. |
| D．To remind people to make remarkable history. |
| A．He made the story known to the public by publishing it. |
| B．He sold a land to the church for free. |
| C．He offered the church a piece of land for 57 cents. |
| D．He raised money for the church. |
| A．Church members donated because of their desire for a big church. |
| B．The girl’s unselfish love was rewarded at last. |
| C．The pastor found 57 cents saved by the little girl. |
| D．Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, Good Samaritan Hospital and a Sunday School building all belong to the small church the little girl went to. |
| A．57 Cents | B．A little girl’s wish |
| C．Pastor and Girl | D．A bigger Church |
According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had to be extremely careful as it was very fierce and dangerous. A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this amazing animal without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn dashed angrily. Hopefully, the creature could then be caught when its horn was stuck in the tree.
When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn’s horn was said to have the power to offer protection against person. It was believed that nobody could be harmed-by drinking the contents of a unicorn’s horn. Right up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of “unicorn” horn in order to protect the king. In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold. What, then, was “unicorn” horn? We know at times the rhino(犀牛) was confused with this legendary creature. A drinking-cup supposedly made of “unicorn” horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino.
1. Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn?
| A．It was not historically recorded |
| B．Its horn was first used in France |
| C．It was similar to the Indian Ass and the Oryx |
| D．It could be the symbol of a university |
| A．attracting the unicorn to attack |
| B．making use of the tree as a defense |
| C．hiding quickly behind the unicorn |
| D．having the unicorn horn stuck in the tree |
| A．the functions of the unicorn horn |
| B．the users of the unicorn horn |
| C．the price of the unicorn horn |
| D．the comparison between the unicorn horn and the rhino horn |
9 . I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say .Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁)calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased woman said to me, ”If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died. ”At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today .That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate ,was more than she could take.It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course-keeping mother at home, putting off the operation-would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needｓ,and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to his tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him，and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we don not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
1. The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because_______.| A．he was minister of the local church |
| B．he wanted to comfort the two families |
| C．he was an official of the community |
| D．he had great pity for the deceased |
| A．they can’t find a better way of express their sorrow |
| B．they have neglected the natural course of events |
| C．they believe that they were the reason |
| D．the don’t know things often turn in the opposite direction |
| A．everything in the world is predetermined |
| B．there’s an explanation for everything in the world |
| C．the world can be interpreted in different ways |
| D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world |
| A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery. |
| B．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault. |
| C．Every story should have a happy ending. |
| D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away. |
