1 . One evening, author Neil’s son was angry. Neil had said one of those things that parents say, like “isn’t it time you were in bed.” His son looked up at him, angry and said, “I wish I didn’t have a dad! I wish I had … a goldfish!” That conversation gave birth to Neil’s book, “The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish”. The book is a funny adventure of a son searching for the dad he swapped.
Whether they realize it or not, fathers play an important role in their children’s development. Roland Warren, Director of the National Fatherhood Initiative, says that, “The shape of their dads has a role in the kids’ soul.” I agree. We live in the best of times and the worst of times for fatherhood. We live in the best of times because fathers who are engaged in their child’s life spend more time than fathers of any previous generation. We live in the worst of times because there are still millions of children who continue to miss the regular presence of Dad.
What difference does a dad make? Are they really that important? For the most part, studies have proved clearly that fathers, whether they live with their children or not, matter in the lives of their children. When fathers are present, they provide economic support for their children and caregiving responsibilities. Well-fathered children are shown to be more emotionally intelligent and socially successful as adults. When fathers are absent, their absence may negatively influence children’s academic achievement, general behavioural adjustment and anger management, especially in males.
Yet just being physically present isn’t enough to be a great father. It is important that a dad be warm and emotionally available to his child. Author and researcher, John Gottman, describes this kind of father as an “emotion coaching father”. Emotion coaches are parents who listen to their children’s feelings, see the sharing of feelings as an opportunity for intimacy（亲密）. It is not just the mere presence of fathers that matters, but how they are present. Most children long for and need a loving, devoted and responsible father.
1. The author introduces his topic by ______.| A．presenting the results of studies | B．telling a story |
| C．making a comparison | D．interviewing some experts |
| A．Today’s fathers don’t care about their children’s emotions. |
| B．Lots of children’s fathers have to work every day. |
| C．Lots of children’s fathers are absent from their lives. |
| D．Today’s fathers don’t have care giving responsibilities. |
| A．lose control of anger | B．obtain high academic achievement |
| C．have low emotional intelligence | D．have good social skills |
| A．gives economic support to his child | B．shares his child’s emotions |
| C．tries to change his child’s emotions | D．is always available to his child |
2 . There are some people who seem to always be surrounded by friends, and there are others who always seem to be standing on the outside, looking in at the crowds of friends. If you are one of the outsiders, it is time to break out of your shell and start making new friends.
1. Be yourself. Nobody likes a phony(虚伪的人). In fact, if you aren’t yourself, others won’t become friends with you. When the time comes that you feel comfortable enough to act like yourself again, you may not be well received, because you are a totally different person.
2. Use technology.
3. Start with people you know. Reach out and contact new friends, and reconnect with old friends you haven’t seen in a long time. Don’t forget about friends of friends. You may connect with some really cool people just by hanging out with your friends and their friends.
4. Keep in touch.
| A．There are all kinds of online groups that you can join. |
| B．Knowing others well is very important. |
| C．Therefore, let people get to know the real you. |
| D．If you are invited to go out, go. |
| E．All too often, people lose touch with one another. |
| F．Here are some tips that will help. |
| G．You need to trust yourself, whatever happens. |
3 . Difficult financial times don’t mean your giving shuts down.
1. Pick up the phone
Calling someone “for no reason” is an important opportunity to show them that you are thinking of them. You are taking time out of your busy day to reach out. Everyone needs someone to just listen sometimes. They may be filled with joy or sadness.
2.Write a note
3.
You never know what someone might be going through-a painful divorce, a tough college semester, or just a bad day. Opening up your home will make someone feel appreciated. In addition’ it costs less than going out. The leftovers from this dinner can be packaged up for homeless people. That’s double giving!
4. Set aside money from a daily routine to donate
Giving doesn’t have to mean a life full of sacrifices. You can still buy a burger or get your nails done.
| A．Give a gift to the stomach. |
| B．Invite someone over for dinner. |
| C．To take your awareness to a new level, move beyond money. |
| D．But instead of buying much coffee every week, you can drink less. |
| E．While some people enjoy receiving gifts, all of us appreciate a kind word. |
| F．Instead, they allow you to examine how your time and money are spent. |
| G．Be there to celebrate their good news, or support them with sympathy. |
4 . It’s been a difficult year. My daughter, my dog and I lost our home. We’ve depended upon the kindness of others to provide temporary（临时的）shelter.
Today I dug through the changes at the bottom of my purse and bought her a lollipop (棒棒糖) at the store. She’d had her eye on it the entire time we were in line to pay for it. It was anold-fashioned one that cost $1.00.
Then I reached into my purse and counted out enough for the lollipop. You would have thought I gave her the key to the magic kingdom! “ Thank you, Mommy! You’re the best mommy!”
All at once, the cloud of worries and despair that had hung over me lifted.
| A．I really couldn’t afford it. |
| B．I became upset at my loss. |
| C．I could see tears shining in her eyes. |
| D．She cried with joy as she hugged me with all her strength. |
| E．However, she never complains, although she has every right to. |
| F．I wouldn’t have any money coming until the first day of next month. |
| G．I knew without doubt at that very moment that I was the family that my little girl needed. |
5 . Ways to build strong friendships
Be loyal to a friend. Part of being a friend is being prepared to devote your time and energy to helping out your friends. If a friend needs help with an unpleasant thing, or if he or she just needs a shoulder to cry on, be there for them.
Be a good listener. Many people think they have to appear very interesting.
Stress your good qualities. Show others what makes you stand apart from the crowd. Talk about your interests and hobbies. Everyone has interesting stories to tell — don’t be afraid to share yours.
Choose your friends wisely. As you make friends with more people, you may find that some are hard to get along with. Sometimes you may even realize that certain friendships are unhealthy.
| A．Be a reliable friend. |
| B．Keep your promise to your friend. |
| C．Be respectful of their decisions and share yours with him. |
| D．Besides, a little humor always keeps a conversation light and happy. |
| E．In this case, walk your way out of the friendship as gracefully as possible. |
| F．Being a loyal friend will attract other people to you who value this quality. |
| G．Far more important than that, however, is the ability to show that you’re interested in others. |
6 . In many African countries, the care of orphans has been mainly led by foreign donor organizations. However, Sister Florence has changed all that. Using her own resources, Sister Florence is leading the work of raising orphans from different backgrounds. Sister Florence Wanjala’s biggest motivation to start the orphan program was when she saw a little boy whose parents had died. The boy was living with a cruel grandparent and he would visit the grave of his mother, crying for support. Sister Wanjala wanted to give a helping hand and give him hope. From that time, she started feeling the call to help a larger number of orphans.
She opened an office with a few friends and coordinated (协调)a program to help the orphans. All the registration
s were done in the office and the program so far has 8000 children. Sister Wanjala said, “My dream is to help the orphan to live a holistic (完整)life and be a good Kenyan citizen to help this country. Many people think that the way to support orphans is to put them in an institution. Others support them up to the age of eighteen, but here, we do it very differently.” For Sister Wanjala, putting a child in an institution is normally her last choice . She prefers the orphans to live in a foster home.
She said, “I’m so encouraged and happy to see the orphans succeeding. When they come first or second in class, it shows how the program has helped them, and that’s encouraging to me as I continue to coordinate the program.” Through her charity work, more than 1000 orphans have been able to find a home. Sister Wanjala, as a mother, takes care of her own family.
1. What inspired Sister Wanjala to start the orphan program| A．Her preference for kids. |
| B．Her own similar experience. |
| C．A sad story about an orphan. |
| D．Her successful charity work. |
| A．set up as many institutions as possible for orphans |
| B．start a program to offer orphans a foster family |
| C．provide school education for those orphans |
| D．raise more money for the homeless kids |
| A．She didn’t want orphans to live in an institution. |
| B．She preferred to put orphans into an institution. |
| C．She had no choice but to put orphans in institutions. |
| D．She sent orphans into an institution in the end. |
| A．Sister Wanjala finally adopted the little boy. |
| B．Sister Wanjala found foster homes for 8000 orphans. |
| C．Sister Wanjala was too busy to care for her own family. |
| D．Sister Wanjala was not alone in helping orphans. |
7 . Both of my parents worked full-time when I was a little girl, so my grandmother would stay at our house during the day. We would watch game shows in the living room. Our favorite was The Price is Right. We would call out our answers along with the contestants.
When I got older and started going to school, we couldn’t watch our game shows regularly. That was okay with me, though, because the one thing I liked better than watching game shows with my grandmother was helping her bake. Watching her in the kitchen was amazing: she never seemed to need the recipes but everything she made tasted delicious.
At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch, even though I didn’t understand what she was doing. As I got older, she let me help with the easy parts, such as measuring the sugar. The day she let me separate the eggs, I felt like I had found complete pleasure.
At last, my parents decided that I could take care of myself, and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking, however, stayed with me. I started baking by myself, and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes, more often they turned out pretty well. I tried out new recipes, and whenever I got to a thorny part, I would call my grandmother for advice. Sometimes I would call her just to talk, too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.
My grandmother passed away ten years ago, but I still think of her every day. Last week, I found a recipe book she made for me. It included her recipes for brownies, cookies, and my favorite, lemon pie. As I looked through the pages, I thought I could hear her voice. She was the one who taught me not just about baking, but about life.
1. The passage is developed in order of .| A．time | B．place |
| C．logic | D．events |
| A．missed the game shows |
| B．refused to go to school |
| C．showed great interest |
| D．could take care of herself |
| A．Basic. | B．Common. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Special. |
| A．lived with her family |
| B．was very skilled at baking |
| C．published a recipe book |
| D．had been on a game show |
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch (沟渠) at Romney Marsin，Kent，after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately，the water began to come in only slowly，” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn (喇叭) and hammering（捶打） on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew（松开螺丝） the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the things from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench（扳手） and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled (攀爬) clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised (擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby，where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife，Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket，he said，“That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” “Only the tips （尖部）of the car wheels were visible，”police said last night. “The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.”
1. What is the best title for this newspaper article?
| A．The Story of Mr. Johnson，a Sweet Salesman |
| B．Car Boot Can Serve As the Best Escape Route |
| C．Driver Escaped Through Car Boot |
| D．The Driver Survived a Terrible Car Accident |
| A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down. |
| B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam. |
| C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road. |
| D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat. |
| A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end |
| B．At last the wrench went broken |
| C．The chance was lost at the last minute |
| D．The lock came open after all his efforts |
| A．the ditch was along a quiet country road |
| B．the accident happened on a clear warm day |
| C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch |
| D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended |
9 . Many schools across the US hold graduation ceremonies this time of year. In some schools, even 5 and 6-year-olds observe their graduation from kindergarten. And so can older people, much older. Meet 70-year-old Jerry Reid, who just graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He earned a bachelor’s degree.
Mr. Reid might not look like the average college student; his hair is definitely grayer. But still Jerry Reid’s age is easy to forget, other UVA students know him as one of their own.
Mr. Reid sat into the “Hoo Crew,” a group that cheers loudly for the school at sports events. He also joined a men's group on campus. He sang drinking songs along with many other students. Mr. Reid’s school friends say they can talk to him just about anything.
About a half century ago, in his 20s, Mr. Reid was not in school. Instead, he was racing cars and chasing girls. But he says his friend Bill invited him to UVA parties.
“Bill told me what a terrible life I had unless I came up here and went to school with him,” said Reid.
That was in 1963. Jerry Reid says it took him 48 years to take that advice. In 2011, he entered college. UVA Professor Luke Wright says Mr. Reid influences students. He opened the minds of the young adults. The teacher says Mr. Reid showed them that life does not end at 40. Instead, the 70-year-old college graduate believes that getting older can be the beginning of a dream.
“Remember that path that you left waits for you. It’s there. It’s yours. All you must do is to get out of your own way and get back to it. And, that's exactly what I did,” said Reid.
Mr. Reid says that he and his wife Susan now would take some time off to enjoy his college degree. Then, he’ll return to UVA to begin studying for his graduate degree.
1. Which of the following is true of Mr. Reid?| A．He was laughed at by other students. |
| B．He was interested in study in his youth. |
| C．He enlarged the views of young people. |
| D．He got his graduate degree at the age of 70. |
| A．considerate | B．independent |
| C．intelligent | D．energetic |
| A．How Mr. Reid realizes his dream. |
| B．What teachers think of Mr. Reid. |
| C．When Mr. Reid entered college. |
| D．Why the students likes Mr. Reid. |
| A．It is never too late to learn. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2011,when my husband arranged for me me ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time ,I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community（社区）announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.
In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it.
One june 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reachen 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute（降落伞）, then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air ballon. I was just enjoying it.
Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.
1. What happened to the author in 2001?
| A．She flew an airplane |
| B．She entered a competition |
| C．She went on a hot air balloon ride |
| D．She moved into a retirement community |
| A．build up her own reputation |
| B．show her admiration for him |
| C．compare their health conditon |
| D．make her argument persuasive |
| A．Excited | B．Scared | C．Nervous | D．Regretful |
| A．The beautiful clouds | B．The wonderful view |
| C．The company of Jay | D．The one-minute free fall |
