1 . My mother is a kind and gentle woman. She is very busy from morning till night. As a teacher she works diligently (勤奋地) and efficiently. As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort. I have an elder brother. He and I both love her dearly, as she loves us.
My mother has been teaching maths at a middle school in my hometown. She goes to the school early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon. She loves her students and cares for them. She treats them with patience and teaches them well. For her excellent qualities and very good teaching results, she is always praised and respected by both her students and colleagues alike. And she has been chosen or elected as a model teacher several times.
My mother is a thrifty and industrious (勤劳的)woman. She never buys expensive or beautiful dresses for herself; she goes occasionally to buy some inexpensive and high-quality clothes for us. She never goes to big restaurants to enjoy expensive meals. She only eats a cheap meal outside when she is too busy. She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints. As soon as she comes back from school, she sets about doing housework; sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order. Besides, she prepares nice dishes for us to eat. She seems to be on the go all the time. As she has been very busy working hard every day, she looks older than she really is. Her face is wrinkled, and her hair has turned silver white. But she looks
as cheerful and happy as ever.
Often she says to us, “Work while you work, and play while you play.” What a good piece of advice this is! I never forget it and always keep it in my mind. This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my action.
1. The mother is always praised and respected by the students and other teachers, because .| A．she cares for her students |
| B．she has good qualities and is good at teaching |
| C．she loves her students and treats them with patience |
| D．she has been chosen or elected as a model teacher several times |
| A．seems to be on the go all the time |
| B．cares much about her children |
| C．is a thrifty and industrious woman |
| D．never buys expensive or fancy dresses for herself |
| A．You should concentrate on anything you are doing. |
| B．You should play all the time. |
| C．You should work and play at the same time. |
| D．You should work all the time. |
| A．She looks young and beautiful. |
| B．She looks much older than other women. |
| C．She looks younger than she really is. |
| D．She looks older than her real age. |
2 . Are you happy? If you aren’t you need to move near friends who are happy. A new study shows that happiness is infectious (易传染的) and can flow through social groups. And the closer you are to someone happy, the happier you’ll be.
The study was carried out by the Harvard Medical School. The researchers discovered that a person’s happiness depends on the happiness of those around them. They collected data on 5,000 adults between 1971 and 2003. Participants were asked to identify their relatives, close friends, place of residence and place of work. They were also asked questions about whether they enjoyed life, and whether they felt hopeful about the future.
The results were very interesting. The researchers found that those who had happy partners had an 8% higher chance of being happy too. And for those with happy children, this increases to 14%. And finally, those with a happy friend who lives less than half a kilometre away are 42% more likely to be happy. “Most important from our perspective is the recognition that people are m social networks, and that the health and well-being of one person affects the health and well-being of others,” one of the researchers explained. “It makes sense that if people around you are happy, that might have an impact on your own happiness.” So, in conclusion, the best thing is to have a happy friend who lives less than a kilometer away from you. Do you have one?
1. How did researchers get their findings?| A．By comparing results. | B．By asking questions. |
| C．By listing figures. | D．By giving examples. |
| A．Your partner. | B．Your children. |
| C．Your close friends. | D．Your parents. |
| A．the interesting result. | B．the happy life. |
| C．the health of the family. | D．the chance of happiness. |
| A．Happiness and family. | B．Happiness and health. |
| C．Friendship and happiness. | D．Friendship and health. |
3 . The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Maya were so bright that they achieved a lot. They had farms, temples and cities with many buildings. They knew much about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of crops around it. The Maya planted seeds after they cleared the land. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were builders or priests (祭司)．
The Maya believed in many gods. They built large temples to honor them. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult because they had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
Although the Maya worked hard to build the beautiful cities, very few of them lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from a deadly disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. The lost secrets of the Maya are still beyond the reach of modern people. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.
1. The Maya lived better than most people of their times because ______．| A．they had skillful workers |
| B．they believed in many gods |
| C．they knew better about nature |
| D．they could measure time correctly |
| A．the priests were not highly respected by the ancient Maya |
| B．the ancient Mayan cities and temples were well built |
| C．the ancient Mayan people led a happy life in the cities |
| D．the ancient Mayan people died from a serious disease |
| A．the Mayan people | B．the Mayan villages |
| C．the Mayan cities | D．the lost secrets of the Maya |
| A．The Cities of the Maya | B．The Belief of the Maya |
| C．The Maya | D．The Buildings of the Maya |
4 . Richard Williams works hard. He’s clever, careful, and fast. His work is dangerous. Richard thinks of himself as a professional—a professional thief.
Yesterday was a typical day. Richard dressed in a business suit, took his briefcase, and drove to a town about ten miles from his home. He parked his car in a busy area, then began to walk along the street. No one looked at him. He was another businessman walking to work.
At 8：05, Richard saw what he wanted. A man was leaving his house. Richard walked around the block again. At 8：10, he watched a woman leave the same house. After she left, Richard worked quickly. He walked to the side of the house and stood behind a tree. He took a screwdriver (螺丝刀) out of his briefcase and quickly opened the window and climbed in. First, he looked through the desk in the living room. He found $200 in cash. In the dining room, he put the silverware (银器) into his briefcase. The next stop was the bedroom. Richard stole a diamond ring and an emerald (祖母绿宝石) necklace. Richard passed a color TV, a stereo, and a camera, but he didn’t touch them. Everything had to fit into his briefcase. In less than five minutes, Richard climbed back out the window. He looked around carefully, then began his walk down the street again. No one looked at him. He was just another businessman, walking to work.
1. Why did Richard wear a business suit?| A．Because he is a professional. |
| B．Because he didn’t want to draw others’ attention to him. |
| C．Because he works hard. |
| D．Because he is a thief. |
| A．it was night time | B．he ran very fast |
| C．he stood behind a tree | D．he was very clever |
| A．it is too big to carry |
| B．it is too heavy to carry |
| C．it is worth nothing |
| D．it is difficult for him to carry such a thing without being noticed |
Guess what? I have a chance to choose my new place to live in! I’m excited and a little nervous. Could you please give me some help?
I’m not sure whether I will live in a house or in an apartment. On the one hand, a house will be too big for just one person, so maybe I should rent an apartment. On the other hand, if I rent a house, I could find someone else to share with me. The only problem is that a house full of people might be too noisy for me. I prefer to have my own space. The city has some nice apartments, but they are also too expensive. However, if I could find a two-bedroom apartment and get a roommate, that would make it more affordable. I just need to search for a roommate who is neat and quiet. You know I can’t live with someone who is loud and messy(凌乱的). I don’t have a car, so I also need to think carefully about the location. I probably need to look for somewhere near a bus stop or an underground station. That way I will have more time to study and spend less time travelling.
I’m looking forward to your reply.
Love, Victor
1. Victor feels excited because ________.| A．he has a new house to live in |
| B．he can decide where to live now |
| C．he is going to see his friend Alan |
| D．he helped Alan out with his problem |
| A．neat and quiet | B．messy but outgoing |
| C．neat and loud | D．quiet but messy |
| A．waste money | B．buy a car |
| C．save some money | D．have more time to study |
| A．a two bed-room apartment |
| B．to ask Alan for advice |
| C．to have his own space |
| D．a place with convenient traffic |
| A．观光旅行 | B．路途奔波 | C．广为流传 | D．跋山涉水 |
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer, none came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace. It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work though she’d never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
1. The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.
| A．after Mother died | B．before she became a writer |
| C．when she was a child | D．when mother gave it to her |
| A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter |
| B．Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done |
| C．Mother cared much about her daughter in words |
| D．Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words. |
| A．deep understanding between the old and the young. |
| B．different ideas between the mother and the daughter. |
| C．free talks between mother and daughter. |
| D．part of the sea going far in land. |
| A．She had never received the letter. |
| B．For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life. |
| D．She read the letter again and again till she died. |
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and Children |
| C．My Mother’s Desk | D．Talks between Mother and me. |
7 . I stood outside New York’s Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.
From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.
Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. I rarely, left the farmhouse---and then only in someone’s arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.
“The world will see him when he can walk,” she told Dad. “And he will walk.”
Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.
A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.
“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”
The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. “Hold your head up high, now, Ronan,” she said.
We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I’d walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.
That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I’d done on my walk.
Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam’s words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.
I’ve sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world’s finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.
1. What was the problem with the author as a baby?| A．He was expected unable to walk. |
| B．He was born outward in character. |
| C．He had a problem with listening. |
| D．He was shorter than a normal baby. |
| A．shortcoming | B．disadvantage | C．disability | D．delay |
| A．To hide their depressed feeling. |
| B．To indicate it an unusual day. |
| C．To show off their clothes. |
| D．To celebrate his successful operation. |
| A．determined | B．stubborn | C．generous | D．distinguished |
| A．His consistent effort. | B．His talent for music. |
| C．His countless failures. | D．His mother’s promise. |
8 . The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life. I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid. It was Carlos.
“My, you’re tall,” he said.
Of course, the class began to laugh. Angry, I walked to my seat without a word.
I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest. That would be the last straw. But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else. I didn’t know why I considered Reed my friend. Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I. Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington. “Take that seat,” Mr. McCarthy told the proud newcomer Carlos, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room.
Carlos smiled broadly. “But I need a couple of dictionaries.” Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him. He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side.
It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice president. “How come?” I kept asking myself. “How come this shrimp(虾) who’s only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular.”
So on that morning, I stopped Carlos and said, “It doesn’t seem to bother you—being short.” He looked up at me. “Of course I mind being short. But there isn’t anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself.” “You seem to get along great,” I admitted. “But what about me? Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is.” “The trouble with you is you’re afraid to be yourself. You’re smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty.” I felt myself turning red...
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．The writer cared much about Reed’s attitude. |
| B．Carlos isn’t popular with the classmates. |
| C．The writer is always confident with herself. |
| D．Carlos always makes fun of the writer. |
| A．Carlos is as tall as the writer |
| B．Carlos fell love with the writer later |
| C．the writer is very tall |
| D．Reed, Carlos and the writer became good friends later |
| A．Handsome and proud | B．Humorous and confident |
| C．Diligent and helpful | D．Hardworking and popular |
| A．A girl and a boy. | B．My shortcomings. |
| C．My helpful classmates. | D．A change in my life. |
I had an interesting conversation with a reporter recently --- one who works for you. In fact, he’s one of your best reporters. He wants to leave.
Your reporter gave me a copy of his resume(简历) and photocopies of six stories that he wrote for you. The headlines showed you played them proudly. With great enthusiasm, he talked about how he finds issues(问题), approaches them, and writes about them, which tells me he is one of your best. I’m sure you would hate to lose him. Surprisingly, your reporter is not unhappy. In fact, he told me he really likes his job. He has a great assignment (分工), and said you run a great paper. It would be easy for you to keep him, he said. He knows that the paper values him. He appreciates the responsibility you’ve given him, takes ownership of his profession, and enjoys his freedom.
So why is he looking for a way out?
He talked to me because he wants his editors to demand so much more of him. He wants to be pushed, challenged, coached to new heights.
The reporter believes that good stories spring from good questions, but his editors usually ask how long the story will be, when it will be in, where it can play, and what the budget is.
He longs for conversations with an editor who will help him turn his good ideas into great ones. He wants someone to get excited about what he’s doing and to help him turn his story idea upside down and inside out, exploring the best ways to report it. He wants to be more valuable for your paper. That’s what you want for him, too, isn’t it?
So your reporter has set me thinking.
Our best hope in keeping our best reporters, copy editors, photographers, artists --- everyone --- is to work harder to make sure they get the help they are demanding to reach their potential. If we can’t do it, they’ll find someone who can.
1. What does the writer think of the reporter?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Imaginative. | C．Ambitious. | D．Proud. |
| A．Finding the news value of his stories. | B．Giving him financial support. |
| C．Helping him to find issues. | D．Improving his good ideas. |
| A．An editor. | B．An artist. | C．A reporter. | D．A reader. |
| A．keep their best reporters at all costs |
| B．give more freedom to their reporters |
| C．be aware of their reporters’ professional development |
| D．appreciate their reporters’ working styles and attitudes |
William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.
Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has a special proof of Porter’s love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.
Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.
William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry.
Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.
1. O.Henry’s house in Austin has been well kept up till now so that ____.
| A．Americans can explore their historyB more visitors will be attracted to Austin | B．visitors can learn about O.Henry’s life |
| C．it can show the way of life in the 1860s | |
| A．It was hated by Porter’s daughter. |
| B．It has a long history of about 150 years. |
| C．Porter’s wife gave music lessons on it. |
| D．Porter usually created music on it. |
| A．With a dictionary he used. | B．With the records they keep. |
| C．Using the books they wrote. | D．Using the photograph they keep. |
| A．He didn’t want to lose his job. | B．He didn’t want to make trouble. |
| C．He meant to save his wife’s life. | D．He was charged with a crime. |
| A．Porter became famous suddenly |
| B．Porter spent his time in prison writing |
| C．Porter suffered a lot from his time in prison |
| D．life in prison provided what he could write for Porter |
