1 . With the help of the car manufacturer (汽车制造商) Hound, a 13-year-old girl was able to send a message to space, where her dad works on the International Space Station (ISS).
“He gets to live and work in space and he is doing lots of experiments up there. He has to stay there for long periods of time... I miss him when he is gone,” Stephanie, who is from Houston, Texas, said in a video. “I think if we could write a really big message he would be able to see it from space.”
Hyundai took her wish to heart and decided to take on the challenge. Using Nevada’s Delamar Dry Lake as a canvas (画布), 11 drivers drove Hyundai cars, spelling out “Steph♡s you” across 2.14 square miles of desert. A promotional video, which Hyundai made to record the process, caught her father’s response and showed the picture he took of her message from the ISS.
“I am happy that he could see it and knows that we are thinking about him back home,” Stephanie said. “He has seen so many things up there, but I hope that this message was the most special.”
There are many misunderstandings about what can and cannot be seen from space. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space, but many seemingly less important things can be seen.
“A farmer from Louisiana could be burning wastes in his backyard, and it would make a big smoke trail that astronauts could see it from space,” Mike Gentry, a photo researcher for NASA’s human-tended vehicles. And with a special camera, they can see the earth in great detail and even keep up an eye on their favorite sports teams.
1. What can we know about Stephanie’s father?| A．He likes taking picture. | B．He spends little time at home. |
| C．He works in a car company. | D．He often sends messages to his daughter. |
| A．By offering a free ride. |
| B．By taking her to a guided tour. |
| C．By replaying her father’s response. |
| D．By making a large picture with cars. |
| A．A moving car. | B．A standing farmer. |
| C．The Great Wall of China. | D．The smoke of burning rubbish. |
| A．Send Love to Space | B．A Girl of Great Talent |
| C．Observe the Earth Far Away | D．A New Way to Explore Space |
2 . It was late one evening. I can’t remember what it was about, but my dad and I had a very big argument when my mom was away. We both said things we didn’t mean, and in the end I said, “I’m leaving.” And he said, “Good. The sooner, the better.”
I threw a few things in a suitcase and closed the door angrily behind me, not knowing where I was going. After walking aimlessly for about 20 minutes, I stopped at a local supermarket. Then my phone rang. It was my mom calling. She said, “Hey, Mary. Where are you？Dad is worried about you.”
“How can he worry about me？I’ve been away for nearly half an hour, but he didn’t call,” I said with annoyance(气恼). My anger returned and I remembered all the hateful things he’d shouted to me. “Listen, Mom. You can tell Dad that I’m fine. I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said and hung up.
I walked around the store, trying to get my thoughts together. By the time I paid for my purchases, it had been much later than I used to be out alone. When I left the supermarket, a large piece of white paper was in front of me. On the piece of white paper were these words: “Please come home! I miss you and I’m worried about you！”
Then a car pulled up beside me. Hanging out of the window was my dad. Beside him, smiling gently, sat my mom. And that’s when I started laughing. I laughed so hard that I cried. Despite my best efforts to run away from home, my father finally managed to track me down. I couldn’t leave now, not with him sitting there with caring eyes.
1. Hearing Mary decided to leave home, Mary’s father was very ________.| A．worried | B．nervous |
| C．angry | D．surprised |
| A．became angrier than before | B．gave in to her father |
| C．cried and calmed down | D．agreed to go home |
| A．Actions Mary regretted. | B．Goods Mary bought. |
| C．Telephone calls Mary made. | D．Lessons Mary learned. |
| A．Mary’s mother hated her father. | B．Mary still refused to go home. |
| C．Mary’s father became angry again. | D．Mary returned home happily. |
3 . It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle.
As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade—or so we thought, as she didn’t mention it again. We bought the latest fashionable Baby Sitter’s Club dolls, a holiday dress and some beautiful story books. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23rd, she proudly announced that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.”
It was just too late, what with all the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute gifts. We could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child. “What if I make a little bicycle out of clay and write a note that she could trade the clay model in for a real bike?” Her dad asked. The theory, of course, being that since that is a high-ticket item and she is “such a big girl”, it would be much better for her to pick it out. So he spent the next five hours painstakingly working with clay to make a tiny bike.
Three hours later, on Christmas morning, we were excited for Rose to open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud.
She looked at me and then at her dad and said, “so does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?”
Beaming, I said, “Yes.”
Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I’d rather keep this than get a real bike.”
At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle on the planet!
1. Rose’s parents didn’t buy her the bike she wanted because ________.| A．they had bought many other wonderful things for her |
| B．they thought she had changed her mind |
| C．they didn’t have time to do any shopping |
| D．they decided to make one for her |
| A．He thought Rose was too young for a real bike. |
| B．He didn’t want to disappoint his daughter. |
| C．He thought his daughter would like it. |
| D．He wanted to give his daughter a surprise. |
| A．Rose’s father was an artist with special skills |
| B．Rose would trade in the clay bike for a real one |
| C．The parents were moved and proud of the girl |
| D．Rose was a thoughtful and independent girl |
4 . Most young architects particularly those in big cities— can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical-parts film in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生锈的) walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (排除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there — the walls, the rust, and the light.” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation (装置) in there—a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲） zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.
1. According to the passage, it is ________ for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.| A．easy | B．unnecessary |
| C．unrealistic | D．common |
| A．it was a bargain to him |
| B．it was still in good condition |
| C．it was located in the city center |
| D．it looked attractive from the outside |
| A．pulled rubbish out through the roof |
| B．removed the skylights from the bathroom |
| C．presented a slow-motion show in an art gallery |
| D．built a kitchen at the back part of the old building |
| A．benefited a lot from pulling down the roof |
| B．turned more old buildings into art galleries |
| C．got inspiration from decorating their old building |
| D．paid more attention to the outside of the art gallery |
| A．people can learn a lot from their failures |
| B．it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building |
| C．people should not judge things by their appearance |
| D．creative people can make the best of what they have |
5 . “It’s really cool to have a dad who flies fighter jets,” thought 11-year-old Casey as she was watching him fly overhead.
Living on an Air Force base was not as bad as some people might think. Casey rather enjoyed being around friends who had something in common with each other. They had their own school, bowling area, and movie theatre. She especially loved it when her dad would come home each day and greet her with a new joke and tickles.
Today was different, though. When her dad walked into the room, he looked sad for some reason. He just kissed her on the forehead and told her mum that he needed to talk to her. Casey knew something was wrong.
When her mum and dad came out of the other room, mum was crying. Dad sat down and began to explain that he had been called to go to Iraq to help with the war effort. Casey was so surprised that she couldn’t speak for a moment. She began to feel tears in her eyes. How could she live without her dad for a whole year?
Soon, the day came. Her dad was leaving. As Casey and her mom watched him climb up the steps to his cockpit, the tears began to flow and it felt like they would never end. It was hard for Casey to believe that she wouldn’t be her dad for so long. They depend on him for so many things. who would fix the broken window? Who would greet her with jokes and tickles at the end of the day? And then the thought hit her, “What if he doesn’t make it home?” Casey began to sob more than ever.
1. According to the story, one thing Casey enjoyed on the base was that ________.| A．there was a friendly girl of her age living next door |
| B．she could travel around in her father’s jet |
| C．her friends had something in common with her |
| D．her dad was going to fight abroad |
| A．Casey’s dad volunteered to help with the war. |
| B．Casey’s parents didn’t let her know the truth. |
| C．Casey’s dad amused her in the morning usually. |
| D．Children living on the base could see movies in their theater. |
| A．Casey was worried that they couldn’t live without her father. |
| B．Casey saw her father off at the airport. |
| C．Casey’s dad looked sad. |
| D．Casey’s father left home. |
6 . Don't ignore the difference teenagers can make.
John Michael Thomas, 14, Florida
When John Michael Thomas decided to honor his friend and classmate Elizabeth Buckley, who died from cancer, he remembered how much she loved peacocks (孔雀).
He wanted to build a life-sized peacock fountain in Elizabeth's favorite park in the city. He thought it could be a place for people to relax and be inspired.
John Michael raised $52,000 to build the fountain.
Barrett England, 13, Utah
The wheels began to turn for Barrett England when he heard about Karma Bike shop, a place where young people can earn free bike by reading and performing community service.
Barrett visited Karma's owner with his idea: He would collect and repair used bikes and donate them to the shop.
He expected to get about 10 donated bikes. In the end, Barrett received 39.
Zachary Blohm, 15, Wisconsin
The 25-year-old playground at an elementary school near Milwaukee, Wis., was so small that only 70 of its 575 students could play on it at a time.
That's when Zachary Blohm saved the day. He and some volunteers wanted to build a huge playground. To raise money, Zac planned T-shirt and bake sales, sold tickets and more. He held monthly money-raising events for more than a year. Overall, he collected $130,000—enough to finish his project.
Jack Zimmerman, 16, New Jersey
For some people, finding a meal is as simple as opening the refrigerator. For more than 366,000 hungry kids in New Jersey, it's not that easy.
That fact didn't sit well with Jack Zimmerman, who organized a drive to lessen childhood hunger in his state. His goal: create 40,000 packaged meals that could be donated to those in need.
On game day, Jack and his volunteers started their work. After the final count, the team had packaged 47,124 meals—well above Jack's goal.
1. The peacock fountain was built in a park ________.| A．to encourage people | B．to cure a cancer sufferer |
| C．for the love of animals | D．in memory of a teenager |
| A．He repaired bikes there. | B．He donated bikes to it. |
| C．He helped it win customers. | D．He offered a reading service there. |
| A．They're top students. | B．They like various public activities. |
| C．They care about others. | D．They’re money raisers for the poor. |
7 . My mother, a nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital, worked at night so that she could come home in time to send me to school. She'd sleep during the day and be ready when we returned home before heading out again in the evening. This went on for 23 years. She never complained (抱怨). No matter how tired she was, she always had enough energy to be my mom.
She often had to work on Christmas, Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, and sometimes Thanksgiving, which made me upset. However, before holidays she always decorated the inside and outside of our house. She'd also have cookies baking in the oven, a holiday-themed movie in the VCR, and music playing throughout our house for us. But when it was time to go to work, there was no room for debate. “Why do you have to work on this day of all days?" I'd ask sadly. "They need me, too, dear son," she'd respond, compassion (同情) in her tone.
For a long time I didn't understand why she should care so much about those sick strangers. Recently, as my grandmother became ill, I found myself spending more time in hospitals. The scenes I saw in the hospital made me see the different side of my mother. The nurses checked heart, blood and oxygen levels, made sure patients were comfortable. They lifted patients in and out of bed and helped them to the bathroom. Beyond their duties, the nurses displayed consideration for each patient.
What I saw helped me to understand why my mother was devoted to her occupation. I was filled with more admiration for my mother.
1. Why did the author's mother work in the evening?| A．To take him to school. | B．To enjoy a movie. |
| C．To decorate their house. | D．To sleep during the day. |
| A．The mother loved her patients more than her kids. |
| B．Nurses are paid double salary working on holidays. |
| C．The author wished his mother could stay home on holidays. |
| D．Only people with mercy on patients will make good nurses. |
| A．he asked his mother to stay with him during holidays |
| B．he looked after his sick grandma in hospital |
| C．he saw how tired his mother was after work |
| D．he helped patients to the bathroom |
| A．Children of nurses are often dissatisfied with their mothers. |
| B．Nurses are particularly busy at work during holidays. |
| C．The author gained a new appreciation of his mother. |
| D．The author's mother liked doing housework. |
8 . How far would you go to make a good impression at a new job? A college student in Alabama walked 32 kilometers in the dark to get to his new job.
The story begins with Walter Carr’s car breaking down the night before starting a new job at Bellhops, a furniture moving company. Carr was unable to find a taxi. So he decided to walk from his house to the job in Pelham 32 kilometers away. He left at midnight so that he could make it to the customer’s house by 8:00 am the next morning.
Pelham police saw him walking along a highway at 4:00 am. So, they stopped to see if the needed help. After hearing his story, they took him to a restaurant for breakfast and then to a church where he could safely wait until 8:00 am. The police then took Carr to the home of customer Jenny Lamey, Lamey said that even though Carr had just walked the entire night, he refused her offer to rest. He just wanted to start working.
Jenny Lamey later wrote this on Facebook: “I just can’t tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey. He is hardworking and tough.” She then started a GoFundMe page to help Walter with money to get his car fixed.
Walter Carr’s story touched many others around the United States, Within a few days, people gave over $73, 000 to his GoFundMe page, When the CEO of Bellhops, Luke Marklin, learned of Carr’s story, he drove from Tennessee to Alabama to give Walter his own 2014 Ford Escape.
Carr has decided to give a part of the donations to the Birmingham Education Foundation. And he has received more offers for jobs and scholarships for schools.
1. What is probably the reason for Carr’s walking to his new job?| A．He had no money. |
| B．His car was stolen the night before. |
| C．He would like to take some exercise. |
| D．He considered the first day meaningful. |
| A．They took him to work immediately. |
| B．They went to his customer’s with him. |
| C．They called his customer to pick him up. |
| D．They gave him some money to buy breakfast. |
| A．To help Carr buy a new car. |
| B．To make Carr’s story popular. |
| C．To raise money to repair Carr’s car. |
| D．To express her admiration for Carr. |
| A．To share it with some schools. |
| B．To spend it on further education. |
| C．To set up an educational institution. |
| D．To donate some of it to a foundation. |
9 . I live on the West Coast of British Columbia with my husband and three children. Our day started like any other day. My husband left for work in the north of the town, which is an hour and a half’s drive. The younger children caught their bus to school ten minutes away. Our oldest attends high school and is a 40-minute drive away. I work at home in the office, working on the computer.
It was November 2006 and the news had reported gusty winds. When the winds started to get strong I shut the computer down and tried to phone my husband. I left a message telling him the winds were blowing at 80 to 90 km/hr. As I hung up the phone, I heard a tree crack. I went outside and stood in the driveway. Another tree exploded and my heart was racing.
When the school bus carrying the youngsters arrived, I ran to get them. No sooner had we made it to the house than another tree exploded. The children were clearly scared, so I loaded them up into the car and we parked in the middle of the yard, where no trees could land on us, it was starting to get dark.
My oldest son didn’t come home on the bus and my husband was stranded at work. I called the high school and reached my son. He said he was stranded and didn’t know what to do. I called a friend in town for help. He managed to get my son home to me. Finally, my husband managed to get home.
We had been prepared for such events, as we had a generator, candles, a wood stove, fresh water, batteries and two freezers full of food. We were without power for five days. But we didn’t panic―we had all the emergency equipment we needed. Thankfully, none of our neighbours were injured, but the damage was extensive. We are witnessing climate change. We need to be prepared.
1. When did the mother hear a tree crack for the third time?| A．When she was on the phone. |
| B．After she hung up the phone. |
| C．Right before she and her kids went into the house. |
| D．Right after she and her kids got into the house. |
| A．It was dark inside the house. |
| B．It was safer there than in the house. |
| C．She wanted to wait for her family there. |
| D．She wanted to receive help from others. |
| A．Busy completing his work. |
| B．Under the pressure of work. |
| C．Stuck at the workplace. |
| D．Worried while working. |
| A．Everyone made it home. |
| B．They encouraged each other. |
| C．The power would very soon be restored. |
| D．They had got all the necessities for emergency. |
10 . Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder. The little headline said: BOXER RECEIVES LIFE SENTENCE.
Frank Cleary, aged 26, professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Cumming, aged 32, laborer, last July. The jury (陪审团) reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most severe punishment the court could give out. It was, said the judge, a simple case. Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Cumming. When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking…
Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. Asked if he had anything to say, Cleary answered, “Just don’t tell my mother.”
“It happened over three years ago,” Paddy said helplessly. No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do. “Just don’t tell my mother,” said Fee numbly. “And no one did! Oh. God! My poor, poor Frank!”
Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said, “Fee, dear, pack your things. We’ll go to see him.”
She half-rose before sinking back. Her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead. “I can’t go.” she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there. “It would kill him to see me. I know him so well — his pride, his ambition. Let him bear the shame alone, it’s what he wants. We’ve got to help him keep his secret. What good will it do him to see us?”
Paddy was still weeping, but not for Frank; for the life which had gone from Fee’s face, for the dying in her eyes. Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune, always stood between Fee and himself. He was the cause of her withdrawal from his heart and the hearts of his children. Every time it looked as if there might be happenings for Fee, Frank took it away. But Paddy’s love for her was as deep and impossibile to wipe out as hers was for Frank.
So he said, “Well, Fee, we won’t go. But we must make sure he is taken care of. How about if I write to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?”
The eyes didn’t liven, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks. “Yes. Paddy, do that. Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out. Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don’t know.”
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Frank was found guilty of murder because he was a professional boxer. |
| B．The family didn’t find out what happened to Frank until three years later |
| C．The jury and the judge disagreed on whether Frank had committed murder. |
| D．Frank didn’t want his family to find out what happened because Paddy disliked him. |
| A．Frank did kill someone and deserved the punihment |
| B．Frank should have told Fee what had happened |
| C．what had happened to Frank was killing Fee |
| D．Frank had always been a man of bad moral character |
| A．Fee was so heart-broken that she could hardly stand up |
| B．Fee didn’t want to upset Paddy by visiting Frank |
| C．Fee couldn’t leave her family to go to see Frank |
| D．Fee struggled between wanting to See Frank and respecting his wish |
| A．Son and brother. | B．Son and husband. |
| C．Brothcr and lover. | D．Lover and husband. |
