1 . If a single word can describe our daily life during those first three years, it is “scrounge”(讨要) Every waking moment we were concentrating on how the hell we would be able to save up enough dough (面团;钱) to do whatever it was we had to do. Usually it was just break even. And there’s nothing romantic about it. either. Remember the famous stanza n Omar Khayyám? You know,the book of verses underneath the bough, the loaf of bread, the jug of wine and so forth? Substitute Scott on Trusts for that book of verses and see how this poetic vision stacks up against my idyllic existence. Ah, paradise? No, bullshit. All I’d think about is how much that book was (could we get it secondhand?) and where, if anywhere, we might be able to charge that bread and wine. And then how we might ultimately scrounge up the dough to pay off our debts.
Life changes. Even the simplest decision mast be scrutinized by the ever vigilant budget committee of your mind.
“Hey, Oliver, let’s go see Becket tonight.”
“Listen, it’s three bucks.”
“What do you mean?”
“ I mean a buck fifty for you and a buck fifty for me.”
“Does that mean yes or no?”
“Neither. It just means three bucks.”
Our honeymoon was spent on a yacht and with twenty-one children.That is, I sailed a thirty-six-foot Rhodes from seven in the morning till whenever my passengers had enough, and Jenny was a children’s counselor. It was a place called the Pequod Boat Club in Dennis Port (not far from Hyannis) an establishment that included a large hotel, a marina and several dozen houses for rent. In one of the tinier bungalows, I have nailed an imaginary plaque(匾牌): “Oliver and Jenny slept here. I think it’s a tribute to us both that after a long day of being kind to our customers, for we were largely dependent on their tips for our income, Jenny and I were nonetheless kind to each other. Is imply say “kind”, because I lack the vocabulary to describe what loving and being loved by Jennifer Cavilleri is like. Sorry, I mean Jennifer Barrett.
Before leaving for the Cape, we found a cheap apartment in North Cambridge. I called it North Cambridge, although the address was technically in the town of Somerville and the house was, as Jenny described it,“in the state of disrepair”. It had originally been a two-family structure, now converted into four apartments, overpriced even at its “cheap” rental. But what he hell can graduate students do? It’s a seller’s market.
1. What can we learn from the conversation between Oliver and Jenny?A.None of them wanted to see Becket. |
B.They didn’t have three bucks. |
C.Jenny was wasting money. |
D.Oliver was a thrifty man. |
A.They were both counselors for children. |
B.They needed to get tips from customers. |
C.They didn’t have enough room to live in |
D.That was the rule on the yacht. |
A.the apartment was very cheap |
B.the apartment was very expensive |
C.their accommodation is not decent |
D.their accommodation is very decent |
A.A couple’s debt repayment process |
B.A couple’s honeymoon trip |
C.A couple’ s hard life |
D.A couple’s life on a yacht |
2 . It’s really easy to feel all alone in life, especially when going through hardship. But sometimes the best thing we can do is to allow ourselves to ask for
Erin worked at a McDonald’s in Michigan. But her pay wasn’t enough to cover rent and she and her twin girls ended up
So, she asked police officer Heather Kolke if they could stay there. But the conversation didn’t stop there. Heather, also a mom, knew she had to
Heather also planned a birthday party for Erin’s daughters, with local businesses
The whole community ultimately got
“It really warms my heart to know that there are people out there who
A.help | B.forgiveness | C.permission | D.leave |
A.desperate | B.fruitless | C.homeless | D.disappointed |
A.repaired | B.seen | C.abandoned | D.parked |
A.worthwhile | B.legal | C.wise | D.useful |
A.set out | B.walk by | C.step in | D.look forward |
A.interview | B.innovation | C.award | D.arrangement |
A.producing | B.decorating | C.designing | D.donating |
A.paid | B.involved | C.elected | D.cleaned |
A.car | B.school | C.office | D.home |
A.remain | B.insist | C.care | D.share |
A.He was laughed at by other students. |
B.He was interested in studying in his youth. |
C.He got his graduate degree at the age of 60. |
D.He made his fellow students more open-minded. |
A.Considerate. | B.Independent. | C.Intelligent. | D.Energetic. |
A.It is never too late to learn. |
B.Two heads are better than one. |
C.A friend in need is friend indeed. |
D.You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. |
4 . My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word: kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh, but she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means “glittering” in Japanese. Lynn told me that when I was a baby, she used to take me onto our empty road at night, where we would lie on our backs and look at the stars while she said over and over, “Katie, say ‘kira-kira, kira-kira!’” I loved that word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira to describe everything I liked: the beautiful blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterflies, colored tissues.
My mother said we were misusing the word; you could not call colored tissues kira-kira. She was dismayed over how un-Japanese we were and swore to send us to Japan one day. I didn’t care where she sent me, so long as Lynn came along.
When she wasn’t in school, she stayed with me constantly. Both our parents worked. Officially, I stayed all day with a lady from down the road, but unofficially, Lynn was the one who took care of me.
My sister used to keep a diary. Today I keep her diary in a drawer next to my bed. I like to see how her memories were the same as mine, but also different. For instance, one of my earliest memories is of the day Lynn saved my life. I was almost five, and she was almost nine. We were playing on the empty road near our house. Fields of tall corn stretched into the distance wherever you looked. A dirty gray dog ran out of the field near us, and then he ran back in. Lynn loved animals. Her long black hair disappeared into the corn as she chased the dog. The summer sky was clear and blue. I felt a brief fear as Lynn disappeared into the cornstalks. After Lynn ran into the field, I couldn’t see anything but corn. “Lynnie!” I shouted. We weren’t that far from our house, but I felt scared. I burst into tears.
Somehow or other, Lynn got behind me and said, “Boo!” and I cried some more. She just laughed and hugged me and said, “You’re the best little sister in the world!” I liked it when she said that, so I stopped crying.
1. What can be learned about Katie as a little child from the first paragraph?A.She only listened to Lynn’s advice. |
B.She didn’t like to learn the Japanese language. |
C.She mispronounced kira-kira on purpose. |
D.She associated kira-kira with nice things. |
A.discouraged | B.amused | C.relieved | D.unconvinced |
A....I was sure that the dog would hurt Katie... |
B....My heart melted at the sight of the lovely dog... |
C....I kept chasing the dog until Katie appeared... |
D....I regretted taking Katie out when I saw the dog... |
A.sing praise of her Japanese roots | B.share an adventurous experience |
C.recall unique style of language learning | D.show the sisterly affection |
More than 25 years ago, a train took Saroo Brierley, a 4-year-old boy, a thousand miles across the country to a totally strange city. There, he
Then he found a digital mapping program. He spent years
When he stood in front of the house
In an interview Brierley says, “My mother looked so much
6 . Two things changed my life: my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it’s true. I would be a different person if my mom hadn’t turned a silly bicycle accessory into a life lesson that I carry with me today.
My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. Looking back, I honestly don’t know how she did it. Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task, but she made it look effortless. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we’d hear something like, “I don’t care what so-and-so got for his birthday, you are not getting a TV in your room, a car for your birthday or a lavish sweet-16 party.” We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. I can still remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table. My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house. Like the two little girls growing up at the White House, we made our own beds (no one left the house until that was done) and picked up after ourselves. We had to keep track of our belongings, and if something was lost, it was not replaced.
It was summer and, one day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed — and there it was in the window. White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers, the basket winked at me and I knew — I knew — I had to have it.
“It’s beautiful,” my mother said when I pointed it out to her. “What a neat basket.”
I tried to hold off at first. I played it cool for a short while. But then I guess I couldn’t stand it any longer: “Mom, please can I please, please get it? I’ll do extra chores for as long as you say. I’ll do anything, but I need that basket. I love that basket. Please, Mom. Please?”
I was desperate.
“ You know,” she said, gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believed was the coolest thing ever, “If you save up you could buy this yourself.”
“By the time I make enough it’ll be gone!”
“Maybe Roger here could hold it for you,” she smiled at Roger, the bike guy.
“He can’t hold it for that long, Mom. Someone else will buy it. Please, Mom, please?” “There might be another way,” she said.
And so our paying plan unfolded. My mother bought the beautiful basket and put it safely in some hiding place I couldn’t find. Each week I eagerly counted my growing savings increased by extra work here and there (washing the car, helping my mother make dinner, delivering or collecting things on my bike that already looked naked without the basket in front). And then, weeks later, I counted, re-counted and jumped for joy. Oh, happy day! I made it! I finally had the exact amount we’d agreed upon....
Days later the unthinkable happened. A neighborhood girl I’d played with millions of times appeared with the exact same basket fixed to her shiny, new bike that already had all the bells and whistles. I rode hard and fast home to tell my mother about this disaster. This horrible turn of events.
And then came the lesson I’ve taken with me through my life: “Honey, your basket is extra-special,” Mom said, gently wiping away my hot tears. “Your basket is special because you paid for it yourself.”
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?A.The mother raised her children in an unusual way. |
B.The writer envied the daughters of the U.S. president. |
C.The writer’s parents shared the duty to bring up children. |
D.Managing budget is an effortless job to most housewives. |
A.well worth the effort she had made | B.the most valuable she had ever obtained |
C.an unnecessary accessory to her bike | D.something the bike couldn’t do without |
A.the basket cost more than she had saved |
B.someone else had got a basket of the same kind |
C.her paying plan was spoiled |
D.a neighborhood girl bought a nicer bike |
A.Save money for a rainy day. | B.Good advice is beyond all price. |
C.Earn your bread with your sweat. | D.God helps those who help themselves. |
7 . 2002 it was, and I, a young girl who set out with the idea of getting my own library card, was permitted by my mother, Nichelle Nichols, to walk the mile from Prince George to the library in nearby Port Perry.
Down the street from Port Perry High was the library—a dark-brown brick building, imposing to a child of only seven years old.
To the left of the sidewalk was a series of steps that I climbed to push through a heavy door into a very large room filled with books. To an older lady I said, “I’d like a library card, please.”
She replied, “The children’s section is downstairs.”
“But I want adult books, because I can read.”
“Well, you are a child. You can’t get a card up here.”
“I’m six and I can read and write.”
“Go along child,” she said in a pleasant but authoritative voice.
I found the side door and walked in, seeing short and low shelves full of children’s books. Upon opening one, I read, “See Spot run. Run Spot. Run.” I opened another book. It read, “Once upon a time there was.” Sighing quietly, I walked out and back up to the main desk. By now, it was getting dark and I had to hurry.
“You’re back.” said the librarian.
“Yes. I will make you a deal. You hand me any book you like. If I can read a paragraph in it, you’ll give me a library card.” Shrugging (耸肩) happily, she handed me a thick book, I opened it and began to read. When I finished, the lady took the book back without a word.
I waited for a while and finally the lady stood up, handing me two cards. On one was printed the days and times the library was open to adults, and on the other were the precious words, Bonita Sue Nichols. I thanked her and quickly left the library.
1. What was the librarian’s response to the author’s request at first?A.She made fun of it. | B.She turned it down. |
C.She took it seriously. | D.She considered it reasonable. |
A.Childish. | B.Outdated. | C.Short. | D.Strange. |
A.She took pity on the author. |
B.She was eager to get off work. |
C.She found the author a good reader. |
D.She was moved by the author’s courage. |
A.Courage is a solution. | B.Age is a restriction. |
C.Optimism leads to success. | D.Ability opens a door. |
8 . We recently went to a friend’s backyard to meet her new puppy. He was lovely beyond words. Our friend was wearing smiles as she told us about his first days at home. It was truly puppy love.
Later that night, I walked behind my own dog to help her climb up the stairs, and heated up the homemade food that helps control her kidney (肾) disease. You can’t imagine these extra cares when you began raising a puppy. For me, I am lucky to know this more “mature” love. To love, and to be loved, by an old dog is truly an honor.
For a long time, I denied the fact that our dog was getting old, or I really didn’t notice that Skyler was getting older. But these days, there is no denying the fact. Sometimes, she will fall while eating from her bowl and wait patiently for someone to help her up.
I still remember the first days of Skyler. In the home, she always needed to be beside someone, with at least one part of her touching one part of you. At the park, it was different. If we started running toward the end of a field, she would cross the finish line before we had even made it halfway.
Now, at 15, Skyler still needs to be right beside you on the couch. But it is hard. It is sad to see this once fast, strong dog struggle to walk up the front steps or to see her begging eyes whenever she needs help to get up on the couch. Over the past few years, we have had to forgo certain family trips because we wanted to take care of her at home.
However, I know this experience has taught our children about sacrifice and unconditional love. It has taught me the same. Dogs give us unconditional love. The least we can do is give it back. There will likely be times of great sadness and hardship, but in the end, you will feel very lucky for the time you have together.
1. In paragraph 2, why does the author mention what he did late that night?A.To complain about the troubles of raising a dog. |
B.To show her regret of meeting her friend’s new puppy. |
C.To tell readers that she is taking care of an old sick dog. |
D.To illustrate the correct way of caring for dogs. |
A.When the author first got Skyler, she was always running in the house. |
B.Skyler has always been eager to have people beside her. |
C.Skyler will beg for some food before she gets up. |
D.To take care of Skyler, the author often brings her during the journey. |
A.cancel | B.forget | C.organize | D.delay |
A.She is strongly against keeping a dog. |
B.She considers it a double-edged sword to keep a dog. |
C.She suggests we should think twice before keeping a dog. |
D.She thinks keeping a dog is worthwhile for the whole family. |
Color my world
Once there was a girl named Rose. Rose always felt blue because she lived in a dull, gray village
One day while walking down the street, she saw Eric, a former classmate, in
Rose was a little hesitant, but Eric’s infectious (有感染力的) spirit and the sight of the car’s shiny red outer
As they drove through the city, Rose saw a rainbow in the sky, and she felt as if she were on cloud nine. Eric took her to a party, and she danced
When the party was over, Eric drove Rose home. But it wasn’t until she was walking to her door that she came up with a great idea. She realized that she needed to stop
The next day, Rose took a walk in the village. She noticed that the trees were green, and the flowers bloomed in many colors. She realized that her village was not as dull as she had thought. Rose noticed a shop
Before long, the whole village was painted in bright colors, and it seemed that a rainbow
10 . About six months ago, I joined a gym. Every morning, there was one personal trainer there who practised at the same time that my little group did our
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching him do chin-ups (引体向上). He made them look
The next day when I was done with my workout, I asked him to spot me again. Again, I did two. Again, on Day 3 and so on. I thought it was a
If he had told me at the very beginning how
A.creating | B.training | C.maintaining | D.confusing |
A.determination | B.courage | C.patience | D.responsibility |
A.hold back | B.turn over | C.run out | D.give up |
A.motivated | B.satisfied | C.surprised | D.challenged |
A.unbelievable | B.balanced | C.helpful | D.effortless |
A.encouraged | B.forced | C.persuaded | D.ordered |
A.confidence | B.breath | C.strength | D.faith |
A.dragged | B.kicked | C.pushed | D.carried |
A.concern | B.chance | C.pressure | D.pity |
A.impressed | B.busy | C.bored | D.strict |
A.recalled | B.announced | C.explained | D.worried |
A.learned | B.practised | C.succeeded | D.checked |
A.complain | B.argue | C.add | D.repeat |
A.troublesome | B.obvious | C.disgusting | D.difficult |
A.So | B.And | C.Or | D.While |