I have a friend named John Roberts who owns a horse ranch(牧马场)in San Ysidro. The last time I was there he shared a story with me. “It is a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant(流动的)horse trainer. When he was a senior,he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up. ”
That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a200-acre ranch,showing the location of all the buildings,the stables and the track.
The next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read,“See me after class. ”
The boy went to see the teacher after class and asked,“Why did I receive an F?”
The teacher said,“This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it. 'Then the teacher added,‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal,I will reconsider your grade. ”
The boy went home and asked his father what he should do. His father said, “Look,son,you have to make up your own mind on this. However,I think it is a very important decision for you. ”
Finally,after siting with it for a week,the boy turned in the same paper,making no changes at all. He stated,“You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.”
John continued,“I tell you this story because you are sitting in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace. ”He added,“If I had changed my paper at that time,maybe we would not have the chance to be here talking about the dreams. ”
1. What was the boy's goal described in his seven-page paper?(No more than 8 words)2. Why did the teacher give the boy an “F”?(No more than 15 words)
3. How did the boy's father respond to his son's puzzlement?(No more than10 words)
4. What does the underlined word “unrealistic” in Para. 5 mean?(I word)
5. What can we learn from the article?(No more than 20 words. )
2 . The moon had gone behind a cloud and there weren’t many stars in the sky. As I took a glance(一瞥)at my neighbor’s house, I saw a flame (火焰)in his
Soon, there was a
I
I tried to throw water through the kitchen window
When my neighbor came back, he was
Weeks later, my neighbor repaired and restored his kitchen. He
A.sitting room | B.bathroom | C.kitchen | D.bedroom |
A.chair | B.table | C.bed | D.sofa |
A.valuable | B.hot | C.special | D.burning |
A.After a while | B.All the time | C.Once in a while | D.At once |
A.examine | B.search | C.reserve | D.smell |
A.said | B.shouted | C.received | D.whispered |
A.hear | B.listen to | C.ask | D.turn to |
A.walked | B.rushed | C.jumped | D.stepped |
A.called in | B.called up | C.called out | D.called for |
A.answer | B.light | C.sound | D.fire |
A.take out | B.take up | C.break down | D.break into |
A.and | B.but | C.because | D.therefore |
A.Luckily | B.Sadly | C.Unfortunately | D.Suddenly |
A.in time | B.on time | C.at a time | D.at times |
A.run | B.spread | C.flow | D.return |
A.amazing | B.sad | C.sick | D.angry |
A.children | B.parents | C.life | D.pets |
A.expect | B.want | C.accept | D.permit |
A.persuaded | B.begged | C.admitted | D.invited |
A.gradually | B.particularly | C.specially | D.regularly |
3 . Songs bring us through our life. Each time I listen to my favorite song Reach, I’m deeply
Whenever I think of Gloria, a
A.convinced | B.disturbed | C.impressed | D.discouraged |
A.entertaining | B.inspiring | C.boring | D.puzzling |
A.easily | B.simply | C.finally | D.hardly |
A.knocked | B.cut | C.pulled | D.turned |
A.argued | B.declared | C.doubted | D.added |
A.give away | B.give back | C.give out | D.give up |
A.goal | B.journey | C.achievement | D.recovery |
A.happened | B.ended | C.lasted | D.returned |
A.wrote | B.recorded | C.presented | D.covered |
A.fancy | B.view | C.memory | D.question |
A.standard | B.poor | C.high | D.excellent |
A.most | B.more | C.least | D.very |
A.hopelessness | B.weakness | C.trouble | D.anger |
A.Free | B.Eager | C.Disappointed | D.Unwilling |
A.parties | B.games | C.activities | D.meetings |
A.satisfy | B.improve | C.enjoy | D.forgive |
A.awards | B.thanks | C.gifts | D.comments |
A.confirmed | B.gained | C.combined | D.requested |
A.Luck | B.Belief | C.Life | D.Competition |
A.harvest | B.reserve | C.expand | D.discover |
During the years working in Peacekeeping Force(维和部队), I was sent abroad. As a senior analyst, my workdays were routinely twelve to sixteen hours long. Like all the old soldiers, we looked forward to receiving mails from home.
We soldiers received many “To any service member” mails from the States. Those mails were sent by the general public in our mother country to soldiers far away from home, as an expression of support. I never took any of those letters, since I wrote to my wife on a daily basis, as well as occasionally writing notes to my daughter Jenny’s classroom, and I didn’t feel I had time to write to anyone else.
After five or fix months of hearing from the mail—announcing the availability of “To any service member” mail, I decided to take a few of the letters. Because I planned, as time permitted, to drop them a line telling them “Thanks” for their support.
I picked up three letters, and placed them in my cargo pocket and went back to work. Over the next week or so, I started responding to the letters. When it came time to answer the third letter, I noticed it had no return address, but a California postmark, which made me think of home. I had missed spending Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s with my family. Homesickness seized me.
I opened the card and started to read the letter attached, which was a short one. About the third or fourth sentence down, it read, “My daddy is a soldier over there, if you see him tell him hi and I love and miss him.” This statement really touched me and made me miss my family even more. Looking down to the name of the sender, I sat in silence as tears filled my eyes.
1. Who will usually write “To any service member” mails? (No more than 8 words)2. Why did the author decide to answer some “To any service member” mails later? (No more than 10 words)
3. What set the author missing his own family? (No more than 5 words)
4. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph4? (No more than 6 words)
5. At the end of the story, why did the writer sit in silence and cry? Please explain. (No more than 20 words)
The old doll I was holding was pretty scary. Her glass eyes were especially horrible, closing when she stood upright and flying open when she lay flat. Once she had been loved, but she had been stored in an attic (阁楼) for decades, where the extremes of heat and cold can be hard on a girl’s looks. Throw her in the waste bin? Maybe. But first, let’s check eBay.
I clicked, supplied the required information about condition, including defects (i.e., “Only a miracle could save this doll”), and uploaded its photos. I sold it for $5.
The buyer was happy: “As described!” he wrote on my feedback page. “Super seller!” The doll found a home and, I hope, a new life. Maybe she was used to repair other dolls. Perhaps those strange eyes got fixed and once again can inspire a child’s love. It’s a win-win, if you ask me.
I also sold lots of other stuff. None of them brought in a lot of money, though I have been surprised at the occasional bidding war, like, for example, the one over an old swimsuit that would have made Brigitte Bardot look bad. And some customers, let’s face it, are strange. Recently I had a hard time convincing an Australian would-be buyer of an Irish souvenir bell that I don’t shop internationally; it’s just too much trouble. He could have flown to Ireland and bought his own bell for the price he was willing to pay. Another time, a buyer complained that the electric wire on an old radio was dirty. Really? Dirty? The wire was black. But I aim to please, so I offered a refund.
So why bother with the dealing and small profits? Because I don’t like abandoning the past. All these treasures once had stories. They meant something. But the people who gave them that meaning are gone, and I simply cannot rescue everything. I can’t even sew. So I find it satisfying that a new owner, discovered via eBay, will continue the story in his or her own way.
1. What was the doll like?A.It was lovely. |
B.It was beautiful. |
C.It looked frightening. |
D.It was pretty ordinary. |
A.Faults. |
B.Virtues. |
C.Pictures. |
D.Requirements. |
A.She thought he was strange. |
B.His bid was not high enough. |
C.Someone else had already bought it. |
D.Delivering it to him was troublesome. |
A.felt deeply sorry |
B.explained patiently |
C.returned the money |
D.apologized immediately |
A.She needs money badly. |
B.She is an environmentalist. |
C.She is interested in marketing. |
D.She wants their stories to be continued. |
I stood at the edge of the cliff. The wind stung my eyes, cutting into my skin. Dark-feathered birds circled the air, swooping (俯冲) low over the ocean every now and then to catch their dinner. Hundreds of feet below, the deep ocean beat against the rough sandy shore. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with excitement — and at the same time, fear.
Behind me, I heard the rest of the crew start to mutter. I was here for the shooting of a movie as I was one of the lead actors in the film Dangerous Things, and this scene was right in the middle of the climax (故事的高潮). It was vital that this went right.
The director had talked to me about getting a stunt double (替身演员), but I’d persuaded him that I could handle the dive. I’d taken a diving course a few years ago, and I’d been taking swimming lessons since I was five years old. I had been pretty confident that I could do this — up till now.
Someone called out, “Ceria, you don’t have to do this! Are you sure you want to dive?” It was one of the producers, Callie Evans. I knew I couldn’t turn back now. I couldn’t bear to see the disappointed look on the director’s face when he was told that I couldn’t do it.
At that moment, all my fears and worries broke free. The expectation of adventure and victory seemed to move all the hesitation. I swooped downwards. The air on either side of me cut into my extended arms. I knew that this wonderful feeling of flight would only last a few seconds, yet time seemed to slow down so I could hear the thrilled whoops of my crew and a round of applause that seemed to echo in my pounding ears.
1. At the beginning, how did the author feel about what she was going to do?(No more than 3 words)2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean in English?(No more than 15 words)
3. Why was the author that confident in diving? (No more than 10 words)
4. What was the crew’s reaction while the author was diving down? (No more than 10 words)
5. How do you like the author? Please explain why. (No more than 25 words)
7 . Almost everything was fantastic in the nature camp except for a girl, Elizabeth. When I saw her sitting alone in the hot sun at lunch, I asked her to eat with us under a(n)
It
“What do you like to do
“I get it,” I said. “I don’t always know how to
After that, Elizabeth seemed to get along well with us, and I think she actually
Next time, if someone is unfriendly, give him a second
A.old | B.shady | C.warm | D.pretty |
A.proposal | B.help | C.symbol | D.order |
A.turned over | B.turned in | C.turned out | D.turned down |
A.unfair | B.unfit | C.unfriendly | D.uncertain |
A.seemed | B.appeared | C.looked | D.happened |
A.talk | B.discussion | C.voyage | D.hike |
A.for free | B.for ever | C.for fun | D.for certain |
A.mistakes | B.talks | C.changes | D.promises |
A.jog | B.work | C.live | D.walk |
A.replied | B.insisted | C.complained | D.shouted |
A.unless | B.though | C.until | D.since |
A.happily | B.coldly | C.sadly | D.luckily |
A.silence | B.pain | C.peace | D.trouble |
A.lay | B.sat | C.ate | D.fell |
A.still | B.yet | C.already | D.ever |
A.smiling | B.crying | C.drawing | D.coughing |
A.nicely | B.properly | C.rudely | D.naturally |
A.ruin | B.recognize | C.repair | D.handle |
A.enjoyed | B.planned | C.hated | D.avoided |
A.life | B.bird | C.chance | D.try |
8 . 选编(十九)
A Strange Greeting, a True Feeling
Last week I was invited to a doctor’s meeting at the Ruth hospital for incurables. In one of the wards a patient, an old man, got up shakily from his bed and moved towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to
“Frank!” I cried in astonishment. He couldn’t
My
One night a policeman came and told Mrs. West that her house had been flattened by a 500-pounder. She
When that sort of thing happened, the rest of us helped the
A.work | B.stay | C.live | D.expect |
A.answer | B.speak | C.smile | D.laugh |
A.covering | B.moving | C.fighting | D.pressing |
A.minds | B.memories | C.thoughts | D.brains |
A.better | B.dark | C.younger | D.old |
A.cave | B.place | C.sight | D.scene |
A.Discussing | B.Solving | C.Sharing | D.Suffering |
A.learn from | B.talk to | C.help | D.know |
A.needed | B.recognized | C.interested | D.encouraged |
A.normal | B.common | C.unusual | D.quick |
A.more | B.worse | C.fewer | D.less |
A.word | B.speech | C.sentence | D.language |
A.not | B.no | C.something | D.nothing |
A.fed | B.kept | C.lived | D.depended |
A.attention | B.control | C.treatment | D.management |
A.lost | B.needed | C.destroyed | D.left |
A.troublesome | B.unlucky | C.angry | D.unpopular |
A.separated | B.went | C.reunited | D.returned |
A.pushed | B.tried | C.showed | D.measured |
A.nodding | B.greeting | C.meeting | D.acting |
I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham’s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I’ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock (货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn’t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds? (clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn’t believe my eyes; this wasn’t shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn’t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl(爬行) through people’s legs and get hold of things they couldn’t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English Queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper(脾气)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham’s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
You won’t believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1. What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?
A.Last summer’s clothes. | B.Clothes not in perfect condition. |
C.Clothes bought in specially for the sales. | D.Clothes for winter. |
A.The customers gave up the queuing for which the English are famous. |
B.The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted. |
C.Small children enjoyed crawling through people’s legs. |
D.The security guards were fearless of the crowd. |
A.There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales. |
B.They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business. |
C.They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes. |
D.They wanted to make more money by having sales. |
A.chatted with her friends | B.slept soundly |
C.broke down | D.dined out |
A.The Best Bargain. | B.Hunting for a job. |
C.Sale Fever. | D.A Pleasant Fortnight. |
10 . It impressed me a lot. I never thought that little help would
A year went by and I had moved to a(n)
I asked him how he is doing. He said, “ What, sir? Do you recognize me not by my name but by my
Then he went on saying, “With your kind help I am now able to
I don’t
A.send | B.bring | C.turn | D.break |
A.playing | B.substituting | C.struggling | D.walking |
A.look | B.whisper | C.view | D.smile |
A.raising | B.finding | C.seeking | D.earning |
A.pretend | B.attend | C.intend | D.tend |
A.doubts | B.minds | C.worries | D.depression |
A.remaining | B.left | C.hiding | D.forgotten |
A.informed | B.outspoken | C.convinced | D.prepared |
A.bad | B.old | C.systematic | D.new |
A.remind | B.recognize | C.replace | D.repeat |
A.disabled | B.messed | C.excited | D.stressed |
A.live | B.stand | C.focus | D.base |
A.surprisingly | B.successfully | C.hopefully | D.naturally |
A.reason | B.promise | C.character | D.job |
A.also | B.even | C.already | D.only |
A.Therefore | B.Otherwise | C.However | D.Meanwhile |
A.in favor | B.in place | C.in advance | D.in need |
A.running | B.putting | C.bringing | D.pulling |
A.behavior | B.case | C.accident | D.opportunity |
A.Strangely | B.Truly | C.Generally | D.Originally |