Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.
One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.
Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.
The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.
Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Owura Kwadwo Hottish teaches computer science in a school. It is a normal school except for the fact that it didn’t have
Owura became famous after he posted photos of him on the Internet. In the picture. people could see he was teaching his students by
A.classrooms | B.computers | C.playgrounds | D.tools |
A.operating | B.repairing | C.describing | D.drawing |
A.poor | B.unique | C.average | D.avanced |
A.annoyed | B.pleased | C.frightened | D.surprised |
A.line | B.culture | C.schedule | D.school |
A.rubbed | B.called | C.cut | D.shown |
A.exchange | B.improve | C.revise | D.repeat |
A.broke out | B.paid off | C.came back | D.held back |
A.care | B.control | C.place | D.notice |
A.suggestion | B.speech | C.decision | D.arrangement |
A.made | B.waited | C.received | D.carried |
A.Suddenly | B.Importantly | C.Exactly | D.Naturally |
A.lent | B.sold | C.donated | D.applied |
A.efforts | B.pains | C.legend | D.experiment |
A.glory | B.wisdom | C.kindness | D.pride |
3 . My biggest problem is that I’m too busy. When I was young, I used to have so much time, but these days I get up early and stay in school all day. Then I go right home and eat dinner before I started high school, I used to spend a lot of time playing games with my friends, but I just don’t have the time anymore.In the evening, I used to watch TV or chat with my grandmother, but now I have to study. I love music, and my father used to take me to concerts. These days, I hardly ever have time for concerts. I do my homework and go to bed. I really miss the old days.
1. What’s my biggest problem?A.I’m too lazy. | B.I’m too busy. | C.I’m free. | D.I get up early. |
A.Yes, I have. | B.No, I haven’t. |
C.I don’t know. | D./. |
A.late | B.early | C.don’t known | D.too late |
A.music | B.football | C.doing homework | D.sleep |
A.I am older | B.I have lots of friends | C.I miss the old days | D.I have a TV. |
4 . We were five minutes into the worse airstream I’d ever experienced when we approached Boston’s Logan International Airport in a severe winter storm. I
“Sure. My name is Sue,” the woman replied,
Sue took my hand in both of hers,
Sue and I talked — about our families, our vacations, our love of the ocean — until the plane finally
When we said
A.apologized to | B.turned to | C.appointed to | D.explained to |
A.chatting | B.sharing | C.sitting | D.playing |
A.tired | B.lonely | C.nervous | D.upset |
A.waving | B.waiting | C.greeting | D.smiling |
A.smoothly | B.violently | C.lightly | D.straightly |
A.warm | B.wipe | C.support | D.hold |
A.patted | B.watched | C.examined | D.felt |
A.calm | B.afraid | C.serious | D.satisfied |
A.earth | B.way | C.floor | D.ground |
A.plan | B.occupation | C.suggestion | D.strength |
A.ranked | B.tested | C.coached | D.joined |
A.honest | B.adaptable | C.awesome | D.cute |
A.landed | B.stopped | C.departed | D.accelerated |
A.cheers | B.goodbye | C.hello | D.thanks |
A.letter | B.telephone | C.souvenir | D.present |
A.happy | B.eager | C.scared | D.excited |
A.hit | B.squeezed | C.touched | D.depended |
A.plane | B.disaster | C.position | D.situation |
A.skeptical | B.disciplined | C.attractive | D.kind |
A.money | B.corporation | C.help | D.contribution |
5 . There was a boy who was sent by his parents to a boarding school (寄宿学校)
But the boy changed after
His parents started
They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him some casual questions about his classes, teachers and
The boy answered back, “To
“No, no,” his dad replied. “I am here to tell you that you are the most
These words
Now the boy had
A.After | B.Before | C.When | D.While |
A.hardest | B.naughtiest | C.brightest | D.dullest |
A.exam | B.activity | C.game | D.class |
A.coming | B.returning | C.leaving | D.reaching |
A.rising | B.increasing | C.reducing | D.dropping |
A.group | B.term | C.company | D.party |
A.led to | B.felt like | C.thought back | D.looked for |
A.worthless | B.careless | C.concerned | D.annoyed |
A.caring | B.turning | C.worrying | D.speaking |
A.crazy | B.true | C.possible | D.wrong |
A.talk with | B.listen to | C.tell to | D.care about |
A.family | B.friends | C.study | D.grades |
A.realize | B.analyze | C.check | D.test |
A.outstanding | B.important | C.famous | D.familiar |
A.happy | B.excellent | C.interested | D.satisfied |
A.caused | B.wanted | C.encouraged | D.forced |
A.answered | B.ignored | C.hated | D.hugged |
A.nothing | B.something | C.everything | D.anything |
A.showed | B.meant | C.intended | D.expressed |
A.sad | B.angry | C.pleasant | D.joyful |
6 . When Tony took up running as a hobby he was 42 years old. Now 42 years later he’s a national champion and a world record holder.
He never imagined at the age of 84 this is where he’d be, but then he doesn’t meet many people in their 80s who are out training four times a week.
“I can see it’s a bit unusual, yes. But it’s been my life,” he told the reporter. The retired officer runs at a track near his home in Leeds.
At an event in Italy last month he set a world record in the 80 metres hurdles(跨栏)with a time of under 17 seconds. But he sees no reason to slow down and his ambition(雄心)is still to be competing when he passes a hundred.
“I probably won’t be doing a crouch start(蹲式起跑), but it’s only 16 years away,” he joked. Like anyone his age, he’s had health problems. He’s had a string of severe heart attacks, but doctors have told him as long as it makes him feel good, he should carry on running.
“I can’t let my heart get in the way of my training. When I am sprinting I have to give it my absolute all. My heart is the last thing on my mind. ” he said.
He trains every other day, dances and plays hockey and he recently cuts down on alcohol (酒精)and chocolate. He said “ I’ve heard alcohol can lead to dementia and I don’t want that. I’ve cut down to one glass of wine every other day. I now have to stay as fit as I can be to keep up my lifestyle.”
Tony’s next birthday is next September. And the first thing he wants to do is become the world’s fastest 85-year-old.
1. What will Tony do after the competition in Italy?A.He decides to slow down. |
B.He decides to retire as an officer. |
C.He plans on running until he’s 100. |
D.He plans to compete in the 100 metres hurdles. |
A.Continuing to run if he feels good. |
B.Stopping running to treat his heart disease. |
C.Trying to run as fast as he can. |
D.Cutting down on alcohol and chocolate. |
A.Imaginative. | B.Positive. | C.Caring. | D.Helpful. |
A.The Fastest Man in the World. |
B.The World’s Fastest 100-year-old. |
C.A National Champion and a World Record Holder. |
D.Granddad Crowned Fastest 84-year-old in the World. |
7 . In the corner of my desk is a note, slowly yellowing from time. It is a
In it, she praises my abilities as a writer. Each sentence is full of
Every time I read it, I am
Although our eldest daughter
The same was
I’ve noticed that other
What I
The
This is not to say that children don’t need or won’t respond to their parents’
When those expectations are
It’s not
“No more buts!” is a call for
And if I ever forget, I have my mother’s note to remind me.
1.A.book | B.card | C.diary | D.suggestion |
A.enrich | B.prepare | C.change | D.ruin |
A.love | B.doubt | C.interest | D.humor |
A.besides | B.finally | C.anyway | D.however |
A.reminded | B.forced | C.attracted | D.requested |
A.seldom | B.never | C.usually | D.possibly |
A.forgot | B.talked | C.remembered | D.understood |
A.Also | B.Therefore | C.Sometimes | D.Instead |
A.proud | B.upset | C.hopeful | D.surprised |
A.tired | B.certain | C.true | D.short |
A.look into | B.clean up | C.put up with | D.make use of |
A.students | B.children | C.teachers | D.parents |
A.heard | B.expected | C.learned | D.differed |
A.After all | B.For example | C.In short | D.In turn |
A.fact | B.purpose | C.chance | D.challenge |
A.bad | B.good | C.hard | D.curious |
A.decisions | B.questions | C.instructions | D.expectations |
A.interesting | B.low | C.positive | D.high |
A.enough | B.necessary | C.normal | D.difficult |
A.help | B.joy | C.attention | D.respect |
8 . My favourite book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, talks about a formula called “SFF” which stands for “stopping finding fault”. I used to be a critical person and tried to find fault. I guess I somehow inherited this character from my father. Actually, many good qualities of my father are worth admiring except this.
My father is a person who constantly looks for mistakes in other people and he thinks no one is perfect in the world. His character created a negative atmosphere in my family. I was the same as my father, so I often felt angry, disappointed, depressed, and lonely in school.
After I had read my favourite book I began to seek “good things” in other people. It has completely changed my life. Now I feel happier, I have more friends, I have more trust in people, and I realize everyone has his own strength! Another important lesson I got from this book is that I should always behave myself in a positive manner. Let's admit that we sometimes complain about our situation. That's not good. Believe it or not, people don't like to listen to negative opinions.
One more valuable lesson I got from the book is that I should be a good listener. When I was younger, I only wanted people to pay whole attention to my words so that I could show them how important I was. I was very proud and would show off my achievements in school without considering others' feelings. I had very few friends and most people considered me as an arrogant person. Now, I find it much easier to make friends after making some changes!
1. What do you know about the author's father?A.He makes his son feel angry and disappointed. |
B.He likes finding fault with people around him. |
C.He seems a critical person but in fact easy-going. |
D.He can create a negative atmosphere when necessary. |
A.self-important | B.admirable |
C.troublesome | D.cold-blooded |
A.To persuade readers to be good listeners. |
B.To share his painful experience of making changes. |
C.To tell readers the influence of a book on him. |
D.To show the result of his father's negative character. |
9 . Envelope Budget
From McDonald’s to Sonic, fast food had a bad effect on my waistline and my budget. It was nothing to run to a drive-through to pick up a cold drink or a quick bite to eat. It was so easy to use my card for a small purchase. For me, I got a lot of satisfaction from fast food.
One day I sat down and calculated that I was spending a surprising $40 a week on fast food. This was a lot of iced coffee and hamburgers! Instead of reducing my guilty pleasures, I decided to give myself a strong budget to reduce my consumption. Every Monday I placed an envelope with$20 in my purse. That was my fast food budget for the entire week. If there was anything left over at the end of the week, it was mine to save or spend. If I spent all of the money during the week, there were no more fast food stops that week.
The budget made me more mindful of my purchases. Instead of purchasing a large drink from Sonic, I would purchase a small. It was still satisfying but not nearly as pricey. Instead of eating a whole meal, I would pick the part that I actually wanted. Many days, the thought of hanging onto the money for a special purpose meant more to me than the instant satisfaction of fast food. I never really felt unhappy because it was a conscious choice to spend or save with each purchase.
Envelope budget kept me honest. I had a clear idea how much money was spent each week on fast food purchases. I started to bring my lunches more often to save more money for the week. It was a fun challenge to see how much I could save every week.
Changing the way I spent on fast food not only helped my budget, but improved my weight. In the first month I was able to get rid of 5 pounds by simply changing the way I approached spending on fast food. Now I am more likely to bring my lunch than to buy it. I am not upset, but empowered to make positive choices to improve my life.
1. According to Paragraph 1, the author ______.A.had no time to cook for herself | B.was fond of fast food very much |
C.lived with a small amount of money | D.got some benefits from using her card |
A.envelope budget is good for health | B.the budget means a pressure on life |
C.it is unusual to make some changes | D.it is hard to enjoy a healthy lifestyle |
A.Why the author became addicted to fast food. | B.Why the author took envelope budget seriously. |
C.How fast food controlled the author’s behavior. | D.How envelope budget changed the author’s life. |
The hardships involved in building the Great Wall are beyond imagination. Large numbers of people had to leave their homes and families to go to the north,
Over the past centuries, the Great Wall