1 . Several interesting American museums tell about health subjects. One is the Doctor Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. It is at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. That is where the first college in the world to train dentists began. The museum tells about the history of the medical treatment of teeth. Visitors can see some frightening devices that once were used to remove infected (受感染的) teeth. They also can see sets of teeth made of animal bone. They were made for a famous American -- the first President, George Washington.
Most people do not consider a visit to the dentist their idea of a good time. However, the director of the museum says he wanted to make the museum a fun place to visit. He says he also wants to teach visitors about the importance of taking care of their teeth.
Another museum collects devices that help people hear. The Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum is at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The museum has more than three-thousand hearing aids from around the world. They include old and strange devices. Some hearing aids were made to look like other objects. That is because in the past many people did not want anyone to know they were wearing a hearing aid.
1. It is common for people to think it uneasy to pay a visit to ____.
2. The text mainly tells about _____.
3. What do we learn about George Washington from the text?
4. The underlined word “devices” in the first and last paragraph probably means _____.
Most people do not consider a visit to the dentist their idea of a good time. However, the director of the museum says he wanted to make the museum a fun place to visit. He says he also wants to teach visitors about the importance of taking care of their teeth.
Another museum collects devices that help people hear. The Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum is at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The museum has more than three-thousand hearing aids from around the world. They include old and strange devices. Some hearing aids were made to look like other objects. That is because in the past many people did not want anyone to know they were wearing a hearing aid.
1. It is common for people to think it uneasy to pay a visit to ____.
| A．the University of Maryland | B．the Museum of Dentistry |
| C．the Hearing Aid Museum | D．the dentist |
| A．museums in the US | B．interesting American museums |
| C．American museums with health subjects | D．the history of the medical treatment of teeth |
| A．He once visited the National Museum of Dentistry. |
| B．He considered the Museum of Dentistry a fun place to visit |
| C．His artificial teeth were collected in the National Museum of Dentistry. |
| D．His teeth seemed to be made of animal bone. |
| A．museums | B．strategies | C．hearing aids | D．tools |
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2 . The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. “Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?” The Man nodded “yes”.
“Pick up that piece of string from the floor. There, my ‘toy’. The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, “You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.
“Close your eyes.” the Cat said. “Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise. “Just do it,” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string.”
Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked(轻抚) the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely white cat. It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.
1. Why did the Cat give the man a slightly annoyed look?
2. According to the text, which of the following is the reason why a cat licks paws?
3. What does the underlined word “string” in paragraph 3 stand for?
4. What's the main idea of the passage?
A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. “Why do you cry, Man?” the Cat asked. “Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?” The Man nodded “yes”.
“Pick up that piece of string from the floor. There, my ‘toy’. The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, “You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.
“Close your eyes.” the Cat said. “Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise. “Just do it,” the Cat said. “Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string.”
Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed. The Man stroked(轻抚) the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely white cat. It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.
1. Why did the Cat give the man a slightly annoyed look?
| A．Because the man’s tears made the Cat really anxious. |
| B．Because the Cat didn’t know what made the man burst into tears. |
| C．Because the Cat couldn’t go to sleep when the man was in low spirits. |
| D．Because the man didn’t have to be so sad and concerned. |
| A．Licking paws can make a cat remain calm and have a clear mind. |
| B．Licking paws will make a cat happy and energetic. |
| C．Licking paws will make a cat find out many unknown secrets. |
| D．Licking paws can make a cat stay tidy and healthy. |
| A．Life. | B．Birth. | C．Hope. | D．Power. |
| A．Pets play an important part in our life. |
| B．Life has no end and death is just a new beginning. |
| C．We should take a positive attitude towards life and live life to its fullest. |
| D．It gives us some suggestions on how to relieve ourselves when a pet passes away. |
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3 . The sun is shining when I get on No. 151 bus. We passengers sit jammed together in heavy clothes. No one speaks. That’s one of the unwritten rules of Chicago commuting. Although we see the same faces every day, we prefer to hide behind our newspapers. The phenomenon is striking: people who sit so close together are using those thin sheets of newsprint to keep their distance.
As the bus approaches the Magnificent Mile, a voice suddenly rings out: “Attention! Attention!” Papers rattle (发出细小声). Necks crane (伸长). “This is your driver speaking.”
We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice has authority.
“All of you put your papers down.”
The papers come down, an inch at a time. The driver waits. The papers are folded and placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.”
Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles.
I face an older woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly every day. Our eyes meet. We wait, unblinking, for the next order from the driver.
“Now, repeat after me…” It is a command, delivered in the tones of a drill sergeant (操练军士). “Good morning, neighbor!”
Our voices are weak and timid. For many of us, these are the first words we have spoken today. But we say them at the same time, like schoolchildren, to the strangers beside us.
We smile and can’t help it. We have said it; the barrier has been broken. Good morning, neighbor. It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh.
The bus driver says nothing more. He doesn’t need to. Not a single newspaper goes back up. I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on bus No. 151. This day is starting off better than most.
1. On hearing the sudden utterance of “Attention!”, the passengers ___________.
2. The underlined word “commuting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ___________.
3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
4. What would be the best title for the text?
As the bus approaches the Magnificent Mile, a voice suddenly rings out: “Attention! Attention!” Papers rattle (发出细小声). Necks crane (伸长). “This is your driver speaking.”
We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice has authority.
“All of you put your papers down.”
The papers come down, an inch at a time. The driver waits. The papers are folded and placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.”
Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles.
I face an older woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly every day. Our eyes meet. We wait, unblinking, for the next order from the driver.
“Now, repeat after me…” It is a command, delivered in the tones of a drill sergeant (操练军士). “Good morning, neighbor!”
Our voices are weak and timid. For many of us, these are the first words we have spoken today. But we say them at the same time, like schoolchildren, to the strangers beside us.
We smile and can’t help it. We have said it; the barrier has been broken. Good morning, neighbor. It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh.
The bus driver says nothing more. He doesn’t need to. Not a single newspaper goes back up. I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on bus No. 151. This day is starting off better than most.
1. On hearing the sudden utterance of “Attention!”, the passengers ___________.
| A．stopped reading and put down their newspapers immediately |
| B．looked up from the newspapers to see who was speaking |
| C．sat still without response |
| D．were frightened |
| A．daily traveling between home and work |
| B．long-distance ride |
| C．communication technology |
| D．behavior patterns |
| A．The passengers on the crowded bus were so absorbed in reading their newspapers that no one spoke. |
| B．The passengers were physically close together but mentally they kept each other at a terrible distance. |
| C．The passengers didn’t follow the driver’s instruction at first. |
| D．When the bus driver said nothing more, the passengers picked up and read their newspapers again. |
| A．The Warmth of Communication | B．The Exchange of Information |
| C．The Power of Observation | D．The Attitude to Loneliness |
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2013-05-07更新
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166次组卷
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6卷引用：2012-2013学年黑龙江省大庆铁人中学高二下学期第一次检测英语试卷
（已下线）2012-2013学年黑龙江省大庆铁人中学高二下学期第一次检测英语试卷（已下线）2014届黑龙江省双鸭山一中高三上学期期中英语试卷（带解析）（已下线）2014届黑龙江省双鸭山一中高三上学期期中英语试卷2015届黑龙江绥化三校高三上期中英语试卷黑龙江省肇东市第一中学2016-2017学年高二下学期期中考试英语试题2015-2016学年河南安阳市三十六中高二下期末英语试卷
4 . I once had a friend that was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the news that he might only live up to six months was a great shock to him, his family, and his friends．However, in spite of the serious illness, he was initially（开始） determined to look into all available treatments that might cure or extend his life．I think that when you find yourself in such situations, you tend to look up every possible way for hope of saving your life．
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him．He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity（人性）．His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him．
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice （安养院） came to the home to regulate（调节） his medication （药）and provide any other needed support．He didn't complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him．
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others．You often can't learn these important attributes（属性）in the lap of luxury（处在优裕舒适的环境中）, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind．
1. Which word can best describe the man's initial reaction as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer?
2. What did the man do after he first learned of his illness?
3. What was the man's main source of comfort after several months with the disease?
4. What did the author learn from his friend’s story?
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him．He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity（人性）．His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him．
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice （安养院） came to the home to regulate（调节） his medication （药）and provide any other needed support．He didn't complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him．
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others．You often can't learn these important attributes（属性）in the lap of luxury（处在优裕舒适的环境中）, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind．
1. Which word can best describe the man's initial reaction as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer?
| A．Satisfied． | B．Sad | C．Surprised | D．Concerned． |
| A．He was operated on immediately． |
| B．He researched cancer treatments． |
| C．He retired from his job |
| D．He felt sad, doing nothing． |
| A．His family and friends． | B．The care from others |
| C．His doctors’ encouragement． | D．His belief in humanity． |
| A．Getting comfort from God． |
| B．Extending life as possible． |
| C．Caring for yourself and enjoying luxury． |
| D．Giving more respect to friends |
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5 . While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail miserably often flourish (繁荣) more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the Atlantis flight last year, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.
1. Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?
2. Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that ________.
3. The passage is written mainly to ________.
4. Which writing strategy is NOT used in developing the passage?
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the Atlantis flight last year, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.
1. Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?
| A．Because it worked perfectly. |
| B．Because the right booster was still OK. |
| C．Because nothing serious happened then. |
| D．Because fewer people died in the flight. |
| A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky |
| B．they gained much from experience in failure |
| C．their planes were often checked by the experts |
| D．they were unpopular among passengers |
| A．show failure is a better teacher than success |
| B．explain why Challenger failed |
| C．introduce something about Prof Desai |
| D．tell managers how to achieve success |
| A．Giving definitions. |
| B．Making comparisons. |
| C．Analyzing causes. |
| D．Providing different examples. |
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6 . Last year,around Labor Day,I read a “Happy Ad” in our local newspaper.There was a lady in a local nursing home,who was celebrating her 90th birthday and her family wanted everyone to know about it.It said that if you wanted to drop her a line,here was her address.So I did.I found a birthday card and dropped her a short note,wishing her a happy birthday.
A week or so later,someone knocked at my front door.I opened the door and found a middle-aged man standing on my doorstep.He introduced himself as the son of this woman to whom I had sent the card.He explained that he just wanted to drop by in person and thank me for sending such a nice card to his mom.Apparently,like many older folks,she did not receive much mail and was quite excited to receive mine.I just didn’t know what to say.I told him it was my pleasure and that I hoped his mom had enjoyed her birthday.
That year,I did not send out any Christmas cards,except to this lovely old lady in the nursing home.I just told her that I was thinking about her and hoped that she had a nice holiday.I sent her a Valentine and also a couple of notes in between.I just thought she might like to have someone write to her,to get some mail.
She passed away a couple of months ago.I never met this lady,but I did keep her and her family in my thoughts. I dropped them a line of sympathy.I hope that my few little notes were enough to brighten a couple of her days here on earth.
1. The old lady's address was given because .| A．her family wanted to make her well-known |
| B．the old lady wanted to receive a birthday card |
| C．the son of the old lady wanted to meet the author |
| D．her family wanted to give her a happy birthday |
| A．Brave. | B．Polite. |
| C．Caring. | D．Faithful. |
| A．A Kind Act | B．An Old Lady |
| C．A Happy Ad | D．A Considerate Son |
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7 . Many people have discovered that hobbies can be profitable as well as fun. Some people have such fine collections of bottles, flags, buttons or shells that others are willing to pay to see them or they offer to buy their collections for large sums of money.
Some of the best collections are owned by people who started their hobbies as young boys or girls. Some of the things that American children like to collect are stamps and dolls. Older people also save stamps, but they collect coins and things made of glass more often than dolls.
Painting, writing and taking photographs are the best examples of hobbies that may become occupations. Every writer, artist and photographer probably started as a hobbyist before becoming a professional.Other hobbies that could be profitable include cooking, sewing and making things out of wood.
Many doctors believe that hobbies help to make our lives more enjoyable. They believe that people who raise fish or collect recorders are too busy to spend their time worrying. Doctors also think that an active person, such as a baseball player, should have a restful hobby such as reading, while a person who sits at a desk all day should have lively hobbies such as tennis, golf or swimming. Most people in the United States agree with the doctor. It is difficult to find an American who does not have a favorite hobby.
1. The underlined word “occupations”(paragraph3) can be replaced by _______.| A．lives | B．jobs | C．collections | D．things |
| A．worry too much about themselves | B．are very busy in their lives |
| C．don’t have time to worry | D．work busily in their business |
| A．starts his hobby during his childhood |
| B．has a favorite hobby |
| C．spends a lot of money on the lively hobby |
| D．follows the doctors’ advice to have a hobby |
| A．Hobbies can cause us a lot of trouble . |
| B．Football players should have lively hobbies |
| C．All of the people started their hobbies from childhood. |
| D．A writer should have tennis , golf or swimming as his hobbies. |
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8 . What secret force drives us into the arms of one person, while pushing us away from another who might appear equally desirable to any fair observer? Of the many factors influencing our idea of the perfect mate, one of the most telling is our “lovemap” ---- a group of messages formed in our brains that describes our likes and dislikes．It shows our preferences in hair and eye color, in voice, smell, body build．It also records the kind of personality that attracts us, whether it’s the warm and friendly type or the strong silent type．In short, we fall for and go after those people who most clearly fit our lovemap．And this lovemap is determined in childhood．By age eight, the pattern for our ideal mate has already begun to float around in our brains．
The mother has special influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also influences how they feel about women in general．So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are．They will likely grow up warm and responsive lovers and also be helpful around the house．
Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men．If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and shows that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men．But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive．
While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father ----- the first male in our lives ----- who influences how we relate to the opposite sex．Fathers have a great effect on their children’s personalities and chances or marriage happiness．
1. What is the proper title for this passage?
2. A perfect mate is a person who ____．
3. If the husband hardly does any housework, ____．
4. The passage leads to a belief that ____．
The mother has special influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also influences how they feel about women in general．So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are．They will likely grow up warm and responsive lovers and also be helpful around the house．
Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men．If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and shows that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men．But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive．
While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father ----- the first male in our lives ----- who influences how we relate to the opposite sex．Fathers have a great effect on their children’s personalities and chances or marriage happiness．
1. What is the proper title for this passage?
| A．Why we love who we love | B．What is a lovemap |
| C．Different influence from parents | D．Ideal mate in the mind |
| A．is fair to everyone | B．is the most desirable |
| C．fits one’s lovemap | D．is perfect in everything |
| A．his mother must be warm | B．his father must be critical |
| C．his mother must be cold | D．his wife can’t be attractive |
| A．parents’ personalities decides the children’s lovemap |
| B．mothers have no influence on daughters’ marriage life |
| C．fathers care more about children’s marriage happiness |
| D．mothers influence children’s choices of perfect mates |
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9 . Think back to this time last year. What was on your mind?
Most likely, you were thinking about finals or the holidays, although in this city I’ve noticed that thinking about the holiday is a fancy way of saying how much stuff will I get.
Now reflect on your thoughts for this holiday season. Most people are still thinking about the holidays, but I say that with a grain of salt. Everybody with a functioning brain and the ability to communicate knows that this holioday season comes with a pretty large price tag: the debt of all the hardships, both domestic and foreign, that we’ve faced over the past 12months.
Let’s face it: some of us will get everything we want over the holidays. But there are others whose parents have lost their jobs or who have lost jobs themselves because of the current economic situation. As much as we try to ignore it, there is still economic unrest in the blue and gold suburb.
In this situation, we have three options. One: We ignore the situation, like we seem to do for every bad thing that happens around us, because by God, it’s the American Way! Two: We recognize that our economy is shot, feel bad about it and spend our time wishing for the good old days. Three: We recognize that our economy is shot, but instead of moping, reflect on every good thing that we have going for us. Now, which option sounds best to you?
I spent a week this summer working in and around New York City with the city’s homeless population. Or so I thought. Although a lot of the people I served were in fact homeless, a significant number of them had a job or a home or both. The truth of the importance of this situation is that they and thousands of others across the country can’t afford even the most basic things of life, even while working two jobs. Yet no one that I met complained about their hardships. Instead, they took whatever I happened to give them(which was, more often than enough, not enough) and were genuinely grateful for what they had.
Wrap your heads around that statement for a second. These people worked their butts off to stay alive with minimal results, yet were overjoyed by a flimsy(脆弱的) paper plate with donated green beans on it. Although I am ashamed to admit it( both as a girthy figure and an affluent citizen), I have taken for granted most of my meals, let alone green beans, and I know for a fact that I am not alone.
1. According to the passage when people think about holidays they care much for ____.
2. When the author wrote the article, the economic situation in his country ____.
3. The author wrote the article mainly to advise people____.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that the writer is most probably ______.
Most likely, you were thinking about finals or the holidays, although in this city I’ve noticed that thinking about the holiday is a fancy way of saying how much stuff will I get.
Now reflect on your thoughts for this holiday season. Most people are still thinking about the holidays, but I say that with a grain of salt. Everybody with a functioning brain and the ability to communicate knows that this holioday season comes with a pretty large price tag: the debt of all the hardships, both domestic and foreign, that we’ve faced over the past 12months.
Let’s face it: some of us will get everything we want over the holidays. But there are others whose parents have lost their jobs or who have lost jobs themselves because of the current economic situation. As much as we try to ignore it, there is still economic unrest in the blue and gold suburb.
In this situation, we have three options. One: We ignore the situation, like we seem to do for every bad thing that happens around us, because by God, it’s the American Way! Two: We recognize that our economy is shot, feel bad about it and spend our time wishing for the good old days. Three: We recognize that our economy is shot, but instead of moping, reflect on every good thing that we have going for us. Now, which option sounds best to you?
I spent a week this summer working in and around New York City with the city’s homeless population. Or so I thought. Although a lot of the people I served were in fact homeless, a significant number of them had a job or a home or both. The truth of the importance of this situation is that they and thousands of others across the country can’t afford even the most basic things of life, even while working two jobs. Yet no one that I met complained about their hardships. Instead, they took whatever I happened to give them(which was, more often than enough, not enough) and were genuinely grateful for what they had.
Wrap your heads around that statement for a second. These people worked their butts off to stay alive with minimal results, yet were overjoyed by a flimsy(脆弱的) paper plate with donated green beans on it. Although I am ashamed to admit it( both as a girthy figure and an affluent citizen), I have taken for granted most of my meals, let alone green beans, and I know for a fact that I am not alone.
1. According to the passage when people think about holidays they care much for ____.
| A．where to spend their holidays | B．how to spend their holidays |
| C．what they can get for their holidays | D．who they should go to visit |
| A．began to go bad. | B．began to improve | C．was still serious | D．was favorable for middle class. |
| A．to be thankful in time of hardship. | B．to spend their holidays in a wise way |
| C．to think little about their holidays | D．to help the country to sail through the crisis |
| A．a homeless child | B．an old professor | C．a famous scientist | D．a young student |
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