
PEOPLE
NOBLE SMUGGLER
This Thursday, Irena Sendler will be honoured for her work as a smuggler(偷运者). During World WarⅡ, the Polish social worker smuggled nearly2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto(聚居区). She gave them new identities, found them safe places with good-hearted Christians, and kept the children’s real names buried in jars in her neighbours’ gardens.(The play, Life in a Jar, based on her story, is being performed.)At 93, Sendler lives in a Warsaw nursing home and is too weak to travel to Washington D.C., to receive the 2003 Jan Karski Award for Valorand Compassion from the American Center of Polish Culture. One of the children she saved will accept the award for her.
You risked your life to save the children.
I was taught by my father that when someone is drowning, you don’t ask if they can swim,you just jump in and help. During the war, everyone was drowning, but mostly the Jewish children.
How did you persuade parents to give up their children?
I had to answer honestly that I didn’t even know if we would get past the guards.
What was the most frightening moment?
When I saw a priest(牧师)in charge of an orphan age for Jewish children in the ghetto walk with them out to be killed. The children were in then best Sunday suits. The priest was killed with them.
How did you get the children to be have as you smuggled them out?
I told the older children to act as if they were sick and sometimes gave the younger ones a sleeping pill. They were told to remember their new names. I also told the children to tell guards they had only been visiting a servant in the ghetto and were going back to their real homes outside.
Did you tell your own two children what you did?
I never told them. Only when my daughter went to Israel did she learn all about me. I thought it was only normal to do so. And it was a very painful subject. It was always on my mind that I couldn’t do more.
——Samantha Levine
1. We can learn from the passage that Irena Sendler____.
A. will go to Washington to accept the award with her daughter
B. was caught a few times while she was rescuing the Jewish children
C. told those parents that their children’s lives would be guaranteed
D. saved thousands of Jewish children at the risk of her ownlife
2. The expression “everyone was drowning” can best be replaced by“______”.
A. everyone was involved in the war
B. all the people were drowned
C. people were facing danger and death
D. Jewish children were being killed
3. Which of the following could NOT be expected when Sendler was smuggling the Jewish children?
A. Some children were told to pretend to be sick in front of the guards.
B. Some children pretended to be returning home after visiting servants in the ghetto.
C. The children were asked to remember and use new names instead of real ones.
D. The children pretended to be brothers and sisters from one big family.
4. Sendler didn’t tell her own children what she did in the war because ______.
A. she thought it was the most frightening experience
B. the topic was too painful and heart-breaking to mention
C. it was already recorded and made known to the public
D. she planned to bury the secret in her heart until her death
In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it’s a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. It he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.A call at midnight would mean_________.
| A.it is a matter of life and death |
| B.the matter is too difficult to handle |
| C.the matter requires immediate attention |
| D.the matter is less important |
According to the passage, time plays a very important part in_______.
| A.getting along with others | B.private life |
| C.everyday life | D.business |
In the passage, the author suggests that invitation cards should be sent________.
| A.three or four days before the party date in all cultures |
| B.three or four days before the party date in the USA |
| C.three or four days before the party date in some cultures |
| D.at your chosen time |
Until late in the 20th century, most Americans spent time with people of generations. Now mid-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves. That’s because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care center, our 13-year-olds in school and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes. Why?
We live away from the old for many reasons: young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears for aging and dying. It is much harder to watch .someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it’s so hard that we stay away from the people who need us most.
Fortunately, .some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.
A reporter moved her family onto a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbours and had her children deliver it and visit. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. “My children have never been less lonely,” the reporter said.
The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home when a visitor showed up with a baby. She was immediately surrounded. People who hadn’t gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep wake up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.
Grandparents are a special case. They give grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it, “my grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end.”
Grandchildren speak of attention they don’t get from worried parents. “My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down,” one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer, more trusting.Now in an American family, people can find that ________.
| A.children never live with their parents. |
| B.aged people are supported by their grandchildren. |
| C.not all working people live with their parents. |
| D.grandchildren are supported by their grandparents. |
The reason why old people are left alone may be that ________.
| A.the old don’t like to live in a big family. |
| B.the young can’t get enough money to support the old. |
| C.the old are too weak to live with the young. |
| D.different generations have different lifestyles. |
The fact that the reporter told us shows that _______.
| A.old people are easy to get along with. |
| B.old people in America enjoy banana bread. |
| C.she had no time to take care of her children. |
| D.old people in America lead a hard life. |
By saying “Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure” the author means________.
| A.old people had never seen her baby before |
| B.the baby was clever and beautiful |
| C.the baby brought old people the image of life |
| D.the baby’s mother would take care of them |
Before the print was brought to England in 1476, everything was written by hand. The few people who knew how to write were trained in schools set up by the church. Those who made a living by writing for other people were called scribes(抄写员)。
The work of scribes was not easy. Much of it had to be done fast in order to meet the needs of the King. the church and traders. Most of the writing was in Latin(拉丁) ,but some of it was in the English of the day. And no one was quite sure how some English words should be spelled.
One problem was that several letters were written with short vertical strok(竖笔)that all looked like each other. Among them were the letters , i, u, v, m and n, Thus .five straight lines in a row might stand for uni nui uvi or mii.
As a result .reading was sometimes difficult, especially when the writing was done in a hurry.
The scribes solved(解决)the problem in part, by changing the letter u to o when it came before m. n or v. This is how sum and cum came to be written as some and come.
At some point, too, the scribes seemed to have decided that no English word should be ended by u or v. Thus, in time an e was added to such words as live, have, due and true. It was added, but not pronounced.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A.Everything has been written by hand in English since 1476. |
| B.The church set up schools to train scribes before 1476. |
| C.More than 500 years ago no people made a living by writing for other people. |
| D.Scribes in England worked only for kings and traders. |
Sometimes people couldn’t read easily_____________
| A.because there were too many u’s and v’s in sonic English words. |
| B.because most of the writing was in Latin. |
| C.When tile writing was done hurriedly. |
| D.when the writing was in English. |
The scribes changed u before m to o because___________
| A.the change helped them write faster |
| B.om was the right order |
| C.um and om had the same pronunciation |
| D.the change made reading easier |
It is believed that some scribes thought___________
| A.it important to add an e to every English word |
| B.an English word should be ended neither by n nor by v |
| C.it natural to change the spelling of sonic Latin words |
| D.the letter e at the end of any word shouldn't be pronounced |
Most of the time, people wear hats to protect themselves from harsh weather conditions. Hats are also worn to show politeness and as signs of social position. But nowadays, hats, especially women’s hats, are much more than that. More exactly, hats have changed into fashion and style symbols by many movie stars. What’s more, people now consider many different features (特点)when choosing even a simple hat. Many designers point out that, when choosing the right hat, it’s important to consider the color of your skin as well as your hair, your height, and the shape of your face.
First of all, the color of the hat should match the color of your skin and hair. For instance, black hats should be avoided if you are dark skinned. If a purple hat is placed on top of red hair, one will look as attractive as a summer flower. Second, the height of the hat is also an important point. Tall women should not go for hats with tall crowns, just as short women should choose hats with upturned brims to give the look of height. Third, and most importantly, the shape of the face decides the kind of hat one should pick. A small, gentle hat that fits the head looks good on a small face. However, women with big, round faces should choose a different style.
As the saying goes, “Fine feathers make fine birds.” A good hat can not only help your dress but also support your features, so why not choose the best possible one next time you want to be in public?What does the underlined word “harsh” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A.good | B.poor | C.strange | D.different |
According to the article, which of the following women would look most attractive?
| A.A short red-haired woman who wears a purple hat. |
| B.A big-faced woman who wears a small, nice hat. |
| C.A tall woman who wears a hat with a huge upturned brim. |
| D.A small dark-skinned woman who wears a black hat with a tall crown. |
What does the last paragraph suggest?
| A.Hats are worn on the head to keep warm. |
| B.Hats can make you look much taller. |
| C.Hats are not as important as character. |
| D.Hats can help you look better in public. |
What is the best title for the article?
| A.How to Choose a Proper Hat |
| B.How to Improve Your Features |
| C.How to Show Your Social Position |
| D.How to Design a Nice Hat |
Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.
Do you have such kind of experience? On a bus you may look at a stranger, but not too long. And if he is sensing that he is being stared at, he may feel uncomfortable.
The same in daily life. If you are looked at for more than necessary time, you will look at yourself up and down, to see if there is anything wrong with you. If nothing goes wrong, you will feel angry toward others’stare with you that way. Eyes do speak, right?
Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive(冒犯的). But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex. If a man glances at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to avert(转移) his gaze, his intentions are obvious: he wishes to attract her attention, to make her understand that he is admiring her.
However, the normal eye contact for two people engaged in conversation is that the speaker will only look at the listener from time to time, in order to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking. As for the listener, he will, to a certain extent, look continuously at the speaker, to tell him that he is attentive.
If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking, as if he tries to dominate(控制)you, you will feel upset. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim, since he believes in the false idea that to look straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication. Quite the contrary.
In fact, continuous eye contact is confined to(局限于) lovers only, who will enjoy looking at each other tenderly for a long time, to show affection that words cannot express.
Evidently, eye contact should be done according to the relationship between two people and the specific situation.When the writer says eyes can speak, he really means that .
| A.eyes can really speak sometimes |
| B.eyes can express meaning sometimes |
| C.eyes can understand meaning |
| D.eyes take part in some conversations |
According to the text, a teacher should look at students in class in order to .
| A.find something wrong with the students |
| B.show that he or she is very attentive |
| C.make sure that students pay attention |
| D.show the sign of honest communication |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A.People often stare at others on buses. |
| B.People don’t like being looked at. |
| C.Men always enjoy looking at women. |
| D.Eye contact can attract attention. |
According to the fourth paragraph, we can learn that _____.
| A.looking too long at someone is always polite |
| B.eye contact sometimes expresses your admiration to the opposite sex |
| C.eyes can help you get someone you love |
| D.looking at someone is sometimes necessary |