B
Kincaid looked at his watch: eight-seventeen. The truck started on the second try, and he backed out, shifted gears, and moved slowly down the alley under hazy sun. Through the streets of Bellingham he went, heading south on Washington 11, running along the coast of Puget Sound for a few miles, then following the highway as it swung east a little before meeting U.S Route 20.
Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. He liked this country and felt unpressed stopping now and then to make notes about interesting possibilities for future expeditions or to shoot what he called “memory snapshots.” The purpose of these causal photographs was to remind him of places he might want to visit again and approach more seriously. In later afternoon he turned north at Spokane, picking up U.S Route 2, which would take him halfway across the northern United States to Duluth, Minnesota.
He wished for the thousandth time in his life that he had a dog, a golden retriever, maybe, for travels like this and to keep him company at home. But he was frequently away; overseas much of the time and it would not be fair to the animal. Still, he thought about it anyway. In a few years he would be getting too old for the hard fieldwork. “I must get a dog then.” He said to himself.
Drives like this always put him into a sentimental mood. The dog was part of it. Robert Kincaid was alone as it’s possible to be – an only child, parents both dead, distant relatives who had lost track of him and he of them, no close friends.
He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty–two now, that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. She knew all of the Weavers’ songs and sang them pretty well in the coffeehouse of Seattle. When he was home in the old days, he drove her to the shows and sat in the audience while she sang.
His long absences – two or three months sometimes – were hard on the marriage. He knew that. She was aware of what he did when they decided to get married, and both of them had a vague (not clear) sense that it could all be handled somehow. It couldn’t when he came from photographing a story in Iceland and, she was gone. The note read, “Robert, it didn’t work out, I left you the Harmony guitar. Stay in touch.”
He didn’t stay in touch. Neither did she. He signed the divorce papers when they arrived a year later and caught a plane for Australia the next day. She had asked for nothing except her freedom.
46. Which route is the right one taken by Kincaid?
A. Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – U.S Route 2 – Duluth
B. U.S. Route 2 – Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – Duluth
C. U.S. Route 2 – U.S Route 20 – Duluth – Bellingham – Washington 11
D. Bellingham – Washington 11 –U.S. Route 2 –U.S Route 20 –Duluth
47. Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. Kincaid’s parents were dead and he only kept in touch with some distant relatives.
B. Kincaid would have had a dog if he hadn’t been away from home too much.
C. Kincaid used to have a golden retriever.
D. Kincaid needed a dog in doing his hard fieldwork.
48. Why did Kincaid stop to take photos while driving?
A. To write “memory snapshots”.
B. To remind himself of places he might want to visit again.
C. To avoid forgetting the way back.
D. To shoot beautiful scenery along the road.
49. What can you know about Marian?
A. She died after five years of marriage.
B. She was older than Kincaid.
C. She could sing very well and earned big money.
D. She was not a professional pop singer.
50. We can draw a conclusion from the passage that _____
A. Marian knew what would happen before she married Kincaid.
B. Kincaid thought his absence would be a problem when he married Marian.
C. It turned out that Marian could not stand Kincaid’s absence and left him.
D. After Marian left him, they still kept in touch with each other.
If we were asked exactly what we were doing a year ago,we should probably have to say that we could not remember. But if we had kept a book and had written in it an account of what we did each day,we should be able to give an answer to the question.
It is the same in history .Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them .Sometimes men did keep a record of the most important happenings in their country,but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war.Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to write.For example,we know a good deal about the people who lived in China 4,000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for those who lived after them.But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa, because they had not learned to write.
Sometimes, of course,even if the people cannot write,they may know something of the past.They have heard about it from older people,and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings,and these have been sung and acted and told for many generations, for most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past.This we may call “remembered history”.Some of it has now been written down. It is not so exact or so valuable to us as written history is,because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing.But where there are no written records,such spoken stories are often very helpful.Which of the following ideas is not suggested in the passage?
A.“Remembered history”,compared with written history,is less reliable |
B.Written records of the past play the most important role in our learning of the human history. |
C.A written account of our daily activities helps US to be able to answer many questions. |
D.Where there are no written records.there is no history. |
We know very little about the central Africa 200 years ago because ___
A.there was nothing worth being written down at that time |
B.the people there ignored the importance of keeping a record |
C.the written records were perhaps destroyed by a fire |
D.the people there did not know how to write |
“Remembered history” refers to ___.
A.history based on a person’s imagination |
B.stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth |
C.songs and dances about the most important events |
D.both B and C |
“Remembered history”is regarded as valuable only when ____.
A.it is written down | B.no written account is available |
C.it proves to be time | D.people are interested in it |
The passage suggests that we could have learned much more about our past than we do now if the ancient people had _____
A.kept a written record of every past event |
B.not burnt their written records in wars |
C.told exact stories of the most important happenings |
D.made more songs and dances |
Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs,its people are by now almost entirely an urban society . Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture and forestry(林业),and most of the rest live in or around towns,small and large.Here the traditional picture is changing:every small town may still be very like other small towns,and the typical small town may represent a widely accepted view of the country,but most Americans do not live in small towns any more.Half the population now lives in some thirty metropolitan areas(1arge cities with their suburbs、of more than a million people each—a larger proportion than in Germany or England,let alone France).The statistics(统计)of urban and rural population should be treated with caution because so many people who live in areas classified as rural travel by car to work in a nearby town each day.As the rush to live out of town continues,rural areas within reach of towns are gradually filled with houses,so that it is hard to say at what moment a piece of country becomes a suburb. But more and more the typical American lives in a metropolitan rather than a small town environment.If now America has 250 million people.how many of them are engaged in agriculture and forestry?
A.About 25 million. | B.More than 25 million. |
C.Less than 25 million. | D.Less than 225 million |
Which of the following four countries has the smallest proportion of people living in metropolitan areas?
A.United States. | B.Germany. | C.France. | D.England. |
What’s the meaning of the word “metropolitan” in the middle of the passage?
A.Of a large city with its suburbs. | B.Of small and large towns. |
C.Of urban areas. | D.Of rural areas. |
According to the passage,what can we learn about small towns in the United States?
A Most small towns become gradually crowded
B.Small towns are still similar to each other.
C.As the traditional picture is changing,towns are different.
D .Small towns are turning into large citiesWhy is it hard to say when a piece of country becomes a suburb?
A.Because they are the same. |
B.Because the rush takes place too quickly |
C.Because the process is gradual. |
D.Because more and more Americans live in metropolitan areas. |
There are stories about two U.S . presidents,Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren,which attempt to explain the American English term OK.We don’t know if either story is true,but they are both interesting.
The first explanation is based on the fact that President Jackson had very little education.In fact,he had difficulty reading and writing.When important papers came to Jackson,he tried to read them and then had his assistants explain what they said.If he approved of a paper, he would write “all correct”on it.The problem was that he didn’t know how to spell.So what he really wrote was “ol korekt”.After a while,he shortened that term to “OK”.
The second explanation is based on the place where President Van Buren was born,Kinderhook,New York.Van Buren’s friends organized a club to help him become President .They called the club the Old Kinderhook Club,and anyone who supported Van Buren was called“OK”.The author __________.
A.believes both of the stories |
B.doesn’t believe a word of the stories |
C.is not sure whether the stories are true |
D.is telling the stories just for fun |
According to the passage,President Jackson_____________.
A.couldn’t draw up any documents at all |
B.didn’t like to read important papers by himself |
C.often had his assistants sign documents for him |
D.wasn’t good at reading,writing or spelling |
According to the first story, the term “OK”_______________.
A.was approved of by President Jackson |
B.was the title of some Official documents |
C.was first used by President Jackson |
D.was an old way to spell “all correct’’ |
According to the second story,the term ‘‘OK”_____________.
A.was the short way to say‘ ‘old Kinderhook Club” |
B.meant the place where President Van Buren was born |
C.was the name of Van Buren’s club |
D.was used to call Van Buren’s supporters in the election |
According to the second story, the term “OK” was first used ______________
A.by Van Buren |
B.in a presidential election |
C.to organize the Old Kinderhook Club |
D.by the members of the ‘‘Old Kinderhook Club” |
I got my first driver's license(执照)in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte,North Carolina. Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman. Henry and I were living in Baltimore,Maryland. Two weeks before my 20th birthday,Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon. When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’ s license,ready to renew,the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21.“Mr.Henry Smith,your husband,will have to sign for you,”he said.
I argued,pointing to a very large belly(肚子)of mine,“I am married. I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly,“It’s the law,madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down,just go ahead and get the license and be done with it. “No,” I said. I refused to have him sign for me. So I left without a Maryland license.
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail—using my name Susan Brown. And thus it was for the next twelve years. Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license. By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland,and I had to take the Maryland driver’ s exam. Since then I just go in and renew every four years—sign the name Susan Brown,have my new picture taken,and walk out with a license to drive.Susan got her first driver’ s license________.
A.before she got married to Henry |
B.when she was twenty years old |
C.after she finished high school |
D.when she just moved to Maryland |
Susan failed to renew her license the first time in Maryland because________.
A.she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law |
B.she lacked driving experience in Maryland |
C.she was to give birth to a baby soon |
D.she insisted on signing for herself |
We can infer from the text that in the U.S.________.
A.American males should serve in the army |
B.different states may have different laws |
C.people have to renew their licenses in their home states |
D.women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage |
In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animals. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others. Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’ re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’ s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At that moment,I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to the other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we're brave when we’re scared.The author has discovered that people will feel happy when ________.
A.they offer their help |
B.they receive others’ help |
C.they feel others’ kindness |
D.they show their weakness |
The author feels sad sometimes because ________.
A.he has a soft heart |
B.he relies much on others |
C.some people pretend to be kind |
D.some people fail to see the kindness in others |
What did the other drivers do when they saw the flashlights?
A.They speeded up to pass. |
B.They waited with patience. |
C.They tried their best to help. |
D.They put on their flashlights too. |
In this passage, the author advises us to ________.
A.handle problems by ourselves |
B.accept help from others |
C.admit our weakness |
D.show our bravery |