B
By now there were several people standing around me, my mom, and the little broken bush(灌木丛).
“Son, would you like me to call an ambulance?” some men said.
“No,” my mom yelled. “I’m fine. Please go away!”
“She’s learning to ride,” I tried to explain to all those who were not going to go away.
“Oh, all right!” My mom sat up and brushed the grass and leaves off her sweater. Finally she stood up. Everyone began to clap(鼓掌), and my mom’s face turned bright pink.
“Thank you very much, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” Mom took a few steps around to show them that she wasn’t hiding a broken leg. Everyone clapped again and then went on their way.
“Enough for today?” I asked hopefully.
“No,” she said in a way that surprised me. “I almost had it, and then I let myself get scared. I know I can do it this time!” Now this sounded more like my mom, for I’d never known my mom to be afraid of anything before. I helped her pull the bike out of the bush and push it up the hill.
She didn’t look quite so pale this time. She got on the bike again and went down the hill. I ran down the hill after her. She had ridden quite a way ahead of me when she looked back over her shoulder, smiling. Then she gave me a thumbs-up(翘拇指) sign.
“No, no!” I yelled. “Use both hands!”
But it was too late. Again.
“Mom! Are you hurt?” I ran up to her in the grass.
This time she was laughing. “Did you see me? I did it! I really did it!” Then she stopped and looked at me. “I mean,” she said, “we did it.”
60. From the passage we can learn that the author ____.
A. was helping his mother learn to ride a bike
B. went on a picnic with his mother by bike
C. was learning to ride a bike by himself
D. could ride a bike as well as his mother could
61. Those people were not going to go away because they ____.
A. would wait until the police came
B. wanted to see if the author’s mother was OK
C. thought it was a terrible traffic accident
D. worried about the little broken bush
62. The underlined word “it” (in paragraph 8) most probably refers to ____.
A. the ambulance B. the sweater
C. the skill of riding a bike D. the courage to stand up
63. What happened after the author’s mother gave him a thumbs-up sign?
A. She forgot how to ride a bike. B. She broke one of her legs.
C. She was hit by something. D. She fell off the bike.
Have you ever made contact with the creative spirit, that certain something hard to describe, but full of good—and sometimes great—ideas? It is more than an occasional great thought. When we feel the moving of the creative spirit, it brings to life a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to invent, to explore new ways of doing things, and to turn dreams into reality.
That flash of inspiration is the final moment of a process marked by unique stages—the basic steps in creative problem-solving. The first stage is preparation, when you look for any information that might be important. It's when you let your imagination run free.
But one barrier(障碍) is the inside voice of judgment that locks up our creative spirit within the limits of what we think acceptable. It's the voice that whispers to you, "They'll think I'm foolish," or "That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice of judgment and have the courage to discount its unhelpful advice.
Once you have thought about all the relevant(相关的) pieces and pushed your mind to the limits, you can let the problem remain and take in all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness. As the saying goes, "You sleep on it."
We are more open to creative thoughts from the unknowing mind when we are not really thinking of anything. That is why daydreams are so useful in the search for creativity. Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a shower, long drives, a quiet walk, etc.
With luck, daydreaming will lead to a light turning on above your head, when all of a sudden the answer will come to you as if from nowhere. This is the popular stage—the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment that people sweat and long for, the feeling "This is it!" But the thought alone is still not a creative act. The final stage is translation, when you take your creative thought and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others.In Paragraph 1, “the moving of the creative spirit” probably means ________.
| A．preparation | B．exploration | C．problem-solving | D．inspiration |
According to the article, what keeps us from creativity?
| A．Having less information to form a good idea. |
| B．Relying on others during the creative process. |
| C．Caring about other people’s opinions about us. |
| D．Thinking about too many ideas at the same time. |
What can we learn from the fifth paragraph?
| A．The unknowing mind is very difficult for us to understand. |
| B．Creativity arrives when we aren’t focused on any one thing. |
| C．Daydreaming is useless and has nothing to do with creativity. |
| D．Showers, long drives and quiet walk are good for our bodies. |
When does creativity become useful to us and others?
| A．When thought is turned into action. |
| B．When people understand our ideas. |
| C．When the popular stage is reached. |
| D．When we think “This is it!”. |
Which of the following would the author probably support?
| A．The creative spirit means an occasional great thought. |
| B．Others’ voice of judgment allows us to ignore barriers. |
| C．Creative problem-solving calls for barrier-free imagination. |
| D．Daydreaming is sure to bring a sudden answer to a problem. |
One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. They ran away from the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
“The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing,” says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland. A survey of the wildlife in New York’s Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels. A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species. One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons (浣熊) now lives in Washington D.C., and moose (驼鹿) are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns. Peregrine falcons(游隼) dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to prey on (捕食) pigeons.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities. Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs. In addition, urban wildlife refuges (避难处) have been created. The Greater London Council last year spent￡750,000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from derelict lots. One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings (悬崖栖息地). By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food.
Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful. The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated. Such habitats can even be functional. In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain (保持) the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds.The first paragraph suggests that ________.
| A．environment is crucial（关键的）for wildlife |
| B．tour books are not always a reliable source of information |
| C．London is a city of fox |
| D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment |
Which of the following is NOT a reason that wildlife is returning to the cities?
| A．Food is plentiful in the cities. |
| B．Wildlife is appreciated in the cities. |
| C．Wildlife refuges have been built in the cities |
| D．Air and water quality has improved in the cities |
The underlined word “tallied” in Para. 2 means __________.
| A．distinguished | B．described | C．counted | D．concluded |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．Londoners are putting more and more wild animals into their zoos. |
| B．Londoners are happy to see wild animals return to their city |
| C．Londoners are trying to move wild animals back to the countryside |
| D．Londoners have welcomed the wild birds, but found foxes a problem |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Wildlife returning to large cities |
| B．Foxes returning to London |
| C．Wild animals living in zoos |
| D．A survey of wildlife in New York |
My father had always been an alert observer of human character. Within seconds of meeting someone, he could sum up their strengths and weaknesses. It was always a challenge to see if any of my boyfriends could pass Dad’s test. None did. Dad was always right—they didn’t pass my test either. After Dad died, I wondered how I’d figure it out on my own.
That’s when Jack arrived on the scene. He was different from any other guy I’d dated. He could sit for hours on the piano bench with my mother, discussing some composers. My brother Rick loudly announced that Jack wasn’t a turkey like the other guys I’d brought home. Jack passed my family’s test. But what about Dad’s?
Then came my mother’s birthday. The day he was supposed to drive, I got a call. “Don’t worry,” he said, “but I’ve been in an accident. I’m fine, but I need you to pick me up.”
When I got there, we rushed to a flower shop for something for Mom. “How about gardenias（栀子花）?” Jack said, pointing at a beautiful white corsage (胸花). The florist put the corsage in a box.
The entire ride, Jack was unusually quiet. “Are you all right?” I asked. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he said. “I might be moving.” Moving? Then he added, “Moving in with you.” I nearly put the car on the sidewalk. “What?” I asked. “I think we should get married,” he said. He told me he’d planned his proposal in a fancy restaurant, but after the accident, he decided to do it right away. “Yes,” I whispered. We both sat dumbfounded, tears running down our cheeks. I’d never known such a tender moment. If only Dad were here to give his final approval.
“Oh, let’s just go inside.” Jack laughed. My mother opened the door. “Happy Birthday!” we shouted. Jack handed the box to her. She opened it up. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. “Mom, what’s wrong?” I asked. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes. “This is only the second gardenia corsage I’ve ever received. I was given one years ago, long before you kids were born.” “From who?” I asked. “Your father,” Mom said. “He gave me one right before we were engaged.” My eyes locked on Jack’s as I blinked away(眨掉) tears. Dad’s test? I knew Jack had passed. According to the text, we know the writer’s father was __________.
| A．interested in observing things around |
| B．good at judging one’s character |
| C．strict with her boyfriend |
| D．fond of challenges |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Jack got the family’s approval except Dad’s. |
| B．Jack was different from any other boy. |
| C．Jack was getting on well with Mother. |
| D．Jack knew a lot about piano. |
The underlined word “proposal” in Paragraph 5 means __________.
| A．piece of advice | B．wedding ceremony |
| C．celebration of birthday | D．offer of marriage |
On hearing “moving in with you”, the writer felt __________.
| A．pleased | B．worried |
| C．surprised | D．disappointed |
Why did the writer’s mother cry?
| A．The gift was the same as the one her husband gave her. |
| B．She had never received such a beautiful gift. |
| C．Her daughter found her life partner at last. |
| D．The gardenia corsage was too expensive. |
Fahad Azad, an engineer in India, invented a robot named DuctBot．The toy-car sized DuctBot measured 23 centimeters in length, 19 centimeters in width and 9 centimeters in height and weighs just two kilograms．
The robot is designed to snake through dark, narrow air conditioning ducts （管道） and clean them．A pair of LEDs fitted on the robot light up the dirty scenery, so it can be captured （抓拍） by a camera．
In order to control it more easily, Mr. Azad chooses to fix DuctBot on wheels．The robot can clean off lots of dirt, as well as dead pigeons and insects．Keeping indoor air in good quality and monitoring carbon-dioxide levels in buildings with central air conditioning is a challenge．It is important in some places where clean air can mean a difference between life and death, such as hospitals．Dirty air has a bad influence on people's health．
EPSCO, a Dubai-based company which specializes in improving indoor air quality, read about Mr. Azad's invention in a national newspaper after he had won an international robotics competition．EPSCO had cleaning equipment, but it needed someone to get into those ducts to do the dirty, dangerous work．Across India, for example, the task still falls to children．They are small enough to go through those ducts．
In 2005, Mr. Azad who was still at university decided to do something about it．Six years later his own company, Robosoft Systems, has Bluestar, EPSCO and the Indian Navy, some leading air condition makers, as partners．
Mr. Azad and his ten employees are currently exploring robot designs to examine oil tanks or sewage （污水）pipes．Their biggest challenge is to make the robots user-friendly enough．Mr. Azad hopes that the robot could eventually be operated not by engineers but by workers．There will be lots of difficulties they need to overcome in the future．What can we learn about Ductbot?
| A．It is a toy car and popular with children． |
| B．It is designed to move like a snake in the ducts． |
| C．many LEDs are fitted on it to tell its location． |
| D．It is actually a camera to capture dirty scenery． |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2 refers to "____"．
| A．the camera | B．the conditioning duct |
| C．the LED light | D．the dirty scenery |
What can the Ductbot do for us?
| A．Clean off the dirt in the ducts． |
| B．Control the central conditioning． |
| C．Reduce carbon-dioxide in buildings． |
| D．Protect more animals in city． |
According to the text, EPSCO____．
| A．has won an international robotics competition |
| B．hired children to clean the dirty ducts in the past |
| C．is the only partner of Robosoft Systems |
| D．specializes in improving people's health |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Only engineers can operate the Ductbot now． |
| B．New ways have been found to examine oil tanks． |
| C．Azad's difficulties are impossible to overcome． |
| D．Azad's team are working to improve their robot designs． |
An eighteen-year-old high school student from Utah won the top prize in the Intel Science Talent Search in the United States. The winner received a computer and a scholarship for a college education.
More than 1,500students from across the country entered projects in the competition this year. Their research included chemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, engineering, and computer science-almost every area of science.
Forty students were invited to Washington, D.C. for the final judging. A group of scientists judged them on their research abilities, critical thinking skills and creativity. The judges also questioned the students about scientific problems before deciding on the winners.
The top winner received 100,000 dollars for college. Shannon Babb of American Fork High School studied the water quality of tile Spanish Fork River in Utah for six years. She found that people have a harmful effect on the river through human activity, including agriculture. And she suggested ways to improve the water quality in the future. These include educating the public not to put household chemicals down the drains（下水道）, which lead to the river eventually.
Seventeen-year-old Yi Sun of the Hanker School in San Jose, California, earned the second place. He won a 75,000-dollar scholarship for new discoveries about a mathematical theory known as random walks. His work could help computer scientists and chemists. Yi Sun was born in China.
The third-place winner was also seventeen and born in China. Yuan “Chelsea” Zhang of Montgomery Blair High School in Rockville, Maryland, won a 50,000-dollar scholarship. She researched the molecular genetics（分子遗传学）of heart disease. Her findings could aid the development of new medicines.
The Intel Science Talent Search is the oldest science competition for high school students in the United States. It is 65 years old this year. Past winners have gone on to receive six Nobel prizes and other top honors in science and math.What do we know about the talent search project?
| A．Most of its winners have received Nobel prizes. |
| B．The project includes researches in every area of science. |
| C．Only a small part of the students can attend the final judging. |
| D．Most of the winners come from Asian countries. |
According to the text, .
| A．water quality in Utah will be better than that in the other states |
| B．the river was polluted only by those living near it |
| C．Shannon Babb suggested more than one way to improve the water quality |
| D．household chemicals should be kept in the drains forever |
Which of the following about the girl from Maryland is NOT true?
| A．The scholarship she received was half as many as Shannon Babb. |
| B．Her discovery is of great help to Chinese medicine. |
| C．Her research will contribute to the cure of heart disease. |
| D．She and the second-place winner Yi Sun have something in common. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Three winners' contributions to science and math. |
| B．Three Chinese students won the Science Talent Search. |
| C．Great rewards were given to winners in the competition. |
| D．Winners of the Intel Science Talent Search in the US. |
Where are you most likely to find this text?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a handbook. | C．In a textbook. | D．In a medical magazine. |