I had never seen sand dunes(沙丘)before. If you go to the seaside in Britain, you may see some small hills of sand, but nothing very impressive. Of course, Africa is home to many beautiful “sandscapes”, but I was in China, so I went to Dunhuang.
I had spent my first day looking at the beautiful Mogao caves. Now I wanted to experience something very different.
I have been walking in Asia, Europe and America, but nothing prepared me for walking over hills of sand. Whenever I took a step up a hill, my feet would sink into the sand and move backwards. Sometimes it seemed as if I were moving in the wrong direction.
I wanted to see the sunset so I had to climb to the top of the highest sand dune. The sun was beating down upon my back as I walked slowly over the sand. Some plants had managed to survive in the dry ground but not many.
As I climbed higher, the hills of sand became steeper and my feet started to slip further backwards. I ended up with my hands and knees, crawling (爬行)upwards through the top. I just let go if I would fall the way down. But I refused to give up: inch by inch, I made my way to the top of the sand dune.
When I got there I was amazed by what I saw. The sand formed a very sharp point, just like a knife-edge. One side of the dune was bathed in sunshine, the other covered by shade. As I looked into the distance, the same pattern was repeated on all of the hilltops, and the difference between dark and light was beautiful.
As the sun began to sink, the shadows grew longer and the light became warm and orange. The wind had come to life and sand was blown against my legs as I walked along the dunes. Soon it was getting dark and I could only just make out the line of footprints that marked my journey to the top of the hill. I slowly made my way down to the bottom, my path lit by the dying sun.
65 The author probably went to climb the sand dunes __________ after he arrived at Dunhuang.
A. on the afternoon of the first day B. on the afternoon of the second day
C. on the evening of the second day D. on the evening of the first day
66. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Africa has many beautiful sand dunes.
B. The author could see nothing but his own footprints on his way back.
C. The author had seen some kinds of sand dunes before he visited Dunhuang
D. What attracted the author most was that the sand formed a very sharp point.
67. The author got to the top of the highest hill of sand _____________.
A. on his hands and knees all the way
B. with falls to the bottom many times
C. on his hands and knees in the last leg (一段旅程)
D. with a few rests all the way
68. The author mainly wants to tell readers about_____________.
A. the beautiful sunset B. his experience of climbing the sand hills
C. the joy of traveling in nature D. the difficulty of climbing the sand dunes
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise--he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage.
A.3 | B.4 | C.6 | D.7 |
When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_________”.
A.I give him the cold shoulder |
B.I think he is a cold-blooded man |
C.I think he is a cold fish |
D.I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________.
A.she is a cold-blooded killer |
B.she gets cold feet |
C.she is a cold fish |
D.she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.
A.cold-blooded | B.cold shoulder |
C.cold feet | D.cold-hearted |
The topic of this passage is about _________.
A.the relationship between cold and our body |
B.some expressions about friendship |
C.some expressions connected with cold |
D.how cold weather comes into being |
“Have a nice day!” may be a pleasant gesture or a meaningless. When my friend Maxie says “Have a nice day” with a smile, I know she sincerely cares about what happens to me. I feel loved and secure since another person cares about me and wishes me well.
“Have a nice day. Next!” This version of the expression is spoken by a salesgirl at the supermarket who is rushing me and my groceries out the door. The words come out in the same tone (腔调) with a fixed procedure. They are spoken at me, not to me. Obviously, the concern for my day and everyone else’s is the management’s attempt to increase business.
The expression is one of those behaviors that help people get along with each other. Sometimes it indicates the end of a meeting. As soon as you hear it, you know the meeting is at an end. Sometimes the expression saves us when we don’t know what to say “oh, you may have a tooth out? I’m terribly sorry, but have a nice day.”
The expression can be pleasant. If a stranger says “Have a nice day” to you, you may find it heart-warming because someone you don’t know has tried to be nice to you.
Although the use of the expression is an insincere, meaningless social custom at times, there is nothing wrong with the sentence except that it is a little uninteresting. The salesgirl, the waitress, the teacher, and all the countless others who speak it without thinking may not really care about my day. But in a strange and comfortable way, it’s nice to know they care enough to pretend they care when they really don’t care all that much. While the expression may not often be sincere, it is always spoken. The point is that people say it all the time when they like.How does the author understand Maxie’s words?
A.Maxie shows her anxiety to the author. |
B.Maxie really wishes the author a good day. |
C.Maxie encourages the author to stay happy. |
D.Maxie really worries about the author’s security. |
By saying “Have a nice day,” a stranger may _____.
A.try to be polite to you |
B.express respect to you |
C.give his blessing to you |
D.share his pleasure with you |
According to the last paragraph, people say “Have a nice day”_______.
A.sincerely | B.as thanks |
C.as a habit | D.encouragingly |
What is the best title of the passage?
A.Have a Nice Day—a Social Custom. |
B.Have a Nice Day—a Pleasant Gesture. |
C.Have a Nice Day—a Heart-warming Greeting. |
D.Have a Nice Day—a Polite Ending of a Conversation. |
I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have porridge, eggs or toast. When others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. But at least I wasn’t alone when I was sad. My sister and two brothers had the same mean(刻薄的) mother as I did.
My mother preferred to know where we were all the time. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. We had to clean clothes and take a bath every day. The other kids got to wear the same clothes for days. We could not lie in bed “sick” in order to miss school.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and get up at eight the next morning. We couldn’t sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept, my mother was brave to break the Child Labour Law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook and all sorts of things at home. I believe she lay awake thinking up all things for us to do.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Two of her children received higher education. None of us have ever been arrested (taken away by the police) or divorced. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. I am trying to raise my three children this way. I am filled with pride when my children call me “mean”. Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.How many children does the writer’s mother have?
A.Four | B.Two | C.Three | D.Six |
What can you infer(推测) from the passage?
A.My family was rich, so I ate a sandwich for lunch. |
B.My mother was a great success. We love her. |
C.If we didn’t want to go to school, the best way was to pretend to be sick. |
D.We needn’t share the housework at home. |
The best title for this passage may be________.
A.My childhood | B.The meanest mother |
C.I do as my mother did | D.Unforgettable memories |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).
On September 11th. 1958. Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying. "I promised you a gift, and here it is. " What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. 1 told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful", and "dying", which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. "Don’t expect any presents this year." Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. "If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough. " As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say. "What? He's all right?" He hung up and shouted upstairs. " The hospital said we can bring Richard home!"
"Thank God.'" I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I downstairs. My sacks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!what happened to the author on September 11 1958 ?
A.He got a baby brother |
B.He got a Christmas gift |
C.He became four years old |
D.He received a doll |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Impossible. | B.Boring |
C.Difficult | D.Fearful |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
A.Excitement. | B.Happiness. |
C.Sadness. | D.Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about ?
A.A sad Christmas day |
B.Life with a lovely baby |
C.A special Christmas gift. |
D.Memories of a happy family |
任务型阅读(共10小题;每小题1分,共10分)
I used to be the messiest person alive.Over the years, through watching others and by trial and error, I have finally found ways to come up with plans, organize them and follow through with them.
Make an outline of everything you need to have and do to make your plan happen.Make a list of all of the steps that need to be accomplished and think about what needs to be done.
Detail everything thoroughly and read over it so you can start coming up with some mental solutions of how to carry out your plans.
You should ensure that if for some reason way one doesn’t work, you have way two and way three to lean back on.Therefore, different ways are needed at hand.It’s just a matter of being organized.Chances are that there is always more than one way of doing things, and chances are that if one of those ways doesn’t work, one of the other ones will.
Committing yourself to finishing at least part if not all of your plan at once is also necessary.It will show that you not only have initiative to get things rolling, but that you are interested in the results obtained with making the move to get everything done.
If you make a commitment to finish before a specific time, make sure that you carry that out, and be sure to do everything in the way you said you would, within the time-frame you set for yourself.
Don’t try to tackle more things all at a time.All that does is delay your progress, distract you and make you lose your interest, motivation and energy.
Carrying out an effective plan requires being as organized as possible.You will only achieve this by sticking to the order of the plan and not deviating or trying to do more at a time.
Last but not least, you should never abandon things mid-project.It will only annoy everyone around you including yourself.Unfinished plans are a waste of time, energy and, in some cases, even money.
So, don’t be afraid of organization.The older we get, the more necessary it becomes to have the skills to follow through with confidence and to be able to carry through plans in an organized and manageable way.It pays to be organized, after all.
Title: Tips on how to be |
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Tips |
Details |
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◆List everything you need ◆List the |
To make your plan happen |
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Prepare three |
To |
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Do everything |
To show yourself you are determined to get things started and caring about the results. |
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Do one thing at once |
Stick to the order of your plan |
To save your interest, motivation and energy |
Finish what you have started |
To get your plan |
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You shouldn’t be afraid of organization because it’s really worthwhile. |