Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the sea to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down at the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought that someone would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer, he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?’’
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfishes（海星）in the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfishes in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in, they’ll die”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfishes all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.” There is something very special in each and every one of us. We
have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can know that gift, we will gain through the strength of our vision of the power （力量） to shape the future.
We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be better.
72.One day, the wise man saw a young man _______.
A.dancing along the beach
B.walking with a dancer
C.picking up starfish for sale
D.trying to save as many starfishes as possible
73.The underlined words “something very special” refers to ________.
A.the gifts from friends B.the strength of making decision
C.our own starfish D.the ability to make a difference
74.From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.
A.the wise man realized something new and important
B.the wise man thought it was foolish of the young man to throw starfishes in the ocean.
C.the young man had the ability to make a difference
D.it is necessary for us to save starfish on the beach
75.The writer told this story to show us _____.
A.how and where we can write a good article
B.everyone can do something for the future
C.wise men are sometimes stupid
D.young men are in fact wiser than old people
A good friend of mine lives about one hour away. I called her last week and found out that she wasn’t doing well at work, which would make the following year a little more difficult. After hanging up the phone, I decided to offer to help her, but I couldn’t think of what to do. However, opportunities come themselves when you’re not even looking for.
A few days later, some friends and I happened to be eating desserts at a restaurant in her city. As we were looking at the menu, I turned to my friends and asked them if they wanted to join in a game. After explaining the idea, they decided to take 15 minutes to make someone’s day. We ordered an extra dessert, wrote a note, added a smile card and were off. However, there was one problem: I had no idea where she was.
Therefore, it was time to rely on the network. I called up a friend and got him to call her to see what she was doing and found out that she was at work.
We drove to her work place and one of my friends became the delivery(投递)person.He went in to look for my friend, found her, didn’t really answer her questions and walked out, saying he’s simply a delivery person.
He ran out quickly and I bent down as we drove by to make sure she didn’t follow him out. Afterwards, all of us had this huge smile on our faces. We felt as if we had just planned a surprise party or something.
A simple opportunity turned into a moment that many of us can now share.Why is the following year a little more difficult for the author’s friend?
| A．Because she lives too far away from work. |
| B．Because she was out of work. |
| C．Because she didn’t do well at work. |
| D．Because she failed a test. |
In Paragraph 2, the underlined phrases “make someone’s day” probably means “make someone________”.
| A．satisfied | B．busy | C．sad | D．happy |
The author got to know where her friend was by________.
| A．asking her friend herself by phone |
| B．asking another friend to call her |
| C．asking what she was doing directly |
| D．asking her friend herself on the Internet |
When given the dessert, the author’s friend________.
| A．refused the offer | B．knew the entire thing |
| C．asked some questions | D．followed the delivery person out |
The author and her friends might feel________at last.
| A．joyful | B．thankful | C．pitiful | D．fearful |
As an English teacher, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world. I’ve seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars. I’ve attended weddings, parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan, and I’ve noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations.
It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold?
For some people, gold seems to be a status(地位)symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000. I’m not sure I’d spend so much money on a shirt, would you? But Datta Phuge has his reason .He explains,“ Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes. I choose gold.”
For other people, gold is an investment(投资). The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.
And for many people, a family heirloom（传家宝）brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet（手镯）that was given to her by her grandmother who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It’s quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars. It’s a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me, and one day, I’ll pass it on to the younger generation.
Therefore, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen’s death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
People love gold because it holds their minds, their imaginations and, above all, their hearts.The main idea of the first paragraph is that______.
| A．the author has traveled to many countries |
| B．people celebrate almost everything |
| C．there are many ways to use gold |
| D．people all over the world love gold |
Datta Phuge bought a shirt made of gold because________.
| A．gold is a status symbol to him | B．he loves this kind of shirt |
| C．people there love gold so much | D．he is a successful businessman |
According to the passage, in Europe,gold could be________per ounce in 2010.
| A．$1,550 | B．$1,500 | C．$1,450 | D．$1,600 |
The gold bracelet is the heirloom for the author’s family mainly because______.
| A．it’s worth a lot of money | B．it brings status and investment |
| C．it’s a beautiful object | D．it holds family memories |
In the author’s opinion, the real reason why people love gold is that________.
| A．it is a status symbol to some people |
| B．it can be made into beautiful objects |
| C．it can be passed on to the younger generation |
| D．it can bring people a lot of money |
In the past two years, his wife, Merlie, and their seven children have said “goodbye” to him four times, most recently last month. Each time it has been unnecessary.
Mr. Smart had a hip (髋关节) replacement in February at the Burnie hospital but was rushed back two months later with internal bleeding.
“The doctors couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Mrs. Smart said. Medical staff told Mrs. Smart to contact her family, which includes children in Western Australia. “It took two days for them to get here. We had to hope he hung on .” he did.
“The doctors were there 24 hours a day and they stopped the bleeding. They brought him back,” Mrs. Smart said.
“I certainly believe in miracles because I’ve seen one happen, but it wouldn’t have happened if the doctors didn’t do what they did.”
It was the second time Mrs. Smart thought she was losing her husband of 54 years. Two years ago, Mr. Smart was admitted to the Launceston General Hospital after a heart attack and a few days later with intense pain caused by a hemorrhage (出血). Again, the family was called to say goodbye---twice.
“I was given a 50-50 chance of coming out of it, ” Mr. Smart said.
Going through the ordeal (苦难，折磨) then was trying on the family, who had prepared themselves for the worst.
But to face the same situation only two years later was hard. The Smarts said the support they received at the Burnie hospital helped them through.
And it seems the experience has also left an impression at the hospital. Mrs. Smart said when she rang recently and mentioned her husband’s name, the reply was “ah the miracle man”.The first time Mrs. Smart and the children said goodbye to Mr. Smart was when he had.
| A．a hip replacement | B．internal bleeding |
| C．a heart attack | D．intense pain caused by a hemorrhage |
When Mr. Smart was rushed back to the hospital with internal bleeding, .
| A．only his wife believed he could survive |
| B．no one believed that he could survive |
| C．he had given up hope of recovering |
| D．it didn’t take the doctors long to stop the bleeding |
The experience Mr. Smart had at the hospital could be that of.
| A．concern | B．puzzle | C．fear | D．wonder |
The underlined phrase “hung on ”in the third paragraph can be replaced by.
| A．beat the pain | B．came back to life |
| C．lived through | D．make his fortune |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Miracle Man. | B．The Kind Doctors and Nurses. |
| C．A Devoted Wife. | D．A Great Family. |
With the average home in the capital selling for 19,548 yuan a meter in November, a tiny mobile home built by a 24-year-old office worker is creating a stir(震动) online.
Dai Haifei built the 6-square-meter pad(住所) because he could not afford to buy or rent in the capital.
Dai’s new home costs him 6,400 yuan and he has been living in it for nearly two months in courtyard at Chengfu
Road, Haidian district.
Dai, who is one of the millions of migrants who moved to the capital from other parts of China seeking a better
life and better job, said he realized his financial burden had become too great.
The Hunan native said he simply could not make ends meet(收支相抵) when he became an intern at a
Beijing-based construction design company in 2009.
“I rented a home at the very beginning--a small room in an apartment that cost me about 900 yuan per month,”
said Dai in an interview with local media. “It was too expensive for me. ”
Dai’s father works on a construction site in his hometown and his mother is a cleaner.
Dai, who ended up becoming a formal employee of the company, figured out his own way to solve the
problem---with inspiration from a housing design project at his company’s exhibition early this year.
The project, named“An egg given birth to by the city”, included a series of egg-like movable houses, with a
karaoke house, chair house and trader’s house in it.
Dai, who borrowed 6,400 yuan from an older cousin and who got additional help from several friends, decided to
make one of his own. He spent nearly two months building his“egg house”in his hometown, a village in southeast
Hunan that is around 1,700 kilometers from Beijing.Where is this passage probably taken from?
| A．A story book. | B．A cartoon film. | C．A news report. | D．A research report. |
What is Dai Haifei?
| A．An official of government. | B．A journalist. |
| C．An office worker of a company. | D．A manager of a company. |
Why did he build the pad?
| A．Because he will sell it for money. |
| B．Because he has no house to get married in. |
| C．Because he doesn’t have enough money to buy or rent a house. |
| D．Because he wants to get help from the society. |
Which statement is not TRUE?
| A．He comes from a Hunan village. |
| B．He has lived in the egg home for two months. |
| C．He got the idea from a friend. |
| D．He once rented a room. |
What’s the writer’s attitude?
| A．Supporting. | B．Puzzled. | C．Criticizing. | D．Objective. |
Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive(不坦率的) person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You’re very stubborn(顽固的), but you aren’t very ambitious. You’re usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up (卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive. You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality.
| A．only in a normal night |
| B．only when you go to sleep |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the word |
| D．only when you change sleeping position |
Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?
| A．He or she is always open with others. |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
| C．He or she is always easily upset. |
| D．He or she tends to believe in others. |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?
| A．He or she is careful not to offend others. |
| B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion. |
| C．He or she can’t be successful in any business. |
| D．He or she likes to bring others happiness. |
Which of the following may be the reason for you not to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up?
| A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B．He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you. |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because.
| A．he or she always shows sympathy for people |
| B．he or she is confident, but not stubborn |
| C．he or she has more strengths than weaknesses |
| D．he or she often considers annoying people |