Martha was busy with her job. She believed she had to work harder because she loved her father who was sick with cancer. She had to provide for his expensive medicines. Her brothers and sisters meanwhile stayed with their father most of the time. They bathed him, sang for him, spoon-fed(用匙喂) him or simply kept him company.
One day Martha was hurt. She overheard(无意中听到) her father telling her mother, "All our children love me except Martha."
"How can this be?" Martha thought. "Am I not the one killing myself in my work to have money to pay for his medicines? My brothers and sisters do not even provide their share in the expenses."
One night, as Martha was as usual late in going home, she saw her father was lying awake. She walked close to his bedsides. Her father held her hands and said, "I miss you. I don't have much time. Stay with me." And she stayed with her father holding his hand the whole night.
The next morning Martha said to everybody, "I have taken a leave of absence. I would like to be with father. I will bathe him and sing for him from now on." Her father had a beautiful smile. He knew Martha loved him, too.
As children, we need the presence of our loved ones. Adults need no less. I have observed my mother’s orchids(兰花). When she is away for a long time, they are unhealthy and many of them wither(干枯). But when she is around , they bloom with beautiful flowers. My mother does nothing special . She just spends her time looking after them.Before Martha heard her parents’ talk ,she thought her father _____.
| A．was satisfied with her love for him |
| B．disliked her brothers and sisters |
| C．was proud of her |
| D．would recover from the disease |
After staying with her father for one night, Martha _____.
| A．decided to give up her job |
| B．understood what her father really needed |
| C．realized her father loved her most |
| D．loved her father more than before |
By telling Matha’s story, what does the author try to express?
| A．Nothing is more important than the company of loved ones. |
| B．Money and a successful career don’t always bring happiness |
| C．Adults need the presence of their loved ones more than children do. |
| D．Plants like orchids do have feelings. |
I shall never forget the day when the earthquake took place. The time was about 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I was driving along the road to take my daughter from school. Our plan was to go swimming together. I had finished my work at 4 o’clock and then gone to the Post Office. Then I’d stopped off at a shop in order to get some fresh fruit. We like to have some fruit to eat after our swim.
I was driving along a high road on my way to my daughter’s school. Over my road was another road which was built like a bridge for cars coming to the other way. I was hungry so I put the bag of apples in the seat beside me and started to eat one.
Suddenly I saw the cars in front of me start to move from side to side. Then my car started to shake! I didn’t know what was happening. Perhaps something had gone wrong with my car. I drove a little more slowly and then I stopped the car and at the same moment the road fell onto the cars in front of me.
I found myself in the dark. I couldn’t move. The bottom parts of both of my legs and my feet were hurting badly and I couldn’t move them. All around me was quiet. But above me I could hear shouts and a lot of noise. Then I memorized (记起) what had happened. I had been in an earthquake.
For about two hours nobody came. Luckily I could reach the bag of apples, so at least I had plenty to eat. Then I heard people climbing towards me. A team of people had come to see if anyone was under the broken road. I called out. “I’m here!” I heard a shout. Soon a stranger climbed to the side of the road near my car. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“Not too bad,” I said, “but my feet and leg feel as if they’re broken.” “We’ll have you out of there just as soon as we can.” They didn’t get me out until the next morning. I had been in my car for fourteen hours.When the earthquake took place, the writer was ______.
| A．on his way to the Post Office | B．stopping off a shop |
| C．doing some shopping | D．under a road built like a bridge |
The writer’s car began to move from side to side because ________.
| A．there was something wrong with his car |
| B．he ate apples as he drove |
| C．an earthquake began to happen |
| D．he drove too fast |
Which is the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．When the earthquake happened, the writer was with his daughter together. |
| B．The writer’s leg and feet were badly wounded in the earthquake. |
| C．The writer was saved as soon as the stranger climbed up the road. |
| D．The writer was frightened that he forgot everything that happened around. |
When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.
For Chinese people, however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It’s a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual (仪式).
China isn’t the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. Another country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, a tiny country between China and India.
Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol representing their countries. This is particularly obvious during sports. The English think lions to be brave and proud animal and the English football teams have three lions on their football shirts.
Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly known as the Wallabies, a type of small kangaroo. The South African team is known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope. Likewise the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can’t fly.
All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shanghai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an Internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon.In the opinion of the west, the dragon is ______.
| A．a terrible animal that is not popular |
| B．a cultural and spiritual symbol of good luck |
| C．a reflection of China’s national characteristics |
| D．an animal that can create harmony and bring rain |
Which of the following does NOT use the dragon as its national symbol?
| A．India. | B．Wales. | C．Bhutan. | D．China. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The national rugby team from the South Africa is well known as the Wallabies. |
| B．The Australian team is known as Springboks, a type of kangaroo. |
| C．The dragon is mentioned to have been used on the flag in two countries. |
| D．The New Zealanders are commonly known as kiwis only when playing sports. |
LG Electronics, the world’s fourth largest cell phone producer, has added another feature to the mobile phone-reading books for the visually impaired(弱视的). The company started marketing the model, the LF1300 on Sep.18. No other people but the blind and visually-impaired with a certificate(证书) can buy the talking phone at sales shops of LG Electronics.
“The LF1300 is the world’s first mobile phone that is capable of reading books for the print-disabled, who otherwise could not enjoy them. This is not about making money but about continuing to put froth efforts to reduce the digital difference for the disabled,” LG Vice President said.
Its users can download about 300 audio (声音的) books from the Internet site of LG Sangam Library to their phones for free in two ways. One is to access the digital library’s Website on a computer designed for the blind to get the audio books and transfer them to cell phones. The other is to download the digital books directly with cell phones through the wireless net work by touching a hot key on the LF1300 phone.
On top of its unique feature of reading books, the LF1300 is no worse than the popular top-line phones in both outlooks and functionalities(功能性). The phone is armed with an MP3 player and a Bluetooth headset, enabling users to listen to the music or talk without a cord. The user interface（界面) of the LF1300 is also designed for the blind, enabling phone users to control it through a voice guidance system.
However, because the phone’s internal memory of 17MB is small even for a single audio book file, which takes up 80MB on average, a high-volume external memory is a must for the talking book services.are allowed to buy the talking phone.
| A．Disabled people with a certificate |
| B．All the blind and poor-sighted people |
| C．The blind and poor-sighted with a certificate |
| D．Both healthy and disabled citizens |
The users can download audio books on LF1300 by.
| A．talking to the microphone |
| B．touching any key |
| C．touching its screen |
| D．touching the hot key |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．This is the first time LG Company has done something for the disabled. |
| B．Phone users don’t have to pay much to download the digital books. |
| C．LF1300 has a less attractive outlook than any other top-line phone. |
| D．The disadvantage of LF1300 is that it has too small internal memory. |
The best title of the passage might be.
| A．A New Type of Cell Phone is on the Market |
| B．Mobile Phones Can Read Books for the Print-Disabled |
| C．The Disabled will Benefit from Cell Phone Producers |
| D．Advanced Technology Helps the Blind Read Books |
“Well, we’re in our new house. Let’s get a new pet to go along with it,” Mrs. Brown said to her husband.
“That sounds like a very good idea,” he answered. “Do you want to see the ads in the newspaper?”
“Let’s go to the animal shelter. Many pets there need homes. Since tomorrow is Saturday, we can both go.” she said.
The next morning the Browns met Mr. Snow at the animal shelter. “We want to be sure that the pets here go to good homes,” Mr. Snow said, “So I need to ask you some questions.”
After they talked for a while, the Browns decided to get a small dog. It wouldn’t need a big house or a big yard. A small dog would bark and warn them if someone tried to break into their house. After Mr. Snow gave the Browns a book on pet care, they chose one and wanted to take her home right away. But the animal doctor hadn’t examined her yet. So Mr. Snow told them to return on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon the Browns went to the animal shelter. The animal doctor said, “Shadow has had all of her shots（预防针）. She will be healthy.” The Browns thanked the doctor and took Shadow home.Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The Browns have never had a pet before |
| B．The Browns knew about Shadow from the newspaper |
| C．Shadow is a small and healthy dog |
| D．Mr. Brown didn’t quite agree with his wife |
The word “shelter” in the reading means _________.
| A．a place to sell small dogs |
| B．a place to keep homeless animals |
| C．a place to study animals |
| D．a place to sell books on pet care |
Mr. Snow asked the Browns some questions to _________.
| A．see if they had moved to a new house |
| B．find out how rich the Browns were |
| C．know where they’d keep their new pet |
| D．make sure they’d take good care of pets |
The Browns think that a small dog _________.
| A．doesn’t need any room to keep |
| B．can help them watch their house |
| C．eats less food than a bigger one |
| D．usually has a beautiful name |
I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos (标志) in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one—it’s so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald’s, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well, and they are among my favorites.
Nike
In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike’s logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $ 35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995.
McDonald’s
The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped(拱形的) signs on the side of the company’s then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald’s name was added to the logo in 1968.
Apple
There are different stories behind Apple’s logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steven Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn’t stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff’s “ rainbow apple”, a rainbow- colored silhouette (轮廓) of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow- colored apple was replaced by the one- colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far.
Mercedes Benz
The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three- pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Marcedes is the name of Maybach’s elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie. and DMG in 1926.What does the author think of the stories of the great logos?
| A．They are boring | B．They are out of date. |
| C．They are attractive | D．They are practical |
What does Nike’s logo stand for?
| A．The goddess of victory |
| B．The source of inspiration for soldiers |
| C．The statue of the Greek goddess |
| D．The wing of the Greek goddess |
We can learn that Apple’s present logo is______.
| A．the religious story of Adam and Eve |
| B．a bitten apple with only one color |
| C．Newton’s sitting under an apple tree |
| D．the rainbow- colored bitten apple |
Which of the following time orders describes the births of the great logos?
| A．Mercedes Benz – McDonald’s – Nike – Apple. |
| B．Nike – McDonald’s – Apple – Mercedes Benz. |
| C．Mercedes Benz – Apple – Nike –McDonald’s. |
| D．Nike –Mercedes Benz –McDonald’s – Apple, |