May : Happenings from the Past
May 5 , 1884
Isaac Murphy , son of a slave and perhaps the greatest horse rider in American history, rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby. He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times.
May 9 , 1754
Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon , showing a snake cut in pieces , with the words “Join or Die” printed under the picture.
May 11 , 1934
The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl, the result of years of drought (干旱) , blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington , D. C.
May 19, 1994
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s, died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64.
May 24, 1844
Samuel F. B. Morse taps (轻敲) out the first message, “What hath God wrought,” over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D. C, to Baltimore, Md.
53. We know from the text that Buchanan is _______________.
A. Isaac’s father B. a winning horse
C. a slave taking care of horses D. the first racing horse in Kentucky
54. What is the title of the first American political cartoon?
A. Join or Die B. Pennsylvania Gazette
C. What Hath God Wrought D. Kentucky Derby
55. In which year did the former first lady Jacqueline die?
A. 1934 B. 1960 C. 1964 D. 1994
56. Which of the following places has to do with (与...有关)the first telegram in history?
A. Washington, D. C. B. New York City
C. Kentucky D. Pennsylvania
We often hear people talking about a generation gap (代沟). The name is new, but the idea is old. Young people and their parents don’t understand each other. The world has always kept changing. During the second century after Christ a wise man said, “Bury me on my face because in a little while everything will be turned upside down.”
There has always been a gap between generations, but more people talk about it now. Old Mr. Ellis thinks he understands what has happened.
“When I was a boy, I thought the world was a beautiful place. My life was very pleasant. But when I was older, I learned about people who were treated badly, people who didn’t have enough to eat. I wanted to help them, and I married a girl who wanted to help them, too. We went to meetings and talked a lot, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. ”
“Our children grew up in a world at war. They didn’t know when the fighting would stop. They wanted their children to have nice clothes and toys. They didn’t want to think about the future. They thought nothing could be done about it.”
“Now I have grandchildren, and they have their own ideas. They are trying to make the world better. They are trying to help other people. They’re making people listen to them. I am proud of their generation.”The wise man mentioned in the text told people to bury him on his face so that when everything is turned upside down he will _____.
| A．lie on his back | B．lie on his stomach | C．stand quietly | D．sit in peace |
Which generation did NOT want to do anything to make the world a better one?
| A．Mr. Ellis’ generation | B．His grandchildren’s generation |
| C．His children’s generation | D．None of the above. |
Which generation is/was more efficient in making the world better one?
| A．Mr. Ellis’ generation. | B．His children’s generation. |
| C．His grandchildren’s generation. | D．None of the above. |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the generation gap?
| A．Unacceptable. | B．Awful. | C．Funny. | D．Objective |
One Friday morning, Andrew announced to his wife that he finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt worried --- what if Mr. Larchmont refuses to grant his request? Andrew had worked so hard and of course, he deserves a wage increase.
The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he finally mustered up the courage to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the ever-frugal Harvey Larchmont agreed to give him a raise!
Andrew arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina had prepared a fine meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office might have broken the good news to her!
Next to his plate Andrew found a lettered note, reading: "Congratulations, my love! I knew you'd get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!" He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Tina was.
After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen when he observed a second card had slipped out of Tina's pocket onto the floor. He picked it up. He read: "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you even though you did not get the increase."
Suddenly tears swelled in Andrew's eyes. Total acceptance! Tina's support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure. Why was Andrew worried about asking for a salary raise?
| A．He was afraid of being turned down. |
| B．He didn’t think he ought to get a raise. |
| C．He wife didn’t support him in this. |
| D．His superior had refused him once. |
What does the underlined word “muster” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．To gather something. |
| B．To make use of something . |
| C．To create something. |
| D．To consume something |
Andrew felt ______ when he discovered the truth.
| A．angry | B．disappointed | C．relaxed | D．moved |
Tina prepared a good meal, _________.
| A．because she knew her husband would make it |
| B．because she wanted to comfort her husband |
| C．but she didn’t know what the result would be |
| D．and she wrote a letter to her husband. |
Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school. His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do all for him. They call him at six in the morning, after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy something in the shops.
Once Harry’s father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up earlier and did all her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn’t do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. Even he didn’t know where to get on the bus!
Yesterday Harry’s mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a new pair in the shop. But he didn’t know how to choose. The woman had a sigh(叹息) and gave him a shoe pattern(鞋样) and told him to buy a pair of shoes himself. It’s Saturday today and Harry doesn’t go to school. With a policeman’s help, he found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, “What’s the matter, young man?”
“I’m sorry, I’ve left the shoe pattern at home!”_______ always does some housework in the morning.
| A．Harry’s mother | B．Harry’s father | C．Harry | D．Nobody |
Harry’s parents do all instead of him because _______.
| A．he’s too young |
| B．he has poor health |
| C．they hope he spends all time on studies |
| D．he’s busy with his studies |
The woman had to look after her son by herself because _______.
| A．she was stronger than her husband |
| B．her husband wasn’t at home |
| C．she knew the young man well |
| D．she was freer than her husband |
One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the potatoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field always had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.The underlined word “in vain” in the 1st paragraph most probably means “_______”.
| A．suggested . | B．returned no result | C．insisted | D．decided |
How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
| A．She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field |
| B．She lost it while watering the plants in the field. |
| C．She lost it while working in the field. |
| D．She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field. |
What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
| A．He picked it up and put it in his pocket. |
| B．He ran back to tell everybody in the village. |
| C．He placed it in a secret spot. |
| D．He returned it to the owner. |
What can you infer from the story?
| A．The ring was invaluable. |
| B．People on the farm were honest and helpful. |
| C．The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power. |
| D．Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again. |
Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic Ocean, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic Ocean is rich in oceanic liveliness all the time. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic Ocean.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic Ocean is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise---it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic Ocean trying to draw breath----perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It imitates nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with co-living existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is __________.
| A．always energetic | B．lacking in liveliness |
| C．shaped like a square | D．favored by ancient poets. |
The writer uses the poem “Storm at Sea” for the purpose of ___________.
| A．describing the movement of the waves |
| B．showing the strength of the storm |
| C．presenting the power of the ocean |
| D．proving the vastness of the sea |
In the last paragraph, the Atlantic Ocean is compared to ___________.
| A．a beautiful and poetic place | B．a person of blood and flesh |
| C．a world of interest and wonder | D．a lovely animal |