I spotted (发现;认出) him at the checkout counter, bagging at No.14. His arms shook violently as he placed a carton (纸板箱;纸盒) of eggs into a plastic bag. He wore a yellow plastic name tag on which he had written “Jerry” in kindergarten penmanship (书法). He looked middle-aged but his mental age must have been about 12.
Ever since I smiled at him the first time he bagged my groceries at my local supermarket, Jerry has followed me around like an adoring fan. His lack of boundaries makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know how to avoid being noticed by him. I don’t want to speak to the manager — my complaint could get him fired. So I start avoiding him.
There are other grocery stores, but I choose this one because it employs people with disabilities, from which my brothers have also suffered.
Last Wednesday after I finished choosing what I wanted, I turned around and drove my cart to Checkout No.3, hoping Jerry would not notice me and stay at No.14.
“Paper or plastic, ma’am?” Jerry’s soft voice surprised me from behind. “Paper, please.” I noticed that the checkout stand created plenty of space between Jerry and the clerk. In this situation, he knew where to stand. The clerk said to me: “＄27.30, please.” I handed my own cart, signed my receipt and stepped around the counter, where Jerry was holding my last packet of biscuits. He came towards me, stopping an inch from me. He was too close. I wanted to dash out of the store and leave behind the packet. Instead, I stood with my hand frozen on the cart. His eyes looked lonely — I knew they would follow me after I left the store. I wanted to apologize for my coldness. “I’m …I’m sorry.” A tiny voice inside me said. I tapped my head with my hand as if I had forgotten something. “Forgive me. I’m from New York City. I’m not used to people being so helpful.”
He laughed. I laughed. His eyes brightened. “It’s my job, ma’am. I like it.” he said. When he offered to push my cart, I didn’t care but nodded deeply.
44. The author feels uncomfortable because _______________ .
A. Jerry is like an adoring fan to her
B. Jerry is mentally younger
C. Jerry’s handwriting is terrible
D. Jerry is too close to her without proper distance
45. At the checkout stand, _______________ .
A. Jerry offered to pay my biscuits
B. Jerry was left behind with a packet of biscuits.
C. Jerry knew the social importance of distance.
D. Jerry was not close to me.
46. From the passage we can infer that _______________ .
A. Jerry liked his job
B. the author was afraid of Jerry
C. the author’s brothers were disabled
D. Jerry saw the author as his close friend
47. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Too Close for Comfortable
B. Don’t Look Down upon the Disabled
C. How to Keep a Good Relation
D. Don’t Smile at Strangers
Australia is largely a nation of immigration（移民）, with one in four of Australia’s 21 million population born overseas. But immigrations hoping to become Australian citizens will soon have to take a test examining their knowledge of the country's history and institutions.
While Australia prides itself on its multicultural background, the government wants newcomers to integrate （同化）more fully . Form later this year, new immigrants will have to show an understanding of the English language. They will also be required to answer 20 questions from a list of 200. Anyone who gives fewer than 12 correct responses will not be accepted.
Immigrants will also have to accept what the government considers to be 10 important Australia values, including “mateship” and “giving people a fair go”. Other important Australia values are said to include tolerance, compassion, gender equality and freedom of speech.
The new citizenship application procedures are detailed in a 40-pages booklet（小册子）. It describes Australia as “a nation at ease with the world and itself” but says that newcomers are expected to respect its values. The booklet sums up mateship as voluntary helping and receiving help from others, especially in difficult times. The immigration Minister said they aimed to achieve a balance between ethnic diversity and social stability（稳定）, “particularly as we now draw people from so many different countries and so many different cultures”.
Critics have attacked the English language requirement, pointing out many immigrants could not speak English when they arrived. But the minister said, “We are trying to encourage people to learn English, because we think that is the way they will achieve their dreams in Australia.”What’s new in Australia’s immigration policy?
| A．New immigrants will have to take a test |
| B．New immigrants should speak perfect English |
| C．New immigrants must bring enough money |
| D．New immigrants must be healthy |
Those who want to move to Australia have to answer_____ questions right
| A．20 | B．12 | C．200 | D．10 |
The word "mateship" is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．equality | B．freedom | C．fairness | D．friendship |
Which is one of the reasons for the change of application?
| A．To encourage new immigrants | B．To control the population |
| C．To promote Australia ' values | D．To teach the English language |
Apollo 11, carrying Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins, was launched on 16 July, 1969. Five days later they stepped down onto the moon.
Neil Armstrong
On the way there: Of all the wonderful views we had, the most impressive to me was on the way to the Moon when we flew through its shadow. We were still thousands of miles away, but close enough so that the Moon almost filled our window. The moon appeared blue-grey. It seemed almost as if it were showing us its roundness, its similarity in shape to our Earth, in a sort of welcome. I was sure it would be a hospitable（好客的） host. It had been waiting for its first visitors for a long time.
After touch down: The sky is black, you know. It’s a very dark sky, but it still seemed more like daylight than darkness as we looked out the window. It’s a very strange thing but the surface looked very warm and inviting. It seemed to be tan(棕褐色). It’s hard to explain that, because later when I held the material in my hand, it wasn’t tan at all. It was black, grey and so on.
Edwin Aldrin
On the Moon: The blue color of my boots has completely disappeared now into this soil—still don’t know what color to describe this other than grayish(灰色的) cocoa.
Back on board: The moon was a very natural and pleasant environment in which to work. On the Moon, in one-sixth gravity, you have a strong feeling of being somewhere. As we did our experiments, some objects we threw away would go in a slow, lazy manner.What impressed Neil Armstrong most?
| A．The moon filling their window. |
| B．Seeing the shape of the moon |
| C．Flying through the shadow of the moon. |
| D．The five—day flight to the moon. |
What did Armstrong find very strange on the moon?
| A．The color of the sky. | B．The surface of the moon |
| C．The gravity on the moon. | D．The daylight on the moon. |
Edward Aldrin described the soil as ________.
| A．tan | B．gray | C．black | D．grayish cocoa. |
What can be said about Edward Aldrin?
| A．He landed on the moon alone. |
| B．He was sent to the moon by Apollo 11. |
| C．He didn’t notice the gravity of the moon. |
| D．He found it impossible to work on the moon. |
An earthquake happens when two plates rub (碰撞) together. The earth plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. If one plate is slowly forced underneath the other, pressure builds up until the plates break apart. This process causes the ground to move. It is an earthquake. In other words, earthquakes are the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by the earth’s rocky outer layer as a result of the energy stored within the earth. The strain within the rocks is suddenly released (释放).
The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and the time it is happening. If an unpopulated region is struck, there will be low loss of life or property. If it hits a large city, there may be many injuries and much destruction. Many of the areas at risk are largely populated now. Major earthquakes hitting those areas today could produce terrible damage.
Actually, there are several million small earth-quakes every year. Large earthquakes such as the 1964 Alaska quake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, cause millions of dollars in damage. In the last 500 years, millions of people have been killed by earthquakes around the world — including 240,000 in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China.
A 60-second or less earthquake can cause devastation（毁坏） that continues for years after the first tremor (小震). In 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week after the earthquake hit, because the country did not have the necessary money to rebuild it.
The shaking of the earth is sometimes not the greatest disaster. It is in the ensuing fires and floods that often the greatest damage occurs. In the 1906 earthquake, it was the fires caused after it that did the majority of the damage. An earthquake can also destroy dams high above a city or valleys, causing floods to sweep down and sweep away everything in their path. Which of the following is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．An earthquake comes from inside the earth. |
| B．The earth has great energy in storage. |
| C．How the earth plates move. |
| D．How an earthquake happens. |
Which of the following is mentioned to show that an earthquake can kill too many people?
| A．The 1964 Alaskan quake. | B．The 1976 Tangshan earthquake. |
| C．The 1972 Managua earthquake. | D．The 1906 earthquake. |
The underlined word “ensuing” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
| A．causing too much heat and great damage |
| B．causing many injuries and much destruction |
| C．happening as a result of another event |
| D．happening suddenly and unexpectedly |
By giving the example in Paragraph 4, the author wants to show that ______.
| A．an earthquake doesn’t last long |
| B．the damage can last long |
| C．people in Managua suffered too much |
| D．Nicaragua is still a poor country |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor, you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”The writer thinks that the most important thing for you to learn a language is___________.
| A．reading | B．practicing | C．talking about it | D．listening |
What should you do in learning English?
| A．Try to make some mistakes. | B．Avoid making any mistakes. |
| C．Remember as many new words as you can. | D．Use it as often as you cam |
When you make a mistake, you should___________.
| A．never make any mistakes again | B．tell others not to make the same mistake |
| C．punish yourself for making it | D．keep your sense of humor |
The story tells us: “___________”.
| A．It is normal that we make some mistakes in learning English |
| B．Everyone must make mistakes |
| C．We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language |
| D．Laughing can help one learn English well |
Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.
These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate, but there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We’ve talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”
At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist（专栏作家）really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.
Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.
Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers’ imagination and creativity, thousands of young people’s pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?
| A．Many young people asked them to do it |
| B．They did it just for pleasure |
| C．They did it in order to honor pirates |
| D．They thought out the idea by chance and imagination |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday. |
| B．Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday |
| C．The holiday has been popular since the birth of it. |
| D．Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, many people realize the pirate dream. |
According to the passage, which of the following can show that the holiday is special?
| A．It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves. |
| B．It is a wonderful and instructive holiday. |
| C．It has a long history. |
| D．People can make their dream come true on this day. |
Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage in a newspaper？
| A．Young people’s pirate dream | B．Can you talk like a pirate? |
| C．John Baur and Mark Summers | D．September 19th—a traditional day in honor of pirates |