Dear Daughter,
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind．
First, I want to tell you how proud we are．Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are．It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about．I encourage you to be curious, but I also want to tell you “Education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten”．That is really what learning in college is about–this will be the period where you go from teacher-taught to master-inspired, after which you must become self-learner．So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn isn’t critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever．
There is no single simple answer to any question．Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don’t believe in? I did that for a reason– things rarely “black and white”, and there are always many ways to look at a problem．You will become a better problem solver if you recognize that．This is called “critical thinking”, and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life．This also means you need to become tolerant and supportive of others．I will always remember when I went to my Ph．D．advisor and proposed a new thesis topic．He said “I don’t agree with you, but I’ll support you．”
Do your best in classes, but don’t let pressure get to you．Your mother and I have no expectations for your grades．If you graduate and learn something in your four years, we would feel happy．Please don’t be worried．The only thing that matters is that you learned．The only metric you should use is that you tried．Grades are just silly letters that give the vain people something to brag, and the lazy people something to fear．You are too good to be either．
College is the four years where you have:·the greatest amount of free time．·the first chance to be independent．·the most flexibility to change．·the lowest risk for making mistakes．
So please treasure your college years．
Love,
Dad (& Mom)
(A letter from Kaifu Lee)
1．According to Kaifu Lee, the underlined sentence in the second paragraph means_________．
A．you should learn by yourself instead of learning from your teachers．
B．the knowledge isn’t as important as the ability to learn．
C．the knowledge from college is of less worth than that acquired after college．
D．education is nothing but what you have remembered．
2．Kaifu Lee expects his daughter to _________．
A．agree with those who hold the opposite opinions．
B．find out the difference between ‘right and wrong’．
C．think of more ways to solve a problem critically．
D．step into others’ shoes and think from others’ positions．
3．Based on the letter, it can be inferred that ________．
A．high grades are not important for people．
B．Kaifu Lee and his wife don’t care about their daughter’s grades or college life．
C．Kaifu Lee doesn’t expect her daughter to make any mistakes in her life．
D．Kaifu Lee’s daughter is a freshman in Columbia University．
4．We can conclude that Kaifu Lee’s daughter is _________．
A．dependent and curious B．tolerant and supportive
C．well-rounded and worried D．excellent and hard-working
A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex, I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.”
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility(谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 —— I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．We can learn from the first two paragraphs that _______．
| A．the author regretted his act of prejudice |
| B．the blind woman needed the money badly |
| C．the author was as poor as the blind woman |
| D．the author was a native American |
According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably _______．
| A．rather hurt | B．very excited |
| C．deeply moved | D．greatly inspired |
According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should _______．
| A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled |
| B．try to experience different kinds of life |
| C．treat others equally with love and respect |
| D．think about one’s past as often as possible |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Learn from your past |
| B．How my dream comes true |
| C．A Belief that will never change |
| D．A priceless lesson in the street |
Suppose you want to bring home a new cat and are looking for a way to really make it feel at home. Actually, all you need to do is buy some nice cat furniture and have it in place by the time you bring it into your home.
The first thing that you should prepare is a cat house. Two to three feet off the ground is the best height. If you don’t have enough room for a cat house, a cat bed is also a nice choice.
Once you have a nice spot where your cat can go to feel safe, then it’s time to get cat furniture that offers your pet a nice place to play. One nice choice is cat trees. Scratching posts (猫抓板) are another great idea if you are short in space, but still want to give your cat a nice place where it can claw (抓) at instead of your own furniture.
If you’re looking for a great way to shop for cat furniture, simply turn on your computer and do some online shopping. In no time will you be able to skim all the offerings from many online stores. What’s great is that you can easily compare products and their prices, so you can get what you want at the best possible price. And, probably the nicest thing about online shopping is that your purchases may be shipped right to you, so you don’t have to waste time making a trip to the store.
So, if you have brought a new cat into your home, make sure that home is an inviting one by buying some new cat furniture. Without it, your cat might feel lost and unsafe, which you definitely do not want to happen.What should you do first before you bring a cat home?
| A．Find a proper place for the cat to sleep. |
| B．Buy a cat house and some cat furniture. |
| C．Learn how to take care of the cat. |
| D．Know how to buy cat furniture online. |
According to the author, the first concern for a cat house is __________.
| A．its height | B．its size | C．its price | D．safety |
What is the best choice for your cat to play with if you have little room?
| A．The cat bed. | B．Scratching posts. |
| C．Your own furniture. | D．Cat trees. |
What is the author’s advice on shopping for cat furniture?
| A．Compare products and their prices and get the cheapest ones. |
| B．Try to save time and money when you buy cat furniture. |
| C．Do some online shopping and get products with reasonable prices. |
| D．Buy furniture that can be shipped to you as quickly as possible. |
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went with them. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨) might have pierced(穿透) a lung....”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy... I am so sorry....”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that _______.
| A．he had a poor memory |
| B．he didn’t want to forgive his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son |
| D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |
Eight-year-old Jesse Arbogast was playing in the sea late one evening in July when a 7-foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation(人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.
Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boys’ arm.
At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, we wouldn’t have had a chance.”
According to the local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in an area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in an area where swimming is allowed.”
When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight against a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.” What was the boy doing when the accident happened?
| A．Feeding a hungry shark. |
| B．Jumping into the rough sea. |
| C．Dragging a boy to the shore. |
| D．Swimming in a dangerous area. |
In which way did the boy’s uncle help with the operation?
| A．By finding his lost arm. |
| B．By making a phone call. |
| C．By flying him to hospital. |
| D．By blowing into his mouth. |
How was his uncle in time of danger?
| A．Careful. | B．Brave. | C．Optimistic. | D．Patient. |
According to Jack Tomosvic, _______.
| A．people are often attacked by sharks |
| B．sharks never attack people |
| C．Jesse was unlucky to have been attacked by a shark |
| D．Jesse was swimming in a safe area at the moment |
Deep in the Amazon forest, thousands of people still live in isolation from the rest of the world.
In a recent press release, the Brazilian government confirmed the existence of another isolated tribe of about 200 people living in the Vale do Javari reservation. The 200 people living in the Vale do Javari reservation. The reservation, located near the Peruvian border, is about the size of Portugal. At least another 14 isolated tribes, with a total population of about 2000, call the area home.
The newly observed group lives on four large straw-roofed buildings and grows corn, peanut and other crops.
Brazil’s National Indian Foundation (BNTF) first noticed the reservation in the forest using satellite maps, but it wasn’t until April that an airplane expedition was able to confirm the tribe’s existence. “The work of finding and protecting isolated groups is part of Brazilian public policy,” said the BNIF officer for Vale do Javari, Fabricio Amorim. “To confirm something like this takes years of hard work.”
BNIF estimates there are 68 isolated tribes living in the Amazon. The organization uses airplanes to avoid disturbing the tribes through personal contact, but that doesn’t mean others are so respectful of their right to privacy.
Illegal fishing, woodcutting and hunting bring people into the protected area. Oil exploration on the Peruvian side of the border is another threat. All kinds of criminals also invade the lands of the local groups, said Amorim. The outsiders can damage the land and influence the cultures of indigenous(土著的)peoples. They can also bring diseases which can wipe out the whole population that still lack even basic antibiotics(抗生素).
Brazil’s indigenous peoples won the legal right to their traditional lands in Brazil’s 1988 Constitution, which stated that all indigenous lands shall be divided and turned over to tribes within five years. Indigenous groups now control 11 percent of Brazil’s territory, including 22 percent of the Amazon.
Allowing indigenous groups the right homelands is not just a matter of human rights. The rest of the world can benefit from their knowledge. Mark Plotkin has spent years living with the people of the Amazon and learning from their traditional healers. In his lecture, he pointed out that many useful materials and knowledge, including numerous drugs, can be gained from listening to the indigenous groups of the Amazon. Besides this, they are also more effective at protecting the land, and less expensive, than hired rangers(护林人).The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means “a state of ”.
| A．separation | B．interaction |
| C．satisfaction | D．excitement |
From the passage we can learn that the tribes in the Amazon forest .
| A．only live on a reservation designated for them |
| B．prefer straw-roofed buildings to wooden ones |
| C．keep contact with the outside world through airplanes |
| D．have the legal right to the land they live on |
Which of the following is TRUE according to Amorim?
| A．Privacy violation is common among the Amazon tribes. |
| B．The laws dividing the lands of the tribes are far from enough. |
| C．Modern civilization endangers the tribes and their cultures. |
| D．It is hard to make public policy to protect primitive tribes. |
The last paragraph is mainly about .
| A．the lost human rights of the indigenous peoples |
| B．the benefits of protecting the primitive tribes |
| C．the value of traditional healing |
| D．the indigenous peoples as guardians of the Amazon forest |