Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs. Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.
When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn’t think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs. Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.
She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs. Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.
49. Mrs. Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because ____________.
A. she hadn’t got enough money
B. she was a country girl
C. the banker ordered her not to borrow any money
D. the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children
50. The computer students welcomed Mrs. Hanson warmly because ______.
A. she had got an excellent result in the exam
B. she was good at telling funny stories
C. they wanted to get her help in their studies
D. they were deeply moved by her spirit
51. Mrs. Hanson is the sort of person who ________.
A. cares for study very much
B. likes to borrow money from the bank
C. never misses a chance to talk
D. tries to save any money for her family
52. In which order did Mrs. Hanson do the following things?
a. she began her studies at college.
b. She finished high school.
c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.
d. She had her 73 rd birthday.
e. She went to the bank to borrow money.
A. a c b e d B. b e c a d C. b c e d a D. e d a c b
I arrived at the bus station much too early for the London bus, which was not to leave until five to twelve. I pushed through the crowds, looking for somewhere to sit down. Scores of people were standing about, or struggling along with their bags and the cases to find the right lines. There was a party of school girls. I could see teachers trying to keep them in order. But there was nowhere for me to sit.
I stepped into the station buffet. I looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. I found a seat opposite a large mirror on the wall. Just then a friend of mine called Jim came in and sat with me. "What time is your bus?" asked Jim. "Oh, there's a plenty of time yet," I answered. "Oh, I'll get some drinks then," said Jim. We talked while drinking. Then I looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going backward!" I cried. "A moment ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said Jim. I could kick myself for being so stupid. I had not realized that the marks for one and eleven on the face of the clock were the same. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. I have never liked mirror since then.
. The London bus left ________.
A.at five to twelve | B.before five to twelve |
C.after five to twelve | D.until five to twelve |
.. The writer went to the station buffet because ________.
A.he was thirsty |
B.he saw the station buffet was not so crowded |
C.it was still early for his bus and he couldn't find a place to sit at the bus station |
D.he had changed his mind; he wouldn't go to London |
.. The writer sat ________.
A.behind a mirror | B.facing a mirror |
C.under a mirror | D.near a mirror |
. Jim came to the station buffet at about ________.
A.twenty to twelve | B.twenty past twelve |
C.half past one | D.twenty past eleven |
. What time was it when the writer looked at the clock again?
It was ________.
A.half past eleven | B.twelve thirty |
C.twelve twenty | D.eleven thirty |
LONDON (Reuters Life!) ---- Forget about talking your children into considering life as a doctor or a teacher and start training them for the talent show.
A survey of British parents showed the aspirations (志向) of their children are greatly different from what they dreamed about when considering who they wanted to be when they grew up.
Although astronaut (宇航员) still remains fairly high on the list of careers (事业) kids dream about these days, others like doctor and teacher have been taken the place of by the desire (欲望) to win good name and money as a sporting hero, pop star or actor.
The parents of children aged 5 to 11 said the choice of lawyer had dropped by only one place on a top 10 list to sixth, while teacher had dropped to ninth from top in the last 25 or more years.
The survey for British TV channel “Watch” found a great difference between the genders (性别) of today’s young people when compared with their parents’ dreams 25 years or more ago.
Playing professional football, being an astronaut and joining the firefighting service topped the boys’ choices, while girls are more likely to be dreaming of taking to the stage as a pop star or actress or joining the medical profession.
When asked what they would like their children to do for a living, today’s parents still like the academic (学术的) professions (职业), with law and medicine scoring highly, while being a boss came third.
Parents also praised job happiness above wealth (财富) when it comes to their hopes for their children.
Nearly 70 percent of the parents surveyed thought that they failed to follow their dreams when it came to their career, with 37 percent thinking it was caused by a lack of aspiration and not having the necessary conditions.
1.From the passage we know that most parents still hope that in the future their children can take up ______.
A. jobs such as musicians, singers and dancers
B. jobs related to academic professions like lawyers and doctors
C. jobs in which they will not be endangered
D. jobs which will be well paid only
2.The first paragraph is to advise parents to ______.
A. change their children’s dreams B. correct their children’s dreams
C. follow their children’s dreams D. forget their children’s dreams
3.According to the survey for British TV channel “Watch”, which of the following is the boys’ best career choice?
A. A pop star B. An actor C. A doctor D. A firefighter
4.What can be learnt from the passage?
A. Parents’ hope for their children’s career did not change too much.
B. Parents pay much attention to the income of their children.
C. Less than half of the parents who were surveyed didn’t follow their dreams.
D. Most parents didn’t have the necessary conditions to realize their dreams.
5.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Many reasons cause the change of children’s dreams.
B. Parents’ dreams are different from children’s.
C. Parents are changing their own dreams.
D. Children’s dreams are always changing.
The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
"I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They cannot even understand rhythm (韵律)."
"Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I’m sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you."
One younger musician said, "There are several clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also planning to join in several summer festivals this year."
I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive (积极的) or negative (消极的), they’re all rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who are always complaining or blaming (责备) others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don’t support (支持) your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop spending time with the negative ones on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.The musicians’ conversation at the beginning is there to show that ______.
A.musicians’ living conditions are not good |
B.people in that town have poor taste in music |
C.young people are more likely to succeed |
D.different people have different attitudes |
The underl
ined part "they’re all rubbing off on you" in Paragraph 6 means ______.
A.they’ll push you ahead |
B.they’ll help you realize your dreams |
C.they’ll keep you from moving on |
D.they’ll have an influence (影响) on you |
By doing the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.
A.improve your ability to make friends |
B.make the right kind of friends |
C.develop a better relationship with your friends |
D.make some new friends with the same interests as you |
We can get the following information from the passage EXCEPT ______.
A.the younger musician is a positive person and would be a good friend |
B.one should avoid (避免) making friends with people who have lots of difficulties |
C.the exercise can help you keep close to really helpful friends |
D.one will start complaining if one spends too much time with negative people |
Until late in the 20th century most Americans spent time with people of different generations. Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves.
That's because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sport activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior citizen homes. Why?
We live far away from the old for many reasons. Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of becoming old and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it’s got hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most.
Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.
A reporter moved her family into a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter made banana bread for the neighbors and had her children send it and visit them. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. "My children have never been lonely, "the reporter said.
The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home (an organization where old people are cared for) when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.
Grandparents are a special case. They give their grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it "My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end." Grandchildren speak of attention they don't get from worried parents. "My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down," one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting.
Now in an American family, people can find that___________.
A.children never live with their parents |
B.not all working people live with their parents |
C.old people are supported by their grandchildren |
D.grandchildren are supported by their grandparents |
Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because _______.
A.they had never seen a baby before |
B.the baby was clever and beautiful |
C.the baby brought them the image of life |
D.the baby's mother would take care of them |
Why are some children quieter, calmer and more trusting ?
A.Because they have relationships with their grandparents. |
B.Because their worried parents ask them to act like that. |
C.Because they have nothing to worry about. |
D.Because their teachers ask them to act like that. |
Which of the following can show the fact that the ol
d often save the young?
A.The old can become friends of the children and the children may not feel lonely. |
B.The old get excited when they see a baby. |
C.The old can cure the young ![]() |
D.Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure. |
Mexico City is truly one of the most amazing cities in the world with a mixture of both the old and new world. From the moment your plane starts to land in this vast city, you know that your trip will be quite an adventure.
Once in your taxi and the moment you leave the airport, you are amazed at the large amount of slow traffic. The volume of the traffic can be stressful to some.
The "Paseo de la Reforma (改革大道)", running southwest across the city, is one of the major tourist and business areas in Mexico City with many high quality hotels only walking distance from great restaurants and other tourist attractions. The only problem you will have is trying to see all of these sites during your vacation time.
One of the most popular attractions in this area is the National Museum of Anthropology along the northwest part of the street. There are thousands of artifacts on display showing the history of the area and numerous items found from the many Aztec sites in the area. Walking southwest from the museum, you will soon reach the Mexico City Zoo, which is a great place to spend an afternoon.
Across the street from the museum is the Chapultepec Castle, once an important site in the Mexican-American war. It's also a good idea to take the train up the hill to where the castle is located as the hill is steep (陡峭的). It's important to keep in mind that Mexico City is over 7,000 feet above sea level and some feel it difficult to breathe when walking.
You can take a taxi to the Coyoacan market during the evening on a weekend. It's a great place to get some cheap souvenirs (纪念品)to bring back home and to enjoy some traditional Mexican cuisine. However, you must be careful where you eat and that the meat is well cooked. The tourists in Mexico City may not be satisfied with______.
A.the high speed of the traffic | B.the heavy traffic of the city |
C.the polluted air in the city | D.their safety in the city |
Which of the following shows the correct positions of the following places?
P =" Paseo" de la ReformaM =" the" National Museum of Anthropology
C =" the" Chapultepec CastleZ =" the" Mexico City ZooWhich of the following attractions may interest those who want to study the military (of the army) history of Mexico City?
A.The National Museum of Anthropology. | B.The Coyoacan market. |
C.The Chapultepec Castle. | D.The Aztec sites. |