In my profession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler.
Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest. This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back. Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing.
Tyler wasn’t willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine - laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him. Tyler’s mom often teased him by telling him that he moved so fast she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she could quickly spot him.
This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV - infected mother. When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to survive, Tyler’s mom talked to him about death. She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven.
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, " I might die soon. I’m not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too. I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me. "
64. What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death?
A. optimistic. B. pessimistic. C. sorrowful. D. fearful.
65. Tyler requested the writer to dress him in red when he died simply because ________.
A. red is a lucky color B. red might help to cure him
C. his mom could spot him easily D. he could find more mates by wearing red
66. Which of the following might serve as a possible title for this passage?
A. My unusual profession. B. A caring mother.
C. Mother and son. D. Dying in red.
67. The underlined word dynamo in the fourth paragraph here means ________.
A. a promising and helpful youth B. an extremely energetic person
C. a rare and beautiful flower D. a magic and understanding superstar
A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物所能分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. Over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms fertilizers. These feed the seed and help the flower grow.
Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time,” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief (缓解) for nature , according to the scientists.
“The seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.What is the purpose of this passage?
A.To tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phones. |
B.To persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone. |
C.To discuss the development of phone technology. |
D.To introduce an environmentally-friendly cell phone to readers. |
People throw away their cell phones most probably because _______.
A.there is something wrong with them |
B.no sunflowers can grow out of them |
C.they are out of fashion |
D.they are becoming cheaper and cheaper |
It could be learned from the passage that _________.
A.developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environment |
B.phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phone |
C.the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the world |
D.the phones that can be recycled are available only in Britain now |
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that
is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not. Greenhorn now refers to ____.
A.a person who is new in a job | B.a new solider |
C.a young horse | D.None of above |
A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.
A.who is good at growing plants | B.whose thumbs are in green color |
C.whose garden is greener than others’ | |
D.who is younger than his neighbors |
The author is actually talking about ____.
A.colors | B.language | C.politics | D.agriculture |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier. |
B.The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs. |
C.The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare. |
D.The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous. |
Daniel Defoe (about 1660~1731) was an important novelist in the English literature(文学). When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every household very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown.
Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.Deniel Defoe was ______ and the writer of ______.
A.an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities” |
B.an American, “A Million Pound Note” |
C.a French, “The Lost Necklace” |
D.an English, “Robinson Crusoe” |
How old was he when he began to write his famous novel Robinson Crusoe?
A.He was in his sixties. | B.He was in his fifties. |
C.He was over 60. | D.He was sixty. |
Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A.two, his lonely life | B.three, his characters |
C.three, his journeys by sea | D.four, his fame |
“Every household” in this passage means ______.
A.all members of a family |
B.all people |
C.every building |
D.persons living in the same house |
What was Defoe’s contribution(贡献) to the English literature?
A.He wrote a very interesting story. |
B.He made people happy while reading his story. |
C.He set a milestone of the modern English novel. |
D.He was active in politics and was against capitalism. |
My husband and children think they are very lucky that they are living and that it’s Christmas again. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t much good. But Johnny and children can’t see this. What a pity it is that our neighbors have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy(糖果)while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer(下水道). Why, is it only because they have money ? There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there?
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children be like Miss Jackson when they grow up. This passage mainly suggests that the writer _______.
A.is easy to get along with | B.is unhappy with the life they are living |
C.is good at observing and understanding | D.is never pleased with her neighbors |
What do you think of McGarity girl?
A.She is proud and hungry. | B.She is selfish and cruel. |
C.She is lonely and friendless. | D.She is unhappy and misunderstood. |
In this text, the writer tries to tell us that _______.
A.money is the key to everything |
B.the more money you have, the less happy you’ll be |
C.there is something more important than money |
D.when talking to people we should look into their eyes |
Pick out the one that does NOT describe the writer’s view on money.
A.Why, is it only because they have money? |
B.There is more to happiness than money. |
C.Miss Jackson isn’t rich, but she knows things. |
D.The money we saved isn’t nearly enough. |
Trees are useful to man in three very important ways: they provide him with wood and other products, they give him shade, and they help to prevent drought and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had.
Two thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire but, without its trees, its soil became hard and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the country found itself faced by floods and starvation.
Even though a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees, it is difficult for it to persuade the villager to see this. The villager wants wood to cook his food with, and he can earn money by making charcoal(木炭) or selling wood to the townsman(城市居民). He is usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after trees. So unless the government has a good system of control, or can educate the people, the forests will slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that the villager’s sons and grandsons have fewer trees. The results are even more serious. For where there are trees their roots break the soil up—allowing the rain to sink in and also hold the soil, thus preventing it being washed away easily, but where there are no trees, the soil becomes hard and poor. The rain falls on hard ground and flows away on the surface, causing floods and carrying away with it the rich topsoil, in which crops grow so well. When all the topsoil is gone, nothing remains but a worthless desert.The purpose that the writer wrote this article is to ______.
A.tell people the use of wood |
B.tell people the function of tree roots |
C.warn that man mustn’t destroy forests any more |
D.explain how trees help to prevent drought and floods |
In the writer’s opinion, _____, or the forests will slowly disappear.
A.measures must be taken |
B.people shouldn’t draw benefit from the tree |
C.government must realize the serious results |
D.unless trees never be cut down |
According to the article we know it is _____ to prevent the forests from slowly disappearing.
A.necessary but impossible |
B.necessary but difficult |
C.impossible and unimportant |
D.difficult and impossible |
In the last two paragraphs the writer wanted to make it clear that _____ .
A.where there are no trees, the soil becomes poor but soft |
B.where there are many trees, there are more floods |
C.where there are no trees, the land might become desert slowly |
D.floods will make the land become desert |