It was Mother's Day,but the young mother was a little unhappy,because she was 800 miles away from her parents.In the morning she phoned her mother to wish her a happy Mother's Day,and her mother told her about the beautiful lilacs(丁香)in the garden.
Later that day,when she told her husband about the lilacs,he said,“I know where we can find all that you want.Get the children and come on.”So they went,driving down the country roads.
There on a small hill,they saw a lot of beautiful purple(紫色的) lilacs.The young woman ran quickly to enjoy the flowers.Carefully,she picked a few here and a few there.On their way home there was a smile on her face.
When they were passing a nursing home(养老院),the young woman saw an old granny sitting in a chair.She had no children with her.They stopped the car and the young woman walked to the old woman,put the flowers in her hands,and smiled at her.The old granny thanked her again and again.She smiled happily,too.
When the young mother came back to her car,her children asked her,“Who is that old granny?Why did you give our flowers to her?”
“I don't know her,”their mother said.“But it's Mother's Day,and she has no children.I have all of you,and I still have my mother.Just think how much those flowers meant to her.”
56. The young woman was a little unhappy on Mother's Day because .
A.she didn't have a present B.she was a long way from her mother
C.she didn't know it was Mother's Day D.she wanted to see her father
57. The young woman had .
A.one child B.no child
C.more than one child D.a boy and a girl
58.The young woman gave the flowers to the old granny because .
A.she was her mother B.she didn't like those flowers
C.her mother asked her to do so D.she wanted the old granny to be happy,too
59. Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The young woman was kind. B.The young woman was understanding.
C.The young woman was friendly. D.The young woman was surprised.
Young women who take part in beauty contests (比赛) are helping to keep alive an outdated opinion of women that a woman’s most important value is how she looks.
Women have been working very hard through the years to change their image. They have been trying to prove that the value of a woman does not lie only in her beauty. The world is just beginning to recognize that women are as smart, wise and strong in personality as men are, and that there are qualities more important than looks when judging people. When women take part in beauty contests for top prizes, they encourage people to value them for their beauty alone. It is unfair to say that beauty alone determines one’s worth.
Beauty contests not only encourage spectators (观众) to judge women by their appearance, but they encourage this idea in the contestants as well. These young women spend months losing weight to be the “right” size and learning how to dress, wear makeup, and walk just right so that some judges will consider them beautiful. I think it’s great for a woman to feel good about her appearance, but looks shouldn’t be sought after in an extreme or unreasonable way. There are too many other, more important, things in a young woman’s life: learning, developing friendships and preparing for their future work and perhaps a family.
As long as there are beauty contests, women won’t be fully recognized as well-rounded human beings.According to the text, women have tried to change their image by .
| A.proving they are as good as men |
| B.paying attention to their clothes |
| C.winning more beauty contests |
| D.encouraging people to value their beauty |
What do women usually do in preparation for beauty contests?
| A.Learn about their personality. |
| B.Do everything for their bodies. |
| C.Choose the right size dresses. |
| D.Develop friendship with spectators. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A.Looks determine everything. |
| B.Wisdom carries much weight. |
| C.Spectators should have their voices heard. |
| D.Qualities other than looks are more important. |
According to the author, beauty contests are .
| A.disrespectful to women |
| B.unpleasant to contestants |
| C.necessary for modern society |
| D.helpful in improving women’s image |
Greenheart Travel Correspondent Scholarship
Greenheart Travel offers the opportunity for high school students to broaden their perspective through studying abroad.
Greenheart Travel Correspondent Scholarship Opportunities:
US $3,000 scholarship award for a High School Study Abroad program in China
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in France
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in Germany
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in Italy
※Applicants are only able to apply for ONE scholarship opportunity
Deadline for Application: April 1, 2015
Summary of Submission Requirements of the Scholarship:
In addition to completing the teen program online application, applicants must also submit the following:
Official High School Transcript:
Applicants must have a minimum academic standing of a 3.2 GPA to be eligible.
Teacher/Coach Referral:
Applicants must provide the name and phone number of an educator or coach that will be able to recommend the student as a good candidate for the scholarship award. Greenheart Travel will contact this referral prior to announcing the scholarship winner.
Written essay:
In a 500-to 800-word essay, please explain how this cultural exchange experience will benefit both you and your local community.
Summary of Participant Requirements:
Pre-program
Submit one blog or video 2 weeks BEFORE your program Start Date introducing yourself and why you are excited to travel on your program and what you hope to learn while abroad.
During Program
For study abroad programs: submit a written blog post and 3-5 photos or a video, once every 2 weeks by discussed deadlines.
For language camp programs: submit weekly written blog post and 3-5 photos or a video, by discussed deadline.
After Program
Submit one blog or video 2 weeks AFTER your program End Date reflecting on what you learned, your favorite part of the program and tips for anyone wanting to travel abroad.The underlined word “eligible” probably means .
| A.flexible | B.qualified |
| C.energetic | D.attractive |
What should you submit when you apply for the scholarship?
a. A blog
b. Official High School Transcript.
c. A video
d. An essay
e. An application
f. Teacher/Coach Referral.
| A.bdef | B.abcb | C.acef | D.bcde |
What do participants need to do during the program?
| A.They need to write an essay about their exchange experience. |
| B.They need to submit a blog about their situation. |
| C.They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for language camp programs. |
| D.They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for study abroad programs. |
Studies over the past decade at the University of Utah show that hands-free cellphones are just as harmful to drivers as hand-held ones because it is the conversation, not the phone, that is distracting(分散) their attention. “Even though your eyes are looking right at something, when you are on the cellphone, you are not as likely to see it,” says Professor David Strayer. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's not that critical(危急的), but that l% could be the time a child runs into the street,” he adds.
Dr. Strayer’s studies have also found that talking on a cellphone is far more distracting than talking with a passenger. Listening to the radio, to music or to a book on tape also isn’t as distracting, because it doesn’t require the same level of interaction as a conversation. But even drivers may miss some details of a book on tape if their attention is focused on driving tasks. Some people can train themselves to pay extra attention to things that are important—like police officers learn to search faces in crowds.
And the Utah researchers have found a rare group of “super-taskers”—about 2.5% of the population—who seem able to attend to more than one thing with ease.
Many more people think they can effectively do several things at the same time, but they are really turning their attention rapidly between two things and not getting the full effect of either. Clearly, it is easier to put some tasks together than others.” Not all distractions are the same,’’ says Dr. Strayer. Things like cleaning and working out can be done automatically while the mind is focused elsewhere. But doing homework and texting at the same time isn’t possible. Even talking and watching TV is difficult. “Just try talking with your wife while watching football. It’s impossible,” jokes Dr. Strayer.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A.The harm in using phones while driving. |
| B.The advantages of hand-held phones. |
| C.The danger of running in the street. |
| D.The causes of road accidents. |
What does the example of police officers in Paragraph 2 show?
| A.Searching for faces requires more attention than driving. |
| B.Talking to a crowd calls for a high level of attention. |
| C.One’s attention can be easily distracted in crowds. |
| D.The ability to attend to two tasks can be trained. |
“Super-taskers” can be best described as people who can .
| A.do several things effectively at the same time |
| B.turn their attention rapidly to two things |
| C.handle all difficult tasks with ease |
| D.pay full attention to one task |
Which of the following can you do while talking on the phone?
| A.Doing homework. | B.Writing a letter. |
| C.Working out. | D.Watching TV. |
The first time I heard the actual London Bridge was in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, I thought it was a joke. A stupid joke at that. I mean, what sort of moron would take a perfectly good, perfectly famous bridge and move it halfway around the world to some no-name town in northwest Arizona? Back in 1962 when all this started, Lake Havasu City was nothing. A couple of shops, a couple of homes, and no tourism at all.
It turns out Robert McCulloch is the moron in question, and he wasn’t quite the moron I thought he was. His 2.45 million dollar investment in the 130-year-old bridge—which the British government was selling because it was about to fall into the Thames—ended up being the investment of a lifetime. You see McCulloch was a real businessman, among other things, and his money paid off big. He turned Lake Havasu into one of the most visited tourist attractions in Arizona.
It took nine long years to take down the bridge, ship it brick by brick to the middle of nowhere, and build it up again. When it finally did open up in 1971, it was a huge deal covered by the international press.
The bridge is now a popular tourist attraction, and there’s even a mini “English Village” at the foot of the bridge with souvenirs and real British food so you can have a good old time.
Nowadays Lake Havasu is a busy town with a population of about 56,000 citizens and another2.5 million visitors each year. Most of that is during spring break when the town overflows with energetic boys and girls. Even MTV and the Girls Gone Wild people get in on the action. All thanks to that little bridge.
I don’t know about you, but I’m saving my pennies. When the French get sick of that Eiffel Tower, I’ll be the first to put money on it. It’ll look great in my backyard.The underlined word "moron" in the first paragraph means .
| A.a brave person | B.a foolish person |
| C.a famous person | D.a strange person |
Why did the British government put the London Bridge up for sale?
| A.It polluted the Thames. |
| B.It was no longer popular. |
| C.It was going to fall down. |
| D.It could bring them the needed money. |
What was Lake Havasu City like before 1962?
| A.It was a good place for investment. |
| B.It was known for its English Village. |
| C.It was a small town with no tourism. |
| D.It had a population of 56,000 citizens. |
In the last paragraph, the author tries to be .
| A.polite | B.friendly | C.practical | D.Humorous |
"Ok," I said to my daughter as she bent over her afternoon bowl of rice. "What's going on with you and your friend J.?" J. is the leader of a group of third-graders at her camp—a position Lucy herself occupied the previous summer. Now she's the one on the outs, and every day at snack time, she tells me all about it, while I offer up the unhelpful advice all summer long.
"She's fond of giving orders," Lucy complained. "She's fat," Lucy mumbled(含糊地说)to the bowl "We are going upstairs," I said, my voice cold, "We are going to discuss this." And up we went.
I'd spent the nine years since her birth getting ready for this day, the day we'd have to have
the conversation about this horrible word. I knew exactly what to say to the girl on the receiving end of the teasing(嘲笑),but in all of my imaginings, it never once occurred to me that my daughter would be the one who used the F word一Fat.
My daughter sat on her bed, and I sat beside her. “How would you feel if someone made fun of you for something that wasn't your fault?” I began. “She could stop eating so much,” Lucy mumbled, mouthing the simple advice a thousand doctors and well-meaning friends and relatives have given overweight women for years.
"It's not always that easy,” I said. “Everyone's different in terms of how they treat food”
Lucy looked at me, waiting for me to go on. I opened my mouth, then closed it. Should I tell her
that, in teasing a woman's weight, she's joined the long, proud tradition of critics who go after any woman with whom they disagree by starting with "you're ugly" and ending with “no man would want you and there must be something wrong with any man who does"?Should I tell her I didn't cry when someone posted my picture and commented, “I'm sorry, but aren't authors who write books marketed to young women supposed to be pretty?”
Does she need to know, now, that life isn't fair? I feel her eyes on me,waiting for an answer I don't have. Words are my tools.Stories are my job.It's possible she'll remember what I say forever, and I have no idea what to say.
So I tell her the only thing I can come up with that is absolutely true.I say to my daughter,
“I love you, and there is nothing you could ever do to make me not love you. But I'm disappointed in you right now. There are plenty of reasons for not liking someone. What she looks like isn't one of them.”
Lucy nods, tears on her cheeks.“I won't say that again,”she tells me,and I pull her close,
pressing my nose against her hair. We are both quiet, and I don't know if I have said the right thing. So as we sit there together, shoulder to shoulder, I pray for her to be smart.I pray for her to be strong. I pray for her to find friends,work she loves, a partner who loves her, and for the world not to deprive(剥夺)her of the things that make her who she is,for her life to be easy, and for her to have the strength to handle it when it's not. And still, always,I pray that she will never struggle as I've struggled, that weight will never be her cross to bear. She may not be able to use the word in our home, but I can use it in my head. I pray that she will never get fat.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 indicates that Lucy___.
| A.has turned against her friend J. |
| B.often makes fun of her friend J. |
| C.gets along well with her friend J. |
| D.has begun to compete with her friend J. |
Why does the author want to discuss with Lucy?
| A.Because she is really shocked at Lucy's rudeness. |
| B.Because she wants to offer some other helpful advice. |
| C.Because she has prepared the conversation for nine years. |
| D.Because she decides to tell Lucy a similar story of her own. |
What does the author want to tell her daughter?
| A.It is not easy to take the doctors' advice to eat less. |
| B.People shouldn't complain because life is unfair. |
| C.People shouldn't be blamed for their appearance. |
| D.She herself was once一laughed at for her appearance. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ___ .
| A.the author is a fat but good-looking woman |
| B.the author earns a living by writing stories |
| C.the author will stop loving her daughter for what she said |
| D.the author's daughter agreed with her from.the very beginning |
We can learn from the last paragraph that .
| A.Lucy is deeply moved by her mother's prayer |
| B.a mother's prayer will shape her daughter's attitude towards life |
| C.the author allows her daughter to use the F word in her head |
| D.the author hopes her daughter will never have weight trouble |
The author's attitude towards her daughter can be best described as .
| A.satisfied and friendly |
| B.indifferent but patient |
| C.loving but strict |
| D.unsatisfied and angry |