It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word “congratulations”. I don’t remember ever smiling so wide.
Then I looked at my financial package.
The cost of Dream School’s tuition, room and board was around MYM 40,000—an impossible sum! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren’t as famous as my first choice.
In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how I felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as 1 was always careful with money, I wasn’t sure what to do.
One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents’ financial difficulties, I decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself.
At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring.
As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chain. As I walked out of that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, I realized that I would be spending the next four years fighting there.
In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my “dream” university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me. How did the author feel when he started to read the letter?
| A．He was full of joy. | B．He was lost in his dream. |
| C．He was worried about the money. | D．He was uncertain which school to go to. |
We can learn from the passage that the parents were _________.
| A．honest | B．strict | C．supportive | D．decisive |
In Paragraph 5, “offered me a full ride” can be replaced by “_________”.
| A．would pay for transport to the school | B．would show me around the campus |
| C．would offer free meals at all events | D．would charge me nothing for tuition |
What does the author mainly want to say?
| A．Your second-choice college may actually be your best fit. |
| B．You should consider comfort in your choice of schools. |
| C．You should try your best to attend your dream school. |
| D．Your choice of schools should be based on their fame. |
The Boy Made It!
One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept into the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.
Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.
He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter form the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him.
Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.
By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could- he huddled(蜷缩) in his cave and slept.
The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. After two days stuck in the snow, Nicholas was saved.
Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show. Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life, In each episode(一期节目)of Man vs. Wild, Grylls is abandoned in a wild area and has to find his way out.
When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was super impressed that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.What happened to Nicholas one Sunday afternoon?
| A．He got lost. | B．He broke his skis. |
| C．He hurt his eyes | D．He caught a cold |
How did Nicholas keep himself warm?
| A．He found a shelter. | B．He lighted some branches. |
| C．He kept on skiing. | D．He built a snow cave. |
On Tuesday, Nicholas _____.
| A．returned to his shelter safely |
| B．was saved by a searcher |
| C．got stuck in the snow |
| D．staved where he was |
Nicholas left Grylls a very deep impression because he _____.
| A．did the right things in the dangerous situation |
| B．watched Grylls’ TV program regularly |
| C．created some tips for survival |
| D．was very hard-working |
“My work is done.” Those words were some of the last penned by George Eastman. He included them in his suicide note. They mark an ignoble end to a noble life, the leave taking of a truly great man. The same words could now be said for the company he left behind. Actually, the Eastman Kodak Company is through. It has been mismanaged financially, technologically and competitively. For 20 years, its leaders have foolishly spent down the patrimony of a century’s prosperity. One of America’s bedrock brands is about to disappear, the Kodak moment has passed.
But George Eastman is not how he died, and the Eastman Kodak Company is not how it is being killed. Though the ends be needless and premature, they must not be allowed to overshadow the greatness that came before. Few companies have done so much good for so many people, or defined and lifted so profoundly the spirit of a nation and perhaps the world. It is impossible to understand the 20th Century without recognizing the role of the Eastman Kodak Company.
Kodak served mankind through entertainment, science, national defense and the stockpiling of family memories. Kodak took us to the top of Mount Suribachi and to the Sea of Tranquility. It introduced us to the merry old Land of Oz and to stars from Charlie Chaplin to John Wayne, and Elizabeth Taylor to Tom Hanks. It showed us the shot that killed President Kennedy, and his brother bleeding out on a kitchen floor, and a fallen Martin Luther King Jr. on the hard balcony of a Memphis motel. When that sailor kissed the nurse, and when the spy planes saw missiles in Cuba, Kodak was the eyes of a nation. From the deck of the Missouri to the grandeur of Monument Valley, Kodak took us there. Virtually every significant image of the 20th Century is a gift to posterity（繁荣） from the Eastman Kodak Company.
In an era of easy digital photography, when we can take a picture of anything at any time, we cannot imagine what life was like before George Eastman brought photography to people. Yes, there were photographers, and for relatively large sums of money they would take stilted（不自然的） pictures in studios and formal settings. But most people couldn’t afford photographs, and so all they had to remember distant loved ones, or earlier times of their lives, was memory. Children could not know what their parents had looked like as young people, grandparents far away might never learn what their grandchildren looked like. Eastman Kodak allowed memory to move from the uncertainty of recollection, to the permanence of a photograph. But it wasn’t just people whose features were savable; it was events, the sacred and precious times that families cherish. The Kodak moment, was humanity’s moment.
And it wasn’t just people whose features were savable; it was events, the precious times that families cherish. Kodak let the fleeting moments of birthdays and weddings, picnics and parties, be preserved and saved. It allowed for the creation of the most egalitarian art form. Lovers could take one another’s pictures, children were photographed walking out the door on the first day of school, the person releasing the shutter decided what was worth recording, and hundreds of millions of such decisions were made. And for centuries to come, those long dead will smile and dance and communicate to their unborn progeny（子孙）. Family history will be not only names on paper, but smiles on faces.
The cash flow not just provided thousands of people with job, but also allowed the company’s founder to engage in some of the most generous charity in America’s history. Not just in Kodak’s home city of Rochester, New York, but in Tuskegee and London, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He bankrolled（资助） two historically black colleges, fixed the teeth of Europe’s poor, and quietly did good wherever he could. While doing good, Kodak did very well. Over all the years, all the Kodakers over all the years are essential parts of that monumental legacy. They prospered a great company, but they – with that company – blessed the world.
That is what we should remember about the Eastman Kodak Company. Like its founder, we should remember how it lived, not how it died. History will forget the small men who have scuttled this company. But history will never forget Kodak.According to the passage, which of the following is to blame for the fall of Kodak?
| A．The invention of easy digital photography |
| B．The poor management of the company |
| C．The early death of George Eastman |
| D．The quick rise of its business competitors |
It can be learnt from the passage that George Eastman .
| A．died a natural death of old age. |
| B．happened to be on the spot when President Kennedy was shot dead. |
| C．set up his company in the capital of the US before setting up its branches all over the world. |
| D．was not only interested in commercial profits, but also in the improvement of other people’s lives. |
Before George Eastman brought photography to people, .
| A．no photos has ever been taken of people or events |
| B．photos were very expensive and mostly taken indoors |
| C．painting was the only way for people to keep a record of their ancestors. |
| D．grandparents never knew what their grandchildren looked like. |
The person releasing the shutter (Paragraph 5) was the one .
| A．who took the photograph |
| B．who wanted to have a photo taken |
| C．whose decisions shaped the Eastman Kodak Company |
| D．whose smiles could long be seen by their children |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the Eastman Kodak Company?
| A．Disapproving | B．Respectful |
| C．Regretful | D．Critical |
Which do you think is the best title for the passage?
| A．Great Contributions of Kodak |
| B．Unforgettable moments of Kodak |
| C．Kodak Is Dead |
| D．History of Eastman Kodak Company |
Ask anyone what is the most difficult part of changing their lifestyle habits and they are most likely to say, "Staying motivated．" But a 36-year-old professor from Carnegie Mellon University claims it may have the answer in the form of robot weight loss coach that dishes out daily health advice and encouragement．
Autom is the work of Intuitive Automata, a company based in Sha Tin which claims to be a pioneer in commercial socially-interactive robots．
The robot, which stands around 38 centimeters tall, has a head that swivels (旋转), blue eyes, and a touch screen which allows the user to input information daily about exercise and diet Its creators say Autom will have a daily conversation with its user lasting up to five minutes, giving feedback and encouragement．Over time, it will interact more with the user as it gathers more information about them．
Cory Krdd, a research team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency claims research has shown that people find robots a more reliable source of information than on-screen-based character．
In a controlled study in Pittsburgh City Council, 15 dieters were given Autom for six weeks． Another 15 received a touch-screen computer with identical software and 15 were given a paper log．The study found, people using the robot are more likely to stick with their diets longer, in fact twice as long as those using just a paper log．
"While not one person among the computer or paper groups continued past six weeks, most who had Autom did not want to give her back at the conclusion of the study," he said．
The bottom line is that a robot creates a more powerful and long-lasting relationship with the user than a character on the screen．
Autom is expected to go on sale later this year in the United States for around $500．A robot which speaks and understands Cantonese and Mandarin in addition to English according to the demands is also being developed．What's the passage mainly about?
| A．The development of Autom． |
| B．The automated way to motivation． |
| C．The working principle of robots． |
| D．The way to change the lifestyle habits． |
What can we know about the controlled study?
| A．The study was led by Cory Kidd． |
| B．The subjects were divided by two． |
| C．Every person with Autom continued past six weeks． |
| D．People using Autom gain more benefits than other people． |
Which is true about Autom according to the passage?
| A．The price of this robot is very high． |
| B．It can communicate with people freely． |
| C．Autom can act as a coach to help lose weight． |
| D．These robots called Autom have been used widely． |
Which institution is responsible for the development of Autom?
| A．Intuitive Automata． |
| B．Pittsburgh City Council． |
| C．Carnegie Mellon University． |
| D．Federal Emergency Management Agency． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The robot can help people change their lifestyle habits． |
| B．The robot can't speak English except Cantonese and Mandarin． |
| C．The robot that can speak many languages has been popular with the users． |
| D．The robot that can speak many languages meets the demand of the customers． |
Jennifer Lynn is turning into a master storyteller. She writes about young adults brilliantly. However, I have got to say Stay With Me wasn’t my favorite in this series, but I still really enjoyed it and I would absolutely recommend it to fans interested in the world of young adults.
Stay With Me is the third book in Jennifer’s Wait For You series, which features a couple that have been in previous books but have their own unique story and can be read as a standalone. I like that about this series. It’s nice to be able to pick up a book and read it, finish it and move on to the next, but the Wait For You series has the added bonus of a more deeper character connection, as they’ve appeared previously, you have more of a feel for them and you look forward to their story.
Stay With Me is Calla and Jaxs story. Calla has a wreck(严重受损的人) of a mother, but she is finally coming to the end of college and is looking forward to a career in nursing. She has done pretty well up for herself and now it was her time to shine. Unluckily, it falls through when her mother robbed her of every penny and took her identity. Calla has to go back to her small home town and into the arms of Jax.
Jax is handsome and cheerful! He is a waiter in a bar and knows Calla’s mother very well and he agrees to help Calla. He is true alpha, with a sweet side and is very protective of Calla. I loved him, but not as much as Cam, sorry Jax! And that’s why Stay with Me isn’t as good as Cam’s book, Wait for You. Don’t get me wrong. Jax is an incredibly great character, well fleshed out and I did care for him, but he just wasn’t as lovely as Cam.
As for Calla, I liked her character, and I liked the connection between her and Jax. I loved how he came out of his shell and showed her to love herself, despite her unsatisfactory past. There are a lot of intense moments between these two characters and they are so well written. Jennifer’s writing is addictive and she wrote the scenes between Jax and Calla beautifully. Calla has never been, what she would call boyfriend material, and so she struggles to see what Jax sees in her and she bats him off and ignores it. There’s a lot of push and pull between them, and it’s very charming. At times I did get a little annoyed with Calla, especially with her insecurity but Jax soon made up for that!
Overall I really enjoyed Stay with Me. Anyway, they are a wonderful pair together. Despite all the troubles that Calla was going through, their relationship seemed more realistic and was made to last.Who would like to read Stay with me most?
| A．Adults. | B．Young adults. |
| C．Fans of young adults. | D．Parents. |
The author shows a preference for Calla by ________.
| A．analyzing some plots from the book |
| B．comparing her with Jax |
| C．stating what Jax did to her |
| D．presenting her sad past |
The underlined expression “came out of his shell” probably means ________.
| A．fell in love with others |
| B．expressed his ideas |
| C．left his home town |
| D．overcame the difficulties |
The author’s overall attitude towards Stay With Me is ________.
| A．Unclear | B．Negative |
| C．Indifferent | D．Positive |
What style does the passage belong to?
| A．An essay. | B．A novel. |
| C．A review. | D．A debate |
When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him tag along on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.
"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father.
So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, 'Mom, can I go? Can I go?'"
The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to Story Corps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. "This is the life that I want to live someday."
Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together—father supervising（监督）son.
"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced."
I received a phone call that night. And they said, 'Well, your son was at this fire.' I said, 'OK, which way is this conversation going to go? '" Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.
"And they said, 'But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'
And the word went around, 'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad."
Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son."The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．put out fire | B．watch basketball |
| C．follow his father | D．ask his mother’s permission |
Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _________.
| A．27 | B．21 | C．8 | D．35 |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too. |
| B．Dekalb Walcott Jr. is proud to be a second-generation firefighter. |
| C．Dekalb Walcott Jr. wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III. |
| D．Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son |
| B．Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy |
| C．Dekalb Walcott III: A Second-generation Firefighter |
| D．Dekalb Walcott Jr.: A Chicago Fire Chief |