I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my calsses. (I have not used his real name for personal reasons. As he requested.) But here is his real story as he told it before one of our adult – education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-old daughter, a child he adored. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said:“Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”
This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to doctors; one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip. He tried both, but neither helped. He said:“My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤)——if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪)by sorrow, you know what he meant.
But thank God, I had one child left ——a four —year— old son. He gave me the solution to my problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked; ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent little fellow! I had to give in.
Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.
The following night, I went from room to room in the house, making a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired: bookcase, stair steps, storm windows, window-shades, locks, leaky taps. Amazing as it seems, in the course of two weeks I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention.
“During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy now that I have no time for worry.”
No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said :“I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”
55.The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to .
A.having lost a loved one B.having lost a valuable article
C.having lost a profit-making business D.having lost a well-paid job
56.Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because .
A.he couldn’t earn enough money to support his family
B.he was suffering from sleeplessness disease
C.he couldn’t get out of mental pressure
D.he felt tired of adult-education classes
57.Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because .
A.he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them
B.he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them
C.the items had actually been broken and needed attention
D.repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind
58.At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to .
A.prove that he followed Churchill’s example
B.support his student’s solution to his problem
C.show that he was successful in his career
D.clarify how his conclusion was reached
B
Football, to me, is more than just a game. I have probably learned more than valuable lessons from it than from school.
When I joined the team freshman year, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. Even though I had been playing since fourth grade and knew it was hard work, nothing would prepare me for the effort I would put into football that year. We worked all summer in the weight room and ran on the track to get in physical and mental shape before the season.
See, football is more of a mental sport than anything else, so running on the track wasn’t only about getting in shape . We would push our minds by running as hard as we could even if we felt like we were going to pass out. At the beginning, I was immature (幼稚的) and only thought of myself, sometimes even giving up when I was tired or hurting. Then after the third game I had a season-ending injury. Imagine working all summer and then only being able to play three games! I needed surgery on my arm and at least five months to recover.
After freshman year I decided that I would always give my best effort. Playing varsity (大学代表队) football has taught me so much more than just what my tasks are on a particular play or how to block. I have learned to think about others first, and realized how important working hard is. Being with all my friends, even sweating and bleeding with them, really made us unite as a group of hard-working young men, who will succeed in life.
65. What is the text mainly about?
A. How the author dislikes the game of football.
B. When the author began to play football.
C. How the author has changed his attitude to football.
D. What sport the author likes best.
66. The author thinks football is ________.
A. just a game B. of a mental sport C. hard to pass out D. not worth his effort
67. From the text we can infer ________.
A. the author joined the football team with a clear aim.
B. football only brought the author certain tasks
C. the author worked all summer to get ready for the season.
D. the author never lost heart when he met with difficulties.
68. In the third paragraph, the phrase “getting in shape” probably means ________.
A. becoming physically fit B. designing the playground
C. losing weight D. measuring the track
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
OUR PROMISE
Making your stay a complete success is our goal. Just let our manager on duty of front-desk staff know if any part of your stay isn’t satisfactory. We promise to make it right or you won’t pay for that part of your stay.
FORGET SOMETHING?
If you forget to pack any standard toiletry item(tooth brush, toothpaste, shaving cream, razor or comb), just call the front-desk and we’ll get you a free replacement right away.
PLEASE REUSE THE TOWELS
We invite you to join with us to save water by using your towels more than once.
In addition to decreasing water and energy waste, you can help us reduce the amount of waste water that must be recycled within our community.
Please hang the towels up if you wish to join in the program----if not, simply leave them on the floor.
We appreciate your help!
PLEASE CHANGE THE SHEETS TODAY
The Project Planet Program is an effort of this hotel to protect the environment by saving water and decreasing waste water. If you are staying with us more than one night, as part of the Project Planet Program, we will wash your sheets every three days.
If you would prefer not to join in this program, simply hang this card on the outside of your door and sheets will be changed right away. As always sheets are automatically changed after every guest checks out .
We appreciate your help!
61. We can find this passage in a ________ in a hotel.
A. café bar B. front-desk C. fitness center D. guest room
62.If you forget your comb, you can .
A. buy one in the hotel shop B. replace one with a tooth brush
C. phone the front-desk to get one D. go in person and get one at the front desk
63. Leaving the towels on the floor means that .
A. you want to join in the program B. you want the room-maid to hang it up
C. you need them collected and washed D. you want to use them more than once
64. What is the Project Planes Program trying to do?
A. Make your bed sheets cleaner. B. Work for a better environment.
C. Help guests checking out faster. D. Persuade guests to stay longer.
C
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, “I lost my job. I am a complete, absolutely failure.” A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia's face. “What great news!” she responded, “Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,” he objected, completely without hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash. “Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped. “To whom does it belong?”
“It's ours!” Sophia replied. "I always know that one day you would become a great writer only if you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece(杰作). The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.
64. Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A. Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news.
B. Nate was too sad to speak any more.
C. Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate.
D. Neither husband nor wife had any idea of what to do.
65. Sophia saved money because ____________.
A. she knew her husband would lose his job one day
B. she knew their life would be in difficulty
C. she was very careful with money
D. she was trying to help her husband in every possible way
66. From the passage we can know that Sophia was ___________.
A. kind and brave
B. careful and encouraging
C. friendly and warm-hearted
D. honest and determined
67. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Sophia's Achievement
B. A Great Writer's Struggle to Success
C. Great Encouragement in Hard Times
D. Failure is the Mother of Success
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family.
Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can't peel(削皮)potatoes. I have only one hand.” Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me, “And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again !”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars(攀登架), swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we'll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced and she praised me for every rung(横档) I reached.
I'll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs. I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “None of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn't hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys off with a bat. " Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered from my disability. She had never let me see her tears.
56. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom's attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?
A. Cruel. B. Rude. C. Strict. D. Cold.
57. From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train____________.
A. the skill to throw and catch things
B. the speed of one's hand movement
C. the strength and skill to hang and sway
D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar.
58. What does the underlined sentence “I saw her 'we'll see about that’ look.” imply?
A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.
C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.
59. When the author looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because __________.
A. they felt sorry for what they had done before
B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt
C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars
D. they were astonished to find the author's progress
E
Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent(潜流) of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will appear, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from Isaac Newton.
Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn't been born yet, or is a baby now. That's because the search for a unified theory that would explain all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created after the problem can be solved.
But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein appearing anytime soon. For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein's day, there were a few thousand physicists worldwide, and the theorists who could argue with Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to spare. Education is different, too. One key aspect of Einstein's training that-is little noticed is the years of philosophy he read as a teenager --- Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think independently about space and time and it wasn't long before he became a philosopher himself.
And Einstein was a clever musician. The interplay between music and math is well-known. Einstein would play his violin hard as a way to think through a knotty physics problem.
Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren't many jobs in science for them, so they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills. Those who stay in science don’t work alone and they sometimes do experiment together which takes years.
It's hard to imagine a renegade(背叛者) like Einstein standing it. “Maybe there is an Einstein out there today,” said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, “but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard.”
72. According to the second paragraph, the next Einstein will ___________.
A. have to create new math B. create a unified theory
C. have to be born nowD. push math to its limits
73. The underlined words “knotty” in the fourth paragraph means ____________.
A. easy B. interesting C. strange D. difficult
74. Which of the following will be useful for the next Einstein to be born?
A. There will be music around.
B. There will be no problems to solve.
C. There will be suitable philosophy to study.
D. There are only a few physicists.
75. The bold words “unified theory” in Paragraph 2 refers to ___________.
A. agreementB. mathematical rule
C. unique idea D. physical saying