When I was young，I wished for a good car and a big house. That was my idea of success. I took all the advanced classes and tried to do well in the exams with my mind set on going to a key school. I just knew that I would somehow become famous and be able to afford the car and the dream house. All the way through junior years，my mind was planning this beautiful future.
Then in the eleventh grade, many losses changed my mind. First, one of my friends died at 16. Soon after， my great-grandmother passed away followed by my beloved fourth-grade teacher. These events left me not knowing what to do or where to go. Death had never touched me so closely.
After a long period of emptiness, it finally struck me: Life is not promised and neither is future success. Though I was attempting to achieve material success， I was not enjoying my daily life. I realized that finding inner peace， purpose and happiness will stick with me forever and that is real success.
Enjoying life's precious quirks (偶发事件) makes an ordinary person more successful than a wealthy person who isn't content and takes everything for granted. The summer before senior years, my attitude changed greatly. Instead of memorizing facts, I began learning skills. Instead of focusing on the future， I focused on today and the many blessings and successes that came with it.
I still get excellent grades， but now I devote weeks to studying instead of struggling for exams, and I think about the future with a deeper sense of meaning. For me, being successful means truly living life each day.
68.The reason why the author changed his idea of success is ____.
A.that he can't afford his house
B.that his beloved teacher was dead
C.that he didn't know what to do or where to go
D.that he lost a few beloved persons in a short time
69.What does the author want to tell the readers?
A.The true meaning of the life.
B.The true meaning of studying
C.How to achieve success.
D.His opinion about success.
70. According to the passage which of the following is TRUE?
A.The writer thinks the success is not promised.
B.His teacher died before the death of his grandpa.
C.The writer didn’t do well in all the exams.
D.He didn’t want to take all the exams.
In the winter of 1964, the Beatles, a British musical, packed up their electric guitars, drum kits, and rebellious ways and set off for America.
Two days later, more than seventy million people watched the group perform four of their hit songs on the Ed Sullivan Show. This was sixty percent of the American television audience. Here the Beatles sing one of those songs, "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
The Beatles soon had the top five hit songs on the Billboard singles chart. Millions of fans became infected with Beatlemania. They rushed to stores to buy Beatles albums, wigs, clothes, dolls and lunch boxes.
The Beatles recorded more than twenty number one hits in America. A Beatles song was almost always at the top of the charts until the group's next hit replaced it. They played to more than fifty thousand fans at large sports stadiums. And they filmed several movies that made millions of dollars.
The Beatles were influenced by American singers including Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard. Yet the group's music sounded completely new and different. The Beatles wrote more than two hundred songs that revolutionized American popular music.
In addition, young people saw the Beatles as spokesmen for their generation. They copied the band members' long hair and free-spirited ways. The band became so popular that in 1966 John Lennon said they were more popular than Jesus Christ.
Soon other musicians began writing their own music the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the Beatles songs.
Many other British groups followed the Beatles to America. This was known as the "British Invasion." They included the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones called themselves the "World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." The Stones first performed across America in 1964. This song was the group's first Top 40 hit in the United States.
In the spring of 1970, the Beatles released "Let it Be." But their fans were not celebrating. This was the last studio album the Beatles recorded as a group. It tells the story of the band's break up.
| British |
|
| Time and Place |
Events |
| 1964 |
Get everything |
| After arriving in USA |
Over half of American TV audience watched their |
| In America |
1. They 2. They played a lot to many fans; 3. They filmed movies. |
1966 |
Although American singers had |
| 1970 |
The last group album “Let it be” was |
The National Park Service in the United States will mark its one hundredth anniversary in 2016. As it nears its second century, the Park Service plans to increase its educational programs for students and teachers.
The plans include transportation support for one hundred thousand students each year to visit national parks to learn about nature and history. Yellowstone is believed to have been the world's first national park when it was established in 1872. Other students will get a chance to see parks in faraway places through Skype and other online programs.
The National Park Service also works with partners to provide education. One of its partners is a nonprofit organization called NatureBridge. NatureBridge is celebrating its fortieth anniversary and says one million young people have taken part in its programs. The organization works with students from kindergarten through twelfth grade and uses national parks as its classrooms. It provides field science programs at Yosemite National Park and four other locations in California and the northwestern state of Washington.
Now, NatureBridge is launching an East Coast center with a four-million-dollar grant from Google. The program will begin in April at the Prince William Forest Park in Virginia. Students stay for three to five days in NatureBridge programs. The activities are aimed at developing their science skills. For example, they learn about different soils and study water quality under a microscope.
Jason Morris is executive vice president of NatureBridge. He says when they are not sleeping, eating or in a laboratory, the students spend their time outdoors. Julia Washburn is associate director of education and interpretation for the National Park Service. She says in a time of budget cuts, the agency has to find ways to still meet its goals. Ms. Washburn says one of the most important services that the Park Service provides every day is nature interpretation. Park rangers (公园管理员) try to make visiting the outdoors more meaningful. Interpretation is a form of informal education. Essentially, it is a word that we use for the people in parks that explain the park or help orient(确定方向)you. So park rangers are interpreters. They orient you to the place you are in and help you make connections, emotional and intellectual connections, with the place.Which of the following descriptions about NatureBridge is NOT correct?
| A．It’s an organization working together with National Park Service to provide education. |
| B．Some of the activities held by NatureBridge are financially supported by Google. |
| C．Students from kindergarten to college can sign up for the organization’s activities. |
| D．It’s going to cut down budget for the activities because of economic hard times. |
In which national park will the program by East Coast centre start?
| A．Yellowstone National Park. | B．Prince William Forest Park. |
| C．Yosemite National Park. | D．Not mentioned in the passage. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．National parks are used as outdoor classrooms for students. |
| B．Students are called on to be members of NatureBridge. |
| C．Some famous national parks in US are attractive to students. |
| D．Park rangers make visiting parks much more interesting. |
Which of the following is the correct structure of the whole passage? (Para=paragraph)
A． |
B． |
C． |
| D． |
A farm planted levels or floors is called a vertical(垂直的)farm. A skyscraper type building can house a vertical farm. Since the garden is built upwards，rather than outwards，it requires much less space than a conventional farm.
The world is quickly running out of room for conventional farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. An 18story vertical farm could feed as many as 50,000 people，all in an area which is the size of the average city block. Vertical farms in the city could cut down on transportation costs as well. Think about the amount of fuel it takes to transport food from farmland to city. The resources saved would be surprising. Besides saving travel time，food would be delivered in fresher condition and with less damage.
There is a growing concern about the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in agriculture today. But the vertical farm would be a greenhouse type environment, avoiding the need for a large number of pesticides. Vertical farms can be built in a contained space，therefore they are an excellent solution for living well in an environment far different from our own. Hydroponics(水耕法) could be a big part of vertical gardening. This would reduce the amount of soil needed to grow food. Of course，not all food does well with this type of planting，but there are many crops that actually seem to do better.
In some climates，a lack of sunlight creates a short growing season. The solar power option may not work as well here. The addition of grow lights would make it possible to grow crops in vertical gardens in these areas .In other words，we could grow crops in areas where we never could before.
Vertical farms may just be a concept for now，but they are a concept that will solve many of our problems in the future.According to the passage, a vertical farm ________.
| A．is mainly built outwards |
| B．is dependent on solar power |
| C．is planted on levels upwards |
| D．is only an environmental friendly farm |
Compared to the conventional farm, the vertical farm can ________.
| A．depend far less on sunlight |
| B．greatly increase the use of soil |
| C．help to protect the limited gardens |
| D．reduce the harmful effect of pesticides |
It can be learned from the passage that vertical farms ________.
| A．have already been put into use |
| B．only use hydroponics to grow food |
| C．need less room than conventional farms |
| D．may increase the transportation costs |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Vertical farms for our future |
| B．Ways to deal with future problems |
| C．Vertical farms and green skyscrapers |
| D．Making full use of our limited land |
B
Father’s day Sunset Live Music Dinner Cruise
Sunday, June 16th, 2013
6:30pm-8:30pm
Join us abroad the 95’ Dana Pride for our special Father’s Day Dinner Cruise. Enjoy a unique evening of fun on the water, complete with live music by Mike O’ Brien and a delicious barbecue dinner.
Adult—$ 59
Kids (3-12)—$29
Two and under are Free
LOCATION: Dana Point Harbor
BOOK ONLINE OR CALL: 949-496-5794
Rancho Days Fiesta
July 13, 2013
Celebration the history of Saddleback Valley, there will be children’s activities including free crafts projects. Help make and taste homemade ice cream and butter, warm bread from the oven. Dip water and grind (磨碎) corn while learning about the early days of Orange County.
Admission is $ 3 for children 3 to 12 years old and $4 for adults.
LOCATION: Heritage Hill Historical Park
INFORMATION: 949-923-2230
Annual Silverado Counter Fair and Art Festival
October 5-6, 2013
The 42th Annual Silverado Country Fair explores the wonders of the area’s Old West rustic (乡村的)culture, great live music tasty food, handmade arts, crafts and family games under the oak-trees below Orange Country’s famous Saddleback Mountain.
Daytime adult admission: $4/ Kids under 12: only $2
Saturday Night Music Fest (联欢): $ 5 for everyone
LOCATION: Silverado Community Center
INFORMATION: 714-997-3968
Starr Ranch Sanctuary
October 20-21, 2013
Audubon California’s Starr Ranch Sanctuary invites you to our fall classes for adults. Join our wildlife biologist for two peaceful days at beautiful 4,000 acre Starr Ranch in southeast Orange County and experience nature hands-on as a wildlife researcher.
Cost: $ 95 for those not camping (including dinner) $100 for those camping (dinner and breakfast provided)
LOCATION: Starr Ranch Sanctuary
RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION: 949-858-0309Which event is the most suitable for one who wants to enjoy dinner in a boat with live music?
| A．Father’s day Sunset Live Music Dinner Cruise. |
| B．Rancho Days Fiesta. |
| C．Annual Silverado Counter Fair and Art Festival. |
| D．Starr Ranch Sanctuary. |
At Rancho Days Fiesta, you can ________.
| A．pay a great deal of money to join in camping |
| B．join in activities for the whole family |
| C．experience the early life of the Orange County |
| D．taste food made in the local factories |
How much will a couple have to pay if they go to Saturday Night Music Fest with their 10-year –old son?
| A．$ 12. | B．$15. | C．$10. | D．$5. |
Mr. Smith wants to take his wife and daughter to have some family games in early October. He will call ________ for information.
| A．949-496-5794 | B．949-923-2230 | C．714-997-3968 | D．949-858-0309 |
"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood. The happy childhood is hardly worth your while. "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. And worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." That was Frank McCourt reading the opening lines of his book Angela's Ashes, released in 1996.
This Irish American author best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography Angela's Ashes that recorded his poor upbringing, died of cancer on Sunday, The New York Times reported. He was 78.
Born in New York City, he was the eldest of the seven children born to Irish immigrant parents. Angela's Ashes was a memoir(回忆录)that captured an irresponsible, drunkard(酒鬼)father with a gift for story-telling. When not drunk, his father was absent, turning his back on a family so poor, McCourt wrote, that they were reduced to burning the furniture in their rented hut to keep warm. His mother struggled to raise her many children after his father left the family.
In Angela's Ashes, he wrote of hunger, a home flooded with rainwater and the unbearable humiliation(耻辱)of seeking handouts from charities in the Irish city. But he told the story in a way that is expressive, warm and light-hearted.
Frank McCourt left Ireland at the age of 19 to return to New York City where he was born. He earned a degree in English education and taught creative writing for nearly thirty years. After retiring in 1987, he decided to write about his childhood. "Angela's Ashes" became a huge success and brought McCourt a 1997 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and other honors. Millions of copies of the book were sold worldwide and it was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle.In the first paragraph, by saying "The happy childhood is hardly worth your while", the writer really means that ________.
| A．a lot of readers don't deserve happy childhood |
| B．his childhood is not worth of others' sympathy |
| C．his childhood is mixed with happiness and misery |
| D．smooth childhood surely will not draw readers' attention |
From the passage, we know Frank McCourt's father is ________.
| A．humorous and trustworthy |
| B．alcohol-addicted but loves his family |
| C．poor but warm-hearted |
| D．irresponsible but gifted in telling stories |
Which of the statements about the book “Angela’s Ashes” is right?
| A．This book is intended to show respect to McCourt’s father. |
| B．The author wrote the book in a sad and serious tone(语调). |
| C．The book enjoyed great popularity after it came out. |
| D．The author got two awards because of the book. |
What's the text mainly about?
| A．A brief introduction to Frank McCourt and one of his works. |
| B．A literary review(评论) on Frank McCourt's book. |
| C．An account of Frank McCourt's miserable childhood. |
| D．A comment on Frank McCourt's life experience. |