Sixteen years ago, Eileen Doyle's husband, an engineer, took his four children up for an early morning cup of tea, packed a small case and was never seen or heard of again. Eileen was astonished and in a state of despair. They had been a happy family and, as far as she knew, there had been nothing wrong with their marriage.
Every day of the year a small group of men and women quietly pack a few
belongings and without so much as a note or a good--bye close the front door for the last time, leaving their debts, their worries and their confused families behind them.Last year, more than 1,200 men and nearly as many women were reported missing
from home--the highest in 15 years. Many did return home within a year, but others
rejected the past completely and are now living a new life somewhere under a
different identity.
To those left behind, this form of desertion is a terrible blow to their pride and self-confidence. Even the finality of death might be preferable. At least it does not imply rejection or failure. Worse than that, people can be left with an unfinished marriage, not knowing whether they will have to wait seven years before they are free to start a fresh life.
Clinical psychologist Paul Brown believes most departures of this kind to be well
planned rather than impulsive. "It's typical of the kind of personality which seems
able to ignore other people's pain and difficulties. Running away, like killing yourself,is a highly aggressive act. By creating an absence the people left behind feel guilty,upset and empty."
51. When her husband left home, Eileen Doyle________.
A. could not forgive him for taking the children
B. had been expecting it to happen for some time
C. could not understand why
D. blamed herself for what had happened
52. Most people who leave their families behind them___________.
A. do so without warning
B. do so because of their debts
C. come back immediately
D. change their names
53. Some people would even prefer the death to the running away of their spouse
Because_________.
A. their spouse would feel no pain during the death
B. their spouse death would not blow their pride and confidence
C. a desertion would not bring a feeling of rejection or failure
D. their spouse death would make them feel less painful
54. Which might be the best tire of the passage?
A. Broken Marriage B. New life after Desertion
C. A New Social Problem D. Desertion and its Influence
55. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Many people choose to leave home quietly because they hate their family.
B. Paul Brown regards leaving home as an act of selfishness.
C. Those who are left behind will lose confidence and won't marry again.
D. Eileen's husband, together with his four kids, were probably killed in an accident.
One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.
Afternoon tea
People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries. the English ate only two main meals each day ,breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. and tea was served(提供)to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates, and silver teapots. knives, forks and spoons were used .Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.
Will you come for coffee?
Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words“Will you come for coffee?” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange Juice will be served as well as coffee. and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a "coffee" party.
Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange
In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tee because she _______.
A enjoyed chatting with her friends at home
B loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups
C. wanted to share nice food with her friends
D found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?
| A．集体婚礼 | B．社交活动 | C．社区表演 | D．公共场合 |
f someone says to you “Will you come for coffee?”, you _______.
| A．will be offered coffee only |
| B．are asked what you would like to drink |
| C．will be asked to have a chat with him or her |
| D．are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party |
From the last paragraph (段落) we can see _______.
| A．a new business was started in coffeehouses |
| B．coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers |
| C．businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee |
| D．most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise |
One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by sending newspapers door to door, was so hungry that he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” With these words, Howard Kelly left that house.
Years later the woman became badly ill and was finally sent to the hospital in a big city. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous, was called in. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Dressed in his doctor’s clothes, Dr. Kelly went into her room and recognized her at once. From that day on, he gave special attention to her, and decided to do his best to save her life.
At last the woman was saved. Dr. Kelly asked the business office to pass the final bill to him. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to the woman’s room. She was afraid to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay for it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words:
“Paid in full with a glass of milk, Dr. Howard Kelly.”
Tear of joy flooded her eyes.The boy sent newspapers door to door in order to ________.
| A．continue his schooling | B．become a famous doctor |
| C．thank the woman for her kindness | D．support his poor family |
Which is true about the boy and the woman?
| A．He was too shy to ask her for some water. |
| B．She thought he was not hungry but thirsty. |
| C．She wanted him to pay for the glass of milk. |
| D．She never thought he would save her life later. |
After Dr. Kelly knew who the woman was, he ________.
| A．began to take good care of her himself |
| B．told her she once gave him a glass of milk |
| C．decided to try his best to save her |
| D．asked for her bill and paid it off at once |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．A Warm-hearted Woman | B．A Glass of Milk |
| C．The Final Bill | D．A Famous Doctor |
No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting(天气预报).
For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.
Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.Which of the following can be used here to replace(取代) the underlined phrase “on the way”?
| A．away. | B．gone. | C．disappearing. | D．coming. |
When you see the stars twinkle clearly at night, the weather will be _______.
| A．warm | B．rainy | C．clear and fine | D．cold |
Which of the following signs can tell the weather will probably be rainy?
| A．A rainbow appears in the morning. |
| B．Some birds fly high. |
| C．The stars twinkle clearly at night. |
| D．Fogs appear in the morning just above a river. |
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.According to the passage, persuasion means ________.
| A．changing others’ point of view |
| B．exercising power over other people |
| C．getting other people to consider your point of view |
| D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.
| A．win | B．fail | C．speak | D．listen |
The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
| A．a danger to society | B．difficult to do well |
| C．unwelcome behavior | D．never successful |
The passage mainly discusses ________.
| A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion |
| B．the reasons why people persuade |
| C．that persuasion is both good and bad |
| D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
Every pet owner loves his pet. There is no argument here.
But when we asked our readers whether they would clone （克隆， 复制）their beloved animals, the responses（反应） were split almost down the middle. Of the 228 readers who answered it, 108 would clone, 111 would not and nine weighed each side without offering an opinion.
Clearly, from readers’ response, this is an issue that reaches deeply into both the joy and final sadness of owning a pet. It speaks, as well, to people’s widely differing expectations over the developing scientific procedure.
Most of the respondents who favored the idea strongly believed it would produce at least a close copy of the original; many felt the process would actually return an exact copy. Those on the other side, however, held little hope a clone could never truly recreate a pet, many simply didn’t wish to go against the natural law of life and death.
Both sides expressed equal love for their animals. More than a few respondents owned “the best dog/cat in the world”. They thought of their pets as their “best friend”, “a member of the family,”“the light of my life.” They told moving stories of pets’ heroism, intelligence and selfless devotion.
Then the loss is so disturbing---and the cloning so attractive. “People become very close to their animals, and the loss can be just as hard to bear as when a friend or family member dies,” says Gary Kowalski, author of Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet. “For me, cloning feels like an attempt to turn death away…It’s understandable. Death is always painful. It’s difficult to deal with. It’s hard to accept.”
But would cloning reduce the blow? This question seemed to be at the heart of this problem.So far as the cloning of pets is concerned, a recent survey shows that, of all pet owners, ____.
| A．a lot more of them are for it |
| B．a lot more of them are against it |
| C．very few of them are willing to tell their opinions |
| D．about half of them are for it and the other half against it |
While talking about the respondents from the readers, the expression “final sadness of owning a pet” refers to ____.
| A．the death of one’s pet |
| B．the high cost of owning a pet |
| C．the troubles one has to deal with in keeping a pet |
| D．the dangers about the cloning of a pet |
From what Gary Kowalski says, we can know that he ____.
| A．has never thought about the problem of cloning |
| B．is going to write another book on pets |
| C．is in favor of the idea of cloning pets |
| D．is all against the cloning of pets |
What is the key question at the heart of the problem of cloning pets?
| A．Can cloning make the pain one suffers less when a pet dies? |
| B．Can pet owners afford the cost of cloning? |
| C．Does cloning go against the law of nature? |
| D．How reliably does cloning produce an exact copy of one’s pet? |