Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own．My mother was one of those people．
My father died when I was one-year-old．While I was growing up, we led a very hard life, but my mom gave me a lot of love．Each night, she seated me on her lap and, spoke the words that would change my life, "Kemmons, you are sure to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it．"
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said that I would never walk again．Every night my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me whatever those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to．She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her．A year later, I walked on my own to school!
When the Great Depression broke out, my mother lost her job．Then I left school to support the two of us．At that moment I decided never to be poor again．
Over the years, I experienced a lot of business success．But the real turning point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951．I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was very angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child．That was too expensive for an ordinary American family．I told my wife that I was going to open a motel （汽车旅馆） for families that would never charge extra money for children．Many people did not believe me at that time．
Not surprisingly, mom was my strongest supporter．As in any business, I experienced a lot of difficulties．But with my mom's words in my heart, I never doubted I would succeed．Fifteen years later, I had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn．In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $l billion a year．
You may not have started out life in the best situations．But if you find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you．
1．What Kemmon's mother often told him during his childhood was____．
A．caring B．moving C．encouraging D．interesting
2．Who played the most important role in making the author walk back to school again?
A．Doctors． B．Nurses． C．His friend． D．His mom．
3．What caused Kemmon to start a motel by himself?
A．His terrible experience in the hotel． B．His wife's suggestion．
C．His previous business success． D．His mom's support．
4．Which of the following best describes Kemmon's mother?
A．Modest, helpful and hard-working．
B．Loving, supportive and strong-willed．
C．Careful, beautiful and helpful．
D．Strict, sensitive and supportive．
5．Which of the following led to Kemmon's success?
A．Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family．
B．Mom's encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work．
C．Clear goals, mom's encouragement, a poor family and higher education．
D．Mom's encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities．
Americans do many different things during their vacations. Some people stay at home and enjoy time with their families. They may go to a local swimming pool, zoo or museum. Other people travel to enjoy large national parks, the mountains, the ocean, or large amusement parks. Many people visit interesting American cities or historic areas. Some people visit family members in other states. Still other Americans visit foreign countries.
Recently there is a new use for vacation time — learning about a new kind of job. This program is called Vocation Vacations. People pay between six hundred and five thousand dollars to work at a job for a few days or a week.
Brian Kurth of Portland, Oregon, started Vocation Vacations. He says it serves a valuable purpose. It gives people a chance to try out a job they always wanted without leaving their present job.
People use Vocation Vacations to try many kinds of jobs around the United States. These are jobs that anyone can learn to do. For example, they can learn how to make beer, wine, cheese or cakes. They can help train dogs or horses. They can learn how to be a hunting and fishing guide or a gardener. They can work with a sports announcer, television producer, wedding planner or photographer. Or they can learn how to operate a very small hotel, called a “bed and breakfast”.
Vocation Vacations recently added several new jobs. They include comedians, dog-sled (雪橇) drivers and hair stylists. The company says the most popular job so far is winemaking.
The Vocation Vacations Website recently asked visitors what prevents them from working at their dream job. More than two thousand people answered. Forty-two percent said the main block is money. Lack of the right education or experience was the answer given by twenty-five percent. Other answers included fear of failure and lack of family support.From the first paragraph we can learn that on holiday .
| A．Americans often try out new jobs |
| B．Americans prefer to travel |
| C．what Americans usually do |
| D．how Americans enjoy themselves at home |
What is “Vocation Vacations” according to the passage?
| A．The best way of enjoying time with one’s family. |
| B．A program of learning a new job on holiday. |
| C．A chance to learn how to operate a hotel. |
| D．The most popular jobs around the US. |
It seems that most of the jobs in Vocation Vacations are .
| A．difficult | B．boring |
| C．expensive | D．enjoyable |
When people take the jobs in vocation vacations, .
| A．they can choose many kinds of them |
| B．they can get some money for their work |
| C．they must have much experience |
| D．they must have a lot of money |
The mother of the 13-year-old Dutch girl Laura Dekker, whose plans to make a solo sailing trip around the world have recently made world headlines, has spoken out against the trip. “It breaks my heart to think that because of this I could lose contact with my daughter,” she said in an interview. “I have never before made such a difficult decision. But I must accept the consequences. I would rather have a live daughter who I will never see again than a dead daughter.”
It is the first time that Laura’s mother, Babs Müller, has spoken out against the trip. Laura’s parents are divorced and the girl has lived with her father since she was six. Her father Dick Dekker supports Laura’s plans. However, the Dutch Child Protection Board has decided to place the girl under supervision (监督) for two months to ascertain whether she is mentally and physically capable of undertaking the journey.
Ms Müller says she is confident that Laura is technically capable of making the journey. “She can sail like the devil. That’s not the problem.” However, she is afraid of the problems a 13-year-old girl can encounter in the harbors of Third-World countries and of the psychological (心理上的) pressure of being alone for such a long period on the ocean. “The most important thing, in my eyes, is that she is not yet an adult.”
Ms Müller says she told Laura once before that she was opposed to the idea. Her daughter replied, “If you forbid me, you will have ruined my entire life. Then I’ll never want to see you again.” However, Laura’s mother says that reports that a camera team is planning to follow her around the world could change her opinion about the trip.Laura Dekker’s plans to sail solo around the world .
| A．made her parents divorce |
| B．have attracted wide attention |
| C．made her father unhappy |
| D．were a difficult decision to make |
It can be inferred that Laura Dekker and her mother .
| A．are angry with Dick Dekker |
| B．had a quarrel |
| C．lost touch with each other |
| D．are all good sailors |
We can learn that the Dutch Child Protection Board .
| A．will train Laura for two months |
| B．will help Laura realize her dream |
| C．cares about Laura’s safety |
| D．doesn’t believe in Laura at all |
What does the underlined part “opposed to” mean?
| A．Against. | B．Shocked by. |
| C．Beyond. | D．Satisfied with. |
American black bears appear in a variety of colors despite their name. In the eastern part of their range(地理分布区), most of these bears have shiny black fur, but in the west they grow brown, red or even yellow coats. To the north, the black bear is actually gray or white. Even in the same litter(窝), both brown and black furred bears may be born.
Black bears are the smallest of all American bears, ranging in length from 5 to 6 feet, weighing from 300 to 500 pounds. Their eyes and ears are small and their eyesight and hearing are not as good as their sense of smell. Like all bears, the black bear is shy, clumsy(笨拙的) and rarely dangerous. However, if cornered, me black bear can become a fearful enemy.
Black bears feed on leaves, roots, fruit, insects, fish and even larger animals. One of the most interesting characteristics of bears, including the black bear, is their winter sleep. Unlike many other animals, bears do not actually hibernate(冬眠). Although the bear does not eat during the winter months, its temperature remains almost normal, and it breathes regularly four or five times per minute.
Most black bears live alone, except during the mating season (交配李节). A litter of one to four cubs is born in January or February and they remain with their mother until they are fully grown or about one and a half years old. Black bears can live as long as thirty years in the wild, and even longer in game preserves set aside for them.
| A．Most of them have black fur. |
| B．Their fur color depends on their living range. |
| C．They change their fur color throughout their life. |
| D．They are always of the same fur color as their brothers. |
| A．smell | B．hearing |
| C．eyesight | D．taste |
| A．Their way of “hibernating” is unique. |
| B．They are able to live at most thirty years. |
| C．They are regarded as the smallest bear in the world. |
| D．The babies can soon live by themselves after birth. |
Last month, Justin Valdez, a college student, was shot in a subway station in San Francisco. The surveillance video(监控录像) showed that before Justin was killed, the killer pulled out his gun several times, and even wiped his nose with it. However, nobody noticed the killer. The surrounding passengers all focused on their cell phones.
We may see the same scene everywhere in our life: in subway stations, restaurants, elevators and so on, people are watching their cell phones. From a family reunion to a date with a friend, people couldn’t stop checking their twitter and facebook on the cell phones and ignoring the persons in front completely, Phubbing(低头症) not only involves young people, but also the elderly and kids.
“Phubbing” is a new term which comes from the words “phone’’ and “snub(冷落)”. It describes the habit of snubbing someone in favor of a cell phone. The word “phubbing” was included in the Australian National Dictionary in 2012. Obviously, the indifference冷漠) and rudeness of the information age are spreading globally. A Stop Phubbing campaign website has been set up. You can find the slogan of the website as follows: “stop twittering, stop posting photos…enjoy your food, enjoy the music and respect others.”
Phubbing appears harmless. However, it does influence our life. Jimmy, an epicure(美食家), wrote in his blog: “I can no longer focus on what I am eating since I started twittering. My skill of food photography has improved very fast, while my interest in food drops as a result.”
Let us put down our cell phones and re-enjoy the real taste of our food and the warmth of interpersonal communication.
| A．gun violence happens easily in the US |
| B．phubbing may lead to terrible disasters |
| C．the killer didn’t mean to kill him |
| D．the killer had made a careful plan |
| A．He will give you an immediate reply. |
| B．He will stop looking at his cell phone. |
| C．He will pay no attention to you. |
| D．He will be very angry with you. |
| A．phubbing is actually harmless |
| B．phubbing stops people enjoying their life |
| C．phubbing affects people’s eating habits the most |
| D．phubbing helps people improve their photographic skills |
| A．How the word “phubbing” came into being. |
| B．The popular campaign of stop phubbing. |
| C．The meaning of the word “phubbing”. |
| D．The great harm of phubbing. |
My heart was pounding faster while the drums were beating. It was my third year in the running. “And our winner…Miss Red Cliff 2008 is Number 183!”
I stood there, frozen. My mom brought me back to reality: “That’s you, Mariah!” As I walked to the speaker, the former Miss Red Cliff took the crown(花冠) from her head, and placed it on mine. My family surrounded me, taking pictures and congratulating me. Then my family and I danced around the arena(竞技场) with our heads held high. People came up to shake my hand and gave me flowers, kisses and hugs. Finally, with determination I had reached my goal—to travel on the pow-wow(a meeting of native Americans) trail in honor of my community.
Before I became Miss Red Cliff, I had to get to know someone well before I became sociable, but later I wasn’t like that anymore. That year I traveled to many pow-wows in Michigan, Canada and many other places. People told me that I was a respectful and responsible young lady. I felt very confident that I was doing a good job.
Being Miss Red Cliff was one of the best times in my teenage years. I hope one day I will watch my daughters or granddaughters dance behind the flag holders as they hold the Miss Red Cliff title.
| A．She couldn’t believe the fact that she had won the Miss Red Cliff title. |
| B．She didn’t remember her number. |
| C．She didn’t like the former Miss Red Cliff. |
| D．She thought someone had made a mistake. |
| A．represent her community to attend the pow-wows |
| B．dance around the arena with her families and friends |
| C．receive flowers, kisses and hugs from people |
| D．sing an honor song with the crown on the head |
| A．She loved to travel around. |
| B．She felt proud to be Miss Red Cliff 2008. |
| C．She was a sociable and responsible young lady. |
| D．She had tried to win this competition for years. |
| A．Mariah couldn’t believe it when she failed in the competition. |
| B．Mariah hoped to see more people in her family become Miss Red Cliffs. |
| C．Mariah’s success was all due to her families’ caring and encouragement. |
| D．It was a rewarding and unforgettable experience to become Miss Red Cliff. |