The professor stood before his class of 30 senior biology students, about to pass out the final exam. “I have been honored to be your instructor this term, and I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test. I also know most of you are off to medical school or graduate school next fall,” he said to them.
“I can well understand how much pressure you are under to keep your grades up, and because I know you are able to understand this material, I am prepared to offer an automatic(自动的) “B” to anyone who would prefer not to take the final.”
In relief a number of students jumped up to thank the professor and left the class. The professor looked at the students who remained, and offered again, “Any other takers? This is your last chance.” One more student decided to go.
There were seven students left. The professor closed the door. Then he handed out the final exam. There were only two sentences typed on the paper: “Congratulations, you have just received an “A” in this class. Keep believing in yourself.”
I never had a professor who gave a test like that. It may seem like the easy way out of grading (评分) a lot of exams, but it’s a test that any teacher in any subject could and should give. Students who don’t have confidence in what they’ve learned are “B” students at best.
The same is true for students of real life. The “A” students are those who believe in what they’re doing because they’ve learned from both successes and failures. They have learned life’s lessons, whether from formal education or the school of hard knocks, and become better people.
Take your cue(榜样) from Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma: “It’s not the mountain we conquer (征服), but ourselves.” Don’t let the biggest limit be yourself.
The professor offered an automatic “B” to those who would prefer not to take the final exam because _________.
A.he liked the students who wanted to get a “B” |
B.he believed they were able to pass the exam |
C.he thought any teacher should give them a “B” |
D.he thought it was the easy way of grading exams |
According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.22 students got a “B” in the final test without doing the paper. |
B.Most of the students would go to medical school shortly after the exam. |
C.There were actually no problems on the test papers for the students to work out. |
D.The way the professor tested his students would not be suitable for other subjects. |
According to the writer, the test given by the professor was ________.
|
The point of the story is to advise readers _________.
A.to pay attention to what they can do |
B.not to miss any final exam at school |
C.not to let themselves limit their growth |
D.to surround themselves with confident people |
B
Over 2,000 years, the examination of the pulse has been a mysterious skill in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although many westerners may have known something about methods like inspecting, listening and enquiring, pulse reading as a tool to determine physical condition is not common knowledge. It is therefore worth our effort to take a closer look at it.
There are three positions on each wrist which are used for analysis: the front, middle and back part, and analyzed at three different levels: superficial, middle and deep.
On the left wrist, the front position focuses on the condition of the heart and small intestine (小肠), the middle position concentrates on the functions of the liver and gall bladder, and the back position is connected with the kidney. The lungs and large intestine are the centre of attention in the front position on the right wrist, with the middle position focusing on the spleen and stomach and the back taking note of the “Gate of Vitality Fire’. This is the heat provider for all bodily functions.
In regards to the various levels, the superficial level reflects the state of energy, the middle level shows the state of blood flow, and the deep level is an indication of the state of the Yin organs. Suppose that the pulse in the left middle position was soft and smooth, neither superficial nor deep, it would suggest that the liver and gall bladder are in a good state of health.
Checking the pulse is actually far more complex. Doctors need to be able to recognize 26 different pulse categories. For example, a scattered pulse which is irregular and hardly noticeable, is a sign that a patient is critically ill and nearing death. Other categories include the rapid pulse, probably a sign of a fever; or the tense pulse, which may suggest that the patient is suffering from pain. Many pulses only have subtle differences; thus, pulse examination is often seen as being more than just a skill but an actual art form.
This kind of medical diagnosis can be affected by many factors, so before any examination, it is important that patients are in a relaxed physical and mental state so they can get the most accurate reading. The morning is often the best time to take such a reading, as a busy day in the office or vigorous exercise before seeing the doctor can influence the quality of the pulse. The right amount of pressure must be applied by the doctor for the right duration of time. Patients’ characteristics are also of importance. Children, for instance, have quick pulses and athletes have slower than usual ones. Even seasonal influences need to be taken into account.
59. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Chinese Pulse Checking B. Difficulties in Pulse Checking
C. What Makes a Good Doctor D. Brief Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine
60. Which factor is NOT mentioned as possibly influencing the accuracy of a pulse reading?
A. Amount of force used. B. Time of day.
C. Climate. D. Body height.
61. From the passage we can infer that the writer believes __________.
A. Chinese medicine is too difficult to learn
B. pulse reading requires a long-time study and practice
C. doctors need to be familiar with Chinese history
D. pulse examination is unimportant and no longer necessary
III. 阅读理解(共15小题,每小题1分,满分15分)
A
"As sure as you're alive now, Peter Rabbit, some day I will catch you," shouted Reddy Fox, as he put his black nose in the hole between the roots of the Big Hickory-tree which grows close to the Smiling Pool. "It is lucky for you that you were not one jump farther away from this hole."
Peter, safe inside that hole, didn't have a word to say, or, if he did, he didn't have breath enough to say it. It was quite true that if he had been one jump farther from that hole, Reddy Fox would have caught him. As it was, the hairs on Peter's funny white tail actually had tickled Reddy's back as Peter ran wildly through the root-bound entrance to that hole. It had been the narrowest escape Peter had had for a long, long time. You see, Reddy Fox had surprised Peter eating sweet clover (苜蓿) on the bank of the Smiling Pond, and it had been a lucky thing for Peter that that hole, dug long ago by Johnny Chuck's grandfather, had been right where it was. Also, it was a lucky thing that old Mr. Chuck had been wise enough to make the entrance between the roots of that tree in such a way that it could not be dug any larger.
Reddy Fox was too shrewd (机灵的) to waste any time trying to dig it larger. He knew there wasn't room enough for him to get between those roots. So, after trying to make Peter as uncomfortable as possible by telling him what he, Reddy, would do to him when he did catch him, Reddy walked across the Green Meadows. Peter remained where he was for a long time. When he was quite sure that it was safe to do so, he crawled out and hurried to the Old Orchard. He felt that that would be the safest place for him, because there were ever so many hiding places in the old stone wall along the edge of it.
56. Where is Peter Rabbit hiding?
A. On the bank of a pond B. In a hole
C. In a tall tree D. Behind a room
57. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the story?
A. Reddy Fox might find rabbit hairs on him.
B. Old Mr. Chuck took advantage of the roots to dig the hole.
C. The hole could be made larger.
D. Reddy almost caught Peter this time.
58. Why did Peter Rabbit wait so long before leaving?
A. Because Reddy was trying to get him.
B. Because it was cold outside.
C. Because his grandfather would help him dig a large hole.
D. Because the Old Orchard was not so safe as this hole.
One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood, I quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers.
When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me,“Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt whether my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head. I had been shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened, she quickly called the power company. Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed,”he said.
So why am I still alive? It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours, the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was still serious with me. After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience, I learned it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the“shock of my life.”
57.The underlined word“disregard”in the second paragraph means“___________.”
A.pay no attention to B.take notice of C.consider D.follow
58.In spite of Bruce’s warning, the author still cut the tree because___________.
A.he was sure there would be nothing to happen
B.he knows electricity can’t travel through wood
C.he didn’t hear his friend’s warning at all because of the blowing wind
D.he wasn’t sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home
59.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.But for his boots, the writer would have died.
B.The writer regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning.
C.The writer knew nothing about electricity.
D.When the tree was cut down, the writer realized his friend was right.
60.The author wrote the passage mainly to .
A.give an account of one of his terrible experiences
B.make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience
C.tell us not to cut trees down any more
D.remind us to be careful while working
Reading poems is not exactly an everyday activity for most people.In fact, many people never read a poem once they get out of high school.
It is worth reminding ourselves that this has not always been the case in America.In the nineteenth century, a usual American activity was to sit around the fireside in the evening and read poems aloud.It is true that there was no television at the time, nor movie theaters, nor World Wide Web, to provide diversion.However, poems were a source of pleasure, of self-education, of connection to other people or to the world beyond one’s own community.Reading them was a social act as well as an individual one, and perhaps even more social than individual.Writing poems to share with friends and relations was, like reading poems by the fireside, another way in which poetry has a place in everyday life.
How did things change? Why are most Americans no longer comfortable with poetry, and why do most people today think that a poem has nothing to tell them and that they can do well without poems?
There are, I believe, three factors:poets, teachers, and we ourselves.Of these, the least important is the third: the world surrounding the poem has betrayed us more than we have betrayed the poem.Early in the twentieth century, poetry in English headed into directions unfavorable to the reading of poetry.Readers decided that poems were not for the fireside or the easy chair at night, and that they belonged where other difficult-to-read things belonged.
Poets failed the reader, so did teachers.They want their students to know something about the skills of a poem, they want their students to see that poems mean something. Yet what usually occurs when teachers push these concerns on their high school students is that young people decide poems are unpleasant crossword puzzles.
53. Reading poems is thought to be a social act in the nineteenth century because___________.
A. it built a link among people B. it helped unite a community
C. it was a source of self-education D. it was a source of pleasure
54. The underlined word “diversion” most probably means “___________”.
A. concentration B. change C. amusements D. stories
55. According to the passage, what is the main cause of the great gap between readers and poetry?
A. Students are becoming less interested in poetry.
B. Students are poorly educated in high school.
C. TV and the Internet are more attractive than poetry.
D. Poems have become difficult to understand.
56. In the last paragraph, the writer question___________.
A. the difficulty in studying poems B. the way poems are taught in school
C. students’ wrong ideas about poetry D. the techniques used in writing poem
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle (婴儿包) was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she held her breath—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy … called me—a f-…freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president but for that. He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor. Could nothing be done? “I believe we could transplant on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated ,” the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” said the father.
The operation was brilliantly successfull. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交) service. “But I must know!” he urged his father. “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(灵柩). Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.
49.The story is mainly about _______.
A.how a boy had new ears through an operation
B.what a devoted parent privately did for the child
C.how a disabled boy turned into a useful person
D.why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy
50.From the first paragraph we know that the mother _______.
A.was determined to donate her ears to perfect her son
B.kept her husband unknown about the baby’s situation
C.felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby
D.complained of her bad luck to have a disabled child
51.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.The agreement was between the donator and the family.
B.The boy was so popular that he was made class president.
C.Finally the boy came to know who the donator was.
D.The mother donated her ears to her son after she died.
52.What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
A.Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known.
B.It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul.
C.True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance.
D.It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful.