I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.
My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous (慷慨) and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves or appreciates the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her; she simply does what is needed.
At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.
My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world. The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.
| A．she thought the lady was too busy |
| B．she would make them as thanks to her |
| C．she thought she should do something for the lady at the special time |
| D．they had had an agreement before |
In the writer’s opinion, ________.
| A．my grandmother has a secret way of living |
| B．my grandmother does everything on careful consideration |
| C．few people are as generous as my grandmother now |
| D．my grandmother will get something in return |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers. |
| B．My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way. |
C．This is a family in which there are nearl y 30 people now. |
| D．My grandmother never keeps everything for herself. |
We may infer from the text that the writer ________.
| A．thinks his grandmother is living a tired life |
| B．thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do |
| C．thinks his grandmother should not be so kind |
| D．is proud of his grandmother |
“Old wives tales” are beliefs passed down from one generation to another, For example, most of us remember our patents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking, but others have not passed the test of time
Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic（蒜）is good for you, too。It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.
Unfortunately, not all of Mom’s advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems? Well, yes and no. sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.
Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales, After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated （积累） from thousands of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water should respect this body of knowledge even as research for clear scientific support to proven it true or falseWhich of the following is TRUE according to the text？
| A．Eating garlic is good for our eyes |
| B．Sticky sweets are damaging to our teeth |
| C．Swimming after a meal is dangerous。 |
| D．Carrots prevent people from catching colds |
The author develops the third paragraph mainly--------。
| A．by cause and effects |
| B．by order in space |
| C．by order in time |
| D．by examples |
The phrase “hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means“ ”
| A．to be believable |
| B．to be valuable |
| C．to be admirable |
| D．to be stable |
What is the author’s attitude toward “old wives’ tales” in the text?
| A．So objective | ||
| B．Objective | C．Dissatisfied | D．Curious |
When people hear a president speak, they seldom think about others helping to shape the presentation（报告）. Today, however, presidents depend on writers such as J. Terry Edmonds to help them communicate （交流） effectively. Edmonds is the first African American ever to work as a full-time speechwriter for a U. S. president; he is so the first African American to serve as director of speechwriting for White House. His is an all-American story of success.
Edmonds grew up in Baltimore, Maryland; his father drove a truck, and his mother worked as a waitress. A. great reader, Edmonds showed a gift for writing at his high
School, Baltimore City College After graduating in 1967 Edmonds went on to Morgan State University
Edmonds began his career in business, with jobs in public relations and communications. He joined the world of politics as news secretary for his congressman （国会议员） from Baltimore During Bill Clinton’s presidency, he wrote speeches for Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and worked in a number of job in the White House and in governmental departments President Clinton then appointed （任命）himto the office of directory of speechwriting Following the 2000 elections Edmonds returnedto Morgan State University as the school’s special assistant to the president for 2001-20025. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Edmonds proved himself to be good at writing at high school |
| B．Edmonds graduated from Morgan State University in 1967. |
| C．Edmonds was the first full-time speechwriter. |
| D．Edmonds served the White House after 2000. |
Edmonds entered the world of politics first as -------------。
| A．news secretary for a Congressman |
| B．a speechwriter for President Clinton |
| C．news secretary in the White House |
| D．a speechwriter for Secretary Donna Shalala |
The text is most likely to be found in a book about-------------。
| A．popular science |
| B．historical events |
| C．successful people |
| D．Political systems |
It was the first snow of winter — an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up until now, I had been old enough to dress myself, but today would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, had been through brst snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow trousers. But I struggled won my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-mc-down from my brother, and if made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes, At least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots（靴子）.
In her calm, motherly voice she said, “By the end of winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence（信心）.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected grown-ups to do all the work. After much pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced, “They’re on the wrong feet.”
She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again.
“They’re my brother’s boots, you know,” I said. “I hate them”.
Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying（烦人的） little girl, She struggle with me, she asked, “Now, where are your mittens（连指手套）？”looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I hid them in the toes of my boots. 1. The little girl was more satisfied with her_____.
| A．trousers |
| B．jacket |
| C．boots |
| D．hat |
Miss Finlayson had difficulty with the girl’s boots mainly because_____.
| A．the girl got them from her brother |
| B．the girl put something in them |
| C．they were on the wrong feet |
| D．they did not fit the girl well |
Why does the author Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?
| A．Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes. |
| B．Because it was the most exciting day of the winter . |
| C．Because the little girl played a trick on her. |
| D．Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf. |
We can learn from the text that Miss Finlayson____.
| A．was losing confidence in the little girl. |
| B．gradually lost patience with the little girl. |
| C．became disappointed with the little girl. |
| D．was getting bored with the little girl. |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue , encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb. What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging. |
| B．Recycling too many wastes. |
| C．Making more products than necessary. |
| D．Having more material than is needed. |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of super markets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
According to the text, recycling ______.
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality. |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging. |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging. |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult. |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled. |
| C．People like collecting recyclable waste. |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture. |
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now." Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
He needs to go to the doctor every day.
He studies the leading cause of diabetes
He has a positive attitude to this disease.
He encourages diabetics by writing articles. Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
| A．diabetics to communicate |
| B．volunteers to find jobs |
| C．children to amuse themselves |
| D．rock stars to share resources. |
According to the text, Kody ______.
| A．feel lonely because of his illness |
| B．benefits from diabeticrockstar.com |
| C．helps create the online kid’s forums |
| D．writes children’s stories online |
What can we learn about Fight It?
| A．It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties. |
| B．It organizes parties for volunteer once a year. |
| C．It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics. |
| D．It owns a well-known medical website. |
The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
| A．works full-time in a diabetes charity |
| B．employs 22 people for his website |
| C．helps diabetics in his own way |
| D．ties to find a cure for diabetes |