I will never forget what my old headmaster told me. Normally when you are only 15years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.
His house was filthy, and a stench (恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbours could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.
He said nothing at all: he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.
Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment(专心，敬业). We should remain true to our course, although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally disapprove. Just keep it in mind that commitment attracts wealth.Why did the headmaster tell us the story?
| A．To enjoy ourselves. |
| B．To teach us how to make money. |
| C．To tell us the importance of commitment. |
| D．To tell us not to look down upon beggars. |
According to the passage which of the following is true?
| A．The old man made a living by begging. |
| B．The old man was excited to be a millionaire. |
| C．The old man became a millionaire by begging every weekday. |
| D．The old man planned to became a millionaire. |
Why did the police officer clean the old man’s house?
| A．Because the old man hired them to do so. |
| B．Because they wanted to know how much money the old man had begged. |
| C．Because the old man wanted to live comfortably. |
| D．Because the neighbours could not bear the smell coming out of the oldman’s house. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| B．Keep the general goal in sight while tackling daily tasks. |
| C．Commitment attracts wealth. |
| D．Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. |
When most of us look at our hands, we might notice that we need to clean, or stop biting our fingernails, and that’s about it. But if you ask a doctor, he can see a whole lot more. Everything from poor diet and stress to serious kidney (肾) problems can be revealed by a glance at your fingernails.
There are about 30 different nail signs that can be associated with medical issues, though may indicate more than one problem, according to Dr.Amy Derick, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University.
Here are five of the things a doctor can tell about your health based on your fingernails.
1. People who aren’t eating well and lack vitamin or dietary may have thinner than normal nails, which are more likely to break.
2.Horizontal (水平的) lines are associated with serious physical stress. They frequently occur in people who have gone through chemotherapy(化疗).They can also occur after some illnesses, injuries, or with severe malnourishment(营养不良).Interestingly, there may be an altitude connection too. They’ve also been found in people who dove 1,000 feet and others who participated in an Everest exploration.
3. Vertical （垂直的）lines, however, are generally not such a big deal. Some people are more genetically prone to them than others, but they’re commonly associated with aging.
4. When people lack iron, their nails can turn spoon-like. Instead of curving down and covering the finger normally, they ’ll start to rise up on the sides and front, like the part of a spoon that holds liquid.
5. Kidney and liver problems can create “half-and-half nails”, where one part of the nail is white and the other part dark or pink, according to Derick.
Doctors note that because disease diagnosis is complex and some symptoms can be associated with different diseases, you should always see a medical professional if you are concerned about something you notice. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Doctors can tell us something about our health by looking at our nails. |
| B．We should see a doctor if we find nails in bad condition. |
| C．A famous doctor in the USA conducted an interesting research. |
| D．If we don’t want to get ill, we need to clean and stop biting our fingernails. |
If we don’t eat well or regularly, our fingernails may ________.
| A．become harder than normal nails. |
| B．become thinner than normal nails. |
| C．become “half-and-half” nails. |
| D．have horizontal and vertical lines. |
Who will have horizontal lines on the nails ?
| A．A cancer patient who has received normal treatment. |
| B．Hungry African children suffering from severe malnourishment. |
| C．An explorer who had reached Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province. |
| D．A patient with serious illness, like kidney and liver problems. |
Which of the following best describes the nails that show people lack iron?
| A．The nails are thinner and more likely to break. |
| B．The nails will curve down and cover the fingers. |
| C．The nails will start to rise up on the sides and front. |
| D．The nails will change their colours on the surface. |
One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. Her dad had planted it for her when it was nothing more than a twig and several years later it started to shoot towards the sky with amazing speed. Soon it blessed her with cooling shade in the summer and glorious, golden leaves in the fall.
When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow fell on the tree’s branches that were still full of leaves. The weight split that lovely tree down the middle. It was so sad seeing half of it laying on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later, she said that the damage had been too much and that the entire tree would have to be cut down. Thankfully she had saved a few saplings(树苗) from it that she hoped to replant in the future.
Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see nothing but a stump in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its beauty, its leaves shinning in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad reminder of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, though, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such an affirmation of life. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart smile.
Life by its very nature is a mixed bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, pleasure and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let it split us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our souls stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others.We know from the first paragraph that _____．
| A．the tree grew very slowly. |
| B．the tree showed its beauty and benefits. |
| C．the author’s neighbor was good at planting trees. |
| D．the tree was so strong that it could bear any weight. |
The author’s neighbor left a stump in her front yard to use it as_____.
| A．a good reminder. |
| B．a seat after dinner. |
| C．a place to feed birds. |
| D．a beautiful sculpture. |
What does the author mainly want to show in the passage?
| A．Life has beauty and tragedy. |
| B．Life consists of pain and suffering. |
| C．Life should be pleasant rather than painful. |
| D．Life is determined by our attitude towards it. |
“Mommy, I’m a funny bird,” Jack, my almost-4-year-old tells me. He moves his little fingers like wings.
“You are?” I say. I’m sitting across from him while he eats breakfast at our table. I smile; he says the greatest things. A week ago, however, when he had chocolate on his face and I licked (舔) my finger to wipe it off, he said, “Don’t put your dirty water on me.”
A week ago, I wouldn’t have been sitting here with him during breakfast. I wouldn’t have been up, emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the kitchen, or answering emails. We always had dinner together at the table, but other meals got much less attention. I work from home, and my husband owns an advertising agency and often travels. We were so busy that we had to do the chores during breakfast or lunch.
Why was I not sitting down with my son? It could take Jack an hour to eat a meal, during which I could feel the tug (猛拉) of unanswered emails, a deadline, and the unswept floor each minute.
Then we went to visit friends for a weekend. They have two kids. They are busy, professional, and good parents. And at every meal -- not just dinner -- we all sat down at the table and ate. When we got home, my husband said, “Maybe we should be doing that.”
I took this as criticism. My husband works a lot, so mealtimes are mostly under my charge. The “we” he was talking about was me.
Then, I remembered myself that I’m a big girl, and took his comment the way it was meant. We both want what’s best for Jack. Yes, I thought. I’m home. I have to eat, too. My husband is Jack’s favorite, which delights and moves me, but I am Jack’s constant. Constants are there. Constants sit down.
So I’ve been sitting. And, surprise, I haven’t missed a deadline. The house has been clean. And Jack seems to like having me there. Two days ago, over lunch, he smiled and stared at me.
“What?” I asked, amused.
“Mommy, I love you so much and I can’t stop loving you.”
I could have missed that.
God, I could have missed that. Before visiting the friends, Jack _________.
| A．didn’t like chocolate |
| B．couldn’t eat by himself |
| C．was sometimes rude to his mom |
| D．preferred his mother to his father |
After visiting the friends, the author _________.
| A．was determined to learn to cook |
| B．asked her husband to have every meal with her |
| C．decided to have dinner together with her family |
| D．was advised by her husband to learn from the friends |
What does the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．The best time to visit friends. |
| B．Jack saying sweet words to his mom. |
| C．A deadline for answering emails. |
| D．Jack having lunch with his mom. |
Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will behave like wild animals. They will soil your house, destroy your belongings, bark excessively, fight other dogs and even bite you. Nearly all behavior problems are perfectly normal dog activities that occur at the wrong time or place or are directed at the wrong thing. The key to preventing or treating behavior problems is learning to teach the dog to redirect its normal behavior to an outlet that is acceptable in the domestic (驯养的) setting.
One of the best things you can do for your dog and yourself is to train its obedience. Obedience training doesn’t solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem. Training pens up a line of communication between you and your dog. Effective communication is necessary to instruct your dog about what you want it to do.
Training is also an easy way to establish the social rank order. When your dog obeys a simple request of “come here, sit,” it is showing obedience and respect for you. It is not necessary to establish yourself as top dog or leader of the pack (群) by using extreme measure. You can teach your dog its subordinate (从属的) role by teaching it to show submission to you. Most dogs love performing tricks for you to pleasantly accept that you are in charge.
Training should be fun and rewarding for you and your dog. It can enrich your relationship and make living together more enjoyable. A well-trained dog is more confident and can more safely be allowed a greater amount of freedom than an untrained animal.Behavior problems of dogs are believed to _________.
| A．occur when they go wild |
| B．be just part of their nature |
| C．get worse in modern society |
| D．become a threat to the community |
The key to solving dogs’ behavior problems is to _________.
| A．teach the dog to perform clever tricks |
| B．make the dog aware of its owner’s authority |
| C．enable the dog to regain its normal behavior |
| D．provide the dog with a pattern accepted by its owner |
Why do pet dogs love performing tricks for their masters?
| A．To avoid being punished. |
| B．To show their affection for their masters. |
| C．To win leadership of the dog pack. |
| D．To show their willingness to obey. |
When a dog has received effective obedience training, its owner _________.
| A．can give the dog more freedom |
| B．will enjoy a better family life |
| C．can give the dog more rewards |
| D．will have more confidence in himself |
Boys’ schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music. Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity (阳刚), the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure of following that tradition, a US study says.
Boys at single-sex schools are said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that help develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they have to follow the “boy code” of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.
The findings of the study are so against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls.
Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warns that boys are being faded by the British education system because it has become too focused on girls. He criticizes teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls.
The research argues that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female schoolmates do better earlier in speaking and reading skills. But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys’ learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, writes the study’s author, Abigail James, from the University of Virginia.
Teachers can encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have sharper vision to learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around. “Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer what centers on violence and sexism, ” James writes.
Single-sex education also makes it less likely that boys would feel they have to follow the tradition that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships. “In mixed schools boys find themselves pushed to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means,” the study reports.The author believes that a single-sex school will _________.
| A．force boys to hide their emotions to be “real men” |
| B．help to develop masculine aggressiveness in boys |
| C．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely |
| D．naturally make boys accept the traditional image of a man |
It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys _________.
| A．perform relatively better |
| B．grow up more healthily |
| C．behave more responsibly |
| D．receive a better education |
What does Tony Little say about the British education system?
| A．It fails more boys than girls academically. |
| B．It focuses more on mixed school education. |
| C．It fails to give boys the attention they need. |
| D．It places more pressure on boys than on girls. |
According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is _________.
| A．teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys |
| B．boys can focus on their lessons without being absent-minded |
| C．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in |
| D．teaching can be designed to promote boys’ team spirit |