DearCassy,Thanksforremindingme-优题课

When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and pestered (纠缠) his relatives, but they had problems of their own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed, then depressed, then a little hardened. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all.
“Why don't you start your own business?” one of his uncles told him. “The world is a money-locker. You'd better find a way of opening it.”
“But what can I do?”
“Get out and have a look round.” advised his uncle in a vague sort of way. “See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it.”
Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of a waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position, too expensive or with some other snag(障碍). But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition.
Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motor-cycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last, Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside.
Which of the following best describes Boris' job hunting experience?

A．Surprising.

B．Encouraging.

C．Boring.

D．Disappointing.

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Goodwill is the key to success

B．The world is a money-locker

C．No education, no future

D．Difficulty of starting a small business

Boris started his career by .

A．repairing cycles	B．developing a waste ground
C．cycling around the town	D．buying empty shops

Boris finally chose an empty shop on a new estate because .

A．it was not so expensive

B．he had a lot of old customers there

C．there were good opportunities there

D．he could make good use of his skills there

We can infer from the last paragraph that Boris.

A．still couldn't make good profits

B．found a lot of gold coins by accident

C．set off in a successful career

D．had great difficulty running his business

In the summer of 1978 an English farmer was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered that some of his wheat was lying flat on the ground. The fattened (压平的) wheat formed a circle about six meters across. Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat. The five circles were in a formation like five dots. During the following years, farmers in England found the strange circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they appear in the fields of grain - usually wheat or corn. The grain in the circles lies flat on the ground but never broken; it continues to grow, and farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September.
At first, people thought that the circles were a hoax. Probably young people were making them as a joke, or farmers were making them to attract tourists. To prove that the circles were a hoax, people tried to make circles exactly like the ones that farmer had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of grain without leaving tracks(痕迹), and they couldn’t flatten the grain without breaking it.
Many people believe that beings from outer space are making the circle to communicate with us from far away and that the crop circles are messages from them.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles suggested several possibilities. Some scientists say that a downward rush of wind leads to the formation of the circles - the same downward rush of air that sometimes causes an airplane to crash. Other scientists say that forces within the earth cause the circles to appear. There is one problem with all these scientific explanations: crop circles often appear in formations, like the five-dot formation. It is hard to believe that any natural force could form those.
In the summer of 1978, an English farmer discovered in his field that __________.

A．some of his wheat had been damaged

B．his grain was growing up in circles.

C．his grain was moved into several circles

D．some of his wheat had fallen onto the ground.

According to the text, the underlined part “hoax” (in the 3^rd paragraph) probably means __________.

A．an attempt made to fool people

B．a special way to plant crops

C．a research on the force of winds

D．an experiment for the protection of crops.

Which of the following may prove that the crop circles are not made by man?

A．The farmer couldn’t step out of the field.

B．The farmers couldn’t make the circles round.

C．The farmers couldn’t leave without footprints.

D．The farmers couldn’t keep the wheat straight up.

A proper title for this passage is ___________.

A．An Unsolved Mystery

B．Strange Flying Objects

C．The Power of Natural Forces

D．The discovery of Strange Circles

Howling(吼叫) is a behavior commonly observed among a wolf pack(狼群). As pack animals, wolves work together to hunt and rely on howling as an important means of communication among each other. There’re different explanations of a wolf’s howl and it appears that there may be more to discover．
One theory is that wolves howl to bond better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together. Perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together. But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harrington, a professor who studies wolf behavior.
Indeed, there have been times when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a chorus(合唱), and the next, quarreling among each other. It appears that usually the lowest-ranking members of the pack may actually be “punished” for joining in the chorus at times. So is howling a way to strengthen a social bond or just a way to reconfirm status (地位) among its members? Why do wolves howl for sure?
What is clear, however, is that howling is often used among pack mates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that wolves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appears to be an excellent means of gathering.
Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behavior. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occur in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sort of “roll call” where wolves all howl together to report their
What is the possible similarity between wolves’ howling together and human’s singing in chorus?

A．The act of calling each other．

B．The sense of accomplishment．

C．The act of hunting for something．

D．The sense of belonging to a group．

Why does Harrington think the “social bond” theory may be wrong?

A．Wolves separate from each other after howling．

B．Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds．

C．Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together．

D．Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus．

Researchers are sure that wolves often howl to______．

A．show their ranks	B．find their companions
C．report the missing ones	D．express their loneliness

“Howling… is a contagious behaviour”（in the last paragraph）means_______．

A．howling is a signal for hunting

B．howling is a way of communication

C．howling often occurs in the morning

D．howling spreads from one to another

Safety and Security Procedures
Your safety and the security of your personal property are of the primary concern to those of us who welcome you as our guest. We urge you to take advantage of the following suggestions.
YOUR VEHICLE（交通工具）
Lock it and don’t leave money or valuable items inside. We are not responsible for their loss.
TRAVELING
Be good at noticing things around you when sightseeing or traveling. Stay in well-lit and heavily traveled areas. Don’t display large amounts of cash.
GUEST ROOM SECURITY
For additional security use the deadbolt (插锁) provided on your door and make sure the windows are locked. As an additional precautious measure, please secure the secondary locks provided. Do not admit anyone to your room without first making identification（身份鉴定）. A one-way viewer is provided in your door to assist with identification. If there is any doubt about the person’s identity, please contact the Front Desk.
SAFETY BOXES
Do not leave money or valuables in your room or vehicle. We provide free safety boxes for your use. Hotel is not responsible for items left in the room valued over $200.
KEYS
Safeguard your key. Please do not leave it in the door. Do not give your key to others or leave it unattended. Please leave your key at the Front Desk when you check out.
REPORTING
Please report any suspicious activity, or safety concerns to management.
FIRE
Please familiarize yourself with the nearest fire exits. Report fire or smoke to the hotel guard. In the unlikely event of a fire, please move quickly and calmly to the nearest safe exit and leave the building. Avoid the use of elevator.
The suggestions are most probably from ______.

A．a hotel manager	B．a police officer
C．an experienced traveler	D．a tour guide

Which of the following is TRUE?

A．It is advised to travel to places where there are few people.

B．The hotel is not responsible for anything you lose.

C．Don’t report to the manager unless you are sure something is going wrong.

D．You’d better use the deadbolt and the secondary locks for safety.

If you feel doubtful about a stranger who knocks at the door, you should _____.

A．let the person in after you have got his/her name

B．open the door to check the person’s ID card

C．call the Front Desk to make sure

D．contact the local police for assistance

“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton（骨骼）in the closet（衣橱）?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank in a faint（晕倒）, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.
According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means ______.

A．a family honor	B．a family secret
C．a family story	D．a family treasure

What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors form Paragraph 2?

A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners.

B．They were the earliest people living in Australia.

C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia.

D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days.

Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?

A．She was curious about it.

B．She planned to keep it for fun.

C．She needed it for her school task.

D．She intended to scare her parents.

Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ______.

A．they were crazy

B．they were over excited

C．they realized their misunderstanding

D．they both thought they had won the quarrel

A．Cassy wrote to the Smiths twice	B．Cassy loves children very much
C．Cassy will be in perfect health	D．Cassy does very well in her studies

A．Their children are hard to baby-sit.	B．Their children are well educated.
C．Cassy is good at doing many things.	D．Cassy won't get the job as a baby-sitter.