I was walking along the deserted main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to get in touch with the Automobile Association .Low gray clouds were drifting across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.
There was no sign of a call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his job, but the town was completely dead.
Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town’s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint, I hurried forward but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was very fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat and rubber boots. I could not see his face - he was bending forward over the phone with his back pressed against the glass and didn’t even raise his head at the sound of my coming nearer and nearer. Carefully and surprisedly, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door.The author was walking through the small seaside town__________.
| A．late morning | B．early morning |
| C．before midnight | D．late evening |
The weather of the day was ____, when the story happened.
| A．windy, cold and cloudy | B．stormy, damp and clear |
| C．rainy, cold and clear | D．rainy, windy and cold |
Why was the author astonished when he saw that there was a man in the call box? Because____.
| A．the man inside was still wearing a raincoat |
| B．he didn’t expect it to be taken up |
| C．the man had his back with him |
| D．the man did not seem to be moving |
The author waited, standing a few feet away from the box because____.
| A．it was not safe to be close to the box |
| B．the man didn’t notice his coming |
| C．he wanted to have a cigarette to calm himself down |
| D．it was bad manners to overhear other’s phone calls |
What do you suppose happened to the man in the call box?
| A．He slept. |
| B．He had most probably been killed. |
| C．He was lost in his important phone call. |
| D．He was too fat to move around. |
She was returning from teaching out in a small community (社区). It was a moonless night, and a heavy snow was falling.
She remembered back to when she had first started teaching out in small communities. In those days she had always picked up hitchhikers (搭便车者), until the day her sister told her of a friend who had been shot (中枪) in the head by a hitchhiker, all because she had stopped out of kindness to help him during a storm.
Her family didn’t become concerned (关心的) about her safety over the hitchhikers until the family heard the promise: “No more hitchhikers!” The snow that night was making her think back to this.
Then she saw a man waving. She slowed down for him, but now as he ran toward the car in the dark she shook with fear. Yet she thought that if he was truly in need she couldn’t leave him here in this storm.
The stranger explained that his car was dead, and she told him to get in. They drove for an hour into the next city and she took him to a telephone booth (公用电话亭). She waited until he had made a call. When he reported back to her that a family member would soon come for him, she wished him well and left.
Tears fell on her cheeks as she drove away. She felt as though she had been holding her breath for an hour. “I hope they’ll understand why I had to break my promise,” she thought.What can we learn about the woman?
| A．She was a taxi driver. |
| B．She used to be a hitchhiker. |
| C．She taught in small communities. |
| D．She seldom picked up strangers. |
What made her family worried about her safety?
| A．She had been hurt by a hitchhiker. |
| B．Her sister’s friend was killed by a hitchhiker. |
| C．There were often snowstorms on her way home. |
| D．Her car often broke down on her way home. |
We can infer from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph that _________.
| A．she regretted picking up the stranger. |
| B．she felt too tired to breathe. |
| C．she had been afraid being with the stranger. |
| D．she had been too careful driving in the storm. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A Dead Car |
| B．A Dangerous Hitchhiker |
| C．A Struggle in the Snow |
| D．A Broken Promise |
The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs.
This comes after a national law was passed to give prison sentences to people who desert （抛弃）cats or dogs.
“The civilization of a city can be measured by this,” said Monica Carina, the councilor behind the new law.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don’t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
“Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world. It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals that deserve over respect and pity every bit as much as dogs and cats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, director of the People for the Ethical treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to $598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn’t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs’ tail to make them look lovelier. The law also gives legal recognition to the “cat ladies” who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modern office car parks.The new law passed in Rome will _________.
| A．guarantee（保证）better conditions for goldfish |
| B．help improve fishing environment |
| C．stop people from catching goldfish |
| D．prevent keeping goldfish at home |
People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by _________.
| A．exchanges with other cities |
| B．Protection of ancient ruins |
| C．recognition of animal lovers |
| D．people’s awareness of animal protection |
People may break the law in Turin if they _____________.
| A．keep their dogs or cats in cars |
| B．shut their dogs home all day long |
| C．raise their cats near ancient ruins |
| D．feed homeless animals in car parks |
Seventy years ago I was quite a small little girl, the baby of the family, with an older brother and sister. My father was very ill at the time, and my mother took in sewing(缝纫) of any kind so we could live. She would sew far into the night with an old sewing machine. She never complained even when the food would be very scarce. She would sew until the early hours of morning.
Things were very bad that particular winter. Then a letter came from where her sewing machine was bought, saying that they would have to pick up her machine the next day unless payments were brought up to date. I remember when she read the letter I became frightened; I could picture us starving to death and all sorts of things that could come to a child‘s mind. My mother did not appear to be worried, however, and seemed to be quite calm about the matter. I, on the other hand, cried myself to sleep, wondering what would become of our family. Mother said God would not disappoint her, that he never had. I couldn‘t see how God was going to help us keep this old sewing machine.
The day when the men came for our machine arrived. There was a knock at the kitchen door. I was frightened as a child would be, for I was sure it was those men who would take away our sewing machine. Instead, a nicely dressed man stood at our door with a darling baby in his arms.
He asked my mother if she was Mrs. Hill. When she said she was, he said, "I‘m in trouble this morning and you have been recommended by the druggist and grocer down the street as an honest and wonderful woman. My wife was rushed to the hospital this morning, and since we have no relatives here, and I must open my dentist office, I have nowhere to leave my baby. Could you possibly take care of her for a few days?" He continued, "I will pay you in advance." With this he took out ten dollars and gave it to my mother.
Mother said, "Yes, yes, I will be glad to do so," and took the baby from his arms. When the man left, my mother turned to me with tears streaming down a face that looked as though a light was shining on it. She said, "I knew God would never let them take away my machine."The turning point in the story may refer to ______.
| A．a letter to the family |
| B．the man’s coming for help |
| C．the man’s wife being rushed to the hospital |
| D．the nicely dressed man’s trouble |
Why did the man turn to the writer’s mother for help?
| A．The people around him recommended the mother to him. |
| B．He was familiar with the mother. |
| C．The mother had sewn for him. |
| D．The mother was hired by the man. |
According to the text all the following are true to the man EXCEPT _____.
| A．his wife stayed in hospital |
| B．he was confused when in trouble |
| C．he had few men to turn to for help |
| D．he was a dentist |
What does mother mean by saying “I knew God would never let them take away my machine?”
| A．God can solve all the problem. |
| B．The sewing machine is my only support. |
| C．Never give up when in trouble. |
| D．Everybody should believe in God. |
A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the candy they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reach high school, something amazing has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily upset in time of difficulties and inflexible (固守己见的).
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would defeat a less resistant (有抵抗力的) person.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as “character”.
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one’s ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?
| A．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| B．To prove the scientist’s wisdom. |
| C．To amuse both the children and readers. |
| D．To show us how to do an IQ test. |
The experiment with the four-year-olds makes it clear that .
| A．the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment |
| B．emotional intelligence won’t show up until adolescence |
| C．the ability of self-control plays a role in personal success |
| D．candy can be used to measure a person’s emotional intelligence |
The underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
| A．kind | B．positive |
| C．floating | D．negative |
Which of the following is TRUE of EQ and IQ according to the text?
| A．There is no link between EQ and IQ. |
| B．The higher a person’s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is. |
| C．Some people can be blessed with lots of both, but some with little of either. |
| D．Scientists are trying to discover the way in which EQ and IQ work together. |
The morning had been a disaster．My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend．Her words still hurt, “The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place．Can’t you see things from my point of view?” I shook my head stubbornly---and felt the ache in my tooth．I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable．I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately．Finally, at about lunchtime, l got lucky．
“If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in．”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car．But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist．What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around．I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried．The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one．
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don’t worry．The dentist is very good．”
“How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently．
“Come on, he is coming．Just lie down and relax．And enjoy the artwork,” the assistant said，“The artwork?” I was puzzled．
The chair went back．Suddenly I smiled．There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling．How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, l began to understand what my friend meant by her words．
What a relief!Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
| A．Cheerful. | B．Nervous. | C．Satisfied. | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
What does the author want to tell us in the text?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one’s friend. |
| C．Put yourself in others’ shoes. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |