On Saturday nights, A.J.Coston doesn’t get a lot of sleep. Usually three or four times a night, a loud bell rings, a red light flashes, and he has to jump out of his bed. That’s because he’s a weekend volunteer firefighter（消防员）with Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Station 13 in Northern Virginia. During the week, he lives at home with his mom, dad and sister and does his main job which is going to high school.
“I have always wanted to get into firefighting since I was a little kid watching fire trucks go by,” he says. “One day on the Internet I noticed that Loudoun County offered a junior firefighter program.” He was only 16, but he got it.
Fighting fires is dangerous work. Firefighters never stop practicing the skills they need to stay safe. Once Coston learned those skills, he was allowed to work inside burning buildings.
“Teamwork is most important,” he says. “It’s the whole team that puts the fire out.”
Firefighters feel great about helping people. “My most unbelievable call was probably the time four kids were struck by lightning,” says Coston. He will be off to college next fall, building on his dream job. “I’ll get my degree in emergency（紧急情况） medical care. and then work in a fire and rescue company for a while. I want to be a flight doctor on a helicopter in the end, but I will never forget the days as a firefighter. These are my unforgettable experiences,” he says. Coston can’t sleep well on Saturday nights because _____.
| A．he has to work part-time at weekends |
| B．he has some sleeping problems |
| C．he has to do his job as a volunteer firefighter |
D．he alway s worries that there may be a fire |
What do we learn about Coston from the passage?
| A．He doesn’t like studying at school. | B．He will go to college next year. |
| C．He dreams to be a great hero one day. | D．He is only sixteen years old. |
In Coston’s opinion, what is the key thing in putting out a fire?
| A．Skills. | B．Teamwork. | C．Courage. | D．Equipment. |
All of the following are true EXPECT that _____.
| A．Coston wanted to be a firefighter when he was a kid |
| B．Coston tried several times before he became a volunteer firefighter |
| C．firefighters feel proud that they can help people |
D．firefig hters have to practice skills all the time to stay safe |
Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world’s best marathoners(马拉松运动员) can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That’s about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn’t like to be told she’s brave. “I’m in sports because I’m a competitive person!” Jean was born with spine bifida(脊柱裂), a birth illness that damages the spine（脊椎）. She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed.” Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs,” she says, “It was fun.”
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals.What made Jean take part in sports?
| A．She was brave. When I sign my autograph（亲笔签名）,says Jean, “I write, dream big and work hard.” |
| B．She was competitive. |
| C．She was strong. |
| D．She was disabled. |
What kind of education did she receive?
| A．High school. |
| B．Junior middle school. |
| C．High education. |
| D．Primary school. |
What is Jean’s advice on how to succeed?
| A．Work hard. |
| B．Hope for the best. |
| C．Dream a lot. |
| D．Have great wishes and work hard. |
Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world in his own back yard. He sold the stone to a diamond dealer for over three hundred thousand dollars. In New York, the diamond was resold. This time for almost eight hundred thousand dollars. The true value of a diamond is never known until it has been cut. Once cut successfully, its value can increase a thousand times. It’s easy to understand why the owner of the Joker diamond went to the best diamond cutter he knew, Kaplan. The cutter studied the diamond for twelve whole months.
When he felt he was ready to start work, he discovered a flaw (瑕疵). He had to begin with his calculations (计算) all over again, or he might have made the stone useless. Six more months passed, and Kaplan finally said to the owner, “I am ready to start my work. There will be one excellent diamond that will be comparable to any in the world, plus eleven small diamonds of first-class quality.” Kaplan waited a few more days until he felt he was in the best physical and mental (精神的) condition possible. He picked up his tools and held his breath as he made the first
blow. The diamond split (切开) exactly as he promised.Joker found one of the biggest diamonds in the world _______.
| A．in a minute | B．at the foot of a big mountain |
| C．in his own backyard | D．in a garage |
A diamond dealer is a person _______,
| A．in the diamond business | B．who stores diamonds |
| C．who cuts diamonds | D．who sells diamonds |
When the diamond was resold, _______.
| A．the dealer lost a lot of money |
| B．Joker made some more money |
| C．the dealer got 800,000 dollars |
| D．Kaplan got 800,000 dollars |
The owner of the diamond thought that if the diamond was cut successfully it might be worth _______.
| A．$300,000 | B．$500, 000 |
| C．$300, 000,000 | D．$800, 000, 000 |
Kaplan studied the diamond for _______.
| A．one and a half years | B．more than half a year |
| C．over eighteen months | D．more than nineteen months |
Roosevelt’s active and clever mind helped him greatly through periods of his illness. As soon as he could sit up, he worked on his stamp collection, began to write a history of the United States and a book about John Paul Jones—a navy hero. He was also ready to try anything that might help him to get well. A member of his family tells the following: Roosevelt got a great deal of physical exercise later simply by crawling around on the floor. Although now over forty, he spent hours crawling around his library floor like a child. Then he decided to learn how to go up the stairs by himself. Day after day he would pull himself up the stairs by the power of his hands and arms. He insisted that his family and friends watch him and talk with him, to give the impression that what he was doing an everyday routine (例行的) action.From this passage we know that Roosevelt ______.
| A．was good at sports | B．couldn’t sit up |
| C．hated collecting stamps | D．was once seriously ill |
John Paul Jones was ______.
| A．the man who was ready to help Roosevelt |
| B．the writer of the passage |
| C．of the members of Roosevelt’s family |
| D．a hero in the navy |
Roosevelt liked ______.
| A．crawling on the floor | B．reading and writing |
| C．physical exercise | D．climbing stairs |
Roosevelt had a lot of exercise in order to ______.
| A．get praised by his friends and families |
| B．tell his friends he was healthy |
| C．get well again |
| D．show he was active and clever |
After a period of exercise. Roosevelt ______.
| A．could walk up the stairs with the help of others |
| B．could crawl upstairs with his feet |
| C．could get upstairs without anybody to help him |
| D．could stand up and walk for a while |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friend can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parent don’t like?Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.
A. friendsB. teachers
C. brothers and sisters D. classmates
2. When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.
A. go to their friends
B. talk with their parents
C. have a discussion with their family
D. talk with their friends on the phoneWhich of the following is DIFFERENT in meaning from the sentence “Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends.”?
| A．Some parents may even not allow their children to meet their good friends. |
| B．Some parents may even ask their children to stay away from their good friends. |
| C．Some parents may even not let their children meet their good friends. |
| D．Some parents may want their children to stop to meet their good friends. |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
| A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy. |
| B．In all families, children can choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better. |
| D．Teenagers can only go to their friends for help. |
The main idea of this passage is that ___________.
| A．Teenagers need friends |
| B．Friends can give good advice |
| C．Parents often choose their children’s friends for them |
| D．Good friends can communicate with each other |
A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders (想知道): Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly! there are some differences between British and American English. ‘There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you have a pen?” Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that_______.
| A．British people cannot understand him |
| B．American people cannot understand him |
| C．the grammar is too hard for him |
| D．the spelling is too hard for him |
American English and British English are different in ________.
| A．spelling | B．pronunciation |
| C．grammar | D．all of the above |
What is not mentioned (提及) in the passage?
| A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English. |
| B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two. |
| C．How the differences between British English and American English came about. |
| D．How important the differences are. |
Most ________ say “Do you have a watch?”
| A．British people | B．Americans |
| C．children | D．teachers |
According to this passage, British people and Americans have _________ difficulty in understanding each other.
| A．little | B．much | C．some | D．great |