I received pictures of my daughter floating (漂浮) on a lake in California. Right there under the sun during the hottest time of the day, she has only her swimsuit to cover her.
When I showed it to my students, it was as if I had shown them scenes from a horror (恐怖) movie.
“But she will get dark,” they said.
“That’s what she wants,” I told them. “We think darker skin (肤色) is beautiful.”
They looked at me in disbelief. It was as if I came from the moon.
For years, American girls spend their summer trying to get as tanned (晒黑) as possible. In China, on the other hand, girls use umbrellas all year round.
What in the world is going on?
The pale skin we think looks unattractive (不漂亮) is what Asian women want. Both groups want to meet their culture’s standard (标准) of beauty.
In the US, if you can afford to go on vacation in the summer, you head for a river, a lake or a beach, where you try to get as much sun as possible. If you are rich you take a winter vacation in some sunny spot. Your winter tan shows your wealth.
In China, once upon a time, the few wealthy were the ones who didn’t have to work out in the hot sun. So the whiter the skin, the richer the woman. The folk opera performers who play these ladies wore lots of white makeup (妆容). The tradition survives to this day.
So it comes naturally that none of my students wishes to follow the Western ways in this regard.
But now I am noticing that a new business – the tanning booth (美黑店) – started up in China. I admire those brave enough to define（给…下定义）their own idea of beauty, but I do wonder what their grandmothers would have to say to them about it! The students were shocked at the picture the writer showed them because ______.
| A．they thought it shameful for a girl only to wear a swimsuit |
| B．the writer’s daughter was wearing very little while out in the sun |
| C．it is dangerous for a girl to be out on a lake alone |
| D．with the powerful sunlight the writer’s daughter would have got a suntan |
According to the article, which kind of woman meets the American standard of beauty?
| A．Women with blond hair. | B．Women w ith a slim figure. |
| C．Women with tanned skin. | D．Women with pale skin. |
In the US a winter tan usually means the person _____.
| A．is hard-working | B．doesn’t have to work |
C．has a  lot of money and spare time |
D．is from a very poor family |
The writer ______ the tanning booth started up in China.
| A．is not interested in | B．doesn’t understand |
| C．doesn’t like | D．has mixed feelings about |
A mother had two daughters. She loved them very much, but two girls would fight with each other from their earliest years. As they grew older, they became total strangers. They had no contact with each other when they were adults.
This caused the mother great pain. Then, later, she had an idea. She decided to write a letter to them. In this letter, she told them how much she loved them, and how she wanted them to love each other in this way. She also gave them news of herself and some guidance on how to live happier lives.
When the letter was ready, she wrote out one copy for each daughter, but these copies were special. Each copy contained only every second sentence of the original letter: the copy for one daughter had only the even (双数的) sentences, and the other daughter’s copy contained only the odd sentences. Neither contained the fullness of the mother’s message.
When the two daughters received their letters, they were puzzled. To understand the half-letter, they would have to put the two letters together and read them as one, which meant they must approach one another again in love and respect. But they each blamed the other for not helping them when trying to read the half-letter.
For a long time, the mother waited in vain. Then one day, when the mother had almost given up hope, there was a knock at the door. There they stood, together. “We’ve come home,” they said at the same time. “We’ve finally put our letters together, and we’ve come to say how much we love you, Mum.” Then she hugged them both, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, and welcomed them back home.The mother gave her daughters incomplete letters mainly to ______.
| A．mend their relations |
| B．offer them advice |
| C．tell them her news |
| D．win their hearts |
Upon receiving their letters, the two daughters ______.
| A．put the letters together and read them |
| B．blamed her mother for the half-letter |
| C．complained about each other as usual |
| D．understood the mother’s purpose at once |
Why did the two daughters visit their mother at last?
| A．They wanted to apologize. |
| B．They felt grateful for the mother. |
| C．They had put the letters together. |
| D．They missed home very much. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Sincere Apology to Mother |
| B．A Mother’s Endless Love |
| C．Two Special Daughters |
| D．An Unusual Letter |
Channel Islands
The two main islands, Jersey and Guernsey, are remarkable in that they present a combination of enjoyment peace and quiet. Neither island is very big (only ten miles long) and so all parts of these coasts are easily reached from the main centers — St. Helier and St. Peter Port. In both these towns and particularly in Jersey's St. Helier are concentrated (集中) the amusements of really big resorts (休养地). The nearness of France gives a continental atmosphere; the weather is far better than that in England. The other three islands, Jethou, Herm and Sark are small and quiet.
Isles of Scilly
The islands are really small and quiet; and the weather is warm but windy. The islands are excellent for those who enjoy exploring (探险) small inlets (水湾), creeks (小溪) and bays on foot, or even better in a boat.
Isle of Wight
The island is 24 miles across and therefore quite large. The scenery is good and varied. The resorts are neither overlarge nor showy. The crowds seem content with entertaining but quieter holidays. The island has the best sunshine record in Britain.
Isle of Man
An island with unique atmosphere — in some indefinable (难以描述的) way it is different from England, Scotland or Wales. Thirty miles long, with good roads and good public transport，the mountains，hills and glens (幽谷) are easily reached. Douglas is a major British resort and other resorts are lively.Which is the largest of the islands mentioned?
| A．Herm. | B．The Isle of Man. |
| C．The Isle of Wight. | D．Jersey. |
If you want to be fairly sure you would have a lot of sun on holiday, which island would you choose?
| A．The Channel Islands. | B．The Isle of Man. |
| C．The Isle of Wight. | D．The Scilly Isle. |
If you are having a holiday on Jersey, where would you go for amusement?
| A．Douglas. | B．Sandown. |
| C．St. Helier. | D．St. Peter Port. |
In which way are the Channel Islands different from all the other island holiday places
| A．The coasts are easily reached from the main centers. |
| B．There are more islands there. |
| C．There is something French about them. |
| D．The weather is better. |
While elephants are respected by the people of Thailand, they are also used as beasts of burdens (驮兽). Today, these majestic animals are extensively used to help carry wood for the logging industry. It is therefore nice to hear that on National Elephant Day the mighty mammals are treated like a king, and served with meals fit for a king.
One of the biggest celebrations took place at the Pattaya Resort in Thailand’s Chonburi Province. Fifty-two elephants, some wearing beautiful clothes, arrived bright and early (大清早) for the big day. Each was first blessed with holy water by a professional elephant rider and then led to the grand feast, which served an unlimited supply of their favorite treats—bananas, dragon fruits (火龙果), pineapples, assorted melons, apples and the list went on and on! The elephants ate till they were satisfied before walking back with their owners for a good night’s rest.
Though called National Elephant Day, the celebrations that took place on March 13th this year stretched out for an entire week. Besides providing a well-deserved treat and break for the hard-working animals, the celebrations were also aimed to raise awareness about the mammal’s dwindling (减少的) population. One smart elephant even helped show the message by painting a dead elephant and the words “Don’t kill me”, right beside it .
And horrible as the message may sound, there is a sad ring of truth to it. Since the 1900s the number of elephants in Thailand has gone from over 100,000 to just 3,000-4,000 because of the destruction of their natural habitat and illegal killing. Asian elephants are not the only ones that are in trouble. African elephants are facing the same fate (命运). Hopefully, the public and officials are now working together to save these mighty animals from disappearing from the world.Nowadays elephants in Thailand are
| A．still used to help fight battles |
| B．never used as beasts of burdens |
| C．used to do tasks that need strength |
| D．less respected because of the development of the society |
The celebrations held at the Pattaya Resort aimed to ______.
| A．show visitors the elephants’ great performance |
| B．honor elephants for their devotion to the country |
| C．encourage people to play with elephants |
| D．show visitors the beautiful scenery in Thailand |
The underlined word “it” (Para 3) probably refers to_______.
| A．the elephant rider |
| B．the words “Don’t kill me” |
| C．the elephant that was painting |
| D．the dead elephant |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Elephants are protected very well in Thailand. |
| B．Elephants also face the risk of being killed in Thailand. |
| C．The number of elephants is increasing gradually in Thailand. |
| D．Elephants could enjoy a grand feast every week in Thailand. |
My father was born on a farm in Tipperary, Ireland. He was the fourth child out of eight children.
My father was the oldest boy so the majority of the responsibility fell upon his shoulders to complete the farm work. He attended school until the fourth grade; his father pulled him out of school to work on the farm permanently (永久地), though he hated it. Though supposed to inherit the farm, my father had other plans. At sixteen he left home for England.
He left without telling his parents anything. He eventually became very homesick and missed his mother greatly. He came back to Ireland and worked on the farm until he was eighteen. He got tired of the farm and left home for England again. He worked as a construction worker for five years, and then a part-time actor. But he couldn’t get a decent (体面的) job because he was Irish. Many times he would walk into an interview and read a sign saying, “The Irish need not apply.”
He was twenty years old with no family and limited friends in a foreign country that didn’t want him. Once he was able to work again my father decided to save money to move to Australia. He lived in a house with a fellow Irishman, a Swede, an Englishman, and an Austrian for five years becoming a successful salesman. He bought a beach house for himself in Sydney. He then traveled through Europe visiting his family in Ireland.
In 1975 my father came to America as an illegal immigrant (移民). My father with a friend of his drove across the country to Los Angeles with the dream of becoming Hollywood stars. My father lived in his car for the first few months in Los Angeles, and worked as a used car salesman. After two years of living in Los Angeles, he became documented. He met my mother and started a family. My parents have kept the family in Los Angeles, and just three years ago my father became a U.S. citizen.The father dropped out of school mainly because .
| A．he often ran away from home |
| B．he couldn’t get along well with others |
| C．he often performed badly in his school |
| D．he had to learn to keep the farm |
The underlined word “inherit” in the second paragraph means “”.
| A．take over | B．escape from | C．set up | D．look through |
Which of the following can show the track of the father’s struggle？
| A．Australia—Europe—America. |
| B．England—Australia—America. |
| C．Ireland—America—England. |
| D．Australia—Sweden—England. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．An Irishman travels abroad |
| B．How my father got a job in England |
| C．My father’s escape from his home |
| D．Experience of my father’s struggle |
"Ok," I said to my daughter as she bent over her afternoon bowl of rice. "What's going on with you and your friend J?" J. is the leader of a group of third-graders at her camp—a position Lucy herself occupied the previous summer. Now she's the one on the outs, and every day at snack time, she tells me all about it, while I offer up the unhelpful advice all summer long.
"She's fond of giving orders," Lucy complained. "She's fat," Lucy mumbled（含糊地说）into her bowl "We are going upstairs," I said, my voice cold, "We are going to discuss this." And up we went.
I'd spent the nine years since her birth getting ready for this day, the day we'd have to have the conversation about this horrible word. I knew exactly what to say to the girl on the receiving end of the teasing（嘲笑）, but in all of my imaginings, it never once occurred to me that my daughter would be the one who used the F word-------Fat.
My daughter sat on her bed, and I sat beside her. “How would you feel if someone made fun of you for something that wasn't your fault?” I began. “She could stop eating so much,” Lucy mumbled, mouthing the simple advice a thousand doctors and well-meaning friends and relatives have given overweight women for years．
"It's not always that easy,” I said. “Everyone's different in terms of how they treat food” Lucy looked at me, waiting for me to go on. I opened my mouth，then closed it. Should I tell her that, in teasing a woman's weight, she's joined the long, proud tradition of critics who go after any woman with whom they disagree by starting with "you're ugly" and ending with “no man would want you and there must be something wrong with any man who does"？Should I tell her I didn't cry when someone posted my picture and commented, “I'm sorry, but aren't authors who write books marketed to young women supposed to be pretty?”
Does she need to know, now, that life isn't fair? I feel her eyes on me，waiting for an answer I don't have. Words are my tools. Stories are my job. It's possible she'll remember what I say forever, and I have no idea what to say.
So I tell her the only thing I can come up with that is absolutely true．I say to my daughter ,“I love you，and there is nothing you could ever do to make me not love you，But I'm disappointed in you right now. There are plenty of reasons for not liking someone. What she looks like isn't one of them.”
Lucy nods，tears on her cheeks．“I won't say that again ,”she tells me，and I pull her close, pressing my nose against her hair. We are both quiet, and I don't know if I have said the right thing. So as we sit there together, shoulder to shoulder, I pray for her to be smart．I pray for her to be strong. I pray for her to find friends，work she loves, a partner who loves her, and for the world not to deprive（剥夺）her of the things that make her who she is，for her life to be easy, and for her to have the strength to handle it when it's not. And still, always，I pray that she will never struggle as I've struggled, that weight will never be her cross to bear. She may not be able to use the word in our home, but I can use it in my head．I pray that she will never get fat．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 indicates that Lucy＿＿＿，
| A．often makes fun of her friend J. |
| B．has turned against her friend J． |
| C．gets along well with her friend J. |
| D．has begun to compete with her friend J. |
Why does the author want to discuss with Lucy?
| A．Because she wants to offer some other helpful advice. |
| B．Because she has prepared the conversation for nine years. |
| C．Because she is really shocked at Lucy's rudeness． |
| D．Because she decides to tell Lucy a similar story of her own． |
What does the author want to tell her daughter?
| A．It is not easy to take the doctors' advice to eat less． |
| B．People shouldn't complain because life is unfair. |
| C．She herself was once一laughed at for her appearance. |
| D．People shouldn't be blamed for their appearance. |
It can be inferred from the passage that
| A．the author earns a living by writing stories |
| B．the author is a fat but good-looking woman |
| C．the author will stop loving her daughter for what she said |
| D．the author's daughter agreed with her from the very beginning |
We can learn from the last paragraph that．
| A．Lucy deeply moved by her mother's prayer |
| B．a mother's prayer will shape her daughter's attitude towards life |
| C．the author allows her daughter to use the F word in her head |
| D．the author hopes her daughter will never have weight trouble |
The author's attitude towards her daughter can be best described as．
| A．loving but strict | B．indifferent but patient |
| C．satisfied and friendly | D．unsatisfied and angry |