The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated(愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this. The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________.
A.wasting gold |
B.wasting wrapping paper |
C.putting the box under the Christmas tree |
D.bringing the gift to her father |
What’s inside the box according to the little girl?
A.nothing | B.air | C.kisses | D.gold wrapping paper |
Choose the best title for the passage.
A.The kisses in the box. | B.A girl and his father |
C.A love story | D.The box under the Christmas tree. |
The Swiss army knife is a popular device that is recognized all over the world. In Switzerland, there is a saying that every good Swiss citizen has one in his or her pocket. But the knife had poor beginnings.
In the late nineteenth century, the Swiss army issued (发给) its soldiers a gun that required a special screwdriver (螺丝刀) to take it apart and clean it. At the same time, canned food was becoming common in the army. Swiss generals decided to issue each soldier a standard knife to serve both as a screwdriver and a can opener.
It was a lifesaver for Swiss knife makers, who were struggling to ask for cheaper German imports. In 1884, Carl Elsener, head of the Swiss knife manufacturer (maker) Victorinox, seized that opportunity with both hands, and designed a soldier’s knife that the army loved .It was a simple knife with one big blade (刀片), a can opener, and a screwdriver.
A few years after the soldier’s knife was issued, the “Schweizer Offizer Messer,” or Swiss Officer’s Knife, came on the market, Interestingly, the Officer’s Knife was never given to those serving in the army. The Swiss army purchasers considered the new model with a corkscrew (瓶塞钻) for opening wine not “essential for survival,” so officers had to buy this new model by themselves. But its special multi-functional design later launched(发行)the knife as a global brand. After the Second World War, a great number of American soldiers were stationed in Europe. And as they could buy the Swiss army knife at shops on army bases, they bought huge quantities of them. However, it seems that “Schweizer Offizer Messer” was too difficult for them to say, so they just called it the Swiss army knife, and that is the name it is now known by all over the world.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To emphasize the importance of the Swiss army knife. |
B.To introduce the functions of the Swiss army knife. |
C.To explain the origin of Swiss army knife. |
D.To tell a story about the designer of the Swiss army knife. |
What does “It” in the third paragraph refer to?
A.Canned food was becoming popular in Swiss army. |
B.Every good Swiss citizen had a knife in his pocket. |
C.The Swiss army needed a knife for every soldier. |
D.Swiss knives were competing with imported knives. |
Why didn’t the Swiss army purchase the Swiss Officer’s Knife?
A.The new design was not considered necessary for officers to own. |
B.The army had no budge to the purchase. |
C.The knife was sold out to American soldiers. |
D.The design of the knife was too simple. |
Who gave the name “ the Swiss army knife” to the knife discussed in the passage?
A.Swiss generals | B.Carl Elsener |
C.German businessman | D.American soldiers. |
The day of my holiday arrived, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had little money and had only been able to afford to stay with my Aunt Rosa in Spain. So, I wasn’t really excited as I knew exactly what it was going to be like; Lots of noisy cousins and Aunt Rosa begged me to take her for a ride.
After I had checked in, I made my way slowly to the departure gate. As I was waiting to board the plan, I kept thinking about my ideal holiday destination; Jamaica, with its long, sandy beaches and crystal clear water.
As soon as the plane took off, I fell fast asleep and only woke to the sound of the announcement; “Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts, as we will shortly be landing in Kingston.” I froze in my seat. Was I dreaming? Kingston? Jamaica? I had boarded the wrong plane!
Immediately after the plane landed, I explained the situation to the authorities. It seems there were also three of other passengers heading for Spain. Apparently it had been the airline’s fault, since the flight numbers for Spain and Jamaica were exactly the same! Therefore, with no flight to London for a week, the airline had no choice except to pay for our stay.
So there I was, lying on the beach, enjoying the music and marvelous food of Jamaica! As for Aunt Rosa, I suppose she just had to live without me!Why did the waiter choose to spend her holiday with her aunt in Spain?
A.She could hardly afford any better trip. |
B.Her aunt begged her to go there. |
C.She missed her cousins very much. |
D.Spain was her ideal destination. |
In the story, the writer ended up _____.
A.heading for Spain from Jamaica |
B.flying to London immediately |
C.enjoying a free beach holiday |
D.complaining to the authorities |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.Terrible Adventure | B.Nice Dream |
C.A Well-Planned | D.A Lucky Mistake |
When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, cloth and cars.
A true friendship carries-a-long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected.It is a treasure we should protect.Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements.And the result can be what you don’t want an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended First, don’t let your pride get in your way.Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open .second, apologize when you’re wrong – even if you’ve been wronged.Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes.Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes.When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong.Third, see things from your friend’s point of view.And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle change.Making friends can sometimes seem easy.The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships .My suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift , and worth the effort to treasure and nurture .What would be the best title for the text?
A.Easy Ways to Make Friends |
B.Ups and Downs in Friendship |
C.How to Mend a Troubled Friendship |
D.How to Take the Lead in Making Friends |
The “wronged person” underlined in the text refers to a person
A.who has been mistaken for another |
B.who has been blamed unfairly |
C.who has treated friends badly |
D.who has admitted his mistakes |
According to the text a friendship can last long only if
A.we have much in common |
B.we know our friends’ mistakes |
C.we treat our disagreements wisely |
D.we have know one another for long |
What should we do if we follow the author’s second suggestion?
A.Stick to our own prints of view |
B.Avoid making mistakes |
C.Make an apology first |
D.Change our lifestyles |
One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast.I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled.He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone.I asked if I might join him.He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things.We never introduced ourselves.I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat.So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“May I get you something?”
“A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit.At the door I met one of my friends.He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with.He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it.I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life.Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and no matter another human being with kindness and sincerity.What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?
A.Unfriendly. | B.Untidy. |
C.Gentle. | D.Kind. |
The author bought coffee for the old man because
A.he thought the old man was poor |
B.he wanted to start a conversation |
C.he intended to show his politeness |
D.he would like to thank the old man |
What is the message mainly expressed in the story?
A.We should learn to be generous. |
B.It is honorable to help those in need. |
C.People in high positions are not like what we expect. |
D.We should avoid judging people by their appearances. |
Women are friendly.But men are more competitive.Why? Researchers have found it's all down to the hormone oxytocin (荷尔蒙催生素).Although known as the love hormone, it affects the sexes differently.
"Women tend to be social in their behavior.They often share with others.But men lend to be competitive.They are trying to improve their social status," said Professor Ryan.
Generally, people believe that the hormone oxytocin is let out in our body in various social situations and our body creates a large amount of it during positive social interactions (互动) such as falling in love or giving birth.
But in a previous experiment Professor Ryan found that the hormone is also let out in our body during negative social interactions such as envy.
Further researches showed that in men the hormone oxytocin improves the ability to recognize competitive relationships, but in women it raises the ability to recognize friendship.
Professor Ryan's recent experiment used 62 men and women aged 20 to 37.Half of the participants(参与者)received oxytocin.The other half received placebo (安慰剂).
After a week, the two groups switched with participants.They went through the same procedure with the other material.
Following each treatment, they were shown some video pictures with different social interactions.Then they were asked to analyze the relationships by answering some questions.The questions were about telling friendship from competition.And their answers should be based on gestures, body language and facial expressions.
The results indicated that, after treatment with oxytocin, men's ability to correctly recognize competitive relationships improved, but in women it was the ability to correctly recognize friendship that got better.
Professor Ryan thus concluded: "Our experiment proves that the hormone oxytocin can raise people's abilities to better distinguish different social interactions.And the behavior differences between men and women are caused by biological factors (因素) that are mainly hormonal."What causes men and women to behave differently according to the text?
A.Placebo. | B.Oxytocin. |
C.The gesture. | D.The social status. |
What can we learn from Professor Ryan's previous experiment?
A.Oxytocin affects our behavior in a different way. |
B.Our body lets out oxytocin when we are deep in love. |
C.Our body produces oxytocin when we feel unhappy about others' success. |
D.Oxytocin improves our abilities to understand people's behavior differences. |
Why did Professor Ryan conduct the recent experiment?
A.To test the effect of oxytocin on the ability to recognize social interactions. |
B.To know the differences between friendship and competition. |
C.To know people's different abilities to answer questions. |
D.To test people's understanding of body language. |
The author develops the text by______.
A.explaining people's behaviors |
B.describing his own experiences |
C.distinguishing sexual differences |
D.discussing research experiments |