I found a website that has changed my life for the better. The website is wishuponahero.com and it is all about people helping others, not expecting anything in return.
I am a single mom with a son. My son’s 12th birthday was on October 29th, 2007. Knowing that I didn’t have money to buy him a birthday gift had broken my heart. So I decided to post a wish on wishuponahero.com for people to send my son birthday cards.
Many cards just started coming and my little son was very excited and this went on for about three weeks. The smile on his face and the sparkle (闪光) in his eyes brought me to tears.
Then, in the end of November, he started thinking about Christmas and he already knew that there would not be a tree for him because we didn’t have enough money. However, it didn’t matter to him. All he talked about was how much he wanted to make other children smile. So he decided that what he wanted to do was earn money to buy Christmas cards and send them to other children from poor families. My son went out daily and raked (耙) leaves and walked some dogs to make money. Not only did he buy cards, but he also made enough money to buy all the stamps and lollipops (棒棒糖) to be sent with the cards. He sent out about 100 cards. Doing this brought him that same smile and sparkle in his eyes as did the birthday cards that he received. The single mother posted a wish on wishuponahero.com because _______________.
A.she wanted to buy her son a card on the website |
B.she wanted to get something for free |
C.she hoped that people could help her |
D.she thought her son would like the website very much |
What did the son think of his birthday cards on October 29th, 2007?
A.Disappointing. | B.Exciting. |
C.Cheap. | D.Poor. |
What can we conclude from the story?
A.Surfing the Internet is of great use. |
B.One should take care of his children. |
C.People can ask for help from wishuponahero.com. |
D.Learning to give makes one’s life more meaningful. |
Sherlock Holmes is considered by many people as the greatest detective in fictional literature. He is, in fact, more famous than his own creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the popular series of stories, Holmes is described as “tall and lean, pope-smoking, always in his cape and speaks in a splendid manner”. Doyle gave Holmes’ address as 221-B Baker Street, London, and to this day some visitors to London still go to Baker Street to search for 221-B. Of course, there never was really any such address. Holmes’ flat was supposed to be shared by the lovable, but sometimes clumsy Doctor Watson who went around with Holmes trying to solve crimes before Holmes did. Poor Dr Watson lost out to Holmes every time.
Doyle gave Holmes a masterly skill of deduction---the ability to come up with interesting conclusion from the simplest clues found at the scene of a crime. Doyle said that the description of Holmes was modeled on one of his lecturers at Edinburgh University where he studied medicine. That man was Dr Joseph Bell. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet published in 1887. Holmes was so loved by all that when his author killed him off in one of his stories, readers wrote in anger to complain. They refused to allow Holmes to die! Holmes was brought back to “life” and appeared in further stories.
The stories of Sherlock Holmes have been reprinted many times ever since then. Today we can watch Holmes at work on cinema and television screens as well as on stage.Sherlock Holmes was________.
A.the greatest detective who ever lived |
B.Dr Joseph Bell |
C.Arthur Conan Doyle |
D.only a character made up by Arthur Conan Dolye |
Dr Watson was________.
A.tall and learn |
B.always in his cape |
C.lovable but sometimes clumsy |
D.lovable but always clumsy |
Holmes was supposed to have lived_______.
A.with Dr Watson |
B.with Dr Joseph Bell |
C.with his readers |
D.with Doyle |
Doyle made up the description of Holmes_______.
A.from his own imagination |
B.based on a famous London doctor |
C.based on Dr Joseph Bell at Edinburgh University |
D.based on a model of Holmes |
Every culture has it own ways to show friendship. On the island of Hawaii, friendship is part of the “aloha spirit”. In the language of the Hawaiians who first settled the islands long ago, aloha had a very special meaning. That is “to be with happiness”.
Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community. This is the second most important thing of friendship. It is called lokahi in the Hawaiian language, which means “oneness with all people”. To enjoy the land you should not be selfish. The land is for everyone who lives on. Today many different people call Hawaii their home. Indeed, Hawaii is a place where people make one big community from many smaller communities. Each person gives kokua(help) to other people so that all feel stronger. It is believed that the islands can be a paradise(天堂) when people live in peace. People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea. When problems happen, people are asked to solve them with understanding. So when people of Hawaii talk about ohana(family), they are really talking about all those who live on the island.
Living in peace, Hawaiians have developed a third sign of friendship. This personal friendship is shown by giving leis to one another. The lei, a string of flowers, is put over a friend’s neck. Then the friend is given a kiss on the cheek. Visitors to the islands are also given leis. When they hear aloha, visitors began to feel at home. Aloha also means “goodbye”, so visitors will hear it again when they leave. It can mean “our hearts singing together”. Perhaps this is how most visitors will remember their new friendship.Which of the following can be the proper title for this text?
A.People in Hawaii |
B.Visitors to Hawaii |
C.Traveling in Hawaii |
D.Friendship in Hawaii |
How do you understand the underlined sentence in the first paragraph ?
A.Happiness matters most for Hawaiians. |
B.Friendship is always together with happiness. |
C.Friendship is every thing in Hawaiian culture. |
D.Friendship has special meanings for Hawaiians. |
Which of the following proverb can best express the idea of friendship by Hawaiians?
A.Practice makes perfect. |
B.Love me, love my dog. |
C.A penny saved is a penny gained. |
D.An apple a day keeps a doctor away. |
Which of the following is a sign to show friendship by Hawaiians?
A.A warm handshake. |
B.A kiss on the cheek. |
C.A string of flowers. |
D.A big hug. |
According to the text, which of the following Hawaiian word expresses more good wishes?
A.aloha |
B.lokahi |
C.kokua |
D.ohana |
Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents. However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等级制度), an attitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.What does the writer mean by saying “It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.” in the first paragraph?
A.Australians speak Standard English with no local accents whatsoever. |
B.You have to practice a lot to learn to understand the different accents. |
C.The Australian regional accents are very difficult to understand indeed. |
D.There is not much difference between the accents in different areas of Australia. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners. |
B.The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports. |
C.The majority of people living in Australia come from Europe. |
D.The pace of life is different in the city and in the country. |
The underlined pronoun ‘it’ in the final paragraph refers to “_______”.
A.community |
B.racism |
C.blend of Nations |
D.Southeast Asia |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
A.there are no signs of Australia’s colonial past in its modern cities |
B.Australia’s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia |
C.immigrants from Southeast Asia have brought racial problems |
D.“riding on sheep’s back” resulted in slow development in rural communities |
This passage mainly focuses on Australia’s ______.
A.society |
B.economy |
C.racial problems |
D.history |
Machu Picchu is considered to be a truly extraordinary archaeological(考古学的) discovery and is one of South America’s largest tourist sites. As many as one thousand visitors visit the ancient Incan(印加文化的) ruins daily. What draws vacationers and adventurers to this remote location high in the Andes Mountains of Peru(秘鲁)? A large part of the attraction is the mysteries that surround Machu Picchu. For example, Machu Picchu is considered “the lost city” of the Incas because it was never found by Spanish invaders and was known to only a few local peasants for almost four hundred years.
The “city in the clouds”, Machu Picchu’s lasting beauty comes from the careful blending of its striking architecture with its mountaintop environment. Its greatest skill shows are in the stone structures, which equals that of the ancient Egyptians. The stone blocks were so appropriately cut that they fit together without the need for mud. The largest stones at Machu Picchu weigh as much as fifteen tons! It has been difficult to explain how the huge blocks were transported. The buildings, including many that have survived lots of earthquakes, contain stones which interlock so perfectly that a knife cannot be forced between them. When compared to other ancient civilizations, it is difficult to understand how Machu Picchu could have been missed by the Spanish and lost from history for four hundred years.
For many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu being unsolved, it is clear why Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins in all of South America”. Which of the followings is NOT a mystery of Machu Picchu?
A.Machu Picchu is called the “city in the clouds”. |
B.Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins of South America”. |
C.Machu Picchu is “the lost city” of the Incas. |
D.Machu Picchu is the largest stone city of the world. |
The underlined word “interlock” probably means _________
A.put |
B.fit |
C.meet |
D.lie |
From the passage we can learn that __________.
A.Machu Picchu has gone through lots of earthquakes |
B.all of the mysteries of Machu Picchu have been solved |
C.the city has never been discovered by people outside |
D.Machu Picchu is the most valuable ruins in history. |
The purpose of writing the passage is to __________.
A.ask us to pay a visit to Machu Picchu |
B.show us the beauty of Machu Picchu |
C.introduce Machu Picchu’s mysteries |
D.make the ancient Incan ruins known |
All young people dream of travelling the world. They are restless and very eager to see new sights. However, they have little idea how they would really do it if given the chance. Because their knowledge of geography is quite limited, they seldom know much about the places they wish to visit or how they would get there.
Already hundreds of thousands of Chinese student tourists are visiting these places-Wuyi, Lhasa, Lijiang, Dali, Vientiane and Phnom Penh. Indeed, these students will soon be the most travelled generation in China’s long history. The World Tourist Organization predicts that a quarter of a century from now the number of Chinese tourists going abroad will be twenty times what it is today. The largest percentage of these tourists will visit Southeast Asia. Not all Chinese who travel abroad will be tourists, however. More and more youths are deciding to volunteer their skills in this region; much like their peers in the Peace Corps and VSO.
Critical thinking skills required include planning for a trip and solving problems after the trip has begun. The focus is on how to read an atlas (地图集) to make travel plans and how to find ways of travelling. An atlas offers a wealth of information about geography and is one way to increase students’ awareness of their global environment. Use of an atlas especially addresses the needs of students with different visual and spatial learning styles.The main idea of the first paragraph is ________.
A.all young people wish to travel around the world |
B.all young people like to learn the knowledge of geography |
C.all young people like travelling but their knowledge of geography is quite limited |
D.all young people are aware of the places they are going |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The number of Chinese tourists going abroad will be twenty times what it is today in about 25 years. |
B.The number of Chinese tourists going abroad will be twenty times what it is today in about 10 years. |
C.Southeast Asia will become the most popular visiting place in the world. |
D.Young people will be addicted to Internet travelling. |
One way to increase students’ awareness of their global environment is for them to _______ .
A.watch TV |
B.listen to radio news |
C.read an atlas |
D.plan a trip |
The underlined phrase “a wealth of” can be replaced by “_________”.
A.a number of |
B.a great many |
C.a great many of |
D.a great deal of |