A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.
We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.
We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.
Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.
With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”
“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.
Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!” The writer starts the text by describing________.
| A．the beautiful scene of the morning |
| B．his or her preparations for a jogging |
| C．a lively dog named Nika |
| D．the growth of crops at the farm |
The writer mentioned the newspaper and coffee to suggest that he or she _______.
| A．liked reading newspapers while drinking coffee |
| B．had an intention to give up running |
| C．would treat himself or herself to coffee after running |
| D．might appear on the newspaper for the long running |
The writer decided to continue running _______.
| A．after he or she found the dog was still energetic |
| B．because they came near the top of the hill |
| C．when he or she noticed the tired dog |
| D．before they arrived at the bottom of the hill |
What does the writer expect to show by telling the story?
| A．Words are powerful than deeds. |
| B．Beasts in life aren’t easily to conquer. |
| C．Dogs are the best friend of humans. |
| D．Try it one more time before giving up. |
I’d just got in a taxi at the railway station when suddenly I found one of my suitcases missing. Just then, I saw a young fellow about 30 walking away with it, opening it and drawing out the valuables. “Stop thief! Stop thief!” I shouted and threw open the car door and rushed out to him, followed by the driver and half a dozen passers-by. Very soon the thief was cornered at the turn of the road. My driver caught the thief by the neck and put his hand into his trouser pocket, drawing out money, credit card, telephone book and so on and put them back into my suitcase.
Half an hour later, the car was running at full speed on the express highway. I sat back and breathed a long sigh of relief (松口气). But as I pulled out those stolen things from the suitcase and started to check them, I became dumbfounded (惊呆了). Before my eyes were 200 yuan instead of 100. And a blood test report of a 58-year-old woman appeared. I suddenly realized that the taxi driver must have mistaken the thief’s belongs and put his into my suitcase. The pitiful and begging look of the poor young man flashed across my mind again. My heart began to sink.
Two years has passed since then. But this event keeps coming back to me. Was the young man a habitual robber or a dutiful son who had been driven to desperation (铤而走险) to find money to save his mother’s life? My heart aches for him. How I wish I had gone back that summer afternoon to return the 200 yuan and say sorry to him. For the first time in my life, I realized that hate and love are very close.Why was the writer dumbfounded when he opened his suitcase?
| A．Because he was now searching a different suitcase. |
| B．His own blood test report has changed into an old woman’s. |
| C．An old woman had put her savings into his suitcase. |
| D．He was facing things that did not belong to himself. |
Who helped the writer catch the thief?
| A．No one. He caught the thief all by himself. |
| B．The driver with several other people. |
| C．Some policemen. |
| D．The thief came back and gave back the suitcase to him. |
What was one of the reasons for the young man to steal in the writer’s opinion?
| A．The young man was a born thief. |
| B．The young man couldn’t afford to pay for his old mother’s medical treatment. |
| C．The young man’s mother asked him to do so. |
| D．Young people are likely to steal when they are poor. |
The major purpose for the writer to write this passage is ______.
| A．to describe what hate and love are like |
| B．to entertain the readers with an interesting story |
| C．to impress the readers with an interesting story |
| D．to encourage the readers to help him find the thief |
A bully is a person who enjoys hurting other people. A bully can hurt people with words or by hitting them. 85% of children in the UK have been bullied at least once.
How can I tell if a person is a bully?
He or she will...
* try to find your weak point--perhaps you are shy, nervous or easily made worried.
* make fun of you in front of your friends.
* borrow money then won't pay you back.
What can I do if a bully bothers me?
* Tell the bully to leave you alone.
* Do not be afraid to ask other people for help, even though the bully tells you not to.
* Do not feel ashamed because you have been bullied. You have done nothing wrong! The bully should feel ashamed.
* Do not believe the bad things a bully says about you.
What should I do if I see a bully bothering someone?
* Help people who are being bullied, even though you don' t know them.
* Be a friend to people who are bullied.
* Tell a teacher if you see bullying.
* Tell bullies to stop, Sometimes bullies are afraid, too.
Why do some people become bullies?
Some bullies...
* have never learnt to think about other people' s feelings.
* don' t like themselves, so they are sad. They think they will be happy if they make another person sad.
* have been bullied themselves by other bullies.
Can bullies change? .
Yes! Bullies can change when they learn to think about other people' s feelings.
Sometimes bullies must be punished before they understand. Sometimes, bullies just need friends.A bully often_______ .
| A．makes people think about themselves |
| B．borrows money but doesn’t return |
| C．helps people when they are in trouble |
| D．thinks about other people' s feelings |
If you see a bully bothering your friends, you should________.
| A．leave them alone | B．help them stop the bully |
| C．make them ashamed | D．tell them they are wrong |
Which of the following is true?______
| A．Bullies say bad words to people. |
| B．Bullies like themselves very much. |
| C．Bullies make people around them happy. |
| D．Bullies must always be punished. |
Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th Century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses, churches and any number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!
Bedford Castle was built initially as a fortress to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse after the people in the local towns and villages had already been subdued. It was erected in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, although it was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later. This was when it was rebuilt as the castle, of which the ruins exist today!
There is a long history behind the castle that involves several kings as a result of the Duke of Bedford being an ardent royalist. Bedford Castle repeatedly offered the kings of England refuge against various storms in the form of onslaughts from abroad and various domestic threats against them, and this is where much of its fame lies, even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit though and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound and the castle that preceded it.
The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended by the majority of people that visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it so enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself! What do we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The royals pay regular visits to Bedfordshire. |
| B．Bedfordshire had it fair share of royal visit. |
| C．Most of the ancient buildings are in use today. |
| D．Bedford Castle represents the history of the county. |
The underlined word “initially” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______ .
| A．first of all |
| B．at the beginning |
| C．for one particular purpose |
| D．for a short time |
The kings of England came to Bedford Castle ______.
| A．to seek temporary protection |
| B．to visit the Duke of Bedford |
| C．to enjoy the beauty of nature |
| D．to escape from the bad weather |
Why are visitors recommended to visit Bedfordshire？
| A．It is the major heritage in that region |
| B．It reflects the history of Bedfordshire |
| C．The ancient castle is well worth visiting |
| D．The castle is still in good condition |
The purpose of writing the text is _______.
| A．to introduce Bedford Castle |
| B．to tell the history of Bedfordshire |
| C．to attract tourists to Bedfordshire |
| D．to show where the kings used to go |
Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions（排放）vehicles”, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants most all use fire to make it. Apart from the few people who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators（发电机）. Generators are fueled by something--usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal（地热） plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words, those "zero-emissions" cars are likely coal-burning cars. Because the coal is burned somewhere else, it looks clean. It is not true. It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes—“If I can't see it, it's not happening.” Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas（or another fuel）and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat--at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.
A gallon of gas may drive your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far -- so electric cars burn more fuel than gasoline-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from wind or geothermal, or solar, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.
In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though，all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot. What’s the main idea of the passages?
| A．Electric cars aren’t actually clean. |
| B．Electric cars are zero-emissions vehicles. |
| C．Zero-emissions vehicles are popular. |
| D．Gasoline-powered cars are more efficient. |
Which of the following words can replace “be clueless about” in Paragraph 2?
| A．Be familiar with． |
| B．Be curious about． |
| C．Fail to understand． |
| D．Show their interest in． |
The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run _________.
| A．at least 25 miles |
| B．more than 25 miles |
| C．as far as 25 miles |
| D．less than 25 miles |
In the author’s opinion, compared with cars using gas, electric cars are more __________.
| A．environmentally-friendly | B．expensive |
| C．efficient | D．harmful |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．electric cars' batteries are poisonous for a long time |
| B．now electric cars are used more than their gasoline-powered cousins |
| C．zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment |
| D．electric cars are not clean in that we get electricity mainly by burning something |
When the Japanese attacked America’s ships at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, they did it secretly. The makers of the movie Pearl Harbor have behaved differently.
The noise about Pearl Harbor, made by Disney，has reached its highest point with its premiere （首次公演） before the movie opens in cinemas across the US at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a time to recall national heroes who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield.
As Ben Affleck is the main star, the movie seems sure to become a success in the United States at least.
At almost three hours in length, it promises to be a good old Hollywood movie. There is a love story. Affleck and his co－star, Josh Hartnett, both fall in love with the navy nurse, Kate Beckinsale and, of course, there is much human courage and love of country.
It’s certain that Disney will be accused of “changing” history. The showing of actual events in a movie always causes arguments.
Bits of the story are deliberately not mentioned in the movie. It does not address the theory held by some historians that President Franklin Roosevelt knew about Japan’s intention to attack the ships in Pearl Harbor．It is said he did nothing, as he was aware that such a blow would allow him to take America into the Second World War.
Japan remains sensitive about being accused of wartime atrocities （暴行）. And Disney is sensitive about its business in Japan, where it has a theme park.
Not all the reviews of the movie have been full of praise. A reviewer for Newsweek, who was given an early preview, acknowledged that the 40－minute sequence （连续镜头） showing the attack itself was powerful. The attack comes quite late in the movie, however, and the reviewer was less impressed with the characters and the love story.
“Almost every line of the dialogue sounds like it comes from an old movie, ” the reviewer wrote.From the passage we can infer that the Memorial Day refers to
| A．the day the United States was founded |
| B．the day people remember their ancestors |
| C．a day people celebrate the victories of World War Ⅱ |
| D．a day people remember those who died in wars |
From the passage we know that Ben Affleck .
| A．regarded Josh Hartnett as an enemy |
| B．may be a very popular movie star |
| C．experienced the Pearl Harbor Incident |
| D．was in love with the actress Kate Beckinsale |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Pearl Harbor?
| A．The movie will cause a lot of arguments. |
| B．The movie has made the Japanese angry. |
| C．The movie truly describes the Pearl Harbor Incident. |
| D．The movie shows that President Roosevelt knew about Japan’s intention. |
According to the passage, what does the reviewer for Newsweek think of the movie?
| A．The scenes of the attack leave no impression. |
| B．The dialogue in the movie is original and creative. |
| C．The attack scenes occupy too much time of the movie. |
| D．The characters and the love story are less attractive. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Ben Affleck in Pearl Harbor. |
| B．The True Fact of Pearl Harbor. |
| C．Reviewer：Pearl Harbor is a success. |
| D．Attention！Pearl Harbor is arriving. |