An 18-year-old high school student who had just learned to swim in the last summer vacation saved the life of a drowning Ohio boy on Friday
afternoon.
Tom Erickson was credited with (因．．．．．．而受赞扬
)saving the life of Jason Pryor,10, in Mill Creek (小河) Park. Young Jason Pryor, from Chillicothe, was visiting relatives from Anchor Point when he fell into Mill Creek.
The Pryor boy had no business playing near the edge of the river, but he had no idea of the danger.
The creek, with much more water than usual for the recent spring rains, flowed fast and carried the boy around a bend and out of sight from his parents, who took Jason out there and said they had not even witnessed the incident.
Luckily for Jason, one of the most unselfish students from Brentwood’s Central High School was taking a walk alone through the park.
As soon as he found the boy struggling in the water, Erickson jumped into the creek and managed to pull the drowning boy out of the water. And it was reported that Erickson had never received any life-saving instruction before.
“I wasn’t sure I could do it,” Erickson said. “I didn’t know if I could swim through the river by myself, not to mention getting another person out with me.”
This incident should be a lesson to young children who do not know how to swim. Stay away from dangerous bodies of water. Young Jason Pryor lives at _______.
| A．Anchor Point | B．Chillicothe, Ohio | C．Mill Creek | D．Brentwood |
Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage?
| A．Life-saving instruction helped a lot in the incident. |
| B．Jason’s parents saw him fall into the creek but couldn’t help. |
| C．The creek flowed fast because it was very straight without any bends. |
| D．Erickson was not sure if he could save the boy when jumping into the creek. |
What’s the possible meaning of the underlined sentence “The Pryor boy had no business playing near the edge of the river,” in the third paragraph?
| A．The accident was none of the boy’s business. |
| B．The boy had no friends to play with him. |
| C．The boy shouldn’t have played near the creek. |
| D．The boy was very busy and had no time to play. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Did You Know the Danger of Water | B．Be Responsible Parents |
| C．The Fast Running Mill Creek | D．Beginning Swimmer Saved Drowning Boy |
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去) the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．a new medical research |
| B．a new invention of the pill |
| C．an argument about the research on the pill |
| D．a way of erasing painful memories |
The drug tested on people can ________.
| A．prevent body producing certain chemicals |
| B．cause the brain itself to recover memories |
| C．help people remember the memories |
| D．wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．the pill will prevent people's bad experiences |
| B．people argue about the effects of the pills |
| C．taking the pill will do harm to people's health |
| D．the pill has probably been produced in America |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
| A．Some memories can help avoid the mistakes made in the past. |
| B．Changing memories is very dangerous. |
| C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
| D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演员) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．future travel | B．big ideas and dreams |
| C．advanced technology | D．the influence of travel |
We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.
| A．will operate only in the sky |
| B．will be more expensive than common cars |
| C．will have fewer bad effects on the environment |
| D．won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have |
With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT________.
| A．attend a party | B．clean high windows |
| C．go shopping | D．have a long journey |
As for driverless taxis, we can infer that__________.
| A．We can go wherever we want in them |
| B．They will be both cost-effective and safe |
| C．It costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars |
| D．They will be operated by computers as well as by people |
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton（骨骼）in the closet（衣橱）?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank in a faint（晕倒）, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means ________.
| A．a family honor | B．a family secret |
| C．a family story | D．a family treasure |
What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors form Paragraph 2?
| A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners. |
| B．They were the earliest people living in Australia. |
| C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia. |
| D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days. |
Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was ________.
| A．knocked | B．frightened | C．injured | D．surprised |
Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?
| A．She was curious about it. |
| B．She planned to keep it for fun. |
| C．She needed it for her school task. |
| D．She intended to scare her parents. |
All my life I had loved airports．To me，they were fl kind of magic gateway to the world，but today it seemed like a cold and heartless place．
“Well，here we are，the airport，"my sister said with fl sigh．As 1 watched her unload my luggage，I could see the sadness in her eyes．One last hug and a final good-bye and I would be on my way to a new lire abroad，leaving my beloved sister behind．
I looked at my sister and even though her eyes were filled with tears，she was trying to keep a brave face．“You’d better go or you’ll miss your flight，”she said．
“I am just going to walk away and not look back，” I said． As I held her one last time she whispered，“Don’t worry about me，I’ll be fine．"“I’ll miss you，” I replied with tears in my eyes．As I promised，I did not look back。but 1 was sobbing．To me it was the end of the world．
While boarding the plane 1 was still crying．I did not have the energy to put my bag in the overhead locker, so I put it on the empty seat next to mine．As I settled into my chair， a feeling of sadness overwhelmed（淹没） me．I felt like my best friend had just been taken away from me．
The plane shook heavily and the bag fell，with some stuff spreading on the floor．When I bent over to gather the things up，I saw an unfamiliar little book in the middle of my belongings．It was not until I picked it up that I realized that it was a diary．
Immediately I recognized my sister’s handwriting． “Hi，Sis，What a day it has been today．First you let me know that you are moving abroad and then my boss…”My sister had been keeping a diary for the past month and she was now passing it on to me．I was to write in it for the next couple of months and then send it back to her．Even though a large ocean separated us，at some point it felt like she was actually there．The writer started to cry.
| A．when she watched her sister unload her luggage |
| B．when she held her sister one last time |
| C．when she settled herself into her chair |
| D．when she was boarding the plane |
what had the writer thought about airports before she separated from her sister?
| A．Airports brought freedom． |
| B．Airports were on the top of her love． |
| C．Airports led to the wonderful world． |
| D．Airports were fl cold and heartless place． |
From the writer’s and her sister’s tears，we can see.
| A．they loved each other very much |
| B．they felt sad about the new life |
| C．they were afraid of the separation |
| D．it was the end of the world to them |
As most university students are packing their bags，boarding trains or flying home for the Spring Festival，some will stay behind to spend the holiday on campus．
Zhou Yunyun，22，a senior finance major at Jilin University，has decided that instead of traveling to Hainan province，he will kill the time by playing computer games with his online friends．
“I'm used to chatting and playing with them every day．It’s just fun to make friends this way，”he said．“When I returned home in past years，my relatives always asked me a lot of questions about my plans after graduation．They had high expectations of me，which made me feel stressed，” said Zhou．
The campus，usually lively，will probably turn into a death town，with most restaurants，shops and student centers closed during the break．But there are also a few advantages，according to Jia Debao，2 1，a junior majoring in administration at China Agricultural University．“I might feel a bit lonely，but at least I can stay away from my parents’ complaining and enjoy the peaceful and quiet stay，” he said．“More importantly，I can enj oy the high speed of the Internet，I can always find empty seats in classrooms，and I don’t have to wait to use the bathroorm” But education experts recommend students who stay on campus to come up with more interactive plans．That’s because communication on the Internet can’t replace real life interpersonal relationships．
Society has promoted a kind of“couch potato" or close-in culture among some young people, according to Shi Tongyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He warned that this kind of lifestryl can damage students’ mental and physical development.
“When you constantly stare at a computer screen and type on your keyboard，you gradually lose the ability to socialize and survive normally，"said Shi．“A human’s most important task is to survive，which cannot be completed by staying at home all the time． Instead，it must be achieved through real life experience and communication．”What can we learn about Zhou Yunyun?
| A．He feels very lonely on campus． |
| B．He will promote close-in culture． |
| C．He will spend the Spring Festival with relatives． |
| D．He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends． |
Spending the Spring Festival on campus for Jia Debao means.
| A．he will miss his parents a little bit |
| B．there will be more seats in classrooms |
| C．he will have a quiet and peaceful break |
| D．the speed of the Internet will get faster |
The underlined phrase“couch potato” is closest in meaning to.
| A．inactive person | B．close friend |
| C．sociable student | D．addicted gamer |
What do education experts recommend students to do?
| A．To do some traveling． |
| B．To stay more with families． |
| C．To find empty seats in classrooms． |
| D．To experience real life and communication． |