Imagine yourself on a boat looking out at the horizon and all you can see is the water meeting the sky with no land in sight and you are sailing straight ahead to meet the world. Jesse Martin does not have to imagine: he is living in it.
On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse set sail from Melbourne, Australia on his boat, attempting to become the youngest person to sail alone and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne.
Even as a young child, Jesse had been an adventurer who traveled all over Europe and Asia with his parents. Born in Munich, Germany in 1981, he moved to Australia with his family when he was only two years old. They moved close to a rainforest in Cow Bay, about 3500kms north of Melbourne, where they built a small house with no electricity or running water. Jesse grew up at the beach enjoying the outdoors to its fullest.
At 14, he sailed for the first time with his father and brother, Beau. It was after this trip that he began to dream about sailing around the world.
Jesse’s family played an important role. “I was made to believe I could do anything.” he says. Although, he says, there were others that were not so encouraging or supportive, “People that I looked up to, respected and trusted told me I couldn’t. Thankfully, I trusted myself. There were people that said that the boat couldn’t be ready by the time I had to leave.” However, through perseverance and belief in himself he was able to do what many told him was impossible.
On Oct.31, 1999, more than 10 months after he set sail, Jesse Martin went down in history as the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted. What’s the author’s purpose in encouraging the reader to imagine a sailing experience?
| A．To show how difficult it is to be a sailor. |
| B．To show how wonderful Jesse’s sailing is. |
| C．To describe what Jesse’s sailing is like. |
| D．To describe what a sailor’s life is like. |
Jesse Martin was at the end of his voyage when he _______.
| A．sailed on the South Pacific. |
| B．sailed on the Indian Ocean. |
| C．sailed past Africa |
| D．sailed past South America. |
Which of the following made Jesse decide to sail alone around the world?
| A．His childhood adventure experiences. |
| B．His journeys to Europe. |
| C．His first sailing trip with his family. |
| D．His love for outdoor activities. |
What can we learn from Jesse Martin’s story?
| A．Interest leads to success. |
| B．A strong belief will make a person stronger. |
| C．Life is an unusual adventure we should enjoy. |
| D．Failure is the mother of success. |
The mobile phone has become a problem for high schools. Some high-school students in Australia are not allowed to carry mobile phones during school hours.
The mobile phone used among children has become a problem for the school years. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas presents, and more students want them. Marry Brown, a headmaster, said that the mobile phone was a distraction (分心事) to students during school hours and it also gave teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers also say that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn't get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school office. They also said phones were easily lost and were a distraction for studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let students know when they can use their mobile phones.Some high schools in Australia have stopped students from carrying mobile phones ____
| A．because they are students | B．when they are free |
| C．when they are at school | D．because they are children |
The headmaster, Marry Brown said that the mobile phone was ____to students at school.
| A．a bad thing | B．a useful tool | C．a good thing | D．of some help |
Some parents felt unhappy, because they couldn't__________ during school hours.
| A．use their mobile phones | B．leave their mobile phones in the school office |
| C．help the teachers with their work | D．get in touch with their children |
The passage tells us that________
| A．students shouldn't have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons |
| B．it is important to ban students from using mobile phones at school |
| C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn't use their phones at home |
| D．parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school hour |
Too many people want others to be friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships don’t last long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friend starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest, you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money or your clothes of course. Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interests. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them, you h
elp your friend know better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be the first step in solving the problem. So a friend must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practice honesty, generosity, and understanding.What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Three Important Points in Life |
| B．How to Be a Good Friend |
| C．Honesty Is the Most Important Quality |
| D．A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed |
Some friendships don’t last long because________.
| A．some people don’t treat friendship seriously |
| B．there are too many people who want to make friends |
| C．they don’t share their lunch money |
| D．some people only receive friendship but don’t give friendship back |
In the 2nd paragraph the underlined phrase “count on” probably means _______.
| A．calculate | B．trust | C．matter | D．include |
There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved (演化) from ceremony. The argument for this view goes as follows.
In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world --- even the seasonal changes --- as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then kept and repeated until they hardened into fixed ceremonies. Eventually stories arose which explained the mysteries of the ceremonies. As time passed some ceremonies were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, remained and 
provided material for art and drama.
Those who believe that drama evolved out of ceremony also argue that those ceremonies contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium ". In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the performing of ceremonies, religious leaders usually took that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often acted other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and imitated the desired effect --- success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, etc. as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from r
eligious activities.
Another theory traces(追溯) the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales (about the hunt, war, etc) are gradually developed, at first through the use of action and dialogue, and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Religious activities in ancient Greece. |
| B．The ceremonies in ancient Greece. |
| C．Drama theories. |
| D．The origin of Greek Drama. |
According to the passage, drama_______________.
| A．was played in memory of ancient Greek ceremonies |
| B．was a form of ceremony played by ancient Greeks to control unknown powers |
| C．evolved out of ancient Greek ceremonies with time passing by |
| D．is one of the measures Ancient Greeks took to view natural forces |
In tracing the beginning of drama, which of the following is not mentioned?
| A．Planting. | B．Religious ceremonies. | C．Gymnastic. | D．Storytelling. |
Photos that you might have found down the back of your sofa are now big business!
In 2005, the American artist Richard Prince’s photograph of a photograph, entitled (Cowboy), was sold for $ 1, 248, 000.
Prince is certainly not the only contemporary artist to have worked with so-called “found photographs”—a loose term given to everything from discarded(丢弃的) prints discovered in a junk shop to old advertisements or amateur photographs from a stranger’s family album. The German artist Joachim Schmid, who believes “basically everything is worth looking at”, has gathered discarded photographs, postcards and newspaper images since 1982. In his on-going project, Archiv, he groups photographs of family life according to themes: people with dogs; teams; new cars; dinner with the family; and so on.
Like Schmid, the editors of several self-published art magazines also champion (捍卫) found photographs. One of them, called simply Found, was born one snowy night in Chicago, when Davy Rothbard returned to his car to find under his wiper(雨刷) an angry note intended for someone else: “Why’s your car HERE at HER place?” The note became the starting point for Rothbard’s addictive publication, which features found photographs sent in by readers, such as a poster discovered in your drawer.
The whole found-photograph phenomenon has raised some questions. Perhaps one of the most difficult is: can these images really be considered as art? And if so, whose art? Yet found photographs produced by artists, such as Richard Prince, may raise endless possibilities. What was the cowboy in Prince’s Untitled doing? Was he riding his horse hurriedly to meet someone? Or how did Prince create this photograph? It’s anyone’s guess. In addition, as we imagine the back-story to the people in the found photographs artists, like Schmid, have collated (整理), we also turn toward our own photographic albums. Why is memory so important to us? Why do we all seek to freeze in time the faces of our children, our parents, our lovers, and ourselves? Will they mean anything to anyone after we’ve gone?
In the absence of established facts, the vast collections of found photographs give our minds an opportunity to wander freely. That, above all, is why they are so fascinating.The first paragraph of the passage is used to _________.
| A．remind readers of found photographs |
| B．advise reader to start a new kind of business |
| C．ask readers to find photographs behind sofa |
| D．show readers the value of found photographs |
The underlined word “them” in Para 4 refers to __________.
| A．the readers | B．the editors |
| C．the found photographs | D．the self-published magazines |
By asking a series of questions in Para 5, the author mainly intends to indicate that ________.
| A．memory of the past is very important to people |
| B．found photographs allow people to think freely |
| C．the back-story of found photographs is puzzling |
| D．the real value of found photographs is questionable |
The author’s attitude towards found photographs can be described as _________.
| A．critical | B．doubtful | C．optimistic | D．satisfied |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition(学会) of each new skill---the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is usual that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters, other are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality (准时) for meals. In general, the controls imposed (强加的) represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child’s own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parent teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is not foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”. If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach (说教), their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment. Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills ________.
| A．should be avoided |
| B．is universal among parents |
| C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| D．will make him lose interest in learning new things |
When children are learning new skills, parents should _________.
| A．encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| B．not expect too much of them |
| C．achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| D．create as many learning opportunities as possible |
The second paragraph mainly tells us_________.
| A．parents should be strict with their children |
| B．parents controls satisfy only the needs of the parents and the values of the community |
| C．parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone |
| D．parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation |
In moral matters, parents should _________.
| A．observe the rules themselves |
| B．be aware of the marked difference between adults and children |
| C．forbid things which have no foundation in morality |
| D．satisfy their children’s needs |