All of my childhood and early, adult life, my mom weighed over 220 pounds (one pound =" 0.454" kilograms). I could feel the pain that my mom experienced with her fatness.
I was never uncomfortable about my mother, but I think she was uncomfortable about herself, and that feeling was painful for all of us. And she began to lose weight.
After more than twenty years of battling obesity（肥胖）, my mother completed a forceful eighteen-month diet that left her ninety pounds lighter than before. A new woman was born! At age twenty-eight, I got a new mom! For the first time, I met the woman my mother truly was, the beautiful little lady under the fatness. It wasn’t so much her new body that was the surprise, but rather her new spirit.
To celebrate her new size and to devote herself to dancing again, my mother joined a “Mrs. Forty-Plus” competition, where she would have to model, give a speech and provide a dance performance. She told our family that she did not care if she won — she simply had always wanted to perform on stage.
She told each one of us, “I’m not doing it to win; I’m doing it to dance!”
The competition was exciting! I prayed(祈祷) that my mom would win, but while watching her on stage I was simply overjoyed just by her effort. To me, she had already won. She posed to perfection, her speech brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and her performance was wonderful.
That night, at age fifty-three, my mother was crowned (为......加冕) “Mrs. Forty-Plus”. She was the first person in our family to ever win such a title. The first two paragraphs mainly show that the author’s mom was __________.
| A．experienced | B．painful | C．comfortable | D．fat |
After the author’s mom completed a forceful eighteen-month diet, she was about ______.
| A．85 kilograms | B．41 kilograms |
| C．130 pounds | D．90 pounds |
In order to join in the “Mrs. Forty-Plus” Competition, the author’s mom has to do the following EXCEPT __________.
| A．providing a dance performance |
| B．telling a funny story about herself |
| C．giving a speech to a large number of people |
| D．wearing special clothes to show to people |
The underlined part in Paragraph 6 means that __________.
| A．the author’s mom succeeded in modeling and speaking |
| B．the author’s mom’s performance was very wonderful |
| C．the author’s mom was not successful in modeling |
| D．the author’s mom succeeded in making a speech |
George Gershwin，born in 1898，was one of America’s greatest composers．He published his first song when he was eighteen years olD． During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs．
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City．These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s．Many of his songs have remained popular as ever．Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way—from jazz to country．
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz musiC． Could jazz，some people asked，be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious musiC． Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it．And in that short time，he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue．Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert．The audience were thrilled when they heard his musiC． It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular．
In 1928，Gershwin went to Paris．He applied to study composition(作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger，but she rejected him．She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style．While there，Gershwin wrote An American in Paris．When it was first performed，critics(评论家)were divided over the musiC． Some called it happy and full of life，to others it was silly and boring． But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States．It still remains one of his most famous works．
George Gershwin died in 1937，just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer．He was only thirty-nine years olD． Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages．People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written．Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ．
| A．written about New Yorkers |
| B．composed for Paul Whiteman |
| C．played mainly in the countryside |
| D．performed in various ways |
What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
| A．He created one of his best works． |
| B．He studied with Nadia Boulanger． |
| C．He argued with French critics． |
| D．He changed his music style． |
What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A． Many of Gershwin’s works were lost．
B． The death of Gershwin was widely reporteD．
C． A concert was held in memory of Gershwin．
D． Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death．Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
| A．Talented and productive． |
| B．Serious and boring． |
| C．Popular and unhappy． |
| D．Friendly and honest． |
Our oldest daughter is having trouble letting go of an old red sofA．
It’s not the sofa she’s having trouble letting go of as much as the memories．It was their first sofA． It has been loaded and unloaded onto moving trucks seven times．Three kids have eaten on it，dripped on it，and jumped on it．
Yet she’s having a hard time letting go and asked if I thought that was strange．
“Completely，” I saiD． “You get it from me．”
When we were ready to get rid of our baby things，I sold our crib (婴儿床) at the neighborhood garage sale．I had pieces of it in the garage and the other pieces of it still in the house．A young woman said she wanted to buy it．
My throat tightened and the tears began to well．She pulled out cash and I cheered up．
But by the time I returned with the other pieces to the crib，I was all sobbing．“Have you considered that maybe you’re not ready to sell it?” the woman askeD．
“No-o-o-o，” I crieD． “It’s fine，really，” I saiD． “Take it．”
Our attachment to stuff grows in direct relationship to the amount of time it has sat in one place．The longer it sits，the harder it is to get rid of it．You think: “Hey，we’ve hung onto it this long – it must be valuable!” As though yellowing and a layer of dust increase value．
People who find it extremely hard to part with things have been made into entertainment in a television show called Hoarders．If an episode (集) of that isn’t depressing enough for you，producers now offer Extreme Hoarders．Both of which are not to be outdone by Storage Wars，a show about aggressive people who bid on other people’s storage units．
Let the sofa go，I told my daughter．It served its purpose．You can get a new one．Give the kids some crackers (饼干) and juice and it will be like the old one in six weeks．What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence “You get it from me”?
| A．“You can get another sofa from me．” |
| B．“You can get mental support from me．” |
| C．“You behave just the same way I do．” |
| D．“You are asking the right person to help you．” |
When the writer was selling the crib，_____．
| A．she felt relieved that there was someone willing to buy it |
| B．she showed a strong attachment to the old item |
| C．she couldn’t decide whether or not to sell it in the end |
| D．she changed her mind in hopes of keeping it and increasing its value |
The writer refers to the television shows to _____．
| A．prove that it’s depressing to get attached to old stuff |
| B．explain what contributes to people’s attachment to old stuff |
| C．show that people in TV shows live the same lives as ordinary people do |
| D．prove that it’s actually common for people to find it hard to get rid of old stuff |
Which opinion might the writer agree with according to the article?
| A．If you give away old stuff regularly，you are wasteful． |
| B．If the old stuff has done what it was supposed to，then let it go． |
| C．Nothing is more valuable than your love for your old stuff． |
| D．The older your stuff is，the less trouble you have getting rid of it． |
Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman．In fact，in the swimming pool—she is only getting faster．
Recently，a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1，500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter poo1．
Her name is Mieko Nagaoka．Ms．Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama．She swam the race in 1hour，15 minutes and 54 seconds．
By comparison，the overall female world record holder completed the same distance in just under 15 and a half minutes．But that swimmer，Katie Ledecky，is only 17 years old．And Ms．Nagao．ka was not competing against her．In fact，Ms．Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100-104 year old category．Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance，or not giving up．
Breaking swimming records is nothing new to Ms．Nagaoka．So far she has broken 25 records．But she began competing when she was much younger—at 88.
Ms．Nagaoka sufferred a knee injury in her 80s，so she began swimming to help her body recover．Since her first international swimming competition，she hasn’t looked back，except maybe to see if her competition is catching up．
In 2002．at a masters swim meet in New Zealand，Ms．Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke．In 2004，she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.
Masters swimming is a special class of competitive swimming to promote health and friendship among participants．Swimmers compete within age groups of five years.
Japan has a large number of people who live beyond 100 years old．Until she passed away this month，the oldest person in the world was also from Japan．Misao Okawa was born in 1 898．She said her secrets for longevity，or long life，were good genes，regular sleep，sushi and exercise.The underlined word“centenarian”refers to someone who is____．
| A．from Japan | B．100 or older |
| C．an old competitor | D．a new swimmer |
Which is possibly the age category of the masters swimming competition?
| A．82 to 87 years old． | B．93 to 97 years old. |
| C．95 to 99 years old． | D．106 to 110 years old. |
It can be inferred from the passage that_____．
| A．some people are born with longevity genes |
| B．people who like swimming live longer |
| C．the Japanese are interested in swimming |
| D．woman usually live much longer than men |
Which can best explain the spirit of Ms．Nagaoka?
| A．Not to advance is to go back． |
| B．After a storm comes a calm. |
| C．The early bird catches the worm． |
| D．Keep on going，never give up. |
Think about the last time you felt afraid．Was it a fear of height?Did you oversleep on a weekday and fear you’d get into trouble at the office?In any case，you know what it feels like to feel fear．
But one woman doesn’t．The woman，code-named“UM”，gave her first-ever interview after years of being studied by a team of researchers．The woman is given a code name because the researchers want to protect her from anyone who would take advantage of her inability to feel afraid．
UM can’t tell you what fear is because she’s never experienced it．“I wonder what it’s like to actually be afraid of something，”she said．The formal name for the disease is Urbach-Wieth disease，which is characterized by a hoarse(粗哑的)voice，small bumps around the eyes，and calcium deposits(钙沉积的)in the brain．
In the case of UM，the disease has transformed the part of her brain that controls the human response to fear．In the interview，UM talks about an event in her life where she was held at knifepoint and gunpoint，“I was walking to the store，and I saw a man on a park bench．He said．‘Come here，please，’so I went over to him．He grabbed me by the shirt，put a knife to my throat and told me he was going to cut me．I told him，‘Go ahead and cut me，’I wasn’t afraid at a11．And for some reason，he let me go．”
Doctors who have been studying UM’s condition for years have been trying different things that could strike fear into her．They finally figured something out—increasing UM’s carbon dioxide levels．Extra carbon dioxide concentration in the blood is known to cause fear and panic in health individuals．Increasing UM’s carbon dioxide levels did manage to give her a fright．The text starts by_______．
| A．challenging the reader | B．solving daily problems |
| C．1isting situations | D．giving explanations |
Why is the woman with Urbach-Wieth disease given a code name?
| A．To tell her case from other patients． |
| B．To respect her privacy． |
| C．To meet the researchers’demands． |
| D．To ensure her safety． |
From UM’s case，we can know that Urbach-Wieth disease may________.
| A．stop the brain from functioning normally |
| B．1ead to a decrease in calcium deposits |
| C．stop the brain from responding quickly |
| D．1ead to an increase in carbon dioxide |
What will probably happen to UM?
| A．Dying of the Urbach-Wieth disease． |
| B．Getting the sense of panic． |
| C．Experiencing another danger． |
| D．Speaking with a hoarse voice． |
Traveling to Cuba as an American is like jumping through hoops(环)．To help you better prepare for your trip，here are what you need to know about traveling to Cuba．
You wilI need to obtain a visa to travel to Cuba．You’11 need to apply for the visa associated with your travel purposes，such as religious or medical travel，family visits，or people-to-people travel，which is the most common type of visa attained by Americans．
Because of the U．S．restriction，banks have not yet been able to establish a foothold in Cuba，meaning it’s a cash—focused country．You can exchange currency at the José Martí International Airport or at your hotel．Keep in mind that there is a 10 percent fee to exchange U．S．currency for Cuban currency．You’11 also want to be sure to carry change for tips．
You can reserve a hotel room in Cuba online．Then you can call to confirm your reservation．You can also book through a travel agency．However，payment can be tricky：Even if you pay for your room through your travel agent，the restriction may prevent your payment from reaching your hotel in time(another reason to book well in advance)．Come prepared with enough cash to cover the cost，just in case．
If you expect to find the blue waters，volcanic landscapes and beautiful villages of other nearby islands，you’11 be disappointed．But beauty is not hard to find here．Old Havana—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—is home to splendid architecture and a bit of paladars(privately owned res—taurants)．Limited economic opportunities have led Cubans to be creative in other ways．You can’t go two blocks without coming across street paintings，art studios and joyful ballet music．Most Americans get the visa to Cuba by________．
| A．family visits | B．people-to-people travel |
| C．religious travel | D．medical travel |
How much will you pay if you want to exchange$1．000 for Cuban money?
| A．$20 | B．$50 | C．$100 | D．$200 |
Which does the author think is worth seeing in Cuba?
| A．Fantastic buildings | B．Blue waters |
| C．Beautiful villages | D．Volcanic landscapes |
Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．How to prepare a travel? |
| B．Tips on Visiting Cuba |
| C．Restrictions in Cuba |
| D．Be careful，Americans |