In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a great bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts thought that this was an impossible project and told Roebling to forget it. But Roebling could not ignore the vision of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an engineer, that the bridge could be built.
The father and son developed concepts of how it could be completed and how the difficulties could be overcome. After that, they began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway (在进行中) a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which made him unable to walk or talk or even move.
Everyone had a negative comment since the Roeblings were the only one who knew how to build the bridge. In spite of these difficulties, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge. It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was to move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving it, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. The project was underway again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.
Today the Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory to the victory of one man's determination not to be defeated by circumstances. This is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical disability and achieves an impossible goal.
1．When John Roebling had the idea of building the bridge, ________.
A. his son supported him immediately
B. many experts thought it impossible
C. there was no bridge around New York
D. he persuaded the government to support him
2．What is the right order of the following statements?
a. The Roeblings talked about the possibilities of building the bridge.
b. Washington became disabled.
c. John Roebling believed that building the bridge was possible.
d. Washington's wife helped instruct the building.
A. a d c b B. b c d a C. c a b d D. a d b c
3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. the government did offer much help to building the bridge
B. to go to the long Island, we can go across Brooklyn Bridge now
C. Washington had only one finger after the accident
D. it took 13 years to complete the bridge
4．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. the Roeblings were devoted to their work
B. how the Brooklyn Bridge was built by the Roeblings.
C. a strong will is not to be defeated.
D. success lies in patience and hard work.
The most important day Helen Keller remembered in all her life was the one on which her teacher, Anne Sullivan, came to her．It was three months before she was seven years old．
On the afternoon of that day, Helen knew that something was happening．She went outside and waited at the door of the house．She could feel the sun on her face and she could touch the leaves of the plants．Then she felt someone walking towards her．She thought it was her mother and she went to her and held her close．This was the teacher who had come to teach all things to her and, above all, to love her．
The next morning, the teacher took her into her room and gave her a doll．When Helen was playing with it, Miss．Sullivan slowly spelled the word “d－o－l－l” onto her hand．Helen learnt a lot of words like this．After the teacher had been with her for several weeks, Helen understood that everything had a name．
One day Helen didn’t understand the difference between “mug” and “water”．She became angry and threw the doll on the floor．In her quiet, dark world she didn’t feel sorry for doing it．Then her teacher took her out into the warm sunshine．They walked down to the well where someone was drawing water．Her teacher put her hand under the water and spelled the word “w－a－t－e－r” at the same time in her other hand．Suddenly, Helen felt an understanding．She knew then that “w－a－t－e－r” was the wonderful cool something flowing over her hand．That living word awakened her spirit, gave it light, hope, fun and set it free!How was the girl different from other children？
| A．She didn’t know how to play games． |
| B．She was angry all the time． |
| C．She couldn’t speak． |
| D．She was deaf and blind． |
Helen learnt new words when ______．
| A．she went to the well |
| B．Miss．Sullivan spelled them on her hand |
| C．the teacher gave her a doll |
| D．she knew the difference between two words |
What can the reader learn from the passage？
| A．How to spell different words and understand their meanings． |
| B．The way to feel sorry for doing something wrong． |
| C．The idea of how to describe things and make them feel real． |
| D．When someone is drawing water, we should go to feel it． |
The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old．We lived about 5 miles away from the Canadian border(边界)．My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides．We drove down a nice long road．My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback(有仓门式后背的汽车) so we opened it up．I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.
When we arrived, there were not monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found．I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.
Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun．When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks．However, we were a little gross out because the camels seemed to froth(吐白沫) at the mouth and we had camel slobber(口水) all over the car and us.
It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember．It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family．I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time．Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again．He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this．I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip.Where did the author live when he was 7 years old?
| A．In Canada |
| B．In the central US |
| C．Near the Canadian border |
| D．In Parc Safari |
During the trip, the author ________.
| A．saw a monkey |
| B．fed some monkeys |
| C．was angry with the giraffes |
| D．had been in close contact with the camels |
What does the underlined part “gross out” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．uncomfortable |
| B．excited |
| C．tired |
| D．surprised |
What does the author intend to do?
| A．To have a holiday abroad with his parents. |
| B．To take his 7-year-old son to a zoo. |
| C．To revisit the place he went to at seven. |
| D．To have a family trip in his own country. |
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school．It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well．To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are．Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year．And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins．Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school．This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport．Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports．Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school．If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc．These clubs allow students from different grades．By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications(申请)．The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.
| A．unhappy |
| B．nervous |
| C．lonely |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school mainly welcome sports fans. |
| C．The school office can help new students join school clubs. |
| D．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
| A．Before the eighth grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．By the end of the last year in the middle school. |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To describe high school life． |
| B．To give advice to new high school students． |
| C．To teach useful experience． |
| D．To introduce new schools. |
We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok．This is our first trip to Thailand(泰国)．All the different smells make us want to try the food．We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight．The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean．We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.
Tuesday, March 27th
Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting．We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables．Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai．We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.
Friday, March 30th
Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring．We visited a small village in the mountains．The village people here love the quiet life--no computers or phones．They are the kindest people I have ever met．They always smile and say “hello”．Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness．I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.The diaries above show the writer’s _____ days in Thailand.
| A．3 |
| B．7 |
| C．15 |
| D．30 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand. |
| B．The writer is traveling alone in Thailand. |
| C．Chiang Rai is a boring city in the mountains. |
| D．The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus. |
The people in the village _____.
| A．are friendly to others |
| B．like to speak English |
| C．are very weak |
| D．hope to live in the cities |
What is the best title for the whole diary?
| A．My First Travel |
| B．The Outside World |
| C．Traveling in Thailand |
| D．A Country on the Train |
Sydney Tower is ______ in Sydney, Australia．
| A．the busiest street |
| B．the biggest station |
| C．the most beautiful park |
| D．the highest point |
If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can' t _______ ．
| A．email sydneytower@ hotmail．corn |
| B．fax 02 9333 9203 |
| C．search www．sydneytower．com．au |
| D．dial 02 9333 9222 |
Frank wants to go to Sydney Tower with his two children, he will pay ______ ．
| A．$60 |
| B．$90 |
| C．$120 |
| D．$150 |