The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children．On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special．
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington．A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909．Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her．It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices（牺牲） and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man．Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910．
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day．Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died．
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card．Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental（伤感的）．Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them．Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child need Dad．．The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______．
| A．many people celebrate the day | B．only America celebrates the day |
| C．America makes it an official day | D．all men are honored in America |
．At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______．
| A．Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday |
| B．Sonora’s birthday was June 19 |
| C．it was decided by the president at that time |
| D．her mother died on June 19 |
．How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?
| A．4 | B．10 | C．14 | D．24 |
．According to the passage, on Father’s Day, ______．
| A．people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers |
| B．only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers |
| C．children must go home to honor their fathers |
| D．fathers are often honored in different ways |
．According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ______．
| A．was very kind to anyone | B．was the first father honored in 1924 |
| C．did a lot for his daughter | D．always help others by giving money |
One morning when I was 11, I explored the town’s abandoned round grain barn（谷仓）.I found a chained sliding door that was wide enough for me to pass through.
Inside, there was a heavy smell of dead mice in the dark.After my eyes adjusted, I noticed a shaft (升降机井) that rose all the way to the top of the barn.On one side was a one-man elevator with a long rope and roller.
I stepped onto the platform and gave the rope a drag and the elevator began sliding up the shaft, but stopped halfway.After a brief panic attack, I noticed holes in the wall at regular intervals, forming a ladder.For reasons known only to an 11-year-old, I decided it would be better to go up than down.So, with shaking hands, I began climbing the wall.
After what seemed like forever, I reached the top of the shaft.I stood up, dusted myself off and found absolutely nothing of interest.It was just an empty room with a ladder leading up to the roof.I climbed all the way up here for this? Then I noticed a fire extinguisher（灭火器）, which I’d always wanted to shoot off.So this was the chance of a lifetime.I tried it, and much to my surprise, the thing worked! It shot out a thick cloud of powder that instantly filled the room.I couldn’t breathe.I was going to choke to death, and they’d probably never even find my body.
Luckily, I remembered the ladder to the roof.I climbed up, popped the straw roof and saw a bright blue sky.
I suddenly realized the dust and powder pouring out of the top could draw attention.So when the dust had settled, I climbed down and slipped out of the chained door.I’m not sure if I was more excited about being alive or about not being caught, but I ran all the way back home.When the author got inside the barn, he _______.
| A．noticed a man on the elevator |
| B．opened the chained sliding door |
| C．saw many dead mice in the dark |
| D．found a shaft leading to the top |
After getting out of the chained door, the author might feel _______.
| A．inspired |
| B．relieved |
| C．surprised |
| D．disappointed |
From the passage, we can learn that the author was probably a boy full of _______.
| A．passions |
| B．dreams |
| C．curiosity |
| D．imagination |
What should you think about when you try to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others, These may show strengths that you can use in your work.A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in engineering career.A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work.So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school.On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard.Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work.You may be good at mental work or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills.
If you have had a part - time job on Saturday or in the summer, think what you gained from it.If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers.You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example.Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part - time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself.You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures.It is bitter to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist.Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background.You should not feel sorry about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.The first paragraph of the passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the indirect value of school work |
| B．the importance of being good at all subjects |
| C．knowing one’s strong or weak subjects at school |
| D．using school performance to help to choose a career |
In the writer’s opinion, for a student to have a part - time job is probably ________.
| A．a good way to find out his weak points |
| B．one of the best ways of earning extra money |
| C．of great use for his work in the future |
| D．a waste of time he could have spent on study |
The whole passage centers around ________.
| A．knowing oneself in looking for a job |
| B．developing one’s abilities useful in school |
| C．gaining much knowledge by working hard at school |
| D．choosing a career according to what one is skilled in |
Dear Sir,
I’m writing to complain about the service offered by your company.
I told your service department on November 21 that my washing machine needed repairing, Your service engineers have since been here four times—on December 1l, December 19, December 25 and January 5．The problem was found out on the first visit and the wrong parts were brought by different engineers on the two next visits.The correct part was fitted by the first engineer on the fourth visit.
In short, my complaints are:
a．I had to wait three weeks for an engineer to call and nearly two months for the machine to be repaired.
b．The engineers who called on December 19 and December 25 had been given wrong information by the company, which made me take two half days off unnecessarily.
c．The first and fourth visits lasted a total of thirty minutes.But in the invoice （发票）, I have to pay for four visits of four hours’ work.I will not be paying the invoice for their mistakes and I do hope to receive your answers to these complaints.
Yours,
Robert WhiteRobert’s main purpose in writing to the company is to tell the company ________.
| A．how its service department is operating |
| B．how its different engineers came for the repair |
| C．that two of the engineers didn’t give him any help |
| D．that he refuses to pay the company for their mistakes |
The first of Robert’s complaints is that________.
A.it took him three weeks to have the machine repaired
B.it took him nearly sixty days to get his machine repaired
C.it had been almost two months before the first engineer came
D.it took the engineer 3 weeks to find out something wrong with the machine.
31． A.the company didn’t tell them exactly what they should do
B.the company didn't tell them where the correct parts were
C.they were not sure about whether the machine worked or not
D.they hadn’t been told where the right parts should be fitted.It can be inferred from the letter that Robert promises to pay for________.
| A．three hours’ work | B．half an hour’s work |
| C．an hour’s work | D．four hours’ work |
There was a man who worked all of his life and saved all of his money.He was a real miser (守财奴) when it came to his money.He loved money more than just about anything, and just before he died, he said to his wife, "Now listen, when I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket（棺材）with me.I wanna take my money to the afterlife."
So he got his wife to promise him with all her heart that when he died, she would put all the money in the casket with him.
Well, one day he died.He was stretched out in the casket, the wife was sitting there in black next to her closest friend.When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said "Wait just a minute!"
She had a shoe box with her, she came over with the box and placed it in the casket.Then the undertakers locked the casket down and rolled it away.Her friend said, "I hope you weren't crazy enough to put all that money in the casket."
"Yes," the wife said, "I promised.I'm a good Christian, I can't lie.I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him."
"You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in the casket with him?"
"I sure did.I got it all together, put it into my account and I wrote him a check."What was the woman’s reaction to her husband’s last words?
| A．She remained silent. | B．she said no. |
| C．She said yes. | D．She was annoyed. |
The woman’s friend believed that ______.
| A．she shouldn’t put all the money in the casket |
| B．she should put all the money in the casket. |
| C．she should give his husband a promise. |
| D．she should not break her promise. |
Which word can best describe the woman?
| A．attractive | B．clever | C．dishonest | D．lazy |
What might be the best title of the story ?
| A．Take All My Money With Me | B．A Promise Cleverly Kept |
| C．A Loving Wife | D．Miser and his Wife |
In a 2013 study, it was reported that almost 66 percent of recent high school graduates went to college, a 4 percent decline since 2009, when college enrollment(入学) reached an all-time high.
So, what are the other 35 percent of high school graduates doing after they walk out of their school for the last time? Here are what some Robinson High students have planned.
For Robbie Claiborne, graduation means the start of a military career.He plans to join the Coast Guard after graduation."I was born around the ocean.I love the water.I want to fight for my country and for what I love," said Claiborne.
Others just want a break from school."I really want to take a gap year," Liliam Clavijo said."I'd really love to work in Spain for a year before going to college."
Most students, however, are rather excited.Eban Trunk, a junior, has been planning his future career since middle school."I really want to be a mailman.It just seems like a cool job.Everyone loves the mailman," Trunk said."One day the idea just came to me, and I knew that was what I wanted to do."
For many students, a high school diploma means more choices."I'm not really sure what I'll do after high school," senior Joshua Loring said."I might do technical school.I'm in auto shop classes right now."
Meanwhile, Cassidy Grunderson plans on working at Busch Gardens full time."I just want to live on my own, get a job and move out," Grunderson said.
Stephen Hambleton, who teaches auto tech classes at Robinson, says many of his students choose to enter the automobile industry after graduation."It's an instant job, and after taking years of auto shop in high school, it's easy to get hired," he said.Several seniors in his class, including Loring, plan to enter the industry upon graduation.
"College isn't for everyone, and I really respect people who decide to do their own thing," said Coleman Parks, a senior student."I think too many people feel that they're only as valuable as their degree."
Graduates are proving that college isn't the only option when high school ends.What can we learn from the study in 2013?
| A．College enrollment in 2013 reached the highest point in history. |
| B．College enrollment in 2013 is not as high as that in 2009. |
| C．Only a small number of graduates go to college after graduation. |
| D．Some students fail to graduate from senior high school. |
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “a gap year”?
A.a year of differences
B.a year of many choices.
C a year between senior high graduation and college.
D.a year between college graduation and workplace. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Cassidy Grunderson plans to enter the automobile industry upon graduation |
| B．For many students, a high school diploma gives them limited choices. |
| C．Senior high school graduates are faced with more choices than just going to college. |
| D．Eban Trunk plans to work in Spain for a year. |
What might be the best title for the story?
| A．Fewer Senior High Graduates Go to College |
| B．Cool Jobs for Senior High Graduates |
| C．Gap Year or College? |
| D．Confused Senior High Graduates |