Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”
In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers… Be a good citizen… People will take advantage of you… Treat others as you wish to be treated…I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”
She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.
Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?
I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.
She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.
“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty again.
“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”
“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless? She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?
Anyway, I wish her the best, and hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life. From the second paragraph we know that the writer ___________.
A.debated with the girl over moral issues |
B.hated having to make a quick decision |
C.hesitated before she decided to reach out |
D.fell in love with the girl at first sight |
The writer felt guilty for a moment because _________.
A.she was particular about food and also wasted so much |
B.she was a strict vegetarian who ate very little |
C.she didn’t order enough food for the girl |
D.she urged the girl to take her share of food |
Why did Joyce end up unemployed and homeless?
A.She was a victim of high education. |
B.She actually had some kind of mental disorder. |
C.She graduated with average grades. |
D.The reason is not yet given. |
The passage is intended to _________.
A.arouse readers' curiosity |
B.explore social problems |
C.teach readers a lesson |
D.share a personal story |
There are one billion homeless people living in our world today . The Homeless World Cup exists to end this , so we all have a home , a basic human need .
The Homeless World Cup is an annual , international football tournament(锦标赛) , uniting teams of people who are homeless to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever . It has inspired and supported over 50 grass roots(基层的) football projects around the world working with homeless people throughout the year .
The first tournament took place in Graz 2003 uniting 17 national teams . At the 5th Homeless World Cup in Copenhagen in 2004 , 48 nations , 500 players were united for a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country . 25,000 players were involved in pre-tournament training and trials around the world .
The Homeless World Cup is full of players with courage , spirit and determination . Research shows that 73% of players change their lives for the better after the international tournament by coming off drugs and alcohol , moving into jobs , education , homes , training , reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for professional or semi-professional football teams . David Duke (Scotland) played in 2004 , came off alcohol , passed his coaching qualifications(资格) . He became assistant coach for Scotland 2005 , coach in 2006 and now owns his own home . The best goal scorer in 2004 Yevgen Adamenko(Ukraine) went on to play in a professional club in Ukraine .
The Homeless World Cup supporters include Nike , UN , Manchester United , Real Madrid and international footballers Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand .The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to.
A.find a home for homeless people |
B.collect money for homeless people |
C.help the homeless kick bad habits |
D.help the homeless start a new life |
Which of the following statements is true about the Copenhagen Homeless World Cup ?
A.It took place in early December . |
B.25,000 players entered the tournament . |
C.Nearly 50 teams competed in the tournament . |
D.David Duke won the best goal scorer in 2004 . |
Why does the writer give the examples of Yevgen Adamenko and David Duke in Paragraph 4 ?
A.To attract people to join the Homeless World Cup . |
B.To show the influence of the Homeless World Cup . |
C.To show the popularity of the Homeless World Cup . |
D.To inspire people to support the Homeless World Cup . |
The underlined words “ coming off ” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “” .
A.giving up | B.falling in | C.cutting off | D.looking down |
Getting close to active or erupting volcanoes can be dangerous. But for Michael Rampino, it’s all in a day’s work. Rampino is a volcanologist, a scientist who studies volcanoes and how they affect our planet. Rampino has been close to red-hot lava flows (熔岩流) in Hawaii and explosive volcanoes in Indonesia. He knows when to get close to an active volcano and when to back away.
Rampino wasn’t always a volcanologist. He worked for NASA for seven years. He studied rocks until he began to research climate change and the effects that volcanoes have on climate. He became interested in the subject. “Once I started working with volcanoes,” Rampino said, “I was hooked.”
Rampino is a professor at New York University. As part of his job, he travels to areas where volcanoes have been active. “Active” means they have erupted within the past few centuries and probably will erupt again. Rampino studies the deposits (沉积物) of ash and other materials from the eruptions. The ash may hold clues to what happened to the Earth in the distant past. It may also help scientists predict what could happen to Earth’s climate in the future.
Rampino doesn’t work alone. He works with a team of scientists who use computers to stimulate (模拟) the effects volcanoes have on Earth’s atmosphere.
Being a volcanologist may be hard work, but it’s also fun. “It’s cool traveling the world studying “to understand the events that have shaped Earth’s history.”To Rampino, being close to active volcanoes is _____.
A.scary but necessary | B.adventurous but meaningful |
C.impossible and unnecessary | D.dangerous but urgent |
The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_____”.
A.trapped | B.touched | C.attracted | D.frightened |
Rampino’s study on volcanoes might help _____.
A.warn people to protect the environment |
B.support the study of Earth’s future climate |
C.tell the future eruption time of the volcanoes |
D.reduce the possibility of the volcanoes’ eruptions |
In which part of a newspaper could we find this text?
A.People. | B.History. | C.Climate. | D.Business. |
One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by sending newspapers door to door, was so hungry that he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe (欠) you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” With these words, Howard Kelly left that house.
Years later the woman became badly ill and was finally sent to the hospital in a big city. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous, was called in. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Dressed in his doctor’s clothes, Dr. Kelly went into her room and recognized her at once. From that day on, he gave special attention to her, and decided to do his best to save her life.
At last the woman was saved. Dr. Kelly asked the business office to pass the final bill to him. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to the woman’s room. She was afraid to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay for it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words:
“Paid in full with a glass of milk, Dr. Howard Kelly.” Tear of joy flooded her eyes.The boy sent newspapers door to door in order to ________.
A.thank the woman for her kindness | B.continue his schooling |
C.become a famous doctor | D.support his poor family |
Which is true about the boy and the woman?
A.She never thought he would save her life later. |
B.She thought he was not hungry but thirsty. |
C.She wanted him to pay for the glass of milk. |
D.He was too shy to ask her for some water. |
After Dr. Kelly knew who the woman was, he ________.
A.refused to take good care of her himself |
B.decided to try his best to save her |
C.told her she once gave him a glass of milk |
D.asked for her bill and paid it off at once |
The best title for this passage is ________.
A.The Final Bill | B.A Warm-hearted Woman |
C.A Glass of Milk | D.A Famous Doctor |
An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) landed on their window. The father asked his son, “What is that?” The son replied, “That is a crow.” After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this?”
The son said, “Father, I told you just now. It’s a crow.” After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?” This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It’s a crow, a crow.” After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this?” This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this?” A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page.
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I didn’t at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son.
If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave.”The old man brought out the diary, which he had kept since his son was born, because ______.
A.he forgot what had happened |
B.he would like his son to read it |
C.it could remind himself of the past |
D.he wanted to find what a crow was |
The underlined word “affection” (last but one Para.) probably means______.
A.puzzle | B.hatred(恨) | C.love | D.worry |
The writer mainly intends to ______ .
A.tell us the function (作用) of a diary |
B.call on us to love our parents |
C.teach us what a crow is |
D.introduce a pair of son and father |
Every year there are hundreds of earthquakes in different parts of the world. In September, 1923, Tokyo and Yokohama were both destroyed by an earthquake and the fires that followed it. They had to be completely rebuilt. One of the most serious earthquakes was in China’s Shanxi province in 1556. It killed almost one million people.
We measure an earthquake’s strength on the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale was introduced in 1935 in Southern California in the USA. It measures earthquakes on a scale of one to ten. Any earthquake measuring five or more is usually serious.
The Earth’s crust(地壳) is made up of rock called plates. As these plates move, they sometimes crash against each other, causing the crust to quake. In cities such as Tokyo, where small quakes happen quite often, many modern buildings are designed to be flexible so when the Earth moves, they move with it.
Earthquakes can also break up gas and oil pipes. This can cause fires to break out, which can do as much damage as the earthquake itself. Another effect of earthquakes is tsunamis. These are huge waves created by earthquakes beneath the sea. They can be many meters high and cause great damage to coastal towns and cities, China, Japan, Russia and the USA have the highest occurrence(发生) of earthquakes in the world.The passage is mainly about .
A.scientists who study earthquakes |
B.the way of measuring earthquakes |
C.a usual natural disaster |
D.what people should do in the earthquake |
The earthquake in Shanxi Province , which in NOT true?
A.happened in 1556 |
B.killed one million people |
C.caused a lot of damage |
D.was the only earthquake in China |
Earthquakes
A.don’t cause much damage | B.are not serious |
C.most possibly happen in Japan | D.happen all over the world |
According to the passage we know that tsunamis .
A.can cause earthquakes |
B.are caused by earthquakes |
C.only happen on land |
D.are a way of measuring earthquakes |