“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms,he cried out bitterly,“A boy, a big boy…called me-a f—…freak.”She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up,handsome for his misfortune.A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that.He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor.Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft on a pair of outer ears,if they could be donated,”the doctor decided.So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.Two years went by.Then, “You’re going to the hospital,son.Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need.But it’s a secret,” said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success.His talents blossomed into genius.School and college became a series of successes.Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.“But I must know!” he urged his father.“Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father,“but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet.”The years kept the secret, but the day did come …one of the darkest days that ever passed through a son.He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(棺材).Slowly and tenderly,the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick,reddish-brown hair to let out the secret..
When the mother unfolded the cloth and looked upon the tiny face we know that the mother________.
A.suddenly decided to make a sacrifice for the baby |
B.kept the baby’s situation unknown to other![]() |
C.felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby |
D.complained of her bad luck and regretted having a disabled child |
.
Give the closest meaning to the underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2.
A.Slow–acting person. | B.Ugly–looking child. |
C.Badly–behaved student. | D.Strangely–shaped creature. |
.
At last, we may infer from the passage that_________.
A.The agreement was between the donator and the family |
B.Finally the boy came to know the donator was a stranger |
C.The mother may never let her hair be cut to keep her ears from being seen |
D.The mother donated her ears to her son after she died |
.
What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
A.Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known. |
B.It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul. |
C.True![]() |
D.It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful. |
Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils (灾祸).
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions (反应) toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomachaches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites (食欲). Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their .
A.cultural values | B.commercial purposes |
C.personal experiences | D.physical reactions to the color |
Why will many commercial websites have a red “Buy Now” button?
A.To relax people physically. |
B.To increase people’s appetites. |
C.To encourage people to buy the goods. |
D.To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise. |
What color might help lose weight according to the text?
A.Red. | B.Green. | C.Blue. | D.Purple. |
Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?
A.Colors and Human Beings |
B.The Cultural Meaning of Color |
C.Colors and Personal Experiences |
D.The Meaning and Function of Color |
“A very disruptive(调皮捣蛋的) six-year-old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand,” said one teacher. “ I broke up a fight and was kicked between my legs,” said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born, has the right to achieve their potential, regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation, it is a long way to achieve this goal. But with rights come responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of ignoring the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school, even to the point of being violent to staff. This is terrible enough, but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behaviour of their parents.
My members tell me that parents also come into school often and threaten staff and some staff have been attacked by a pupil’s parents. One father encouraged his child to start a fight on the playground before school started. A primary teacher reported that a parent shouted at him. We need to have a serious and sensible debate about the roles and responsibilities of parents and the support that they can reasonably expect of schools and teachers.
Children will not learn how to behave as social beings if they are stuck in front of the TV for hours every day. They need their parents to show an interest in them and to spend time with them, helping them to play with their peers(同龄人) and to learn the rules of social behavior.
Children are now arriving at school socially undeveloped, increasingly unable to dress themselves, unable to use the toilet properly, unable to hold a knife and fork and unused to eating at a table, Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, writes in today’s Observer. Instead of taking responsibility themselves, too many parents expect teachers to control their children’s behavior and wellbeing, she adds. Bousted says one mother blamed staff when she discovered that her 16-year-old son was smoking.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep, has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed(沉迷于) in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take bake control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behaviour and sticking to those boundaries. They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resource------time------- so that children come to school ready and willing to learn.In the opinion of the writer, what problem do people ignore?
A.The violence in the school. |
B.The study pressure of students. |
C.The responsibilities of the students. |
D.The right to achieve students’ potential. |
The underlined part in Paragraph 7 means _____.
A.parents care little about children’s life at home |
B.parents and children live in their separate rooms |
C.children don’t live with their parents in the same house |
D.children live a different life from that of parents at home |
The author’s attitude to the behaviour of parents may be ______.
A.dissatisfied | B.indifferent | C.understanding | D.tolerant |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that ______.
A.teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents |
B.schools can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers |
C.students are responsible for making themselves known in society |
D.parents should spend time with children to make them ready to learn |
In today’s world of cell phones, mini laptops and MP5 players, most people have at least one time-telling tool with them. Since these devices are so common, is time running out for the 500-year-old watch? According to some consumers, yes. New Jersey teenager Charlie Wollman says a watch is “an extra piece of equipment with no necessary function”. Many young adults agree and use their cell phones to tell time. It is said that fewer young people wear watches today than five years ago. As a result, some people claim that the watch industry is at a crossroads.
However, watchmakers optimistically say that watches redeem popularity when consumers reach their 20s and 30s. By then, they are willing to spend money on a quality watch that doesn’t just keep good time. Fifty years ago, watchmakers boasted about their products’ accuracy. But in recent years, the watch industry has transformed itself into an accessory(饰品)business. And for many today, the image a watch communicates has become more important than the time it tells.
“Complications” --- features that go beyond simple timekeeping--- are an important part of a watch’s image. Today’s watches offer lots of features that meet almost any personality. These features include compasses, lunar calendars, USB drives, and even devices that measure the effectiveness of golf swings(挥棒方式)!
Creativity is also a key element in today’s watches. For example, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don’t even look like watches. The company’s popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell the time. It looks more like a fashionable bracelet (手镯) than a watch.
Whether a watch communicates fashion sense, creative flair or a love of sports, consumers want their timepieces to stand out. Nowadays, everyone has the same kind of gadget(小玩意儿) in their bags, so people want to make a statement with what’s on their wrists. Will this interest in wrist fashion last? Only time will tell! The underlined word “redeem” in Paragraph 2 can be best replaced by “__________”.
A.enlarge | B.regain | C.prove | D.lose |
According to the passage, a multi-function watch can _________.
A.store the list of phone numbers | B.remind you of your daily affairs |
C.be used as a calculator | D.show the direction |
In Paragraph 4, Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash is mentioned to _________.
A.prove today’s watches are fashionable |
B.compare a watch with a cool bracelet |
C.show how popular Shinshoku watches are. |
D.stress it’s Tokyoflash that makes Shinshoku watches |
What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
A.Japanese watches stand out |
B.Watches tell more than time |
C.Watch industry is in a bad situation |
D.Watches are becoming less popular |
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If you want to buy some old furniture, you should ______.
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Winning the lottery (彩票) is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for many past winners. Sad stories do exist in large numbers for the past lottery winners and that's why some financial experts say "70 percent of lottery winners will squander away (乱花) winning within a few years." Some end up losing all within two years, family relationships destroyed or even worse.
Wayne Schenk was an old soldier diagnosed with lung cancer. When he won a million dollars in a lottery he thought his troubles were over and he would get the advanced medical treatment that might save his life. But Lottery officials refused to pay him the total sum in a single payment and they said they could not make an exception to the regulations. When Schenk died in 2007, he'd only received one payment of $34,000.
Another lottery winner, Billy Bob Harrell, Jr. killed himself two years after winning 31 million dollars in the Texas lottery in 1997.He'd spent large amounts of money and given large amounts away, but he didn't end me expected peace that should have come with the freedom of money.
Other lottery winners have ended up in prison for crimes. Many suffer bankruptcy (破产) after the big jackpot (头奖) is spent and given away, including some of the eight people who won the 365 million Powerball in 2006.
The examples given paint a sad picture of what can happen if you win a big lottery jackpot, but fortunately, these examples don't tell the stories of all jackpot winners.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.Most lottery winners use up money quickly. |
B.Most lottery winners don't really end up well. |
C.Winning lottery means relationships destroyed. |
D.Financial experts are against the lottery industry. |
Why did lottery officials refuse to give Wayne Schenk the million dollars in one payment?
A.He was diagnosed with lung cancer. |
B.He was unwilling to give away his money. |
C.They had to observe the official rules. |
D.They didn't want to disturb his peace. |
The author supports his main idea by ____.
A.giving examples | B.making comparisons |
C.listing numbers | D.listing reasons |
In the following paragraph, the author will probably talk about_____.
A.advice given by financial experts |
B.happy stories of the lottery winners |
C.conclusion drawn by the author |
D.regulations about lottery winning |