If you had been in my classes in the early McKee days , you would have seen a skinny young man in his late twenties with messy black hair , eyes that looked with a sign of infection , bad teeth and the hangdog look you see on immigrants in Ellis Island photographs or on pickpockets being arrested .
There were reasons for the hangdog look .
I was born in New York and taken to Ireland before I was four . I had three brothers . My father , an alcoholic , wild man , great patriot , always ready to die for Ireland , abandoned us when I was ten . A baby sister died , twin boys died , two boys were born . My mother begged for food , clothing , and coal to boil water for the tea . Neighbors told her to place us in an orphanage , a place for homeless kids . No , no , never . The shame of it . She hung on . We grew . My brothers and I left school at fourteen , worked , dreamed of America and , one by one , sailed away . my mother followed with the youngest , expecting to live happily ever after . That’s what you are supposed to do in America , but she never had a moment of happy-ever-after .
In New York I worked at laboring jobs till I was put into the United States Army . After two years in Germany I went to college on the GI Bill program to become a teacher . In college there were courses on literature and composition . There were courses on how to teach by professors who did not know how to teach . After college I went to McKee , where I put what I had learnt to trial and embarrassed myself when the students considered me a fool .. What is a hangdog look ?
A.happy | B.disappointed | C.discouraged | D.angry |
. It can be inferred from this passage that __________ .
A.before the author went to Ireland , he lived in New York . |
B.the mother is living a joyful life in America with her little son |
C.there are four sons in this Irish family living in America |
D.the author is now a young teacher in his twenties teaching in a high school |
. Which of the following statements is TRUE ?
A.Someone recommended the mother give the children away to kind people . |
B.The author’s father sacrificed himself for his beloved homeland . |
C.The author got into college because he was hard-working . |
D.The author didn’t know much about how to teach when he first started . |
. In what way is the passage mainly developed ?
A.Presenting effects and analyzing the causes . |
B.Giving typical examples . |
C.Describing things in space order . |
D.Presenting an idea and arguing in favor of it . |
The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics.At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games.The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics.From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule.
During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936.The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear.It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics.
In the 1950s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful.When the White Olympics came, the host countries as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games.China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sportsmen began to take part in the White Olympics.
Japan is an Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics.Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet.
Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps.People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen.The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics _______.
A.are the same thing |
B.are different games |
C.are not held in winter |
D.are held in summer |
The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world Games ______.
A.after the year 1936 |
B.after the 3rd Winter Olympics |
C.before the 3rd White Olympics |
D.before the year 1932 |
The Winter Olympics is held once ________.
A.every two years |
B.every three years |
C.every four years |
D.every five years |
Which of the following is true?
A.Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
B.Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
C.All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
D.Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games. |
What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?
A.Basketball |
B.Table tennis. |
C.Football |
D.Skating. |
I had recently arrived in London and I wanted to see some of the famous places. Should I go to the seaside? Or maybe one of the famous parks? I walked along the street, past a kindergarten playground, and suddenly saw an underground railway station. I was surprised because it was not on my map. I went to buy a ticket. The ticket-seller looked very old. He gave me a ticket, said "Remember it's a return", laughed and walked away without taking my money. Was it special for tourists?
A train arrived. I could not see any other passengers. I got on and the doors closed. I suddenly felt I should not have got onto the train. It started to go faster and faster, shooting along the tracks. As it entered the tunnel, everything became as dark as midnight and I do not remember the next few minutes. The train came to a station and I got out. I could see light shining in the distance so I walked towards it and came to a door. Beyond it there was a busy street.
There were lots of English people walking about, and I could see some of the famous buildings of London, but there was something wrong. The people's clothes were strange. There were no cars, no motorbikes—but there were horses everywhere. Was someone making a film?
“Excuse me,” I said to a man. “Would you mind telling me where I am and what is happening?”
“What do you mean? Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you from China? This is London and everyone's going to work. Can't you see that?” he asked.
“Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, but could I look at your newspaper?” I asked.
“You can have it,” he said as he walked off.
I looked at it; I saw “New Bicycle Law” and above that “July 5, 1880”.
Maybe I should have walked around, but I ran back to the door. I waited a long time. I was very afraid. A train came. I got on. It took me back to the first station. As I left, a woman asked, “What were you doing in that abandoned station?” I had no answer, but I still had the newspaper in my hand.Why was the author surprised at the beginning of the story?
A.Because he suddenly saw an underground railway station. |
B.Because he walked past a kindergarten playground. |
C.Because the ticket-seller looked very old. |
D.Because he couldn’t find the station on his map. |
What does the underlined “it” in the second paragraph most probably mean?
A.The train. | B.The light. |
C.The distance. | D.The door |
Why did the author think he had arrived in a film-making scene?
A.Because he could see some of the famous buildings of London. |
B.Because he had done something wrong in the street of London. |
C.Because he could only see horses rather than cars in the streets. |
D.Because the people in the streets were all neatly dressed. |
According to the passage, New Bicycle Law might be _______.
A.The name for a London street. |
B.The name for a film made in London. |
C.The name for a newspaper article |
D.The name for a underground station. |
Where can this passage most probably be taken from?
A.In a storybook. |
B.In a math textbook. |
C.In a travel guidebook. |
D.In a scientific experiment report. |
People like different kinds of vacations. Some go camping. They swim, fish, cook over a fire and sleep outside. Others like to stay at a hotel in an exciting city. They go shopping all day and go dancing all night. Or maybe they go sightseeing to places such as Disneyland, the Tai Mahal or the Louvre.
Some people are bored with sightseeing trips. They don’t want to be “tourists”. They want to have an adventure— a surprising and exciting trip. They want to learn something and maybe help people too. How can they do this? Some travel companies and environmental groups are planning special adventures. Sometimes these trips are difficult and full of the world. Some volunteers spend two weeks and study the environment. Others work with animals. Others learn about people of the past.
Would you like an adventure in the Far North? A team of volunteers is leaving from Murmansk, Russia. The leader of this trip is a professor from Alaska. He’s worried about chemicals from factories. He and the volunteers will study this pollution in the environment. If you like exercise and cold weather, this is a good trip for you. Volunteers need ski sixteen kilometers every day. -
Do you enjoy ocean animals? You can spend two to four weeks in Hawaii. There, you can teach language to dolphins. Dolphins can follow orders such as “Bring me the large ball”. They also understand opposites. How much more can they understand? It will be exciting to learn about these intelligent animals. Another study trip goes to Washington State and follows orcas. We call orcas “Killer Whale”, but they’ re really dolphins—the largest kind of dolphin.. These beautiful animals travel together in family groups. They move through the ocean with their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Ocean pollution is chasing their lives. Earthwatch is studying how this happens.
Are you interested in history? Then Greece is the place for your adventure. Thirty-five hundred years ago a volcano exploded there, on Santorini. This explosion was more terrible than Krakatoa or Mount Saint Helens. But today we know a lot about the way of life of the people from that time. There are houses, kitchens, and paintings as interesting as those in Pompei. Today teams of volunteers are learning more about people from the past.
Do you want a very different vacation? Do you want to travel far, work hard and learn a lot? Then an Earthwatch vacation is for you.The Tai Mabal may be _________.
A.a shopping center | B.a hotel |
C.a dancing ball | D.a place of interest |
From the passage, on an adventure trip, people ______________.
A.may not spend much time on sightseeing |
B.won’ t meet some difficulties or hardships |
C.can’t enjoy themselves |
D.can’t learn something |
If you want to learn something about people of the past, you can ___________
A.join the team to Hawaii |
B.join the team to the Far North |
C.join the team to Washington |
D.join the team to Greece |
The word “intelligent” in paragraph 4 means __________________.
A.exciting | B.beautiful | C.large | D.clever |
Which of the following is false ?
A.Some people find sightseeing trips boring. |
B.Earth watch is planning all these special adventures |
C.The number orcas is decreasing. |
D.3 volcano explosions in all broke out 3, 500 years ago in Greece. |
The Washington post – NASA’s newest space habitat looks sort of like a kids’ moon bonce, a big, bright, inflatable globe that could be lots of fun to play in. Soon astronauts on the International Space Station could get the chance to try . The expandable habitat made by Bigelow Aerospace recently passed NASA’s strict certification requirements and is scheduled to be flown to the station in September.
Called the BEAM ( Bigelow Expandable Activity Module), the habitat would be attached to the space station, where it would stay for two years. While there, it would be tested to see how it handles the rigors of space – the radiation, the station’s movement and even how it stands up to the debris (碎片) flying around in orbit.
The private Las Vegas company, founded by millionaire real estate mogul(地产大亨) Robert Bigelow, won a $17.8 million contract from NASA to provide the module to the space station.
“Today is the first step, but it’s a big step,” said Bigelow’s George Zamka. Replace the space station or make it larger. It also hopes to build the habitats on the moon. Its B330 module would be even bigger, with 330 cubic meters of internal (内部的 ) space. The modules could be connected. Creating research facilities, the company says, or even space hotels.
In an interview ,NASA’s William Gerstenmaier, said he was eager to see how the module performs , and said he was especially pleased “ to see how the private sector can step up and help us meet our requirements.” The module will be flown to the space station by SpaceX, the first commercial company to resupply the space station.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.NASA’s space habitats flown to the station. |
B.NASA’s space habitat it the station. |
C.NASA’s new expandable space habitat. |
D.NASA’s newest inflatable globe. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.NASA’s newest space habitat is a kids’ moon bounce. |
B.Astronauts of Bigelow Aerospace could get the chance to try the space habitat. |
C.NASA was founded by Robert Bigelow. |
D.The B330 module to be built on the moon would be with an inside space of 330 cubic meters. |
The underlined word “rigors” in Paragraph 2 refers to “_________”.
A.difficulties | B.environments |
C.movements | D.changes |
The passage is most probably taken from ________.
A.a newspaper | B.a booklet |
C.a magazine | D.a science fiction |
The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of human illness is related to food and forty percent of cancer is related to food as well. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep colors in meats and other food additives (添加剂) caused cancer.
Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings(包装)of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin (青霉素) to their animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar things are supplied to animals not for their health, but just to make a profit.
The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.According to this passage, we can know _____.
A.perhaps most kinds of cancer are related to what people eat |
B.perhaps most of human illness is caused by what we eat |
C.cancer was discovered in 1945 |
D.science has made food unfit to eat |
Things that are used to keep colors in meats are _____.
A.harmful | B.useless | C.helpless | D.dangerous |
People use additives _____.
A.to make food more unfit to eat |
B.to cause cancer |
C.to change the color of the food |
D.to take off the diseases of the food |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Some wrappings of food are harmful. |
B.Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals. |
C."The practice continues" means "things are still going on like that". |
D.We needn't take care of what we eat. |