For 52 years my father got up every morning at 5:30 am, except Sunday, and went to work. He returned home at 5:30 pm, for dinner at 6:00 pm. I never remember my father having a night out with his children. All he asked from me as a daughter was to hold his hammer while he repaired something, just so we could have some time to talk to each other.
For 22 years, after I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday. Nine years ago, my father, 67 years old, spent three days painting my house. He asked me to hold the paint brush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy and I could not take the time to hold the paint brush, or talk to my father.
Five years ago, my father spent five hours making a swing（秋千）for my daughter. Again, all he asked me to do was to give him a glass of tea, and talk to him. But again, I had some clothes to wash, and the house to clean.
On January 16, 1996, my father telephoned me as usual, this time from my sister’s home in Florida. I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short.
The call came at 4:40 pm. That day, my father was in hospital in Florida. I got on an airplane immediately, and on the way, I made up my mind that when I arrived, I would make up for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him.
I arrived in Florida at 1:00 am, but my father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.
When the author was young, her father ______.
| A．was busy with his work | B．disliked his children |
| C．often talked to his children | D．never cared about his children |
How old was the author’s father when he made a swing for his granddaughter?
| A．45. | B．67. | C．71. | D．76. |
When painting the house, the father asked the author to hold a paint brush because ______.
| A．he wanted to make his work easy |
| B．he was too old to work all by himself |
| C．he just wanted his daughter to help him |
| D．he wanted to have a talk with his daughter |
The underlined phrase “passed away” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．arrived | B．lost | C．left | D．died |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona.
He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child, I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me 
unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as "successful" as h
e was.
Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I'm delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. | B．He was too proud of himself.. |
| C．He did not love his children.. | D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel________.
| A．nervous | B．sorry |
| C．tired | D．Strict and hare-working. |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．More tallkative. |
| C．Gentle and friendly. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words "my new friend" in the last paragraph refer to .
| A．the author's son | B．the author's father |
| C．the friend of the author's father | D．the café owner |
Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s．Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women．Right? Wrong．Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size．Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain．The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”．While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes．
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women．This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time．When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time．
There are other important differences between two sexes．As white matter is the key to spatial tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things．“A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher．That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for direction and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses（胎儿）are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one．A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others．These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills．It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research．
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t．“The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it．”says a biologist．Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph? ________．
| A．Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s |
| B．Grey matter controls thinking in the brain． |
| C．Grey matter plays the same role as white matter． |
| D．Both sexes have the same amount of white matter． |
What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs? ________．
| A．Men do better dealing with one job at a time． |
| B．Women prefer doing many things at a time． |
| C．Women do not need to tell directions． |
| D．Men have weaker spatial abilities． |
Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph? _
| A．More women take up jobs requiring speech skills |
| B．Young boys may be stronger than young girls． |
| C．Women may have stronger feelings than men． |
| D．Our ancestors needed more spatial skills． |
What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage? ________．
| A．Defensive． | B．Objective． | C．Persuasive． | D．Supportive． |
The world’s biggest Internet search engine, Google, has proven once again to be king of the Web. Users can download “Google Wi-Fi” software and then enjoy free Wi-Fi service available in some US cities since last Tuesday.
Wi-Fi is short for “Wireless Fidelity”(无线上网). It allows laptop computers and personal digital assistants to connect to the Internet at high speed by radio sigal.
A person with a Wi-Fi enabled computer can connect to the Internet when near one of the network’s access points. The place covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot. Google had already set up two “hotspots” in the US city of San Francisco which pr
ovide a free Wi-Fe service.
The Wi- Fi technology even allows users to enjoy a free Internet phone service. Some scientists argue that Wi-Fi may replace mobile phone networks.
Wi-Fi is stioo limited to a few cities, where there are “ hotspots”. But its capability(容量) of sending information has already done better than that of the mobile phone network, even that of 3G (Third Generation telecommunication technology). Some scientists have started to call Wi-Fi 4G.
In addition to a high speed Internet connection, Fi-Fi has other advantages compared to mobile phones. We-Fi is global. The same Wi-Fi system works in different countries around the world. Different from using cell phones, you don’t need to change computers to use Internet phones when you go to other places and most importantly, many Internet phones cost you nothing at all. Wi-Fi is not available in cities without_____.
| A．a computer | B．a radio | C．a hotspot | D．a cell phone |
Which of the following is NOT the advantage of Wi-Fi?
A.The high speed Internet connection. B. Many free Internet phones.
B.Using the same computers for Internet phones when you go to other places. C. Used in all the US cities. Some scientists started to call Wi-Fi 4G, because_____.
| A．it is the product of the Google”s 4th generation. |
| B．it is more capable of sending information than the mobile phone network. |
| C．it has been used by more than four generations. |
| D．Wi-Fi will surely take the place of the mobile phone network. |
. Which of the following is the best title?
A.Third Generation Telecommunication Technology
B. Free Call Service
C.Goo
gle Launches Free Wi-Fi Service
D.Free Wi-Fi Service across the U.S.A.
We are all interested in equality，but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality，others，st
ill in the name of equality，want only to destroy it．
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils．The standards may be changed—no examination is perfect--but to have no external(外部的)tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards．There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in external examinations or in any contr schools or on teachers.This would mean that everything would depend on luck every pupll would depend on the efficiency(效率)，the ideal and the purpose of teacher．
Without external examinations， employers will 1ook for employees from highly respected schools and from families known to them--a form of favoritism will replace equality．At the moment，the bright child from an ill—respected schoo1 can show certificates(证书)to prove he or she is suitable for a job，while the lack of a certificate shows the unsuitability of a dull child attanding a well—respected schoo1.This defence of excellence and opportunity would disappear if external examinations were taken away，and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s fame(名誉)，unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored schoo1．
The opponents(对手)of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils．According to these people，there must be no special，different，academic class． They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area：all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection．The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer． The word “favoritism” in paragraph 3 is used to decribe the phenomenon that _____.
| A．bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs. |
| B．Pooor children with certificates are favored in job markets. |
| C．Children attending ordinary schools achieve great success. |
| D．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs. |
What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?
| A．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation. |
| B．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation |
| C．There would be more opportunities and excellence. |
| D．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools. |
The opponents of the examination sys
tem will agree that _____.
| A．Computers should be selected to take over many jobs. |
| B．Special classed are necessary to keep the school standards. |
| C．Jobs should not be assigned by systematic selection. |
| D．Schools with academic subjects should be abolished. |
The passage mainly focuses on ____.
A. schools and certificates B opportunity and employment
C. examinations and equality D. standards and reputation
Once upon a time there was a great man who married the woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a little girl. She was a bright and cheerful little girl and the great man loved her very much.
When the little girl was growing up, the great man would hug her and tell her, “ I love you, little girl.” The little girl would shout and say, “ I’m not a little girls anymore.” Then the man would laugh and say, “ But to me, you’ll always be my little girl.”
Th
e little girl who- was- not- little- anymore left her home and went into the world. As she learned more about herself, she learned more about the man. She saw that he truly was great and strong, for now she recognized his strengths. One of his strengths was his ability to express his love to his family. It didn’t matter where she went in the world, the man would call her and say, “ I love you, little girl.”
The day came when the little girl who-was- not- little-anymore received a phone call. The great man was damaged. He had had a stroke(中风 ). He couldn’t talk anymore and they weren’t sure that he could understand the words spoken to him.
And so she went to the side of the great man. When she walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and not strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not.
The little girl did the only thing she could do. She climbed up on the bed next to the great man. Tears ran from both of their eyes and she drew her arms around the useless shoulders of her father.
Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She remembered the wonderful times together and how she has always felt protected. And then she heard from within the man, the beat of his heart. The heart where the musid and the words had always lived. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested there, the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.
His hear beat ou
t the words that his mouth could no longer say…
I love you
I love you
I love you
Little girl
Little girl
Little girl
And she was comforted. In the 2nd paragraph, the little girl showed her ____ by pouting.
| A．displeasure | B．disappointment | C．agreement | D．excitement |
The following except ____ can be inferred as the consequences of the father’s stoke.
| A．the loss of speaking ability | B．the inability to move around |
| C．that his arms could no longer function properly | D．the beat of his heart |
The girl felt _____ when she returned home and saw her father in bed.
| A．she was protected just as before | B．she could never have left home |
| C．the difficulty of being old and sick | D．the need to show him her love |
Which statement is true according to the story?
| A．The daughter left her home because she had a fight with her father. |
| B．The girl returned home when she got a letter from his father about his illness. |
C．The father recovered as if by magic soo n after the daughter’s return. |
| D．From the father’s example, the daughter learned how to express her love. |