Thanks a Million, Dad
I was born disabled.A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck.By my first birthday, I couldn't stand or walk.
When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy (脑瘫).A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body.
But no son of my dad' s was going to be disabled.Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg.The muscles were shrunk and twisted together.Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape.
But my dad' s exercise of passion didn't stop there.For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party.When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves.We put them on.My dad kept on beating me mercilessly.Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw.I "begged him to stop.He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world.
That same year, I was the only kid in my neighbourhood that wasn't picked for Little League.Two weeks later.Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played.Dad coached us and made me a pitcher (棒球投手).
The power of my dad' s love guaranteed I walked and more.In high school, I became a football star.
In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn’t t have cerebral palsy after all.He explained how and where the doctor' s forceps (镊子) at birth had damaged my brain.
My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago.But all that counts is the bottom line.After all his madness, on this Father' s Day, like every Father' s Day, I' m no longer disabled.What caused the author' s disability?
A.A failed operation. | B.The doctor's forceps. |
C.An accident in a game. | D.Shrunken and twisted muscles. |
What do we learn from the passage?
A.The author has a talent for boxing. |
B.The author achieved a lot thanks to his father' s love. |
C.The author became a baseball star with the help of his father. |
D.The author doesn't think his father should be so strict with him. |
Paragraph 3 suggests that the author' s father____.
A.wouldn't give up hope easily |
B.believed his son was a normal child |
C.blamed the doctors for his son' s disability |
D.couldn't accept the truth that his son was disabled |
The author wrote the passage to ____.
A.remember his father |
B.encourage disabled children |
C.show the difficulty the disabled face |
D.give advice to the parents of disabled children |
The Golden Compass is the first movie based on the Philip Pullman’s bestselling novel, His Dark Materials. It is a work of imagination that tells us about a young girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend. Along the way she meets strange creatures, like witches and so on. Finally , she saves not only her world, but also ours as well.
Lyra is a young girl among scholars in Oxford’s Jordan College. She spends most of her time with her friend Roger, a kitchen boy. Together, they share a life with no worries. However, when Lyra hears a conversation about a very tiny particle(颗粒), she is thrown into a dangerous adventure. This particle is said to unite different worlds, and is feared by many people who want to destroy it. At the same time , children began to disappear without a trace, including Lyra’s good friend, Roger. As Lyra starts this horrible struggle, and begins to search for Roger, she meets strange creatures both big and small, and bad people who are not what they seem to be. Gobblers(饕餮者) that kidnap(绑架)children appear in the most unexpected places. And a magical compass made of gold will answer any question if one is skilled enough to read it. In unbelievable danger, Lyra doesn’t know that she is doomed to win, or to lose, this battle…
With the movie The Lord of the Rings making New Line cinema over a billion dollars, it’s easy to see why they got the rights to Pullman’s His Dark Materials quickly. The books, sold more than nine million copies in the world, have a different idea from the Harry Potter series. Pullman’s imagination may look suitable for children, but it works far better for adults.In the film The Golden Compass, Lyra______.
A.is a student in Oxford’s Jordan College |
B.is a kitchen boy |
C.hears a conversation of Roger’s |
D.meets many strange creatures |
The film is named The Golden Compass probably because______.
A.the compass is useful enough to help Lyra |
B.only skilled people can read the compass |
C.the compass which is made of gold can answer any question |
D.the compass throughout the whole story is a clue |
From the passage we can conclude that______.
A.New Line Cinema won Pullman’s trust through its achievement |
B.The Lord of the Rings is also based on one of Pullman’s novels |
C.His Dark Materials is similar to the Harry Potter series |
D.New Line Cinema made over a billion dollars through the Harry Potter series |
Which group of people will like the film The Golden Compass the best according to the passage?
A.Children | B.Junior students | C.Adults | D.Only old people |
Spring is coming, and it is time for those about to graduate to look for jobs. Competition is tough, so job seekers must carefully consider their personal choices. Whatever we are wearing, our family and friends may accept us, but the workplace may not.
A high school newspaper editor said it is unfair for companies to discourage visible tattoos nose rings, or certain dress styles. It is true you can’t judge a book by its cover, yet people do “cover” themselves in order to convey certain messages. What we wear, including tattoos and nose rings, is an expression of who we are. Just as people convey messages about themselves with their appearances, so do companies. Dress standards exist in the business world for a number of reasons, but the main concern is often about what customers accept.
Others may say how to dress is a matter of personal freedom, but for businesses it is more about whether to make or lose money. Most employers do care about the personal appearances of their employees, because those people represent the companies to their customers.
As a hiring manager I am paid to choose the people who would make the best impression on our customers. There are plenty of well-qualified candidates, so it is not wrong to reject someone who might disappoint my customers. Even though I am open-minded, I can’t expect all our customers are.
There is nobody to blame but yourself if your set of choices does not match that of your preferred employer. No company should have to change to satisfy a candidate simply because he or she is unwilling to respect its standards, as long as its standards are legal.What can be inferred from the text?
A.Hiring managers make the best impression on their candidate. |
B.Candidates have to wear what companies prefer for an interview. |
C.What to wear is a matter of customers’ acceptance to a great extent. |
D.Companies sometimes have to change to respect their candidates. |
Which of the following is the newspaper editor’s opinion according to Paragraph2?
A.Customers’ choices influence dress standards in companies. |
B.Candidates with tattoos or nose rings should be fairly treated. |
C.Strange dress styles should not be encouraged in the workplace. |
D.People’s appearances carry messages about themselves. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Appearances Do Matter |
B.Hiring Managers Matter |
C.Personal Choices Matter |
D.Employees Matter |
“Mama, when I grow up, I’m going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three. It was the first time that my dream took on a vivid form and acted as something important to start my training. As I grew older and was exposed to more, my interests in the world of dance certainly varied but that little girl’s dream of someday becoming a dancer in the company never left me. In the summer of 2005 when I was 18, I received the phone call which made that dream a reality: I became a member of the company dating back to 1925.
As I look back on that day now, it surely lacks any sense of reality. I believe I stayed in a state of pleasant disbelief until I was halfway through rehearsals (排练) on my first day. I never actually expect to get the job. After being offered the position, I was completely astonished. I remember shaking with excitement.
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the chance, it did not come without its fair share of challenge. Through the strict rehearsal period of dancing six days a week, I found it vital to pick up the material fast with every last bit of concentration. It is that extreme attention to detail (细节) and stress on practice that set us apart. To then follow those high-energy rehearsals with a busy show schedule of up to five performances a day, I discovered a new meaning of the words “hard work.” What I thought were my physical boundaries were pushed much further than I thought possible. I learned to make each performance better than the last.
Today, when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great honor of being a part of, not only as a member, but as a dance captain, I see a tradition that has inspired not only generations of little girls but a splendid company that continues to develop and grow-and inspires people every day to follow their dreams. How many years has the Capital Dancing Company existed when the author received the phone call from it?
A.180 | B.1925 | C.2005 | D.80 |
How did the author feel when she look back on that day now?
A.strange | B.unrealistic | C.indifferent | D.lucky |
Which of the following statement can best interpret the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?
A.Though I was excited, I should share the chance with others. |
B.Though I was excited, it’s fair to share the chance when there is challenge. |
C.Though I was excited, it’s a challenge for me to share the chance with others. |
D.Though I was excited, I know clearly where there is chance there is challenge. |
What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A.The company values practice most. |
B.The company extremely focus on intelligence. |
C.The company has an inherited tradition of inspiring its members break their limits. |
D.The company sets the members apart in order to extremely stress detail and practice. |
In Asia, there are special competitions where kites have complex designs and are fitted with instruments that make musical sounds as the wind blows through them. Although all kites have a similar structure (结构), they are widely different in size and shape. Kite-fighting competitions are also held, in which competitions us their kites to attack and bring down their opponents’(对手)kites or cut their strings(线).
For more than 15 years, the Big Wind Kite Factory has been giving kite-making and kite flying classes for the children on an island in Hawaii. In its kite-making lessons, students can make kites in as little as 20 minutes! Children as young as four years old can learn how to fly a kite. Jonathan Socher and his wife Daphne started the kite factory in 1980. Their kites are made of nylon(尼龙).Their designs are Hawaiian themes created by Daphne. The designs are cut out of the nylon with a hot knife that seals the edges and then fastened directly onto the kite.
The kite that is used to give lessons is regular diamond kite with a rainbow pattern. The difference between this kite and the ones they make during the lessons is that it is a two-string controllable kite. Big Wind employees fly the kite and for a few minutes show students how pulling on one line and then on the other controls the direction the kite goes in. Then the controls are given to the students.
Jonathan insists that it is not necessary to make a huge impressive kite to have fun making and flying kites. Even the simplest structure can work, and can give hours of fun. Go on, give it a try!Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.A hot knife is used to iron the nylon. |
B.Children never fly kites on their own in flying lessons. |
C.Kite strings must not be cut in kite-fighting competitions. |
D.Daphne designs kites for the Big Wind Kite Factory. |
What is different about the kite used for flying lessons?
A.It has two strings. |
B.It is simple in design |
C.It has a rainbow pattern. |
D.It is shaped like a diamond. |
According to Jonathan, what do you need to have fun with kites?
A.A large kite. |
B.Any type of kite. |
C.A complex structure. |
D.A kite that impresses others. |
What is mainly described in the text?
A.A kite factory |
B.Kite-flying lessons. |
C.Special competitions. |
D.The kite-making Process. |
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out.” Mark said, “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
“It was a strange-looking machine –one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1: …
VOYAGER 2: …”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED(自动回收程序已启动).”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow (光芒), until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?
A.He wanted to take a voyage. |
B.He wanted to practice his skill |
C.He was so much attracted by it. |
D.He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boy’s father most likely work?
A.In an electronic factory. |
B.In a computer company. |
C.In a scientific research center. |
D.In an information processing center. |
Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of .
A.a computer game | B.a company website |
C.a software producer | D.an astronomy program |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
A.He was afraid of being scolded. |
B.He didn’t like the loud noise and light. |
C.He didn’t want to play games any more. |
D.He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
A.They were blown into the air. |
B.They were sent to another planet. |
C.They were hidden in the strong light. |
D.They were carried away to another country |