It is six o’clock in the morning. You are asleep in my left arm and I am learning the art of one-handed typing. Your mother, more tired yet more happy than I’ve ever known her, is sound asleep in the room next door.
When you’re older we’ll tell you that you were born in Hong Kong in the lunar year of the pig. “It's a boy, so lucky,” our neighbours told us. They said you were the first baby to be born in the block this year. This, they told us, was good Feng Shui, in other words, a positive sign. Naturally your mother and I were only too happy to believe that.
Your coming has turned me upside down and inside out. I am pained by the memory of each suffering child I have come across on my journeys as a journalist. To tell you the truth, it’s nearly too much for me to even think of the children being hurt and abused and killed.
Last October, in Afghanistan, when you were growing inside your mother, I met Sharja, aged twelve, motherless, fatherless, guiding me through the grey ruins of her home. Everything was gone, she told me.
There is another memory of Rwanda, and the churchyard where I found a mother and her three young children huddled(蜷缩) together where they’d been beaten to death. The children had died holding on to their mother.
Daniel, these memories explain some of the protectiveness I feel for you, and the occasional moments of blind terror when I imagine anything bad happening to you. We can see that this text is written to ________.
| A．the author’s wife | B．the author’s neighbour |
| C．Daniel | D．a suffering child |
The author mentions some of his painful memories because ________.
| A．he wants his son to care for others |
| B．he feels more pain thinking about them as a father |
| C．he hopes to forget the tragedies he witnessed |
| D．his experience has affected his mental health |
The underlined word “blind” in the last paragraph means ________.
| A．unable to see | B．meaningful |
| C．not clear | D．not based on reason |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s feeling when typing this text?
| A．Relieved. | B．Regretful. | C．Loving. | D．Calm. |
All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything. In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine（涡轮机）, which supplies 5% of the store’s electricity. It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant.
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods. It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing. “One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees,” says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott．“If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference.”
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too. He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions（排放）over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient. He wants Wal-Mart’s fleet of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015. Factories that show Wal-Mart they’re cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it’s working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so.
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart’s controversial labor and health-insurance practices. But it’s not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits ingoing green. Scott says, “This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy. We don’t go where we don’t think there’s a great interest in change.”
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart’s image at a time when his company’s reputation is declining. He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield （保护）Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming. “By doing what we’re doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything,” he says. “At some point businesses will be held responsible for the action they take.” Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed in shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit. We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．Lee Scott is Wal-Mart’s CEO |
| B．there are 5, 200 stores in the world |
| C．Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market |
| D．Wal-Mart has more than 7, 000 trucks all over the world |
What will Wal-Mart probably do in the future?
| A．Reduce air pollution in its present stores. |
| B．Give favorable treatment to its consumers. |
| C．Ask the factories to reduce their packaging. |
| D．Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Provide the background of the green plan. |
| B．Stress the purpose of Wal-Mart’s green plan. |
| C．Present the risk that Wal-Mart is facing nowadays. |
| D．Analyze the similarity between Bill Gates and Scott. |
Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord．She did it her way．
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly．Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven．I hated going there every weekend．There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception．
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables．The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat．We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me．
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen．I sang the melody and Mom harmonized．Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over．Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk．She loved to tell how my playpen（婴儿圈栏）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower"．
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit every week or two．The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad．Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm．While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home．But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced．
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio．Music always comforted me．
My heart skipped a beat．"Moon River" was playing on the radio．I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note．
Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on．"Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began．I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves．"Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower．．．．"The writer didn’t like staying on the farm for the following reasons Except that ________．
| A．it was too cold and quiet |
| B．she could only sing one song on the small farm |
| C．there was nothing more that could make her excited |
| D．The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________．
| A．passed away four years ago | B．left the small farm with Lord |
| C．left for Lord to live her own way | D．preferred to be with Lord |
The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________．
| A．recalled | B．comforted | C．shouted | D．sighed |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______．
| A．The writer was able to sing before she could speak． |
| B．The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city． |
| C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower"． |
| D．The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse． |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______
| A．Cherish life | B．My happy childhood |
| C．Our small farmhouse | D．Mom’s music |
Tourism probably started in Roman times．Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire．But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped．
In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born．Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）．They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice（威尼斯）in Italy．Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city．The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich．
In the 18th century, tourism began to change．For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”．They believed that the water there was good for their health．So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns．
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster．When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea．And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier．
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built．People began to travel more to far-away countries．
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people．Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them．
Thus tourism grew．In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays．The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home．The package tour and modern tourist industry was born．
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949．But tourism did not take off until 1978．In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China’s social development．In the early times, the travelers __________．
| A．all came from Roman |
| B．had lots of money |
| C．were very young and strong |
| D．traveled by boat |
Which of the following is true？
| A．The young men learned little from Grand Tour． |
| B．Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century． |
| C．More people chose planes for its cheap price． |
| D．In 2002, tourism became a significant part of China’s social development． |
_________played the most important role in the tourism development．
| A．Education | B．Transportation | C．Money | D．People’s ideas |
Modern tourism was born ___________．
| A．in 1978 | B．in Roman times | C．in the early 17th century | D．in 1949 |
Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?
| A．He was worried he would lose the match. |
| B．He thought it was unfair for Charlie. |
| C．He didn’t care about money. |
| D．He preferred chicken to money. |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf |
| B．Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf |
| C．Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play |
| D．Charlie Boswell was born blind |
Which of the following can best describe Charlie?
| A．Competitive and generous | B．Energetic and reliable |
| C．Careful and considerate | D．Confident and smart |
Below is a discussion on a website.
| http://www.TalkingPoints.com/ |
|
| Stuck on a desert island? |
|
| Started on 23rd April by Steve Posts 1 – 7 of 42 |
|
| Post 1 Steve USA |
Hi, everyone. What would you miss most and least if you were stuck on a desert island? For me, it would be the changing seasons in New England. I guess this will sound stupid but I’d probably miss the rain, too. I wouldn’t miss getting up at six every day to go to work, though! What about you? |
| Post 2 Tomas Germany |
Good question. Steve, I think I’d miss different types of bread, and shopping at the supermarket. I’d miss the food most. What would I miss least? My mobile phone. I’d like to be completely quiet, at least for a little while. |
| Post 3 Paola Italy |
I would miss the company of people because I know I’d like to have someone to share experiences with. I’d go mad on my own. And I surely wouldn’t miss junk mails(垃圾邮件). I hate coming home every evening with a pile of junk mails in my post box. |
| Post 4 Miko Japan |
Hi, I would miss Manga cartoon, the internet and Japanese food, like sushi. I’d also miss TV shows and shopping for clothes… In fact, I’d miss everything. |
| Post 5 Roger UK |
I would miss my daily newspaper and listening to the news on TV and radio. I’d feel very cut off if I didn’t know what was happening in the world. What I’d miss least would be traffic jams in the city, particularly my journey to work. |
| Post 6 Jayne |
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned their family? I’d be lost without my husband and two kids. They’re the most important for me. And I can’t get started in the morning without a cup of black coffee. I wouldn’t miss doing the housework! |
| Post 7 Jaime Mexico |
It would have to be music. I couldn’t live without my music. I wouldn’t miss going to school at all or doing homework! |
Who would miss his or her family most?
| A．Jaime | B．Jayne | C．Miko | D．Paola. |
Which of the following people would feel most uncomfortable without the news media?
| A．Steve. | B．Jaime | C．Roger. | D．Tomas |
How many of them mentioned that they would miss food or drink?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |