Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips.
The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and ducks. In the autumn, they come home for the winter. Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to the ice.
One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River. Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, “There is a goose out
there.”
We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very iii, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice.
Then from the dark sky, she saw a line of swans. They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life it still had might be pecked（啄）out by those great swan beaks.
Instead, those beaks began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. It went on for a long time. At last, the goose’s head lifted. Its body pulled. Then the goose was free and standing on the ice. And the swans stood in the air watching. Then, as if it had cried, “I cannot fly,” four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice and held in the feathers. Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they could go, and moved slowly into the sky.
This is a true story. I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question:“ If so for birds, why not for man?”What happened to the Canada goose?
| A．It was deserted by other geese. | B．It was stuck in the ice. |
| C．It was wounded and couldn’t fly. | D．It was lost in the water. |
At first the author’s friend was worried that ________.
| A．the swans would not help the Canada goose |
| B．the swans would have the same fate with the Canada goose |
| C．the Canada goose wouldn’t identify with the swans |
| D．the swans would peck the Canada goose to death |
What did the swans do when they saw the Canada goose couldn’t fly?
| A．They chipped off the ice held in its feathers. |
| B．They waited patiently for the ice held in its feathers to melt. |
| C．They came down and lifted it up to the sky together. |
| D．They stayed with it and protected it. |
What would probably happen to the
author’s friend in the end?
| A．She stood there, watching attentively, still feeling a bit worried. |
| B．She was on her feet, laughing at the swans and the Canada goose. |
| C．She was embarrassed and went on with her breakfast silently. |
| D．She stood there quietly, not realizing tears had come down her cheeks. |
While I was in my 4th month of pregnancy (妊娠期) with my second child, we were preparing for a trip to Louisiana, where Marshall’s family live, to celebrate Jane’s 2nd birthday. Two days before we were to leave, we got the shocking news that I was going to lose the baby. Not knowing when this would happen, we decided to continue with our trip.
Since Marshall’s family lives on a 600-acre cattle farm, you often find that you have a lot of time to yourself to think when you are there. That is precisely what I did not want to do at this time. I told Marshall that I needed to get a good book to get lost in while I was there. I told him I heard the Harry Potter books were good, so he went out and got the first one for me.
During that trip, I totally got lost in the book, which was of great help during a time when I needed a distraction to forget about the sadness. In the book, I noticed the name “Seamus”. I vaguely remembered it was pronounced “Shamus” and I liked the sound of that. I mentioned it to Marshall and he liked it too. Toward the end of the trip, I had just 5 chapters left and I knew I was about to finish the first book, which I was pretty excited about.
Soon after we put Jane down to bed, I had started labor (分娩), so I was unable to read. The labor lasted 5 and 1/2 hours, but Marshall stayed there with me, sitting beside me and reading aloud the last 5 chapters of Harry Potter. I can never fully explain how much that helped me through the experience. And ever since then, Marshall and I both have been fans of the Harry Potter books. We remember how they helped us get through that time of our lives.
We were sad to have lost the baby, but the name Seamus started our journey toward adoption. And we gave this name to our adopted son. Though our Seamus doesn’t have a drop of Irish blood in him, the name fits him perfectly.Why did the writer want a good book during the trip?
| A．Because the trip to Louisiana would take a long time. |
| B．Because she didn’t want to think of losing her baby. |
| C．Because she had nothing else to do except reading. |
| D．Because a good book could help her enjoy her trip. |
According to the story, we can know that the Harry Potter books _________________.
| A．made the family’s trip more exciting | B．include five books all together |
| C．have someone called Seamus in them | D．can help people deal with their problems |
The writer named her son Seamus because ___________________.
| A．she wanted to keep her trip in memory | B．she loved this name very much |
| C．her son doesn’t have Irish blood | D．it is a perfect name for a boy |
Which of the following is TRUE about the couple?
| A．They planned their trip after getting the shocking news. |
| B．They thought the cattle farm was too large to do anything on. |
| C．They felt excited when they almost finished the trip. |
| D．They liked reading Harry Porter very much after the trip. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Funny Stories Of My Family | B．Seamus And Harry Potter |
| C．How We Got To Louisiana | D．How My Son Got His Name |
One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes , which fled the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in . But now that the environment is cleaner , the foxes have come home , one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world .
Several changes have brought wild animals to the concrete jungles . First of all , air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s’ pollution control efforts . meanwhile , rural areas have been built up , leaving many animals on the edges of suburban areas . In addition , conservationists have created urban wildlife shelters .
“ The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing , ” says Gomez Jones . One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons now lives in Washington , D.C. , and moose are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns . Peregrine falcons（猎鹰）dive from the window edges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to hunt for pigeons .
For peregrine falcons , cities are actually safer than rural areas . By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT , a widely used poison to kill insects , had made their eggs too thin to support life . That year , Tom Cade began raising the birds for release in cities , for cities afforded abundant food in the form of pigeons and contained none of the peregrines’ natural enemies .
“ Before they died out , some migrated to cities on their own because they had run out of natural habitats , ” Cade says . “ To peregrines , buildings are just like natural habitats . ” He has released about 30 birds since 1975 in New York , Baltimore , Philadelphia and Norfolk , and of the 20 pairs now living in the East , half are originally born in the city . “ A few of the young ones have gotten into trouble by falling down chimneys and crashing into window glass , but overall their adjustment has been successful . ”. The first paragraph suggests that __________ .
| A．environment is vital for wildlife |
| B．tour books are not a reliable source of information |
| C．London is a city of fox |
| D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment |
. The passage is mainly concerned with __________ .
| A．wildlife of all kinds returning to large cities to live |
| B．falcons in New York , Baltimore , Philadelphia , and Norfolk |
| C．moose running into glass doors of stores |
| D．foxes returning to London |
. The following statements about peregrine falcons are true EXCEPT __________ .
| A．They died out east of he Mississippi because of the side effect of DDT |
| B．They tend to jump down from a height to hunt for food |
| C．They like running into glass windows or chimneys |
| D．Most of them have got used to living in the concrete jungle |
. The second paragraph is trying to tell us __________ .
| A．that air and water quality has improved in the cities |
| B．why wildlife likes the noise and activities in the cities |
| C．that wildife refuges have been built in the cities |
| D．why wildlife is returning to cities |
After killing Osama Bin Laden and dropping his body into the ocean to avoid causing more hatred fro, the Muslims , the American government recently released a video of Osama Bin Laden living in his safe house watching TV , which has been viewed millions of times . The following are comments made by viewers .
A.Yeah , Osama got what he deserved , Iraq got what they deserved , and Afghanistan got what they deserved . Saddam got what he deserved , Hitler got what he deserved . The list goes on & on .
B.I hate saying this but is believe America deserved 9/11 … They have screwed up so many governments ….
C.I’m American and I and my brother suspected the whole story about dropping him into the ocean . We feel if they really killed him they would keep his body for proof .
D.All you Islamic haters are ignorant fools . The terrorists don’t have anything to do with the religion . They say they are part of the Islamic Religion but they are not . Nuking ( kill somebody with nuclear bombs ) Pakistan will do nothing by the way .
E.Please give me the 2 minutes of my life back that I watched your pointless and fake video .
F.Man ? Why is this video fake ? Rather than shouting about how it’s obviously not Osama , why not provide the arguments for it instead of coming off as if you simply want to deny it for the sake of denial .
G.What a load of nonsense , an insult to any intelligent person , Bin Laden dead for ages … watch Benazir Bhutto say so on YouTube a week before she herself was murdered . The Muslims murdered her for being an American spy !
H.I honestly don’t know what to believe , but … why did the terrorists confirm his death if it didn’t happen .. What can we learn from G ?
| A．Benazir Bhutto was murdered because she was working for Bin Laden . |
| B．Benazir Bhutto has been dead for a week since her murder . |
| C．Benazir Bhutto was killed because she collected information for American government . |
| D．Benazir Bhutto was a very intelligent woman working for You Tube . |
. Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Osama , Saddam , Hitler all come from the same country and are all dead . |
| B．B thinks America is to blame for so many terrorist attacks in the world . |
| C．C believes Bin Laden’s body is lying deep down in the ocean . |
| D．D thinks the Islamic people should be killed in other ways instead of by nuclear bombs . |
. What does G refer to by “ insult ” ?
| A．encouragement | B．disrespect | C．disadvantage | D．injury |
. It can be concluded from this passage that __________ .
| A．Some people have some problems believing in the American government |
| B．Bin Laden had been dead for quite a long time before his body was found |
| C．F thinks people have the habit of calling things fake because they have found the facts |
| D．Bin Laden’s death is still a mystery because the terrorists have denied it |
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 . |
Traditional surgical procedures require surgeons to make large incisions（切口）in a patient’s body in order to gain access to the organs inside . It was once common for heart surgeons , who perform highly specialized and complex procedures , to make long incisions in a patient’s chest and then split the breastbone to reach the heart . Patients who undergo surgery are often at the risk of infection , as bacteria can infect the cut in the skin . In addition , there is often a lengthy recovery period .
A surgical technique known as “ keyhole surgery ” has become common in recent years . In general , the surgeon will make a couple of small incisions around the area where the operation is going to be performed . Tubes are pushed into the holes , and a tiny camera is put into the body . The camera is attached to a large monitor screen and the doctor can see it while performing the operation . In addition to the camera , doctors also push their tiny surgical instruments through the tubes . The awkward part of keyhole surgery is that it is counterintuitive ; that is to say , if a surgeon wants to move the tool to the left , he or she must push it to the right .
Another new machine called the “ Da Vinci Surgical System ” has been tested in hospitals in the US. Unlike keyhole surgery , this robot’s moving parts are designed to copy man’s hand and wrist movement , thus providing better control and sensitivity . Sitting at a console（控制台）a few feet from the patient , the surgeon can control the instruments by moving highly sensitive pads . The area of the body is enlarged on a screen , which gives surgeons a view similar to that of a traditional surgical procedure .
The Da Vinci Surgical System has been welcomed as revolutionary by many surgeons . Patients with serious illness must undergo major surgery , but the smaller incisions typically mean a shorter recovery time . On the downside , some operations have taken up to fifty minutes longer because surgeons are inexperienced at using the new technology . As surgeons become more familiar with the machines , the time needed for surgical procedures is likely to decrease .. What can be learned about the traditional surgery according to the passage ?
| A．Long incisions are made in a patient’s chest |
| B．It often takes a longer time to do an operation |
| C．The cost of the traditional surgery is very high |
| D．The incision is likely to be infected after the operation . |
. Which of the following is one disadvantage of keyhole surgery ?
| A．It requires the use of long , thin tools and a tiny camera |
| B．The doctors can not view the inside of the patients body clearly |
| C．The direction in which a doctor moves the surgical tools is opposite |
| D．A tiny camera has to be inserted into the patient’s body in advance |
. The Da Vinci Surgical System differs from keyhole surgery in that it __________ .
| A．requires that a surgeon make more small incisions on a patient |
| B．reduces the amount of time it takes to perform a surgical procedure |
| C．allows the surgeon to use the surgical instruments more sensitively |
| D．get rid of the need for surgeons to make Large incisions on patients |
. The passage mainly tells readers about __________ .
| A．the challenges brought about by new technology |
| B．the application of new technologies in modern surgery |
| C．the reflections on the development in medical science |
| D．the benefits and drawbacks of the Da Vinci Surgical System |