When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety…But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm．These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-Kilometer- an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up．
“Storm chasing (追逐)”is becoming an increasingly popular hobby，especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July．A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to l,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop．
Although anyone can do it，storm chasing is extremely dangerous．The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds．Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain．If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm - chasing vacations during the storm season．
Even then，storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement．“Storm chasing is 95％driving，”says Daniel Lynch，who spends most of his summer storm-chasing．“Sometimes you
Can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen，and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
However，for storm chasers，it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm，it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life，”says Jasper Morley．“Every storm is an example of the power of nature．It is the greatest show on Earth．”For storm chasing，the first thing storm chasers do is to ．
| A．head straight for the center of the storm |
| B．get into the car for safety |
| C．wait patiently for the storm to develop |
| D．collect information about a coming storm |
Beginners of storm chasing are advised
| A．not to drive in a heavy rain | B．to do it in an organized way |
C．not to get too close to a storm | D．to spend more time on it in summer |
By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph，the author means that
| A．storm chasing costs a lot of money |
| B．storm chasing is worth hours of waiting |
| C．storm chasing is worth hours of waiting |
| D．a storm presents the greatest show on Earth |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment． |
| B．Many storm chasers get killed in the storms． |
| C．Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world． |
| D．Storm chasing is only fit for young people |
A man and his wife were very poor. They kept hoping for new clothes and good food. The man enjoyed eating, and he especially liked cakes. One night an old woman came to their house and told them she would let them have three wishes. They could wish for anything they wanted.
The man had just finished eating a piece of bread for his dinner, but he was still hungry. He said, “I wish I had a big cake!”
Suddenly a cake appeared on his plate.
“You fool!” His wife cried. “You could have wished for a house full of wonderful food, but you wished for a cake. I wish that cake was on the end of your foolish nose! ”
Immediately the cake stuck to the end of his nose.
Then the man and his wife started blaming each other. “It’s your fault!” she man cried. “No, it’s your fault!” she answered. What could they do? The cake was still stuck to the husband’s nose.
“Oh!” the wife cried. “I wish none of this had ever happened!”
Immediately the cake was gone, and the man was saying, “I’m still hungry. How I wish I had some cakes! ”
But of course nothing happened.The man quarreled with his wife because ___.
| A．he always enjoyed eating |
| B．his wife hoped that he asked for a house |
| C．the cake stuck to the end of his nose according to his wife’s wish. |
| D．he didn’t want anything except cakes |
The wrong statement of the following is ___.
| A．the man made his wishes before dinner |
| B．the wife made two wishes, which worked |
| C．the wife wanted her husband to wish for more than a big cake |
| D．the man wished that the cake were not on his nose |
Why did the old woman not satisfy the man’s wish when he said he was still hungry and wanted some cakes?
| A．Because the old lady was angry with them |
| B．Because this was the fourth wish. |
| C．Because the man had made this wish before. |
| D．Because the cake had been gone. |
| HORSE RACING YEAR ROUND 3pm, every Sunday City Stadium No children allowed |
100 YEARS OF PICTURES THEN AND NOW(Photo Show) February 1~April 30 City Art Museum at 750 High Street 10 am~5pm, Tuesday to Sunday |
| WEEKEND SALES 2pm~6pm, this Sunday EVERYTHING 20%~50% OFF Visit us at Block G, Grandview Mall |
DANCE PARTY Celebrate an important day Brings your friends 7 pm~10pm, Sunday night Country Club ￥10, an adult; ￥2, a child |
Jane can go to to celebrate her birthday with her friends.
| A．City Stadium | B．Country Club |
| C．Grandview Mall | D．City Art Museum |
All people can be allowed to watch the horse races except .
| A．adults | B．women |
| C．children | D．old men |
When will you not be able to see the photo show?
| A．March 8th | B．April 10th |
| C．February 1st | D．May 1st |
What can you do if you only have time between 5 pm to 6 pm on Sunday?
| A．Go to the weekend sales. |
| B．Go to see the photo show. |
| C．Go to the dance party. |
| D．Go to watch the horse racing. |
How much will Mr. Smith pay if he takes his two daughters to the dance party?
| A．￥12 | B．￥14 | C．￥30 | D．￥6 |
About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as a practice student at my University’s Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register (收银机) in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of set on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and main body. She was wearing a little white dress with red dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen.
All of a sudden her handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly(即刻) gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world: a world of smiles, love and warmth.
That was ten years ago. I’m a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable (非凡的) lesson about life that she taught me.Which of the following is TRUE about the writer?
| A．He is a success in his business. |
| B．He was good at natural history at university. |
| C．He ran a gift shop in the university. |
| D．He graduated from Natural History University. |
At a second sight, the writer found the little girl .
| A．was badly injured |
| B．was unable to move |
| C．was only able to smile |
| D．was tied on the wheelchair |
The underlined word “handicap” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
| A．sitting on a wheel chair |
| B．the troubles of the world |
| C．being unable to use parts of the body |
| D．the ability to teach lessons about life |
In the writer’s opinion, the little girl was not disabled at all because .
| A．she gave him an important lesson |
| B．she had the cutest and biggest smile |
| C．she had a healthier heart than many other people |
| D．she offered him the courage in business |
Which of the following can be the best title for this text?
| A．A World of Smiles |
| B．The Smile of a Girl |
| C．A Badly Disabled Girl |
| D．The Secret of a Businessman |
Eighteen-year-old Dana Kiger is happily running after balls on the soccer field. But not long ago, she couldn’t remember her love of the game, her parents’ faces or even her name.
At 16, the Tennessee honor student and star athlete was hit from behind while playing in a soccer game. She fell to the ground, her head striking the hard ground. The blow knocked out nearly all of Kiger’s memories.
With no physical(身体的) injury or unusual change in her brain, doctors thought Kiger’s memory would return in a few days. But it did not. And two and a half years later, it still hasn’t. Kiger—who has no memory of her family, her childhood or her life before her injury—has had to create new memories, restart relationships and relearn old skills.
“The only thing I had …I could walk, write, but I didn’t know what to write,” Kiger said of the days after the accident. “Physically, I was OK, I guess, but mentally(精神上) I was troubled.” Doctors say long-term amnesia(健忘症) brought on by a less severe brain injury like Kiger’s is unusual. “It’s very rare for people to have this lasting problem with memory recovering,” said Dr Roger Hartl at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Kiger’s parents tried to help their daughter return to the life she once lived. “She didn’t know what food was,” Kiger’s mom said. “She said, ‘What is that?’ I said, ‘Lettuce.” She said, ‘Do I like it?’ I said, ‘That’s up to you to decide.’”
Kiger’s natural ability on the soccer field was the one part of her earlier life that died immediately. And soon, she’ll begin a new life at Slippery Rock University, where she plans to study physical therapy(治疗). Kiger said that while parts of her past still remain a mystery, she’s focused(集中于) on what’s to come. “It is about my future,” she said.What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Parents Worried about Child’s Injury |
| B．Soccer Injury Wipeed Out Teen’s Memory |
| C．Teen Suffered from Bad Memory |
| D．Doctors Helped Teen Recreate Memories |
The second paragraph is mainly written to .
| A．show Kiger was an excellent athlete |
| B．introduce Kiger’s school performance |
| C．remind students of being careful in sports |
| D．explain the cause of Kiger’s losing memory |
According to the doctors, the case of Kiger is .
| A．natural | B．frightening |
| C．surprising | D．common |
From the dialogue between Kiger and her mother, we can infer that .
| A．life was new to Kiger |
| B．her family were united |
| C．her mother was positive |
| D．Kiger liked eating lettuce |
According to the text, which of the following is TRUE of Kiger?
| A．Now she appears on the soccer field again. |
| B．She has recovered from her physical injury. |
| C．At age 16, she began showing interest in soccer. |
| D．She will explore her past memories in college. |
In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by “small talk”. Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather. “Nice day, isn’t it?” “Terrible weather, isn’t it?”. But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion(宗教)or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: “A great game, isn’t it?” At bus-stops, people may talk about the transport system(体制): “The bus service is terrible, isn’t it?”
Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.Small talk is .
| A．what people disagree about a topic |
| B．a kind of talk show using short words |
| C．a greeting when people meet each other |
| D．what we talk about to start a conversation |
Which of the following is a good topic for small talk?
| A．Politics. | B．Income. |
| C．Weather. | D．Religion. |
The passage suggests that when we learn a language, .
| A．we should understand the importance of the language |
| B．it’s necessary to learn about the culture of the country |
| C．we should learn about the transport system of the country |
| D．it’s enough to grasp the grammar and vocabulary of the language |
When we say “A great game, isn’t it?” we in fact .
| A．ask a question | B．discuss the game |
| C．greet the other person | D．begin a small talk |
It can be learned from the passage that .
| A．it’s important to find a suitable small talk subject |
| B．small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation |
| C．in English-speaking countries we should talk about the weather |
| D．agreeing with each other is the key to a successful conversation |