When I stepped out the plane from Miami into Charlotte, North Carolina, airport for a connecting flight home, I immediately knew something was wrong. Lots of desperate people crowded the terminal. I quickly learned that flights headed to the Northeast were called off because of a storm. The earliest they could get us out of Charlotte was Tuesday. It was Friday. A gate agent stood on the counter and shouted, “Don’t ask us for help! We cannot help you!”
I joined a crowd that ran from terminal to terminal in search of a flight out. Eventually, I found six strangers willing to rent a van with me. We drove through the night to Washington, where I took a train the rest of the way to Providence.
The real problem, of course, is that incidents like this happen every day, to everyone who flies, more and more often. It really gets to me, though, because for eight years I was on the other side, as a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines (TWA).
I know the days are gone when attendants could be written up if we did not put the lines napkins with the TWA logo in the lower right-hand corner of the first-class diners’ trays. As are the days when there were three dinner options on flights from Boston to Los Angeles in economy class. When, once, stuck on a tarmac（机场停机坪）in Newark for four hours, a planeload of passengers got McDonald’s hamburgers and fries by thoughtfulness of the airline. I have experienced the decline of service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe everything will change little by little, because I remember the days when to fly was to soar (翱翔). The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated. And I think the days are sure to come back one day in the near future. Many people crowded the terminal because _______.
| A．they were ready to board on the planes |
| B．something was wrong with the terminal |
| C．the flights to the Northeast were canceled |
| D．the gate agent wouldn’t help the passengers |
How did the writer get to Providence at last?___
| A．by air | B．by van |
| C．by train | D．by underground |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?______
| A．Incidents happened to those who fly quite often. |
| B．The writer used to be a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines. |
| C．Even a small mistake might cause complaints from passengers in the past. |
| D．McDonald’s hamburgers and fries were among regular dinner options. |
What can be implied from the passage?____
| A．The writer lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| B．The writer thought the service was not as good as it used to be. |
| C．The writer with other passengers waited to be picked up patiently. |
| D．Passengers would feel proud of how they were treated on the plane. |
Cut off from society
You're on your way to school as usual when suddenly an invisible barrier appears out of nowhere, trapping you underneath it and isolating you from the outside world. What do you do?
This is the scary experience the residents of a fictional town called Chester’s Mill are going through in the US TV series Under the Dome. Based on famous US author Stephen King’s 2009 best-selling novel, the show has become “the highest-rated summer show in 21 years” since debuting (首播) on June 24, reported the New York Post.
The series begins with the dome (穹顶) making its alarming appearance. As the earth trembles and birds take off, an enormous, invisible barrier slices down, cutting the town off from the rest of the world.
The residents quickly realize they are trapped, probably for quite some time. Families are separated, emergency services are unreachable and water, food and fuel are strictly limited.
There is no way out or in. But who or what is responsible? Nobody knows. Thus, the residents are at the mercy of unknown forces and their internal conflicts.
While it provides an enjoyable TV thrill ride, the movie’s science fiction is closely linked with reality.
“Not only is it worrying, suspenseful (悬疑的) and full of splendid special effects, but it has big thoughts about environmentalism and the future of the commented The Denver Post planet,”
As King himself explained to The Telegraph: “The dome is a microcosm (微观世界) of life. We all live under the dome. We live on this little blue planet and so far as we know that’s all we’ve got,” he said. “The resources that we’ve got are the resources that we’ve got; they’re limited.”
But the show explores many themes in addition to environmental destruction. It also shows “how quickly the social order we take for granted can disappear when people are isolated and afraid”, said the Los Angeles Times.
It is “a science-fiction social study”, said The Washington Post. “Once the people of Chester’s Mill realize they are indefinitely trapped without means of food supply, outside communication and power, their polite sense of small-town, American civilization begins to fall apart.” The underlined word “isolating” in the first paragraph probably means _______.
| A．separating | B．protecting |
| C．discouraging | D．distinguishing |
In the TV series Under the Dome, _______.
A．the dome, which appears out of nowhere, doesn’t have huge effects on the residents’ lives
B．it takes a long time for residents to realize they are trapped by the invisible dome
C．because of the dome, the residents in the small town become more united and helpful D．not knowing what has D．happened, the residents feel helpless against unknown forcesWhy is the TV series closely linked with reality according to the article?
| A．Because it is suspenseful and uses splendid special effects to reflect modern life. |
| B．Because it gets us to think about the future of the earth and the importance of environmental protection. |
| C．Because it attaches great importance to following the social order even in frightening situations. |
| D．Because the residents in the TV series live almost the same life as ordinary Americans do. |
British Broadcasting Corporation(the BBC) was founded in 1922, including radio and television services. It is based at Broadcasting House in London.
The BBC is controlled by some governors chosen by the government, but these people have complete freedom and government can’t interfere. That is, the BBC is not the mouthpiece (喉舌) of the government. It has to be as fair as possible in giving radio and television time to, for example, political parties and religious groups.
There is a kind of interesting services in Britain- rental (租借) services. Many people prefer to rent their television sets instead of buying them. The rent for a black and white set is about 80 pence a week. The rent of a color set is more than twice that of a black and white set. If the sets go wrong, people can have them repaired free of charge or replace immediately.
Everyone who owns or rents a television set has to pay a yearly licence, there is no advertising on BBC radio or television. It is from the sale of licence that the BBC gets most of its money. A licence for a black and white set costs 8 pounds, and for a color set 18 pounds a year.
There are four specialized radio channels, which broadcast different kinds of programmes. Radio I is mainly pop music. Radio 2 deals with light music, sports and other programmes. Radio 3 broadcasts serious music, talks on serious subjects etc. News broadcasts are mainly given by Radio 4.
There are special programmes for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and certain parts of England. It also broadcasts programmes about Britain - in many different languages as well as in English to all parts of the world.The BBC Broadcasting House lies in ______.
| A．Scotland | B．England | C．Wales | D．Northern Ireland |
How much should you pay if you rent a color TV set and use it for a year?
| A．More than 100 pounds | B．About 37 pounds |
| C．About 83 pounds | D．18 pounds |
The BBC gets most of its money ______.
| A．from the government | B．from rental services |
| C．by selling licences | D．by advertising |
Which of the following is true?
| A．You can listen to classical music from Radio 1. |
| B．If you rent a TV set and there is something wrong with it, you should fix it with your own money. |
| C．The BBC special programmes are not only for different areas in its own country but also for foreign countries. |
| D．The BBC broadcasts to foreign countries only in English |
Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside other traditional subjects such as math and languages.
The class sit in a circle with their eyes shut and they count from one to ten: someone starts, the next voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side.
The aim of the game is to listen for an opportunity to shout out the number without clashing (冲突) with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try, most of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in, but by the fifth time round, they develop a rhythm. The message: give other people space but also confidently claim your own. This is a requirement for social well-being.
The Willy Hellpach School in Heidelberg is the first in the nation to develop a happiness course. It is intended for students preparing for university entrance exams.
"The course isn't there to make you happy," Ernst Fritz -Schubert, the school principal, warned pupils, "but rather to help you discover the ways to become happy."
Cooking a meal together is one of the class exercises. Improving body language under the guidance of two professional actresses is another.
The course is taught for three periods a week. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter.
"In the first period, we had to each say something positive about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people." said Fanny, 17.
Research by the school shows it is not the first to start happiness classes: they also exist at some U. S. universities, mainly based on positive thinking, using findings from studies of depression.What's the writing purpose of this passage?
| A．To help students struggle against being sad. |
| B．To describe all the traditional courses. |
| C．To arouse the readers' interest in happiness. |
| D．To introduce the happiness course. |
The game intended for the students in the 2nd paragraph is mainly to _________.
| A．try their best to get opportunities for themselves |
| B．practice how to speak in front of people |
| C．equip them with required social skills |
| D．confidently speak out one's opinions |
According to the passage, the happiness course is _________.
| A．to help students discover the ways to happiness |
| B．to make all the students happy all the time |
| C．required to be taken by the first year students |
| D．created by the Willy Hellpach School |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．the students can certainly become happy after the course |
| B．the students just took the course as a laughing matter |
| C．the students' self'-respect can also improve happiness |
| D．the students waste time learning something without value |
Mary Brown from East county in Scotland, she had the accident that had scarred（留下创伤） her for life when she was only one and a half years old. The curious child reached up to grab the wire of a hot kettle in the family kitchen and poured boiling water over her tiny infant frame.
Her mother Ruby turned round and, seeing Mary horribly burnt, called an ambulance which rushed her daughter to a nearby hospital. Twenty percent of Mary’s body had been burned and all of her burns were third-degree. There, using tissue taken from unburned areas of Mary’s body, doctors performed complex skin transplants to close her wounds and control her injuries, an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Mary underwent 12 more operations to repair her body.
When she started school at Maxwelton Primary at age 4, other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn’t play with her. “I was the only burned child in the street, the class and the school,” she recalled, “some children refused to become friends because of that.”
Today, aged 17, Mary can only ever remember being a burned person with scars; pain is a permanent part of her body. She still has to have two further skin transplants. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burns victims.
She is a member of the Scottish Burned Children’s Club, a charity set up last year. This month, Mary will be joining the younger children at the Graffham Water Center in Cambridgeshire for the charity’s first summer camp. “I’ll show them how to get rid of unkind stares from others,” she says. Mary loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops, and she plans to show the youngsters at the summer camp that they can too. “I do not go to great lengths to hide my burns scars,” she says, “I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago.”What did other children do when Mary first went to school?
| A．They were friendly to her. |
| B．They showed sympathy to her. |
| C．They looked down upon her. |
| D．They were afraid of her. |
Which of the following words can’t properly describe Mary?
| A．Courageous | B．sensitive | C．Confident | D．Outgoing |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A seriously burned angel of Hope |
| B．Ways to Get Rid of Unkind Stares |
| C．Permanent Scars And Pain For a Girl |
| D．A Seriously Burned Girl Survives |
（届安徽省安庆市高三第二次模拟考试英语试卷）
Pilling a cat can be a 'terrible” experience. Cats don’t want something pushed down their throats, and they’ll fight with all their strength to prevent it. In fact, it’s amazing how powerful their small bodies can be.
The easiest way of pilling a cat is to press the pill into powder. Then mix the powder with a small amount of wet food. If your cat usually eats dry food, she will probably view the wet food as a treat and eat it up.
If your cat won’t eat the wet food that contains the pill or if she is too ill to eat, you can get a “pill gun”. There are some basic instructions. Getting your cat’s mouth to open is going to be the most difficult part. First, be sure the pill is in a handy place. Then you can put your cat on a bookshelf with her bottom in a corner or you can put her on your lap firmly tied. Have your cat facing to the right if you’re right-handed. With your left hand, hold your cat at the cheekbones, putting your palm (手掌) at the top of her head. Keeping your finger off the trigger (扳机), with your right hand, Insert the pill gun until the pill is positioned over the tongue and open throat Be sure to give your cat a treat directly after giving the pill.
If you don’t feel comfortable using a pill gun, you can try giving the pill by hand. Push your cat’s head backwards just far enough so that her nose is pointing towards the ceiling. At this point, most cats will slightly open their mouths. With the little finger or ring finger of the hand holding the pill, open the bottom jaw a little more. You may need to hold her top jaw with your other hand while doing this. Aim straight and lightly throw the pill or drop it. Most cats will then swallow the pill.Pilling a cat can be a terrible experience because cats ______.
| A．are amazingly powerful and dangerous |
| B．may fight with all their strength against pills |
| C．refuse something pressed down their throats |
| D．are difficult to treat once they’ve got ill |
Which of the following statements is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．Wet food with medicine is usually a treat to cats. |
| B．Cats used to dry food must reject wet food. |
| C．The easiest pilling is to press the pill into powder. |
| D．Cats arc most likely interested in something new. |
Using a “pill gun”, you had better hold your cat ______ if you’re left-handed.
| A．facing to the right | B．with your right hand |
| C．at the head | D．on your lap firmly |
A cat probably opens its mouth naturally when ______.
| A．its nose is straight upwards |
| B．it is touched by fingers |
| C．its head is turning around |
| D．it is served with its favorite pills |