Yesterday was my stepmom’s birthday. I hadn’t been home for a long time so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.
I have been struggling financially so I was afraid of the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.
I stopped at the shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she
would love it. But when I got to the cashier my card was declined! I did not have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!
So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would like as much. So, I got on my smart-phone and transferred some money from my savings account so I was able to pay for the gift. It took a big chunk of my savings but I wanted her to have something special.
She loved the gift and I felt that even though I had spent almost all my money my stepmom deserved the best and I was glad I gave her the best that I could.
Before leaving my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret hand-shake, he gave me some money. I had not said anything to him about my finances but I guess my dad had just known it. When I got to the car, I saw the amount he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift!
It goes to show that doing the right thing always comes with great rewards.Why was the writer unwilling to have a long trip?
A.Because gas was hardly available. | B.Because the writer was short of money. |
C.Because the writer didn’t like driving. | D.Because the road was difficult to drive on. |
The underlined word “pondered” in Para. 4 means ________.
A.thought about | B.tried on |
C.depended on | D.got through |
From the passage, we can infer that ________.
A.the writer loves his/her stepmom very much |
B.the gift the writer bought was loved by his/her father very much |
C.the writer spent all his/her savings buying the gift for his/her stepmom |
D.the gift the writer bought was the most expensive one in the shop |
Why did the writer’s father shake hands with the writer in secret?
A.Because he wanted to ask the writer for something special. |
B.Because he wanted to give the writer some money. |
C.Because he knew the writer had been struggling financially. |
D.Because he didn’t want others to copy their handshake. |
On October 12, 1989, some Chinese scientists were working at the computers to look for information they needed. Suddenly they saw a lot of very bright spots crossing the computers’ screens. At the same time, the computers were working much slower. To find out what was happening they stopped their work to check some parts of the computers. To their horror, they found out that most of their stored information was got rid of by computer viruses! Obviously all these computers had been infected (传染)by computer viruses.
It is said that the computer viruses were made by a group of young men fond of playing tricks. They all had excellent education. They created the viruses just to show their intelligence. These kinds of computer viruses are named Jerusalem Viruses. These viruses can stay in computers for a long time. When the time comes they will attack the computers by lowering the function, damaging their normal programs or even getting rid of all the information.
We now come to know that Jerusalem Viruses often attack computers on Fridays and that they are spreading to a lot of computers. Among the countries that suffered computer viruses last year are Britain, Australia Switzerland and the US. But till now, how to get rid of the terrible viruses remains a problem.
1.The group of young men created the viruses to _______.
A. damage the computers
B. test their ability
C. tell the world that they were intelligent
D. play a trick on operators of the computers
2.According to the passage, computer viruses seem to ______.
A. have been in nature for years B. exist in any computer
C. be difficult to get rid of at present D. be able to be got rid of in the near future
3.the most serious damage caused by the viruses is that _______.
A. the computer’s functions are lowered
B. the normal programs are damaged
C. all the information stored in the computers is gone
D. the computers infected by the viruses can no longer be used
4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. last year four countries found their computers were infected by viruses
B. the viruses will come to a new computer after staying in the old one for some time
C. scientists are trying to find a way to get rid of the viruses
D. the Jerusalem Viruses are a great harm to human health
Fire fighting is a serious matter. Knowing what to do during a fire can save people’s lives. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone else in the family, such as stairways and emergency exits, but not elevators(电梯).
From the lower floors of buildings, escape through windows is possible. Learn the best way to get out from a window with the least chance of serious injury.
The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. An average person, hanging by the fingertips will have a drop of about 6 feet to the ground. It is about the height of an average man. Of course, it is safer to jump a short way down than to stay in a burning building.
Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed before opening the window. Otherwise, smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may have leaked into the room.
On the second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those which open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto cement might end in injury. Bushes and trees can help you to have a soft landing.
1. Which of the following should not be used when trying to escape from a fire?
A. windows B. elevators C. fire exits D. stairways
2. How far from the ground is the second floor window?
A. about 12 feet B. about 6 feet
C. about the height of an average manD. nearly 10 feet
3. According to the passage, windows are _______ of escaping a fire.
A. the only way B. the best way
C. safer than any other ways D. one of the possible ways
4. The writer suggests that ________.
A. breathing in smoke might be harmful
B. smoke will enter the room through an open window
C. fresh air can’t reach the second floor window
D. to keep you head low will help to escape a fire
5. If you are on the second or third floor when a fire breaks out, you’d better ______.
A. drop directly onto the ground
B. first drop onto a roof then onto the cement
C. drop from a roof window then onto bushes or trees
D. drop onto the cement rather than bushes and grass
Ⅳ阅读理解(每小题2分,共40分)阅读下面短文,从所给的四个选项中,选出最佳答案。
We shall not drown(淹死)if we remember these rules:
1, Never swim alone.
2, Never swim at a beach if there is no lifeguard(救生员).
3, Never swim after a meal or when you feel hungry or tired.
4, Never depend on rings, floats(漂浮物)or other swimming aids(助游具). You may lose them or they may let you sink(下沉).
5, Don’t stay in the water too long , especially if it is cold.
6, Before you dive, be sure the water is deep enough and you will not hit anybody.
7, Never go out in a boat if you can not swim or if you are not wearing a life jacket.
If you get into difficulty, this is what you should do :
1, Keep calm(镇定). Save you strength and your breath.
2, Try to float on your back or tread(踩水)water. To tread water, move your feet as if you are climbing some stairs.
3, Raise your right arm for help.
Remember : a red flag means that it is dangerous for all swimmers to enter the water. A blue flag means that it is dangerous for children and weak swimmers to enter the water.
1. When you see a red flag, you know that ______ swim there.
A. no one should B. anyone may
C. only strong swimming shouldD. children should not
2. We can go swimming ________.
A. after a meal B. if we have a ring
C. when the water is dirty D. when we are not alone
3. We should dive only when _______.
A. the water is deep enough B. the water is cold
C. the water is warm D. we are not alone
4. What the writer wants to say is that ______.
A. rings and floats are of no use B. boats are not safe
C. we must be very careful in swimming D. swimming is bad for your health
It was at least two months before Christmas when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle. As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade(消退), or so we thought. We bought her a lovely doll, and a doll house. Then, much to our surprise, on December 23rd, she said that she “really wanted a bike more than anything else.” But it was just too late. With such a lot of preparations to do for the Christmas dinner we did not have the time to buy our little girl a bike. So, here we were Christmas Eve around 9:00 p.m., with Almie and her six-year-old brother, Dylan, sleeping in their beds. Now we could only think of the bicycle and the disappointment of our child. “What if I make a little bicycle out of clay (泥) and write a note that she could trade(交易,交换) the clay bike in for a real bike?” her dad asked. So he spent the next four hours making a tiny clay bike. On Christmas morning, we were excited for Almie to open the little gift box with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it and read the note aloud. “Does this mean that I can trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?” I said, “Yes.” Almie had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I could never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me. I'd rather keep this than get a real bike.” At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy her every bicycle in the world!
1.Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The girl asked for a new bike.
b. The girl opened the little gift box.
c. The parents bought the girl a modern and popular doll.
d. The father made the girl a bike with clay.
e. The girl would rather keep the clay bike than get a real one .
A.a, b, c, e, d B.a, c, d, b, e
C.a, c, b, d, e D.a, b, d, c, e
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The parents wanted the girl to have the clay bike for ever.
B.Tears were in the girl's eyes because she didn't like the present at all.
C.The girl never lost her desire for a bike.
D.The parents paid little attention to the daughter's desire for a bike.
3.Why did Dad make the clay bicycle?
A.He wanted his daughter to buy a real one . B.He didn't want to disappoint his daughter.
C.He thought his daughter would like it . D.He wanted to give his daughter a surprise.
4.What can we know from the last sentence?
A.The parents were sad and encouraged.
B.The parents felt neverous and shy.
C.The parents were moved and felt proud of the girl
D.The parents felt unhappy for the girl.
5. Which do you think is the best title (标题)for the story?
A. A lovely little girl B. A great and serious father
C. A clay bike D. Christmas shopping
Here are a few tips we’ve put together to help you learn English well.
Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can—even speaking to yourself is good practice. Try recording yourself whenever you can. Compare your pronunciation with the master version, see how you can do better and have another try. If you do this several times, you will find that each version is better than the last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working. Agree times to meet and set goals for the week, and test each other regularly.
Don’t get stuck by a word you don’t know
Practise improvising (即兴的) ways of getting your meaning across while speaking spontaneously (本能), even if you don’t know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. A basic example is the use of tenses. If you don’t know the past tense but want to talk about yesterday, use the verb in the present tense and use the word for “yesterday”. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to get your meaning across.
Language learning is also about intuition (直觉)
Guesswork is important in learning a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren’t expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time. Learn to make maximum use of all the clues you can pick up. For example, what do the speakers sound like? Happy? Angry? Calm? Etc.
Build up your vocabulary
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take a maximum of six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, then come back to them later. Much of the vocabulary in the course is presented by topic.
And above all, have fun!
1. Why should one have himself recorded when practicing speaking?
A. To encourage others to start.
B. To record his own progress.
C. To improve his speaking.
D. To compare himself with others.
2. Which of the following is the most important in learning English?
A. Speaking. B. Pleasure. C. Intuition. D. Vocabulary.
3. It is important in Tip 3 that is helpful when you are learning English.
A. body language B. a good memory C. a good friend D. a proper dictionary
4. Which of the following seems NOT to be true in learning a language?
A. Practice makes perfect. B. A good beginning is half done.
C. Rome is not built in a day.D. Don’t run before you can walk.
5.The underlined word “maximum” in Paragraph 5 might mean ________________.
A. 小心的 B. 大胆的 C. 最小量的 D. 最大量的