Lie in bed, by an open window, and listen…
“No air conditioning? How can you sleep?” a friend asks, horrified. I tell her my family has decided to shut the air conditioner off and reduce our electric bill. On this first night of our cost-cutting plan, it’s only 85 degrees. We’re going to suffer, but the three kids complain anyway.
They have grown up in 72-degree comfort, protected from the world outside.
“It’s too hot to sleep,” my 13-year-old daughter complains. “I’m about to die from this heat,” her brother complains down the hall. “Just try it tonight,” I tell them. In truth I’m too tired to turn for long. My face is sweaty, but I lie quietly listening to the cricket choirs outside that remind me of childhood.
The neighbor’s dog howls. Probably a passing squirrel. It’s been years since I took the time to really listen to the night.
I think about grandma, who lived to 92 and still helped with my mom’s gardening until just a few weeks before she died. And then, I’m back there at her house in the summer heat of my childhood. I move my pillow to the foot of grandma’s bed and turn my face toward the open window. I turn the pillow, hunting for the cooler side.
Grandma saw me turn over and over. “If you just watch for the breeze(清风),” she said, “you’ll cool off and fall asleep.” I stare at the filmy white curtain, willing it to move. Lying still, waiting, I suddenly notice the life outside the window. The bug chorus. Neighbors, porch(门廊)-sitting late, speak in unclear words that calm me.
“Mom, did you hear that?” my seven-year-old son cries, “I think it was an owl(猫头鹰)family.”
“Probably,” I tell him, “just keep listening…”
Without the working air conditioner, the house is peaceful, and the natural night noises seem close enough to touch. I hope I’m awake tonight when the first breeze comes in.On the first night of the writer’s cost-cutting plan, her children ______.
| A．live a comfortable life as usual |
| B．begin to be unhappy |
| C．are protected from the world outside |
| D．are about to die from the heat |
The author talks about her grandmother and her childhood to show that ______.
| A．people used to live a hard life |
| B．people at that time were hardworking |
| C．it’s OK for people to live a simple life |
| D．she has learned a great deal from her grandma |
In the writer’s eyes, her children are ______.
| A．free from parents’ protection |
| B．full of dissatisfaction with life |
| C．dependable because of parents’ love |
| D．lacking in real test of hardships in life |
Which of the following titles best suits the passage?
| A．Waiting for the Breeze. |
| B．An Interesting Experience. |
| C．Life at Present and Life in the Past. |
| D．Different Times, Different Children |
D
To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains．But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against rain．Its first use was as a shade against the sun．
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times．Probably the Chinese were the earliest to use it in the eleventh century BC．We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade．And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor and authority．In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high offices．
In Europe, the Greeks were the earliest to use the umbrella as a sunshade．And the umbrella was allowed in common use in ancient Greece．But it is believed that the earliest persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against rain were the ancient Romans．
During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared．Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century．And again, it was considered a symbol of power and authority．In around 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later on in England．
By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe．Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight．It wasn’t until the twentieth century that women’s umbrellas began to be made in a whole variety of colors．The first use of umbrella was as ______________．
| A．protection against rain | B．shade against the sun |
| C．a symbol of power and authority | D．a symbol of honor and authority |
In Europe, the umbrella was first used against rain ___________．
| A．in Greece | B．in Rome | C．in England | D．in France |
From the text, we can infer that _________．
| A．the umbrella changed much in style in the eighteenth century． |
| B．no one knows why the umbrella was used in very ancient times． |
| C．once ordinary people had no right to use umbrellas． |
| D．during the Middle Ages the umbrella was common in Europe． |
This passage talks mainly about ____________．
| A．when and how the umbrella was invented． |
| B．why the umbrella was so popular in Europe． |
| C．the development of the umbrella． |
| D．the history and use of the umbrella． |
C
Education is not an end but a means to an end．In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them．Our purpose is to fit them for life．
In some modern countries, it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation．But we have already seen that free education for all is not enough; we find in some countries a far larger number of people with university degrees．They refuse to do what they think “low” work and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries．But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of professor．We can live without education, but we die if we have no food．If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases．
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in certain ways．Firstly each of us can do whatever work suited to our brains and ability．Secondly, we should realize that all jobs are necessary to society．It is very bad to be shamed of one’s work．Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society．What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Means of Education． | B．The System of Education． |
| C．The Value of Education． | D．The Type of Education． |
From the second paragraph of the passage we know that ________．
| A．work with hands is low work because it is dirty and shameful． |
| B．the work of the completely uneducated is the most important． |
| C．education is no more important than food in order to live． |
| D．we shouldn’t think of work with hands as low work． |
What kind of educational system is valuable to society?
| A．A large number of people can go to university． |
| B．Everyone can solve all the problems of society． |
| C．All the people can get free education． |
| D．Everyone must be educated differently to fit them for society． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Our society needs all kinds of jobs． |
| B．Free education for all is enough． |
| C．A farmer is more important than a professor． |
| D．People with university degrees shouldn’t do low work． |
B
It is the duty of every man to work. The life of a lazy man is of no use to himself and to others. The man who is too lazy to work is the man who is generally most ready to beg or to steal. Every boy, when he is young, should learn how to do some useful work.
But it is not enough that a boy should learn some kind of work. He should put his heart and soul completely into his work, and not waste his spare time. “Work while you work and play while you play” is as good a rule for young people as for the old!
There is no better help to diligence (勤奋) than the habit of early rising, and this, just like all other good habits, is most easily formed in youth. There is an English saying, “Lost time never returns”. This means that everybody must be diligent and make good use of his time. One must study hard when one is young so that one may make great progress, succeed in life and become useful to one’s country. Those who are diligent will never become beggars. Therefore, we can say that diligence is the mother of success.From the passage, we know that those who are too lazy to work will_________.
| A．waste their time |
| B．help others |
| C．become beggars or thieves |
| D．make progress some day |
In order to learn to be diligent, it’s important for young people to _________.
| A．form the good habit of getting up early in youth |
| B．learn about some good habits |
| C．work while they work and play while they play |
| D．work all the time without playing |
One can’t be successful in life unless he _________when he is young.
| A．is diligent in his study |
| B．loves life |
| C．spends some time learning something |
| D．makes up for his lost time |
A
“Depend on yourself” is what nature says to every man. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. But all these only help you to help yourself.
There have been many great men in history. But many of them were very poor in boyhood, and had no uncles, aunts, or friends to help them. Schools were few and low. They could not depend on them for an education. They saw how it was, and set to work with all their strength to know something. They worked their own way up to fame.
One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, “I cannot make worthy men of you, but I can help you make men of yourselves.”
Some young men have no ambitions(抱负) to do anything; and they are to be pitied. They can never succeed unless they see their foolishness, and change their courses. They are nothing now, and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of parents and teachers, and depend upon their own honest and serious efforts.The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．Depend on Yourself |
| B．Don’t Depend on Your Parents |
| C．Nobody can help you |
| D．The Good Advice |
From the passage we know that many great men in history ________.
| A．learned everything themselves in boyhood |
| B．didn’t receive any education |
| C．had no relatives or friends |
| D．depended on themselves to become famous |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Parents can make you succeed. |
| B．Great men in history were very poor. |
| C．Teachers would not like to help you to be a man. |
| D．Only you can make yourself a great man. |
Why have some young men failed in everything?
| A．They have no ambitions. |
| B．They are to be pitied. |
| C．They have changed their courses. |
| D．They have seen their foolishness. |
E
A year after graduation, I was offered a position teaching a writing class. Teaching was a profession I had never seriously considered, though several of my stories had been published. I accepted the job without hesitation, as it would allow me to wear a tie and go by the name of Mr. Davis. My father went by the same name, and I liked to imagine people getting the two of us confused. “Wait a minute” someone might say, “are you talking about Mr. Davis the retired man, or Mr. Davis the respectable scholar?”
The position was offered at the last minute, and I was given two weeks to prepare, a period I spent searching for briefcase (公文包) and standing before my full-length mirror, repeating the words, “Hello, class. I’m Mr. Davis.” Sometimes I would give myself an aggressive voice. Sometimes I would sound experienced. But when the day eventually came, my nerves kicked in and the true Mr. Davis was there. I sounded not like a thoughtful professor, but rather a 12-year-old boy.
I arrived in the classroom with paper cards designed in the shape of maple leaves. I had cut them myself out of orange construction paper. I saw nine students along a long table. I handed out the cards, and the students wrote down their names and fastened them to their breast pockets as I required.
“All right then,” I said. “Okey, here we go.” Then I opened my briefcase and realized that I had never thought beyond this moment. I had been thinking that the students would be the first to talk, offering their thoughts and opinions on the events of the day. I had imagined that I would sit at the edge of the desk, overlooking a forest of hands. Every student would yell. “Calm down, you’ll all get your turn. Once at a time, once at a time!”
A terrible silence ruled the room, and seeing no other opinions, I inspected the students to pull out their notebooks and write a brief essay related to the theme of deep disappointment.The author took the job to teach writing because ______.
| A．he had written some stories | B．he wanted to be expected |
| C．he wanted to please his father | D．he had dreamed of being a teacher |
Before he started his class, the author asked the students to ______.
| A．write down their suggestions on the paper cards |
| B．cut maple leaves out of the construction paper |
| C．cut some cards out of the construction paper |
| D．write down their names on the paper cards |
What did the students do when the author started his class?
| A．They began to talk. | B．They stayed silent. |
| C．They raised their hands. | D．They shouted to be heard. |
The author chose the composition topic probably because ______.
| A．he got disappointed with his first class | B．he had prepared the topic before class |
| C．he wanted to calm down the students | D．he thought it was an easy topic |