It was one of the happiest times of my life. I was 29 and had just received my bachelor’s degree, graduating with honors despite working two jobs and being a wife and mother. My parents and five-year-old son were in the audience when I walked onto the stage at Ashland University to get my diploma. I was so excited and proud to be starting a teaching career and contributing more to my family’s well-being.
But when I got home that evening, there was a note from my husband written on the back of an envelope. It basically said he had come to get his clothes and wouldn’t be back. We’d been having trouble, but the finality of that note still came as a shock. He had emptied our bank account. We were horribly in debt. I had quit my previous jobs in expectation of interviewing for a teaching position. Plus, I was eight months pregnant.
I had my son, and I was about to bring a new life into the world, so despite my deep sadness, I had to go on. The next morning, I woke up, put my feet on the floor, took a deep breath, fixed breakfast, and basically did everything I always did. I used my routine to keep me moving. After being in the military for six years, I guess you can say I relied on my training, like all good soldiers do in tough situations. One small step after one small step was the way I bounced back(恢复原状).
And in the seven years since, I’ve continued moving forward. I got a job as a kindergarten teacher, earned a master’s degree in education, and watched my babies grow to twelve and seven. I certainly would never have chosen to put them through this, but looking back, I’m glad it happened to me when it did. It helped me find my voice and myself a lot sooner. It helped me grow independent, confident, and strong—things I’m hopefully instilling(灌输) now in my children.After getting her bachelor’s degree, the author expected to ________.
| A．become a teacher | B．be a wife and mother |
| C．work two jobs | D．get divorced |
What do we know about the author from Paragraph 2?
| A．Her husband wrote a note to congratulate her on her graduation. |
| B．She had just been to a job interview when her husband left her. |
| C．Her husband paid off all the debts from the bank. |
| D．She was going to have another baby soon. |
The author’s hardships in life made her ________.
| A．become confident and independent |
| B．work harder in the kindergarten |
| C．use her routine to move forward |
| D．feel pleased with what happened to her |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．The author’s parents helped her a lot |
| B．The author received further education later |
| C．The author earned a master’s degree when she was 29 |
| D．The author didn’t know how to deal with marriage |
What helped the author to pull through her hard time?
| A．The divorce with her husband. |
| B．Her fellow soldiers in the army. |
| C．Her decision to find a new job. |
| D．A strong mind and love for her kids. |
D
Every August on the island of Heimaey, young people often take a walk along the street throughout the night. Why their parents allow them to stay out ? The children of Heimaey are going to save young puffins ---- small black-and-white seabirds.
The cliffs（悬崖）above the town are home to a large group of puffins . The birds dig holes all around the cliffs . These holes are their homes. The young stay in the holes for about seven weeks. Then they begin to leave . Some move slowly on their undeveloped wings and feet down to the sea around Heimaey. There they swim, which they can do naturally , and learn to dive for fish . Others, however, may lose their way at night and find themselves in the town instead. On the ground, the young birds are in trouble. Because their wings are fully developed, they cannot take off quickly to sea and safety. The birds then become a good meal for cats and other animals .
For many years, islanders have help the young puffins. At night in late August, children carrying thick paper boxes and lights hurry out to catch puffins . They spend most of the night running after the birds. They put the birds they've caught into boxes and take good care of them .
The next morning the children take the puffins to the sea and set them free. The bird will live at sea until they are at least two years old. Then they will return to the cliffs to build homes of their own.
The children of Heimaey look forward to August !
16．Every August the children of Heimaey are allowed to stay out all night.
A．to catch puffins and take them home B．to save puffins from danger
C．to drive puffins away D．to run after puffins for pleasure
17．The young puffins that lose their way are in the danger of ______.
A．being killed by hunters B．knowing nothing about the sea
C．being eaten by animals D．having no fish to eat
18．The children put the seabirds into boxes and ______.
A．look after them carefully for several days, then set them free
B．set them free when they grow bigger and can take off to sea and safety
C．carry them to the sea right away to set them free
D．they don' t set them free until the next morning
19．The children look forward to August because ______.
A．they enjoy playing the game of running after seabirds
B．it' s time for them to go out at night to save puffins
C．it' s time for them to catch seabirds
D．they like to stay out at night to catch puffins
20．According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A．Once a year the children are allowed to stay out at night to have a good time .
B．The earlier home for the young puffins is in the cliffs, not in the sand of shores .
C．Young puffins make their way down to the sea when they are about seven weeks old.
D．The young birds that get to the sea will stay there for at least two years before they return to the cliffs .
C
People have sailed （航行）the world in quite small boats . It is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes the weather gets bad. That can be the end of everyone in it. Accidents can happen easily and quickly .
One family once had an accident with some big fish. The fish swam under their boat and bit（咬）holes in it. Sea water came in, of course , and the boat soon sank （下沉）. However, these people had another smaller boat----a life-boat, and they all got into that. They lived and hoped for many days. They ate and slept, and they always hoped…At last a ship found them .
How do people live in a very small life-boat? Perhaps for weeks or months? They must be strong in every way . They must have hope----they must want to live: But you cannot eat and drink hope.
You cannot drink sea water: Drink a lot of sea water and you will quickly die . Sailors （水手）can drink rain water. They must catch rain water in their boat. They must also catch fish and birds for food . Life-boats do not often carry a cooker, so the sailors cannot cook their food. Raw （生的）fish and bird-meat is not very nice . But in a life-boat the sailors must eat raw food, or they will die.
What do people think about in a life-boat? They think about land , a warm bed, dry clothes , fresh water and food , food , food .
11．When sailors' boat sinks, their life-boat gives them ______.
A．food B．beds C．rain water D．hope
12．One family once had an accident at sea, because ______
A．their boat was caught in bad weather
B．the boat knocked against a rock and sea water came in
C．some fish bit through the bottom（底部）of their boat
D．none of them knew how to sail the sea
13．Sailors can catch ______ for food and drink at sea in a life-boat .
A．rain water B．fish and birds
C．both sea water and rain water D．both A and B
14．Life-boats do not often carry a cooker, which is ______.
A．something used for cooking B．food for cooking
C．a large basin D．a person who cooks food
15．Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A．Sailing around the world in quite small boats is not easy.
B．All the food sailors have in a life-boat is cooked fish and bird-meat.
C．Anyone who drinks a lot of sea water will die .
D．No one can live for weeks in a life-boat unless he is strong and wants to live .
B
Babies love chocolate, and sometimes they also eat the paper around it. My cat enjoys a meal of good, thick paper, old letters, for example . She doesn't like newspapers very much .
Of course, the best paper comes from wood. Wood comes from trees , and trees are plants: Vegetables and fruit are plants too, and we eat a lot of them . So can we also eat wood and paper?
Scientists say: “ All food comes in some way from plants. ” Well, is that true? Animals eat grass and grow fat. Then we eat their meat. Little fish eat sea-plants; then bigger fish swim along and eat them . Chickens eat bits of grass and give us eggs . What food does not come from plants in some way?
Scientists can do wonderful things with plants . They can make food just like meat. And they can make it without the help of animals . It is very good food, too . Now they have begun to say : “ We make our paper from wood . We can also make food from wood . The next thing is not very difficult . ”
What is the next thing? Perhaps it is food from paper. Scientists say;“We can turn paper into food . It will be good , cheap food too : cheaper than meat or fish or eggs . ”
So please keep your old books and letters . One day , soon , they will be on your plate. There is nothing like a good story for breakfast .
6．People live mainly on ______.
A．paper B．plants C．fish D．meat
7．Scientists have ______.
A．made a lot of paper B．fed eggs to chickens
C．made food just like meat D．made meat cheaper than food from paper
8．Chickens eat bits of grass . In the sentence “bits of” means _________________________.
A．a little of B .lots of C．big pieces of D .small pieces of
9．Which of the following is NOT true?
A．Scientists say, “All food comes in some way from plants . ”
B．Scientists can make wood into food some day.
C．Scientists can make food from paper some day.
D．Scientists advise us to eat old books and letters at meals .
10．Choose one of the following as the topic for the passage .
A．Paper----Our Future Food B．No More Meat in Future
C．Save Old Books for Breakfast D．Paper----The Best Cat Food
III.Reading comprehension: (40%)
A
For every five men in the Civil War who died in battle , two or three died of disease. Doctors of that time knew very little about causes of sickness or ways of preventing it. Thousands of men in poor health became soldiers. Many of them could not resist epidemic （瘟疫）diseases that went through the places where they lived .
Army life was hard. Soldiers got little fruit or vegetables. There was no milk unless they happened to find a cow. Neither their clothes nor their living places protected the troops from rain, snow, and cold . Sickness and disease were spread by insects , rats , and unclean drinking water . Often the men drank straight from muddy streams .
Gunshot wounds were serious, as in any war, but they did not cause as many deaths as disease did.
1. Disease caused ___.
A．only a few deaths B．fewer deaths than wounds did
C．more deaths than wounds did D．both A and B
2．Men who were accepted as Civil War soldiers were ______.
A．known to have already had some epidemic diseases
B．required to be in perfect health
C．able to resist epidemic disease easily D．sometimes in poor health
3．Army life was hard for troops because ______
A．the place where they lived didn't keep them safe from bad weather
B．they had no warm clothing
C．they seldom had good, healthful food D．all of the above
4．Insects and rats were dangerous because they ______
A．destroyed food B．carried diseases
C．made the water unclean D．tore the soldiers' clothes into pieces
5．The best title for this selection is ______.
A．The Cause of Disease B．The Greatest Danger in the Civil War
C．Insects, Rats, and Gunshot Wounds D．The History of Epidemic Disease
The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist. "Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. " "I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. "These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.
1.The underlined word “alleviate” in the fifth paragraph probably means “_________”.
A. cure B. ease C. improve D. kill
2.How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?
A. 4. B. 5.C. 6.D. 7.
3.Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso’s?
A. Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely .
B. Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first.
C. Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse.
D. Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients.
4.Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?
A. Beautiful surroundings can ease pain.
B. Ugly paintings could be masterpieces.
C. More research should be done in the field.
D. Latest environmental research.