The passengers on the subway who caught a glimpse of me may have thought I was strange. In particular a gentleman sitting opposite me was always staring at me, looking at the cheese bread on the floor in front of me and then staring back at me. A passenger probably dropped it by mistake and got off at a previous stop, but the gentleman might not think so. “Next stop, St. Patrick Station” — my stop was quickly coming up. I had few minutes to either take the cheese bread, which nobody else was claiming, or left it there.
In those few minutes I felt my pride getting in the way. “What would others on the subway think of me if I took the cheese bread? Would they think that I was poor and hungry? Would they think that I was stealing?” The ignorant thing to do was say “yes” to any of those self-imposed questions. Actually, they were just my own thoughts. Though I would leave the subway, walk a block to my office, get settled at my desk, and sit comfortably in my office for the whole day, I couldn’t get rid of the enormous sense of guilt and regret.
My thoughts once pushed me towards pride and ignorance, but finally I had to admit I was wrong. This missing cheese bread could be a gift for a homeless person who suffered from cold and hunger. So why not overcome a little bit of my pride and pass along so much kindness?
Just as the doors opened at my stop, I grabbed the cheese bread and left the subway. It felt awesome, but I didn’t care if people were looking at me or what they were thinking. Instead of going directly to my office as usual, I walked a few more blocks up to Queen’s park, where I often saw a homeless man sitting outside. I always wanted to give him something, but only today I walked toward him, who wrapped himself in a sleeping bag. I was full of satisfaction, and so did the homeless man, I thought.The gentleman kept staring at the author because _______.
A.he wanted to talk to the author |
B.the author appeared too nervous |
C.the author was going to get off |
D.he might think the author dropped the bread |
The underlined word “self-imposed” in paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
A.easily obtained | B.deliberately created |
C.strongly supported | D.completely unaccepted |
Why did the author grab the cheese bread when he got off?
A.He noticed that no one was looking at him. |
B.He didn’t want to see the cheese bread to go to taste. |
C.He valued kindness more than his own pride. |
D.He remembered a homeless man at that very moment. |
Hobbs was an orphan(孤儿). He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work changed him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.One day the lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded(目瞪口呆的). He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place of the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will(遗嘱),” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that.” said the young man.He wanted to borrow money because he wanted to_____.
A.study abroad | B.work abroad |
C.pay for the debts | D.learn to paint pictures |
Hobbs was dumbfounded on receiving the money because he thought_____.
A.the money was too much |
B.the money was too little |
C.he would be dismissed |
D.the lawyer meant to punish him |
With the money he got, first Hobbs_____.
A.planned to have a happy life for a few days |
B.decided to give up his work in the office |
C.was to give a dinner to his friends |
D.had no idea what to do |
What Hobbs was asked to do was_____.
A.to tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it |
B.to read his uncle’s will |
C.to tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money |
D.nothing but to buy some pictures |
What Hobbs really loved to do was_____.
A.working in the factory |
B.living in a fine hotel |
C.painting pictures |
D.saving the money |
John Smith was a writer, who wrote detective stories for magazines(杂志), though he never dealt with criminals(罪犯). One evening he could not finish an end for a story. He sat in his study(书房), but he had no ideas. So he decided to go to the cinema.
When he came back, he found that he had had a visitor. Someone had broken into his house. The visitor had had a drink, smoked several of his cigarettes and had read his story. The visitor left him a note. “I have read your story and I don’t think it is very good. Please read my suggestions and you can finish it. By the way, I am a thief. I’m not going to steal anything tonight. But if you become a successful writer, I will return.”
John read the thief’s suggestions. Then he sat down and wrote the rest of the story. He is still not a successful writer, and he is waiting for his “visitor” to return. Before he goes out in the evening, he always leaves a half-finished story in his study.Detective stories are stories about_____.
A.science | B.children |
C.the future | D.the police |
John went to the cinema because_____.
A.he was too tired |
B.he wanted to look for a thief |
C.he could not finish his story and hoped to get some ideas |
D.he wanted to enjoy himself in the cinema |
The visitor came to John’s house in order to_____.
A.steal something | B.read the story |
C.have a drink | D.visit the writer |
The visitor_____.
A.stayed in John’s house for a night |
B.took some of John’s things away |
C.left John some advice |
D.was a good friend of John’s |
John would like to_____.
A.have a talk with his visitor |
B.get more ideas from the visitor |
C.make friends with the visitor |
D.catch the visitor and take him to the police |
Good afternoon,and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today,I would like to draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is about drinking. Now,you may not buy alcohol (酒) in this country if you are under 18 years of age,nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly,noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means,but please don’t make unnecessary noise,particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly,crossing the road. Be careful!The traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossings (人行横道) and do not take any chances when crossing the road.
My next point is about litter (throwing away waste material in a public place).It is an offence (违法行为) to drop litter in the street. When you have something to throw away,please put it in your pocket and take it home,or put it in a litter bin.
Finally,as regards something,it is against the law to buy cigarettes or tobacco (烟草) if you are under 16 years of age.
I’d like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance,you should contact your local police station,who will be pleased to help you.
Now,are there any questions?The main purpose of this speech would be to________.
A.prepare people for international travel |
B.declare the laws of different kinds |
C.inform people of the punishment for breaking laws |
D.give advice to travelers to the country |
How many laws are there discussed in the speech?
A.Three | B.Four | C.Five | D.Six. |
The underlined word “contact” in the seventh paragraph means________.
A.keep in touch with | B.join |
C.report | D.get in touch with |
From the speech we learn that________.
A.in this country,if you are under 18 years of age,you may not buy alcohol,but your friend can buy it for you |
B.you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age |
C.because the traffic moves on the left side of the road,you must use pedestrian crossings when crossing the road |
D.you can’t make noise except at night |
Who do you think is most likely to make the speech?
A.A policeman | B.A worker at a hotel. |
C.A lawyer | D.An air hostess (空姐). |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like ? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it.“That’s just for you,” he said.“You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint?
A.He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
B.He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
C.He told her to write down all that her “enemy” had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
D.He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
A.Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
B.Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
C.Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment. |
D.Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
A.Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend |
B.The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
C.My Father |
D.My Childhood |
If you are lost in the mountains, stay calm in the face of darkness, loneliness, and the unknown. It will greatly increase your chances of survival. Many people think that preparing necessary equipment and knowing how to use it are very important, but in fact eighty percent of mountain survival is your reaction(反应) to fear.
Finding a hiding place
Unnecessary labor (劳动) will make you sweat and make you cold. Find a hiding place around you before trying to start your own construction. If you are in a snow-covered area, you may be able to dig a cave in deep snow for protection from the wind. You should try to hide yourself in the middle of the mountain if possible. Stay out of the valleys--- cold air falls, and the valley floor can be the coldest area on the mountain.
Signal(发信号) rescuers for help
The best time to signal rescuers is during the day. Signal for help from the highest point possible--- it will be easier for rescuers to see you, and any sound you make will travel farther. If you take a box of matches and a space blanket ( a special blanket for traveling ), build three smoky fires and put your blanket ---gold side facing out --- on the ground.
Do not walk away
It will make finding you more difficult , as search teams will be trying to follow your path and may miss you if you have gone off in a different direction. Searchers often end up finding a car with no one in it. If you get frostbitten(冻伤) , do not rewarm the affected area until you are out of danger.
You can walk on frostbitten(冻伤) feet, but once you warm the area and can feel the pain, you will not want to walk anywhere. Try to protect the frostbitten area and keep it dry until you are rescued. When lost in the mountains, you can increase your chances of survival if you _____.
A.take a space blanket with you | B.do more physical labor |
C.try to find a car immediately | D.walk as far as possible |
According to the passage, people most probably fail to survive if they ______
A.do not take enough equipment | B.stay in the middle of the mountain |
C.do not keep themselves warm | D.stay in a snow-covered area |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Don’t travel by yourself | B.Mountain traveling is dangerous |
C.Don’t get frightened in danger | D.Avoid going to unfamiliar places |
Which statement is not true according to the passage?
A.If lost in the mountains, you must try to find a way out quickly. |
B.Stay out of the valleys when looking for a hiding place |
C.The best time to signal rescuers is during the day |
D.With a space blanket, you can put it on the ground---gold side facing out |