Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”
In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers … Be a good citizen … People will take advantage of you … Treat others as you wish to be treated … The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return … I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”
She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. On the way she told me about when she was a teenager. She remembers taking pictures for the yearbook with her best friend. She was in the band and played basketball. She got good grades and was a good student.
She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.
As we ate, we got to know each other. She asked if I played any instruments. I replied that I played the violin, cello, and guitar. She told me she played the flute, piano, guitar, and violin. In the middle of our meal, I realized something. And she thought of it at exactly the same time.
“So, what’s your name?” she asked.
“I’m Claire,” I said, startled at our exact same thought. “What’s yours?”
“Joyce,” she said with a smile.
We continued talking, and she asked my favorite subjects in school and if I wanted to go to college. “Hopefully,” I replied. “I’m interested in nursing.”
“I went to college for nursing,” she said.
I was taken aback. How could we have so much in common? Was she pretending so I’d feel sympathy for her? But her eyes were genuine as she said this.
Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?
I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.
She replied, “I used to like lo mein, but pepper chicken was my dad’s favorite, so I get that now.” Noticing that she used the word “was,” I assumed her dad had passed away. I found it sweet that she gave up her favorite in order to honor her dad.
She asked why I was at the mall.
“I’m waiting for friends. We’re going to see ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” I replied, stumbling over the words a bit.
“‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’” she echoed in awe. “What’s that about?” I realized that she didn’t see commercials for movies.
I explained the basic plot and she chuckled. “A man who is born 80 years old and ages backwards! That sounds interesting.”
She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.
“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty about wasting so much.
“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”
“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. It sounds like a perfect coincidence, but I can’t help but think that some force compelled us to meet. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless? It seems so unfair. She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. What went wrong? How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?
I feel lucky to have run into Joyce. She changed my outlook. She is still a wonderful person, despite what the world has done to her. I wish her the best, and can only hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life. From the second paragraph we know that the writer _________.
| A．debated with the girl over moral issues |
| B．hates having to make a quick decision |
| C．hesitated before she decided to reach out |
| D．fell in love with the girl at the first sight |
The writer felt guilty for a moment because ________.
| A．she was particular about food and also wasted so much |
| B．she was a strict vegetarian who ate very little |
| C．she didn’t order enough food for the girl |
| D．she urged the girl to take her share of food |
Why did Joyce end up unemployed and homeless?
| A．She was a victim of high education |
| B．She actually had some kind of mental disorder |
| C．She graduated with average grades |
| D．The reason is not yet given. |
Which detail doesn’t show the coincidence in the story?
| A．They both took interest in nursing. |
| B．They were about to ask names of each other at the same time. |
| C．When Claire headed to the theater, Joyce went back downstairs. |
| D．They were both musical lovers. |
The writer was very happy to have met Joyce because______.
| A．she didn’t know what she was going to be until then. |
| B．this chance meeting changed her attitudes towards life in a way. |
| C．she was glad to be able to pay for someone in need. |
| D．hopefully the force that brought them together may bring good luck to Joyce. |
The passage is intended to _______.
| A．arouse readers’ curiosity |
| B．explore social problems |
| C．teach readers a lesson |
| D．share a sweet personal story |
Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors (统治者) and generals and soldiers, while the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured (施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers.
People think a great deal of them, so much that on all the highest pillars (纪念柱)in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized. Animals fight; so do savages（野蛮人）; so to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently — this, a
fter all, is what conquerors and generals have done — is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels. Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some ways of settling their d
isputes other than by seeing which side can kill off greater number of the other side, and then saying that the side which has killed most has won. And not only has it won, but, because it has won, it has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that power is right.
This is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or mutilated (disabled). And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets — while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life — nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.In the opening sentence, the author indicates that .
| A．most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers |
| B．history book tell us far more about conquerors, generals and soldiers than actual creators of civilization |
| C．those who rally helped human civilization forward is not mentioned in history books at all |
| D．conquerors, generals and soldiers should be least mentioned in history books |
According to the passage, most people believe that the greatest countries are those that.
| A．built the highest pillars for their conquerors |
| B．were ruled by the greatest number of conquerors |
| C．won the greatest number of battles against other countries |
| D．were beaten in battle by the greatest number of other countries |
In the author’s opinion, the countries that conquered a large number of other countries are
.
| A．certainly both the most powerful and most civilized. |
| B．neither the greatest nor the most civilized in any way. |
| C．possibly either the most civilized or the most powerful in a way. |
| D．likely the most powerful in some sense but not the most civilized. |
The meaning of the last sentence in Paragraph 2 is that.
| A．fighters believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong. |
| B．only those who are powerful have the right to go to war. |
| C．those who are right should fight against those who are wrong. |
| D．only powerful nations might win the right to rule weak ones. |
Very few people were coming to eat at the White Rose Restaurant, and its owner did now know what to do. The food in his restaurant was cheap and good. But nobody seemed to want to eat there.
Then he did something that changed all that, and in a few weeks his restaurant was always full of men with their lady friends. Whenever a gentleman came in with a lady, a smiling waiter gave each of them a beautiful menu. The menu looked exactly the same on the outside, but there was an importan
t difference inside. The menu that the waiter gave to the man gave the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine, while the menu that he gave to the lady gave a much higher price. So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine, the lady thought he was 
much more gen
erous than he really was.Why didn’t people come to the White Rose Restaurant to eat first?
| A．Because the price was high. | B．Because the food was too cheap. |
C．Becau se the food was not good. |
D．The passage didn’t mention. |
According to the passage we can conclude that the people who eat at this restaurant are mostly
.
| A．poor old people | B．rich young people |
| C．men with their girl friends | D．parents with their children |
According to the passage we can infer that when men with their girl friends eat at this restaurant, the food was paid .
| A．always by the ladies only | B．always by the men only |
| C．sometimes by the ladies | D．either by the men or by the ladies |
According to the passage we can know that, generally speaking, .
| A．men are more generous than women |
| B．women are more generous than men |
| C．men like their lady friends to be generous. |
| D．women like their men friends to be generous |
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit – card fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Web site. Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet.
Computers hackers have broken down security systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago,25 000 cust
omers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(批发商),were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157 828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. MasterCard is working on plans f
or Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm's on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending.
And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers-advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Web site address may also start with https:// — the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most online sites require a user name and password be
fore placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?
| A．A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet. |
| B．Fraud on the Internet. |
| C．Many Web sites are destroyed. |
| D．Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet. |
What is the meaning of “fraud”?
A
．cheating B．sale C．payment D．safetyHow many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
You are shopping on the site: http://www.shopping.com,and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest doing?
| A．Order the TV set at once. |
| B．Do not buy the TV set on this site. |
| C．E-mail the site your credit-card information. |
| D．Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you. |
Allan goes everywhere with Birgitta Anderson, a 54-year-old secretary. He moves around her office at work and goes shopping with her. ‘Most people don't seem to mind Allan,’ says Birgitta, who thinks he is wonderful. 'He's my fourth child,' she says. She may think of him and treat him that way, buying his food, paying his h
ealth bills and his taxes, but in fact Allan is a dog. Birgitta and Allan live in Sweden, a country where everyone is expected to lead an orderly life according to rules laid down by the government, which also provides （提供）a high level of care for its people. This level of care costs money. People in Sweden pay taxes on everything, so aren't surprised to find that owning a dog means yet more taxes. Some people are paying as much as 500 Swedish kronor in taxes a year for the right to keep their dog, money that is spent by the government on dog hospitals and sometimes medical treatment for a dog that falls ill. However, most such treatment is expensive, so owners often decide to pay health and even life insurance （保险）for their dog. In Sweden dog owners must pay for any damage （损坏）their dog does. A Swedish Kennel Club official explains what this means: if your dog runs out on the road and gets hit by a passing car you, as the owner, have to pay for any damage done to the car, even if your dog has been killed in the accident. Birgitta pays taxes for Allan because.
| A．he is her dog | B．he is her child | C．he follows her everywhere | D．he often falls ill |
The money pa
id as dog taxes is used to.
| A．keep a high level of care for the people | B．pay for damage done by dogs |
| C．provide medical care for dogs | D．buy insurance for dog owners |
If a dog causes a car accident and gets killed, who should pay for the damage done to the car?
| A．The owner of the car. | B．The owner of the dog. |
| C．The insurance company（公司）. | D．The government. |
From the text it can be inferred that in Sweden .
| A．dogs are welcome in public places | B．keeping dogs means asking for trouble |
| C．many car accidents are caused by dogs | D．people care much about dogs |
One of Britain’s bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected(可疑的) police killer David Bieber--and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to ￡30,000 reward money.
Vicki Brown, 30, played a very important role in ending the nationwide manhunt.
Vicki, who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years, told of her terrible experience when she had to steal into Bieber’s bedroom and to watch him secretly. Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building.
She said,” I was very nervous. But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there.”
The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious(怀疑) of the guest who checked in at 3 pm the day before New Year’s Eve with little luggage and wearing
sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face. She said, He didn’t seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact(接触). Vicki, the only employee on duty, called her bosses Margaret, 64, and husband Stan McKale, 65, who phoned the police at 11 pm.Officers from Northumbria Police called Vicki at the hotel in Dunston, Gateshead, at about 11:30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man. Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes.
“It was about ten past two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said ‘Would you go and make yourself known to the armed officers outside?’ My heart missed a beat.”
Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key.
“I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that part of the hotel, so I went to
watch. I could not see into the man’s room, but I could see the passage. The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing. Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed(带上手铐).”The underlined phrase “be in line for” (paragraph 1) means _______.
| A．get | B．be paid | C．ask for | D．own |
Vicki became suspicious of David Bieber because _______.
| A．the police called her | B．he looked very strange |
| C．he came to the hotel with little luggage | |
| D．he came to the hotel the day before New Year’s Eve |
Vicki’s heart missed a beat because _________.
| A．the phone went again | B．she would be famous |
| C．the policemen had already arrived | D．she saw 20 policemen in the car park |
David Bieber was most probably handcuffed in ________.
| A．the passage | B．the man’s room | C．Vicki’s bedroom | D．the top floor room |
The whole event probably lasted about _______ hours from the moment Bieber came to the hotel to the arrival of some armed officers.
| A．6 | B．8 | C．11 | D．14 |