“It hurts me more than you” and “This is for your own good” — these are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy for us. They taught that it as all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who speaks of her students “so passive” and wonders what has happened. Nothing is demanded of them, she believes. Television, says Klompus, contributes to children’s passivity. “We’re talking about a generation of kids who've never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them, instead of saying 'go and look it up’, you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good. It's time to start telling them no again. Children are becoming more inactive in study because _______.
| A．they watch TV too often | B．they have done too much homework |
| C．they have to fulfill too many duties | D．teachers are too strict with them |
By “permissive period in education” (L.1, Para. 2) the author means a time _______.
| A．when everything can be taught at school |
| B．when every child can be educated |
| C．when children are permitted to receive education |
| D．when children are allowed to do what they wish to |
The main idea of the passage is that _______.
| A．parents should leave their children alone |
| B．kids should have more activities at school |
| C．it's time to be more strict with our kids |
| D．parents should always set a good example to their kids |
My father came to the United States as a Ukrainian immigrant (移民) when he was 14 years old. Unable to speak English but willing to do anything to succeed, he learned the language, became a barber, and opened up his own business in a small town. He put my sister and me through college during a time when most people thought that women didn’t need an education and that they should be satisfied with getting married and having children. He gave us values and ambition. But this story didn’t really start until my father was 60 years old.
I was preparing to get married and my father was attempting to practice the polke, a must at any Ukrainian wedding. But he just couldn’t do it! He had lost mobility in his leg and was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤). After surgery, this energetic, hard-working man was forced to retire as a result of significant paralysis (瘫痪) in his right arm and leg. My dad had always worked two jobs and spent his spare time working around the house. Now that kind of life came to a sudden stop. Yet never once did he complain. He bought rubber balls and spent his days trying to regain his hand mobility by squeezing those balls over and over.
After his last operation, he chatted with me pleasantly in the hospital room until a nurse flew into the room, waving her finger at me, and yelling, “You’d better tell your father to stay in bed. He is paralyzed and will never walk again. He needs to stop trying to get out of bed and accept the fact that he can’t walk now or ever. I am sick of picking him up and you’d better warn him to stay put!” My father smiled. He spent a great deal of time on the floor that year, but he eventually got up and walked.
My father lived nineteen more years after that operation. He bought himself a motor scooter (小型摩托车) and spent years zipping around the streets of Philadelphia. He was proud, free, and always smiling. In what way w
as the author’s father different from most other people in his times?
| A．He succeeded in migrating to the U.S. |
| B．He learned the new language easily and quickly. |
| C．He achieved his life goal by working as a barber. |
| D．He had his daughters educated. |
The underlined word “polke” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to .
| A．a song | B．a dance | C．a musical instrument | D．a tool for painting |
The author’s father used the rubber balls to .
| A．kill his too much spare time | B．relieve himself from work pressure |
| C．get his hand’s function back | D．recover from his operation |
Which of the following can be used to describe the author’s father?
| A．Perfect. | B．Strong-minded. | C．Creative. | D．Impractical. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Love can do wonders. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．A father’s love is most valuable. | D．Never give up on your life. |
About a year ago, a couple with three children moved into the apartment next door to mine. I never heard any noise from the children, but the parents were always shouting at the kids.
We often met in the hallway when we were coming or going. I always spoke, but the only answer I got was a hello from the four-year-old girl.
One afternoon when I returned, they were just coming out of their apartment and the little girl was holding the door open for the others. I remained in the car doing unnecessary things. But when I looked up I saw the little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me. I hurried as much as I could and thanked her.
I was really touched by her act of kindness. That afternoon I was at the K-Mart and I bought a white Teddy bear for her. The next day, there was a knock on the door and it was the little girl and her father. She was very proud of the bear and thanked me like I had never been thanked before.
Now when we meet in the hall, we all speak in a friendly manner. As time passes, I don’t hear that yelling as often as before.
Last night we had about four inches of snow. I looked out at my car and wondered how I was going to keep my doctor’s appointment. I went out to remove the snow. But when I opened my front door, I found my car was there with all the snow removed. You couldn’t imagine how I felt at that moment. I thanked that family in my heart.
Isn’t it amazing how a small kind act of a four-year-old girl can change so many things for the better? My guardian angel says that good things come from small acts. Who did the writer think removed the snow on his car?
| A．That family next door. | B．Someone sent by his doctor. |
| C．Some strangers. | D．The gate keeper. |
Which of the following is CORRECT according to the passage?
| A．The children were very naughty and often made their parents angry. |
| B．Life must be very hard for the parents next door as they had a large family to support. |
| C．The writer put off the appointment with his doctor because of the heavy snow. |
| D．The little girl’s kind act changed the relationship between the writer and her family. |
The right time order of these events in the passage may be .
① I bought a white Teddy bear for the four-year-old little girl.
② A new family moved into the building next to my door.
③ The four-year-old little girl held the door for me.
④ The father came with the little girl and thanked me.
⑤We speak to each other now in a friendly manner.
| A．②-③-①-④-⑤ | B．②-④-①-③-⑤ | C．③-②-④-⑤-① | D．③-④-②-⑤-① |
Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth.” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.If you have a
headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.“ But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”The writer thinks that_____.
| A．health is more important than wealth | B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure | D．nothing is more important than money |
The doctor usually tells his patient what to do______.
| A．without examining the patient | B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine | D．unless the patient feels pain |
The underlined part means “______”.
| A．he was feeling better than ever | B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before | D．he will be well again |
From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man_______ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill. | |
| B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things. | |
| C．The man thanked the doctor. | D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice. |
King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once , ‘‘I love gold . I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well , tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold .”Saying this, the fairy disappeared.
The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy ,everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.
Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand . ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.
Just then his daughter came running in . ‘‘Why are you so sad , dad ?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this ,he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him. ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘ Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘ give me back my daughter.” ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.” The king ran quickly to the nearby river. The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because_____
| A．she hoped to make the king the richest in the world. | B．She loved gold too. |
| C．She wanted to teach the king a lesson. | |
| D．She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold gold. |
When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was _____
A. excited B. hungry C. worried D happy Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
| A．The king died in the river. |
| B．The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl. |
| C．All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones. |
| D．Both B and C |
What do you think the story tries to tell us?
| A．Gold makes people unhappy. |
| B．More gold , more happiness. |
| C．Gold is not the thing that makes life happy. |
| D．People feel happy if they have not gold. |
The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace was completed and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the great interior (内部) of Elizabeth’s home. Many parts of the palace’s impressiv
e interior have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.
The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great bought a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays, a diverse range of art and artifacts (手工艺品) from all over the world and throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage’s collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Pissarro, and several works by Rodin. The collection is really worth a stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on show in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you’d seen them all. However, we suggest you choose a guided tour instead!
Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38.
Open: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sunday till 5 pm.
Closed: Mondays. Ticket-office closes 1 hour before closing time. According to the passage, the Winter Palace was built for ______.
| A．Catherine the Great. | B．Empress Elizabeth |
| C．Peter the Great. | D．Empress Elizabeth’s successors |
What’s the main reason why many parts of the palace’s impressive interior were remodeled?
| A．Catherine the Great and her successors didn’t like the design. |
| B．Empress Elizabeth wanted to remodel the palace. |
| C．A huge fire destroyed most of the building in 1837. |
| D．The building became old itself. |
According to the passage, which of the following is CORRECT?
| A．The Winter Palace was built between 1753 and 1761. |
| B．The Hermitage’s collections don’t include works by Monet. |
| C．The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia. |
| D．The Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 when Empress Elizabeth bought a collection of 255 paintings from Berlin. |
If you want to visit the museum, when can you go?
| A．At 10:30 am on Monday. | B．At 10:00 am on Tuesday. |
| C．At 11:00 am on Sunday. | D．None of the above. |