Without any hesitation, he said, “I’d be better off dead.” Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met my best friend about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learnt that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal (自杀的) thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. In spite of this, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to say. Thus, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I am doing, for he takes priority. Sometimes he just needs the assurance of my voice telling him that everything is going to be okay and that I will not let him down.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice the scars on his arms from cutting. It seems that other kids have every right to make fun of him and to look down on him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he hadn’t had me, he wouldn’t be alive. He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single word can impact on someone’s life. With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement.The author’s friend got into depression mainly because _____ .
| A.he lived without his parents | B.he had poor health |
| C.he received little care at school | D.he had a bitter childhood |
We know from the passage that the author’s friend_____.
| A.was better off three years ago | B.thought little of others’ judging eyes |
| C.appreciates the author’s help | D.wants to communicate with his parents |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A.I believe in encouragement. | B.I enjoy friendship. |
| C.My friend and I. | D.The story of my friend. |
How did it make you feel when you learned that KFC’S Beijing restaurants pulled three more items from their menus last week? There were fears that the items may have contained the cancer-causing coloring Sudan I.Do you have any desire to take the food provider to court because it feeds you something dangerous?
After all,the law supposedly gives people the right to fight for their rights.But some experts have said it might not be so wise to take the company directly to court.
Qiu Baochang,a lawyer in Beijing,suggested that consumers not take the company directly to court.“In addition to the high costs,consumers’complaints are unlikely to win unless they can prove they have had the banned dye at KFC,”—Qiu explained.
One problem for those wanting to take action against the fast food chain is that few customers ask for or keep receipts(收据).And,this must be the first step.
If they can prove that their health has been damaged by KFC,they can cue(控告)the company.But that would be almost impossible to do so because the Sudan I damage is a long-term effect and is not immediately apparent.
A KFC spokesperson said on Monday that the company was confdent of being able to handle customers’complaints,“We will obey legal procedure if We raceive any complaints.”Why did KFC’s Beijing restaurants pull three more items from their menus?
| A.Because the company was afraid to handle customers’complaints. |
| B.Because coloring Sudan I may have been contained in those items. |
| C.Because the KFC’s restaurants were accused ofselling poisonous food to the customers. |
| D.Because these items were no longer popular with the customers. |
The reason why experts suggested not taking the company directly to court is that.
| A.the costs will be high |
| B.consumers can’t prove food contained Sudan I |
| C.consumers can’t prove the food at KFC damaged their health |
| D.all of the above |
This passage most probably appears in.
| A.a notice. |
| B.a book on cooking. |
| C.a story book. |
| D.a newspaper. |
What is the general ieda of the passage?
| A.KFC’s Beijing restaurants pulled three items from their menus last week. |
| B.How the consumers dealt with the KFC problem. |
| C.How KFC handled the customers’s complaints. |
| D.Consumers never forget to ask for or keep receipts. |
Welcome to the International Summer School
Students can have an enjoyable English language learning experiencce—together with organized sports, activities and excursion program. The International Summer School runs 4 different summer school centers for boys and girls aged from 7 to 20.
Two of these schools—Moira House and University Hall of Residence—are based in East Bourne on the south coast of Englanded—in the much favored Meads area of the town, within walking distance of the seafront and town centre. Gatwick Airport is about an hour’s drive away and Healthrow around 90 minutes.
Our 4th school—Bethany Centre—is located in the heart of Kent—an area known as “The Garden of England” close go woods of the High Wealed but only 20 minutes from the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells. Gatwick and Heathrow Airports are easily accessible, as are Euro star InternationalStations at Ashford and Ebbs fleet.
The aim of International Summer School is to create a lively and happy atmosphere that makes learning and international communication enjoyable. Young people can have fun, but also gain considerable skills in English. 
A full day in London is always included, as well as other places of cultural interest. Students of all cultures are welcomed as our aim is to create a summer school which can truly be
described as International.
When we return your child to you at the end of their stay, we hope they will feel enriched by their experience with us and will look forward to returning to meet friends made at International Summer School the following year, as so many do.What is the writer’s purpose by writing this passage?
| A.To introduce to readers the International Summer School |
| B.To attract more students to study in the International Summer School |
| C.To share his experiences of studying in the International Summer School |
| D.To show the great achievements made in the International Summer School |
All of the following belong to the International Summer School EXCEPT________.
| A.Moria House |
| B.University Hall of Resicence |
| C.Bethany Centre |
| D.Royal Tunbridge Wells |
From this text we learn that ________.
A.Kent i s a very beautiful university in England |
| B.Bethany Centre is very inconvenient in transportatton |
| C.Children will feel relaxed at the International Summer School |
| D.Only students from England will be admitted to the school |
Who are the intended readers of the passage?
| A.Parents with teenager children. |
| B.Children aged between 7 and 20. |
| C.School teachers. |
| D.Less healthy and disabled children. |
Do you have a dream, something you always see yourself doing? Perhaps you see yourself as a lawyer, businessman, or even a scientist. Whatever it is, don’t let it die.
A dream is a wonderful thing. It can give you hope for your future and encourage you to try when all odds are against you.
However, there are dream killers that want to kill your dream. They may tell
you that it is impossible for you, that you are not smart enough or that it’s never been done before. However, many times the biggest dream killer is yourself.
Don’t let fear, doubt or lack of finances prevent you from fulfilling(实现) your dream. Talk back to these killers, “I can and fulfill my dream.” You may have to do this every day. The more often you talk to your heart that you can do it, the more safely your dream will be held within you.
It is very important to take steps towards fulfilling your dream. For me, in order to fulfill my dream of one-day owning my own magazine, I needed to go back to school and finish my college degree. For you, it may be something different. You know deep inside what the voice of your dream calls for. Don’t be afraid and just do it. Try not to let too much time go by. Time is another one of those dream killers.
Think about the words of a song by Yolanda Adams, “Keep the dream alive. Don’t let it die. If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try, don’t stop. And never give up. Don’t ever give up on you. Sometimes, life can place a stumbling block in your way. But you have to keep the faith.”
When you dream, dream big and never give up. Your dream is just yours. Never let anyone tell you that your dream can’t happen -- it can! Keep seeing yourself do what’s never been done before. As you continue to feed your dream and protect it, not only will you keep it alive, but it will come true.What does the underlined words “all odds are against you” in Parragraph 2 mean?
| A.You are in hopeless situation. |
| B.You find everything seems strange. |
| C.You are not feeling quite well. |
| D.You have all your friends against you. |
What did the author dream of doing?
| A.Getting his own book published | B.Owing a colledge degree |
| C.Becoming a writer | D.Publishing his own magazine |
What do we learn from Paragraph 5?
| A.It takes money to fulfill our dream. |
| B.The first step is to know our dream. |
| C.It is important for us to take action. |
| D.We should not listen to the call of our heart. |
The words of Yolanda Adams’song are mentioned in the text.
| A.to support his main point |
| B.to make his writing interesting |
| C.to show they share the same view |
| D.to mean Yolanda Adams is popular |
When Callie Rogers won almost 1.9 million pounds on the lottery(彩票)at l6,she hoped it would help her put her troubles behind her.The teenager came from a broken home,had dropped out of school and was living in lotal authority care.
Rogers, from Cumbria, England, won the National Lottery in 2003. Then she went on a massive spending spree, splashing out on four homes for her family, flash cars, designer clothes, partying and breast implants. A fortnight after her win she married and had two children. But then she spent 250,000 pounds on cocaine and suffered depression. Earlier this year she lost custody of her children because of her mental state.
She became addicted to drugs and attempted suicide three times as her life unraveled. Sh
e says the money brought her only misery - and now she is down to her last 100,000 pounds, she has never been happier.
Now 22, she said: “Just a few months ago I was taking too many drugs and hated myself. I simply did not want to live any more. But now I have a new man and am finally becoming the woman I want to be.”
“I need to get my act together and make my kids proud, and for the first time I really do think that's possible.” She credits her new boyfriend with giving her the stable home life she has always craved, and she now hopes to go to college and eventually become a counselor. “After all I've endured, I think I have a lot of advice to offer,” she said.Why was Rogers not allowed to look after her children?
| A.She was in a bad mental state. | B.Her children hated her. |
| C.She was not responsible for them. | D.She was too poor to support them. |
What can we learn about Rogers from Paragraph 3?
| A.Being addicted to drugs cost her everything. |
| B.Money didn’t bring her happiness as expected. |
| C.Rogers felt sad with her money gone. |
| D.Too much money allowed her to do what she wanted. |
What caused Rogers to change and start a new life?
| A.The loss of money. | B.Her bitter past. |
| C.Her husband and children. | D.Her new boyfriend. |
Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday in the United States and Canada.Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival.This is why it is celebrated in late fall,after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest.On December 4,1619,the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City,Virginia.They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest.The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth,Massachusetts,in 1620.They had a difficult time
and the first winter was cruel.Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year,they had a good harvest.So Governor Bradford declared a threeday feast (盛宴).The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time,other colonies (殖民地) began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War,Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed (宣布) the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November.Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours.But the Canadian Thanksgiving Day falls on the second Monday in October.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated .
| A.in spring | B.in summer |
| C.in autumn | D.in winter |
The first to celebrate thanksgiving were .
| A.some people from England |
| B.the American Indians |
| C.Sarah Josepha Hale |
| D.Governor Bradford |
We can infer from the passage that New England must be .
A.in the U.S.A.
B.in Great Britain
C.in Canada
D.on some island off the AtlanticWhich of the following is NOT true?
| A.Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest. |
| B.Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations. |
| C.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God. |
| D.There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. |
The passage mainly tells us .
A.how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U.S.A.
B.how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated
C.that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday
D.how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places