Sarah Williams went to a boarding school. Here is one of the
letters she wrote to her parents from the school.
Wentworth Girls' School
Beachside
July 20th
Dearest Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school principal is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer.
The trouble started last night when I was smoking in bed. This is against the rules, of course. We are not supposed to smoke at all.
As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away.
Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire.
There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too. Soon the whole room was burning.
The principal phoned for the fire department. The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was in flames. Many of the girls are in the hospital.
The principal says that the fire was all my fault and you must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I’m very sorry about this.
Much love,
Sarah
P. S. None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams. I just want you to know how bad things could have been!Why did Sarah write home?
A.To tell her parents about the fire. |
B.To ask for a lot of money. |
C.To tell her parents she had failed her exams. |
D.To tell her parents she had to leave school. |
Why did Sarah tell her parents the story about the fire?
A.She wanted to worry them. |
B.She wanted to make them laugh. |
C.She wanted to make them less angry at the real news. |
D.She wanted to warn them about what the principal was going to do. |
The letter before the. P. S. was .
A.mostly true | B.partly true |
C.completely true | D.completely untrue |
The amazing image shows the world’s largest ever cruise ship, complete with beach pool, shopping mall, rock-climbing walls, outdoor amphitheater(圆形剧场)and New York-style loft suites(套间).The “traveling city” is being built on dry-docks in Finland by Royal Caribbean International, and she is named Oasis of the Seas.
Almost 1,200 feet long, 154 feet wide and rising 213 feet above the water line, the Oasis of the Seas will be able to host 3,000 crew to service every passenger’s need.In addition to the size, the Oasis of the Seas will also be the first ship that attracts people by the cruise line’s new
neighborhood concept: 7 distinct themed areas, including Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.Of all these areas, the excellent zone will be “Central Park”.
Protected from the weather by a clear screen to let in the light, the Central Park area will be themed on Caribbean plants and leaves reflecting the area which the ship will eventually cruise in.And the park zone will have different restaurants, bars and boutique shops, bringing the idea of “floating city” to reality.
In addition, Oasis of the Seas will also include a rock wall, over 15 restaurants and bars, a casino(娱乐场), a theatre, two night-clubs and the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner.
“Royal Caribbean is proud to introduce a number of ‘firsts’ that the world has never seen before,” said Adam Goldstein, “Oasis of the Seas is the ultimate expression of the creativity and imagination found on all of our ships, providing guests with a collection of experiences that will offer an incredible cruise vacation.”
1.In the passage, Oasis of the Seas refers to ______.
A.a traveling city B.a cruise ship
C.a deserted island D.an ocean park
2.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A.the Oasis of the Seas hasn’t been built well so far
B.7 distinct themed areas are being built on dry-docks
C.the “traveling city” can hold 3,000 passengers
D.the “traveling city” is a beauty spot
3.The main idea of the third paragraph would be _____.
A.what the Central Park is B.the location of the Central Park
C.the features of the Central Park D.the theme of the Central Park
4.The Oasis of the Seas includes a number of ‘firsts’ EXCEPT _____.
A.the world’s largest ever cruise ship
B.its way of attracting tourists
C.the largest freshwater pool on any cruise liner
D.its most delicious food in the world
What kind of life do you want? And what would you do if you were born with an illness like Cystic Fibrosis (囊胞性纤维症)?Charley was such a man.He was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a serious disease of the muscles.Without properly functioning muscles, eventually you’re unable to breathe.However,Charley was fortunate to have many care- givers, including his wife who helped him a lot.He became an engineer and helped plan structures that would allow streets and buildings to give better access to the disabled.Charley couldn’t live without a wheelchair, and could only use one hand to move it.His speech was also difficult to understand.However, Charley had a sharp mind.He could see, hear, use a few fingers and think, and that was enough to allow him to make an important contribution to his city.He made those around him more aware of their physical health.
In the movie JackandJillvs.theWorld, Jill is a 25-year-old girl who has just arrived in New York City.She has Cystic Fibrosis, but she doesn’t let it control her life.She’s happy, in fact! She meets a young man, Jack, and changes his life forever.One day she has to tell him about her illness.He’s angry and disappointed, but later he realizes that it’s their relationship that matters.They decide to be together, and live as happily as possible.
Charley’s story is true.Jack and Jill’s story is made up.How do you want to live your life? Use your imagination, and enjoy your life and all its wonders.Create your picture of a happy life.
1.The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to _____.
A.test the readers’ attitude about life
B.draw the readers’ attention to the topic
C.invite the readers to answer them
D.tell readers how to make a living
2.About Charley, which of the following is TRUE?
A.He is a father of two boys.
B.He can live well without wheelchair.
C.He is a lucky because many people give him care.
D.He can speak as others do.
3.From the passage, we can infer that _____.
A.health is the origin of happiness
B.the attitude to life decides your happiness
C.Cystic Fibrosis a serious disease of the muscles
D.Charley’s story is made up
4.The film JackandJill vs.theWorld is set in _____.
A.three young people B.New York City
C.ParisD.a place that we don’t know
When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from China.
When India had not opened up its markets to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans.Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now.
Still, her answer surprised me: “Green tea.”
As long as I can remember she didn’t even drink Indian tea .
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story.My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses.
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian.It was a strange country.
How things change! And how soon!
Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”.And everyone is talking about China.
The govemment of Indin has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done.A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would “work wonders as it did for China”.
But it’s a two-way street.I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Bangalore to train in software.Meanwhile, all the Indian IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China.
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to hit about US $15 billion for last year and US $20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments.
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian(中印)century as the two countries started on January 1 the Sino-Indian Friendship Year.
But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea.
1.According to the passage, the author left _____ for ______.
A.India; China B.China; India
C.China; Longjing D.India; Shenzhen
2.The reason why the writer’s mother asked for Chinese green tea is that_____.
A.she had a son working in China B.she believed it had a curing effect
C.she enjoyed Chinese products D.she was tired of Indian tea
3.The underlined part “it’s a two-way street” in Paragraph 10 probably means ____.
A.The exchanges between Indian and China benefit both.
B.China and India have different traffic rules.
C.Tea trade works wonders in both India and China.
D.Chinese produces are popular in both China and India.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A.the author was concerned for his mother’s health
B.the author was in favor of drinking Chinese green tea
C.the author was surprised at China’s recent development
D.the author was curious about the growth of India’s IT industry
CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition(传统) of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival(节) in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.
1. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _______.
A. will be more popular than TV
B. will be popular again
C. started in Wales
D. are in the hands of some old people
2. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago
B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way
C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live
D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.
B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.
C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.
D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.
4. The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.
A. controlled by rich people B. grasped by good storytellers
C. taken good care of D. protected by kind people
Tales of the supernatural are common in all parts of Britain. In particular there was(and perhaps still is)a belief in fairies. Not all of these fairies are the friendly, people-loving sprites that appear in Disney films. In some folktales they are cruel and cause much human suffering. This is true in the tales about the changeling. These tell the story of a mother whose baby grows sick and pale and is changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable to the parents. It was then feared that the fairies had come and stolen the baby away and replaced the human baby with a fairy changeling. This was most likely to happen between birth and the baby’s baptism. There were many ways to prevent this from happening: hanging a knife over the baby’s head while he slept or covering him with some of his father’s clothes were just two of the recommended(推荐)methods. However, hope was not lost even if the baby had been stolen .In those cases there was often a way to get the real baby back. You could place the changeling on the fire—then it would rise up the chimney, you would hear the sound of fairies’ laughter and soon after you would find your own child safe and sound nearby. Or, if you were more cautious(谨慎),perhaps there was a magic well in the neighbourhood where you could leave the changeling overnight, and in the morning you would return to find your own baby there without a scratch(划痕)on him.
1. Another word in the passage which is closest in meaning to the underlined word sprites is ______.
A. changeling B. baptism C. folktales D. fairies
2.The writer described ______ways to prevent babies from being stolen and ______ways to save a stolen baby.
A. Many; two B. Two; two C. Two; three D. Two; four
3.Which is not stated but can be inferred from this passage?
A. Some sick babies might have been killed with the recommended methods.
B. There are bad fairies as well as good fairies.
C. Lots of stolen babies were saved with the recommended methods.
D. Fairies would laugh if they found a changeling rise up the chimney.