While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had an experience which occurred merely two feet away from me.
Trying to locate my friend among the passengers coming through the jet way, I noticed a man walking toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he kissed his three children one by one and said, “It’s nice to see you. I missed you so much!” Then he hugged his wife, “I’ve saved the best for last!” giving her the longest, most passionate (热情的) kiss I ever remember seeing. They stared at each other’s eyes, smiling at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.
Full of admiration, I asked, “Wow! How long have you two been married?” “Being together for fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” He replied, without breaking his stare from his lovely wife’s face. “Well, then, how long have you been away?” I asked. “Two whole days!” “Two days?” I was astonished. By the intensity (热烈) of the greeting, I had thought he’d been gone for at least several weeks — if not months. I knew my expression gave away me, so I turned away my eyes and said quietly, “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after so long!”
The man suddenly stopped smiling and looked at me straight in the eye. With forcefulness he told me something that left me a different person. “Don’t hope, friend…decide!” Then he smiled again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”
With that, he and his family turned and walked away together.
I was still watching that man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What are you looking at?” Without hesitation, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”The best title of the passage may be __________.
| A．Long Loving Hugs | B．My Future |
| C．Love Is Everywhere | D．Don’t Hope, Decide |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It was fourteen years since the couple had got married. |
| B．After being away for several weeks, the man missed his family very much. |
| C．The man replied to the author, with his eyes still fixed on his wife’s face. |
| D．Their three kids reminded the author of newlyweds. |
By saying “my expression gave away me” （in Paragraph 4）, the author means that __________.
| A．he failed to express his ideas to the man |
| B．his expression was not faithful to him |
| C．he didn’t believe in his expression any more |
| D．the man sensed his real feelings from his expression |
From the passage, we can infer that __________.
| A．the author will live a passionate life from now on |
| B．the experience may be easily forgotten by the author |
| C．the author will be away from his family and hug them passionately upon his return |
| D．Americans prefer to save the best for last |
International students in Christine Rhodes’ English class in Australia share their favorite places they have visited in Australia.
Canberra, the nicest city in Australia.
Siggi Siebold from Germany
I went for a short holiday to Canberra because my son lives there. It’s the nicest city in Australia, a little bit similar to Cairns. There’re lots of big rivers and trees around the city. The small city of Mount Isa
Indra Ekanayake from Malaysia
I came to Mount Isa six months ago. It’s a long way from Brisbane-about 2,000 km .It’s a small city, with a population of 21,000, but it has all the basic facilities(设施)such as a hospital, six schools and supermarkets. It’s a mining city. It’s hot and gets little rain. There’re two big lakes to keep the rainwater for drinking for the city.Lake Moondarra and a mine
Ida Robb from Indonesia
In Mount Isa, there’s a dam called Lake Moondarra. On the weekend you can go there with your friends.People go fishing and even catch a crocodile. There’s a big mine in Mount Isa.Many people come to work in the mine and earn much money.It isn’t a beautiful green place, but many people love it.My impression(印象)of Sydney
Namfon Pitaxsin from Thailand
The fist time I came to Australia,I was happy. I traveled to Sydney. Four million people live there ,and many are Asians. I saw the harbor (港口)，Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House and I went to see the koalas and kangaroos in Taronga Park Zoo. After that I went to the Thai restaurants. There is a revolving (旋转的) restaurant, so you can eat and see the city.Why did Siggi Siebold go to Canberra?
| A． Because it’s the nicest city in Australia. |
| B．Because her son lives there |
| C．Because it is similar to her hometown |
| D．Because there’re lots of rivers |
According to Indra Ekanayake, Mount Isa______
| A．is a famous harbor in Ausralia |
| B．has a large population |
| C．probably doesn’t have enough drinking water |
| D．doesn’t have enough basic facilities |
Where is Lake Moondarra?
A. In Canberra. B. In Mount Isa. C.In Brisbane. D.In Sydney
64.The first time Namfon Pitaxsin went to Australia, she________
A. saw some special Australian animals
B. met more Americans than Asians
C. ate in a revolving restaurant
D. enjoyed the music in the Opera HouseHow many cities does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four. | D．Five |
I was 15. She looked like she was over 70. But on that day. I think she understood me more than anyone else.
Walking into the church that Sunday was hard. I had never let anyone see me cry. But I knew I would cry that day .My grandfather was suddenly ill .The doctors said he might not live much longer. Everyone in my family was crying .Grandpa was the sweetest man in the world .Why was he leaving us?
There weren't many people at church that day. One of them was an old lady sitting at the end of my row. She was smiling. I closed my eyes and prayed for my grandfather to get better. Soon, my eyes were full of tears. I opened my eyes and saw a hand in front of me. It was giving me a tissue(纸巾)。
The old lady was sitting next to me, smiling. She didn't say a word. She just gave me a tissue and a smile. I tried to thank her, but only tears came out. Then she took my hand. I looked into her eyes. They were clear and blue, and they make me feel peaceful. Her smile said to me :I am with you. Everything will be OK. I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, she wasn't there. I left the church but still couldn't find her. I never saw her again.
My grandfather died the next week. We all cried a lot. But when I thought of that old lady's warm smile, I felt a little better.
How did she know how I was feeling ? I wish I could see her again, to say thank you.According to Paragraph 2, what made the whole family cry ?
| A．Grandfather's words | B．Grandfather's death. |
| C．The author's cry. | D．The doctor's words. |
The author went to church to _____.
| A．pray for grandfather. | B．ask the old lady for help. |
| C．avoid being seen crying. | D．thank the old lady. |
Whose hand does the underlined word "It" in Paragraph 3 refer to
| A．Grandfather's | B．The old lady's. |
| C．The author's. | D．Father's. |
What do we know about the old lady ?
| A．She knows the author. | B．She can't speak. |
| C．She needs understanding. | D．She is very kind. |
What made the author feel better after Grandfather died ?
| A．The old lady's words. | B．The old lady's smile. |
| C．The old lady's eyes. | D．The old lady's hand |
Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about drinking is the key to critical（判断性的）thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes（过程）. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen-beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning.
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are curious about life and desire to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure of intelligence（智力）, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein. Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately put Hoffman at ease by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.”Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, _______.
| A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast. |
| B．we might be controlled by other people’s ideas. |
| C．we will follow the ideas of others naturally. |
| D．we might be footed by other people’s ideas. |
If you are a critical thinker, you will ________.
| A．think deeply about different ideas | B．trust the reports in the newspapers |
| C．take one view against another view | D．criticize other people for their mistakes |
In the last paragraph, “something new” suggests that ________.
| A．the smarter you are, the faster you do things |
| B．the faster you do things, the smarter you become |
| C．speed can improve intelligence |
| D．intelligence is not decided by speed |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Thinking and Critical Thinking. | B．Understanding Critical Thinking. |
| C．Thinking Is Natural and Human. | D．Thinking Fast Means Intelligence. |
The following conversation is between Susan Russell-Robinson from the US Geological （地质学的）Survey and Barbara Reynolds from USA Today .
Q: Why , after 600 years of no activity , did Mount Pinatubo in Philippines erupt（喷发）in 1991 ?
A: Volcanoes （火山）each have their own eruption styles . This volcano probably has a rule which makes it erupt in the order of every 500 to 1000 years , but a volcano in Hawaii seems to erupt every year , and some of the Alaskan volcanoes might erupt every 10 or 20 years .
Q: So nothing caused it ?
A: There’s nothing out of the ordinary . If you were to take an ordinary calendar year , 50 to 75 or 80 volcanoes erupt around the world every year . There are 20 to 30 volcanoes every month that show signs of unrest . That might be a full-blown eruption or a whole host of activities like that .
Q: What is “the ring of fire” ?
A: If you look at where active volcanoes are placed around the world , there are somewhere between 500 and 600 of them . There is what appears to be almost a necklace that goes around the Pacific Ocean . It makes a ring where 60% of the world’s volcanoes lie .
Q: Why such a concentration（集中）there ?
A: That’s based on a theory that the oceans and the continents are like separate pieces . When continents and when that happens it seems to produce magma（熔岩）at depth and then you have volcanoes in the same ring .What kind of writing do you think this passage is ?
| A．A text taken from a geography book . |
| B．An interview published in the press . |
| C．A conversation carried out in a film . |
| D．An oral test recorded as an example . |
Which of the following statements can correctly explain why we have so many volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean ?
| A．The movement of the surface of the earth makes it possible. |
| B．The Pacific Ocean produces magma and presses it everywhere. |
| C．The oceans and the continents are separated from each other. |
| D．The earth’s surface around the Pacific is thinner than any other part. |
Barbara Reynolds’ main purpose here is .
| A．to show how dangerous volcanoes are to the world |
| B．to learn what signs a volcano gives us before its eruption |
| C．to warn the world of the existence of “the ring of fire” |
| D．to introduce some general idea of volcanoes to the public |
Which of the following can be considered as the best conclusion of the conversation?
| A．There are so many volcanoes in the world and we are always in danger. |
| B．Volcanoes have erupted more frequently than ever before. |
| C．Volcanoes are waiting to be better known. |
| D．Something must be done to protect the people near the ring of fire. |
Dog Translation Products Coming to U. S.
A Japanese toy maker declares that they have developed a gadget that translates dog barks into human language and plans to begin selling the gadget——under the name of Bowlingual——in U. S. pet stores and gift shops this summer.
Tokyo-based Takara Co. Ltd. says about 300, 000 of the dog translator gadgets have been sold since it was on sale in Japan late last year. It is forecasting far bigger sales once an English language translation for dogs comes to America in August. The United States is home to about 67 million dogs, more than six times the number in Japan.
"We know that the Americans love their dogs so much, so we don't think they will mind spending $ 120 on this product," the Takara marketing manager said during an interview at a recent pet products conference in Atlanta.
Regarded as one of the coolest inventions of 2002 by Time magazine, Bowlingual is made up of a 3 - inch long wireless microphone that is fastened to a dog collar and sends out sounds to a small console (控制台) that is connected to a database (数据库). The console divides each bark into six emotional types——happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, threat and desire——and shows common phrases, such as "You're ticking me off," that fit the dog's emotional state.
Takara says it has spent millions of dollars developing the gadget in cooperation with famous sound experts and animal behaviorists.
One thing that does appear certain is that the markets for animal translation products will likely remain a dog's world since Takara has no plans to develop a similar gadget for cats. "They are too unpredictable (反复无常) , " the marketing manager said.This passage mainly tells us that Bowlingual ___________.
| A．was invented in Japan | B．has developed quickly |
| C．will be sold in America | D．sells well for its price |
The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to ___________.
| A．markets | B．products | C．plans | D．cats |
When was this passage most probably published?
| A．In the winter of 2002. | B．In the spring of 2003. |
| C．In the summer of 2002. | D．In the autumn of 2003. |
From the passage, we can see that Takara Co. Ltd. is ___________ the sale of its new product.
| A．proud of | B．satisfied with |
| C．confident of | D．worried about |