The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children-cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances-that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".
But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.
At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either. I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them.
I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.
Then one day I saw an ad. For foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance, I rang up the number.
I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?
| A．Lonely. | B．Anxious. | C．Relieved. | D．Annoyed. |
The underlined phrase “was tied up with” in the second paragraph means “ ”.
| A．was occupied in | B．was associated with |
| C．was tired of | D．was addicted to |
In the third paragraph, the poor mother did all the things just to .
| A．live a greener and healthier life |
| B．earn more money for her kids’ education |
| C．shift her attention and ease her anxiety |
| D．start her own decorating business |
What did the empty-nested mother think of her husband?
| A．Skilled | B．Supportive | C．Stubborn | D．Open-minded |
Thanks to the foster daughter, the author .
| A．got rid of her busy work | B．forgot her other children |
| C．found a suitable job | D．knew what she really wanted |
Liu Qian, a magician from Taiwan, cast his spell (魔法) over an audience of thousands on the CCTV Spring Festival Show. Die-hard fans are still trying to work out the secrets behind many of the tricks he performed.
But Liu, 32, when asked, laughed off the idea that there might be an "answer" to his magic. "The most fascinating thing is the puzzling process. People enjoy how magicians make the impossible come true, " said Liu.
Few people today believe in the possibility of real magic. They also often fail to consider magicians' devotion to their art. It can take a magician years' of practice to perfect a trick before he performs it on stage.
Part of Liu's star appeal is his astonishing skill. However, when he began in the industry, he was all embarrassingly clumsy. "I could practice thousands of times for one single act. It wasn't much fun, " he said.
No magician's supernatural powers on stage extend to their life off stage. Liu says his life was no easier or funnier because he was a magician.
He developed an interest in magic at a young age, but didn't consider making a living out of it until he graduated from university. He had studied Japanese and found himself unable to find a job. "My parents never considered being a magician as a proper job. To begin with, I had little confidence I would be doing this in the long term, " he said.
Yet Liu felt a powerful calling to become a magician. "For many people, magic somehow means a miracle, which is something we all secretly wish for no matter how hard-bitten we become, " he said
Liu may be right. A popular modern dream is of the fairy godmother, who waves her magic wand (魔杖) and makes our dreams come true. But according to Liu, we all have the power to create magic in our lives. As Liu puts it: it's not the magic that makes it work; it's the way we work that makes it magic. According to the passage, we can tell that __________.
| A．being a famous magician, Liu Qian leads a comfortable life |
| B．it is a hard job for magicians to perform magic tricks well |
| C．Liu Qian's parents supported his wish to be a magician |
| D．Liu Qian showed great talents for magic tricks when he first took it up |
Talking of whether there's real magic, Liu Qian believes __________.
| A．there is no real magic and what counts in our life is the way we work |
| B．if we secretly wish for something, magic will turn out to be a miracle |
| C．the puzzling process of performing magic tricks is the answer to magic |
| D．there exists a fairy godmother waving her magic wand to make our dreams come true |
Which of the following is similar to the underlined sentence in meaning?
| A．All roads lead to Rome. |
| B．A miss is as good as a mile. |
| C．Every dog has his day. |
| D．No pains, no gains. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Magic Power by Liu Qian |
| B．The Magic Skill |
| C．A Popular Magician—Liu Qian |
| D．How to Be a Successful Magician |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Liu Qian is a born magician. |
| B．Liu Qian studied magic at university. |
| C．Liu Qian became successful mainly because he was hardworking. |
| D．Godmother helped him. |
Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn't mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here's some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions (中断); have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don't try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods.
There are many students who know many good learning methods but don't study well. They forget that the most useful learning method is to study hard.The main goal of the article is __________.
| A．to prove that learning is not difficult |
| B．to make the readers be interested in study |
| C．to tell the importance of self-teaching |
| D．to tell the students how to study well |
The first thing to remember in studying is that __________.
| A．you must like the subject |
| B．you must follow the teacher |
| C．you must enjoy learning |
| D．you must study hard |
We learn things because __________.
| A．our parents want us to learn |
| B．every student learns at school |
| C．we may use these things in the future |
| D．we like the subjects |
The following advice is given in the article EXCEPT __________.
| A．putting a pen, paper and books beside you before study |
| B．studying at any possible time and place |
| C．reviewing and preview |
| D．paying attention to the most important things |
Among the following statements, " __________ " is true.
| A．The more learning methods we have, the better we will study. |
| B．Finding the best learning method is the most important in learning. |
| C．If you don't work hard, though you have a good learning method, you can't be good at study. |
| D．Once we have mastered a good learning method, we can improve our study greatly. |
On October 5, 2011, around 3：00 p. m., Steven P. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, died at his home in Palo Alto, California, aged 56, six weeks after resigning as CEO of Apple. The death was announced by Apple, the company that Mr. Jobs and his high school friend Stephen Wozniak started in 1976 in a suburban California garage.
Jobs was born in San Francisco and adopted at birth by Paul Jobs and Clara Jobs. Paul Jobs taught his son basic electronics and how to work with his hands. His adoptive mother was an accountant, who taught him to read before he went to school. Asked in a 1995 interview what he wanted to pass on to his children, Jobs replied, "Just to try to be as good a father to them as my father was to me. I think about that every day of my life. "
Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs was admitted to Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester, he continued taking classes at Reed, sleeping on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local temple.
In the late 1970s, they designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful personal computers, the Apple II series. In 1985, after losing a power struggle, Jobs left Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets.
In 1986, he put money in and produced Toy Story (1995), making Jobs Disney's largest shareholder at seven percent.
Apple's 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company. He became a permanent CEO from 2000, developing the iPod, iPhone and iPad products. From 2003, he fought an eight-year battle with cancer. He underwent surgery in 2004, received a liver transplant in 2009. And he took three medical leaves of absence before stepping down in August and turning over the power to Cook.
Jobs married Laurene Powell on March 18, 1991, and the couple had a son and two daughters.
【题文1】According to the passage, how old was Steve P. Jobs when he got married to Laurene Powell?
A. 21 B. 30 C. 36 D. 45
【题文2】The writer of the article mainly talks about Steve P. Jobs' __________ in paragraph 2 and paragraph 3.
A. adoptive father and mother
B. birth father and mother
C. early life and education
D. middle school and college life
【题文3】Put the events in correct order.
①Jobs married Laurene Powell.
②He received a liver transplant.
③After losing a power struggle, Jobs left Apple.
④He was diagnosed with a certain cancer.
⑤He resigned from Apple.
⑥He became a permanent CEO of Apple.
A. ③①⑥④②⑤B. ①③⑥⑤④②
C. ①③②⑤⑥④ D. ①③⑥④②⑤
【题文4】 According to the passage, the statements are right except __________.
A. Steve P. Jobs greatly appreciates his adoptive parents' love.
B. Steve P. Jobs was once unemployed by the company he cofounded.
C. With the help of his adoptive parents, he finished his college successfully.
D. He did change the world by his hard work and his intelligence.
【题文5】Steve P. Jobs returned Apple because of __________.
A. his contribution to Apple
B. his willingness to return to Apple
C. his being very rich
D. Apple's buying NeXT
December 2
Sharon called about four times today. At least it shows she's trying to explain something to me. I feel a little better.
December 3
This morning Sharon said she had only told one person and didn't know why everyone seemed to know. Yes, I am an adopted (收养的) daughter. But she had promised to keep it a secret forever!
December 5
I wish I had a friend I could really trust all of the time. I thought I found that friend, but I haven't and it's making me miserable (痛苦的)! It's wrong to tell her all about it. She gains my trust, and then loses it.
December 7
I have a nice room, beautiful house and everything I've ever wanted. My adoptive parents will give me all the things I've ever dreamed of. Yet all the money in the world can't buy what I want now. I want Sharon to be my best friend again.
December 10
Sharon just called. She said she thought it might help if we spent more time together. She worried that I would change schools. She is the best friend I've ever had. When I'm with Sharon, I can be myself. I need Sharon's friendship. I need it more than I've ever known.
December 16
I just had the most fantastic two days of my life! This was the best time I've had for a long, long while. Yesterday, we walked five times around the park and today we walked along the river for twenty minutes. We talked so much. Sharon, Sharon, no brick wall between us now. What is the author mainly worried about?
| A．How she was adopted? |
| B．Why she had to change schools? |
| C．Her family life. |
| D．Her friendship with Sharon. |
Sharon lost the author's trust because she __________.
| A．did not keep the author's secret |
| B．did not explain something to the author |
| C．told the author's past life to everyone |
| D．often refused to help the author |
The underlined word "fantastic" in the last paragraph probably means __________.
| A．funny | B．wonderful | C．sad | D．lucky |
Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask for your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends—you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you—loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease (not worried) but the situation is somewhat different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.When you speak to the class, you should speak __________.
| A．as slowly as possible |
| B．in a low voice |
| C．loudly |
| D．forcefully |
Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is __________.
| A．noisy |
| B．quiet |
| C．having a rest |
| D．serious |
The situation in the class is __________ that in your house.
| A．not very different from |
| B．sometimes the same as |
| C．sometimes not the same as |
| D．not the same as |
The main idea of this passage is __________.
| A．that we should talk in different ways in different situations |
| B．that we must speak loudly |
| C．that we must keep silent at any time |
| D．that we must talk with the class |