Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new baby. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's stomach.
In time, the labor pains come. But complications arise during delivery. Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With alarm in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. The days go by. The little girl gets worse. The pediatric (儿科的) specialist tells the parents, “There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst.”
Karen and her husband contact a local cemetery about a burial plot. They have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby, but now they plan a funeral. Michael keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, "I want to sing to her," he says. But kids are never allowed in Intensive Care.
Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it or not. If he doesn’t see his sister now, he may never see her alive.
She dresses him in an oversized suit and marches him into ICU. He looks like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognizes him as a child and shouts, "Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed. Never disturb patients here.” The mother rises up strongly and said," He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!"
Karen leads Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. And he begins to sing. In the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sings:" You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray......" Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate begins to calm down and becomes steady.
“Keep on singing, Michael." encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away."
The next day, the very next day, the little girl is well enough to go home! Woman's Day magazine called it "the miracle of a brother's song". The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of Gods love!
Never give up on the people you love.What may the underlined words "the infant" refer to?
| A．The baby | B．Karen | C．Mary | D．Michael |
What do we know about the little sister after she was born?
| A．She was driven to St. Mary's shop. |
| B．A doctor came to see her in her house. |
| C．She was very thin and couldn't speak. |
| D．She was in great danger. |
Why did Karen firmly let little Michael see his sister in ICU?
| A．Because he could make his sister alive. |
| B．Because his sister would be sent to a far hospital. |
| C．Because his sister was going to die soon. |
| D．Because his father wanted to take him away. |
What do we know about the head nurse?
| A．The head nurse was careful. | B．The head nurse was rude. |
| C．The head nurse was responsible. | D．The head nurse had no sympathy. |
What is the general idea of the text?
| A．A boy' s singing saved his sister' s life. |
| B．The little girl is well enough to go home. |
| C．Michael's little sister is born with a serious disease. |
| D．No children are allowed to enter the intensive care unit. |
An Announcement
It was a small town which lay by the coast.Most people there lived by catching fish.The hurricanes often struck the area from July to October.Some of the people died on the sea when their boats were blown over by the high winds.So they paid much attention to the weather forecasts.They were afraid to meet with the hurricanes when they were catching fish on the sea.Each of the families had a radio and people always took them with themselves and listened to them at any time.
It was September.A hurricane attacked the town one night.Plenty of trees were pushed over and all the electric and telephone lines were broken.People couldn’t watch TV,or call their friends,or go to work.To their anger,they couldn’t listen to the weather forecasts the Town Radio Station broadcast.The food and fresh water would soon be short and the patients couldn’t be given medical care—no medicine could be carried there.People didn’t know what would happen and they looked anxious.
On the fourth day they read an announcement（通告）on the Town Weekly.It was written,“Recently we have to stop the weather forecast because of the bad weather.We usually get the forecasts from the airport.But the roads are all blocked by the fallen trees and stones.Whether or not we’ll be able to broadcast the weather forecast tomorrow depends on the weather！”The people in the town often took radios with themselves because______.
| A．they felt lonely when catching fish on the sea and listened to the weather forecasts |
| B．they were interested in the weather forecasts |
| C．they couldn’t watch TV on the sea |
| D．they hoped to listen to some good news |
The writer writes the passage mainly to ______.
| A．desrcibe the importance of weather forecast |
| B．give a news report |
| C．describe a bad effect of natural disasters |
| D．to warn people to be careful against hurricane |
Read the announcement,the people were______.
| A．encouraged | B．happy | C．excited | D．disappointed |
Alzheimer’s disease is a major national health problem.Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease.It is a leading cause of death among the elderly.But Alzheimer’s disease is not confined （限于） to the aged.There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.
At one time,people suffering from the disease were said to be“getting old”.The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old,but it is now known that Alzheimer’s disease strikes young and old alike.It is an organic （器官的） disease,that destroys brain cells.
Alzheimer’s disease affects the patient’s memory,speech,and movement.In the beginning stages of the disease,the patient may seem slightly confused.He may have trouble speaking,then the patient’s memory begins to fail.He may forget dates,numbers,names and plans.
As the disease progresses,the patient may not recognize family and friends.These symptoms（症状） often cause terrible anxiety in the patient.He may feel lost and frightened.Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.
In the last stages of the disease,the patient may not be able to take care of himself.He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease.It may be caused by a virus （病毒）.It may be caused by a poisonous substance（物质） in the environment.At present,there is no cure for the disease.But there are ways to slow its progress.Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer’s disease ________.
| A．is a terrible part of the aging process |
| B．is an organic disease that affects young and old |
| C．can be cured by physical treatment |
| D．causes forgetfulness |
All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease EXCEPT________.
| A．forgetfulness | B．difficulty in speaking |
| C．loss of sight | D．loss of the ability to walk |
According to the passage,which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease?
| A．Poisons produced by the brain. | B．Getting old. |
| C．A virus. | D．Lack of exercise. |
The press of Alzheimer’s disease can be slowed by________.
| A．operation | B．a change in environment |
| C．medicines | D．physical treatment and exercise |
Bill and his family has been living in the six－family building for years.All the neighbours got along fairly well with each other until recently.
An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor.Bill’s mother and the old lady were good friends.Unfortunately the lady died last month.Her husband could not live alone,so he had his grandson move over and live with him.
The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbours,especially to Bill’s family.The walls of the building are thin and he is noisy.Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to listen to the radio late at night.Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise.That is too much for Bill’s family.
Bill’s mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night,but obviously the man didn’t understand what she meant.If he did and spoke to his grandson,the young man obviously didn’t listen,since things haven’t changed any.Everyone in Bill’s family agrees that something must be done though they don’t want to hurt the kind old man.Bill’s family got angry because ________.
| A．the old lady had died |
| B．a young man moved in |
| C．the old man could not live alone |
| D．the grandson made a lot of noise |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The old man could not live without his wife’s help. |
| B．The old man and his wife were sometimes making trouble too. |
| C．Bill’s mother was kind to her neighbours. |
| D．Bill’s mother was the only one who likes the young man. |
It seems that ________to solve the problem.
| A．anyone is able | B．only the grandfather is going |
| C．Bill’s mother is able | D．nobody is likely |
Tourism probably started in Roman times.Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire.But when the empire broke down,this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century,the idea of the“Grand Tour”was born.Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel（英吉利海峡）.They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time,including Paris in France,and Rome and Venice（威尼斯）in Italy.Their tours lasted for two to four years,and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city.The“Grand Tour”was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century,tourism began to change.For example,people in the UK started to visit some towns,such as Bath to“take the waters”.They believed that the water there was good for their health.So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century,travel became much more popular and faster.When the first railways were built in the 1820s,it was easier for people to travel between towns,so they started to go for holidays by the sea.And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger,noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built.People began to travel more to far away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people.Planes were made larger,so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew.In 1949,Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays.The company organizes everything—plane tickets,hotel rooms,even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home.The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.In the early times,the travelers ________.
| A．all came from Roman |
| B．were very young and strong |
| C．had lots of money |
| D．traveled by boat |
________ played the most important role in the tourism development.
| A．Education | B．Money | C．Transportation | D．People’s ideas |
Modern tourism was born ________.
| A．in 1949 | B．in Roman times |
| C．in the early 17th century | D．in the 19th century |
The underlined phrase“take off”means ________.
| A．a plane rising into the air |
| B．develop very fast |
| C．remove hats and clothes |
| D．bring down the prices |
The twin towns of LAUFEN/OBERNDORF
Laufen owes its former economical and cultural significance to the river Salzach,which forms a peninsula with its sharp curves（弯） there.
Laufen’s economic boom began with the salt trade and the shipping on the river.The salt—mainly coming from Hallein and Bad Reichenhall—was loaded onto bigger ships downstream,which made Laufen one of the most important ports of shipment for salt in Salzburg and Bavaria.
The archbishop（大教主） of Salzburg had given special privileges to the people who were involved in the shipping of salt on the river Salzach.
The Napoleonic Wars brought occupation and serious disturbances.They brought the sudden end to the independent state of the Duke—Archbishop of Salzburg.The end of the 18th century brought a decrease in shipping because of the general economic situation.On the 1st May 1816 Salzburg definitively became a part of Austria （Munich agreement） that’s why the Salzach became the border between Bavaria and Austria.Laufen’s suburbs Oberndorf and Altach were divided up.The number of inhabitants fell from 1392 to 809.Even the re－unification of the two towns’shipsmen’s guilds（行会） and the reorganization of 1928 could not prevent the decline of shipping which finally came to an end in the late 19th century.________played an important role in Laufen’s economy and culture life.
| A．Salt | B．Shipment | C．Guilds | D．Theriver Salzach |
The underlined word“boom”probably means________.
| A．pleasant sounds | B．sudden increase | C．sudden decrease | D．trade |
The main idea of this passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how the economy declined in Laufen |
| B．the effects of The Napoleonic Wars |
| C．how the twin towns of LAUFEN and OBERNDORF came into being |
| D．the history of Salzburg |