A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan.His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising.The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years.Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000,a legacy (遗产) form their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident .“It really made a difference when we were going under financially.” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches.Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity.In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in other, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm .
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving.They thrived on(喜欢)comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase .
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it.“Ish and Arlene never asked whether you needed anything,” says their friend Sand Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed.It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents —should enrich the whole community and Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
Neighbors helping neighbors ——that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.According go the text, the Fusses_______________.
A.were employed by a truck company |
B.were in financial difficulty |
C.worked in a school cafeteria |
D.lost their home |
Which of the following is true of the Hatches?
A.They had their children during the Great Depression. |
B.They left the family farm to live in an old house. |
C.They gave away their possessions to their neighbors. |
D.They helped their neighbors to find jobs. |
Why would the Hatches routinely go from store?
A.They decided to open a store. |
B.They wanted to save money. |
C.They couldn’t afford expensive things. |
D.They wanted to buy gifts for local kids. |
According to Sand Van Weelden, the Hatches were_________.
A.understanding | B.optimistic | C.childlike | D.curious |
What can we learn from the text?
A.The community of Alto was poor. |
B.The summer camp was attractive to the parents. |
C.Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy form the Hatches. |
D.The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example. |
C
With a VISA card in your hand, the world opens up to you. With more than 24 million places across the world accepting VISA, you can use your VISA card instead of cash to pay for your everyday purchases—whether you are shopping at the grocery store, dining at a restaurant, filling your car with petrol or buying the perfect gift on your travels. You can even use it to get cash from more than one million ATMs around the world.
To avoid even that inconvenience, you can take the following basic precautions:When you get your card:
Sign the signature panel immediately;4BIf you have been given a PIN(personal identification number) to use at a cash machine or in shops, memorize it—never write it down;
If you choose your own PIN, or change the one you were given, avoid obvious choices such as your date of birth or telephone number;
Do not tell anyone your PIN;
At home
Keep your sales and cash machine receipts and check them against your card or bank statement;
If any amount is incorrect or you spot a transaction you did not make, call the bank or other organizations that issued your card immediately;
Keep a list of your card numbers, along with the telephone numbers you should call if they are lost or stolen.
In the shop
Check the sales slip to ensure the amount is correct and the total has been filled in before you sign;
Make sure the retailer gives the card back to you, along with your copy of the voucher(收据);
Keep your card close to you—be ware of pickpockets(扒手);
Do not leave your card in your car’s glove compartment.
Telephone and mail order shopping:
When you place an order over the telephone or by mail, give your card number only if you are confident about the company’s reputation;
You might be asked for your VISA card security code—the three digits at the end of the card number printed on the signature panel. Give the seller that code but never give your PIN.
43.If you were asked for your VISA card security code, what would you do?
A.Never tell the card number to anybody
B.Check the card number and never give your PIN
C.Give your card number only if you are confident about the company
D.Call the bank or other organizations for help
44.What’s a VISA card?
A.It’s a card that you can use to pay for something.
B.It’s a card which includes a PIN, without that it is penniless.
C.It’s another form of money, which can buy anything around the world.
D.It’s something that you can place an order over the telephone or by mail.
45.What’s the title of the passage?
A.VISA Card Is Important B.ATM’s Replacement—VISA Card
C.Inconvenient, Safe But Cheap D.VISA Card—Another World Opens to You
46.Which of the following statements is right?
A.We can buy anything in the world with a VISA.
B.If your VISA card is stolen, you should tell the bank your card number.
C.In case of forgetting your PIN, you can tell your mother your PIN.
D.You can put your VISA card in your car if there’s nobody around you.
B
Deep into the night, the bus pulled into a Howard Johnson’s restaurant and everybody got off the bus except Vingo. The young people began to wonder about him, trying to imagine his life:perhaps he was sea captain; maybe he had run away from wife; he could be an old soldier going home. When they went to the bus, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself. After a long time, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in prison in New York for the last four years, and he was going home.
“Well, when I was in prison I wrote to my wife. I said, Martha, I understand if you can’t stay married to me. I said I was going to be away a long time, and that if she couldn’t stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, if it hurt her too much, well, she could just forget all about me. I told her she didn’t have to write to me, and she didn’t. Not for the three and a half years.”
“Last week, when I was sure freedom was coming through, I wrote to her. I told her if she had a new young man, I would understand. But if she didn’t, if she would take me back, she should let me know. We used to live in this town, Brunswick, and there’s a great big oak tree just as you come into the town. I told her if she could take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and if she didn’t want me, forget me, no handkerchief and I’d keep going on through.”
Soon all the others were in it. When they were 20 miles from Brunswick, the young people took over window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the excon’s mask. Then it was 10 miles, and five, and the bus became very quiet.
Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying, doing small dances. All except Vingo.
39.In the story, the yellow handkerchief probably means_______.
A.happiness B.sadness C.I hate you D.I still love you
40.The bus became quiet when it came near the town because all the passengers_______.
A.got tired after a long journey B.got too sad to say anything
C.were anxious to see the oak tree D.were touched by the story
41.The underlined part “All except Vingo” probably implies_______.
A.he found no handkerchief on the oak tree
B.he feared that his wife was playing a joke
C.he felt he could not match his wife any longer, afraid to face her
D.he had complicated feelings at the moment:guilty, grateful as well as excited
42.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Going HomeB.A Handkerchief and an Oak Tree
C.A Long Bus Journey D.A Story of an Oak Tree
第二部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题3分,满分60分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A
Beijing Olympics praised at home and abroad
The curtain of the Beijing Olympics dropped on August 24th with a closing ceremony featured with carnival(狂欢节) festiveness. However, it seems that the atmosphere of gathering and celebration still goes on in people’s hearts. The readers of People’s Daily Online have left many messages expressing their admiration for the organizers and share their views on the whole games.
Most of them speak highly of the games by using such words as “extremely successful”, “memorable” and “flawless(无瑕的).” The opening and closing ceremonies have also received wide laud for being “exceptional(罕见的)”, “most attracting”, “unforgettable”, “unique”, “wonderful”, and “splendid”. The following are some of the messages:
“Wo Ai Beijing!!! Such a great event held by an exceptional host. Well done to all in Beijing and many thanks to the volunteers. The Chinese government did very well to keep the games safe for all. By Sudesh”.
“It was the most attracting show I’ve ever seen. Unlikely some country will ever be able to measure up! My deepest respect for all of you & sincere congratulations for these amazing, unique & breathtaking OG. Breathtaking! By Griet.”
“With great respect for the Chinese people and with much interest I have watched closely these unforgettable and unique Olympic Games. I’ve enjoyed the amazing and breathtaking opening & closing ceremonies in Belgium. Please accept my feelings of gratitude and respect. You were all amazing! Congratulations. By Nancy.”
“All the Americans I know think that China did a great job in the Olympics, and that the games and ceremonies were a pleasure to watch and were a triumph of China’s creativity. Jim Richards, Randolph, Mass. USA.”
36.What festival was the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics like?
A.Midautumn DayB.New year’s Day C.Christmas DayD.Carnival Day
37.What does the passage tell us about?
A.The closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
B.People’s congratulations on the Beijing Olympics.
C.People’s praise for the Beijing Olympics and the organizers.
D.People’s admiration for the organizers of the Beijing Olympics.
38.What does the underlined word “laud” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Praise. B.Celebration. C.Criticism. D.Comment.
(C)
A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents a continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts(冷暖空气团接触的锋)to determine whether an individual pressure area is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity. They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a synoptic picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time.
All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately. Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts, droughts, and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day “outlook” which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an analysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for the development of air masses, fronts, and storms.
Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions. With the use of electronic instruments and earth satellites, enormous gains have taken place recently in identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations (气象站). Extensive experiments are also in progress for weather modification(改变)studies. But the limitations of modification have prevented meteorological results except in the seeding of super-cooled, upslope mountainous winds which have produced additional orographic (山岳形态的) precipitation on the windward side of mountain ranges. Nevertheless, they have provided a clearer understanding of the fundamentals of weather elements.
72. By reading weather maps, students majoring in geography can .
A. design a project of weather modification
B. interpret the weather condition before the time of observation
C. obtain data on atmospheric conditions over a wide area
D. survey ever-changing fronts in local meteorological stations
73. A thirty-day forecast is determined by examining .
A. daily weather maps B. upper air levels
C. satellite reports D. changing fronts
74. The observation of weather conditions by satellites is advantageous because ______.
A. electronic instruments are used
B. it enables man to alter the weather
C. it makes weather prediction more time-consuming
D. information not obtained readily otherwise can be gained
75. At the present time, experiments are being conducted in .
A. controlling and influencing weather
B. determining density of pressure groups
C. 30-day “outlooks”
D. predicting storms
(B)
Martin Luther King, Jr., is well known for his work in civil rights and for his many famous speeches, among them his moving “I Have a Dream” speech. But few people know much about King’s childhood, Martin Luther as he was called was born in 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the home of his maternal grandfather. Martin Luther’s grandfather, the Reverend A.D. Williams, purchased their home on Auburn Avenue in 1909, 28 years before Martin Luther was born. The Reverend A.D. Williams, an eloquent speaker, played an important role in the community because so many people’s lives centered around the church. He allowed his church and his home to be used as a meeting place for a number of organizations dedicated to the education and social advancement of blacks. Martin Luther grew up in this atmosphere, with his home being used as community gathering place, and was no doubt influenced by it.
Martin Luther’s childhood was not especially memorable. His father was a minister and his mother was a musician. He was the second of three children, and he attended all-black schools in a black neighbourhood. The neighbourhood was not poor, however, Auburn Avenue was the main artery through a prosperous neighbourhood that he had come to symbolize achievement for Atlanta’s black people. It was area of banks, insurance companies, builders, jewelers, tailors, doctors, lawyers and other black-owned or black-operated businesses and services. Even in the face of Atlanta’s segregation (种族隔离), district thrived. Dr. King never forgot the community spirit he had known as a child, nor did he forget the racial prejudice(歧视) that was a seemingly insurmountable barrier that kept black Atlantans from mingling with whites.
68. This passage mainly gives an account of ______.
A. the prejudice that existed in Atlanta B. Martin Luther’s grandfather
C. Martin Luther King’s childhood D. the neighbourhood where King grew up
69. According to the author, King was influenced by ______.
A. community spirit B. black lawyer
C. his mother D. his grandfather’s speeches
70. The word “mingling” in paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to ______.
A. interfering B. consuming C. associating D. meeting
71. This passage tells us that Martin Luther King, Jr. ______.
A. had a difficult childhood
B. was a good musician when he was a boy
C. loved to listen to his grandfather speak
D. grew up in a relatively rich area of Atlanta