My Best Enemy
Once again, I was in a new school. So was a girl in my class named Lisa. That’s where the similarities ended.
I was tall and she was small. My thick black hair had been recently cut short into an untidy style. Her natural blonde hair flowed to her waist and looked great. I was 12 and one of the oldest in the class while she was 11 and the youngest. I was awkward and shy. She wasn’t. I couldn’t stand her, considering her my enemy. But she liked me and wanted to be friends.
One day, she invited me over and I said yes—I was too shocked to answer any other way. My family had moved six times in six years, and I had never managed to develop any friendships. But this girl who wore the latest fashions wanted me to go home with her after school.
She lived in a fun part of town that had two pizza places, an all-night bookstore, a movie theater and a park. As we walked from the school bus stop through her neighborhood, I tried to guess which house might be hers. Was it the white one with the perfect lawn or the three-story house with a front porch? I got very surprised when she led me into an old apartment building. She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother,her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister.
When we got into the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Babies, which was my next surprise. I had never played with them. We sat on the floor,laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Babies. We found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older and both had wild imaginations. We had a great day that afternoon.
Lisa was loved by the whole neighborhood. The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines; the movie theater gave her free tickets… Soon I was included in her magic world. We slept over at each other’s houses and spent every free moment together.
Lisa, my first real friend since childhood, helped me get through the rough year of early adolescence(青春期) and taught me an amazing and very surprising thing about making friends: that your worst enemy can turn out to be your best friend.The writer and Lisa were similar in the way that_____.
| A．they were of the same age | B．they had the same hair styles |
| C．they were both tall | D．they were both new students |
One day Lisa invited the writer______ .
| A．to go to her home | B．to go to the movie |
| C．to go to a park | D．to go to a pizza place |
In the passage the writer described Lisa as a girl who was ______
| A．awkward and shy | B．rich and happy |
| C．friendly and lovely | D．quiet and lonely |
Which of the following did the writer learn from Lisa?
| A．How to make up stories. | B．How to deal with enemies. |
| C．How to live a better life. | D．How to make friends. |
The Entropia Universe
The Entropia Universe is a virtual world on the Internet, which seems very like our real life．It is set in a distant future and based on a planet called Calypso．Entropia was the brainchild of a group of Swedish computer lovers who decided to see if they could create a three dimensional (维度的) virtual world that could be placed on the Internet．They did manage after they received the financial backing they needed．
The game can be played for free, but nearly all in-game activities require personal resources that you have available to use．Although there are various activities to keep you busy on Calypso, what most people do first is to find themselves a profession, such as hunting the fierce animals on Calypso, mining the precious minerals and making tools．Then they can think about buying their virtual house or paying a visit to a virtual nightclub or doing any of the other activities that make life bearable．
Entropia has its very own economy (经济) and its own currency, the PED (Project Entropia Dollars)．Players move real world money into PED which they then use to pay for their life on Calypso．However, the virtual things inside Entropia do have a real value in the outside world, and careful business deals mean that players can actually make real money there．PED can be changed into dollars any time at a rate of 10PED to 1US$．
What’s so impressive about The Entropia Universe is the number of players; currently more than 600,000 representing over 220 countries from planet Earth．A number of players insist that it’s a good way to make money．However, the reality of Entropia’s economic system is that most people end up paying more than they earn and it’s not uncommon to find players who are paying up to $200 a month into their PED account．This might not be the most economical way of spending one’s free time．However, some people say that for them the fact that they can escape the realities of the earthbound life and become a different person with a completely different life for a few hours every week is worth the use of money, even if they don’t get any interest rates on it．What can we learn about The Entropia Universe?
| A．It costs nothing to join． |
| B．It focuses on business plans． |
| C．It is designed for computer lovers． |
| D．It presents what life is like on other planets． |
What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
| A．What people do on Calypso． |
| B．When people buy houses there． |
| C．How people make life bearable． |
| D．Why people often find a job first． |
According to the author, playing on The Entropia Universe ______．
| A．may be very annoying |
| B．can be quite expensive |
| C．is a cheap way to kill time |
| D．is a good way to earn money |
What can be inferred about The Entropia Universe?
| A．It is technical． |
| B．It is satisfying． |
| C．It is ridiculous． |
| D．It is educational． |
Do you know a child who has used first aid to save a life or help an injured person?
St．John Ambulance is seeking young people who have acted quickly, calmly and effectively at a real emergency for its annual Young First Aider of the Year awards．
The awards are open to all those under 18, and the closing date for nomination (提名) is April 30, 2016.The winners will be invited to attend a special ceremony in June, 2016.
“St．John Ambulance believes it is essential for young people to learn first aid so that they can help anyone who is injured,” said Sandra Stocker, director of St．John Ambulance Awards Committee．“The Young First Aider of the Year is a wonderful way to celebrate their bravery and quick-thinking．”
Nomination for the Young First Aider of the Year is now open．Please complete and return the nomination forms as soon as possible and certainly no later than April 30, 2016.The committee will decide which of the nominees will receive the Young First Aider of the Year awards by considering the actions of the nominees along with their ages and other factors．You should send any evidence you have with the nomination form, showing the nominees’ actions．
Examples of evidence could include:
◆ Newspaper clippings (剪报) of the incident．
◆ Police incident record numbers．
Once a nomination form is received, the nominee or nominator may be approached for further details of the incident．For further information please get in touch with Sandra Stocker by email or on 020-73244082 or 020-732440813.
Find out who our winners will be for 2016.What does the passage intend to tell the readers?
| A．Young people should learn first aid to help the injured． |
| B．Learning first aid can help young people win an award． |
| C．The injured are encouraged to act quickly and calmly． |
| D．St．John Ambulance makes profit by training first aiders． |
If you suggest someone for the awards, you should ______．
| A．attend the awards ceremony |
| B．make a speech introducing yourself |
| C．provide the details of the incident |
| D．have a good knowledge about first aid |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Demand for First Aiders |
| B．Importance of First Aid |
| C．St．John Ambulance Awards |
| D．Young First Aider of the Year |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A Special Appointment
Years ago I moved to Woodland Hills to take a job in a small hospital’s emergency department．No one wanted to work on Christmas Eve, so the shift (轮班) went to me．I kissed my family goodbye and went off to spend the night in the hospital．It was a thankless job．
At 9 pm, the ambulance brought in a man in his 60s who was having a heart attack．His face was pale, and he was frightened． The whole night I did my best to save his life．Before I left in the morning to spend Christmas with my family, I stopped by to see how he was doing．It was still tough, but he had survived the night and was sleeping．
The following year I got Christmas Eve duty again．At 9 pm sharp, the ward clerk told me there was a couple who wanted to speak with me．When I approached them, the man introduced himself as Mr．Lee and said, “You probably don’t remember me, but last Christmas Eve you saved my life．Thank you for the year you gave me．” He and his wife hugged me, handed me a small gift, and left．
The following year a new doctor had joined the group, but I wanted to see if Mr．and Mrs．Lee would return．This time, I volunteered for the shift．I kept an eye on the door．Once again, at exactly 9 pm, the Lees appeared, carrying a warmly wrapped bundle．It was their new grandchild． Mr．Lee, his family and I spent 13 Christmas Eves together．In the later years the staff all knew about the story and would work to give me time with him in the break room, where we spent a half-hour each Christmas Eve．
The last year I saw him, he brought me a gift．I carefully opened the package and found a crystal (水晶) bell inside．It was engraved (镌刻) with a single word: Friendship．Now, my family, friends and I ring that bell every Christmas Eve at exactly 9 pm and offer our best wishes to the man who we won’t forget．Working on Christmas Eve was considered “a thankless job” because ______．
| A．most patients were seriously ill |
| B．patients refused to express thanks |
| C．doctors had nothing to do on that day |
| D．doctors couldn’t get praise for the hard job |
When the author left the hospital the next morning, Mr．Lee ______．
| A．was really angry with her |
| B．was still in a state of danger |
| C．got ready to leave the hospital |
| D．recovered from his heart attack |
According to the passage, the author formed a habit of ______．
| A．celebrating Christmas Eve with her family |
| B．giving Christmas gifts to the hospital staff |
| C．spending Christmas Eve with Mr．Lee in hospital |
| D．ringing the bell for patients in the emergency department |
Why does the author ring the bell on Christmas Eve?
| A．To honor her working experience． |
| B．To tell kids the traditional custom． |
| C．To show the beginning of the holiday． |
| D．To remember an old friend of hers． |
The Puritans (清教徒) get a bad reputation in America—especially when it comes to alcohol.
Mayflower, the first ship that came over from England to Massachusetts Bay, actually carried more beer than water．In fact the Founding Fathers of America liked a drink—Samuel Adams was a partner in his father’s brewery, and Thomas Jefferson was famous for importing European wines.
Early Americans took a healthful small drink for breakfast, whiskey was a typical lunchtime drink, ale (麦芽酒) accompanied supper and the day ended with another drink called nightcap．Most Americans in 1790 consumed an average of 5.8 gallons of pure alcohol a year．In 1830, consumption reached 7.1 gallons a year and alcoholism was starting to have a serious influence on communities．Women and children might be in physical danger if the man of the house began drinking．If he became ill or lost his job through drinking, there was no social safety net to support or protect his family．Eventually, alcoholism was being treated as a disease.
By the late 19th Century, support for Prohibition, banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol, was powerful．The first arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol was in 1897.On 16 January 1919, Prohibition was set into law．However, by the 1930s when American economy was experiencing a hard time it was widely believed that making alcohol legal again would provide badly-needed jobs and taxes．So in February of 1933, Prohibition was endeD． Still, Prohibition had a great influence on alcohol drinking in this country．In 1955, Americans drank an average of 2.3 gallons of pure alcohol a year．The Prohibition movement was still quite strong after Prohibition ended and it led to a lot of local prohibition on alcohol.
The American presidency has done a lot to rehabilitate alcohol and make it respectable again．Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama can all be seen on film drinking socially and making official toasts with international celebrities.Which is TRUE about the Puritans according to the passage?
| A．Their ancestors came to America to sell alcohol. |
| B．They founded the breweries in European countries. |
| C．They had a habit of alcohol drinking. |
| D．They were the major importer of alcohol. |
In what way was an alcoholic’s family affected by alcoholism?
| A．His family couldn’t afford the drink. |
| B．His family might suffer financially. |
| C．His wife and children might become ill. |
| D．His family ought not be treated equally. |
What can be learned about Prohibition in America?
| A．It came into law in the 19th century. |
| B．It discouraged alcohol drinking. |
| C．Its effect disappeared after its removal. |
| D．It failed to forbid drunk driving. |
The passage mainly talks about__________.
| A．the brief history of alcohol drinking in America |
| B．American presidents’ affection for alcohol drinking |
| C．the Puritans’ bad reputation in America |
| D．the reasons why Prohibition came into law |
Gregory Kloehn digs through dustbins every day, but not for the reason that most people would think．He isn’t homeless．In fact he is trying to help the homeless.
Gregory began his life as a sculptor．But he often felt that his sculptures, which just stood in rich people’s houses for years, lacked a meaningful purpose．So in 201l he decided to put his artistic energies into creating homes to sell—not ordinary homes but small structures built entirely from recycled materials.
The thought of creating homes for the homeless didn’t occur to him until the year 2013, when a homeless couple asked him for a tarp(防水布)．Instead of a tarp, Gregory offered them something better: a small home with a water tank, a kitchen and a trap for waste．They were so grateful that Gregory decided to focus his efforts on helping house the homeless population in his city．And soon his “Homeless Homes Project” was started.
Before starting a new home, Gregory, goes hunting for materials by digging through dustbins．Everything he finds is usable—refrigerator doors become house doors; washing machine doors often serve as windows, and the tops of cars become strong roofs．He put wheels at the bottom for users to move their homes around easily．Each home takes two to three days to make．
So far Gregory has donated dozens of homes to the city’s most needy．While his small low-cost mobile homes are not the final solution to the problem of homelessness, they are really practical and do provide a warm and safe place for the homeless to stay in．They are simply a way for one man to do something nice for those in need of some help.
Gregory has written a book titled Homeless Architecture, where he explains techniques to build those homes and he is now working on weekend workshops．“A lot of people who hear about what I’m doing want to get involved,” he said． “Maybe we can meet someplace and put a couple of homes together.”Why did Gregory turn from making sculptures to creating homes?
| A．He had no home to live in． |
| B．He had to make more money. |
| C．He lost interest in sculpture. |
| D．He wanted to help the homeless. |
The author mentions the story in Paragraph 3 to tell us____________.
| A．Gregory’s small homes were popular among the homeless |
| B．how Gregory got the idea of “Homeless Homes Project” |
| C．the homeless couple asked Gregory to produce more homes |
| D．housing the homeless in a city was not an easy task |
What can we conclude from Paragraph 4?
| A．Gregory has great trouble hunting for materials for his small houses． |
| B．It takes Gregory a long time to produce a home． |
| C．Gregory’s work requires imagination and creativity |
| D．Everything in the dustbins will be used in Gregory’s work． |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．Gregory’s project will help more homeless people. |
| B．Gregory doesn’t need to make small homes now． |
| C．Gregory’s work will completely solve the homelessness problem． |
| D．A single person can make no difference to social problems． |