We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I’d know better. I’d really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.
My cherished boys, I hope you learn humility (谦逊) by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl (爬) under the covers (被子) with you because he’s scared, I hope you’ll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.
I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract (减) in your head.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole (旗杆). I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don’t care if you try beer once, but I hope you won’t like it.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.
I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor’s window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold (一个石膏模型) of your hand.
These things I wish for you—tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.Who wrote the letter?
| A．A grandmother. | B．A grandfather. | C．A father. | D．A mother. |
What does the author hope for the boys?
| A．they learn a lesson from a fight with others. |
| B．they know how to calculate with computers. |
| C．they get on well with family members.. |
| D．they burn their hand on the stove and stick their tongue on a frozen flagpole. |
It can be inferred from the text that the boys _________________.
| A．often fight with others | B．are to develop good qualities |
| C．always keep their grandpa company | D．score high in the exam |
Why does the author write the letter?
| A．To show the boys it’s not easy growing up. |
| B．To teach the boys dos and don’ts on the way growing up. |
| C．To help the boys to avoid making mistakes on the way growing up. |
| D．To encourage the boys to fully experience life on the way growing up. |
Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That’s nothing more than a fiction.
But could we really clone endangered animals?
To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope (邦戈羚羊), the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah (猎豹), and the giant panda. Next, could we really clone extinct animals?
In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth (毛象), Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother.
In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it’s not likely that extinct animals’ DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as a surrogate mother, definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animal as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother?
Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals are brought back, they could not survive in today’s world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to live in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well. It can be learned from the passage that ________.
| A．scientists have cloned the African bongo antelope |
| B．both the cheetah and the giant panda live in Asia |
| C．the gaur lives in Asia and is endangered |
| D．the gaur is an extinct species |
The underlined words “a surrogate mother” probably refer to a female who __________.
| A．contributes its eggs to another female |
| B．gives birth to a baby for another female |
| C．gives birth to a baby of its own |
| D．cannot give birth to a baby |
The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of ______.
| A．both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on |
| B．both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA |
| C．both habitat to live in and plants to live on |
| D．both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother |
In the author’s opinion, it is possible that ______.
| A．some extinct species may be cloned, but not survive |
| B．extinct species may be cloned and easily survive |
| C．a gaur can have a monkey as a surrogate mother |
| D．all the extinct species may be cloned |
Which of the following statements is true according the passage?
| A．Jurassic Park is a cloned animal. |
| B．The cloned creatures are the same as the real one. |
| C．We could clone extinct animals in reality. |
| D．We could clone extinct animals in theory. |
The Ministry of Health has called for more awareness from the public on the mental health of the young，as part of efforts to mark World Mental Health Day.
More than 15 percent of the Chinese youth have been found with mental problems，and about 30 million young people under 17 are suffering from depression，the Shanghai-based Wenhui Daily reported.
The World Health Organization estimated that before 2020，the rate of children with mental problems will increase to 50 percent，and mental problems will become a major factor behind death and illness in the young worldwide.
Deng Xiaohong，the spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau，said rapid social change is one of the reasons behind the rising number of youngsters with psychological problems.
If these mental diseases are not addressed on time，occurrence of crime，drugtaking and other dangerous behavior are expected to rise.
Experts said mental disease could be caused by many factors，such as the inability to handle interpersonal relations well，unstable emotions and pressure from the overload of study. A number of experts have also said the one-child policy is another reason leading to poor mental health in the young.
Children were said to be too “spoiled” and “selfish” in one-child families. Schools in many cities were reported to roll out measures to help students maintain their mental well-being. Yin Jingmiao，a teacher of the Beijing No. 105 Middle School，told China Daily that the school invites psychologists to provide counseling to students three times a month. “Students can be arranged to have 40-minute counseling sessions，” Yin said. The school also gives lectures on mental health to senior grade students before they take the national college entrance exams，to help ease any anxiety arising from the tests.What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To urge awareness on mental health of the young. |
| B．To give the details of the problems the Chinese youth are facing today. |
| C．To recommend that schools should invite more psychologists to help solve the mental problems among the youth. |
| D．To show us the causes of the mental problems among students. |
The underlined word “addressed” in the fifth paragraph most probably means ________.
| A．talked about | B．dealt with |
| C．satisfied | D．introduced |
From the passage we can know that the causes of mental problems are mainly the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．one-child policy |
| B．lack of ability to handle interpersonal relations well |
| C．lack of special training in mental health |
| D．heavy burden from study |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．By 2020，about 50 percent of the students in China will have mental problems. |
| B．Mental problems mainly appear among the youth while they are seldom seen among adults. |
| C．China has the largest number of youngsters with psychological problems. |
| D．Many schools have realized the problem and taken measures. |
We can infer that to bring down the occurrence of mental problems among the youth， _______.
| A．Attention should be paid to the education of the only child |
| B．Psychology must be a necessary part of school |
| C．The government will cancel tests to ease the pressure on the students |
| D．Rapid social change plays the leading part in causing mental problems |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap.
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is. “ What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”， “pitiful”， and “dying”， which sounded ominous.
“Christmas was coming. Don't expect any presents this year，” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. “If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes were filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He's all right？” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home！”
“Thank God！” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?
| A．He got a baby brother. | B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. | D．He received a doll. |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
The sock the author hung in the living room are probably used to ________.
| A．decorate the room | B．receive gifts |
| C．amuse his doll brother | D．wear on Christmas |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A． A sad Christmas day | B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. | D．Memories of a happy family |
American scientists have developed the first material that repairs itself. The material is a form of plastic that has been engineered to fill breaks in its surface.
Plastics are used today in everything. Scientists wanted to find a way to make objects made of plastic last longer. The researchers hope their new discovery can be used to make objects that are difficult or impossible to replace.
The surface of plastic objects breaks over time. Very small breaks develop every time a plastic object is used. The researchers wanted to find out how to stop plastic from developing small breaks that weaken and destroy it. They found the answer in the chemical structure of plastic itself. The research team found a way to make plastic that contains very small balloons filled with monomer(单体) liquid. When the new plastic cracks, the monomer liquid is let out and flows into the crack. Thus the break is repaired. The repaired plastic has seventy-five percent of the strength of undamaged plastic.
The new self-repairing plastic is not yet ready for production. But it has several possible uses. One could be in space vehicles where parts cannot be repaired or replaced. Another possible use might be in bridges. And it could be used in people, to replace bone joints that have become broken or damaged.The passage mainly talks about_______ .
| A．plastic that repairs itself |
| B．the chemical structure of plastic |
| C．permanent material invented |
| D．small balloons that makes plastic stronger |
We know from the passage that the repair is done as_______.
| A．the cracked plastic parts are changed |
| B．the plastic cracks |
| C．the liquid is put into the plastic cracks |
| D．the plastic is made |
The scientist are planning to use the new material in space vehicles, bridges and people because________.
| A．the plastic parts in them are required to last longer |
| B．they want to experiment in these places first |
| C．the new material cannot be used elsewhere |
| D．the plastic parts in them are easily broken or damaged |
Sometimes people call each other " scared cat" , but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its blood-stream. If the danger continues, this animal will do one of the two things. It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can.
Something like this also happens to people. When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions, our bodies go through many physical changes. Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense. All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react. We, too, get ready to defend ourselves or run. Human beings, however, have a problem. If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble. Have you ever said something in anger - and regretted later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher or told somebody you were lonely and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always wise to express your feelings freely.
Does this mean that it's always smarter to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings like anger hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense. Physical illnesses can develop, and you can feel disturbed badly inside. It can actually be bad for your health. Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away. It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard. You might not be able to see them, but before long you'd smell them. And if you opened the cupboard, chances are you'd see little fruit flies hovering(盘旋) all over them. They'd be rotten. You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard. You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exit, but they'll still be around. And at last you'll have to deal with them, just like those bananas.The best title for this article is
| A．What Happens to An Excited Person |
| B．What Happens to A Frightened Cat |
| C．Emotions Affect Our Bodies |
| D．Feelings That People Have |
According to the passage, human beings get into trouble because ______.
| A．they are not as alert as animals |
| B．they always do something wrong to other people |
| C．they sometimes can't control their feelings |
| D．they don't pay attention to their physical changes |
The underlined word "it" in paragraph 3 refers to________.
| A．bad emotion | B． a bottle |
| C．physical illness | D．a rotten banana |
The author mainly intends to tell us to _______ .
| A．make us face the problem that we have to deal with feelings |
| B．give us some advice on how to express our feelings |
| C．tell us that it isn't good to keep feelings inside |
| D．make us know that it isn't always wise to express our feelings freely |