When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.
But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”
“She had an exquisite(优美的,高雅的), hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”
GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it But how happy I was that morning!”
GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”
“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”
A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.
Subdued(沉默的) for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?
Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.
Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?
On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”
GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.”
And perhaps she wasn't saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.GG moved in with her daughter because ______.
A.she wanted to live with a large family |
B.she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness |
C.her husband passed away |
D.she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her |
Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?
A.Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll. |
B.Because she recalled her long deceased parents. |
C.Because she was surrounded by her offspring. |
D.Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season. |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
A.GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things. |
B.GG showed great respect for his husband’s love. |
C.GG missed the great old days she spent with her family |
D.GG was grateful for her long life. |
What happened to GG’s baby sister?
A.She envied her sister all her life. |
B.She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go. |
C.She left home at a young age. |
D.She died of some disease at a young age. |
Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?
A.Because she was clever. | B.Because she was loving. |
C.Because she was amiable. | D.Because she was imaginative. |
This passage implies that ______.
A.treating the elderly well is moral |
B.it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly |
C.love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart |
D.physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important |
第三部分:阅读理解(共16小题;每小题2分,满分32分)
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。
In recent years, advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicine and machines are being developed every day to extend life. However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor of these life extending measures, and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself, and that people should not be forced to go on living when the conditions of life have
become unbearable. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity (尊严) and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is always to extend life as long as possible. And the battle goes on and on without a definite (明确的) answer.
57. The best title for the passage is ______.
A. The Right to Live B. The Right to Die
C. The Doctor's Duty D. Death or Life
58. In recent years, people can live longer than in the past because of______.
A. the development of medical technology B. big hospitals
C. good medical workers D. both B and C
59. In the eyes of the law, whether a dying patient has the right to die or not is up to ______.
A. the doctors B. the surroundings
C. the family D, the patient himself/herself
60. According to the writer's opinion ______.
A. death is better than life B. life is better than death
C. neither death nor life is good D. none of the above
From hitting the mall with your girl friends on a Saturday afternoon, to holiday spending on gifts that go under the tree, shopping could be called one of America’s favorite pastimes. For most people, it means some new clothes for work or a small trinket for a friend. For others, however, shopping is much more than an enjoyable pastime, and in some cases, it is a real and destructive addiction that can turn into a financial disaster. Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive过度的, and out of control. Like other addictions, it basically has something to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one’s impulses冲动. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping. Sometimes this is referred to as “shopholism”. Shopping addiction can damage a person’s life, family, and finances. “No one knows what causes addictive behaviors, like shopping, alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling”, says a professor of applied health science. Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is triggered引发, but no one really knows why.” Individuals will get some kind of high from an addictive behavior like shopping.
What are the telltale signs that shopping has crossed the line and become and addiction? What should a concerned family member or friend look out for when they think shopping has become a problem? The behaviors can signal a serious problem:
·Shopping or spending money as a result of feeling angry, depressed, anxious, or lonely
·Having arguments with others about one’s shopping habits
·Feeling lost without credit cards — actually going into withdrawal without them
·Buying items on credit, rather than with cash
·Describing a rush or a feeling of euphoria with spending
·Feeling guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed after a spending spree(大买特买)
·Thinking obsessively about money
·Spending a lot time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending
“If someone identifies four or more of any of these behaviors, there may be a problem”, experts say. Treating a shopping addiction requires a multifaceted approach. There are no standard treatments for shopping addiction. Medications have been used, but with mixed results. Therapists also focus on cognitive-behavioral treatment programs. There is no quick and easy answer that will immediately cure a shopping addiction, and while treatment is a necessary part of solving the problem, so is behavior change on the part of the addict.
Some basic changes in behavior that will have a big impact on breaking a shopping addiction are recommended:
·Admit that you are a compulsive spender, which is half the battle.
·Get rid of checkbooks and credit cards, which fuel the problem.
·Don’t shop by yourself because most compulsive shoppers shop alone and if you are with someone you are much less likely to append more.
·Find other meaningful ways to spend time.
And keep in mind that while behavior change is clearly important to recovery, so is reaching out for professional help.(509)The best title of this article is _________
A.Should We Shop or Not? | B.Shopping Behaviors, Good or Bad? |
C.Shopping Spree, or an Addiction? | D.The Dangers of Shopholism. |
You should be carefully think about your shopping behavior if you ________.
A.are angry to go shopping |
B.lost your credit card while shopping |
C.are overjoyed and overwhelmingly excited to go shopping. |
D.count your money while shopping |
Which of the following statement is not true? ________.
A.Medication will not help to cure a shopping addiction |
B.No one really knows why people get addicted to doing something which is no good to them |
C.By the word shopholism, we refers to the impulsive and excessive shopping behavior |
D.Shopping addiction can turn into a real disaster in one’s life |
The most important way to get rid of the addiction is ________.
A.use credit card instead of checkbooks |
B.change one’s behavior as well as seek professional advice |
C.find somebody else to shopfor you |
D.go to a doctor for a standard treatment |
China supports international efforts to secure cyberspace but believes each nation’s “Internet sovereignty(主权)” must be respected, a top Chinese official said at a cyber security conference on Tuesday.
“China, like many other countries, is very concerned about cyber security,” said Liu Zhengrong, deputy director general of the Internet Affairs Bureau of the State Council Information Office.
“China faces severe cyber security threats,” Liu told participants here at the Worldwide Cyber Security Summit, a gathering of government and business leaders from 40 countries hosted by the EastWest Institute think tank.
“International cooperation is much needed to safeguard international cyberspace,” Liu said.
But “Internet sovereignty of each country needs to be respected,” the Chinese official added. “Different national and cultural conditions” should be taken into account.
Liu declined to answer repeated questions about cyber attacks last year on Google which the Internet giant said originated in China and led to the California company’s decision to reroute its searches through Hong Kong.
“The Chinese government firmly opposes cyber attacks in any form and Chinese law clearly states that any hackers will be held responsible for their actions,” he said.
Liu said China itself is a “a major victim of cyber attacks and network viruses” and has laws in place to deal with hackers.
“Internet-related crimes (in China) are showing a steady upward trend,” Liu said. “We suffer big economic losses from hacking networks and viruses - around $1 billion dollars (6.8 billion yuan) a year.”
In 2009, Chinese law enforcement authorities investigated about 48,000 cases, a 37 percent increase over 2008, he said.
While China has a dynamic Internet population of more than 400 million users and millions of bloggers, there is no “absolute freedom” on the Web, Liu said.
“I don’t think there is absolute freedom in this world,” he said. “When you are speaking via the Internet you must obey laws and respect others’ lawful rights.”
Last Thursday, Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, said China has been actively promoting a real-name registration system for Internet and cell phone users to better manage Internet information and services.
China needs laws that will step up monitoring for “harmful information” and block “overseas hostile forces from infiltrating(渗透)through the Internet,” Wang said.
Last week, China tightened its State Secrets law, holding Internet and mobile phone operators responsible for customers who try to leak State secrets.
Some 400 government officials, business leaders and cyber security experts are attending the summit, which features three days of discussions on ways to protect the world’s digital infrastructure from electronic threats.(427)What was the top issue of Worldwide Cyber Security Summit?
A.To fight against Internet-related crimes. |
B.To protect digital infrastructure in the world. |
C.To respect Internet sovereignty of each country. |
D.To make more laws to deal with hackers. |
To respect a nation’s Internet sovereignty, _____________ must be considered.
A.different national and cultural conditions |
B.attending Worldwide Cyber Security Summit |
C.stopping the leaking of State secrets |
D.safeguarding international cyberspace |
According to paragraph 6, Internet giant refers to _________.
A.Hong Kong | B.hackers | C.Google | D.Liu Zhengrong |
Which of the following is NOT the measure that China has taken to guarantee better Internet information and service management?
A.Promoting real-name registration for Internet use. |
B.Promoting real-name registration for cell phone use. |
C.Tightening State Secrets law to stop leaking State secrets. |
D.Monitoring for harmful information and blocking overseas hostile forces. |
After a lot of weightlifting and 25 exhausting days training, a 52-year-old woman recently became the first female “gripman” on San Francisco’s historic cable cars.
Fannie Barnes passed her written test and completed a final run under the watchful eye of a supervisor, Municipal Railway spokesman Alan Siegel said.
Deep calluses(茧) are already forming at the base of her fingers and there is a hole in her glove. Two other women quit after a single day with injured muscles. “Now they’re going to have to change the word from gripman to grip person, just because of me,” Barnes said earlier, “I’m so excited.”
After almost a year of serious workouts, Barns can pull more than 61 kilos, only 23 kilos less than her body weight. And she’ll need the muscle, for this is no modern, push-button technology. Every time a car starts up again after making a stop, the gripman must haul back on a lever controlling a device that grips the cable, which runs continuously at 14 kilometers per hour. If the grip slips, so does the car. A second person operates the brakes.
In addition to having to throw her weight around on the job, she’s got to throw out some attitude to men who were hard to convince. The city employs 76 men in the job.
“A lot of men said mean things to me and didn’t want to help train me. But I would like to thank the guys who were against me because they gave me even more inspiration to do it.” she said.
Not all the men were against her. Many of the male colleagues yelled out support as she did her training runs. One of her biggest tests was drizzly December morning. She first went down the Hyde Street Hill, considered the most dangerous incline on the cable car routes. “I had to have the will and I had to believe I could do it,” she said. “It was scary, but as I started going down full grip and felt that I was in control, I knew I was on my way,” Barnes already is a pioneer of sorts. She started working as a cable car conductor six years ago, collecting fares and assisting on the back brake. She is one of only three women to have that job. But she said she always wanted the job up front on the car. (400)What is unusual about Fannie Barnes getting a job as a gripman?
A.She is the oldest one to work as a grpman. |
B.She is the first women to work as a gripman. |
C.She is the fattest women to work as a gripman. |
D.She is the most suitable one to work as a gripman. |
What did the 52-year-old woman do when she first began working on the city’s cable car?
A.As a gripman. | B.As a conductor. | C.As a brakeman. | D.As a supervisor. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Fannie Barnes is ________.
A.strong and easy-going | B.strong-willed and self-confident |
C.popular and humorous | D.considerate and quick-tempered |
Enjoy the sumptuous Easter lunch buffet and children will be given the lovely Easter chocolate eggs. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Reservations:Scitech hotel 65123388-2114 or 2164 |
Bring your family and friends along to The Palace Hotel this Easter and enjoy the traditional treats of the season. Forget about the calories and enjoy favourite goodies such as Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and hot cross buns, which will be sold outside.Palm Court Coffee House every day from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. PALM COURT COFFEE HOUSE Friday, March 28-- lavish fish buffet for lunch and dinner priced at RMB 180 for adults, half price for children. Sunday, March 30--Roast carving buffet priced at RMB 160 for adults, half price for children. ROMA RISTORANTE ITALLANO Sunday, March 30 --Delicious seafood lunch priced at RMB 198 for adults, children under 10 years half price. Youngsters can work off their extra energy in a special supervised play area next to the restaurant. Prices are subject to a 15% surcharge Reservations on 65128899, ext. 7492 for Roma Ristorante: ext. 7561 for Palm Court. |
March 30th brings a fun-filled Easter entertainment program to the Crazy Sunday Brunch at the Patio Coffee Shop from 11:00 am-3:00 pm! Children under 10 year old accompanying their parents will enjoy this special meal for free and can even win lots of treat prices in the Egg Painting Competition! WE GUARANTEE You A Fun Easter Sunday Please register your children for the contest no later the March 29th as space is limited. For further information and reservations, please call 64376688 ext, 2873/2865 Holiday Inn Lido Beijing RMB 150.00 + 15% Surcharge |
Happy Easter ![]() Hilton Hotel The Easter Bunny is coming to town! Join him for a special Easter Brunch at the Atrium cafe and enjoy traditional Easter favourites. RMB 195 + 15% surcharge Children under 12 years old free of charge. Surprise gift for the children at the Kid’s Corner. |
The main purpose of the advertisements is to give information about .
A.weekend activities | B.a holiday celebrations |
C.the price for the meals in big hotels | D.Egg Painting Competition |
It can be learned from the advertisements that the children can enjoy themselves most in.
A.Lido Holiday Inn | B.Palace Hotel | C.Scitech Hotel | D.Hilton Hotel |
If you want to have an Easter meal on March 28, which hotel can you go to?
A.Scitech Hotel and Lido Holiday Inn | B.The Palace Hotel and Hilton Hotel |
C.Hilton Hotel and Lido Holiday Inn | D.Scitech Hotel and the Palace Hotel |
If you have Easter Brunch in Hiton Hotel you will pay RMBfor it.
A.195 | B.224.25 | C.165.75 | D.97.5 |