After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me. I was told it would mean a great deal to him, so I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we had finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Dick,
My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will never get to do that. However, I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
MatthewThe boy looked forward to meeting the author because _________.
| A．he was one of the author’s fans |
| B．he wanted to get to the Olympics and win a medal |
| C．he was also good at weight lifting |
| D．he admired the author for his courage very much |
From the passage we learn that _________.
| A．Matthew was an athlete |
| B．Matthew was an optimistic and determined boy |
| C．The author used to have the same disease as Matthew had |
| D．Matthew became a champion before he died |
Matthew didn’t accept the author’s medal because _________.
| A．he thought it was too expensive |
| B．he was sure that he could win one in the future |
| C．he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon |
| D．he would not be pitied by others |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A sick boy. | B．A special friend. | C．A real champion. | D．A famous athlete. |
Are your children liked by their teachers? All parents want their children to impress(给...的印象) their teachers and succeed in school. You can get your children to impress their teachers by following these easy steps.
Make sure they’re prepared. Teachers are impressed by children coming to school prepared to learn. Make sure they have everything they need—pencils textbooks, erasers and so on.
Require them to be active in class. Teach them to ask teachers questions when they don’t understand something. Some children think teachers are bothered by questions, but most teachers are impressed when children take the initiative(采取主动) in asking questions. They should take part in class discussions, giving their opinions politely.
Keep your children healthy. If your children are tired and hungry, they won’t be ready to learn. Children need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Feed your children a solid breakfast and prepare a healthy lunch. Provide them with fruit and other healthy foods—apples or bananas are better for them than cookies.
Make sure that your children do their homework. If they really don’t understand it, discuss it with them patiently. Don’t help them do their homework. Teachers can always tell who it is that does the work.
Teach your children good manners and habits. Children need to arrive at the school punctually, and be polite to their teachers and classmates. Parents need to teach these skills at home. Nothing is sweeter than children who say “please” and “thank you”, and these are children their teachers are certain to love. The first paragraph serves as ________.
| A．an explanation | B．an introduction | C．a background | D．a guidance |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Hungry and tired children can’t focus on their study. |
| B．Children should go to school on time and learn to behave well. |
| C．Teachers aren’t able to decide if parents do homework for their children. |
| D．Teachers are impressed when children take an active part in class. |
The passage mainly tells us that being parents, you should ________.
| A．help your children to impress their teachers at school |
| B．ask your children to get ready for classes before going to school |
| C．teach your children to be polite to both their teachers and classmates |
| D．remind your children to observe all the rules when at school |
Read the following posters carefully and answer the questions below.
| Basketball Match Rockets VS Lakers DATE: July 19, 7 o’clock; Billy Basketball Club For detailed information, see Paul Burton before Friday lunch time. |
| Layla’s Disco No-shop light music show 15 Pembroke Road; Weekdays: 7 pm-11 pm; Sunday closed Over 18s only |
| Fashion Show At the Daxing Square Date: May the 1st to the 8th From 7:30 to 11:00 pm Booking agent: Peter Smith— 010-8266 1555 |
| KARMA Health Food Restaurant 6 Castle Street Hot and cold vegetable food(素食) Lunch(11:00—14:00) Self-service; Dinner(17:00—21:00) Table-service For bookings, ring 0865-5677665 |
________ can give you more information about the basketball match.
| A．John Smith. | B．Tommy Brown. | C．Paul Burton. | D．Tonny Wang. |
Who can’t be allowed to go to the Layla’s Disco?
| A．A 30-year-old worker. | B．A 50-year-old doctor. |
| C．A 22-year-old manager. | D．A 15-year-old student. |
You must phone ________ if you want to get a ticket for the fashion show.
| A．the booking agent | B．the teacher |
| C．the manager | D．a postman |
Which of the following food can you have at KARMA?
| A．Chicken. | B．Tomato. | C．Fish. | D．Beef. |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer a chance to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services(宗教仪式) to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves. On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. They often have outdoor BBQs for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays. Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
| A．Parents bring children |
| B．Parents give love and care to children |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up |
What do you know from the passage?
| A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home |
Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
| A．It only has two kinds of color. |
| B．It is a special kind of clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May. |
What do you think “florists” do?
| A．They sell flowers |
| B．They made bread or pastry |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by sending newspapers door to door, was so hungry that he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” With these words, Howard Kelly left that house.
Years later the woman became badly ill and was finally sent to the hospital in a big city. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous, was called in. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Dressed in his doctor’s clothes, Dr. Kelly went into her room and recognized her at once. From that day on, he gave special attention to her, and decided to do his best to save her life.
At last the woman was saved. Dr. Kelly asked the business office to pass the final bill to him. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to the woman’s room. She was afraid to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay for it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words:
“Paid in full with a glass of milk, Dr. Howard Kelly.”
Tear of joy flooded her eyes.The boy sent newspapers door to door in order to ________.
| A．continue his schooling |
| B．become a famous doctor |
| C．thank the woman for her kindness |
| D．support his poor family |
Which is true about the boy and the woman?
| A．He was too shy to ask her for some water. |
| B．She thought he was not hungry but thirsty. |
| C．She wanted him to pay for the glass of milk. |
| D．She never thought he would save her life later. |
After Dr. Kelly knew who the woman was, he ________.
| A．began to take good care of her himself |
| B．told her she once gave him a glass of milk |
| C．decided to try his best to save her |
| D．asked for her bill and paid it off at once |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．A Warm-hearted Woman | B．A Glass of Milk |
| C．The Final Bill | D．A Famous Doctor |
Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all the new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
There are several major(主要) language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language. About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families.The early language had ________.
| A．a lot of problems | B．words and easy grammar |
| C．words but no grammar | D．grammar but not many words |
In the next few hundred years we can expect language to _____.
| A．stay exactly the same | B．change a great deal |
| C．change only a little | D．ask more words and drop some grammar |
What this article shows is that _____.
| A．languages change fast |
| B．languages really don't want to change |
| C．language really with changes in society |
| D．Spanish and English change |