I never wanted a dog, but now I'm so glad I have one. About two years ago, my wife, Cathy, got a little dog with a face only a mother could love. We named her Gertie.
Gertie is the kind of dog that has to grow on you. So I dicided that the dog would be trained. This didn't quite go as planned. At 15 weeks old, she was nearly made to leave the Petsmart Training School. She spent every night lying in our bed-snoring (打鼾)so loudly that I hardly got a good night's sleep.
Then, about six months after she arrived, I felt that something in my heart was taking place, and I was unable to stop it. My behaviour(行为方式)began to change. I began to smile at people when passing them in a street. I returned(招手)from neighbours. I started calling my kids, and to my surprise, they started calling me. I even tried to speak to my grandchildren over the phone once. I even was glad to listen to laughter from a 10-month-old granddaughter. The point is that I was changing.
My wife and I both agree that it is Gertie who has changed my behaviour. Gertie is now nearly two years old and almost fully grown.I have come to like the pet little by little, though she is my wife's dog.What did the man think of the dog at the beginning?
| A．It looked very beautiful. |
| B．It wasn't very lovely. |
| C．It wasn't necessary to be trained. |
| D．It could change his life. |
When did the man's behaviour begin to change?
| A．About two years ago. |
| B．When Gertie was nearly two years old. |
| C．When Gertie was 15 weeks old. |
| D．About six months after Gertie arrived. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the man's change?
| A．He began to smile at people |
| B．He liked helping his neighbours. |
| C．He started calling his kids. |
| D．He spoke to his grandchildren over the phone. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．The dog has been trained very well. |
| B．The man has become more confident. |
| C．The man has become more friendly. |
| D．The man likes the dog better than his wife. |
Boys and girls, this summer vacation is the time for you to prepare(准备) yourself for the future. The following is some advice on how to have a wonderful vacation.
Exercise. You have worked hard most of the time. So you need to join in outdoor activities. They can bring your whole body into action. You can benefit(受益) from different kinds of exercise such as swimming, running and mountain climbing.
Learn some life skills. One day, you will live alone. You can’t depend on your family any longer. So, you should learn to cook, wash and other skills.
Go for a journey. Travel to places of interest. In this way, you’ll understand cultures that are different from that of your hometown. Beautiful sights can also make you relaxed.
Enjoy family time. Don’t always sit in front of a computer alone. It’s great fun for you to spend time with your family.
If you follow the advice above, your summer vacation will be filled with joy and success.
Advice How to
Exercise You should take part in.
You can swim, run and go mountain climbing.
Learn some
life skills You will live alone and yourself one day.
You should learn to cook, wash and other skills.
Go for a
journey Travel to places of interest.
You will understand cultures.
Enjoy family
time You shouldn’t always sit in front of a computer alone.
You will have great funwith your family.
Once there was an between the colors. Each color thought it was the best and most important. So each color looked down upon others. Here are their debates（辩论）.
Green said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the of life and hope. I’m the color of grass, trees and leaves.
me, all animals would die.”
Yellow laughed: “I bring happiness and warmth into the world. Every time people look at a yellow sunflower, they start to smile. Without me there be no fun.”
Orange shouted: “I am the color of and strength. I have the most important vitamins (维生素). Think of carrots,
and oranges. When I appear in the sky, everyone is shocked at my beauty and nobody gives another thought to any of you.”
Red could no stand it, “I am the color of danger and bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood.”
Their voices louder and louder. The thunder(雷) got angry and the rain started to pour. When they became calm, the rain said, “You foolish colors. Don’t you know that each of you is unique (独一无二)? If you don’t agree, just follow me.” They did as the rain told
and together made the most
rainbow (彩虹).
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture(家具) shop that had once been ，a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
In the early morning, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I pay you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug(拥抱). She held on me and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.
| A．show she was familiar with the city |
| B．see some places for the last time |
| C．let the driver earn more money |
| D．reach the destination on time |
The taxi driver did not get the money because he ______.
| A．wanted to give her a hand |
| B．shut off the meter by mistake |
| C．had received her payment already |
| D．was in a hurry to take other passengers |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．People should respect(尊重) each other. |
| C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy. |
| D．People should learn to enjoy our life. |
A teacher stood in front of his history class of twenty students just before handing out(分发) the final exam. His students sat quietly and waited for him to speak. “It’s been a pleasure teaching you this term,” he said. “You’ve all worked very hard, so I have a pleasant surprise for you. Everyone who chooses not to take the final exam will get a “B” for the course.” Most of the students jumped out of their seats. They thanked the teacher happily, and walked out of the classroom. Only a few students stayed. The teacher looked at them. “This is your last chance,” he said. “Does anyone else want to leave?” All the students there stayed in their seats and took out their pencils. The teacher smiled. “Congratulations (祝贺),” he said. “I’m glad to see you believe in yourselves. You all get ‘A’s.”This story most probably took place.
| A．at the end of the term |
| B．in the middle of the term |
| C．at the beginning of the term |
| D．at the beginning of the school year |
Why did some students stay in their seats?
| A．Because they were afraid to leave. |
| B．Because they wanted to take the exam. |
| C．Because they didn’t have anything to do. |
| D．Because the teacher told them to stay in their class. |
The teacher gave the students who stayed in the classroom “A”s because.
| A．they studied hard |
| B．the teacher liked them |
| C．they believed in themselves |
| D．they were cleverer than the other students |
There is an old saying in English, “Laughter is the best medicine”. Until recently, few people took the saying very seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to study laughter and the effects (作用) it has on the human body. They have found evidence(证据) that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate（率） and the rate of breathing. It also works several groups of muscles（肌肉） in the face, the stomach and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be helpful.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to make the effect of pain on the body less. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group which could bear the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can make pain less seems to be that it helps to produce endorphins (内啡肽) in the brain. These are natural chemicals which make both stress and pain less.
There is also some evidence to suggest that laughter helps the body’s immune(免疫) system that is the system which fights infection (感染). In an experiment, one group of students watched a funny video while another group served as the control group — in other words, a group with which to compare the first group. Doctors checked the blood of the students in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched the video had an increase in the activity of their white blood cells that is the cells which fight infection.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors and psychiatrists (精神病学) in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they try to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce good effects similar to those caused by laughter.We learn from the first paragraph that laughter________.
| A．is good for one’s health |
| B．has strong effects to do with some illness |
| C．has been studied long since |
| D．has no effect on the body |
Doctors have found that laughter_________.
| A．keeps down blood pressure |
| B．has similar effects to physical exercise |
| C．decreases the heart rate |
| D．increases stress and pain |
Which of the following statements is NOT true of laughter according to the passage?
| A．It makes pain less. |
| B．It exercises the body. |
| C．It improves the body’s immune system. |
| D．It can cure cancer. |
The main idea of this passage is that _________.
| A．the doctors should learn how to make people laugh |
| B．there are several ways of studying the advantages of laughter |
| C．tests show that laughter can produce positive effects on human body |
| D．laughter and physical exercise have the same effects on human body |