When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class.
She was absent(缺席) a lot , and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig(假发) because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class—seldom—I would hang around with her on the playground.
I received much ridicule (嘲笑) from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa’s needs were much more important than others I knew.
It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗争)with cancer for years.
I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.
I’ve had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I’d like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents’ first names are. I write to your column (栏目)and hope you can point me in the right direction.
Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.The underlined sentence in Para 2 probably means ________________.
A.we discussed the topic and then left together |
B.we just stopped talking about her illness |
C.we went away after talking about her illness |
D.we kept on talking about her illness later |
Why was the author being laughed at?
A.Because she lost her friends because of Lisa. |
B.Because she wore a wig to school. |
C.Because she cried in the classroom. |
D.Because she always played with Lisa. |
What did the author learn from Lisa?
A.To put others’ needs above yours. | B.To keep your illness a secret. |
C.To be nice to everyone everywhere. | D.To face challenges in life bravely. |
The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.
A.ask for help to find a friend’s parents | B.remember a true friend |
C.tell her experience of fighting cancer | D.show her concern for a friend |
It is thought that crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tear, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears (落泪者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (适得其反).
Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance (increase) survival.
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves.
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.
Other researchers are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of “dry eye” syndrome(综合症)and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants. What does the phrase “both those responses” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?
A.Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness. |
B.The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers. |
C.The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying. |
D.Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears. |
From the passage we can infer that .
A.it is unnatural for people to shed tears |
B.we can reduce our stress by shedding tears |
C.shedders of tears can’t get help by crying loudly |
D.unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Roles of emotional tears. |
B.functions of shedding tears. |
C.Unwelcome shedders of tears. |
D.Research on the effects of tears. |
The Great Wall of China is one of Beijing’s biggest draws for tourists; despite its fame and ubiquity in postcards across the world, it rarely fails to attract tourists at the first proper sight.Yet the authorities open only certain sections of the wall as fit for viewing, and few get to visit the unauthorized sections. Fewer still are aware of the existence of at least one part of the Wall that remains in almost original condition, nearly 1,500 years after construction of legendaryfortification began. But there’s a good reason for this – it’s underwater.
American journalist Steven Schwankert has been diving since age 10. It was though his setting – up of a diving school that Schwankert came to explore some of lesser – known areas of China’s lakes – and discovered the underwater Wall under a reservoir.“The most fascinating piece of diving I ever did in China must be the Great Wall. I managed to find out about it via the Internet. It wasn’t difficult to get to Pan Jiakou in Hebei Province, near the East Qing Tomb about 4 hour’s drive from Beijing. Why do I want to dive the Great Wall? Why do people want to walk on the Great Wall? It’s the same answer.”
There are, however, advantages of visiting the Great Wall in a diving suit over being on foot. The water acts as a preservative by preventing the kind of mass tourism that has brought trouble on other parts of the Wall.“Unlike the people who walk in the Wall, we as divers never need to actually touch it. I’ve dived twice there, the last time in July. I found that the water then was much deeper than it was before – 13 meters deep.” When he first dived, parts of the Wall were visible above the surface. Now even the guard tower is completely submerged. “It’s better that the Wall is deep under water, as there are lots of boats coming in and out around that area. Their wave action could potentially damage the brickwork. So, the deeper, the better.”Steven Schwankert is most interested in .
A.collecting photos of the Wall |
B.walking along on the Wall |
C.diving the underwater Wall |
D.visiting some famous lakes |
What does the underlined word “submerged” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean?
A.Damaged by water. | B.Washed by water. |
C.Preserved by water. | D.Covered by water. |
What is the topic discussed in the last paragraph?
A.Advantages of walking on the Great Wall. |
B.Advantages of visiting the underwater Wall. |
C.The reasons why the Wall is deep under water. |
D.The reasons why the underwater Wall is protected. |
What can we infer from the text?
A.The underwater Wall will sink deeper year by year. |
B.Diving the Wall is popular with divers all over the world. |
C.Diving is a good way to visit the Wall without causing much damage. |
D.More and more tourists will come to visit the underwater Wall in China. |
At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer(拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.
We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were surprised when Josh responded, "I just want a bed."
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds tog tether, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," she replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my Dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means.The writer’s first volunteer project was .
A.working on a poor trailer | B.helping a poor family |
C.donating beds and bedding | D.dealing with a housing problem |
On bearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because .
A.the family lived in a trailer |
B.he expected to get some toys |
C.he didn’t know what a bed was |
D.the boys had no bed to sleep in |
From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen before.
A.a trailer | B.a truck | C.a pillow | D.a house |
By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that .
A.what they want to get may be unnecessary |
B.they should not waste money on small things |
C.they should do more volunteer work for the poor |
D.what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow |
One of my main concerns when I am helping people achieve their goals is how they measure success. I see individuals getting frustrated as they struggle hard for success.
One of the main reasons that cause this frustration is that people allow their definition of success to be determined by someone or something else. Another is that they become frustrated at their own apparent lack of success when comparing themselves to other people.
We are individuals with individual wants, skills and experiences. We should look at our own skills to determine what is successful to us. We should look inwards to determine what it would mean for us to be successful in our own mind rather than someone else’s.
Evaluating a successful person needs to look at his pathway to success, his actions ,his determination and translate that into his own experience to see how he can improve himself.
You must set your own course of action, and stay on your course. You alone must determine what success means to you. Do what you do to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself. For example, I believe that I am successful but I am not a millionaire! Others may not see me as successful in their eyes but that does not matter. It is how I see myself that is important to me and my life.
Here is the truth. Being a success is doing your best, not being the best. Success is not something you become; it is something you continue being.
When we get to that point, we will experience a lot more joy and a lot less frustration. And that sounds good to us!
Remember the great quote from Napoleon Hill, “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”What’s the best title of this passage?
A.Frustration Determines Success |
B.The Importance of Frustration to Success |
C.How to Measure Success |
D.Evaluations of a Successful Person |
In terms of success, the writer thinks people feel frustrated because they_____
A.struggle too hard | B.know little about others |
C.are often discouraged | D.underestimate themselves |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Success is something you keep on being rather than you become. |
B.Evaluating a successful person needs to look at others’ judgment. |
C.It doesn’t matter others may not consider you as a success in their eyes. |
D.It matters that you set your own course of action and stay on it. |
According to the passage the writer advises us to_____.
A.attach the importance to others’ attitude and evaluation |
B.learn from others ,failure |
C.set a proper goal and strive to realize it |
D.look at others’ skills to determine what is successful to us |
Our English course for kids or children focuses on learning English in an enjoyable way. Classes are small and individual attention is very important.
During the rest of the day students are encouraged to make use of the opportunities to speak and improve their English with the presence of monitors and teachers who will always use English with them.
There are three classes in the morning from Monday to Friday. The focus is primarily on spoken English; students will learn functional English to help them in real social situations. Special attention will be given to useful vocabulary for the afternoon’s activities or trip. The course will finish with a group presentation.
Maximum number of students in class is 8. This allows for greater participation and a greater degree of individual attention. Please note that this is a guaranteed maximum.
Each class is with a different teacher. This means that students practice English with the
added benefit of listening to more accents and experience a variety of teaching styles.
Classes are arranged by level. On arrival students take a level test to assess their oral, reading and written abilities. Students are then placed in a class where teachers agree they will benefit most.
We live and study on campus. There is no time wasted in traveling to class. There are short breaks between classes to allow students to refresh, prepare for the next class or make a start on homework. Homework is beneficial to reinforcing language learned during the day so teachers will set some short tasks each night. Students will have opportunity to do these when they choose--after class, before or after meals or at the end of the day.
Teachers are native-English speakers from all over the world, graduates, TESOL qualified, and experienced. Our teachers know what ifs like to learn a language. They will encourage and help all the students一from children to teenagers.In the morning lessons, students will_____.
A.make sure of the opportunity to make a personal presentation |
B.learn spoken English for the afternoon activities |
C.practise speaking English with teachers individually |
D.get into real social situations to practise functional English |
According to the passage, each class is with a different teacher in that_____.
A.students themselves have their own favourite teachers |
B.students can make friends with different teachers |
C.students can learn English spoken with different accents |
D.different teachers teach students different courses |
What information can you get from the passage?
A.There is no need for students to do any homework there. |
B.All the teachers are native and full of experience. |
C.Students don’t have lunch together with their teachers. |
D.Not more than eight students are allowed to learn in a class. |