One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk.He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase.I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store.
On the outside was a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties.His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, bright smile covered his face.I gave in immediately.The power of that broad smile dissolved all bitterness within me, and I felt the muscles in my own face happily responding.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked, passing.Then I turned back."I really owe you a debt of thanks," I said softly.
His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer.A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby.The woman stepped forward and volunteered, "Sir, but he doesn't speak English.Do you want me to tell him something?" In that moment I felt transformed.The young man's smile had made a big person of me.My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stand ten feet tall.
“Yes,” my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, “tell him I said, ‘Thank you!’”
“Thank you?” The woman seemed slightly puzzled.
I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave."Just tell him that," I insisted."He'll understand.I am sure!"
Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning.From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently anywhere and everywhere, with everybody.Why did the author leave the store angrily?
| A.He couldn't buy what he wanted. |
| B.The clerk treated him unkindly. |
| C.The clerk didn't speak English. |
| D.The store's goods were too dear. |
By saying "I felt the muscles in my own face happily responding"(in Para. 2), the author means _ __________..
| A.he smiled back at the young man | B.he did not want to smile |
| C.he would thank the young man | D.he was still in a bad mood |
The author asked the woman to say "Thank you!" to the young man because the young man .
| A.had helped the author before |
| B.taught the author how to smile |
| C.taught the author a valuable lesson |
| D.was a kind employee of the store |
In the passage, the author seems to suggest that we should __ ___.
| A.be generous to strangers | B.practice smiling every day |
| C.help people in trouble | D.smile at other people |
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分;满分40
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出最佳选项。
Everyone has their friends, but I knew one girl who didn't. I guess you could call her a geek, because all she did was reading, studying, and doing homework. I don't think she even played a sport. She was one of those quiet people who no one really paid attention to, and those who did only made fun of her. I had heard all kinds of rumors (谣言) that she had problems, but I didn't really believe them. I felt bad for her.
My friends and I were nice to her. We let her sit at our lunch table and we often said "Hi" to her, but she wasn't our best friend. Throughout the year, she started talking to us more and more. We continued being kind to her. She was normal as far as I was concerned (就我而言). She was just really quiet.
That summer I got a letter. When I opened it, I realized it was from her. “I just wanted to thank you so much for being so extremely kind and friendly to me this year. Before you became my friend, I had no one to talk to or sit with at lunch. I even wanted to kill myself. But you and your friends changed that. You made me feel wanted and included. It meant so much to me. I am going to be moving and switching to another school next year. I'll never forget you and what you did."
By the time I finished the letter, I was in shock. I could not believe what I had just read. I learned that the simplest things and the smallest acts of kindness can mean the world to someone else.
1. What kind of person does the underlined word "geek" in Para1 probably refer to?
A. A confident and hardworking student.
B. A dishonest and badly behaved person.
C. Someone is not popular and does strange things
D. Someone is naughty and always makes fun of others.
2. How did the girl feel before the author became her friend?
A. Happy and comfortable.
B. Pleased and confident.
C. Worried and surprised.
D. Sad and lonely.
3. From the passage, we learn that the author and her friends ______.
A. helped get the girl out of trouble
B. got the girl to go to another school
C. changed the girl’s the habit of working hard
D. didn't want to help the girl at all
4. What's the best title for the passage?
A. A Strange Girl
B. A Quiet Heart
C. A Girl without Any Problems
D. Just the littlest Things
When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attend
ed a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group, this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits(or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."
51. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____ .
A. they should be easy to make friends with
B. they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months
C. they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February
D. they must reach the age of 60
52. Doctors _____ .
A. encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively
B. point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming
C. believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer
D. have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming
53. According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that _____ .
A. you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue
B. cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter
C. cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high
D. Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water
54. The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for _____ .
A. they can remain young B. it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter
C. they find it enjoyable and interesting D. they might meet fewer troubles in life
55. The passage is mainly about _____ .
A.a group of cold-water swimming lovers B. the polar bears' life
C. doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming D. the requirements of the Polar Bear Club
Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries —in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus—obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for on
e. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent(月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
46. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
A. the government is usually the first to name a place
B. many places tend to have more than one name
C. a ceremony will be held when a place is named
D. people prefer the place names given by the government
47. What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Change suddenly. B. Change significantly(greatly).
C. Disappear mysteriously. D. Disappear very slowly.
48. Which of the following places is named after a person?
A. Raffles Place. B. Selector Airbase. C. Piccadilly Circus. D. Paya Lebar Crescent.
49. Bras Basah Road is named _______.
A. after a person B. after a place C. after an activity D. by its shape
50. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain.
B. Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes.
C. The way Singaporeans name their places is unique.
D. Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers.
第三部分阅读理解(共15小题,每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders (火蜥蜴) and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass!
41. The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that _______.
A. wild animals have become more dangerous
B. the driving condition has improved greatly
C. the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
42. From the story, we know an eco-passage is ________.
A. an underground path for cars B. a fence built for the safety of the area
C. a bridge for animals to get over a river D. a path for animals to cross the road
43. When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on”(Para. 6), he means __.
A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B. animals begin to learn to use eco-passages
C. animals are crossing the road in groups
D. animals are increasing in number
44. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because _____.
A. wild animals may attack cars B. wild animals may jam the road
C. they may see wild animals in the park D. they may see wild animals on eco-passages
45. The best title for the passage is ________.
A. Special bridges help animals cross the road B. Endangered animals increase because of roadkill
C. Animals fail to cross the road D. Take steps to protect animals in danger
I have a close friend who has a good family tradition, that is, each year after Thanksgiving dinner, all of the people sit around in the living room and each person takes a few minutes and gives thanks for what really matters and what has added value to their life over the last year. This is something I valued and followed. I have thought about a lot in the last year, and I finally came up with two things.
The first one is the healthiness of my daughter. She’s as healthy as she can be, and her weight and height are in good condition and she has no illnesses or genetic diseases. I am so thankful for having this wonderful baby in my life, and thankful that she has the gift of good health.
Secondly, I am thankful for the discovery of the value of writing in my life. A year ago, my website. The simple Dollar was only a few weeks old and was far from popular, but on Thanksgiving Day Last year it had about three score readers who ordered it in advance. The process of writing was bringing me enjoyment, but I hadn’t yet realized that I could be successful in it and attract many readers. This past year showed me a lot and I am deeply thankful for it.
After thinking for a while, I began to realize that it was a very powerful and wonderful positive exercise. You spend time reflecting deeply on the positive things in your life, and you often realize that even when things are bad, you do have a lot to be thankful for because there is lots of good in your life, and it can shine a bright light even in a dark spot in your life.What is the good family tradition of the author’s friend’s?
| A.Learning from the past and planning for the future. |
| B.Taking about the things that are most worth appreciation. |
| C.Learning from the strong points of other family members. |
| D.Having Thanks giving dinner together with family members. |
The author is thankful for all the following thins EXCEPT.
| A.her success with writing | B.the enjoyment in writing |
| C.the healthiness of her daughter | D.the founding of a magazine |
How many people had ordered The simple Dollar by Thanksgiving Day last year?
| A.About 30. | B.About 20. | C.About 60. | D.About 40. |
What’s the purpose of this passage? It tells us that people should .
| A.hold a positive attitude | B.reflect on their mistakes |
| C.have low expectations of life | D.neglect their disadvantages |