When Cathleen Gardiner’s twins were born 17 years ago, doctors told her that they were a pair in a million. One had Down syndrome(低能综合症), while the other did not. Here, Cathleen tells their touching story.
Since Sean was born 17 years ago, I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister. Though he had a disability(残疾), we have never viewed him as a burden. He has always been a blessing. The doctors explained that though they were twins, they came from two different eggs. Lisa could walk at 11 months old, while Sean didn’t take his first steps till he was three. By two, Lisa was talking a lot, but Sean wasn’t able to speak until he was nearly four.
For the first five years of his life, Sean needed a great deal of care. Looking after him was my full-time job, though I also worked as a technical adviser in a computing company. We never treated them differently. We gave them the same toys and spoke to them in the same way. We encouraged Sean to keep up with Lisa, even though he never could, and we would help him develop his abilities. We sent them to the same primary school even after doctors advised us that Sean should go to a school for the disabled.
We had to explain to Lisa that he wouldn’t learn as quickly as she would. She told us that she’d help him with his school work. Having a non-disabled twin has really helped Sean develop. The love they share has given him a great deal of support. Now Sean and Lisa are both about to finish high school. I don’t think he would have done nearly as well today without Lisa’s help.At least how many children does Mrs. Gardiner have?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．One. |
Mrs. Gardiner and her husband regarded Sean as _______.
| A．a boy making others touched | B．a normal child without disabilities |
| C．a special gift | D．a burden of their family |
The third paragraph mainly tells us that _______.
| A．the couple treated the twins equally |
| B．Cathleen did all she could to look after Sean |
| C．the couple didn’t follow the doctor’s advice |
| D．the couple encouraged Sean to grow up |
This passage tells us that _________.
| A．love can do wonders | B．nobody is foolish or clever |
| C．being stupid doesn’t matter | D．all men are born equal |
In what section of a newspaper will you probably read the advertisements?
| A．Geography | B．Education | C．History | D．Environment |
What do Science Museum Oklahoma and Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse have in common?
| A．Aiming at science |
| B．Introducing animals |
| C．Offering imaginary roles |
| D．Enjoying a trip to the universe |
Emma has a tight schedule and has to work from 10am-5pm every day. If she wants to visit a museum, which website will she probably login to get more information?
| A．http://www.jasminemoran.com/ |
| B．http://www.museumgreatplains.org/ |
| C．http://tulsaairandspacemuseum.com/ |
| D．http://www.sciencemuseumok.org/ |
Which of the following can be learned from the advertisements?
| A．Visitors can enjoy family fun in all the museums except the Museum of the Great Pains. |
| B．Visitors can experience something related to culture in the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. |
| C．Visitors can phone (405) 382-0950 if their children want to enjoy role-playing programs. |
| D．Visitors can explore an adventure of outer space in 601 NW Ferris Ave Lawton, OK. |
What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?
| A．To show his knowledge of museums |
| B．To provide some information on museums |
| C．To attract attention from the readers |
| D．To entertain readers |
When Chinese student Du Juan brought her American boyfriend home two years ago to use the toilet, her Japanese roommate became so upset that she shouted in English: "I hate you."
Du, then 21 and an undergraduate at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, was shocked. So was her boyfriend.
"Later I realized that she didn't literally mean what she said and that she was not aware of the full meaning of the word 'hate' in English," said Du. "It was more a problem with translation," she added.
Cultural differences can cause confusion about what words or even actions mean, an issue that has come to the forefront recently following the arrest of a Chinese doctoral degree student in New Jersey.
Zhai Tiantian, who studied at the Stevens Institute of Technology, has been accused of trying to set fire to a campus building and of making threats to a professor who gave him a low mark. No physical altercation took place but Zhai reportedly said something along the lines of "at worst, I will risk anything on the line." The professor called the campus police.
According to the indictment sheet（起诉书）, Zhai is facing the serious charge of making a terroristic threat.
For a few days, Chinese media mistranslated, or misunderstood, the charges and reported that Zhai was being charged with terrorism.
Some language experts have speculated（推测） that the disagreement between Zhai and the professor can also be chalked up to cultural and linguistic differences. "What Chinese people regard as acceptable speech may be regarded by Americans as threats," said Luo Gang, the Chinese Consulate's Overseas Chinese Affairs consul. "This is an unfortunate incident. Even though Zhai intended no harm, he has done himself a great deal of harm."
Du, now 23, said she supports Zhai's actions in fighting to save his academic career, but added he needs to learn more about communication in a foreign language.
"Chinese students in a foreign country must prepare more in terms of languages and conversation skills to avoid misunderstandings," she said.What does the underlined word “altercation” mean？
| A．fight | B．check | C．education | D．experiment |
By saying “It was more a problem with translation”, what does Du Juan mean?
| A．Translation was not the real problem, as Du Juan and her roommate can both speak English. |
| B．Du Juan can not understand what her roommate meant at all. |
| C．Her roommate didn’t know what “hate” really meant in daily conservation. |
| D．Her roommate spoke such poor English that she felt angry. |
Which of the following statements about Zhai Tiantian is true?
| A．He set fire to a campus building. |
| B．He argued with a professor because he received a low mark. |
| C．He has received a doctor’s degree at the Stevens Institute of Technology. |
| D．He is facing a serious charge because he murdered the professor. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Du Juan’s unpleasant experience abroad. |
| B．Confusion caused by translation. |
| C．Conservational skills in a foreign country. |
| D．Cultural differences between China and America. |
Believe it or not, optical illusion(错觉) can cut highway crashes.
Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent strips, called chevrons（人字形标志）, painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Automobile Association Foundations For Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive（过分） speed plays a major role in as much as one fifty of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards(危险) are the greatest-curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane（车道） appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction of highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.The passage mainly discusses________.
| A．a new way of highway speed control |
| B．a new pattern for painting highway |
| C．a new way of training drivers |
| D．a new type of optical illusion |
On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that________.
| A．they should avoid speed-related hazards |
| B．they are driving in the wrong lane |
| C．they should slow down their speed |
| D．they are coming near to the speed limit |
According to the foundation,____can cause serious traffic accident
| A． the straight, horizontal bars |
| B．greatest curves |
| C．exit slops , traffic circles, bridges |
| D． Over-speed driving |
The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former______.
| A．can keep drivers awake |
| B．can cut road accidents in half |
| C．will look more attractive |
| D．will have a longer effect on drivers |
The Americans automobile association foundation for traffic safety plans to____.
| A．try out the Japanese method in certain areas |
| B．change the road signs across the country |
| C．replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons |
| D．repeat the Japanese road patterns |
2010 was a good year for American farmers. They earned about eighty-two billion dollars. That is almost one-third more than that they earned last year. And it is twenty-six percent higher than the ten-year average. Values for grain and oilseed crops are up about three percent from last year. The value of animal production is up by almost seven percent.
In 2011, farm exports are expected to break the all-time high set in 2008.The Agriculture Department says exports in 2011 could top one hundred and twenty-six billion dollars. The largest buyer of agricultural products is expected to be Canada. But farm exports to China are predicted to come within five hundred million dollars of Canadian purchases. Secretary Vilsack says countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East are also buying more from American farmers.
Poor growing conditions overseas played an important part in higher prices for American crops in 2010.Charlotte Hebe brand is chief executive of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council in Washington. She said drought(干旱)conditions had a big effect over the summer. She said,“There were horrible weather problems, not just in Russia but also in some of the other former Soviet Union countries.”
Wheat prices rose after Russia stopped wheat exports,although Russia later eased the ban(禁令).“Wheat used to be America’s top crop. What’s interesting,though,is that wheat production has actually become less over the past few years because corn has become the most popular crop,”said economist Charlotte Hebebrand.
Corn is mostly fed to animals. But Miss Hebebrand said with the recent increase in wheat prices, American farmers might plant more wheat again. Corn and wheat are the two largest crops supported by the government.We know that compared to 2009,in 2010 American farmers——.
| A．planted less corn | B．planted morn crops |
| C．planted morn wheat | D．earned more money |
What does the Agriculture Department expect in 2011?
| A． Agriculture exports will continue to increase. |
| B． China will be the largest buyer of agriculture products |
| C． America will export food to every country around the world |
| D． Southeast Asian countries will start buying food from America |
What is implied in Paragraph 3?
| A． America farming also was greatly affected in 2010 |
| B． Russia was not the country most affected by drought in 2010 |
| C． Weather problems helped raise prices for American crops in 2010 |
| D． American crops were the most expensive around the world in 2010 |
We can infer that in the past few years American farmers——
| A． reduced crop exports |
| B． increased corn production |
| C． increased wheat production |
| D． increased investment in farming |
According to what Miss Hebebrand said, we know American farmers will ——
| A．stop feeding corn to animals |
| B．export most of their corn |
| C．try to increased wheat production |
| D．try to get more support from the governmet |
In America, when people say “man’s best friend”, they don’t mean another person. Instead, they are talking about a lovely animal：A dog! These words show the friendship between people and animals. Dogs and other pets can give happiness to people’s lives. Some people think of their pets as their children. A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!
Animals can help people, too. Dogs can be taught to become the “eyes”for a blind person or “ears”for a deaf people. Scientists have found that pets help people live longer! They make people happier, too. Because of that, animals are brought into hospitals for “visit”.
Americans hold “Be---Kind-to-Animals Week”in the first week of May.
Pets shows are held during the week. Even if you don’t live in America, you, too, can do this. How? First, think about how animals make your life richer. If you have a pet, take more time this week to play with it. Remember to give it delicious food. Also, be sure to keep your pet from those unwanted babies.
If you don’t have a pet, be kind to animals around you. For example, if you see a street dog, don’t kick(踢)it or throw things at it. Instead, just leave it alone, or beter yet, make friends with it. If others around you do bad things to an animal, try to shop them. As people, we must protect animals who can’t speak for themselves.“A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!”means that__________
| A．pets have the right (权力) to inherit (继承) money. |
| B．money can give pets happiness. |
| C．it’s the best way to spend money. |
| D．some pets are taken as children. |
Why are dogs brought to hospitals?
| A．Because they are ill and need to see doctors. |
| B．Because they can make the patients happier. |
| C．Because they can find out the problems of the patients. |
| D．Because doctors can do experiments (实验) on them. |
What’s the most popular activity in the “Be-Kind-to-Animals Week”?
| A．Holding a pet show in the week. |
| B．Playing with pets the whole week. |
| C．Cooking delicious food for pets. |
| D．Making friends with other people’s pets. |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．A lot of people are interested in dogs. |
| B．Dogs can help people do many things. |
| C．Pets are lovely and need care and protection. |
| D．We have done a lot of things for pets. |
The words“ man’s best friends”shows____________.
| A．the friendship between people. |
| B．the friendship between people and animals. |
| C．the friendship between animals. |
| D．the friendship between men and women |