I cheated on a unit test in math class this morning during second period with Mr. Burke. Afterward, I was too sick to eat lunch just thinking about it.
I came straight home from school, went to my room, and lay on the floor trying to decide whether it would be better to run away from home now or after supper. Mostly I wished I was dead. It wasn't even an accident that I cheated.
Yesterday Mr. Burke announced there'd be a unit test and anyone who didn't pass would have to come to school on Saturday, most particularly me, since I didn't pass the last unit test. I did plan to study just to prove to him that I'm plenty smart—which I am mostly—except in math.
Anyway, I got my desk ready to study on . Just when I was ready to work, Nicho came into my room with our new rabbit and it jumped on my desk and knocked the flashcards all over the floor. What a mess! Nicho and I finally took the rabbit outside but then Philip came to my room and also Marty from next door and before long it was dinner.
After dinner my father said I could watch a special on television if I'd done all my homework. Of course I said I had. That was the beginning. I felt terrible telling my father a lie about the homework.
It was nine o'clock when I got up to my room and that was too late to study for the unit test so I lay in my bed with the light off and decided what I would do the next day when I was in Mr. Burke's math class not knowing the 8- and 9-times tables. So, you see, the cheating was planned after all.
The next day, I'd go into class as usual, acting like things were going just great. I'd sit down next to Stanley Plummer—he is so smart in math it makes you sick—and from time to time, I'd glance over at his paper to copy the answers.
Lying on the floor of my room, I begin to think that probably I've been bad all along. It just took this math test to clinch it. I'll probably never tell the truth again. I tell my mother I'm sick when she calls me to come down for dinner. She doesn't believe me, but puts me to bed anyhow. I lie there in the early winter darkness wondering what terrible thing I'll be doing next when my father comes in and sits down on my bed.
"What's the matter?" he asks. "I've got a stomachache," I say. Luckily, it's too dark to see his face. "Is that all?" "Yeah." "Mommy says you've been in your room since school." "I was sick there too," I say. "She thinks something happened today and you're upset." That's the thing that really drives me crazy about my mother. She knows things sitting inside my head the same as if I was turned inside out.
"Well," my father says. I can tell he doesn't believe me. "My stomach is feeling sort of upset." I hedge. "Okay," he says and he pats my leg and gets up.
Just as he shuts the door to my room I call out to him in a voice I don't even recognize as my own. "How come?" he calls back not surprised or anything. So I tell him I cheated on this math test. To tell the truth, I'm pretty much surprised at myself. I didn't plan to tell him anything.
He doesn't say anything at first and that just about kills me. I'd be fine if he'd spank me or something. And then he says I'll have to call Mr. Burke. It's not what I had in mind. "Now?" I ask surprised. "Now," he says. He turns on the light and pulls off my covers. "I'm not going to," I say.
But I do it. I call Mr. Burke, and I tell him exactly what happened, even that I decided to cheat the night before the test. He says I'll come on Saturday to take another test, which is okay with me, and I thank him a whole lot for being understanding and all.
"Today I thought I was turning into a criminal," I tell my father when he turns out my light. Sometimes my father kisses me good night and sometimes he doesn't. I never know. But tonight he does.After the author cheated on the math test, he felt ____________.
| A．frightened because he might be caught |
| B．excited that he had succeeded |
| C．pleased that nobody knew it |
| D．unhappy because he had done something wrong |
By “It wasn't even an accident that I cheated”, the author means that ________.
| A．he had planned not to study before the test |
| B．he decided to cheat when he knew there was going to be a test |
| C．he decided to cheat after he had wasted the whole evening |
| D．he had planned to cheat with Plummer before the test |
The author’ mother often drives him crazy because _____-.
| A．She really knows what he is thinking |
| B．she was very strict with him |
| C．she doesn’t believe him |
| D．she asks him to come down for dinner |
After he was informed of what he had done, the father _______.
| A．scolded the author severely |
| B．didn’t say anything and left |
| C．called Mr. Burke immediately |
| D．let the author make a call to Mr. Burke |
The author’s father kissed the author good night because ________-.
| A．he had done something unusual |
| B．he promised to study math harder |
| C．he was willing to take a make-up test |
| D．he realized his mistake and had the courage to admit it |
In a surprising discovery about where higher life can survive, scientists have found a shrimp —— like creature and a jellyfish swimming beneath an Antarctic ice sheet.
About 180 meters below the ice where no light can get through, scientists had thought nothing much more than a few microbes (微生物) could exist.
That’s why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp – like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera’s cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle (触须) they believe came from a jellyfish.
“We were operating on the presumption that nothing’s there.” Said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler. “It was a shrimp you’d enjoy having on your plate.”
“We were just gaga (狂热的) over it,” he said of the 7.5cm long, orange creature starring in their two – minute video. Technically, it’s not a shrimp. It’s a Lyssianasid amphipod, which is distantly related to the shrimp.
The video is likely to inspire experts to rethink what they know about life in harsh environments. And it has scientists thinking that if shrimp – like creatures can live below 180 meters of Antarctic ice in freezing dark water, what about other cold places? What about Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter?
Cynan Ellis – Evans, a scientist of the British Antarctic Survey called the finding fascinating. He said it was possible the creatures swam in from far away and don’t live there permanently.
But Kim, who is a co-author of the study, doubts it. “The site in West Antarctica is at least 19 km from open seas. Bindschadler drilled a 20 cm – wide hole and was looking at a tiny amount of water. That means it’s unlikely that two creatures swam from great distances and were captured randomly in that small of an area,” she said.
Yet scientist were puzzled at what the food source would be for these creatures. While some microbes can make their own food out of chemicals in the ocean, complex life like the shrimp can’t, Kim said.
“So how do they survive? That’s the key question.” Kim Sai.
“It’s pretty amazing when you find a huge puzzle like that on a planet where we thought we know everything.” Kim said. What does the underlined word “harsh” probably mean?
| A．cold | B．loud | C．cruel | D．ugly |
According to Kim, the shrimp – like creature .
| A．swam great distances to Antarctic | B．has always lived in the region |
| C．gradually evolved from shrimps | D．has nothing in common with shrimps |
The finding is significant in that .
| A．it marks NASA’S first Antarctic biological study |
| B．it proves there is marine life in the Antarctic |
| C．it could inspire further study of life in harsh environments |
| D．it shows that Lyssianasid amphipod is closely related to shrimps |
Which of the following statements about the discovery is FALSE?
| A．Complex life usually lives on other forms of life. |
| B．Scientists saw two creatures in the two – minute video. |
| C．It is possible for creatures to live 180 meters below the ice though there is no light. |
| D．Scientists captured the shrimp – like creature in a camera by drilling a hole through the ice. |
How many days will the two jazz masters perform in Hong Kong?
| A．2 days. | B．3 days. | C．4 days. | D．5 days. |
You can get a ticket except that ______.
| A．you go and buy one at the ticket office | B．you book online |
| C．you call and pay with your credit card | D．you wait to get one for free |
Why will the two jazz masters perform in Hong Kong?
| A．Because they meet in there after not seeing each other for 40 years. |
| B．It’s for Hong Kong Arts Festival. |
| C．Because they can’t live without music. |
| D．It just happens that they two are performing there. |
Today, as with so many days, I found myself stuck in a traffic jam, and I thought I’d share my little trick for keeping calm when it seems like you are creeping along(缓慢行进).
The key to understand is that traffic jams don’t take as long as they seem to. It’s just that when we are in a hurry, and think we should be moving, but time appears to pass more than it does. To really show this, the next time you are stopped at a light that always seems to take forever to change, try to do something with your phone, your laptop, whatever you have available, and watch how much briefer the light seems.
When you enter a jam on the highway, reset your trip plan and care the time. Then, when you clear the jam, and are normally on your way again, care the distance of the jam, and the time it took to get through it. For my experience today, it took me 6 minutes to go 2 miles. Now, it happens to be mathematically convenient that your average speed on the highway is about 60 mph, or a mile per minute. So to estimate what time the jam actually cost you, just take your traffic jam passing time, and subtract（减去） the distance covered, which we know is a good estimate of the time it would have taken with no traffic jam. In my case, all that added up to 6-2="4" minutes.
Do this for every jam you are subjected to every time and watch how much less stressful they become once you understand how little time you are really losing.We can infer from Paragraph 1 and 2 that ________.
A. there was no traffic jam in the past
B. modern people are under great pressure
time passes much faster during traffic jams
D. people in traffic jams are usually impatientWhat does the writer suggest when caught in traffic jams?
A. Playing a trick on other drivers.
B. Figuring out how much time the jam actually cost you.Doing some math problems.
D. Informing the boss about the delay.The underlined phrase “subjected to” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
A. experience B. avoid
admit D. control What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Math is closely connected with life.
B. Stress is always a bad thing.Traffic jam is not as bad as you think.
D. There is no use complaining about traffic jams.
Anyone who works in an office knows the power of technology. When it works, life is wonderful. Information files across the world in seconds. It saves time and makes our jobs easier. But when technology goes wrong, everyone hates it.
In March, Peter Golota received a gas bill for $0.00. He threw it away. In April, he received another bill for $0.00. He threw that one way, too. In May, the gas company sent him a letter which said he had to pay his gas bill. If he didn’t pay it, they were going to cut off his gas. He called and told them the bill was for $0.00. They said it was a computer error. But the bills continued. Finally, he sent a check for $0.00. This caused the bank’s computer to crash. After a lot of angry phone calls and the letters between the man, the gas company, and the bank, the case went to court. The gas company lost, and had to pay Peter Golota $8,000. It all happened because of a bill for $0.00.
A man from Colorado appeared on the news when he shot his computer because it crashed all the time. The man, who owned a bar, put the “dead” laptop on the wall for everyone to see. The police said, “It’s the first time someone shot a computer because he was angry with it.” They arrested him.
In December, Margaret Smart, of Energies Solutions, stood up in front of 2,000 people in Taxes. As she began to speak, her microphone stopped working. They found another one. After two minutes, that one also died. When she decided to show her notes on PowerPoint, the computer refused to start up. The title of her presentation was “Technology: The way Forward”.Why did the bank’s computer crash?
A. Because it kept sending gas bills for $0.00.
B. Because Peter Golota sent a check for $0.00.
Because the gas company sent a letter to the bank.
D. Because the gas bill case went to court.Who got angry with his computer and shot it?
A. A bar owner. B. A policeman.Peter Golota. D. A bank manager.Margaret Smart’s computer refuses to start up probably because ________.
A. there was a power failure B. it worked too longit went wrong D. someone shot her computer
Captain Goodfellow
Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatres on Saturday morning at 10:00 Free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898. International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same kind of food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Take me out to the Ballgame
It’s October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets
at the gate. It might be cold… don’t forget sweaters and jackets.
Do you want to hear “The Zoo”?
“The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US. Concert tomorrow night at 8 Rose Hall, City College. You can probably eat Chinese, Italian and Arab food _________.
A. at Central Park on Saturday B. at the front entrance of City Hall 
at the ballgame D. at 5:00 p.m. If you are going on the Walking Tour, don’t forget _________.
A. your beautiful walk B. your comfortable shoes your worries D. your learning about local historyThe Redbirds ballgame _________.
A. is in the afternoon B. is at the gate
might be cold D. is outsideWhich of the following is NOT true?
A. “The Zoo” is an Australian rock group.
B. “The Zoo” are going to meet their American audience for the last time. “The Zoo” will appear at 8:00 p.m.
D. “The Zoo” will perform in front of college students.