When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family. Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.
But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were visiting her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.
“I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,” she told a wide-eyed Meagan. “I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine, with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you’d ever want to see.”
“She had an elegant, hand-painted face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.”
GG’s voice dropped low, taking on an almost respectful tone. “My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, decorated with fine lace. … Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it. But how happy I was that morning!”
GG’s eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. “I played with my doll all morning long. And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down gently on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.”
“I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. And it was. Her lace skirt had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. She was gone forever.”
A few years later, GG’s baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia(肺炎). Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.
Silent for the rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, “Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get GG a new doll for Christmas. Then she won’t cry when she thinks about it.”
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my sympathetic little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG’s fond memories?
Where there’s a will, as they say, there’s a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local doll-make. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown hair and a kidskin body to copy the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and Chris helped me make the doll’s outfit. Meagan wrote the story of the lost doll by giving examples.
Finally our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?
On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our happily packed gift to GG, where she sat surrounded by children, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. “It’s for you,” Meagan said, “but first you have to read the story that goes with it.”
GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I’ll never forget the look on GG’s face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Holding the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, “She’s exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.”
And perhaps she wasn’t saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.GG moved in with her daughter because____.
| A．she wanted to live with a large family |
| B．she was not able to live on her own due to her weakness |
| C．her husband passed away |
| D．she thought it was the children’s obligation to take care of her |
Why did GG become very emotional on a December afternoon?
| A．Because she saw her great granddaughter’s doll. |
| B．Because she recalled her dead parents. |
| C．Because she was surrounded by her offspring. |
| D．Because she felt lonely during the Christmas season. |
What can we infer from Paragraph 5?
| A．GG’s doll was important and was a symbol of many things. |
| B．GG showed great respect for his husband’s love. |
| C．GG missed the great old days she spent with her family. |
| D．GG was grateful for her long life. |
What happened to GG’s baby sister?
| A．She envied her sister all her life. |
| B．She felt guilty for breaking GG’s doll and decided to go. |
| C．She left home at a young age. |
| D．She died of some disease at a young age. |
Why did Meagan’s mum feel proud of her daughter?
| A．Because she was clever. | B．Because she was loving. |
| C．Because she was sensitive. | D．Because she was imaginative. |
The main idea of the passage is that ____.
| A．treating the elderly well is moral |
| B．it is impossible to copy the exact doll for the elderly |
| C．love, the permanent rhythm of life, will always remain in the elderly’s heart |
| D．physical comfort from children rather than psychological care is important |
Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October of 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes(基因) from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying:
Sorry, I’m still alive! .
. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?
| A．She is miserable and unhappy. |
| B．She is cheerful and humorous. |
| C．She would like to live much longer. |
| D．She feels she is going to die very soon. |
.
Jeanne Calment owes her good health and long life to _______.
| A．smoking only a little every day |
| B．her giving up smoking and drinking |
| C．drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day |
| D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises |
.
. Which of the following could best replace the word “move” in the fourth paragraph?
| A．deal | B．trick | C．march | D．sport |
.
. Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the local lawyer every year on her birthday?
| A．Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage. |
| B．Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed. |
| C．Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house. |
| D．Because the house she sold to the lawyer isn’t worth the money he has already paid. |
Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between races and rates(率) of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese-Americans and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings. The eight-year research studied more than 180,000 people. They included present and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2.000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics(遗传学) might help explain the racial and ethnic（种族的） differences. There could be differences in how people's bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study are reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites are the heaviest smokers. But the scientists point out that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Scientists know that some diseases effect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted(针对) medicines. Last June, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it "a step toward the promise of personalized medicine." Which of the following orders is from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer?
| A．Whites—Native Hawaiians | B．Africans—Americans—Latinos |
| C．Asians—Native Hawaiians | D．Africans—Americans—Native Hawaiians |
Researchers agree that it is that may probably determine black people’s risk of lung cancer.
| A．the larger amount of smoking than white people |
| B．the living style or habit of the blacks |
| C．the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs |
| D．the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke |
People in the new study are made up of .
| A．heavy smokers in America | B．the black and white people |
| C．the Asians and Hawaiians | D．smokers and non-smokers |
The production of BiDil referred to in the last paragraph is to .
| A．explain different races react to some diseases differently |
| B．tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers |
| C．show a big step people have taken in the medicine area |
| D．support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the author?
| A．The way of smoking may increase the risk of lung cancer. |
| B．Race has nothing to do with the risk of having a lung cancer. |
| C．The research was started by the New England Journal of Medicine. |
| D．The risk of lung cancer lies I how much a person smokes. |
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.
One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm then,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.
Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”The passage tells us that .
| A．people seldom work long hours to make money |
| B．people hardly buy more things than necessary |
| C．people are sure everything they own is in the right place |
| D．people realize there is more to life than just making money |
When Daniel was a reporter he ___.
| A．lived in central London | B．disliked his job |
| C．missed his children | D．was well paid |
Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.
| A．was easy to organize | B．has improved family life |
| C．was extremely expensive | D．has been a total success |
What does the author mean by saying“the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives” in the second paragraph ?
| A．People work long hours to earn their living. |
| B．To make more money through hard work is the aim of people’s life. |
| C．Long hours of hard work occupy too much of people’s life. |
| D．People spent too much time and money eating meals. |
The underlined word “downshifting” in the second paragraph refers to _________.
| A．repairing your car by yourself |
| B．spending money carefully |
| C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life |
| D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week |
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
I began working in journalism when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was supper time, I walked back home.
“How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“None.”
“Where did you go?”
“The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“What did you do?”
“Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“You just stood there?”
“Didn’t sell a single one.”
“My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickle(五分镍币). It was the first nickle I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.Why did the boy start his job young?
| A．He wanted to be famous in the future | B．The job was quite easy for him. |
| C．His mother had high hopes for him. | D．The competition for the job was fierce. |
From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______.
| A．excited | B．interested | C．ashamed | D．disappointed |
What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?
| A．She forced him to continue. | B．She punished him. |
| C．She gave him some money. | D．She changed her plan. |
The phrase “this battle”in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．the war between the boy’s parents |
| B．the arguing between the boy and his mother |
| C．the quarrel between the boy and his customers |
| D．the fight between the boy and his father |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The early life of a journalist. |
| B．The early success of a journalist. |
| C．The happy childhood of the writer. |
| D．The important role of the writer in his family. |
"The world's oceans are slowly getting more acidic．”say scientists．The researchers from California report that the change is taking place in response to higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The lowering of the waters’pH value is not great at the moment but could cause a serious threat to current ocean life if it continues, they warn. Ken Caldeira and Michael Wickett, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, report their concerns in the journal Nature.
Increasing use of oil fuels means more carbon dioxide is going into the air, and most of it will eventually be absorbed by seawater. Once in the water, it reacts to form carbonic acid. Scientists believe that the oceans have already become slightly more acidic over the last century.
These researchers have tried to predict what will happen in the future by combining what we know about the history of the oceans with computer models of climate change．"This level of acidity will get much more extreme in the future if we continue releasing COZ into the atmosphere," said Dr Caldeira. "And we predict the amount of future acidity will exceed（超过）anything we have seen over the last several hundred million years, let alone perhaps after rare disastrous events such as asteroid（小1j-%+.'_) impacts．”
However, it is not absolutely clear what that means for ocean life．Most organisms live near the surface, where the greatest pH change would be expected to occur, but deep-ocean life forms may be more sensitive to pH changes．Coral reefs and other organisms whose shells contain calcium carbonate（小行星) may be particularly affected if the water's acidity levels keep going up, the team predict. They could find it much more difficult to build these structures in water with a lower pH.
In recent years some people have suggested storing carbon dioxide from power stations in the deep ocean as a way of dealing with global warming．But Dr Caldeira said that such a strategy should now be re-considered. "Previously, most experts had looked at ocean absorption of carbon dioxide as a good thing一because in releasing CO2 into the atmosphere we warm the planet, and when CO2, is absorbed by the ocean, it reduces the amount of greenhouse warming.”The ocean is becoming more acidic due to＿．
A，the lower water pH valueB．the warming atmosphere
C ．the higher level of COZ in the air D．the increasing use of oil fuelsAccording to Dr Caldeira,＿．
| A．ocean absorption of carbon dioxide is a good thing |
| B．more oil fuels will be used in the near future |
| C．scientists may predict climate changes with computer models |
| D．the future situation of the amount of acidity is extremely serious |
If the water's acidity level keeps rising,＿．
| A．ocean life whose structures contain calcium carbonate may be affected |
| B．the waters’pH value will become higher and higher |
| C．organisms living near the surface are more sensitive to pH changes |
| D．some disastrous events will occur more often than before |
Most experts once believed storing carbon dioxide in the ocean would reduce＿．
| A．the COZ absorbed by the ocean |
| B．the amount of greenhouse warming |
| C．the acidity of the ocean |
| D．the gradul release Of CO2 |
The purpose of this passage is to＿．
| A．show people the findings of a research team |
| B．inform people of how acid the ocean is now |
| C．introduce Dr Caldeira and his team's research |
| D．warn people of the higher level of COZ |