The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us. I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him. “I … I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir,” he said．“Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a swindler? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked. He nodded. “That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.” He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _________.
| A．the boy was greedy |
| B．the boy had suffered a lot |
| C．the boy was in bad need of money |
| D．the boy was good at bargaining |
The second time the author met the boy, the boy _________.
| A．told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts |
| B．wanted to express his thanks |
| C．asked him for money for his schoolbooks |
| D．tried to take advantage of him |
The author gave his money to the boy because _________.
| A．he wanted to make himself feel better |
| B．he had learnt to help others since childhood |
| C．he held a higher position in the society |
| D．his parents asked him to do so |
What does the underlined word “swindler” mean?
| A．troublemaker | B．beggar | C．thief | D．cheat |
Which of the following best describes the boy?
| A．Brave and polite． | B．Kind and smart. |
| C．Honest and thankful． | D．Shy and nervous. |
A businessman walks into a bank in San Francisco and asks for the loan officer. He says he is going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow ＄5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan. So the businessman hands over the keys to a Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank’s underground garage and park it there.
Two weeks later, the businessman returns, and repays the ＄5,000 and the interest, which comes to ＄15.41
The loan officer says, “We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is that why you would bother to borrow ＄5,000?”
Laughing, the businessman replies, “Where else in San Francisco can I park my car for two weeks for ＄157.”The businessman walks into the bank with the true purpose of .
| A．borrowing ＄5,000 | B．meeting the loan officer |
| C．finding a place to park his car | D．showing how rich he is |
The loan officer is puzzled because .
| A．he never thought he could meet a multimillionaire in his bank |
| B．he thinks the businessman is crazy to leave his car in the bank |
| C．he never thought the businessman could drive a Roils Royce |
| D．he thinks ＄5,000 is so small a sum of money to the businessman |
The underlined word “collateral” In Paragraph 1 most probably means “” .
| A．security | B．payment | C．reward | D．deal |
Which of the following words can best describe the businessman according to the story?
| A．Honest. | B．Clever | C．Rich | D．Kind |
Should parents ever hit their children?
Research suggests many of us are likely to respond “no”, and public support for spanking (打屁股) has been falling over the years. But surveys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit spanking their child at least once.
I was raised in a zero-tolerance( 零容忍) home for disrespect, and my parents often turned to physical punishment. And, no, I don’t feel I was damaged by it.
Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children.
But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn’t the answer.
Two years ago , Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents used physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive(好斗的).
Murray Straus, professor at the University of New Hampshire in America, has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades. He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers. It may be that children with lower IQs were more likely to get spanked, but the punishment may have been counterproductive (反作用) to their mental development, as well.
Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks (用巴掌打) on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit.
Last year, Marjorie Gunnoe, a psychologist at Calvin College, studied teens who have never been spanked. There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physically punished. Gunnoe’s research suggests they don’t turn out any better than those who were sometimes spanked.
There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers. But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline (管教) without ever turning to physical punishment. What can we know from the research in the second paragraph?
| A．Many of the parents made no response to the survey. |
| B．More and more people support spanking in public. |
| C．Most parents have the experience of spanking their children. |
| D．Many of the parents think they should hit their children. |
According to Marjorie Gunnoe’s research, ________ .
| A．the children who have never been spanked do better than those who were sometimes spanked |
| B．instead of harmless, spanking can have a little benefit |
| C．spanking has little effect on the children’s future performance |
| D．the teens who were often spanked are more likely to be aggressive |
In the author’s opinion, the best parents are the ones ______.
| A．who often use physical punishment | B．who never use physical punishment |
| C．who use physical punishment properly | D．who take physical punishment as useful tool |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The author’s parents were strict with him when he was young. |
| B．The author thinks his parents’ spanking did no harm to him. |
| C．Murray Straus thinks spanking has nothing to do with children’s IQs. |
| D．Some parents spank their children because they can’t control their tempers. |
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure
Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677. The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71℉and 77℉year around (expect the mercury(水银柱) to drop at higher heights).
Beaches: 47 Golf Courts: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; nightly rates range from $35—$5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts. In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis.
Resources: Call (800) 648-2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau. See www.bigisland.org for updated information.
Shopping: The largest shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kona Coast. _________ are mostly interested in reading the passage.
| A．Students | B．Businessmen | C．Tourists | D．Immigrants |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _________.
| A．28 | B．32 | C．37 | D．44 |
The underlined part “expect the mercury(水银柱) to drop at higher heights” means _________.
| A．Things are easy to lose weight at higher places |
| B．Dropping things from higher places is expected |
| C．Temperature is expected to be lower at higher places |
| D．Temperature is expected to be higher at higher places |
__________ are not mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island.
| A．Trains | B．Planes | C．Rental cars | D．Taxis |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．You can see www.bigisland.org for updated information. |
| B．You can call (800) 648-2441 to order some food. |
| C．You can find some courts to play tennis on the island. |
| D．You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island. |
Besides providing a perfect environment for sea plants and animals to live in, seawater has other values, one of which is that it constantly moves, and its movements produce energy.
The most obvious movements are the waves and the tides. Winds cause the waves, and the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun causes the tides. In places like the Bay of Fundy in Canada, the difference between the high and low tide level can be as much as 40 feet.
France and Britain are now trying to use energy in the tides to produce electricity. Waves can produce electricity and some experiments are taking place to learn more about this. One of the most encouraging areas of research uses the difference between the temperature of seawater at the surface and deep down to produce electricity.Waves and tides are caused by ________ .
| A．the same forces | B．different forces | C．their own movements | D．plants and animals |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________ .
| A．waves as well as the energy in the tide can produce electricity |
| B．the highest tide is 40 feet higher than the lowest one at the sea |
| C．many countries in the world have made the most of energy produced by seawater |
| D．it is being tried in some developed countries to use energy in the tides to produce electricity |
The best title for the passage is ______.
| A．Tides and Waves | B．How to Produce Electricity | C．Seawater | D．Another Cheap Energy |
Ted doesn’t like cars. He wants people to stop driving because cars make the air dirty. Ted had an idea. He said,“I’m going to cycle around North America. I want to show everyone that cycling is a fun way to get around. If more people ride bikes, the air will be cleaner.”
He left his hometown with $160 in his pocket. When he got to San Diego, he met another cyclist. The cyclist invited Ted to speak at a big meeting about the environment. He said,“We’ll pay your airfare to Texas and we’ll pay you to talk about your cycling trip.”Two hours later, Ted was on a plane to the environmental conference and to a big surprise!
While he was at the conference, he met Deanna. It was love at first sight! They talked for six hours straight.
The next day, Ted called Deanna and asked her to finish the trip with him. Deanna said yes, sold everything in her apartment, gave her notice at work, and was on the road with Ted 20 days later!
“It was difficult at first,”said Deanna. “Ted got up every morning at 6:00 a.m., but I wanted to sleep until noon.”After a few days, they started having fun. As they cycled from Florida to Montreal and then back to Vancouver, every day was an adventure. People paid for their food in restaurants and gave them extra money. Some people gave them $50 or $100. They slept in people’s backyards and drank beer with motorcycle gangs.
On their way back to Vancouver, they stopped in Edmonton to visit Ted’s relatives. During the stopover, they got married. People tied a “Just Married”sign and tin cans to the backs of their bikes. They now want to write a book about their trip. “We want people to know that you can be an environmentalist and still have fun, ”Ted said. Ted got paid for ______.
| A．giving a talk about his cycling trip | B．cycling throughout North America |
| C．traveling around North America by air | D．attending conferences on cycling |
The “big surprise” he had at the conference was that _______ .
| A．he met another cyclist who wanted to join him | B．he fell in love with a girl there |
| C．he gave a long talk lasting 6 hours | D．he had a lot of fun talking about his cycling trip |
The underlined part “gave her notice at work” probably means __________ .
| A．Deanna was fired by her boss for not going to work |
| B．Deanna asked for a long leave from work to join Ted in his trip |
| C．Deanna told people beforehand that she would leave her job |
| D．Deanna handed in the notice that she were asked to finish before |
During the trip, Ted and Deanne ___________.
| A．found it hard to get up early | B．were attacked by motorcycle gangs |
| C．never pay for their meals in restaurants | D．got married |