“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow. What ate the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?
| A．A lot of care and the right soil. |
| B．Frequent pruning and fertilizing. |
| C．Tomato plants grown alongside. |
| D．Cages placed around the roots. |
The writer planted the tomato because ________.
| A．it cost only $1.25 |
| B．the soil was just right for it |
| C．there was room for it in the garden |
| D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered |
This year the writer’s roses were _______.
| A．removed from the rose bed |
| B．picked along with the tomatoes |
| C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight |
| D．largely hidden under the tomato plant |
By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to _______.
| A．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes |
| B．show the hardship of growing the roses |
| C．express her liking for the roses |
| D．express her care for the tomatoes |
In America,drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum(课程). Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver’s education. However, unlike other courses,it is not given during the regular school year.Instead it is a summer course.
The course is divided up into two parts:class time for learning laws and regulations, and driving time to practise driving.Class time is not unlike any other class. The students study the basic traffic laws from a text to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone who wants to get a driver’s license.
Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel (steering wheel) and practise starting steering,backing up,parking,switching lanes,turning corners,and all the other maneuvers (操作) required to drive a car.Each student is required to drive a total of six hours.The students are divided up into groups of four.The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time.Thus,each student gets half an hour driving time per outing.The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.
After the student has passed the driver’s education course and reached the appropriate age to drive(this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old),they can go to a designated(指定的) state office to take their driver’s test,which is made up of an eye examination,a written test,and a road test.The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver’s license.If the person did well in his or her driver’s education class,he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver’s license.
.In America,the driver’s course mentioned above .
| A．is considered as part of the advanced education |
| B．is given to anyone wanting to get a driver’s license |
| C．is carried on at the same time as other courses |
| D．is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools |
We can infer that the students are required to_________in their whole driving practice.
| A．spend at least six hours driving | B．get half an hour driving |
| C．drive for two hour blocks of time | D．go out driving for tweleve times |
Which of the following is Not True for the students wanting to get their driver’s license?
| A．They must have their eyes examined. |
| B．They must be 16 years of age. |
| C．They should go to have their driver’s test. |
| D．They ought to do well in their driver’s course. |
In the last sentence,“with flying colors” means .
| A．happily | B．quickly | C．colorfully | D．successfully |
Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. This kind of loneliness is not serious. In fact, it is quite normal. For some people, though, loneliness can last for years. Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness.
The first kind of loneliness is temporary(暂时的). This is the most common type. It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention. The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result or a particular situation---- for example, a family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place. Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year.
The third kind of loneliness is the most severe. Unlike the second type, chronic(长期的) loneliness usually last more than two yeas and has no specific cause. People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others. Unfortunately, many chronica
lly lone people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition.
Psychologists (心理学家)agree that one important fact in loneliness is a person’s social contacts, e.g, friends, family members, co-workers, etc. We depend on various people for different reasons. For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and t
eachers give us guidance, and our friends share similar 
interests and activities. However, psychologists have found that, though lone people may have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more. They question their own popularity.
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease. While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal, healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad, and sometimes dangerous condition.
How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?
| A．Talk to friends | B．Just ignore it |
| C．Go to see a doctor | D．Ask your teachers for guidance |
The topic of the 4th paragraph is that _______________.
| A．lonely people don’t have many friends |
| B．lonely people don’t have many social problems |
| C．one problem of loneliness is a person’s social contacts |
| D．we depend on various people for different reasons |
Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people?
| A．Chronic loneliness can cause family problems |
| B．Chronic loneliness can cause serious illness |
| C．Chronic loneliness cannot be overcome |
| D．A, B, and C are all correct |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Three kinds of Loneliness | B．Loneliness and Diseases |
| C．Loneliness and Social Contacts | D．Chronic Loneliness |
Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind.They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.
Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion (坐垫)on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory (挂件).
Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!
"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.
Tim Greenhalgh, a professor, explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.
Why did Bloomsbury publish the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover?
| A．Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults |
| B．Bloomsbury thinks it can attract more readers |
| C．Bloomsbury knows kidults prefer to chose books for adults in nature |
| D．Bloomsbury thinks the cover with an adult is better |
Being a kidult is good in some way EXCEPT that _______.
| A．it is helpful to solve some social problems |
| B．it can make people listen to their parents |
| C．it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids |
| D．it can help kidults feel relaxed |
According to the writer, _______.
| A．our society is very dull |
| B．kidults have mental problems |
| C．being a kidult is nothing wrong |
| D．some people can never grow up |
Last year, Jack Bleed cut through the bone of his ring finger while working. The 31-year-old resident of North Little Rock, Arkansas, waited for about six hours at a nearby medical center while the medical staff there called all over town — even as far away as Dallas and Memphis — to find a hand surgeon to reattach his finger. Finally, a willing doctor was located in Louisville, Kentucky. But even though Bleed had insurance(保险), he would have to hire a private plane to get himself there, at a cost of $4,300. In the end, he charged the cost to two credit cards, and his finger was saved. His insurance company eventually covered the cost of the plane, but his experience makes people aware of the fact that trauma(外伤) care in the United States is not only geographically limited, but in many places, non-existent.
Only eight states — New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, New Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington — have local, fully functional trauma systems. The remaining states have partial systems, and 12 — including Arkansas — have no trauma system at all.
Although the President has signed a bill of $12 million for the purpose of supporting trauma care systems nationwide, many in Congress(国会) are unwilling to spend government money for a service they think should be paid for by states, says Wayne Meredith, medical director for trauma programs at the American College of Surgeons. Meanwhile, many states have also failed to find the dollars to support trauma systems. 
To make matters worse, many people without insurance depend heavily on the emergency care services, placing a huge financial burden on the medical centers that serve them.
For the same reason, doctors, too, often go unpaid. They are unwilling to perform emergency care, worsening critical shortages of neurosurgeons, orthopedists, and hand surgeons — the very types of specialists Bleed needed at short notice.
Supporting a trauma care system doesn’t take much. A half-penny sales tax in Miami-Dade County makes its outstanding system work. In Arkansas alone, says Wayne Meredith, a well-funded trauma system would possibly prevent 200 to 600 deaths each year. If trauma care systems were to work well across the nation, experts say, many thousands of lives each year could be saved. “You don’t get much better return on your investment than that,” Meredith says.
In Paragraph 1, the writer uses Bleed’s case to ______.
| A．make a comparison | B．describe a person |
| C．introduce a topic | D．tell a story |
Many people in Congress argue that trauma care systems should be supported by ______.
| A．the President | B．each state |
| C．insurance companies | D．the US government |
The example of Miami-Dade County shows that ______.
| A．its tax policy is admirable |
| B．running a trauma system is profitable |
| C．a trauma system is not expensive |
| D．sales tax is not heavy in small counties |
Why are the present trauma care systems in some states not satisfactory?
| A．They are shared by all the states. |
| B．They are short of financial support. |
| C．The doctors are not well trained. |
| D．The hospitals can’t provide low-cost services. |
In ancient Japan, if you saved someone’s life, they would make it their duty to spend the rest of their life serving you. Nowadays, if you rescue someone’s story, he or she will feel the same kind of gratitude(感激).
It happens all the time. Someone in a group is telling a story and, just before their big point, BOOM! There’s an interruption. Someone new joins the group, a waiter with a plate of biscuits comes over, or a baby starts crying. Suddenly everyone’s attention turns to the new arrival, the food on the plate, or the “charming” little child. Nobody is aware of the interruption — except the speaker. They forget all about the fact that the speaker hasn’t made his or her point.
Or you’re all sitting around the living room and someone is telling a joke. Suddenly, just before his big punch line(妙语), little Johnny drops a dish or the phone rings. After the crash, everyone talks about little Johnny’s carelessness. After the call, the subject turns to the upcoming marriage or medical operation of the caller. Nobody remembers the great punch line got unfinished — except the joke teller. When it’s you entertaining everyone at a restaurant, have you ever noticed how you can almost set your clock by the waiter coming to take everyone’s order just before your funny punch line?
Most joke and story tellers are too shy to say, after the interruption, “Now, as I was saying…” Instead, they’ll spend the rest of the evening feeling bad they didn’t get to finish. Here’s where you come in. Rescue them with the technique I call “Lend a Helping Tongue.”
Watch the gratitude in the storyteller’s eyes as he stabilizes where his story sunk and he sails off again toward the center of attention. His expression and the appreciation of your consideration by the
rest of the group are often reward enough. You are even more fortunate if you can rescue the story of someone who can hire you, promote you, buy from you, or otherwise lift your life. Big winners have excellent memories. When you do them subtle favors like Lend a Helping Tongue, they find a way to pay you back.
Very often, a storytelle
r cannot make his point because ______.
| A．people are more interested in food than his story |
| B．many guests bring their babies to the party |
| C．his story is easily forgotten by the listeners |
| D．he is interrupted by something unexpected |
From Paragraph 3, we know that when someone is telling a joke, ______.
| A．something bad will surely happen just before their punch line |
| B．the only person really interested in the joke is the joke teller |
| C．listeners’ attention is often drawn to something else |
| D．the waiter knows when to take everyone’s order |
How can we “Lend a Helping Tongue” to the story tellers, according to the writer?
| A．Comfort them to make them happy. |
| B．Give them a chance to finish. |
| C．Go on telling the story for them. |
| D．Teach them some useful techniques. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．People should learn how to take turns in a conversation. |
| B．Telling jokes will make you the center of attention. |
| C．We can win someone’s heart by getting him back to his story. |
| D．It is impolite to cut in on someone’s talk. |