At Blossom End Railroad Station, 22-year-old Stanley Vine sat, waiting for his new employer. The surrounding green fields were so unlike the muddy landscape of war-torn France. After four horrible years as an army private fighting in Europe, Stanley had returned to England in February 1946. Armed now with some savings and with no prospects for a job in England, he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada. Two months later he was on his way.
When the old car rumbled (发着辘辘声) toward the tiny station, Stanley rose to his feet, trying to make the most of his five foot and four inches frame. The farmer, Alphonse Lapine, shook his head and complained, “You’re a skinny thing.” On the way to his dairy farm, Alphonse explained that he had a wife and seven kids. “Money is tight. You’ll get room and board. You’ll get up at dawn for milking, and then help me around the farm until evening milking time again. Ten dollars a week. Sundays off.” Stanley nodded. He had never been on a farm before, but he took the job.
From the beginning Stanley was treated horribly by the whole family. They made fun of the way he dressed and talked. He could do nothing right. The humourless farmer frequently lost his temper, criticizing Stanley for the slightest mistake. The oldest son, 13-year-old Armand, constantly played tricks on him. But the kind-hearted Stanley never responded.
Stanley never became part of the Lapine family. After work, they ignored him. He spend his nights alone in a tiny bedroom. However, each evening before retiring, he lovingly cared for the farmer’s horses, eagerly awaiting him at the field gate. He called them his gentle giants. On Saturday nights he hitch-hiked into the nearest town and wandered the streets or enjoyed a restaurant meal before returning to the farm.
Early one November morning Alphonse Lapine discovered that Stanley had disappeared, after only six months as his farmhand. The railway station master, when questioned later that week, said he had not seen him. In fact no one in the community ever heard of him again. That is, until one evening, almost 20 years later, when Armand, opened an American sports magazine and came across a shocking headline, “Millionaire jockey (赛马骑师), Stanley Vine, ex-British soldier and 5-time horse riding champion, began life in North America as a farmhand in Canada.”Stanley Vine decided to go to Canada because ___________.
| A.he wanted to escape from war-torn France |
| B.he wanted to serve in the Canadian army |
| C.he couldn’t find a job in England |
| D.he loved working as a farmhand |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A.Stanley joined the French army when he was 18 years old. |
| B.On the farm Stanley had to milk the cows 14 times a week. |
| C.The Lapine family were very rich but cruel to Stanley. |
| D.Stanely read about the job offer in a newspaper. |
What did Stanley like doing after work each day?
| A.Hitch-hiking to different towns. |
| B.Caring for the farmer’s horses. |
| C.Wandering around the farm alone. |
| D.Preparing meals on the farm. |
Why was Armand so astonished when he read about Stanley in the magazine?
| A.He didn’t know Stanley had been a British soldier. |
| B.He had no idea Stanley had always been a wealthy man. |
| C.He didn’t know his father paid Stanley so little money. |
| D.He didn’t expect Stanley to become such a success. |
Few of us haven't read Cinderella, the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prin
ce of her dreams, Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone's heart—we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity(默默无闻) or neglect.
Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too.Her story is featured in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high Mary is shy but loves to dance.Compared with other girls, she is invisible.However, her world changes completely when a famous teenage pop singer, Joey Parker, appears.
Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not—kind, handsome and desirable.Mary and Joey's paths cross at a ball.They meet and falHn love with each other.But when Mary has to.rush back home, she leaves behind
her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams.Of course, there is a wicked(邪恶的) stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies.Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn't get into the top dance school.Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.
The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modem day twists to the classic fairy tale.Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful.There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.
"The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point," writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson."The focus is firmly on following your dream."The first paragraph is mainly to _____.
| A.build interest and lead us to Mary's secret dream |
| B.remind us why Cinderella is popular all the years |
| C.inform us of the main topic of the whole passage |
| D.tell us how interesting the fairy tale Cinderella is |
In the movie, Mary Santiago is the main character who.
| A.is brave in expressing her iove |
| B.is attended badly by the stepmother |
| C.has a dream of meeting a prince |
| D.is embarrassed by the pop singer |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A.Joey is just like other boys in Mary's class. |
| B.Mary's mother influences her a lot m singing. |
| C.Not many people have a dream to be realized. |
| D.The MP3 player helps Joey in finding Mary. |
The passage is mainly _____.
| A.an introduction to a film |
| B.a review about a film |
| C.an essay about dreams |
| D.an advertisement of Cinderella |
According to the passage.Another Cinderella Story _____.
| A.follows Cinderella with nothing new |
| B.pays more attention to the looks of the actors |
| C.encourages young people to follow their dreams |
| D.focuses more on materialism than other films |
The largest earthquake (magnitude 里氏 9.5) of the 20th century happened on May 22,1960 off the coast of South Central Chile
.
It generated(生成) one of the most destructive Pacific-wide tsunamis(海啸).Near the generating area, both the earthquake and the tsunami were very much destructive, particularly in the coastal area from Concepcion to the south end oflsia Chiloe.The largest tsunami damage occurred at Isia Chiloe—the coastal area closest to the epicenter(震中).Huge tsunami waves measuring as high as 25 meters arrived within 10 to 15 minutes after the earthquake, killing at least two hundred people, sinking all the boats, and flooding half a kilometer inland.
There was large damage and loss of life at Concepcion, Chile's top industrial city.Near the city of Valdivia, the earthquake and following aftershocks generated landslides which killed 18 people.At me port city of Valparaiso, a city of 200,000, many buildings collapsed.A total of 130,000 houses were destroyed —one in every three in the earthquake zone and nearly 2,000,000 people were left homeless.
Total damage losses, including to agriculture and to industry, were Estimated(估计) to be over a half billion dollars .The total number of death related with both the tsunami and the earthquake was never found accurately for the region Estimates of deaths reached between 490 to 5,7002 with no distinction(差别) as to how many deaths were caused by the earthquake and how many were caused by the tsunami.However, it is believed that most of the deaths in Chile were caused by the tsunami.Where did the largest tsunami damage occurred?
| A.Concepcion | B.Isia Chiloe | C.Valdivia | D.Valparaiso |
What can we leam about the tsunami waves generated by the earthquake?
| A.The tsunami waves as high as 25 meters arrived immediately after the earthquake. |
| B.The tsunami waves killed 200 people and sank all boats. |
| C.The tsunami waves were very destructive. |
| D.The tsunami waves flooded half of the inland. |
What is generally thought the main cause of deaths in Chile?
| A.landslides | B.the tsunami |
| C.aftershocks | D.the magnitude 9.5 earthquake |
What is the total number of deaths in the earthquake?
| A.2,000,000 | B.between 490 to 5,7002 |
| C.200,000 | D.it was hard to know. |
What does the underlined word "collapsed" probably mean ?
| A.was destroyed | B.caught fire | C.was flooded | D.sank |
■Ruffi Ruff! Where's Scruff?
Reading level: Baby—reschool
Hardcover: 16 pages
Language: English
Availability: In Stock.Sold by Amazon-com.Gift—wrap available.
Book Description: It's bath time for Scruff.But does anyone know where he's hiding? Have the cows seen him? Moo—no! How about the pigs? Oink—no! But not for toddlers.If they look carefully, they'll find Scruffhiding on every pop—up page!
■You and Me, Baby
Reading level: Baby—Grade 1
Hardcover: 40 pages
Language: English
Availability: In Stock.Ships from and sold byAmazon.com.Gift—wrap available.
Only 4 left in stock—rder soon.
■The Giving Tree
Reading level: Ages 4~8
Hardcover: 64 pages
Language: English
Availability: Sold all the year round and choose One—Day Shipping at checkout.
Book Description: Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy.
■Where the Wild Things Are
Reading level: Ages 6~10
Hardcover Comic: 62 pages
Language: English
Availability: In Stock.Ships from and Sold by Amazon-com.Gift—wrap available.Order it at once, and choose One—Day Shipping at checkout.
■Goodnight Moon(Board book)
Reading level: Baby—Preschool
Board book: 30 pages
Language: English
Availability: In Stock.Ships from and sold by Amazon-com.
Book description: Perhaps the perfect children's bedtime book.Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit.He says goodnight to every object in sight and within earshot, including the "quiet old lady whispering hush."If you want a book for an eight-year-old, which one will you choose?
| A.You and Me, Baby | B.Where the Wild Things Are |
| C.Goodnight Moon | D.Ruffi Ruff! Where's Scruff? |
The sentence "But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave a
nd gave…" most probably corns from.
| A.Where the Wild Things Are | B.Goodnight Moon |
| C.Ruff! Ruff! Where's Scruff? | D.The Giving Tree |
The sellers will provide the service of wrapping except _____.
| A.Where the Wild Things Are | B.You and Me, Baby |
| C.RuffS Ruff! Where's Scrufl? | D.Goodnight Moon |
Which book has the most pages?
| A.The Giving Tree | B.You and Me, Baby |
| C.Goodnight Moon | D.Where the Wild Things Are |
The expression "In Stock" in the above paragraphs probably means "____".
| A.abundant | B.secure | C.available | D.valid |
Family quarrels and lack of free time can promote headaches in children. This is what Jennifer Gassmann and her partners have concluded in a study that appears in the current issue of the Deutsches Arzteblatt International. This study was a component of a large-scale study entitled “Children, Adolescents, and Headaches”, in which data were collected in four annual “waves” from 2003 to 2006.
Up to 30% of children around the world complain of headaches at least once a week. Out of a variety of possible factors tested in a larger study, the authors chose to look at the ones related to the children’s family and leisure time.
According to the study, boys who experience more than one family quarrel per week have a 1.8 times higher risk of developing headaches. The amount of free time available to them seems to be even more important: boys who seldom have time to themselves have a 2.1 times higher risk of developing headaches.
The behavior of parents when children complain of headaches also seems to play a major role. Both positive and negative responses from parents teach children that they can gain advantages from headaches. These responses have a particularly strong effect on the frequency of symptoms in girls, with supportive responses raising the risk of recurrent(周期性的) headaches by 25%.
The genders also differed with respect to headache frequency. Twice as many girls as boys had their symptoms at least once a week. The ages of the children, however, seemed to have no more than a minor effect on their headaches.
The study may become a reminder for parents, especially for those unpeaceful families.
68. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How family quarrels and lack of free time can promote headaches in children.
B. A new study on the frequency of headaches in children.
C. Factors which lead to children’s having headaches.
D. Advice for parents wanting to keep their children from having headaches.
69. We learn from the study that ______________.
A. most children have headaches at least once a week
B. the way a family behaves is the chief factor for the headaches of children
C. parents are to blame for the increase in headaches in children
D. girls are more likely to get headache symptoms than boys
70. Parents should learn from the passage that ______________.
A. they should spend more time with their children
B. they should avoid quarreling
C. they shouldn’t care when their children have headaches
D. they should treat boys and girls differently
Could you stand the noise of a street-sweeper truck going up and down the street outside of your house three times a week at 4 a.m.? The noise —described by Blomberg as “loud as a NASCAR(全国赛车联合会) race car but at a speed of 5 miles per hour” — annoyed him so much that he tried to persuade the city to reschedule street sweeping to begin at 6 a.m. He also founded the nonprofit Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, an organization that provides research and information to others whose request for quiet might otherwise fall on deaf ears.
Hearing loss, in fact, is the most obvious medical consequence of noise pollution, but it is hardly the only one, explains environmental psychologist Arline Bronaft. In her research, Bronzaft found that constant noise exposure could reduce children’s learning ability and cognitive(认知的) development. Beyond all that, regularly, “you’ve got to take a break
from sound,” says Bronzaft.
The bad news, says Blomberg, is that “the last century was the noisiest in history.” The good news, he continues, is that the greener we get, the quieter we’ll also get. Electric cars and lawn equipment, for instance, make less noise, just as more fuel-efficient vehicles do. Improved technology can also provide measures to make the problem less serious. Fire engines and police cars could replace those loud sirens(警报器) with other models; and you can turn down the volume inside your home by replacing noisy household appliances with quieter, energy-saving models.
“ I don’t think you can name a noise source that I can’t find a way to make quieter,” says Blomberg. But the real challenge is to change people’s attitudes. “ In the 1960s, we made it unacceptable to throw litter out of the window of your car,” he says. Today it’s time to recognize that “noise is to the soundscape as litter is to the landscape.” The goal is to “create a culture where you do not throw your aural (听觉的) litter out of the window.
64. What do we know about the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse?
A. It was founded by the city leaders.
B. It was supported by NASCSR.
C. It can rearrange the time of street sweeping.
D. It aims to help those who want more peace and quiet.
65. Which of the following makes the most noise?
A. Electric cars. B. Loud sirens. C. Lawn equipment. D. Police cars.
66. As Blomberg says, _____________.
A. it’s impossible to make a noise-maker quieter
B. it’s difficult to quiet people down
C. in the 1960s, throwing “sound” out of the window was forbidden
D. street sweeping should be stopped forever
67. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Reducing Noise Pollution B. Children’s Mental Development
C. Vehicles that Make Less Noise D. Forbidding Throwing Litter