When I was seven years old my mom was diagnosed(诊断) with cancer. For this type of cancer the survival rate was low. My family was extremely upset and shocked. I was too young to understand. I had no idea that everyday with my mom had to be the absolute best because we didn’t know if it would be our last. I didn’t understand why everyone was suddenly taking time out of their busy lives to come over and sit on our couch.
The doctors told us my mom might survive with surgery(外科手术). But it could also kill her. She agreed to have it. The surgery was scheduled for the day after the Columbus Day. The day before the surgery I had off from school, and my mom planned the best day of my life. The day began with her waking me up saying, “Kate, I have a surprise for you. Come see.” The surprise was a doll I had wanted for the longest time. Throughout the day, she told me everything that she thought I would need to know to grow up and be a good person; she told me to be the best I could be and that I would always make her proud. The day was filled with laughter. For the first time in a long time I could see she was happy. Really happy.
The day passed and the next day, it was time for the surgery. There were no tears; I think I understood that I could lose my mom, because they did tell me she could die. We waited all day for news from the doctor. Everyone jumped when a door opened or anyone walked into the waiting room. Finally the doctor came in, and the news was what we had prayed (祈祷) for.
The experience that my family went through was truly a roller coaster. I will never forget that day together, and how her illness pulled our family closer. I understand now how lucky we were. I truly appreciate life and honor my mom for being so strong.After the author’s mother fell ill, people _____.
| A．took turns to look after the author |
| B．tried to spend more time on their work |
| C．spared more time to stay with the mother |
| D．asked the doctors to operate on the mother at once |
It can be inferred that the author’s mother ______.
| A．tried to show her love to her daughter before the operation |
| B．didn’t agree to have the operation |
| C．had always been happy before the operation |
| D．was very nervous the day before the operation |
What is the third paragraph mainly about?
| A．How the doctors operated on the mother. |
| B．How the family prayed for the mother. |
| C．How the mother struggled against cancer. |
| D．How the family waited for the operation result. |
What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in the text?
| A．Life is always full of hardships. |
| B．Life is full of both pain and happiness. |
| C．Life is always filled with pleasure. |
| D．Life is fair for everyone all the time. |
As we all know, robots are playing an important role in our daily life at present. Now South Korean schoolchildren see robot teachers in the classroom at an elementary school in Seoul. Robot teachers – who never get angry or make sarcastic (讽刺) re
marks--- have been a hit with pupils during a pilot project in some South Korean schools, a government report said Thursday.
Elementary school children responded favourably to the robotic teachers, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said, citing a survey by educational researchers.
English-teaching robots were sent to three provincial schools for eight weeks starting in late December.
And programmable electronic devices looking like robots, which teach math, science and art, were used in 10 Seoul schools for five weeks from November.
The researchers found that the English-teaching robots helped raise interest in the language and boosted the con
fidence of students.
“Tele-presence (远程呈现)” robots are controlled remotely by an English teacher and are equipped with a microphone and video camera. Autonomous units use voice-recognition software to interact with children .
The government has expressed interest in robots to give rural school children more learning opportunities.
“The machines spurr
ed creativity and had a positive influence on the attitude of students,” a ministry official told Yonhap news agency.
Officials in charge of the project are working to improve the quality of robot teaching and iron out glitches （小故障）before any decision to expand (扩大) their use.What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show South Korean schoolchildren don’t like their teachers |
| B．To prove robot teachers are better than real teachers. |
| C．To tell us the government will forbid using robot teachers in the future. |
| D．To show us a piece of news about robot teachers. |
According to the passage, the schoolchildren’s attitude to the robot teacher is _____ .
| A．bored | B．interested | C．negative | D．disappointed |
The underlined word “spurred” can be replaced by “______”.
| A．encouraged | B．prevented | C．damaged | D．cut |
A British train station has put up a no kissing sign to stop lovers going full stream ahead with their over-loving goodbyes. Rail users have been told: if you want to get up to that kind of business, do it in the car park.
The sign has gone up at the drop-off point (下车区) at Warrington Bank Quay station in the town of Warrington, between Liverpool and Manchester in northwest England. A man i
n a hat and a woman with a curly-looking hair show people they must not indulge (沉迷于) in full –on lip- locking.
A similar sign, this time permitting kissing , has been put up elsewhere in a zone where smooching (拥吻) is considered acceptable. “We have not banned kissing in the station,” said a spokesman for operators Virgin Rail. “But we have put the sign at the drop-off point because it is not a very big area and it often gets busy 
with lots of traffic.”
The sign is a light-hearted way of getting people to move on quickly. “If people wish to spend a little more time with their loved ones before they leave, then should park in the short-stay car park nearby.”
The busy station links the town with the major cities London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester.
However, one station is trying to rescue love from the tracks, High Wycombe, northwest of London, is having none of it and is actively urging travelers to enjoy love. “Kissing is welcome here! We would never dream of banning kissing,” says a poster of a cartoon couple embracing, framed by a pink heart.
“Railway stations are romantic places,” insisted Kirsteen Roberston from Chiltern Railways. “So our passengers are more than welcome to share a kiss in our stations.”Why is a no kissing sign put up at the drop-off point?
| A．Because the space is limited and people are often crowded. |
| B．Because the station wants to ban kissing in the area. |
| C．Because people can easily see the sign. |
| D．Because the trains have been put off many times. |
The underlined words “that kind of business” mean “_______”
| A．buying and selling | B．kissing each other |
| C．parking cars | D．buying tickets |
From the passage we know that Chilten Railways _____ .
| A．bans kissing in the station | B．plays films of kissing in the station |
| C．encourages kissing in the station | D．bans travelers to see films of kissing |
The old man walked slowly into the restaurant. With head tilted (倾斜), and shoulders bent forward, he leaned on his trusty cane unhurried step.
A young waitress named Mary watched him stepping towards a table by the window and ran over to him. She said, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.” Then the waitress helped him move in front of the chair and get comfortably seated and leaned his cane(拐杖) against the table where he could reach it. In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you for your kind gestures, Miss.”
“you’re welcome, Sir,” she replied. “and my name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment, and if you need anything at all in the mean time, just wave at me!” After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change from his ticket. He left it lay. She helped him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door.
When Mary went to clean his table, she almost fainted. Under his plate she found a business card, and a note written on a napkin. Under the napkin was a one hundred dollar bill. The note on the napkin read: “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”
The man happened to be the right owner of the restaurant where she worked. This was the first time that she or any of his employees had ever seen him in person.(本人).Who was the man entering the restaurant?
| A．A beggar in rags. | B．Mary’s father. |
| C．The boss of the restaurant. | D．Mary’s relative. |
The old man was very thankful to Mary because ______ .
| A．She brought him a big meal he liked best. |
| B．She came up to him as soon as possible |
| C．She brought him a chair to sit down |
| D．what she had done for him was kind. |
Which of the following statements is NOT
true according to this passage?
| A．The waiters had never seen the old man before. |
| B．Mary walked with glad to accept a one-hundred note. |
| C．The old man left the change on the table. |
D．M ary walked with the old man to the door politely. |
What can we infer from the note on the napkin the old man left?
| A．The old man praised Mary in public. |
| B．The old man thought highly of Mary. |
| C．The old man would offer Mary much money. |
| D．The old man found out Mary’s secret. |
The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．The beautiful Waitress and the Restaurant |
| B．A Big Meal for the Old Man |
| C．The Clever Boss and the Polite Waitress |
| D．The Poor Beggar and the Kind Waitress. |
She is only 12 years old but lives only with her younger sister. Her parents are far away from home, and she has to take care of her younger sister. She is He Can, a student at Anqing Jianzhen Middle School in Anhui, one of the “stay-at home children” in her town. To make money, these kids’ parents go to big cities to find a job. Their children have to stay at home because they have to go to school.
He Can’s parents left home when she was only four. They only come back for the Spring Festival every year. Because she had to live with different relatives at different times, He Can went to eight different primary schools.
“I used to complain,” she said. “But later I understood my parents. They have to go away to make a better life for us.” He Can said her frequently changing life also has a good side.
“When I went to a new school, I had to try to make friends,” said He Can, “I became outgoing. Now I’m not afraid of talking to people.”
He Can said her relatives were kind to her. They taught her how to cook and wash clothes.
When she would start junior high school , her parents agreed to rent a house to let her live out with her sister.
Every day, He Can gets up at 6:00 am and cooks breakfast. Then He Can does chores (琐事) and helps her sister take a shower. She usually goes to bed at 9:30 pm.
Though busy, He Can is still a top student in her class. She said the secret is never to put things off until tomorrow.
“ I think my life is OK,” she said. “But if possible, I would like my parents to settle down and live with us.” Why does He Can live only with her younger sister?
| A．Because their parents don’t like them. |
| B．Because their parents have to work in a big city. |
| C．Because they enjoy living by themselves. |
| D．Because their schools are too far away from their home. |
Where did He Can live before she started junior high school?
| A．In her relatives’ houses. | B．In her own house |
| C．In a house she rented. | D．In her school. |
What does He Can think of changing schools so often?
| A．She hates it and complains a lot about it. |
| B．She thinks it good for her growth. |
| C．She enjoys it because she can make more friends. |
| D．She thinks it bad for her studies. |
What is He Can’s secret of being top at studies though busy?
| A．She often asks her relatives for help. | B． She exercises a lot to make herself stronger. |
| C．She gives her sister some work to do. | D．She tries to finish everything before going to bed. |
If you ask Americans whether or not they think their former president George W. Bush is smart, most of them will probably tell you they don’t think so. However, Bush’s IQ score is estimated to be above 120, which puts him in the top ten percent of the population.
It doesn’t seem to make sense. How come someone with such an IQ score is not considered smart? Researchers say: IQ does not tell the whole story. Some people have high IQ scores, but still they can be poor thinkers and decision-makers.
Keith Stanovich, a Canadian professor of human development and applied psychology, has been looking into the “clever fools” phenomenon for 15 years. He says IQ tests are very good at measuring certain mental faculties(能力), including logic, learning ability, working-memory capacity (how much information you can hold in mind), etc. Those faculties play a part in one’s academic success, but rational thinking is more important for us to make good judgments in real-life situations.
IQ tests fail to work when it comes to rational thinking. That’s because they are unable to assess things such as a person’s ability to weigh up information, or whether an individual can set aside the cognitive biases(认知偏差)that may be misleading.
“A high IQ is like height in a basketball player,” says David Perkins, who studies thinking and reasoning skills at Harvard University. “It is very important, all other things being equal. But all other things aren’t equal. It takes a lot more to be a good basketball player than being tall, and it takes a lot more to be a good thinker than having a high IQ.”According to the text your academic success depends on your __________.
| A．logic | B．mental faculties | C．learning ability | D．working-memory capacity |
If you need to decide where to invest your money, you must use your ______________
| A．IQ scores | B．IQ test | C．rational thinking | D．cognitive biases |
We know from the text that ____________
| A．the former president George W. Bush has a high IQ score |
| B．many Americans think their former president George W. Bush is smart |
| C．David Perkins believe that a person’s IQ doesn’t need to be developed |
| D．Keith Stanovich looked into the “clever fools” phenomenon 5 years ago |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Those who have high IQ do better than those who don’t in everything. |
| B．People with high IQ scores must be good decision-makers |
| C．People with high IQ scores are always smart in every way. |
| D．Why a high IQ doesn’t mean you’re smart |