Watching some children trying to catch butterflies one hot August afternoon, I was reminded of an incident in my own childhood．When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.
We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. There isn’t a musical instrument made by man that can produce a more beautiful sound than the song of the mockingbird.
I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way would have my own private musician.
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, in its fright at being captured, the bird fluttered about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.
I had left the cage out on our back porch, and on the second day of the bird’s captivity my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.
The following morning when I went to see how my captive was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened! I had taken excellent care of my little bird, or so I thought.
Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred. “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in captivity.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of 12?
| A．He wanted it to sing for him | B．He had just got a new cage. |
| C．He liked its beautiful feather. | D．He wanted a pet for a companion. |
The mockingbird died because it ______.
| A．was frightened to death |
| B．drank the poisonous water by mistake |
| C．ate the poisonous food its mother gave it |
| D．refused to eat anything |
An ornithologist probably means ______.
| A．a religious person | B．a kind person | C．an expert in birds | D．a schoolmaster |
What is the most important lesson the writer learned from the incident?
| A．Be careful about food you give to baby birds. |
| B．All birds put in a cage won’t live long. |
| C．You should keep the birds from their mother. |
| D．Freedom is very valuable to all creatures. |
I’ve often wondered if I might do more good as a travel agent rather than as a psychologist. It seems that I have been more dramatically affected by certain kinds of travel experiences than I ever have.
My trip to Iceland is a fine example of that. The plan was to spend two days in a remote mountain hut in Iceland. I was working on a photographic book about winter in Iceland and needed to capture images of this amazing region of high mountain peaks, smoky volcanoes, and lakes with floating icebergs.
The moment after we arrived, the weather turned extreme making visibility impossible. It snowed so much and the wind blew so hard that we couldn’t leave the tiny hut. To stay warm, we walked around in circles much of the day inside the tiny hut. We tried to call for help but the radio did not work. Day after day, we watched our supplies of food and fuel grow dangerously short. We got acute cabin fever (幽居病) and started going for walks and ski expeditions outside. Even when the weather finally broke, nobody came to get us even though it was three days beyond our scheduled pickup. By the time the rescue team came to pull us out, we had all given up hope.
From then on, the world looks different to me, as does my life. It would have taken me years of psychotherapy to get to the same point.
Almost everyone has a story to tell, and interestingly, most of these experiences were not altogether pleasant at the time. In fact, it appears that the most constructive life-changing journeys were those that involved some sorts of awful and uncomfortable events that forced the person to develop new resources, increase confidence, and solve problems in new ways.The writer went to Iceland to ______.
| A．enjoy the natural beautiful floating icebergs |
| B．take photos about the region for a book |
| C．collect materials for psychological research |
| D．challenge the high mountains there |
During the trip in Iceland, those travelers faced difficulties EXCEPT that ______.
| A．they got lost in the mountain |
| B．they were short of food and fuel |
| C．they couldn’t see the surroundings clearly |
| D．they failed to get in touch with the rescue team |
From Paragraph 3, we learn that the travelers ______.
| A．were in despair before they were rescued |
| B．stayed in the hut for three days altogether |
| C．got sick because of going for ski outside |
| D．got rescued immediately the weather turned fine |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The writer is a travel agent who loves difficult challenges. |
| B．In Iceland the weather is always extreme and it snows a lot. |
| C．The travellers were so depressed that they needed psychotherapy. |
| D．Awful journeys may become life-changing events that inspire people. |
I recently ran into a friend I hadn't seen for a long while. Our conversation was lively andfull of news from both sides. Before we parted she said "You'll have to drop in sometime. "immediately sensed that if I simply " dropped in" I would take my friend by surprise, and I would be discouraged by the image of her standing in her doorway, staring at me, and asking, " Oh ,err …what brings you here?"
Whatever happened to the unannounced drop-in visit? When I was growing up in the 1960s, it seemed that people-mostly relatives, but also friends-were always dropping in . My parents would put coffee on, and my mom would find something in the kitchen to serve along with it. Then the conversation would begin…The neighbor lady, a worrier, was unloading her sadness while my mom quietly listened. The Irish man next door had such an atcent that I remember asking what language he spoke. My Polish relatives arrived in packs…But I never heard my parents say any- thing like " We weren't expecting you" or " This isn't a good time. " Drop-in visitors had a certain right of way and became No. 1.
What happened to such visits? Actually I know the answer. Times have changed. Everybody gets busy with work. There is no longer a stay-at-home mom keeping a pot of hot coffee or tea ready throughout the day for a surprise guest. Exploding malls and stores are now replacing homes as a central form of entertainment.
Just the other day a former student of mine showed up. "I'm sorry for the surprise visit. " my student began. "I just wanted to see if you still lived here. I'll only stay a minute. "
My response was immediate. "No, you won't," I said. " Just come in, sit, have coffee, and we'11 talk. "I had nothing in the kitchen but we ordered pizza. And we had a lovely time. I have tried to keep the drop-in tradition alive though it takes some effort.The author thought of his friend's invitation- " You'll have to drop in sometime"-as______
| A． a nice way of refusal | B． an excuse of leaving |
| C．a kind of politeness | D．an expression of surprise |
The underlined phrase "dropping in" in the second paragraph means_________.
| A．pay a sudden visit | B．make many friends |
| C．make a special date | D．have a good time |
The woman from the neighborhood used to visit the author' s home to _______.
| A．seek comfort from my parents | B．make nevr friends |
| C．listen to my parents' story | D．taste nice dishes |
From the third paragraph of the passage, we can infer that_______.
| A．unexpected visitors are still welcome now |
| B．modern people prefer outdoor activities |
| C．there are more jobs for the housewives now |
| D．the author misses the lost good days |
The author writes the passage intending to ________.
| A．encourage people to be drop-in visitors |
| B．explain how to deal with unexpected visitors |
| C．share his feelings about the drop-in tradition |
| D．show the importance of making friends |
Human beings are the most intelligent of all animals because we are gifted with the ability to think and reason logcally. Scientists and even common people with special intelligence have made a lotol inventions and contributions to modern lifestyle in the past. "Houses" have been the most popular area for discoveries and inventions in the past and even now.
Many household items have been the result of people who desired better functioning of the existent products.Every indivicdual has intelligence and if it is used properly for the right purpose it leads to invenaion of a new tool or device.Many new household inveritions are made almost every day and there are specific companies, which particularly keep a record of all these inventions.
A lot of inventions have been made recently in the household field. These products are pa- tented(专利的) and have trade mark licenses(许可) . The patented sliding cinch is a very simple but effedtive method to prevent shoulder stress and injury for those who work before computers all day long. Vanity PC is a type of computer fumiture that speciflcally hides all the computer wires and keeps; a clean and good look. All the outdoor dust, mud and snow can be kept out of the house by installing(安装) the dirt drain(排水管) at the entrance of the door. Another important invention is the automatic toilet night-light, in which a small light starts when the lid of the toilet seat is opened and closes as soon as the lid is closed.
These are some of the new household inventions invented mostly by common people. Thus, a variety of new household items are invented every day, which helps in a better functioning of household chores and in a more useful manner.The first paragraph tells us the importance of
| A．the particular changes in houses |
| B．the advantages of modern lifestyle |
| C．the difference between human beings and animals |
| D． human being role in making inventions |
What plays the most impoltant role in causing people to invent new things?
| A．To improve the present living conditions. |
| B．To earn more money and gain awards. |
| C．To be recorded by some special companies. |
| D．To meet the new demands of new science. |
It can be inferred that the sliding cinch is used to
| A．prevent your shoulder from being over-pressured |
| B．keep your shoulder safe and sound when you are in an accident or an operation |
| C．help you practice your shoulder more often and reduce shoulder pains |
| D．cover your shoulder and make it stronger to resist the outside strike |
Common people can also make good inventions because
| A．some inventions are easy to be made and can be mastered by common people |
| B．common people have a strong desire to do something for science research |
| C．wisdom and in spiration sometimes come from everyday life |
| D．success is often connected with hardship and bitter experience of common people |
The passage is mainly talking about _______.
| A．the correct use of household facilities |
| B．household inventions and their influence |
| C．different ideas about household inventions |
| D．the history of household inventions |
It happened to me recently, I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President.A friend I wsa talking to agreed with me that it was,in his words,”a brilliantly written book”.However,he then went on to talk about Mr.Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his back-ground at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven't. In the World Book Day's" Report on Guilty Secrets" ,Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I'm not one to Lie too often (I'd hate to be caught out) , I'll admit here and now that I haven't read the entire top ten. But I am pleased to say that, un- like 42 percent of peoples I have read the book at number one, George Orwell's 1984. I think
it's really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens , Fyodor Dostoevsky (I haven ' tread him, but haven't lied about it either) and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to "impress" someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in-depth !
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. K Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella ( ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story (I' lI come clean: I do thi8 and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so).Which of the fokllowing is a "guilty secret" according io the world Book Day report?
| A．42% of people pretended to have read 1984. |
| B．Charles Dickens is very low on the top--tcn list. |
| C．The author admitted having read 9 books |
| D．Dreams From My Father is hardly read. |
How did the author find his friend a book liar?
| A．By mentioning a famous name. | B．By discussing the book itself |
| C．By judging his manner of speaking. | D． By looking into his background. |
By lying about reading, a person hopes to_____.
A.learn about the book
C. appear knowledgeable
B. control the conversation
D make more friendsWhat is the author's attitude to 58% of readers?
| A．Doubtiful | B．Favorable | C．Uncaring | D．Friendly |
In the sentenced I'd hate to be caught out". "catch out" can have the similqr meaning with ____.
| A．catch up | B．1ook for | C．catch at | D．find out |
The year is 2094,It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth.Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion.About half of the piece is destoryed but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200times the speed of sound.The sea boils and a huge gole is made in the sea bed.Huge waves are created and spread outwards form the hole.The eall of water,a kilometer high,rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour.Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America.the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina.Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Moutains.The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles,San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes,Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead,but the north won’t eacape for long.Because of the explosions the sun is hidden by clouds of dust,and temperatures around the world fall to almost zero.Crops are ruined.The sun won’t be seen again for many years.Wars break out as countries fight for food.A year later,no more than 10 million remain laive.
Could it really happen?In fact,it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth.The dinesaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years,Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared.Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out .Will we meet the same end ?What is mainly described in the passage ?
| A．A historic discovery | B．A research on space |
| C．A scientific adventure | D．An imaginary event |
When the first piece hits the South Atlantic,it causes_______.
| A．an earthquake | B．huge waves |
| C．damages to cities | D．an Earth explosion |
Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape ofr long?
| A．Because the land is covered with water. |
| B．because people there can not live at the temperature of zero. |
| C．Because wars break out among countries. |
| D．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth. |
By giving the example if dinosaurs,the author tries to prove________.
| A．animals could not live in the cold climate. |
| B．what happened 65 mollion years ago was an invented story. |
| C．the human beings will die out in 2094 |
| D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space |
We may guess that the writer is_________.
| A．worried | B．full of imagination | C．practical | D．a scientist |