Her frozen fingers touched the flame trying to feel alive. She could feel the warmth but it was a cold heat, as if the candle was rejecting her.
Her arms turned red because of the cold, her short sleeved shirt not giving her enough warmth. The winter air grabbed(抓住) at her arms, causing her pain, but she didn’t mind. She knew she should put her jacket on, it was winter in Connecticut, but that would be giving up. Up here, in this tree she felt safe.
She looked at the candle, surrounded by hardening wax(蜡). She placed her fingers gently on the warm green wax. This candle was a reminder of her life inside that house, a life she would have to return to eventually.
As a child, she had gotten this candle. She spent all she had on it. The beautiful crystal box （水晶盒）had caught her eye. Five whole nickels（五分币） had brought her that candle.
She gave it to her mother for Mother’s Day. Her mother had managed a smile and put it on a shelf. “It’s very pretty, honey! I will put it right here.” Since then that candle had never been moved, never been lighted, sitting dusty on a cluttered shelf that no one could see. Later on, her parents got divorced.
By now the candle was colder than the air and the darkness was complete. The snow on the ground made the night lighter and less satisfying than it had been before the first snowfall. She liked the darkness because she felt safe in it. From the glances of her friends who liked the girl she used to be. From the boys who could never figure out who she was. From her guidance counselor(顾问) whose endless worried looks never made her feel any better.
No one was outside at this time of night. She was alone in the world, just how she liked it. Just as she was about to lean back against the branch, she heard a sound.
She heard footsteps breaking the ice in the snow, heading toward her. He was making his way toward the white fence at the edge of the building, right against the road. Normally she would have ignored this person and stayed on her branch faraway from human contact, but this figure had something with him. He trudged(吃力地走) toward the white fence carrying a case. The figure reached the fence, opened the case and took out a shiny object.
She took her eyes off this figure only long enough to climb down the tree to get a better view of him. She reached the bottom and saw that the person had turned to face the street, sitting on the white fence that she and her friends once sat on. She stepped carefully on the ice, making her way toward him.
And then a beautiful sound of music came from the shiny object. She stopped and listened to it. She started walking towards the guy again. Just as she was about to step onto the snow banks, she slipped on the ice crashing to the ground. The figure turned around in surprise and a sudden recognition fell upon them both.The girl was hiding in the tree at deep night to ______.
| A．keep herself from the cold | B．wait for the boy to come |
| C．want to be left alone | D．seek safety from any hurt |
From the story, we can learn that ______.
| A．the girl suffered a lot in her life |
| B．the girl’s parents divorced because of her |
| C．teachers and friends treated the girl badly |
| D．the girl used to stay in the tree when feeling sad |
The underlined word “it” in the story refers to ______.
| A．leaning back against the branch | B．being alone in the world |
| C．not being disturbed at night | D．it being dark with snow around |
From the end of the story, it can be known that the girl _______.
| A．knew the person | B．knew what the object was |
| C．realized her wishes | D．would never feel alone any more |
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer. Now, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.
One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm then,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it. I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.
Liz, “I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”The passage tells us that .
| A．people seldom work long hours to make money |
| B．people hardly buy more things than necessary |
| C．people are sure everything they own is in the right place |
| D．people realize there is more to life than just making money |
Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.
| A．was easy to organize | B．has improved family life |
| C．was extremely expensive | D．has been a total success |
What does the author mean by saying“the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives” in the second paragraph ?
| A．People work long hours to earn their living. |
| B．To make more money through hard work is the aim of people’s life. |
| C．Long hours of hard work occupy too much of people’s life. |
| D．People spent too much time and money eating meals. |
The underlined word “downshifting” in the second paragraph refers to _________.
| A．repairing your car by yourself |
| B．spending money carefully |
| C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life |
| D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week |
Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing. Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are get in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4,1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt（跪）down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November in 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian Thanksgiving Day falls on the second Monday in October.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated _____.
| A．in spring | B．in summer |
| C．in autumn | D．in winter |
The first to celebrate thanksgiving were _____.
| A．some people from England | B．the American Indians |
| C．Sarah Josepha Hale | D．Governor Bradford |
We can infer from the passage that New England must be _____.
A. in the U.S.A.B. in Great Britain
C. in Canada D. on some island off the AtlanticThe passage mainly tells us _____.
A. how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U.S.A.
B. how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated
C. that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday
D. how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places
The other day at lunch I was part of a whole group of colleagues and we were talking behind our boss’s back. She’s the new principal (校长)of our middle school.
We talked about how kind she is to us. She writes notes to wish us happy holidays, or to thank us for jobs well done. She checks on us when she knows we’re facing difficulties outside of school with our health or with our families.
All too often, When we talk NICE behind someone’s back, they never know about it！I sent her a quick email to report the conversation. She replied saying how much she appreciated hearing about it!
I like to do the same for my students. Of course I give them my own compliments(恭维),but I love to let them know when others adults have noticed their good behavior and attitudes. Then it’s absolutely necessary to let THEM know it too! It matters when what they notice is good.
I’ve known from the other side how much this can mean. I often lack confidence in my own abilities as a teacher, so it gave me quite a lift when a friend who works with families in the community mentioned that he has heard several times from parents how glad they are to have their kids in my class. It just feels more important somehow to have the words said by people who don’t know I’ll ever hear them.
Sure, it’s pleasant when we can say nice things about other people. Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure to tell them about the nice things being said behind their backs!Why did these colleagues talk behind their boss’s back?
| A．They were afraid of her. |
| B．She treated them badly. |
| C．She was kind to them. |
| D．It was their daily practice. |
Why did the author report their conversation to her principals?
| A．They were good friends. |
| B．The principals hated them. |
| C．She guessed her principals might be glad to hear it. |
| D．She wanted to be praised. |
What encouraged the author to be a good teacher?
| A．Others’ nice talk behind her back. |
| B．Her good knowledge in teaching. |
| C．Her rich experience in teaching. |
| D．Her principal’s help. |
In many European countries it is normal to have a long break in the middle of the day when all members of the family return to their houses to eat together. This is not very common in Britain because normally it is a long way from the place of work or school to the home. Consequently the British people tend to have a big breakfast before they go to work and the meal at midday is not spent with the members of the family but with workmates or schoolmates. Lunch is normally eaten between 12: 30 p.m. and 1: 30 p.m. Most people finish work at five thirty. It often takes at least an hour to get home from the school or workplace so people tend to eat their evening meal or “dinner” between 6: 30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
On Sundays people don’t have to work, so they take the opportunity to eat together with their family. Sunday lunch is usually the best meal of the week and many of the meals which are considered typically British are eaten for Sunday lunch. For example roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
This is a typical British family eating together on Sunday. After lunch the father will smoke his pipe and read the newspaper sitting on his favorite armchair while his wife washes the dishes. The children will play traditional English games such as hopscotch, skipping or doctors and nurses.
Although everyone in Britain understands that “breakfast” is the first meal of the day, there is a lot of confusion about the words for other meals such as “dinner, lunch, tea, high tea, brunch and supper” and if you ask a British person what these words mean, most of them will give you a different answer according to what part of the country they are from or what social class they are from. Another example of this is the pronunciation of the word “scones” (a type of cake eaten with Devonshire clotted cream, strawberry jam and cups of tea, known as a “cream tea”)The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the eating habits in Britain |
| B．British family eating together |
| C．the eating habits in Europe |
| D．British people give you a different answer about meals |
During the workday, the Europeans eat lunch together with the family while the British eat ________.
| A．alone | B．at home |
| C．with the boss | D．with workmates or schoolmates |
The British family eats together ________.
| A．from 12: 30 p.m. to 1: 30 p.m. |
| B．from 6: 30 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. |
| C．on Sundays |
| D．on Saturdays |
Why do the British have a lot of confusion about the words for other meals except breakfast?
| A．Because of the different pronunciations. |
| B．Because of the different eating times. |
| C．Because of the different eating habits. |
| D．Because of the different parts of country and social classes. |
Planet Earth would be a scary place for humans if dinosaurs still ruled the world.
Though there are still some traces of life from the Jurassic Period, the Age of Dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago.
This mass extinction is believed to be the result of an asteriod（小行星）hitting Earth. A new report by the journal Biological Reviews called " The Extinction of Dinosaurs” concludes that this impact was, indeed, the cause of the dinosaurs’ demise. But the space blast(爆炸) wasn't the only reason these creatures aren't still around today.
Dinosaurs need food to survive. Meat-eating monsters like the Tyrannosaurus Rex(霸王龙) were at the top of the food chain, and fed off plant eaters like the horned Triceratops (三角恐龙). These herbivores (食草动物) were decreasing in population after the asteroid hit Earth, which left the meat-eating species less food to survive on. “In any ecosystem where you remove links to key species, that community has problems," Richard Butler, one of the review's authors, told National Ceographic.
While the herbivore population was going down, Earth's temperatures were rising when volcanoes erupted. Hot vapors and gases began wiping out some of the dinosaur population and weakening the survivors.
These changes made the asteroid's impact especially powerful. It caused more volcanoes to erupt, heated up Earth's atmosphere, and led to a sharp drop in the level of oxygen in the oceans.
With the dinosaurs gone, mammals(哺乳动物) began to evolve into bigger and more diverse species. Many animals we see today, like birds, sharks, and even some cats and dogs, appeared after the asteroid hit Earth. But none rule Earth quite like the dinosaurs did.. Which of the following words can replace the underlined word’’ demise" in Paragraph 2?
| A．Death. | B．Evolvement. |
| C．Presence. | D．Decrease. |
According to what Richard Butler said, what caused dinosaurs to die out?
| A．A shortage of clean water. |
| B．A break in the food chain. |
| C．A small variety of animals. |
| D．The constant warming climate. |
What was the negative effect of the asteroid hitting Earth?
| A．Oceans became too hot for animals. |
| B．There was less oxygen in the oceans. |
| C．Earth's climate became violent. |
| D．The majority of the plants gradually died out. |
The text is mainly about .
| A．the evolvement of mammals on Earth |
| B．the gradual process of climate change |
| C．the importance of the balance of ecosystem |
| D．the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs |