It was the first day of second grade, and Sarah had been looking forward to this moment. The night before, she laid out her favorite clothes: a white coat and a bright yellow shirt.
When having breakfast, Sarah dropped some food on her shirt, so she had to change into her second-best clothes, blue jeans and a Jonas Brothers T-shirt.
After breakfast Sarah rushed to catch the school bus and when she was just reaching the door the bus driver opened it. The door hit right in Sarah’s face and blood dripped from her nose. The driver wanted to send her home, but she refused, "It is the most important day of the year! I can’t miss it!"
Before classes, Sarah went to her favorite swing. When rising high, she saw her best friend little Jack. She let go of the swing and waved to him with one hand. Unfortunately, she flew out of the swing and landed hard on the sand, breaking a leg and an arm. As she lay in the sand, she noticed a shiny thing on the ground beside her. With her good hand she took it.
When Sarah’ mother rushed into the ward she was surprised by what she saw: her girl was lying in bed with an arm and a leg in the splint (夹板), a broken nose, and blood stains on her second-best clothes. Expecting to see her child crying, she was confused when she saw a big, bright smile on Sarah’s face.
"Sarah, look at you!" her mother cried. "You were hurt so badly and why are you smiling?"
"Look, Mommy, I found a diamond!" Sarah laughed.
Life can be like that. It can be tough, even painful sometimes. But there are always treasures that make the pain worth suffering.When Sarah went to school, she was wearing ________________.
A.a white coat and a Jonas Brothers T-shirt |
B.blue jeans and a yellow shirt |
C.a white coat and a yellow shirt |
D.blue jeans and a Jonas Brothers T-shirt |
Sarah fell off the swing because _____________.
A.she seldom played swing |
B.she rose too high |
C.she waved one hand to her friend |
D.she was pulled down by her friend |
When Sarah’s mother saw her in the ward she felt _______________.
A.upset | B.puzzled | C.relaxed | D.disappointed |
Which of the following can be used to describe Sarah’s story?
A.Every cloud has a silver lining. |
B.Nothing is impossible to a willing mind. |
C.First think, then act. |
D.No pains, no gains. |
Michelle kwan was born on July 7,1980,in Torrance,California.The daughter of Hong Kong immigrants(移民),Kwan watched her older brother play ice hockey as a kid.She began skating when she was five,and entered and won her first figure skating competition at seven.She won the world title in the 1994 World Championships at the age of 13,and earned a spot as an alternate(候补者)for the 1994 Olympic Games.Kwan went on to capture the world title in 1996,1998,2000,2001 and2003.
At the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998,Kwan was believed to win gold,but ended up with a disappointing silver medal when fellow US skater Tara Lipinski surprisingly took first place.Shortly before the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002,Kwan,who was then the reigning world champ,surprisingly fired both her choreographer(编舞者),Lori Nichol,and longtime coach,Frank Carroll.Once again, she failed to get the gold medal when she finished third behind Irina Slutskaya of Russia and US skater Sarah Hughes, who took first.
As a student at the University of California in Los Angeles,Kwan has continued to compete since her defeat(战败)in Salt Lake City.In Febuary 2006, she was unable to take part in the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy because of a serious injury.Though Michelle Kwan did not compete during the 2006--2007 figure skating season; she has turned down an offer to work for NBC Sports and says she is not retiring.The underline word”capture”in the first paragraph means ___.
A.enter |
B.win |
C.learn |
D.find |
What happened to Michelle Kwan in 2002?
A.Her coach didn’t want to train her any longer |
B.She went to study at the University of California |
C.She failed to take part in the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy |
D.She failed to win the gold medal in the Olympics again |
Which of the following may NOT be a world champ?
A.Lori Nichol |
B.Michelle Kwan |
C.Tara Lipinski |
D.Sarah Hughes |
Stamp collecting is easy when you do it as a hobby. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on it. Sometimes stamps can be got from many sources(来源) for free.
Getting Started
If you have no stamps at all, you might want to buy a packet of 500 or 1,000 different worldwide stamps from a hobby shop or stamp dealer to get stared. One good choice is eBay. Try entering phrases like “worldwide stamps” in the searching box. However, even if you want to specialize in collecting stamps, my advice is not to spend much money on stamps in the beginning. Start off collecting stamps from many source for free until you have collected enough stamps and had enough experience.
Sorting Stamps
Assume (假设) you have some stamps and they are in paper. Before you take them from the paper, you should sort the stamps for example, by country. This is because dealing with stamps is much easier when they are on paper. When you take them off the paper, they become easy to bend, crease and tear easily.
Trimming (修剪) Stamps
Never try to take a stamp off its paper backing by pulling at it, even if it appears to be loose enough to do so. First, trim the paper around the stamp with a pair of sharp scissors making sure not to cut off the edge of the stamps. I suggest that you’d better leave a quarter inch safety area from the edge of the stamp when you trim the paper before you are good at doing it. This passage is written for people who .
A.have no money to collect stamps |
B.want to sell their stamps |
C.want to collect stamps |
D.don’t know how to sort stamps |
The writer didn’t mention collecting stamps from a .
A.hobby shop | B.shopping website | C.post office | D.stamp dealer |
According to the writer, at the very beginning, stamp-collecting beginners shouldn’t .
A.collect common stamps |
B.borrow some stamps from their friends |
C.act as an inexperienced collector |
D.spend a lot of money in buying stamps |
What does the writer suggest not do when trimming stamps?
A.Pulling at them to take them off the paper backing when they look loose. |
B.Trim the paper around the stamps with a pair of sharp scissors. |
C.Leave a quarter inch safety area from the edge of the stamp. |
D.Make sure not to cut off the edge of the stamps. |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, it is worth examining your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock.
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
2. Counting Sheep
When you just can't fall asleep, it's useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you'll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That's why you don't want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level-both are bad for a good night's sleep.What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
A.It's not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
B.People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
C.There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
D.You should find someone to talk to if you can't fall asleep. |
The underlined part "hitting the sack" in the last paragraph means "______".
A.going back home |
B.going to bed |
C.going to the gym |
D.falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A.The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
B.Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
C.What to do if you can't fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
D.Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
A.why so many people can't sleep well at night |
B.how to enjoy a good night's sleep |
C.that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
D.that people may solve their sleeping problems by changing some habits |
Julia Roberts was born on October 28,1967,in Smyrna,Georgia. She is one of the most popular film actresses in the United States.She caught the public’s eye in Mystic Pizza. The next year, she became more famous because of Steel Magnolias.Roberts earned an Oscar nomination(提名)for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the film.
After that,Roberts’ career really took off. ① One of her best known roles was as a hooker who falls in love with a man played by Richard Gere in Pretty Woma n. Roberts then played a variety of dramatic and romantic roles in such films as The Pelican Brief,Michael Collins,My Best Friend’s Wedding,Stepmom, and Notting Hill. In 2000, she made a dramatic breakthrough(突破)with her powerful performance in Erin Brockovich . In the film, she played the title character--a brave,struggling single mom. ② Based on a true story, Brockovich helped lead the fight against a California power company that destroyed a small town’s water supply. Roberts won several awards for that film, including her first Academy Award.
Since then, Roberts has taken some light—hearted roles,and appeared with George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve. Roberts also made her first Broadway(百老汇)appearance in Three Days of Rain in 2006.
Roberts has been married to cameraman Danny Moder since 2002. In 2004, the couple welcomed twins ---Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia, and in 2007, their third child, Henry Daniel, was born. What’s the correct time order of the following films?
1. Ocean’s Twelve 2. Steel Magnolias
3. Michael Collins 4. Pretty Woman
A.2—4—3—1 |
B.2—4—l—3 |
C.4—1—2—3. |
D.4—1—3—2. |
All of the following are films except ______________.
A.Mystic Pizza |
B.Notting Hill |
C.Three Days of Rain |
D.Stepmom |
What do we learn about the film Erin Brockovich from the passage?
A.It was first shown at the end of last century. |
B.The main character of the film is a childless woman. |
C.Julia Roberts won her first Academy Award for her performance in it. |
D.The story of the film takes place in New York. |
Which of the following films did George Clooney star in?
A.Pretty Woman. |
B.The Pelican Brief. |
C.Ocean’s Eleven. |
D.My Best Friend’s Wedding. |
In the cold, dark waters of the Antarctic hides a creature with eight arms, two super long tentacles(触须)and eyes as big as dinner plates. Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? This sea monster is the real deal.
On February 21, New Zealand fishermen landed a colossal squid the length of a school bus. They had been fishing with long lines for Chilean sea bass in the waters off the coast of New Zealand when they caught the rare squid. With two hours of hard work, the crew skillfully pulled the creature into a net and dragged in aboard their ship.
Scientists estimate(估计) that the animal weighs about a half ton and is about 40 feet long. That would make this colossal squid the biggest on record.
First identified in 1925 after two tentacles were found in a whale’s stomach, the colossal squid has long been a mystery. The animals are not easy to observe because they can go down to ocean depths of 6,500 feet. What scientists do know from studying the bodies of a half dozen colossal squids is that they are fierce hunters. So the recently discovered huge squid has been frozen in order to keep it for scientific study.
It will be transported to New Zealand’s national museum in the capital city of Wellington. Experts believe it to be the first adult male ever caught undamaged. “Scientists will be very interested in this amazing creature,”said New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderson. “It adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine(海洋的) environment Why did the fishermen catch the squid?
A.Because the squid could help them catch Chilean sea bass |
B.Because the squid is of world-record-breaking size |
C.They found the squid by accident and caught it |
D.They caught the squid for scientific research |
According to Paragraph 4 the huge squid may be ___.
A.hard identified |
B.easily frightened |
C.sheep-like |
D.aggressive |
Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the text?
A.Scientists had known much about the huge squid’s diet and behavior |
B.The recently discovered squid will be exhibited around New Zealand |
C.The recently discovered squid is the first male squid ever caught |
D.Research on the squid will help us understand the marine environment better |
The best title for the text would be ___.
A.Science Fiction and the Real |
B.Fishermen and the Monster |
C.Huge Squid Caught |
D.New Research |