It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that,several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影响) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A.The man’s job was bike racing. | B.It was their only possession. |
C.It was a nice Kona 18 speed. | D.They used it for work and daily life |
We can infer from the text that ________
A.The couple worked 60 hours a week | B.people were busy before Christmas |
C.the stranger brought over the bike | D.life was hard for the young family |
How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A.From radio broadcasts. | B.From a newspaper. |
C.From TV news. | D.From a stranger. |
What do the couple learn from their experience?
A.Strangers are usually of little help. | B.One should take care of their bike. |
C.News reports make people famous. | D.An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card (成绩报告单)arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you.” Just then, I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster, “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time” and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a great improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll(光荣榜). In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home,he said, “Mum,remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”By saying “Karl became withdrawn” the author means that the boy changed entirely and ________.
A.he preferred to stay at school |
B.he stayed at home all day |
C.he refused to talk to his mother |
D.he began to like his life |
There was silence on the other end of the line because ________.
A.the speaker was too moved to say anything to his mother |
B.the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking |
C.the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice |
D.the speaker didn’t want to interrupt the mother |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Children in single-parent families often have mental problems. |
B.Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life. |
C.Being understood by parents is not necessary to teenagers. |
D.School education is a failure. |
Which is not true according to the article?
A.Karl changed a lot after his father died. |
B.What Karl did at school showed that he didn’t love his mother. |
C.Karl’s mother tried many ways to help him. |
D.Karl’s teachers were surprised at his change. |
No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting.
For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if the weather is fine, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.
Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.Which is true about weather forecasting?
A.Weather forecasting is a way of telling what the weather will be like. |
B.Weather forecasting is a report about the weather. |
C.Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain. |
D.People can change the weather forecasting. |
Which of the following can be used here to replace the underlined phrase “on the way”?
A.continuing | B.reducing. | C.coming. | D.disappearing. |
Which of the following signs can tell the weather will probably be rainy?
A.Some birds fly high. |
B.A rainbow appears in the morning. |
C.The sunset is mostly red in colour. |
D.Fogs appear in the morning just above a river. |
The best title of the passage is _______.
A.Weather forecasting plays an important role in our life |
B.Weather forecasting can bring people some signs of weather |
C.Weather is forecasted only by eyes and brains. |
D.People can predict weather by experience in daily life |
My husband had just bought a new washing machine for me . I decided to use it the very day and I washed a lot of things .
Everything worked well , but I found one of my husband’s socks(短袜) missing . I looked everywhere for it , but I couldn’t find it anywhere .
The next morning , I got ready for school as usual . When the bell rang , the students came in . I greeted them and told them what we were going to do that day .
When I turned around to write on the blackboard , the class burst into a roar (大笑声)! They laughed and laughed . They laughed so much , in fact ,that I was afraid the headmaster would come in to see all this .
I asked the class to stop , but the more I talked , the more they laughed . I decided to pay no attention to them and I continued to write on the blackboard . when I did this , they roared even more .
Finally , the teacher who had the room next to mine came in to see what all the laughter was about .
“Good heavens ,” I said , “Will someone please tell me what is so funny?”
“Oh , God,” said the teacher , “You have a brown sock to the back of your skirt !”
So that’s how I found my husband’s missing sock .
“Oh , well ,” I said to the class , “Let’s just say you have had an unforgettable lesson on static electricity(静电)。”What was the writer ?
A.A washer | B.A student | C. A headmaster | D. A teacher |
What happened when the writer turned around to write on the blackboard ?
A.The class roared with anger . |
B.The class began to laugh loudly . |
C.Another teacher came in |
D.There was a loud noise outside the room |
Why couldn’t she find one of her husband’s socks?
A.Because some students had hidden it . |
B.Because her husband had taken it away . |
C.Because she had left it in the classroom . |
D.Because she never expected that it would stick to her skirt . |
What did the writer do when she got to know why her students laughed?
A.She did nothing but laugh. |
B.She got angry with the class . |
C.She did nothing |
D.She explained the matter in a clever way . |
Several years ago, a student working on a research project in my laboratory approached me with concern.“I’m doing something wrong,”she exclaimed. I had seen her research results and knew she was making good progress, so I was surprised to hear that she was having a problem. Over the next several days we went through her experiment; yet I could not find a problem. Finally, I asked her,“Why do you think you’re doing something wrong?” “Because I’m not getting what you said I should get,”she replied with some confusion.
Her response shocked me. I had not told her what she“should get”, but we had discussed some published hypotheses(假说) several weeks earlier. On seeing the research data that did not fit these predictions, I recognized that she had a new finding and came to change my hypotheses. But she was interpreting her results as a mistake. With almost four years of a college science major behind her, this student still had the common misunderstanding that science is a boring exercise in proving something we already know to be true.
But how can this happen? Throughout school, science is often described in textbooks as a series of“known”facts and figures; for example, DNA is a double helix; earthquakes occur at plate boundaries, etc. Unfortunately, the process by which these discoveries were made and how they fit into scientific progress are often ignored in the classroom. These details help show the nature of scientific discoveries and the tails help show the nature of scientific discoveries and the skepticism(质疑) that goes with new discoveries before they are accepted.
Understanding science is more than memorizing that DNA is a double helix. It is to have the ability to take in new information on diet, exercise, or disease and apply it to our own lives. Understanding the process of science and scientific problem-solving can help us make better decisions every day.The student thought her research project had gone wrong because.
A.she was not making progress |
B.her teacher told her so |
C.she couldn’t get enough data |
D.she had some unexpected findings |
How did the writer feel when he found out the reason for the student’s confusion?
A.Confused. | B.Surprised. | C.Excited. | D.Pleased. |
What is to blame for the student’s misunderstanding about science?
A.Her own carelessness. |
B.Her teacher’s lack of experience. |
C.The method of science education. |
D.The publication of some wrong hypotheses. |
What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.The meaning of understanding science. |
B.How to use known facts. |
C.The best way to make scientific discoveries. |
D.How to use scientific knowledge in daily life. |
Do you enjoy watching beautiful sunsets and seeing wildlife in some of the best parts of Wisconsin? Do you like being around people who share the same respect and love for natural resources? If you say“yes”, then a fisheries biologist is a great career choice for you.
As you can probably guess, education is very important. A Bachelor of Science degree in fisheries or biology is strongly recommended(推荐). Many biologists have a Master’s degree. But it’s not only good education that prepares you for a career as a fisheries biologist—field experience is also important. Volunteer work, internships(实习) and short-term fish technician positions are good ways to gain valuable training that can give you an edge in the competitive job market.
In addition to good education and field experience, a fisheries biologist needs other skills. You’ll spend a lot of time working with the public, so it’s important to feel comfortable talking to a variety of people. Good communication, listening, and presentation(陈述) skills are a must.
A common misconception among many people is that fisheries biologists get to fish all the time. Most biologists wish that were true. But as a fisheries biologist, you are especially busy during the fishing season, which leaves little time for you to actually go fishing. It’s sad, but true.
Each day brings something different in the life of a fisheries biologist. In the spring and fall, you spend a lot of time on the water shocking fish in order to sample the population, studying fish, and talking with people. The winter is spent analyzing(分析) fish data and communication with the public.
So if you find fish interesting and fun to learn about, and like working both outside and inside, consider a career as a fisheries biologist. You’ll never be bored!We can infer this passage was written to.
A.advise us to respect and protect wildlife |
B.encourage us to spend more time working outside |
C.explain why education is important for our career |
D.introduce a good career to those who are interested in wildlife |
What are Paragraphs 2 and 3 mainly about?
A.Education needed to find a good job. |
B.Requirements for becoming a fisheries biologist. |
C.The benefits of being a fisheries biologist. |
D.Some good ways to gain valuable training. |
The underlined word“misconception”in Paragraph 4 probably means“”。
A.question | B.misunderstanding | C.dream | D.explanation |
It can be inferred from the passage that.
A.fisheries biologists like working in winter most |
B.fisheries biologists can easily get bored of their work |
C.fisheries biologists get to fish all the time all year round |
D.fisheries biologists spend a lot of time working outside in spring and fall |