Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn’t care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.
From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.
One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. “We’re going to have to put you guys in foster（收养) care.” the social worker said. “No! Don’t spilt us up!” the girl cried out. “Can’t you just leave it the way it is?” The social worker shook his head. Amy’s voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: “Why can’t I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway.” The social worker hesitated, and then said, “Maybe. Once you’re 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you’d be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together.” “I’ll do it,” Amy said.
One month later, Amy was named guardian of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn’t make her task any easier in the months ahead. However，Amy’s efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy’s relief at remaining the kids’ guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always
felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful
questions: “Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?” Then one day a visiting social worker
came over. “We’d like to get the boys adopted into homes,” she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, “Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they’re not going anywhere.” To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.
That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. “Cool!” Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family. As the proceedings（程序）ended, Amy thanked everyone. “No,” the judge responded, “Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you’re doing, especially for this many children. I’m very proud of you.”
On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist. Which of the following best describes Amy?
| A．Crazy and tough | B．Firm and stubborn |
| C．Enthusiastic and generous | D．Abnormal and aggressive. |
From Paragraph 3, we can learn that __________.
| A．The social worker gave in to Amy. |
| B．The social worker tried to adopt Amy’s brothers. |
| C．Amy tried to apply for the guardian of the brothers |
| D．Amy had no idea how to face her family being separated up. |
By saying “They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family”, the writer means________.
| A．they will live in the same area as other families |
| B．they made a deep impression on the neighborhood |
| C．Amy is able to take good care of the family |
| D．Amy and her brothers would be already just like a family |
The best title for this text would be___________.
| A．Standing On Two Feet | B．Growing Up Alone |
| C．A Lifelong Fight | D．A Teen Hero |
What does the underlined word guardian in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．保护者 | B．监护人 | C．收养人 | D．引导人 |
Talking behind someone’s back is considered to be rude and mean. Such a conversation can cover all kinds of criticism, from their looks to their work and personality.
The other day at lunch I was with a group of colleagues, and we were talking about our boss. She is the new headmaster of our middle school.
We talked about how kind she is to us. She handwrites 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 school with our health or with our families. We talked about the good role model that she is for the young women in our school and the fair but firm way she treats students and parents.
I thought about this after lunch. Sometimes we have the good fortune to be part of another kind of “talking behind someone’s back”. And too often when we say something good about someone behind their backs, they never know about it! That night, I sent her an email to report the conversation. She replied by saying how much she appreciated hearing about this, and how it made a bright spot in a tough week of testing.
Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure you tell them about the nice things said behind their backs! Because how will they know unless we tell them?What do you conclude from the text the writer might be?
| A．A student | B．A teacher | C．A parent | D．A boss |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Conversations about others | B．Rude and mean talking |
| C．Kinds of conversations | D．Talking behind someone’s back |
The author strongly agrees on _________.
| A．Don’t talk behind others’ back |
| B．Talking behind others’ back is rude |
| C．Do tell the person about the nice things said behind his back |
| D．There is no one who never talks behind someone’s back |
This year, the World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 was marked by the theme: “Depression: A Global Crisis”. According to the World Federation for Mental Health and the WHO, depression has moved beyond the medical domain(领域) to become a social problem. Statistics from the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center show that of the 287,000 people who commit suicide in China every year, 70 percent are victims of depression.
“This equates to one depression victim taking their life every three minutes,” cited CCTV recently. According to the Beijing-based Capital Medical University, the number of depression patients has been on the rise in the past years and now accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the population, more than the global average of 5 percent.
Wang Shaoli, vice-president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, a medical center specializing in mental health, said that what makes depression so widespread is that everybody can get it.
“No one is immune to depression,” said Wang. “It has become a social problem because depression kills one’s social capabilities, such as communication, and leads to a negative social mentality.”
According to Wang, depression can be treated with medicine and early psychological consultation. The real problem is the lack of awareness surrounding the issue.
“People with mental health illnesses are discriminated against,” said Wang. “So they are reluctant to go to hospital and often keep the pain to themselves, which only makes matters worse.” Only one in 10 depression victims are properly treated in China, according to the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.
“When people get depressed, it becomes part of their thoughts, making them negative, even desperate,” said Wang. “And the ideas are difficult to change.” That’s why Wang suggests early intervention.
“Normally it takes about nine months to treat depression,” said Wang. “But in most cases, patients drop treatment half way when they feel some progress.”How is Para1& 2 mainly supported when it tells that depression has become a social problem?
| A．By giving data | B．By making definition |
| C．By analyzing causes | D．By making comparisons |
According to the passage, which of the following are true EXCEPT________ ?
| A．people with depression are more likely to commit suicide. |
| B．the percentage of depression patients is larger in China than that in the world. |
| C．more and more people have been suffering from depression. |
| D．depression can destroy people’s immune system and social capabilities |
People with mental illnesses are unwilling to go to hospital because __________.
| A．the victims think that they will get well soon |
| B．they are discriminated against and don’t want others to know their illnesses |
| C．there are few medical centers specializing in mental health |
| D．there is no way to treat them |
In Wang Shaoli’s opinion, the better way to deal with mental problem is to _________.
| A．force the victims to go to hospital |
| B．keep their pain to themselves when it appears |
| C．keep positive and get early psychological consultation |
| D．more medical centers should be set up |
If you live in America in the 21st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing:"Busy!""Crazy busy!".It is,pretty obviously,a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:"That's a good problem to have,"or"Better than the opposite."
Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are.What those people are is not busy but tired.Exhausted!Dead on their feet.It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed:work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily,classes and activities they've "encouraged" their kids to participate in.They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety,because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.
Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren't either working or doing something to promote their work.It's something they have chosen.Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance(令人安心的保证），a measure against emptiness,obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or tiny or meaningless if you are so busy,completely booked,in demand every hour of the day.
Idleness is not just a vacation.It is as necessary to the brain as vitamin D is to the body,and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as ugly as rickets.The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole,for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration."Idle dreaming is often the essence of what we do,"wrote Thomas Pynchon.Archimedes' "Eureka"in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.When many Americans say"Crazy busy", they mean______.
| A．they are really tired of their present situation |
| B．they are really proud of their present life |
| C．they are complaining about their current work |
| D．their life are full of all kinds of problems |
The writer mentions Archimedes' "Eureka"and Newton's apple to show that________.
| A．history is full of interesting stories |
| B．Archimedes and Newton were very busy, so they made great discoveries |
| C．people may get inspiration when they are idle |
| D．inspirations come from hard work |
The word "its" in the second paragraph refers to_______________________________.
| A．ambition | B．anxiety | C．busyness | D．dread |
From the article,we can infer that ___________________________________.
| A．generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy |
| B．"Dead on their feet" means "being tired out" |
| C．all the kids are self-imposed due to the drive and motivation |
| D．The author seems to agree that idleness is better than busyness |
The homeless dog, known as Xiao Sa, has been following a team of cyclists for 24 days along 1,833 kilometers of highway from Kangding, Sichuan province, to Lhasa in Tibet.
Nobody knows where the white dog came from or how long she has been straying on highway G318. Netizens call her the "dog with determination" and the micro blog "Go Go Xiao Sa" recording her life has attracted more than 37,000 followers in two weeks.
A picture of Xiao Sa in the arms of a young man in front of the Potala Palace on Thursday night drew more than 4,000 comments congratulating the small dog and expressing dreams of going to Lhasa.
The young man in the picture is Zhang Heng, 22, a student in Wuhan, Hubei province. As his graduation trip, he decided to face the challenge of riding to Lhasa alone. On the way he met a lonely dog. "She was lying, tired, on the street around Yajiang, Sichuan province," he said. "So we fed her, and then she followed our team.”
"We felt she might want to come along with us, so we decided to bring her along to the end." A week later, Zhang and his buddies opened a micro blog account for her. "We thought the dog was encouraging us, and wanted others to know its story," he said. They created the name Xiao Sa by combining xiao meaning "little" with the last syllable of Lhasa.
During their journey, Xiao Sa, Zhang and his team covered more than 1,700 kilometers and climbed 10 mountains higher than 4,000 meters. Xiao Sa just ran up the mountains or along dirt roads.
"Many people stopped cycling in some sections, then took the bus, but the dog made it," he said. Zhang put the dog on the back of the bike when the team was riding downhill. "The speed can reach 70 kilometers per hour, impossible for the dog to catch us."
Zhang Heng, who accompanied Xiao Sa for 20 days, called her "a buddy and a friend". "I would like to take the dog home and take care of her. She has been a stray on the road for a long time. She needs a home." How did the netizens feel when they read the micro blog related to the dog?
| A．inspired | B．sympathetic | C．pitiful | D．unbelievable |
Zhang Heng and his team opened a micro blog account for the dog just because __________.
| A．the dog is very cute and friendly |
| B．the dog encouraged them and they wanted more people to know its story |
| C．it is the first dog to travel to Lhasa |
| D．They had nothing else to do on their journey |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The dog had been straying on highway G318 before it met the team of cyclists . |
| B．During their journey, Zhang and his team climbed 10 mountains higher than 4,000 meters . |
| C．The micro blog “Go Go Xiao Sa ”has attracted more than 37,000 followers in two weeks . |
| D．The dog ran alone behind them when the team was riding downhill. |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Dog with Determination | B．A Micro Blog and a Dog |
| C．Travel to Lhasa with a Dog | D．A Dog Follows a Team |
Humans aren't the only species on the planet with a penchant for electronic gadgets(小配件）.Zookeepers across the US and Canada are discovering that apes also get excited about Apps.
As part of a program called"Apps for Apes",12 zoos across the two countries have been introducing iPads into the entertainment time for orangutans,the giant furry red primates native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
"We are finding that,similar to people,they like touching the tablet,watching short videos of David Attenborough for instance,and looking at other animals and orangutans," said Richard Zimmerman,founding director of Orangutan Outreach,the non-profit that runs the program.
Twice weekly,orangutans are provided with access to the tablets.The animals spend from 15 minutes to half an hour using different Apps depending on their attention span.Apps designed for children that stimulate activities such as painting,music and memory games are among the most popular Apps with the apes.
"It is a lot like when we're showing children pop-up books,"said Zimmerman,adding that the orangutans are among the most intelligent primates,with the intelligence level of a young child.
The program,which relies on donated iPads, will soon be expanding to zoos across Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe.The word"penchant" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to________________.
| A．awareness | B．addiction | C．impression | D．devotion |
Which of the following statements is true according to the article?
| A．12 zoos are involved in the program in the US. |
| B．Orangutans were originally found in Indonesia and Malaysia. |
| C．Orangutan Outreach is a successful company which earns much money. |
| D．All the animals in the zoo spend from 15 minutes to half an hour using different Apps. |
It can be concluded from the passage that______________________________________.
| A．the program has been successful in Europe |
| B．orangutans are nearly as smart as children of young ages |
| C．orangutans are the animals with thick shell |
| D．Apps are designed for orangutans to stimulate activities such as painting, and memory games |
Which can be the best title for the text?
| A．Using Apps for Apes | B．Let’s Help Zoos |
| C．Wonderful Zoos Welcome You | D．A Traditional Program Will Expand |