Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four, has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear, and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions .The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．
| A．the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently |
| B．the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters |
| C．the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors |
| D．the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago |
From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____.
| A．was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor |
| B．didn't know how to get along with her neighbor |
| C．didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident |
| D．refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior |
After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____.
| A．do an act of kindness |
| B．leave her neighbor be |
| C．apologize to her neighbor once more |
| D．do something to let her neighbor down |
What can we learn about the writer?
| A．She was a professional dancer． |
| B．She often had quarrels with her neighbor． |
| C．She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes． |
| D．She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year． |
What does the author try to tell us?
| A．Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes． |
| B．We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior． |
| C．We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors． |
| D．When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it． |
第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
Michael Phelps and his U.S. teammates crowned the greatest single Olympic performance Sunday morning with a win in the 4×100－meter medley relay(混合泳接力).
The victory gave Phelps his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, the most golds ever won by an athlete at one Games. With gold No. 8, Phelps earned an unusual place in the Olympic record books.
"There is no comparison in the swimming world for what Michael has done," said Gregg Troy, coach of U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte, who finished third to Phelps in two races here in Beijing but also won gold alongside him in the 4×200－meter freestyle relay. It's hard to find comparisons even in the sports world overall. Phelps is solidly in the company of seemingly undefeatable superstars such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
"I think years and years down the road we'll realize more and more how amazing he is and how special he really is." U. S. teammate Natalie Coughlin said. The 23－year－old from Baltimore capped a brilliant meet at the Water Cube. He set a world record in every event aside from the 100 butterfly which he narrowly won on Saturday, completing a program of 17 races in nine days.
Phelps has won 14 Olympic gold medals and 16 total medals. He holds the record for most medals won by a man, surpassing Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, who won 15 from 1972－1980. Soviet female gymnast Larysa Latynina holds the record with 18.
At the 2004 Athens Games, Phelps won six gold medals and two bronze. He has already said he'll swim in the 2012 London Games. Phelps' victories in Beijing include: 200－meter freestyle, 200 and 400 individual medleys, 100 and 200 butterfly, 4×200 free relay, 4×100 medley relay, and 4×100 free relay.
41．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．Phelps Plans To Attend 2012 London Games
B．Phelps Wins 4×100－meter Medley Relay
C．Phelps Writes Games Gold History
D．Phelps Finishes His Competitions
42．Why are Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods mentioned in the 3rd paragraph?
A．To memorize the two heroes' contributions to the world.
B．To indicate Phelps' great efforts to his championship.
C．To attract the world's attention to the young Phelps.
D．To emphasize Phelps' unique position in swimming.
43．Which of the following is true of Phelps?
A．Phelps has got the most gold medals in Beijing Olympic.
B．Phelps has won 18 Olympic gold medals till now.
C．Phelps won 8 gold medals at the Athens Games.
D．Phelps defeated Nikolai Andrianov in Beijing.
44．It can be inferred from the text that __________.
A．Phelps is a swimming genius by nature
B．Phelps succeeded in Athens at the age of 18
C．Phelps has won the most golds all by himself
D．Phelps will have a brilliant future in the 2012 London Games
Ben walked quietly. He wanted to surprise the hunter. But then, what would he do?
Suddenly he heard a bird’s wings beating the dry grass. Ben moved quickly toward the sound.
He saw a colored head ... the head of a beautiful bird. The bird did not move until Ben came close. Then it tried to fly away, but one wing was broken.
Ben lifted the bird and held it close against his body. The bird fought to escape, but soon lay quietly in Ben’s arms.
Ben decided to take the bird home and fix its broken wings so that it could fly again.
He was almost out of the woods when he heard the hunter behind him.
“You just found that bird?” the hunter asked.
“Yes,” Ben answered.
“It is mine!”
Ben was afraid and tried to answer, but his mouth was too dry to speak. Nevertheless, he wetted his lips and said, “No.”
“I shot him and I say he is mine!”
“But he is not dead yet,” Ben answered, “and besides, anything on my land belongs to me.”
The hunter looked down at the little man and smiled. “Say, who are you?”
Ben’s voice shook with both fear and anger. “I own this land. There are signs everywhere that say, ‘No hunting’.”
“No need to get angry, mister,” the hunter said. “Control yourself.”
There was something threatening in the man’s cool quiet voice. And he had a gun. His arms were free and Ben’s were not.
The hunter stepped closer and said, “Give me that bird!”
Ben was white with anger. “No!” he answered. His eye glasses became wet and he had to look over the top of them to see the other man.
“Give me the bird and I will go away,” the hunter said.
“You get off my land,” Ben told him. “Get off right now...you do not belong here!”
The man’s face got red. “Mister,” he said, “I have been hunting here all my life. I grew up here.”
“That is a thing of the past,” Ben said. “I do not know who you are and I do not care. I own this place now and I am telling you to leave. You go back through the woods and get off my land!”
“Now look, mister,” the hunter said, “be reasonable.”
The hunter raised his gun.
A cold wind blew across Ben’s face. He looked into the hunter’s gray eyes. Ben was frightened. It was not too late, he thought. He could still give the bird to the hunter and return safely home...that would end this whole ugly business.
The bird struggled weakly and made a wild, strange noise.
Then Ben knew he could never give this bird to the hunter. This feeling gave Ben great strength, and he was no longer afraid.
“I will never let you kill this bird,” he said. “Get away from here. If you try to take this bird, I will fight...you have a gun and you are bigger, but that does not worry me. You will never get this bird...you will have to kill me first.”
The two men looked at each other. Ben’s fear returned. His knees began to shake and he felt sick. Yet he stood straight, wondering what would happen next.
They stood close to each other for a long time. The woods were strangely quiet. Then the hunter’s rough voice broke the silence.
“You are a fool.” And then to Ben’s surprise, he slowly walked away.
Ben watched until he was gone. His arms hurt, his body felt wet and cold.
67. Why did the hunter smile when saying “Say, who are you”?
A. He wanted to confirm Ben’s identity in a friendly way.
B. He was amused at Ben’s reply and interested in him.
C. He looked down on Ben and thought his reply ridiculous.
D. He meant to be friendly enough to get the bird from Ben.
68. What strengthened Ben’s determination never to give the bird to the hunter?
A. His strong dislike of the hunter.B. His firm confidence in himself.
C. His ownership of this piece of land. D. His concern and sympathy for the bird.
69. Why did the hunter remark that Ben was a fool at the end of the story?
A. Ben tried to protect a bird at all costs.
B. Ben pretended to be fearless although scared.
C. Ben stood close to him saying nothing for long.
D. Ben insisted on him leaving the land.
70. Which of the following best describes Ben’s state of mind in the incident?
A. Ben was willing to compromise. B. Ben never thought of giving in.
C. Ben held out to the end. D. Ben was sure about his victory.
In tough economic times, school counselors (顾问) don’t just wait for students to come to their offices in search of college brochures, health pamphlets or other help. These days, they are looking for at-risk kids to prevent personal or academic troubles before they arise. Nowadays, students and families need the guidance more than ever.
Counselors play a steadying role in schools as the economy weighs on families, college admission becomes even more competitive, immigration continues to reshape the population and state-testing pressures many students. They use computers to search through attendance data, grades and standardized test scores for kids who might need extra help.
Schlatter, director of guidance and counseling at Prince William County’s Woodbridge Senior High School, has checked attendance records against grades and test results to start peer groups (同年龄群体) for students who are failing classes but not skipping them. She said group counseling is another way to reach more students though it can be difficult. “Kids really do start helping and sharing with each other.”
At Fairfax High School, counselors found through surveys that students who transferred (转学) to the school after ninth grade enjoyed school significantly less than those who had been there all four years. The counseling staff set up a special program and group for new arrivals in response, said Marcy Miller, the school’s director of student services. Counseling staff members also have started small study groups for students to prepare for state Standards of Learning exams, which Miller said have helped raise test scores. She said that some of the newest counselors have had some of the freshest ideas.
63. We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. counselors don’t wait for kids to come to ask for help now
B. counselors are trying to help people with economic problems
C. counselors have made college admission less competitive
D. counselors are trying to reach more kids in need of help
64. The author uses the example of Fairfax High School to show that ________.
A. counseling work is obviously effective
B. many students transfer there for help
C. new arrivals will no longer skip classes
D. counseling means little to new arrivals
65. What would the author most probably discuss in the following part?
A. What assistance they can offer.
B. The significance of their counseling job.
C. Other approaches to counseling at-risk kids.
D. The barriers of counseling the students with troubles.
66. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Guiding Hands Find New Ways
B. Small Study Groups Raise Test Scores
C. Transferred Students Need More Help
D. Tough Times See More At-risk Kids
Modern Manners
Philip Howard answers your questions on contemporary etiquette (礼仪)
Philip Howard,
When my friend and I (two ladies of a certain age) go out to have a meal, she always leaves an extremely large tip. At times, the tip will equal the amount of one of the main dishes—sometimes it comes to about 30 per cent of the bill. I feel 15—20 per cent is adequate for services offered and depending on the type of restaurant. At a cafe I would like to leave 15 per cent or a bit more depending on the service and etc. A larger tip would be appropriate if we are in a big city or a nicer place. My friend says “Well, I am sure they are not driving a Mercedes (奔驰汽车).” Well, neither am I, and how does she know? Who is correct and how can I make changes? I might add I do truly feel tipping should be based on good service, and also if you frequent a place and know the staff a larger tip is OK. I would never hesitate to tip a waitperson. I always leave to the higher side.
Yours,
Barbara Bade
Barbara Bade,
Americans are more generous tippers than the British. I suspect that 10 per cent for a tip is about normal in the UK. Tipping is a strange survival in our age of supposed equality and minimum wages. Your friend has a generous nature and deep purse. I do not see why you cannot let her tip whatever she wants, and do your own thing. I agree that a tip should be a reward for good service and general good feeling. If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah (厚颜) to do this. Sensible restaurants have a box for tips, so that they are shared out among the staff, including those in the kitchens whom we do not see. (I trust that the management does not receive the money as extra profit.) I look forward to the day when waiters and other servants are paid a good enough living wage, so that they do not have to depend on the generosity of strangers to survive. To wait at table is just as honorable a way to earn a living in this wicked world. If you are pleased with the meal and cheerful service, you should tip as handsomely as your purse affords. I don’t suppose that your waiter / waitress is driving a Mercedes, even in the States.
Yours,
Philip Howard
60. We can learn from the first letter that Barbara prefers ___________.
A. changing her own ideas on how to tip waiters
B. leaving a bigger tip to the familiar waitpersons
C. eating at a café rather than in a nice restaurant
D. saving as much money as possible for herself
61. It can be inferred that Barbara’s friend tips waiters heavily ________.
A. to show that she is well off B. because they are thought to be poorly paid
C. to show that she is generous D. because they have offered her full service
62. Besides quality of service, Philip regards __________ as principles of tipping.
A. taste of food and amount of one’s money
B. taste of food and the number of servants
C. generosity of strangers and the number of servants
D. amount of one’s money and generosity of strangers
President Barack Obama has apologized for a gaffe (失言) in which he described his bowling skills as akin to participants in the Special Olympics, a sports program for people with intellectual disabilities.
Obama made the mistake during an interview on Thursday night on “The Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno, the first time a sitting U.S. president had been on the show.
Talking about living in the White House, Obama said he had been practicing his bowling in the home’s bowling alley and had scored a 129 out of a possible 300.
It was an improvement on the embarrassing 37 he had rolled during a stop on the presidential campaign trail a year ago. “It’s like—it was like Special Olympics or something,” Obama said.
The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving some 200 million people with intellectual disabilities, with a presence in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Soon after the Jay Leno interview, Obama telephoned Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize.
Shriver told ABC’s “Good Morning America” television show that Obama had apologized “in a way that I think was very moving” and that he said “he did not intend to humiliate (羞辱) the population, didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or kind of suffering.”
Shriver said people should gain a lesson from the incident.
“I think it’s important to see that words hurt. Words do matter. And these words in some respect, can be seen as humiliating or a put-down to people with special needs, do cause pain. And they do result in stereotypes,” Shriver said.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama “made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to look down upon the Special Olympics.”
“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,” Burton said.
56. What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. skillful B. similar C. appealing D. superior
57. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Obama loves sports and is especially gifted at bowling.
B. Obama apologized for his remarks via ABC’s TV show.
C. The Special Olympics are for various disabled people.
D. The Special Olympics don’t intend to make any money.
58. What does Shriver mean by saying people should gain a lesson from the incident?
A. Disabled people cannot be humiliated. B. One should be careful with his words.
C. An apology for wrong words is wanted. D. Words matter even more than actions.
59. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. Obama receiving a TV interview B. Obama looking down on the disabled
C. Obama apologizing for his gaffe D. Obama being attacked for his words