A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex (反应), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility (谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 — I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．We can learn from the first two paragraphs that____________________．
| A．the author regretted his act of prejudice |
| B．the blind woman needed the money badly |
| C．the author was as poor as the blind woman |
| D．the author was a native American |
According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably_____．
| A．rather hurt | B．very excited | C．deeply moved | D．greatly inspired |
According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should________．
| A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled |
| B．try to experience different kinds of life |
| C．treat others equally with love and respect |
| D．think about one’s past as often as possible |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Learn from Your Past | B．How My Dream Comes True |
| C．A Belief That Will Never Change | D．A Priceless Lesson in the Street |
For years I wanted a flower garden．But then we had Matthew．And Marvin．And the twins, Alisa and Alan．And then Helen．Five children．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．
Money was tight, as well as time．Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I' d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you now．”
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own．
One spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by．I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches．Then I put my glasses on－and I couldn't believe what I saw．
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree．Think of' all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: ‘‘IOU eight hours of digging time．Love, Marvin．"
Marvin kept his promise, too．He dug up a nice ten－by－fifteen foot bed for me And my other children bought me tools, ornaments , a trellis（格架）, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．
That was three years ago．My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did．I feel like they're right there with me．
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!Why did the mother say "Money doesn't grow on trees"?.
| A．She wanted them not to spend extra money |
| B．She was too sad to say anything else |
| C．She told them a truth on money |
| D．she just played a joke with them |
What do we know about the mother according to the text?．
| A．She is a bad-tempered woman |
| B．She believes money can grow on a tree now |
| C．She is a writer |
| D．She is hard-working in housekeeping |
What can be inferred from the text?．
| A．The author raised five children |
| B．The money tree was a Mother Day's gift |
| C．It cost Marvin eight hours to dug up the bed |
| D．Children planted a weeping willow in the yard |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text? ___．
| A．My Money Tree | B．The Garden of My Children |
| C．Mother's Love | D．Marvin's Promise |
Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone as a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”
The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S, Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿者), I had no hope at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering. What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.The writer wrote the passage to ________.
| A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience |
| B．advise young people to give up their ideas of becoming a professional writer |
| C．show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to dream of wealth and fame |
| D．encourage young people to gain a writing career |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Real writers often find their works interesting and rewarding. |
| B．A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort. |
| C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness. |
| D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small. |
The underlined part “people who die wondering. What if?” refers to “those _______.”
| A．who think too much of the dark side of life |
| B．who regret giving up their careers halfway |
| C．who think a lot without making a decision |
| D．who are full of imaginations even upon death |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．how to be a writer | B．how to earn fame |
| C．how to write well | D．how to keep dreaming |
Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955. He and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father, William H. Gates II, was a Seattle lawyer. Mary Gates, their late mother, was a school teacher.
Gates attended public elementary school before moving on to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle. It was at Lakeside that Gates began his career in personal computer soft ware, programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, who is now Microsoft's president. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version (版本) of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer---the MITS Astair. In his junior year, Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975 with his boyhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable tool on every office desk-top and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.
Gates' foresight has led to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. He plays an important role in the technical development of new products. Much of his time is devoted to meeting with customers and staying in touch with Microsoft employees around the world through e-mail.
In the dozen years since Microsoft went public, Gates has donated more than $ 800 million to charities, including $ 200 million to the Gates Library Foundation to help libraries in North America make use of new technologies and the Information Age.Where did Bill Gates begin his career in personal computer software?
| A．At public elementary school. | B．At the private Lakeside School. |
| C．At Harvard University. | D．At Microsoft Company. |
Why did he drop out of Harvard?
| A．To change school. | B．To spend all his energies to Microsoft. |
| C．To find a full-time job. | D．To earn money. |
How does Gates spend much of his time?
| A．Meeting with people. |
| B．Travelling around the world. |
| C．E-mailing some friends. |
| D．Meeting with customers and e-mailing Microsoft employees. |
What does the underlined word “donated” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．gave. | B．earned. | C．made. | D．received. |
The eight airlines of the Oneworld alliance (联盟) have joined forces to give world travelers a simple way to plan and book a round-the-world journey. It's called the Oneworld Explorer program.
Oneworld Explorer is the perfect solution for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday or an extended business trip. It's a great way for you to explore the four corners of the earth in the safe hands of the eight Oneworld airlines.
You can have hundreds of destinations to choose from, because the Oneworld network covers the globe、And as you travel around the world, you'll have the support of 260,000 people from all our airlines, who are devoted to the success of our journey, helping you make smooth transfers and offering support all along the way.
The Oneworld goal is to make global travel easier and more rewarding for every one of our travelers、We try our best to make you feel at home, no matter how far from home your journey may take you.
We can offer travelers benefits on a scale beyond the reach of our individual（个人的）networks. You'll find more people and more information to guide you at every stage of your trip, making transfers smoother and global travel less of a challenge.The Oneworld Explorer program is said to be most suitable for those who _____.
| A．have been to the four comers of the earth | B．travel around the world on business |
| C．want to explore the eight airlines | D．need support all along the way |
The advantage of the alliance lies in ________.
| A．its detailed travel information | B．its unique booking system |
| C．its longest business flights | D．its global service network |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Oneworld __________.
| A．offers the lowest prices to its passengers |
| B．keeps passengers better informed of its operations |
| C．offers better services than any of its member airlines alone |
| D．is intended to make round-the-world trips more challenging |
The purpose of the advertisement is to ___________.
| A．promote a special flight program | B．recommend a long business trip |
| C．describe an alliance flight | D．introduce different airlines |
South Asia heatwave kills nearly 100
DHAKA - A heat wave sweeping India, Bangladesh and Nepal has killed nearly 100 people over the past two weeks, officials said on June 3, 2005.
A third of the people died in northern Bangladesh, mostly women and children from dehydration(脱水), heat stroke and diarrhoea(腹泻).
"We are getting reports of several deaths due to heat wave and related diseases almost every day," an official said, as temperatures touched 43℃.
The weather office in Dhaka said the hot weather will last for another week until the monsoon(季风) rains which are normally due by the middle of June.
Severe heat conditions in the southern Indian have killed at least 55 people, officials in the two states said.
While temperatures have fallen from a high of 45℃ in Andhra Pradesh to around 40℃, giving a respite（休息） to people, they are still on the rise in Orissa with Talcher town registering 48.5℃, a weather official said.
At least five people have died in Nepal from extreme heat, the government said.We can infer that the heatwave can cause ______.
| A．heat stoke | B．dehydration | C．diarrhoea | D．all above |
When the monsoon rains come, the temperature will _______.
| A．remain the same | B．go on to rise sharply |
| C．begin to drop obviously | D．rise a little |
Which place is the hottest in the early June, 2005?
| A．Dhaka | B．Talcher | C．Andhra Pradesh | D．Nepal |