A girl became a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, which meant visiting and taking care of a patient suffering from an incurable disease with days numbered.
The girl was assigned to look after an old man suffering from cancer whose children lived abroad. Their living conditions were not satisfactory while the old man had a lot of savings. She was expected to comfort him and keep up his spirits.
Every Saturday the girl came on time to keep him company, telling him stories. When he was having an intravenous drip (静脉滴注), she would help massage his arms. The doctor found the patient much improved mentally. The old man began to involve himself actively in the medical treatment and he seldom shouted at others.
But something that happened made the doctor uneasy and puzzled. Each time the girl left, the old man would give her some money. The doctor did nothing to interfere (干涉), unwilling to offend the old man. A month later the old man showed evident signs of decline after suffering coma (昏迷) a few times.
When rescued from the latest coma, the old man told the doctor his last wish, “I have deep sympathy for the girl. Will you be kind enough to help her finish her studies？”
But the doctor knew that her family was welloff and she had no difficulty pursuing her studies. Sometimes she even came to the hospital in her father’s car.
When the girl came at the weekend after the death of the old man, the doctor told her the bad news. She was very sad and burst into tears. Then she handed $ 500 to the doctor, saying, “The old man had all along thought I came to do the job because of poverty. He gave me money so that I could continue my schooling.” Now he got the answer to the puzzle. In the last period of his life, the old man found it a real pleasure to be able to help a girl badly in need.If you’re a volunteer in the activities of Deathbed Care, what kind of people do you have to attend to?
| A．Patients with a lot of money. |
| B．Patients suffering from cancer. |
| C．Patients without many days left. |
| D．Patients living alone. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The doctor told the old man the truth. |
| B．The old man’s children were wealthy. |
| C．The girl’s father encouraged her to accept the money. |
| D．The girl didn’t accompany the old man when he died. |
What is the real reason resulting in the old man’s mental improvement?
| A．The girl’s love and great care. |
| B．The pleasure of helping people in need. |
| C．The doctor’s medical treatment. |
| D．His children’s progress in life. |
Is there a magic cutoff period when children become responsible for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators （audiences） in the lives of their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital passage waiting for doctors to put a few stitches（缝线） in my son’s head．I asked, “When do you stop worrying?” The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
When I was in my thirties,I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked continually and disrupted the class．As if to read my mind, a teacher said．“Don’t worry．They all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open．A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves．Don’t worry; in a few years, you can stop worrying．They’ll be adults．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being weak．I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle．There was nothing I could do about it．My mother just smiled faintly andsaid nothing．
I continued to suffer from their failures, and be absorbed in their disappointments．My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life．I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted（萦绕心头） by my mother’s warm smile and her occasional “You look pale．Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home．Are you depressed about something?” Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
One of my children became quite anxious about me recently, saying, “Where were you? I’ve been calling for three days, and no one answered．I was worried．”
I smiled a warm smile．The author intends to tell us in the passage that_______．
| A．parents long for a period when they no longer worry about their children |
| B．there is no time when parents have no worry about their children |
| C．it’s parents’ duty to worry about their children |
| D．there should be a period when parentsdon’t have to worry about their children |
We can infer from the underlined sentence “My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．” that ______．
| A．her mother shared the same idea as the nurse |
| B．her mother didn’t agree with the nurse |
| C．her mother thought the nurse was lying |
| D．her mother wouldn’t express her opinion upon the matter |
The author mentioned her ages of twenties, thirties, forties and fifty in order to show_______．
| A．the hard times she experiences in her life |
| B．the different stages of her children |
| C．the support she received from her mother |
| D．she had been worrying about her children in her life |
What can we infer from the last sentence?
| A．The mother was happy that her child began to worry about her, too |
| B．Finally the mother didn’t have to worry about her children |
| C．At last the mother could live her own life without worry． |
| D．The mother succeeded in turning her children into adults． |
Which of the following should be the best title?
| A．Life | B．Parents | C．Worry | D．Children |
The cars were honking （鸣叫） on the road one morning as I was walking to the park．I walked on and soon found the cause — a little taxi that had got stuck in the middle of the road．There was sweat on the driver's face as he tried to start the engine again and again — nothing happened．"No petrol,"
I said to myself and then found myself getting angry．"Why doesn't the fool move his taxi to the side?" I thought, so did all the others who honked and shouted．
He got up tiredly, and the passenger in the taxi got out．He was a young man in a white shirt, who watched the driver try to push it to the side．"Stupid guy!" I said．"Can't he lend a helping hand? "
I watched as the poor driver pushed it to the side．Cars, buses and trucks went past cursing （咒骂） the poor man．The young man took another taxi and went off．
The taxi driver began mending his taxi．"Stupid passenger!" I said to him．"He didn't help you!" The taxi driver slowly got up．"Sir!" he asked, "Did you?" I looked at him guiltily, then looked away, and walked away fast, asking myself, "Did I help the poor man push his taxi?"
What had I been doing as the traffic jam took place? How had I helped deal with the problem? Did I help the poor man push his taxi? I’d done my bit, with my mouth．But never had I moved to solve the problem．I was shocked with guilt as I heard him asking, "Sir! Did you?"Why did a traffic jam happen on the road when the author was walking to the park?
| A．There was too much traffic in the street． |
| B．Truck drivers attempted to go ahead of others． |
| C．A taxi driver couldn't start his engine． |
| D．A young man wasn't good at driving． |
The author's attitude toward the passenger is that of __________．
| A．anger | B．respect | C．sympathy | D．guilt |
Why did the author feel guilty?
| A．Because he blamed the driver wrongly． |
| B．Because he didn't help the driver, either． |
| C．Because he tried to help but failed in the end． |
| D．Because he didn't persuade the passenger to help． |
From the incident, the author learnt a lesson that we should _________．
| A．criticize those who don't help |
| B．hurt the self-respect of others no more |
| C．think more of those who are in need |
| D．stop talking and start to help |
American society is not nap (午睡) friendly. In fact, says David Dinges, a sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “There's even a prohibition (禁止) against admitting we need sleep”. Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work. To quote a proverb: Some sleep five hours, nature requires seven, laziness nine and wickedness eleven? Wrong. The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them.
“We have to totally change our attitude toward napping”, says Dr. William Dement of Stanford University, the godfather of sleep research.
Last year a national commission led by Dement identified an “American sleep debt” which one member said was as important as the national debt; the commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness: people causing industrial accidents or falling asleep while driving. This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House. According to recent reports, President Clinton is trying to take a half hour snooze (打瞌睡) every afternoon.
About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity. We seem to have “a mid-afternoon quiet phase” also called “a secondary sleep gate.” Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed. Clearly, we were born to nap. We Superstars of Snooze don't nap to replace lost shut eye or to prepare for a night shift. Rather, we “snack” on sleep, whenever, wherever and at whatever time we feel like it. I myself have napped in buses, cars, planes and on boats; on floors and beds; and in libraries, offices and museums. It is commonly accepted in American society that too much sleep is _______.
| A．unreasonable | B．criminal | C．harmful | D．costly |
The research done by the Dement commission shows that Americans _______.
| A．don't like to take naps | B．are terribly worried about their national debt |
| C．sleep less than is good for them | D．have caused many industrial and traffic accidents |
The purpose of this article is to _______.
| A．warn us of the wickedness of napping | B．explain the danger of sleepiness |
| C．discuss the side effects of napping | D．convince the reader of the necessity of napping |
The “American sleep debt” (Line 1, Para. 3) is the result of _______.
| A．the traditional misunderstanding the Americans have about sleep |
| B．the new sleep policy of the Clinton Administration |
| C．the rapid development of American industry |
| D．the Americans’ worry about the danger of sleepiness |
For several days I saw little of Mr. Rochester. In the morning he seemed much occupied with business, and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighborhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him. When his foot was well enough, he rode out a great deal.
During this time, all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house, when he would sometimes pass me coldly, and sometimes bow and smile. His changes of manner did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them.
One evening, several days later, I was invited to talk to Mr. Rochester after dinner. As I was looking at him, he suddenly turned, and asked me, “Do you think I’m handsome, Miss Eyre?”
The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it: “No, sir.”
“Ah, you really are unusual! You are a quiet, serious little person, but you can be almost rude.”
“Sir, I’m sorry. I should have said that beauty doesn’t matter, or something like that.”
“No, you shouldn’t! I see, you criticize my appearance, and then you stab me in the back! You have honesty and feeling. There are not many girls like you. But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance your few good points.”
I thought to myself that he might have too. He seemed to read my mind, and said quickly, “Yes, you’re right. I have plenty of faults. I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one, and have never found the right path again. I might have been very different. I might have been as good as you, and perhaps wiser. I am not a bad man, take my word for it, but I have done wrong. It wasn’t my character, but circumstances which were to blame. Why do I tell you all this? Because you’re the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to, because you’re sympathetic and give them hope.”
“Don’t be afraid of me, Miss Eyre.” He continued. “You don’t relax or laugh very much, perhaps because of the effect Logwood school has had on you. But in time you will be more natural with me, and laugh, and speak freely. You’re like a bird in cage. When you get out of the cage, you’ll fly very high. Good night.”At the beginning Miss Eyre’s impressions of Mr. Rochester were all except _______.
| A．friendly | B．sociable | C．busy | D．changeable |
Why did Mr. Rochester say “…and then you stab me in the back!” (the seventh paragraph)?
| A．Because Jane had intended to kill him with a knife. |
| B．Because Jane had intended to be more critical. |
| C．Because Jane had regretted having talked to him. |
| D．Because Jane had said something else to correct herself. |
From what Mr. Rochester told Miss Eyre, we can conclude that he wanted to _______.
| A．tell her all his troubles | B．tell her his life experience |
| C．change her opinion of him | D．change his circumstances |
At the end of the passage, Mr. Rochester sounded _______.
| A．rude | B．cold | C．friendly | D．encouraging |
Violin prodigies（神童）, I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists, the reason for this phenomenon. “It’s very clear, “he told me. “They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture (培育) talent. Nowadays the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, “children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well.” The Koreans and Chinese, as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because ______.
| A．it would allow them access to a better life in the West |
| B．Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent |
| C．they wanted their children to enter into the professional fields |
| D．it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country |
Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that ______.
| A．enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence |
| B．treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development |
| C．encourage people to compete with each other |
| D．promise talented children high positions |
Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to ______.
| A．all-rounded development | B．the learning of Western music |
| C．strict training of children | D．variety in academic studies |
Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?
| A．A natural gift. | B．Extensive knowledge of music. |
| C．Very early training. | D．A prejudice-free society. |