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I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in (旁听生)   for another l8 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unmarried college graduate student, and she decided to, put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course. " My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers, She only gave in a few months later when my parents promised that would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I artlessly chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and ail of my working class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the $ 5 deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.
From the passage we know that the author          .

A.was adopted by a lawyer and his wife
B.dropped out when he was 17 years old
C.The author was admitted to Stanford
D.valued his dropping out

The author dropped out mainly because           .

A.His academic performance was very poor.
B.He did not want to waste his parents' money.
C.His parents were too poor to afford the college tuition.
D.He didn't think university could help him to get a well-paid job

Why did the author think dropping out was a good decision?

A.He could transfer to Stanford.
B.He could follow his passion.
C.He didn't have to attend classes any more.
D.He could spend more time in Hare Krishna temple.

What can be inferred from this passage ?

A.The author was taking a risk when he made the decision of dropping out.
B.The author enjoyed the comfort and pleasure of life after he dropped out.
C.The author's parents were very angry at his decision.
D.The author was a very curious person.
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
知识点: 故事类阅读
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A
Thanks to a young waiter, I only recently discovered that a friend of 20 years was once a yo-yo virtuoso(溜溜球大师).
“Oh, stop it!” Jackie said when I started laughing during our dinner. “I was, too. And I knew how to ‘Walk the Dog.’ ”
“Wow, really?” said our waiter, Jumario Simmons, flashing a big smile at us.
“Don’t encourage her,” I said.
“What else could you do?” he asked.
“I did ‘Round the World,’” Jackie said, now ignoring me completely. “That cradle(婴儿时期的) thing, too.”
I’d asked Jumario what he did when he wasn’t waiting on tables. The 24-year-old waiter was so smart that I knew there had to be more to his story. It turns out that he won a regional yo-yo competition last year. He also gives free lessons to kids. “It gives them something to do,” Jumario said. “Keeps them off the streets.”
One of the great things about eating out is the table talk with strangers, which reminds us that everyone has a life and a name. But the other day I heard that some restaurants are ending this talk between diners and servers. I listened to the reporter describe how their improvements are allowing customers to text orders from their tables to speed up service.
The reporter got my attention with this sentence: “Five minutes after typing ‘I’m at table 3’, a meal arrives at the table.” But there wasn’t a “please” with this order, which should have been a request, by the way. If you’ve ever waited on tables, you know that the last thing you need is yet another way for a customer to be unpleasant.
Most servers are constantly mediating(调解) between customers’ requests for substitutions and overworked cooks’ accusations of treason. Except at high-end restaurants, servers also have to hover like mothers of preschoolers so that we might consider them worthy of a large enough tip to lift their pay to minimum wage.
Texting a server from a table a few feet away is equal to moving our fingers and shouting, “Hey, you!” It was rude in 1957, and it’s rude now. You won’t ever find me texting a waiter or waitress.
What do we know from the text?

A.The waiter knows Jackie well.
B.The waiter is good at playing yo-yo. .
C.Jackie plays yo-yo in her spare time.
D.The author has a great interest in playing yo-yo.

Some restaurants allow diners to text a server from a table to .

A.improve their service
B.reduce the cost of service
C.show respect for diners
D.stop talks between diners and servers

What’s the last but one paragraph mainly about?

A.The pay of servers
B.The work of servers.
C.The customers’ request.
D.The work of mothers of preschoolers.

From the passage, the author’s attitude towards texting a server from a table is _________.

A.indifferent B.negative
C.curious D.positive

The passage mainly focuses on .

A.how to wait on tables
B.the friendship between old friends
C.where to eat out
D.the relationship between customers and waiters

A lot of people are afraid spiders(蜘蛛)–even the small ones. But a big tarantula(鸟蛛)is much more terrifying for many. Now, scientists in Sri Lanka have discovered a huge species of tarantula that’s about the size of a person’s face.
The first part of the spider’s scientific name, Poecilotheria rajaei, comes from the Greek words for “spotted”(poikilos) and “wild beast” (therion). Its species name, rajaei, comes from a local police officer who helped the team that discovered the creature. Poecilotheria rajaei has 8-inch long legs, and unusual spots colored gray, pink, and yellow.
Although it is very big, is there a real reason to be afraid of one? Maybe. This tarantula has enough poisonous fluid(毒液)to kill mice and small birds and snakes –but its bite wouldn’t cause the death of most humans.
Poecilotheria rajaei was first seen in 2009, when a villager in Sri Lanka found the body of a male and brought it to Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Education and Research organization.
An examination of the awesome creature proved that it was a type of tarantula scientists hadn’t seen before. So Nanayakkara carefully looked through the Sri Lankan forests to try to find more of the spiders.
It’s still too early to know whether this species is endangered. But researchers fear that the tarantulas’ natural habitat is slowly being destroyed.
“ They prefer old trees, but due to the widespread removal of trees the number has dropped,” Nanayakkara said in an interview.
Tarantulas have eight legs and two body parts. They are different from insects, which have only six legs but three body parts. Tarantulas have hairy bodies and are usually larger than other types of spiders. Some species of tarantulas can live up to 25 years.
While Poecilotheria rajaei is very big, the largest tarantula is the Goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi). Found in the rainforests of South America, its legs can be up to 10 inches long. But don’t worry if you ever see one: Its poisonous fluid isn’t really dangerous to humans.
According to the text, Poecilotheria rajaei _______.

A.has unique spots
B.is mostly yellow
C.has 10-inch long legs
D.was first seen by the Greeks

Which of the following is most likely to survive a bite from Poecilotheria rajaei?

A.A little girl
B.A small bird.
C.A big mouse
D.A small snake.

The number of Poecilotheria rajaei has dropped because___________.

A.the global climate has changed
B.they have too many natural enemies
C.some people are killing them illegally
D.more and more forests are disappearing

Which of the following is TRUE about tarantulas?

A.They are a kind of insect.
B.Most of them live in South America.
C.Their body is divided into three parts.
D.They are usually of bigger size than other spiders.

Which section of a newspaper is the text most probably taken from?

A.Life B.Nature
C.Science D.Business

Erica McElrath calls herself “ The Happy Lady”. And by now, you may have caught her singing and dancing with her mp3 player on any of several city street corners. “ I don’t want money,” said McElrah, 40, of St. Louis. “ I come out here to make people smile.”
McElrah lost her full-time job in January. Since then, she has spent her days doing what she loves-dancing in the street. Her message to people in hard times: do something that you enjoy, no matter what your circumstances. “ Life isn’t that bad,” she said. “ If you’re working 40 hours a week, you shouldn’t be complaining.”
McElrah graduated from parkway Central High School and has spent the past 21 years working as a nursing assistant, She began singing and dancing publicly on her days off a few years ago to help her through the pain of her second divorce.
Her favorite spot is the northwest corner of Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard near St. Louis University. McElrah’s mp3 player is loaded with hundreds of classic rock hits and 80’s pop songs, including those by Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Neil Diamond and Toto. But her favorite artist, by far, is Stevie Nicks.
Videos of McElrah have appeared on YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. “People think I’m crazy, but I don’t care,” She said. “ I can dance a little. I just go with the music.” Even a rude gesture from a passing motorist doesn’t bother her either. “ I just smile and wave,” she said.
McElrah’s show of bravery recently earned her a job opportunity with Liberty Tax Service, which temporarily offered her a job as a dancer Statute of Liberty to promote a new place near Grand Center starting in January.
“ Just be happy and do what you love,” she said. “The money will come.”
At first McElrah began singing and dancing in public in order to _____.

A.make a living
B.entertain the public
C.rise to fame
D.encourage herself

Erica McElrah’s actions are _______.

A.popular with others
B.stopped by her family
C.supported by passers-by
D.laughed at sometimes

Erica McElrah was offered a job because of _____.

A.her beautiful voice
B.her positive behavior
C.her lively dancing
D.her competitive spirit

Which of the following about Erica McElrah is TRUE?

A.She doesn’t care others’ comments on her.
B.Her favorite artist is Joe Cocker.
C.She once worked as a doctor.
D.She has been divorced once.

What would be the best title for the passage?

A.Ways To Be Happy
B.Learn To Do What You Love
C.Happy Lady’s Singing and Dancing Life
D.What Made The Happy Lady Famous?

“Iris scan (虹膜扫描), please,” the bank’s computer voice tells you. You step up and the computer reads your eye, comparing it to the stored file it has of your iris. The images had better match---otherwise, you won’t be able to get your money.
Iris scanning and other technologies, such as fingerprint and voice scanning, have appeared in many science fiction movies in the past. Today, these advanced technologies are part of the real world. They are common at work, the bank, the airport, and your local prison. The iris scan, fingerprint scan, and voice scan are all examples of biometrics(生物测定学), a fast developing area of automatic personal identification technology. Basically, biometrics uses various ways to verify a person’s identity, based on the individual’s unique characteristics, including fingerprints, signature, and so on.
Biometrics identification systems have a number of advantages over password systems. The primary advantage is that an individual has to be physically present in order to be identified. Another important advantage is that there are no passwords to remember, forget, lose, or steal.
The voice scan is the simplest and most affordable form of biometrics. It only requires a computer, a microphone, and the correct software. The software records a subject’s voice and then compares it to a stored voice sample for identification purpose.
For additional safety, fingerprint and handprint scans can also be employed. Fingerprint scans take the image of a fingerprint and compare it to a stored file of prints. Handprint scans identify the unique features of a hand.
The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.

A.example B.explanation
C.comment D.conclusion

The underline word “verify” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.

A.protect B.confirm
C.develop D.change

Which is the most accurate form of biometrics?

A.The voice scan
B.The fingerprint scan
C.The iris scan
D.The facial scan

What is the author’s attitude towards the future of biometrics?

A.He is uncertain about it.
B.He feels doubtful about it.
C.He is worried about it.
D.He feels hopeful about it.

What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To explain the importance of identification technology.
B.To discuss the potential of biometrics systems.
C.To introduce the technology of biometrics.
D.To show the advantages of iris scanning.

often teach about happiness and what has become clear is this:There are some qualities always unhappy people have.Here are some of them.
Happy people know life can be hard and tend to live through hard times.They take responsibility for how they got themselves into a mess,and focus on getting themselves out of it as soon as possible.Unhappy people see themselves as victims of life and stay stuck in the“look what happened to me” attitude instead of finding a way through and out to the other side.
Most happy people believe in the good in people instead of thinking everyone is out to get them.Generally open and friendly towards people they meet,happy people foster(培养)a sense of community around themselves and meet new people with all open heart.Unhappy people are distrustful of most people they meet and don’t think strangers can be trusted.Unfortunately,this behavior slowly closes all chances of meeting new friends.
Unhappy people believe someone else’s good fortune steals from their own.They believe there’s not enough goodness to go around and always compare others’against theirs.This leads to jealousy(嫉妒).Happy people know that others’good luck and circumstance are just signs of what they also can achieve if they try hard enough.They believe in unlimited possibilities and don’t get stuck in thinking one person’s good fortune limits their possible outcome in life.
There’s only so much space between the two ears.Unhappy people fill that space with constant worry and fear.Happy people experience fear and worry too,but make an important difference between feeling it and living with it.When fear or worry crosses a happy person’s mind,they’ll ask themselves if there’s an action they can take to prevent their fear or worry from happening and they take it.If not,they realize they’re spinning in fear and they lay it down.
Paragraph 2 mainly shows that unhappy people tend to _______________.

A.focus on what they really want
B.get worried about what will happen
C.stay focused on the past misfortunes
D.find a way to live through hard times

According to paragraph 3 and 4,unhappy people ______________.

A.like making some new friends
B.hate seeing others with good fortune
C.are more likely to be cheated by strangers
D.believe they can get good luck by working hard

What is implied about happy people?

A.They don’t think life is hard.
B.They hardly ever fear anything.
C.They try to get out of their fear or worries.
D.They don’t believe in every people they meet.

How is the text mainly developed?

A.By making comparisons.
B.By giving examples.
C.By showing detailed data.
D.By proving some theories.

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