It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Children were upstairs unpacking , and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. My parents lived nearby ,and Dad had visited us several times already. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him .He looked up, smiling. “I’m making you a surprise.” Knowing my father, I thought it could be just about anything. A self-employed jobber, he was always building things out of odds and ends. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us.
Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught ups in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise. Until one gloomy day the following March when I glanced out of the window. Any yet… I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花), throughout the front lawn. Lavender, blue, yellow and my favorite pink ---- little faces moved up and down in the cold wind.
Dad! I smiled, remembering the things he had secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father’s crocuses bloomed each spring for the next four or five seasons, bringing the same assurance every time they arrived: hard times was almost over. Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms. The next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses. I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did.
He died suddenly one October day. My family was in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith. I missed him terribly.
Four years passed, and on a dismal spring afternoon I was driving back when I found myself feeling depressed. “You’ve got the winter depression again and you get them every year.” I told myself.
It was Dad’s birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual --- my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived his faith. Once I saw him give his coat to a homeless man.
Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. And there on the muddy grass and small gray piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years old, one that had not blossomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day. But it built my faith for a lifetime.According to the first three paragraphs, we learn that _________.
| A．the writer was unpacking when her father was making the surprise |
| B．the writer knew what the surprise was because she knew her father |
| C．it was not the first time that the writer’s father had made a surprise |
| D．it kept bothering the writer not knowing what the surprise was |
Which of the following would most probably be the worst time of the year as seen by the writer?
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
| A．The writer’s father planted the crocus to lift her low spirit. |
| B．The crocuses bloomed each spring before the writer’s father died. |
| C．The writer often thought about her father since her father died. |
| D．The writer’s father died some years after he planted the crocus. |
The writer’s father should be best described as_________.
| A．a full-time gardener with skillful hands |
| B．a part-time jobber who loved flowers |
| C．a kind-hearted man who lived with faith |
| D．an ordinary man with doubts in his life |
Crocus was viewed as the symbol of _________ by the writer.
| A．faith | B．family | C．love | D．friendship |
“Dining out”, or “eating out”, is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than ever before.
However, eating out can be expensive. Restaurants are normally more expensive than pubs, though many pubs serve very good, simple food. As British people don’t dine out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going for the first date, or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼节)surrounding food and eating, and nowhere is this more pronounced than when eating in a smart restaurant. People are almost always expected to eat with a knife and fork and these should be held in the correct hand and used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows on the dining table when you are eating.
There’re many such “unspoken” rules — they are normally only important when eating in a very elegant and expensive restaurant, and vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant and place to place. A recent nationwide survey showed that there was a divide in manners between the north and south of Britain — the “worst” manners were in Scotland and the northeast, and the “best” in Wales and the southeast! However, this survey was almost certainly conducted by someone in the southeast, so it may not be entirely fair.
Naturally, restaurants vary greatly in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have a vast range of food and cooking styles to choose from as well as traditional British food,. from the very cheap to the very expensive — French, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, many British people say an Indian curry (咖喱菜）rather than any other dish!
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “takeaway”. This means they order from a takeaway or takeout restaurant by phone, then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many takeout restaurants also deliver to your house. While you can normally find a takeout restaurant for almost any cuisine, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese — and all you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat!What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The British spend more eating out than cooking at home. |
| B．The British pay great attention to eating in a restaurant. |
| C．The British often dine out when celebrating festivals. |
| D．People tend to eat in a restaurant after watching a movie. |
The underlined word “pronounced” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_____”.
| A．polite | B．expensive | C．strange | D．obvious |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．There exist great differences of rules in different restaurants. |
| B．People from Wales and southeast Britain are the most polite. |
| C．Your order in a takeout restaurant can be sent to your home. |
| D．Traditional British food is seldom served in British restaurants. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Restaurant culture in Britain. | B．Table manners in Britain. |
| C．Different restaurants in Britain. | D．Traditional and foreign foods in Britain. |
Amazing Rafting Adventures
White water rafting is one of the classic, wild activities in the outdoors. It is also an opportunity for an unbelievable family adventure. Around the country, there are several rivers—and rafting outfitters—that are perfectly suited to the entire family.
Here are three of the best:
New River Gorge, West Virginia
Rafting in West Virginia is renowned for its established infrastructure, reliability and easy access. These things make it an obvious choice for a family vacation. Famous areas, including the New River Gorge, offer everything from lazy floats to intense Class IV runs.
READ MORE: Water Rafting: Top 5 U.S. Locations
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Jackson Hole provides a full range of opportunities in the outdoors—and white water rafting is certainly one of them. Popular trips include the rough rapids of the Snake River and gentle floats in nearby Yellowstone National Park.
READ MORE: What You Need to Know Before Visiting Yellowstone National Park
Grand Canyon, Arizona
For really bold families, a multi-day trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is the penultimate adventure. Guided trips typically pack in boats-worth of supplies so the overnight adventures are far from “roughing it.” Instead, evenings are catered in a rugged luxury style, allowing everyone to rest up for the next day’s activities.
Whether looking for a casual float or a challenging adventure, white water rafting is a great option for any active family vacation.What is the common feature of the three rafting adventures?
| A．All three rafting rivers are suitable for the whole family. |
| B．All three rafting rivers are boring to access and reliable |
| C．All three rafting rivers are suitable for active families |
| D．All three rafting rivers offer overnight adventures |
Which of the following about Grand Canyon, Arizona is NOT true?
| A．A multi-day trip down the Colorado River is really challenging. |
| B．Really brave families will like to have a multi-day trip down the river |
| C．Everyone can rest for the next day’s activities. |
| D．People can only enjoy the rough rapids down the river |
What is the author’s attitude to white water rafting?
| A．Passive | B．Encouraging | C．Discouraging | D．Negative |
As a boy, Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play practical jokes on all his friends and neighbors. The nature of his jokes often led to violence (暴力). He hated to go to school and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious island and the passing boats. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and unusual people. He later made them part of the history of America in the book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain received his genius (天才) from his mother. Obviously he didn’t get it from his father. He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father’s face. On the other hand, his mother had the ability to say humorous things. The same ability made Mark Twain an extremely humorous public speaker.According to the passage, Mark Twain was a _______ boy.
| A．shy | B．brave | C．naughty | D．poor |
Because of the nature of his jokes when he was a child, Mark Twain would _______.
| A．ran away from school |
| B．cause his parents to quarrel with others |
| C．get into trouble with his friends and neighbors |
| D．like to sit on the bank of the Mississippi River |
It can be learned form the passage that ______.
| A．Mark Twain’s father was a cruel man |
| B．Mark Twain never attended school on time |
| C．Mark Twain often went boating in the nearby river |
| D．Mark Twain’s mother was something of a humorist |
In his book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain wrote much about _______.
| A．the Mississippi and the people living on it |
| B．his friends and neighbors |
| C．his school life |
| D．his parents |
It is inferred that what affected Mark Twain’s character mostly was _______ .
| A．his practical jokes |
| B．his father’s seriousness |
| C．the history of the Mississippi |
| D．his mother’s genius for humor |
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered the rightful property of someone or other of their daughters.
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his lady to him one day. “have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?” Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
“But it is, ” returned she, “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.”
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
“Do you not want to know who has taken it?” cried his wife impatiently.
“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”
This was invitation enough.
“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
How so? How can it affect them?
“My dear Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”
“Is that his design in settling here?”
“Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”
“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as beautiful as any of them. Mr. Bingley may like you the best of the party. ”The sentence “… a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” means that ______.
| A．a single man without money needn’t a wife |
| B．women want to get married to financial stable men |
| C．a single man who is financially stable needs a wife |
| D．once man becomes rich, he must want to get a wife |
From the conversation between the Bennets, we can conclude that Mrs. Bennet _______.
| A．wanted to persuade her husband to visit the young man |
| B．wanted to get an invitation from their new neighbor to a party |
| C．asked for her husband’s permission to visit the new neighbor |
| D．wanted to tell her husband something about their new neighbor |
At the end of the passage, Mr. Bennet sounded _________ toward his wife’s proposal.
| A．grateful | B．indifferent | C．delighted | D．interested |
Where on Earth are you? Navigators (导航员) use lines of latitude and lines of longitude to locate places. Lines of latitude run east and west around Earth. On a map or globe, these lines appear as running sideways or horizontally. Lines of longitude run north and south around Earth. These lines go up and down or vertically on a map or globe. These lines create an imaginary graph paper on the Earth. They make it possible to find an absolute, or exact, location on Earth. They even allow us to give an absolute location to a place out in the middle of the ocean.
Lines of latitude tell us how far north or south of the Equator we are. Sailors have used primitive navigation tools, like astrolabes, since ancient times. The astrolabe uses the sun and stars to find an approximate location. Using such tools, they have been able to approximate their distance from the equator. Although their instruments may not have been the high quality we have now, they were incredibly accurate (精确) for their time.
Lines of longitude tell us how far east or west of the prime meridian (本初子午线) we are. Sailors constantly looked for new ways to increase their navigation skills. Still, it wasn’t until the 18th century that they were able to measure degrees of longitude. They would have been very envious of the technology available to us today.
When we use lines of latitude and longitude together, we can get a very precise location. If we want to identify the absolute location of a point, we look where the latitude and longitude lines cross nearest to that point. We use the coordinates (坐标) for that point as its address. Many maps today include degrees of latitude and longitude.______ make it possible for people to find an exact place on Earth.
| A．Latitudes | B．Longitudes | C．Navigators | D．Sailors |
The second paragraph mainly talks about _______.
| A．the function of latitude | B．the use of the equator |
| C．the invention of astrolabe | D．the high quality instruments |
Why do maps include degrees of latitude and longitude?
| A．To help trade expeditions. | B．To locate a precise place. |
| C．To cross the lines of the nearest point. | D．To identify how far a place is. |
The best title for this passage is ____________.
| A．The map and the globe | B．Latitude and longitude |
| C．The equator and the prime meridian | D．Absolute coordinates |