My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word “shmily” in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving “shmily” around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged “shmily” with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. “Shmily” was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. There was no end to the places where “shmily” would pop up. Little notes with “shmily” were found on car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were put inside shoes and left under pillows. “Shmily” was written in the dust upon the mantel(壁炉架)and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents’ house as the furniture.
It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents’ game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love --- one that is pure and enduring (持久的). However, I never doubted my grandparents’ relationship. It was based on passionate(热情的)affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience.
But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents’ life: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.
“Shmily.” It was written in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother’s funeral bouquet (花束). As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother’s coffin and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came: S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You.According to the passage, where may the word “shmily” be found?
a.in the flour containers
b.on the mirror
c.on the sheet of toilet paper
d.on pillows
e.on the furniture
A.a, b | B.b, c | C.a, d | D.b, e |
The first paragraph is mainly about ________.
A.what the word “shmily” means |
B.how the author’s grandparents played their special game |
C.how the author appreciated her grandparents’ game |
D.how the author’s grandparents cared for each other |
The underlined phrase “pop up” in Paragraph 1 means ________.
A.appear | B.change | C.survive | D.work |
According to the passage, the author _________.
A.thought the game was meaningless |
B.believes everyone can experience true love |
C.doubted the existence of true love at first |
D.sometimes left “shmily” around the house |
Grandpa tried to make Grandma comfortable by _______.
A.singing songs to her every day |
B.painting the room yellow |
C.encouraging her to go outside |
D.helping her take a hot shower every day |
In the United States,train transportation is unpopular compared with cars and airplanes.Most people like traveling by car or by air.
Officials of the United States Department of Transportation made a study in 2001.The study is about how many miles Americans traveled by different means of transportation.They only studied trips longer than 50 miles.The study showed that fifty-six percent of all miles were traveled in personal vehicle.Forty-one percent were traveled in an airplane.Two percent were traveled in a bus.And less than one percent of miles were traveled in a train.
Amtrak is the national provider of train transportation in the United States.In the past ten years,the number of its passengers has increased by eighteen percent.Although the number of passengers has increased,it is still very small now.In countries such as France,Germany,or Japan,more people use trains.
There are several reasons why many people __________________________.
Firstly,Americans love to drive their own cars.On highways,cars can travel as fast as trains.These highways connect all major cities in America.Secondly,many travelers like to be independent.When they use their own cars they can decide when to travel.Thirdly,many buses travel between major cities.Bus travel is less costly than train travel.
In a huge country like the United States,cities are far away from each other.In some cases,travel from one city to another by train may take more than a day.Airplanes can carry passengers over long distances much faster.People who do not want to spend long time traveling by train decide to fly.For these people saving time is the most important thing.What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
It’s convenient for people to decide the start-off time when they travel in their own cars.Please fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(Please answer within 10 words.)
What means of transportation do you like best when traveling,trains,cars,or planes? Why? (Please answer within 30 words)
Translate the underlined sentences in the last paragraph into Chinese.
New rules and behavior standards for middle school students came out in March. Middle school is going to use a new way to decide who the top students are. They will also be kids who don’t dye their hair, smoke or drink. The following are some of the new rules.
Tell the truth. Have you ever copied someone else’s work on an exam? That’s not something an honest student should do.
Do more at school. Good students love animal and care for other people. April is Bird-Loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join!
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Perhaps you’ll discover Earth II someday. Don’t look down on new ideas. You should welcome them.
Protect yourself. Has someone ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go home late, you should let your parents know.
Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. But some things on the Internet aren’t for kids, so try to look at web pages that are good for you.
A.In that way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them. |
B.Students must only work and play alone. |
C.The best students won’t only have high marks. |
D.You can use the web for fun or homework. |
F. Students should not disagree with the teacher.
E. Everyone’s ideas are important.
G. Don’t do it again!
Kong Zi , also called Confucius (551-479 B.C) , and Socrates(苏格拉底) (469-399 B. C) lived only a hundred years apart , and during their lifetimes there was no contact (联系)between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look at how the world that each of these great philosophers(哲学家) came from shaped their ideas , and how these ideas in turn ,shaped their societies.
Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for the conduct of life:” Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some bad more potential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on the individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. He believed that the superior class should rule the inferior(下层的)classes.
For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of the society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations.
Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.Which of the following is TURE according to the first paragraph?
A.Socrates and Confucius had much in common, |
B.Confucius had much influence on Socrates’ ideas. |
C.The societies were influenced by the philosophers’ ideas. |
D.There were cultural exchanges between China and Greece. |
Socrates shared with Confucius the idea that .
A.all men were equal when they were born |
B.the lower classes should be ruled by the upper class |
C.the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom |
D.people should not ask others to do what they did not want to |
What made some people different from others according to Confucius?
A. Family. | B.Potential(潜力). | C.Knowledge. | D.Community. |
The hardworking blacksmith(铁匠) Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith everyday and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the blacksmith worked. "Young man, why don't you try to learn to make shoe tacks(鞋钉), even if it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you." The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and settled down in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that he had learned how to make tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
"How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a fortune(财富).”From the passage, we can learn the young Mr. Smith became rich ______.
A by selling shoes B by making shoe tacks C with his father’s help D by making breadWhich of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A The young Mr. Smith’s father was very wealthy.
B The young Mr. Smith was lazy before learning to make shoe tacks.
C The shoemakers offered him a working place to make shoe tacks.
D The shoemakers were unwilling to buy the young Mr. Smith’s tack.What can we learn from the young Mr. Smith’s success?
A.It is no use crying over the spilt milk. |
B.A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
C.All roads lead to Rome. |
D.Seeing is believing. |
What is the right order of the events related to the young Mr. Smith?
a. He was born in a rich family.
b. He became rich by selling tacks.
c. His father died and he became poor.
d. He was asked to learn to make shoe tacks.
e. He settled in another country.
A.a-d-c-e-b | B.a-d-b-c-e | C.b-d-c-e-a | D.b-d-a-e-c |
We can’t help but grow older physically, but we can stay young in other ways. Do you want to stay young? If yes is the answer, here is what you can do:
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches (抱怨)pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”
4.Enjoy the simple things. When the children are young, that is all that you can afford. When they are in college, that is all you can afford. When you are on retirement, that is all you can afford!
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter.
6. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, or hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
7. Value your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
8. The tears happen. Endure sorrow, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be alive while you are alive.
9. At every opportunity, tell the people you love that you love them.What does the underlined sentence “Throw out nonessential numbers” mean?
A.Try to forget some unimportant numbers. |
B.Do not let your age, weight or height trouble you. |
C.It is not interesting to remember some numbers. |
D.Some unimportant things are difficult to remember. |
What is the fourth advice meant to tell us?
A.The children are so clever that we need not worry about their study. |
B.Someone else can take care of the children and our late life. |
C.We are rich enough to afford all the money that the children spend. |
D.We needn’t worry about the children and our late life. |
Which of the following advice is NOT mentioned?
A.Laugh often. | B.Enjoy the simple things. |
C.Drink eight cups of water a day. | D.Keep in good health. |