My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn't know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday-morning bus trips through the city with the same group of “nameless” people have changed our thinking. Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where’s the silent woman who sits up front and never responds to our cheery greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn't have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver.
We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they’re still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape confirmed that she’d delivered the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family.
For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to establish the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus.
We greeted her with friendly familiarity we’d shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn’t spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her.
Over dinner, we learned the stay of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him desperately, she explained. “I love him… and he loves me, even though he doesn’t express it very well,” she murmured. “Lots of us have that problem, don’t we? We don’t say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that’s not good enough.” The candles flared on our tables. Our fish had never tasted better. But the atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends—we shared names.All the following statements can describe the woman except ______.
| A．poor | B．warm -hearted | C．silent | D．cold |
The underlined word “establish” in the 3th paragraph has the same meaning as_________.
| A．keep | B．discover | C．set up | D．accept |
The woman had the same problem with her son in the way that ______.
| A．they both disabled people |
| B．they both had some difficulty in expressing |
| C．they both liked bus travel |
| D．they both brought interest to the passengers |
Which of the following might be the best title of this passage?
| A．Friends of the Road | B．The Silent Woman on the Bus |
| C．Going to Work by Bus | D．Different Kinds of Friendship |
Lilian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs Hanson different from her classmates is her age — 73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.
When Lilian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn’t think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lilian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college.
Mrs Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again. She finds the hardest part of going back to school at her age is the sitting in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as flexible（易适应的） as she used to be, Mrs Hanson often gets up and walks around between classes to keep from getting stiff（僵硬）. At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood and gave her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were.The difference between Lilian and her classmates is that .
| A．she works harder at her lessons |
| B．she is eager to graduate from college |
| C．she is much older |
| D．she is a country girl |
Lilian wasn’t able to go to college after graduation from high school because ________.
| A．she wanted to teach herself | B．she got married |
| C．she had to look after her children | D．she hadn’t enough money |
The writer wrote the passage in order to show us that ________.
| A．a friend in need is a friend indeed |
| B．one is never too old to learn |
| C．knowledge is power |
| D．education is of great importance |
Lilian could get a higher education when she was old because ________.
| A．she borrowed money from the bank |
| B．her husband and children helped her |
| C．her classmates encouraged her to get it |
| D．the reason isn’t mentioned in the passage |
Don’t drive your kids to school. Let them ride a bike to school.
In England 8.3 million children travel to school every day. It is reported that only a small number of pupils cycle to school (under 2%), although one in three children would actually like to.
Experts say that to stay healthy, children need at least one hour of moderate (适度的) exercise every day. But only six out of ten boys and four out of ten girls get that. One of the reasons is that parents have developed a habit of driving their children to school when they could just walk or ride a bike to school.
Teachers often say that children who walk or ride a bike to school are more ready to listen to their classes, ask and answer questions in class than those driven by car, and the school journey is a good chance for children to learn about road safety and other life skills. Also, for many children, riding a bike is more fun than going to school by car.
Most parents know the benefits (益处). Then what’s stopping them from letting their kids ride a bike? Safety is the number one worry for them. But actually riding a bike is not as dangerous as parents think it is.
When you decide to buy a bike, you should be aware（意识到） that a bike that is too big or too small is dangerous. Don’t try to get a bike that your child will “grow into”. Get the right size in good working order. Generally, 20-inch wheels are on bikes for 5-8 year olds; 24-inch wheels are for 9-11 year olds; 26-inch wheels are suitable for those over 11, and some older children should even take bikes with 28-inch wheels, but the main thing is that the bike fits your child. This passage is mainly written for ________.
| A．teachers whose students have asked their parents to drive them to school |
| B．children who have asked their parents to drive them to school |
| C．parents who drive their children to school |
| D．parents who drive to work |
Which of the following benefits of cycling to school is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．It will help children keep healthy |
| B． It will make children more active in class. |
| C．It will make children feel freer |
| D．It will be more fun for children. |
Parents don’t allow their children to ride a bike to school mainly because ________.
| A．their children don’t want to. |
| B．they are worried about their children’s safety. |
| C．they don’t know what size bike to choose |
| D．They haven’t enough money to buy a bike. |
Generally, what size bike is suitable for a 10-year-old child？
| A．A bike with 20-inch wheels | B．A bike with 24-inch wheels |
| C．A bike with 26-inch | D．A bike with 28-inch wheels |
Mother stayed at home cooking and cleaning while Father left for work. Two or more children took the bus to school. In the evening, all the family members got together at home again. This is what a traditional family was like twenty years ago. But now great changes have happened in British families.
As many as 2 out of 3 marriages now end in divorce(离婚), and many children have to live with one parent and only see the other at weekends or during holidays.
There has been a great increase in the number of working women with children. Many women have to work to support themselves and their children. Even in the family where there is no divorce, both parents have to work in order to survive.
Also women are no longer happy to stay at home taking care of children. Many of them have jobs and some of them can even make more money than men, the traditional breadwinners.
What’s more, the increasing number of single-parent families have caused an increase in the crime rate (犯罪率) among children in a way. It is thought that if a child doesn’t have a father, he or she will be harmed.
However the changes may be good for some people. For women it’s now much easier to have well-paid jobs. Although it is difficult to be a working mother, it is no longer seen as a bad thing for children.
As for some children, they learn how to solve problems by themselves at an early age.Which of the following statements is TRUE about a traditional family in Britain twenty years ago?
| A．Both the mother and the father had to work to support the family. |
| B．The father stayed at home taking care of the children. |
| C．The mother didn’t need to work. |
| D．A family had only one child. |
Which of the following things is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
| A．The increasing number of divorces. |
| B．The increasing number of fathers who stay at home. |
| C．The increasing number of working mothers. |
| D．The increasing crime rate among children. |
According to the passage, a “breadwinner” refers to a person who ________.
| A．has got some bread | B．is good at making bread |
| C．stays at home raising children | D．works to support the family |
From the passage we can learn that ________.
| A．In a family where the parents are not divorced in Britain，the mother doesn’t have to work. |
| B．Children whose parents are divorced have to start working early. |
| C．The father is very important to a child’s growth. |
| D．The changes in British families do no good to people. |
Several years ago, I had to replace a receptionist for my unit. Before I advertised for the position, I was approached by another manager, and asked if l would consider a transfer from his staff instead of opening a new competition. My natural question was to ask who he wanted me to consider and why.
It appeared from his description of this employee, Maria, that she was having a lot of problems performing her duties, and had difficulties with her boss, and did not appear to respond to any attempts he, the manager, had made to settle the issues. Now, after listening to his explanation, I really had severe doubts. What crossed my mind, after this discussion, was that he wanted me to take a problem off his hands.
I told him I would think about it and would let him know the next day. As promised, after thinking more about this potential performance issue, I decided that I would agree to speak with Maria privately before I made any decision.
And, what I found out during this interview, left me deep in thought. As it turned out, the performance issue appeared to result from working for a boss who never extended a good morning greeting, never gave a word of encouragement, and was constantly changing the work load and routines. The end result was a totally ruined employee who was unconfident, hated to see a new work day start.
I decided to accept her transfer to my unit. What started out as a shy, withdrawn and frightened employee turned out to be one of the most productive and loyal employee that I had ever worked with. Maria couldn't do enough and was constantly asking for more and for more responsibility. I was more than happy to give her what she needed-praise for work well done, respect as a person, and encouragement for doing well in anything she dealt with.
Sometimes, we are guilty of holding others back from accomplishing or doing or developing as they should or could. It may be a wise idea that we all look in the mirror, from time to time, to see what we are really like.What can we learn about the writer from the first paragraph?
| A．He is a manager in the company. |
| B．He doesn't like his receptionist. |
| C．He likes to compete with others. |
| D．He wants to find another position. |
After hearing his colleague's description of Maria, the writer thought that Maria_______.
| A．attempted to settle the issues |
| B．was a problem to her boss |
| C．shouldn't stay in the company |
| D．could get on well with others |
Why did Maria fail to perform well in her previous job?
| A．Her previous job was not suitable for her. |
| B．She had difficulty responding to her manager. |
| C．Her boss didn't inspire her working enthusiasm. |
| D．Her boss showed no trust in her ability. |
The writer accepted Maria's transfer to unit probably because he thought that________.
| A．she was a ruined employee |
| B．she would need his protection |
| C．she would turn out to be a good employee |
| D．she was a shy and frightened employee |
The writer probably believes that a good boss should________.
| A．praise and award his employees a lot |
| B．respect, praise and encourage his employees |
| C．greet his employees and give them much work |
| D．always give his employees guidance in working |
Do you know the open-air art gallery in London's Blackall Street? Probably -not. Not many Londoners know it either, but Henri does and he is willing to show it to you.
Henri used to sleep in parks until he met a charity(慈善机构) that helps homeless people get back on their feet by becoming tour guides.
Rather than show traditional London sights, “Unseen Tours" take people off the beaten track. Henri has been teaching tourists about the history and architecture of Shoreditch, where he slept on public benches for three years.
When he felt separated from the society, contact with the volunteer network "The Sock Mob" gave Henri hope. "Not everyone just looked down on me," he said. The tours aren't the only actions trying to help those who have suffered a misfortune to stand tall again.
An innovative(创新的) college for homeless people in London, the first of its kind in the country, is attracting hundreds of students. The Recovery College, set up by St Mungo's charity, is providing courses designed to improve technical skills and life skills.
According to Andy Williams, who helps to organize the college, the most popular courses have proved to be about raising self-confidence and developing self-pride.
Steve, now in his 50s, told a reporter how much of a difference it makes to "have a bit of confidence". He had difficulty learning to read and had to leave school when he was 12. Because Steve's problem was not recognized at the time, he was "seen to be unable to read or write", and suffered with depression and alcohol addiction. He says the status of "student" is itself important for people who are used to being treated as outcasts（被遗弃者）
Some charities aim not only to help the homeless become independent but also to make them popular. The Homeless World Cup started ten years ago. Today the tournament draws teams from 48 countries made up of players-men and women-who are, or have been, living in the streets. It gives them a chance to become football heroes.The underlined part "take people off the beaten track" means "take people to______.”
| A．famous galleries | B．traditional sights |
| C．unusual places | D．public benches |
How does the Recovery College help the homeless people?
| A．By training them to be guides |
| B．By offering them different courses. |
| C．By keeping in contact with them. |
| D．By asking more students to help them. |
At the age of 12, Steve _______ .
| A．wasn't treated as a normal student |
| B．had much confidence in himself |
| C．didn't want to study at school |
| D．left school because of depression |
The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to help the homeless people _______.
| A．become football stars | B．improve life skills |
| C．gain self-confidence | D．find proper jobs |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Confidence Back Now. | B．London Tour. |
| C．The Popular Homeless. | D．Football Heroes. |