One night recently , I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour . A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed . As we passed each other , I caught the other driver’s eye for only a second . I wondered whether he might be thinking , as I was , how dependent we were on each other at that moment . I was relying on him not to fall asleep , not to be put off by a phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life to a sudden end . Though we had never spoken a word to each other , he relied on me in just the same way .
Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works . At some level , we all depend upon one another . Sometimes that dependence requires us simply not to do something like crossing over the double yellow line . And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively , with friends or even with strangers .
As technology shrinks our world , the need increases for cooperative action among nations . In 2003, doctors in five nations were quickly organized to identify the SARS virus , which saved thousands of lives . The threat of international terrorism has shown itself to be a similar problem, one requiring coordinated action by police and intelligence forces across the world . We must recognize that our fates (命运) are not ours alone to control .
In my own life , I’ve put great stock in personal responsibility . But , as the years have passed, I’ve also come to believe that there are moments when one must rely upon the good faith and judgment of others . so , while each of us faces the case of driving alone down a dark road , what we must learn is that the approaching light may not be a threat , but a shared moment of trust .The author considers very important .
| A．driving alone on a dark road | B．independence of people |
| C．cooperation to identify SARS virus | D．shared trust and cooperation |
The author said that they depended on each other in the same way because .
| A．the approaching car was very dangerous |
| B．they both drove their car at a terrific speed |
| C．he might be killed out of the other’s careless driving |
| D．it was dark and the road was not wide enough |
From the second paragraph ,we know the author drew the important lesson from .
| A．only one experience | B．many similar experiences |
| C．a driver on a dark road | D．many friends and strangers |
The need for cooperation increases because .
| A．peoples’ fates can’t be controlled by themselves |
| B．the SARS virus spread quickly |
| C．terrorism can happen everywhere |
| D．the world has become smaller |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the author has .
| A．believed in one’s own personal responsibility |
| B．counted upon himself alone in everything |
| C．had no trust in others’ good faith and judgment |
| D．had a change on his viewpoint of life |
It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned. Fortunately，such moments are usually not obvious to the listeners. Why? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. They hear only what the speaker does say. If you lose your place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain place, no one will be wiser. When such moments occur, don’t worry about them. Just continue if nothing happened.
Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that doesn’t really matter. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther Kings famous speech—“I have a Dream”, you may notice that he stumbles (结巴) over his words twice during the speech. Most likely, however, you don’t remember. Why? Because you were fixing your attention on his message rather than on his way of speech-making.
People care a lot about making a mistake in a speech because they regard speech-making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication. They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition. But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performance. They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker’s ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker’s attractiveness by making him more human.
As you work on your speech, don’t worry about being perfect. Once you free your mind of this, you will find it much easier to give your speech freely.
1. The underlined part in the first paragraph means that no one will _________.
A. be smarter than you B. notice your mistakes
C. do better than you D. know what you are talking about
2. You don’t remember obvious mistakes in a speech because ___________.
A. your attention is on the content
B. you don’t fully understand the speech
C. you don’t know what the speaker plans to say
D. you find the way of speech-making more important
3. It can be inferred from the passage that___________.
A. giving a speech is like giving a performance
B. one or two mistakes in a speech may not be bad
C. the listeners should pay more attention to how a speech is made
D. the more mistakes a speaker makes, the more attractive he will be
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to Be a Perfect Speaker B. how to Make a Perfect Speech
C. Don’t Expect a Perfect Speech D. Don’t Expect Mistakes in a Speech
四、阅读理解（每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The easy way out isn’t always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug,
my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu
which included homemade bread. Knowing making the bread would take time, I started on it as
soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen wasgood, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Doug loved oranges, I also openeda can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough (面团) coveredwith ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish binoutside so I wouldn’t have to face Doug laughing at my work. I went on preparing the rest ofthe meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoythe meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard anoise. The third time he left, I went to the window to see what he was doing. Looking out, Isaw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick andlooking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick again, he heldthe lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Withoutdoubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermentingyeast (酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. It looked like someunknown being from outer space. I could see why Doug was so shaken. I had to admit what the‘living thing’ was and why it was there. I don’t know who was more embarrassed (尴尬) bythe whole thing --- Doug or me.
1. The writer’s purpose in writing this story is ____________.
A. to tell an interesting experience
B. to show the easiest way out of a difficulty
C. to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman
D. to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books
2. Why did the woman’s attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful? _________
A. The canned orange had gone bad.
B. She didn’t use the right kind of flour.
C. The cookbook was hard to understand.
D. She did not follow the directions closely.
3. Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin? _________
A. She didn’t see the use of keeping it.
B. She meant to joke with her husband.
C. She didn’t want her husband to see it.
D. She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.
4. What made the dough in the bin look frightening? _________
A. The rising and falling movement. B. The strange-looking marks.
C. Its shape. D. Its size.
Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions, manage their environment, and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson, a Year One student, “operates under the theory of what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine,” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers（剑）. Later, I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones. ”
“Examine the extended family, and you’ll probably find a bossy grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin in every generation. It’s an inheritable trait,” says Russell Barkley, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance（支配地位）when they sense their parents are weak, hesitant, or in disagreement with each other.
Whether it’s inborn nature or developed character at work, too much control in the hands of the young isn’t healthy for children or the family, Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior, says family psychologist John Taylor. Children, he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation, “have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe. ” It’s the parents’ role to provide that protection.
When a “boss child” doesn’t learn limits at home, the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches, for example, or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.
“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley, who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don’t want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids, in turn, feel more anxious. ”
1. Bossy children like Stephen Jackson_______.
A. make good decisions B. show self-centeredness
C. lack care from others D. have little sense of fear
2. The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means_______.
A. inborn nature B. developed character
C. accepted theory D. particular environment
3. The study on bossy behavior implies that parents_______.
A. should give more power to their children
B. should be strict with their children
C. should not be so anxious about their children
D. should not set limits for their children
4. Bossy children may probably become_______.
A. relaxed B. skillful A. hesitant D. lonely
5. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How bossy behavior can be controlled.
B. How we can get along with bossy children.
C. What leads to children’s bossy behavior.
D. What effect bossy behavior brings about.
SYDNEY: As they sat sharing sweets beside a swimming pool in 1999 , Shane Gould and Jessicah Schipper were simply getting along well , chatting about sport , life and “ anything else that came up . ”
Yet in Sydney next month , they will meet again by the pool , and for a short time the friends will race against each other in the 50-meter butterfly（蝶泳）in the Australian championships at Homebush Bay .
Gould , now a 47-year-old mother of four , has announced she will be making a return to elite competition（顶级赛事）to swim the one event , having set a qualifying（合格的）time of 30.32 seconds in winning gold at last year’s United States Masters championships . Her comeback comes 32 years after she won three golds at the Munich Olympics .
Schipper , now a 17-year-old from Brisbane with a bright future of going to Athens for her first Olympics , yesterday recalled（回忆）her time with Gould fie years ago .
“ I was at a national youth camp on the Gold Coast and Shane had come along to talk to us and watch us train , ” Schipper explained . “ It seemed as if we had long been good friends . I don’t know why . We just started talking and it went from there . ”
“ She had a lot to share with all of us at that camp . She told us stories about what it was like at big meets like the Olympics and what it’s like to be on an Australian team . It was really interesting . ”
Next time , things will be more serious . “ I will still be swimming in the 50m butterfly at the nationals , so there is a chance that I could actually be competing against Shane Gould , ” said Schipper , who burst onto the scene at last year’s national championships with second places in the 100m and 200m butterfly .
1. What is the passage mainly about ?
A. Stories happening in swimming competitions .
B. Two women swimmers winning Olympic golds .
C. Lessons learned from international swimming championships .
D. Friendship and competition between two swimmers .
2. Gould and Schipper are going to________ .
A. talk about sport and lifeB. go back to elite competition
C. set a qualifying time and win goldD. take part in the same sports event
3. Gould won her three Olympic golds when she was________ .
A. 15B. 17C. 22D. 30
4. The underlined word “ it ” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to________ .
A. the Olympics B. the youth camp
C. the friendshipD. the Australian team
5. What Schipper said showed that she________ .
A. was no longer Gould’s friend B. had learned a lot from Gould
C. was not interested in Gould’s stories D. would not like to compete against Gould
That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers (抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment (公寓房间), I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck (垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “ Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? the door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 A.M. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back. I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
1. How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
A. Cold and sick B. Fortunate and helpful
C. Satisfied and cheerful D. Disappointed and helpless
2. From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy ______.
A. solving her problem at the bank B. taking part in various city activities
C. learning acting in a n evening school D. preparing for the first night show
3. On her way home the writer _______.
A. lost her wallet unknowingly B. was stopped by a garbage truck driver
C. was robbed of her wallet by an armed man D. found some homeless people following her
4. In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?
A. Someone offered to take her back home. B. A red-haired man came to see her.
C. She heard someone call her name D. Her wallet was found in a garbage truck.
5. From the text, we can infer that the writer _________.
A. would stop working at night B. would stay on in San Francisco
C. would make friends with cleaners D. would give up her job at the bank