This week is National Volunteer Week, a time for the Canadian Red Cross to recognize our dedicated (有奉献精神的) volunteers who devote their time and talents from coast to coast. Over the course of the week we will use this blog to share stories about our volunteers and the amazing work they do --- a small part of the outstanding individuals across the country.
Take Saskatchewan for example. Last year that province was hit by wide-spread flooding, a hurricane and forest fires. Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers went to work right away and helped more than 2,100 adults and 775 children recover the basic necessities of life.
It’s important to share stories from volunteers to truly appreciate what they do. Christine Hoffman is a Disaster Response Volunteer in Canadian Red Cross in Saskatchewan. She’s a veteran Red Crosser for about 16 years. Still nothing could have prepared her for the call she took in the Recovery Center last year in response to flooding in Maple Greek. This story is best told in her own words. This is what she said:
“I will never forget the first phone call I took in the Recovery Centre. A young man called asking what services Red Cross was offering in town. As we were talking, he told me he had a rope in his backyard but he thought he would be using it for other reasons. My heart stopped. I told him to come to see us so we could work together on a plan to improve his situation. He came in a little while later. Nearly two hours later he left standing straight up with tear- filled eyes. He thanked me for convincing him to come in. His home had been destroyed, but together we put together a plan and he was eventually able to move back into his own home.”
During National Volunteer Week 2011, let’s thank Christine, and the many other volunteers like her. Thanks for making us proud!According to the second paragraph, Canadian Red Cross’ action is ______
| A．slow | B．quick | C．helpless | D．disappointing |
Which of the following is closet in meaning to the underlined word “veteran” in the third paragraph?
| A．Careless | B．Experienced | C．Unskillful | D．Optimistic |
The underlined words in the forth paragraph expressed Christine Hoffman’s feeling of ____
| A．excitement | B．anger | C．happiness | D．nervousness |
What can we infer from what Christine Hoffman said?
| A．The young man felt sad for Christine Hoffman because of her poor experience |
| B．The young man was persuaded by Christine Hoffman and decided to live on |
| C．Christine Hoffman made the young man sad and he cried |
| D．Christine Hoffman offered to give the young man a little money to help him |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How to become a volunteer |
| B．An excellent volunteer and her family |
| C．Volunteers and their amazing work |
| D．What the Canadian Red Cross does |
Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.
Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive（印象深刻的）as the building itself.
First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial（纪念物） to celebrate their love.
When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.
Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.
And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Hehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact － imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it－until he was buried next to his wife.
Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired（激发……的灵感） its construction.
59．The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____.
A.the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building
B. ancient Indian emperors were cruel
C. construction workers led a hard life in ancient India
D. India has some of the most famous buildings in the world
60．The Taj Mahal was first built as _____.
A. a prison B. a gift to Mumtaz
C. a memorial building D. a tourist attraction
61．We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____.
A. 1626 B. 1632 C. 1634 D. 1653
62．The underlined word “happiness” in the last sentence refers to _____.
A. the married happiness of the emperor and his wife
B. the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power
C. the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal
D. the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal
If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language,
you will get answers like "Shakespeare," "Samuel Johnson," and "Webster," but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn't even speak English-William the Conqueror.
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon（or Old English）, a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modem English even shows a distinction（区别） between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still Out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more "foreign" than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man's ambition.
67. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were _____.
A. Welsh and Scottish B. Nordic and Germanic
C. Celtic and Old English D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic
68. Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?
A. president, lawyer, beef B. president, bread, water
C. bread, field, sheep D. folk, field, cow
69. Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?
A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.
B. They know little of the history of the English language.
C. Many French words are similar to English ones.
D. They know French better than German.
70. What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. The history of Great Britain.
B. The similarity between English and French.
C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.
D. The French influences on the English language.
My parents were in a huge argument, and 1 was really upset about it. I didn't know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend's house. Though I knew I wouldn't tell her about my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to gelling out of the house. I was in the middle of packing up my things when suddenly the power went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.
I was really disappointed because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I'd stay with him until the power was restored. He was quite happy and said, "Great opportunity."
"What is?" I asked.
"To talk, you and I" he said. "To hold a private little meeting about what we’re going to do with your mom and dad, and what we're going to do with ourselves now that we're in the situation we are in."
"But we can't do anything about it. Grandpa," I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same "boat" as I was.
And that's how the most unbelievable friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting Acre in the dark, we talked about our feelings and fears of life — from how fast things change, to how they sometimes don't change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talk about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be — suddenly, the lights all came hack on. "Well," he said, "I guess that means you'll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!"
56.1 wished to get out of the house because ____
A. I was angry about my parents’ quarrel B. I found nobody to share my feelings with
C. I wanted to escape from the dark house D. I planned to tell my friend about my trouble
57. Grandpa was happy to see me because _____.
A. he could discuss the problem with me B. he had not seen me for a long lime
C. he was afraid of darkness D. he felt quite lonely
58. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The grandchild was eager to leave. B. They would have more chats.
C. The lights would go out again. D. It would no longer be dark.
He wishes the holiday season would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit, his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours — and still the kids keep coming and coming, like ants at a picnic. As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商业化) across the U. S. and Canada, so must Santas. As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen .
The questions from children these days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning?”
Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story: A Santa had a girl on his knee, and he commented, “You have nice eyes and nice hair.” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (骚扰). When a Santa feels anxious, he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do: The Santas were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended. Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don’t see other children again.
56．In the first paragraph, “spokesmen” refers to .
A．businessmen B．political leaders
C．organisers of the activities D．Santa Clauses
57．The passage implies that the job of Santa Claus is .
A．well-paid B．very hard C．worth doing D．dangerous
58．According to the third paragraph, Santas may sometimes be blamed for .
A．doing something against the law B．hanging around the dinner table
C．being lazy and sleeping in bed for days D．not playing their roles as expected
59．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Christmas: Not a Good Festival for Santas
B．Is Santa Claus Really Alive?
C．A Christmas Story
D．What Does Santa Claus Do for Children?
A letter to Edward, a columnist（报刊专栏作家）
Dear Mr Expert:
I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved.
Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine — so much so that they make mine theirs.
It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.
I enjoy having my friends here sometimes — it makes the place feel comfortable and warm— but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy（隐私）?
Joan
Edward’s reply to Joan
Dear Joan:
If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.
And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere（气氛）,you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with— or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.
Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over.”
63. We can learn from the first letter that Joan Edward .
A. lives away from her parents
B. takes pride in her friends
C. knows Mr Expert quite well
D. hates her parents very much
64. We can infer from the first letter that .
A. Joan considers her friends more important than her privacy
B. Joan’s friends visit her more often than she can accept
C. Joan doesn’t like the parties at all
D. Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over
65. According to Mr Expert, why can’t Joan tell her friends her feelings?
A. She is afraid of hurting her friends.
B. She does not understand true friendship.
C. Her family experience stops her from doing so.
D. She does not put her needs first.
66. The underlined word “conflict” in the second letter means .
A. dependent life B. fierce fight C. bad manners D. painful feeling
67. The second letter suggests that Mr Expert .
A. is worried about Joan’s problem B. warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends
C. advises Joan on how to refuse people D. encourages Joan to be brave enough