The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. Over one hundred people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker(面包师)in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window into the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery(面包房)into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o’ clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Pauls and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, write about the fire, “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat .”
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them the mew St Pauls.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.The fire began in_________ .
A.a hotel | B.the palace | C.Pudding Lane | D.Thames Street |
The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means_________ .
A.home | B.children | C.wife and husband | D.wife and children |
Why did the writer cite(引用)Samuel Pepys?
A.Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
B.Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
C.To show that poor people suffered most. |
D.To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire. |
How was the fire put out according to the text?
A.The soldiers came to help. |
B.All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed. |
C.People managed to get enough water from the river. |
D.Houses standing in the path of the fire were destroyed according to the King’s order. |
D
House chores are often on the bottom of everyone’s to-do list, so when a disabled family member or friend needs assistance, we often prefer. To let someone else help out with the housework since we usually have enough of our own, but cleaning, washing and sweeping need not be heavy tasks. In fact, you probably get a lot done in a short amount of time if you work efficiently.
If you are visiting a disabled person on a regular hasis, ask which day would be best for you to come, probably for no more than an hour or so. Then find out what type of supplies or equipment you will need to carry out a few clean-up chores. Make a list and take those things with you so you will be ready to get into action when the time comes. Don’t plan to do too much or you will end up spending too much time on chores and perhaps make your host feel guilty. Don’t leave cleaning supplies or equipment in places where your disabled friend might trip over them later. Be cheerful and enjoy your visit either before or after your housework..
Even though you have a better way of handling things, remember that this is your host’s house, and things should be done according to his or her wishes. Of course, if the person’s preferences are vastly different from yours or if you are unable to do things as he or she wishes, let that task go to someone else to do.
Helping someone by assisting with housework is a great way to show friendliness and support. Set reasonable limitations on your time and effort and be flexible about doing whatever your host most wants to be done. Both of you can then benefit from this interactive experience.
67.People usually would rather others help out with a disabled person’s housework probably because _________ .
A.doing house chores is an important task for everyone
B.they have a lot of house work of their own at home
C.they don’t want to spend too much time on unimportant things
D.doing house chores can be a really time-consuming task
68.If you want to help a disabled person with his or her housework, the first thing you should do it to _________ .
A.get all kinds of supplies and equipment ready
B.list the things that can’t be tonched in advance
C.ask him or her which day would be best
D.invite some of your friends to do it with you
69.If you are not able to do what your friend wishes, you’d better_________ .
A.do some practice before
B.ask your parents or someboby else tor advice
C.let someone else deal with it
D.do it under an expert’s instruction
70.According to the passage, doing too many house chores for a disabled person may ________ .
A.have a great effect on your own life
B.affect the disabled person’s life
C.cause some misunderstandings
D.make the disabled person feel guilty
C
I have been employed by a charity organization for less than a year now and I have the privilege of finding foster homes for abandoned children. It has always been my dream to work with adopted children because I myself was an adopted child.
I was born in California in September of 1976 and was adopted in Ohio in March of 1977. I have no memory of being told that I was adopted, however, I have always known. I have been told that I was wanted and I was special.
Even though my parents provided me with lots of love, I was always annoyed by the questions about my origin and my feeling of being unwanted. I constantly scanned every crowd I was in for another human that looked like me or laughed like me.
I began searching for my birthparents in 1999 and I imagined every possible scene of my birth family.
I went to a local agency for support and five days later I met my birth mother. The story unfolded. She flew me to Los Angeles the next day and I spent the weekend connecting with another person who looked just like me. We have had a worthwhile relationship over the past years although she could not give me any information about my birth father.
In June of last year a member of my birth father’s family contacted me. Now, he and I are just beginning to get to know what it is like to be a birth child, Without the support of my parents who raised me I would have never experienced the feeling of being truly wanted accepted. For that, I am forever grateful.
64.What’s the author’s attitude towards working with adopted children?
A.He feels it is worth a try.
B.He is eager to work with them.
C.He is strongly against it .
D.He thinks it is painful.
65.How does the author feel about his birth family?
A.He feels that he can’t forgive his birth parents.
B.He understands his birth parents.
C.He misses his birth parents very much.
D.He is afraid of being hurt by them again.
66.Why does the author writes this passage?
A.To complain about being abandoned by his birth parents.
B.To show how deep his desire to work with adopted children is.
C.To encourage other people to find their birth parents.
D.To show his love to his birth parents and his foster parents.
B
Until I started my Happiness Project, I didn’t think much about rituals and whether they made me happy. But when I reflected on them, I realized that I found rituals both calming and energizing.
For example, in my high school, exams were taken very seriously. When everyone was steeled at a desk, the teacher would pass out the papers, and we would lay them face down. She would return to the front of the classroom, look at the clock, and say quietly, “It is 9:10 now. You have two hours. Be sure to read all the instructions carefully”—then a pause —“you may turn over your test paper and begin now.” This familiar, quiet formula made the start of an exam into a little ritual that put me in the right frame of mind to face a tense exam.
In kindergarten, after singing a good-bye song, the children stand in a circle in the classroom, while the grown-ups wait in a line outside the door. The teacher calls the children’s names, one by one, and the child comes to the door to get a big hug and to leave. The orderliness of this process keeps everyone calm and cheerful.
So think about rituals in your life. Take a moment to taste the enjoyable ones. Think about opportunities to heighten the experience of an ordinary occasion by treating it with special consideration. This is particularly useful if it’s a stressful or emotional experience, discussing a child’s report card, giving a performance review. Packing for a trip, or getting ready for a date.
Studies show that family traditions and family rituals encourage children’s social development and improve feeling of family. They’re not just important for children but for the whole society.
61.From the passage we know that__________.
A.rituals can make the whole society happy and peaceful
B.the author felt nervous when he took exams in high school
C.the exams in high school was a mess
D.the children are nervous as the adults wait to watch their performance
62.The author mentions all of the ritual items in paragraph 3 EXCEPT _________ .
A.singing a good-bye song
B.standing in a circle in the classroom
C.children getting a big hug
D.grown-ups shaking hand with the teacher
63.Studies show that one way to encourage child’s social development is to___________.
A.train their parents for rituals
B.communicate with children
C.form family rituals
D.praise their good actions
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
Spending time together is very important for a family. Parents can use this time to really get to know their children, and children love spending time together with their parents.
Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, families can always come together at the table. Meal time can feed more than just the baby alone, family relations can be promoted as well. Eating breakfast together is a great way to start the day. Eating dinner together every night allows families to share the happening of the day and plan for tomorrow.
Everyone loves a good movie. Break out a bowl of popcorn and gather on the couch together for a family movie night once a week. After a week or two, families begin to really look forward to this relaxing and quiet family time.
Pack up your tent and head for the hills. Going camping is a great way for families have some of that special time together, and a great way to have a holiday too!
Games are fun for both kids and adults. There are so many games to choose from ! This is a wonderful way to bring families together as games make family time so fun !
Gather your family together for a story. Kids just love bedtime stories, This allows parents to spend a bit of time with their kids, too. Children will fall asleep much easier after having a story read to them. This little bit of family time is beneficial in a lot of ways.
Enjoy your family time and have fun with it . You’ll remember the special time for the of your lives.
56.The author thinks playing games is a good way to bring family together because_________.
A.family time is always a fun game
B.both parents and children like games
C.there are so many games for children
D.games are to children what movies are to parents
57.The author seems to believe that________.
A.eating dinner together is to prepare for tomorrow
B.parents should treat children as readers
C.children need parents to read to them
D.watching movies is always special
58.The author implies that_________.
A.watching a movie with popcorn is a practice
B.there is little time for a family to read together
C.meal time can help to strengthen family ties
D.camping is good way to stay away from stress
59.By writing the passage, the author intends to__________.
A.tell readers why it’s necessary to spend family time together
B.show people like spending family time together
C.express his appreciation of the time his family spent is important
D.explain why reading to children before they go to sleep is important
60.The main purpose of the text is to________.
A.give advice B.provide facts C.tell a story D.compare opinions
E
Teachers have long said that success is its own reward. But these days, some students are finding that good grades can bring them cash and luxury gifts.
In at least a dozen states this school year, students who bring home top marks can expect more than just thankfulness.
The most ambitious experiment began in September, when seven states—Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington—won spots in an Mobilfunded program that, in most cases, pays students $100 for each passing grade on advanced placement(AP) collegeprep exams.
It’s an effort to get lowincome and minority students interested in the courses, says Tommie Sue Anthony, president of the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science. “We still have students who are not sure of the value, who are not willing to take the courses.” she says, “Probably the motivation will make a difference with those students.”
Gregg Fleisher of the National Math and Science Initiative, which runs the sevenstate program, says the effort is modeled on a program adopted by Dallas in the 1995-1996 school year that saw AP coursetaking jump obviously. That program is now statewide.
While many educators would be against offering kids cash for good grades, Fleisher and others say the idea is simple. “It’s an encouragement to get them to basically make the right decision and choose a more strict class.” he says, “This teaches them that if they work at something very hard and have a lot of support, they can do something they didn’t think they could do.”
An analysis of the Texas program last month by Cornell economist C.Kirabo Jackson found that it linked to a 30% rise in the number of students with high SAT and ACT scores and an 8% rise in collegegoing students.
(Notes:1.SAT:美国学术能力评估考试; 2.ACT:美国大学入学考试。)
51.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Success is its own reward. B.Success makes a difference.
C.Good grades deserves gratitude. D.A new motivation for students.
52.What’s the purpose of the experiment?
A.To get relatively poor students interested in their studies.
B.To help poor students to keep on with education.
C.To offer poor students luxury gifts on their birthdays.
D.To make an effort to raise the value of money.
53.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.Students who top at collegeprep exams get $100.
B.The program was probably first adopted by Dallas.
C.The program has been going on half a dozen states this year.
D.The program didn’t have any effect on student’s achievements.
54.What is the writer’s attitude toward offering kids cash for good grades?
A.Favorable. B.Worried. C.Opposed. D.Confident.
55.According to the passage, the program_______.
A.makes everything possible B.encourages students to study harder
C.helps students choose right classesD.teaches students to spend money