One of the best-loved American writers was William Sydney Porter, or O.Henry. From 1893 he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas, which is now a museum. Visitors to Austin can see the house. It was saved from destruction (破坏) and turned into a museum in1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of the American writer.
William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not. An important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken there in the house about 1895. The piano there goes back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin.
Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museumm has a special proof of Porter’s love of language --- his dictionary. It is said that he had read every word in that dictionary.
Later William Porter was forced to leave Austin because he was charged with financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Because he was afraid of a trail (审判), he left the country secretly. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced the trial and became a criminal. He served three and a half years in a prison in Ohio.
William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time he was freed, he had published 14 stories and became well known as O.Henry.
Porter later moved to New York City and found great success there. He published over 180 stories in the last eight years of his life.O.Henry’s house in Austin has been well kept up till now so that ____.
A. Americans can explore their history
B more visitors will be attracted to Austin
C. visitors can learn about O.Henry’s life
D. it can show the way of life in the 1860sWhat do we know about the piano in the house?
| A．It was hated by Porter’s daughter. |
| B．It has a long history of about 150 years. |
| C．Porter’s wife gave music lessons on it. |
| D．Porter usually created music on it. |
How does the museum prove (证明) Porter was fond of language?
| A．With a dictionary he used. |
| B．With the records they keep. |
| C．Using the books they wrote. |
| D．Using the photograph they keep. |
Why did Porter escape from Austin?
| A．He didn’t want to lose his job. |
| B．He didn’t want to make trouble. |
| C．He meant to save his wife’s life. |
| D．He was charged with a crime. |
From the last two paragraphs we know that _______.
| A．Porter became famous suddenly |
| B．Porter spent his time in prison writing |
| C．Porter suffered a lot from his time in prison |
| D．life in prison provided what he could write for Porter |
Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she was really a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take a flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on the top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled (蹒跚) off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
“We have to go and help her,”whispered Amy.
“What if it is a trick?”replied Ben.
“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,”reasoned Meg.“Come on, Amy! Let’s go.”The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken.“Go and get Dad,”Amy yelled at her brother.“Tell him about the accident.”
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.Why were the children hiding in the tree?
| A．Because they wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely. |
| B．Because they were playing a hide-and-seek game. |
| C．Because they wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true. |
| D．Because they were pretending to be spies. |
Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when __________.
| A．her front steps were clean |
| B．she noticed the children in the tree |
| C．she was ready to take a flight |
| D．she heard the hen cackling |
Ben did not rush into helping Mrs. Tailor because _________.
| A．he thought that she could be tricking them |
| B．he knew that they could not have been in the tree |
| C．he did not see the old lady fall down |
| D．he was afraid of the three-legged cat |
Compared to the other parts of the body, our ears don’t ask for much. They don't need to be brushed once a day like your teeth. But they need some special care, especially if you like listening to music with earphones.
Maybe your mum or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they are quite right. Loud noise might cause hearing loss for a short time or even forever. Think that earphones are a good way to escape from tour parents’ eyes? Well. It may not be as good a way as you expect. American doctors have studied a group of 44,000 people who used earphones more than 15 hours per week. The doctors found that 37,000 of them were getting hearing problems.
If you use earphones for too long a time, your ears might feel painful. You could also lose your hearing for the rest of your life. So don’t wear your earphones too long. Use them less than one hour a day. Want sharp hearing? Don’t forget to do the following: Try to stay away from places where there is too much noise, like a disco. If you have to go, wear earplugs. When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in. Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your mum or dad to help you clean it out.
Keep these things in mind! Then you won't be saying "WHAT???" when you are older.Using earphones "may not be as good a way as you expect" because _______.
| A．your parents know what you're doing |
| B．it can cause hearing problems |
| C．it makes your parents angry |
| D．most of you use them improperly |
If you want sharp hearing, you should _____.
| A．have your ears specially trained |
| B．often wear earplugs and clean out the earwax |
| C．take good care of your ears |
| D．choose what you listen to carefully |
"WHAT???" in the last sentence is an expression showing that the speaker____.
| A．has become impatient |
| B．speaks in a loud voice |
| C．is slow in understanding |
| D．asks for a lot of repetition |
On Friday, June 20th, 29 dogs along with their owners came to Santa Rosa, California. They came there to take part in an unusual competition—one that seeks out and honors the World’s Ugliest Dog. Now in its 26th year, the competition is one of the biggest attractions at the annual Sonoma County Fair.
Among the leading competitors were Cupcake, who was adopted (收养) from a local dog rescue center in January and Shorty, who would have been put to sleep if its owner, Jason, wasn’t kind enough to pick it up. Also competing was 11-year-old veteran Grovie. Described by his owner as short and funny, the Chinese pug is a local resident who has taken part in this contest several times. Then there was 2002 “World’s Ugliest Dog” and “Ring of Champions” winner, Rascal. The 7lbs naturally hairless dog with very few teeth comes from an impressive background (背景). His grandfather, Chi Chi, holds the Guinness World Record for winning the title “World’s Ugliest Dog” seven times!
But all these impressively “ugly” dogs had no chance against Peanut. The two-year-old dog was badly burnt in a fire which caused him to lose his lips, most of his body hair and eyelids. Besides winning the title, $1,500 USD in cash and a large trophy (奖杯), the first time winner also enjoyed an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City where he made scheduled appearances on the Today Show and the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
The competition is a great way to honor these dogs, many of whom get their unusual looks because of human abuse (虐待). But most importantly, it raises awareness about their adoption by showing the world that ugliness does not prevent dogs from becoming very loving pets.Who play the biggest role in the competition mentioned in Para. 1?
| A．The dog owners who are good at keeping dogs. |
| B．The people who have adopted dogs. |
| C．The dogs that have unusual skills. |
| D．The dogs that look very ugly. |
It can be inferred that Jason adopted Shorty probably because he .
| A．thought Shorty would win the competition |
| B．loved Shorty’s appearance very much |
| C．didn’t want Shorty to be homeless |
| D．didn’t want Shorty to be killed |
What can we learn from Rascal’s impressive background?
| A．He comes from a family of ugly dogs. |
| B．Most of his family members are well-known. |
| C．His grandfather had won the competition seven times. |
| D．Seven of his family members had won the competition. |
According to the last paragraph, the competition wants to .
| A．show that not all people are kind to dogs |
| B．call on people to adopt ugly dogs |
| C．tell people that loving pets usually don’t look good |
| D．warn people not to judge dogs by appearances |
We all have fond memories of taking a few lazy months off after the stress of A-levels. So now that summer has arrived, let’s take full advantage. It goes without saying that summer vacations are the perfect time to go traveling.
Tickets go up greatly when you turn 26, so make the most of cheaper rates while you’re eligible.
Overseas volunteering won’t amaze future employers, but it can be very useful. Finding a reliable (可靠的) company that won’t cheat you is important, as is discovering a program that interests you. There are plenty of websites where you can see other people’s suggestions.
Of course for most of us, money is tight. To avoid overspending you can combine employment and vacation. Hannah Warn, a psychology (心理学) student at the University of Winchester, is spending her summer at Camp America where students enjoy a good time on a summer camp. “Being thrown into something where I don’t really know what to expect is exciting,” she says. “It gives me a chance to experience being away from home in a different way.”
Those with a talent for languages might also consider working abroad as an au pair (互惠工人). The work may be a chance to involve yourself in a new culture while your employer pays most of the bill.
If you have an idea of the sort of career you’d like, getting work experience is wise. In many careers, graduating with only your degree to show for your three or four years just won’t make it. Send applications (申请) off early and to as many places as possible. Make sure you take a well-earned break this summer.It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．students who quit school will pay more for travel |
| B．students may enjoy lower-price tickets when traveling |
| C．students should have a longer summer vacation than ever |
| D．students will be offered part-time jobs during the vacation |
The underlined part “you’re eligible” in Para. 2 can best be replaced by “”.
| A．you have more free time | B．you’re tired of school life |
| C．you enjoy traveling a lot | D．you’re of the right age |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the example of Hannah Warn?
| A．Camp America offers jobs to students. |
| B．Psychology students are good at saving money. |
| C．Students had better choose a camp related to their future job. |
| D．A camp is a good place to combine employment and vacation. |
According to the passage, who is more likely to get a job after graduation?
| A．John, who got excellent academic records during his university years. |
| B．Lily, who worked abroad as an au pair during summer vacations. |
| C．Tom, who got working experience related to his future job in college. |
| D．Mary, who got a degree after studying four years in a famous university. |
“No, no, no, dear, I want that wrapped in red paper.” A middle-aged woman came through my line and talked to me as if my IQ were that of a grade school kid. When I first started working, it was simply a way to decrease (减少) the time I spent at home and make my parents happy. I never thought that a year and a half later, I would still be at Marshalls, waiting for this woman to get through my line.
I smiled and said, “Oh, that’s no problem.” She bent over the counter to look at the computer and made sure I was doing my job correctly. Her sweater grazed my hand and she smiled like she meant well. I wanted to roll my eyes but instead I just smiled. Ever since I started working here, I’ve tried not to let people like her get to me. And forget judging a book by its cover, because I have been proved wrong time and time again. The wealthy middle-aged women were far ruder than the teenage boys. At first, I was constantly surprised. Now, I tried not to even guess how the person coming near my line was going to act, because it was never the way I imagine.
I never expected people to be so rude and at the same time nice. But for every rude person I saw, at least five pleasant customers came through my line.
“Here you go,” I handed the woman her receipt and hoped her $5 wine glass was wrapped to her liking. “Have a nice day!” I said. And just as I thought I was fed up, the next customer came through. “She had about one more minute and I was going to tell her to get out of line,” she whispered (小声说) to me with a smile.Why did the writer work at Marshalls?
| A．To have more time to go out. |
| B．To make money for the family. |
| C．To find a way to be happy. |
| D．To improve her IQ on doing business. |
What surprised the writer in her work at first?
| A．The rich customers behaved themselves well. |
| B．The young boys could be both rude and nice. |
| C．Some rich women customers were more impolite. |
| D．Wealthy women are pleasant customers. |
It can be inferred that the middle-aged woman .
| A．admired the writer for the good service |
| B．was a customer easy to deal with |
| C．had patience to do the shopping |
| D．cared much about the wrapping of goods |
What the next customer said implied that .
| A．she was angry with the middle-aged woman |
| B．she couldn’t wait one more minute in line |
| C．she would drive the middle-aged woman away |
| D．she might get out of the line for a while |