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. |
A boy was born to couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy saw around two years old, the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and put it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to it and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages(剂量). When the child fell down, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was unconscious. She was terrified how to face her husband.
When the distraught (心烦意乱的)father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
What do you think those four words were? The husband just said, "I love You Darling".
The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive(积极主动的) behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to put the bottle away, this would not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.
Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who's to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know and miss out on the warmth in human relationships we could receive by giving each other support. After all, shouldn't forgiving someone we love be the easiest thing in the world to do? Treasure what you have. Don't multiply pain, anguish and suffering by holding onto forgiveness.
If everyone could look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be fewer problems in the world.
Take off all your envies, jealousies, unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.
60.The meaning of the underlined phrase is_______.
A.an adult B.a healthy boy C.the love of the parents D.a naughty boy
61.Why was the mother terrified to face the husband?
A.Because she was afraid of her husband.
B.Because she thought that was her fault.
C.Because she poisoned her son herself.
D.Because she wanted to kill herself.
62.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.Be careful to do everything.
B.Forgive what you shouldn’t forgive.
C.Treasure what you have now.
D.Envy can mislead the way you go.
63.Which column of a paper can we find this article?
A.Financial aid to students. B.Grand view of science.
C.Enjoying the countryside view. D.Life and society.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Sam, an unemployed piano tuner, said it was only the second thing he had ever won in his life.The first thing was an Afghan blanket at a church raffle(抽奖) when he was 25 years old.But this was much bigger: it was $120,000! He had won the Big Cube, a state lottery(彩票) game.To win, a contestant must first guess which number a spinning cube will stop on.The cube has six numbers on it: 1X, 10X, 50X, 100X, 500X, and 1000X.If he is correct, the contestant must then guess which of two selected variables(变量) is going to be greater.So, just guessing which number appears on the cube does not guarantee that you will win any money.
Sam correctly guessed 1000X, but he still had to choose between two variables.One variable was the number of cars that would run the stop sign at Hill Street and Lake Avenue in six hours.The other variable was the number of times that a teenage boy would change TV channels in a three-hour period.This was a tough decision.
Finally, Sam flipped a coin.It came up heads, so Sam picked the teenager.He picked right.The stop sign was run only 76 times, but the teen clicked 120 times.Sixty-year-old Sam jumped for joy, for he had just won 1000 times 120, or $120,000.Sam dreamily left the lottery studio.Talking excitedly on his cell phone while crossing the street, he got hit by a little sports car.
Sam is slowly getting better.He was in the hospital for a month.His hospital bill was $110,000.And the insurance company for the little sports car’s owner sued(起诉)Sam for $9,000 worth of repairs.Also, Sam still has to pay federal taxes on his winnings.Sam doesn’t play the state lottery any more.He says it’s better to be unlucky.
56.What can be inferred about Sam from the passage?
A.He always has bad luck. B.He seldom goes to a raffle.
C.He is a very careful person in life. D.He used to be crazy about lottery tickets.
57.Which of the following played a vital role in Sam’s winning the big prize?
A.The cube. B.The coin. C.The blanket. D.The stop sign.
58.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The lottery game was a complete lie.
B.Sam was quite familiar with the boy.
C.The owner of the car is now in hospital.
D.Sam will have none of the prize money left.
59.What could be the best title for the passage?
A.Curiosity killed the cat B.Joy puts heart into a man
C.Extreme joy ends in sorrow D.A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving . No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting (引用) a Biblical (圣经的) passage about husbands being thoughtful(体贴的) of their wives. Then he went on to say," Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well , for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said," That new yellow sweater looks great on you."
"Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, "Evelyn's been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me. " We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed, I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love. There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. Last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“ Tom ,” se said in a voice filled with distress, “ do you know something I don’t?”
"What do you mean?"
"Well...that checkup(体检) I had several weeks ago...our doctor...did he tell you something about me? Tom , you've been so good to me... am I dying?"
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
"No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms. "You're not dying; I'm just staring to live."
71.In the first paragraph, "No ifs, ands or buts" probably means___.
A. unnecessarily B. unexpectedly C. impossibly D. unconditionally
72. From the story we may infer that Tom went to the beach cottage___.
A. with his family B. with Evelyn C. alone D. with his children
73. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because___.
A. she looked lovely in her new clothes
B. he had made a lot of money in Wall Street
C. he was determined to be a good husband
D. she was seriously ill
74.The underlined words "one thing" in the passage refer to the fact that___.
A. he praised her sweater, which puzzled her
B. she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated
C. he knew something about her illness but didn't tell her
D. he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying
75.By saying "I'm just starting to live", Tom means that___.
A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life
B. he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband
C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change
D. he is beginning to feel regretful for what he did to his wife
It has always been said that women are not good drivers, because they simply don't have very good driving ability. On the other hand, most car accidents happen to men; very few happen to women.
From this, we can see that women are much more careful while driving. Another very interesting fact that we should point out is that in the past, women preferred to let their husbands be the only driver in the family rather than have a driving license. Somehow they were prevented from making this step in their lives, but nowadays there are many women that want to pass their driving tests from an early age.
However, we have to admit that men are more skillful drivers than women, but this does not mean that a woman cannot become a good driver by accumulating (积累) experience. So more and more teenagers and women around the age of thirty now want to pass their driving tests. While taking their driving lessons, they also have a number of special lessons with their parents or somebody in the family that has a driving license, this is just to improve their driving abilities and help them to pass the tests more easily.
To conclude, we can say that women are not such bad drivers. They just need more experience than men in order to be able to drive well. And on the other hand, there are a number of women that show better driving skills than the men around them.
67. Compared with the past, nowadays many women___.
A. prefer to have a driving license
B. have more accidents while driving
C. are somehow prevented from driving
D. are the only driver in the family
68.What advantage do women have over men in driving?
A. They have more skills.
B. They are much more careful
C. They know more traffic rules
D. They have more driving experience
69.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Teenage girls cannot take driving tests.
B. Men didn't allow women to drive in the past.
C. With enough experience, women can become good drivers.
D. Women can easily pass their tests by taking driving lessons.
70.The passage mainly talks about___.
A. women and their driving ability.
B. men and their driving ability.
C. why men are better drivers than women.
D. why more women like to have a driving license
The Los Angeles Zoo has many public programs that aim to teach the public about animals and natural protection.
Safari shuttle(旅游电车)
While you’re here, take the Safari shuttle for a quick trip from one end of the Zoo to the
other. All day long, seven days a week (from 10 am to 5 pm), the Safari Shuttle picks up passengers, circles the Zoo, and returns to the main flamingo (火烈鸟) exhibit near the front entrance. You can get on and off the shuttle as often as you like.
Food
Safari Café (at the Zoo entrance) offers Starbucks coffee, fresh-baked cookies, and ice
cream. Gorilla Grill is the spot for grilled (烤的) food, kids’ meals, refreshments (点心), and ice cream. La Casita serves a variety of Mexican food and refreshments. Silverback's Cafe offers sandwiches, salads, bread bowls, cold beer, and refreshments.
Hour
The Zoo is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day of the year except Christmas Day. Special summer long hours are until 6 pm from July 1 to September 7. Please remember, the Zoo starts putting animals in for the night at 4 pm during regular hour, and at 5 pm during summer hours.
Admission Prices(票价)
Adults (aged 13 and above):$9
Seniors(aged 62 and above):$6
Children(aged 2 to 12):$4
Children(under 2):free
Items Not Allowed on Zoo Grounds
Alcohol, Glass bottles, Pets, Bicycles, Skateboards, and In--line skate.
If you are planning a picnic while visiting the Zoo, please do not bring any glass items or other things that are easy to break. Also for the safety of the animals, no plastic bags are allowed within the Zoo.
63.Which of the following provides kids' meals?
A. Safari Cafe. B. Gorilla Grill. C. La Casita. D. Silverback's Café
64.People can see all the animals at the Los Angeles Zoo at ___.
A. 11 am on Christmas Day B. 4:30 pm on May 5
C. 3 pm on March 5 D. 6 pm on September 7
65.How much does it cost if a couple with their one-year-old twins visit the Los Angeles Zoo?
A. $18 B. $26 C. $22 D.$17
66. When visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, people can___.
A. ride a bike through the Zoo B. have a picnic on the Zoo grounds
C. take food with plastic bags D. take their pets along