In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured （使…放心）me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because ______.
| A．she was going home for her holidays |
| B．she missed the only train back home |
| C．the town was far away from Sydney |
| D．her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
| A．He watched the girl for three hours. |
| B．He gave the girl a ride back home. |
| C．He bought sandwiches for the girl. |
| D．He helped the girl find a ride. |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that ______.
| A．she had known him for decades |
| B．she realized he was Gordon |
| C．she wanted to repay the favour she once got |
| D．she was going to the nearby town |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Giving sometimes produces nice results. |
| B．People should offer free rides to others. |
| C．Good manners bring about happiness. |
| D．Those who give rides will be rapid. |
My son. The phrase felt difficult and strange the first time I said it, and I had to practice it a thousand times． I started saying the words to myself the day when the ultrasound told me we were having a baby．
Finally, my son was born.
The nurse came out of the delivery room, holding a tiny, howling human being wrapped in a white sheet, his small hands and delicate fingers shaking nervously. “Baby Sanchez?” she asked, looking at the room full of expectant fathers.
I stood up, holding my breath． She showed me my baby． “My son,” I whispered. The little guy screamed, “waaaaaaaaaah.”
But in my heart I heard him cry out, “Daaaaaaad!” I don’t care if everyone in the room will swear they didn’t hear my baby say that. I called him, “My son,” and he called me “Dad,” and that’s that.
People ask me, “What did you feel at that moment?” I can’t even begin to answer. I’m a writer yet I try hard to find the right words. Joyful isn’t powerful enough. Bliss(狂喜) is not sweet enough. Peaceful isn’t calm enough. Happy isn’t tense enough.
After my son was taken away to the nursery, I sat down and shut my eyes. But tears escaped them away. Then out of the blue, my 80-year-old father entered, and we embraced.
“Dad,” I whispered.
“My son,” my heart heard him saying.
Suddenly the past 33 years folded into the present and I was now the baby bundled in white, with my father standing over me.
“My son,” I imagined him saying.
“Daaaaaaaaaad!” I cried my little lungs out.
At that point, I knew I was going to be a great father. The old man in front of me seemed to agree. He smiled and we walked out of the room in search of the tiny human being that would change our lives for ever.Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．His son called him “Dad” when the writer called him “My son”． |
| B．All the people didn’t hear the baby say except the writer． |
| C．Sanchez is the writer’s family name． |
| D．The baby was taken away because the nurse found there was a mistake． |
The author couldn’t tell how he felt at the moment because ________．
| A．he was a writer |
| B．he was too excited |
| C．he was too nervous |
| D．it’s a feeling too complex to express |
We can learn the following from the passage EXCEPT that ________．
| A．the author got his first baby |
| B．he probably had a lung disease |
| C．the author didn’t really hear “Daaaaad” from his baby |
| D．the baby would change the author’s life |
Why was the writer sure he was going to be a great father?
| A．Because his son is so gifted． |
| B．Because he had much experience in bringing up children． |
| C．Because his father promised to help him． |
| D．Because his father had already set him a good example． |
For many years, I had a belief that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it.
Many weight－conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved，being special, and being cherished. We fantasize（幻想） about what it will be like when we reach the long－awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self－worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us strive hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.The passage tries to highlight the importance of ________.
| A．body size |
| B．attitudes toward life |
| C．culture difference |
| D．different beauty standards |
What does the word “everything” in paragraph 2 mean?
| A．All the problems. | B．All the properties. |
| C．The whole world. | D．The absolute truth. |
What can be inferred about the author?
| A．The author is a Samoan. |
| B．The author succeeded in losing weight. |
| C．The author has been troubled by her/ his weight. |
| D．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents. |
According to the author, what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later?
| A．They feel angry about the regained weight. |
| B．They are indifferent to the regained weight. |
| C．They feel optimistic(乐观的) about future plans on weight control. |
| D．They think they should give up their future plans on weight control. |
GARDEN RESTAURANT
Address: 9020 Bridgeport Road
Open: Mon. to Fri. 7:00a.m. --- 2:30p.m.and 5:00 p.m. --- 9:00p.m.
Sat. 7:00a.m. --- 11:00a.m. and 5:00p.m.--- 9:30p.m.
Sun. 11:00a.m. --- 2:00p.m. and 5:00p.m.---9:30p.m.
NEW YORK MUSEUMTelephone: 364431
Address: Vanier Park, 1100 Chestnut St. New York America’s largest museum specializing in American history and part of our native people.
Open: Mon. to Fri. 9:00a.m.---5:00p.m. (Monday free)
Sat. 9:00a.m.---1:00p.m.
LANSDOWNE PARK SHOPPING CENTERTELEPHONE: 3562367
Address: 5300 NO.3 Road
Open: Mon. Tues. and Sat. 9:30a.m. ---5:30p.m.
Wed. Thurs. and Fri. 9:30a.m. ---9:30p.m.
Sun. 11:00a.m. --- 5:00p.m.
SKYLINE HOTELTelephone: 2785161
Address: 3031 NO.3 Road ( at Sea island Way)
The Hangar Den: Wed. to Sun. Lunch from 10:30a.m.
Coffee Shop: Mon. --- Fri. 6:00a.m. ; Sat. 6:00a.m. and Sun. 7:00a.m.
Mon. --- Wed. to 10:00p.m.; Thurs. --- Sun. to 11:00p.m.If you want to go out for lunch on Tuesday you can call up the number ________.
| A．2706630 | B．7364431 | C．3562367 | D．2785161 |
You do not have to pay on Monday if you go to ________.
| A．Skyline Hotel |
| B．Lansdowne Park Shopping Center |
| C．New York Museum |
| D．Garden Restaurant |
Suppose you want to buy some gifts for your friends, you can go to ________.
| A．3031 NO.3 Road |
| B．Vanier Park, 1100 Chestnut St. |
| C．9020 Bridgeport Road |
| D．5300 NO.3 Road |
What can you do after 9:30p.m. on Sunday?
| A．Visit New York Museum. |
| B．Do some shopping in Lansdowne Park shopping Center |
| C．Go to Garden Restaurant |
| D．Go to the Coffee Shop of Skyline Hotel |
The 92-year-old, thin, calm and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, even though she is nearly blind, moved to a nursing home today.
Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she walked slowly to the elevator, I provided a true description of her tiny room, including the old sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she said with the happiness of an eight-year-old girl having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…just wait.”
“That doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It’s how I arranged my mind. I have already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account. You take what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to put in a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.” And with a smile, she said, “All my memories are happy ones.”
Mrs. Jones was always happy in the nursing home and she died at the age of 108. We can infer from the passage that the author ________.
| A．is one of Mrs. Jones’ children |
| B．is a relative of Mrs. Jones |
| C．works in the nursing home |
| D．is the owner of the nursing home |
The room in which the old lady will live ________.
| A．is very comfortable |
| B．is fairly big |
| C．isn’t well equipped |
| D．is equipped with new furniture |
Mrs. Jones was very happy when told about her room because she ________.
| A．couldn’t see what her room was like |
| B．thought the nursing home was her home |
| C．would have to live in the nursing home |
| D．had already made up her mind to be happy |
Which of the following words can best describe Mrs. Jones?
| A．Proud. | B．Pleasant. | C．Determined | D．Honest |
Don’t you think your schoolbag is too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight.
It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment proves to be successful. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook. It is a small hand-held computer for school students.
Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students. The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo.
Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book. They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the screen. They can still take notes using a special electronic pen. If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it’s just a press of a button.
In some foreign countries, it is becoming common. But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study. Some say that e-textbooks can be easily broken, some say that it is not good to students’ eyesight to look at the screen for long. But only time will tell. The e-schoolbag has many functions EXCEPT ________.
| A．It can pronounce the words. |
| B．It can send e-mail. |
| C．It can be used as a dictionary. |
| D．It can phone somebody. |
According to the passage, the e-schoolbag ________.
| A．is not heavy as before but still large |
| B．is used as an experiment in Tianjin |
| C．is made of metal |
| D．is going to cover China if it proves to be successful |
Which of the following statement is TRUE?
| A．All the students in China will be required to use this new schoolbag soon. |
| B．All the people think highly of e-textbooks. |
| C．E-notebooks are very convenient to students. |
| D．We will not make notes because the e-notebook can make all by itself. |
The best title for the passage should be ________.
| A．An Experiment In China |
| B．Please Change Your Schoolbag |
| C．A New Invention, A New Schoolbag |
| D．Chips |