Irelandhashadaverydifficulthis-优题课

I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as Mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk”, she said, “is for Elizabeth”.
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me, she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional”. But she lived “on the surface”
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.
My hope turned to disappointment，then little interest, finally, peace---it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside---a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(被折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
81. The writer began to love her mother’s desk________.
A. after Mother diedB. before she became a writer
C. when she was a child D. when Mother gave it to her
82. The passage shows that__________.
A. Mother wrote her daughter in careful words
B. Mother cared much about her daughter in words
C. Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done
D. Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter
83. The word “gulf” in the passage means________.
A. part of the sea going far in land
B. free talks between mother and daughter
C. different ideas between the mother and the daughter
D. deep understanding between the old and the young
84. What did Mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness?
A. She had never received the letter.
B. She read the letter again and again till she died.
C. For years, she often talked about the letter.
D. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in her life.
85. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. My letter to Mother B. Mother and Children
C. My Mother’s Desk D. Talks between Mother and Me

In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition (学会) of each new skill in the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe (严格的) over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency(一致性) is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality (道德). Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept". If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach (说教), their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles(原则) and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
76. Eagerly watching the child's acquisition of new skills ___________.
A. should be avoided
B. is universal among parents
C. sets up dangerous states of worry in the child
D. will make the child lose interest in learning new things
77. In the process of children's learning new skills, parents ________.
A. should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B. should expect a lot of the children
C. should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own.
D. should create as many learning opportunities as possible.
78. The second paragraph mainly tells us that ___________.
A. parents should be strict with their children
B. parental controls reflect only the values of the community
C. parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone
D. it's parents' and society's duty to control the children
79. The word "precept" in Paragraph 3 probably means "___________".
A. opinion B. punishment C. behavior D. instruction
80. In terms of moral matters, parents should _________.
A. follow the rules themselves
B. be aware of the huge difference between adults and children
C. forbid their children to do anything
D. always ensure the security of their children

Ⅳ、阅读理解（共20题，每题2分，共40分）
Kerry and Alice were both artists in Britain. They taught drawing and painting at Cambridge University. Although they were friends, each thought oneself to be the better painter.
One day, Kerry promised marriage to Alice. Surprised and pleased by the offer, the girl was not sure whether she would spend her future as a wife or a painter. After a moment she replied as follows, "Each of us must paint a picture. If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife. If not, please drop the question." Then it was decided to give it the following day.
The next morning. Alice hung her picture on the gate. It showed a bunch of flowers and won high praise from everyone who passed by. In fact, a crowd collected in front of her masterpiece and fixed eyes on it.
Several hours passed. Then Kerry was seen coming along to the gate with what appeared to be a beautiful leather suitcase in his hand. When he finally stopped before Alice, the girl artist brushed like a rose and agreed to marry him without any hesitation. Why?
71．What did Alice think Kerry's offer?
A. She liked Kerry, but she didn't expect him to promise marriage to her.
B. She didn't want to marry anybody.
C. She didn't like it at all.
D. She thought the offer wasn't polite.
72．In the sentence "If yours is superior to mine, you can make me your wife"。 "superior to" here means ____.
A. not so better than B. better than C. as bad as D. as good as
73. Which of the following is true?
A. Kerry didn't accept Alice's suggestion.
B. Kerry wasn't sure of his painting so he dropped his offer.
C. Kerry did go the next day, but he failed to take a picture
D. Kerry agreed to Alice's suggestion.
74．Alice's picture won high praise because ____.
A. it was true to nature
B. the flowers were red
C. it showed so large a bunch of flowers
D. people felt it strange to hang it on the gate
75．The "leather suitcase" was in fact ____.
A. a real one B. a painting drawn by Kerry
C. a box with a picture in it D. made up of leather

Beijing retiree Yang Hua was devoting a lot of his time to staying fit by completing his favorite exercises. But, according to his doctors, his routine may have done more harm than good—he recently suffered an illness because he was exercising the wrong way.
“Many people today still do not know how to exercise in scientific ways. As a result, they do not gain from the exercises and in fact may even hurt themselves, said Yang Zeyi, an executive board member of the Asian Council of Exercise and Sports Science.
Health experts said that a cardiopulmonary（心肺的） exercise test is necessary for middle-aged and senior citizens and those with special conditions. The test helps those engaging in exercise know whether their routines（惯例） are safe. It also can find potential unhealthy changes to exercisers' organs and provide suggestions to get fit by conducting real-time and continuous measurement of blood pressure and other physical parameters. The test can also analyze the maximum functioning of which the cardiopulmonary system is capable.
In the past, Yang would not think of creating an exercise plan because of his physical condition.
“I liked to do exercises in the evening but experts told me that the high-strength exercises at night would be harmful to my health. They advised me to choose some easy exercises such as walking and to limit the length of time I exercise,”he said. Sun Kanglin, Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, said, “Exercisers should choose a proper routine and length of time to engage in the activity according to their age, physical condition and profession. It's important to give scientific directions to today's exercisers.”
He said Beijing's 18 districts and counties all have physical monitoring stations where people could get suggestions on how to exercise.
“The number of such stations will increase to more than 100 in the future and they will be able to regularly monitor citizens’ physiques. They will also publish statistics for the public,” he said.
67. Yang Zeyi said .
A. people will hurt themselves when exercising
B. middle-aged should not exercise
C. people gain nothing because they exercise
D. many people have no scientific ways of exercising
68. The underlined words in the paragraph 3 means
A. old people B. people in high position
C. people who have much money D. people who have knowledge
69. It can be inferred that .
A. Yang Hua has never exercised.
B. Yang Hua knew how to exercise scientifically
C. Yang Hua has done no harm by exercising
D. Yang Hua must be an old man
70. From the passage we know .
A. today’s exercisers know how to exercise in a scientific way
B. we should exercise according to our ages and physical condition
C. exercise tests are not necessary.
D. the number of exercisers will increase

An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault, or fracture, in the earth's surface. The tectonic plates on the surface are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges because of friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and create the shaking we feel.
An earthquake's degree is a measured value of its size and is the same no matter where you are, or how strong or weak the shaking was in different locations. An earthquake's intensity is a measure of the shaking it creates, and varies with location.
A degree of 8 or higher defines a “great” earthquake; 7 to 7.9 is considered “major”; 6 to 6.9 is “strong”;5 to 5.9 is “moderate”; 4 to 4.9 is “light”; 3 to 3.9 is "minor"; and less than 3 is “micro.”
Experts have said that a million people died in earthquakes in the 20th century and that this century might see 10 times as many deaths, with as many as a million killed in a single quake. That is, unless major efforts are made to fortify the world’s growing cities, which are expected to be homes to billions of added residents.
Even though the rate of earthquakes over time seems to be more or less unchanging, the world's population explosion means that more people are moving into quake zones, which are often near coasts. The result, the experts say, is the prospect of continuing trauma.
“It is inevitable,” Klaus H. Jacob, an earthquake expert at Lamont-Doherty, the earth sciences research center of Columbia University, said at the end of the last century. “More and more people, and more and more buildings, are at stake . As the world gets more populous and richer, allowing a more built-up environment, higher buildings and all the infrastructure that supports our civilization, communications and the like, the risk goes up.”
63. We can feel the earthquake because
A. the plates are always moving.
B. the stress overcomes the friction.
C. the plates get stuck.
D. the waves in which energy is released travel through the earth’s crust.
64. a degree of 8.2 is thought
A. a “moderate” earthquake. B. a “major” earthquake .
C. a “strong” earthquake. D. a “great” earthquake.
65. Experts have said that
A. a billion people died in earthquakes in the 20th century.
B. ten times as many deaths will be seen by this century.
C. a million people will be killed in a single earthquake this century.
D. if we don’t take measures, something worse may happen.
66. The underlined expression probably means .
A. endangered B. strong C. safe D. weak

A．the Irish character	B．Irish culture
C．Irish musical instruments	D．a famous Irish writer