I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and when I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib(肋骨)might have pierced(穿透)a lung...”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy… I am so sorry…”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay. ”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said. “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though. ”He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because _______.
A.his father had a terrible accident |
B.he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
C.his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
D.his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
A.Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
B.Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
C.Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
D.Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that _______.
A.he had a poor memory |
B.he didn’t hear what his son said |
C.he just wanted to comfort his son |
D.he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
A.Don’t treat your parents badly. |
B.Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
C.Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
D.Don’t be angry with friends at small things. |
Every baby born a decade from now will have its genetic code (基因编码) mapped at birth, the head of the worlds’ leading genome sequencing (基因图谱) company has predicted.
A complete DNA read – out for every newborn will be technically possible and affordable in less than five years, promising a revolution in healthcare, says Jay Flatley, the chief executive of Illumina. Only social and legal problems are likely to delay the age of “genome sequences,” or genetic profiles. By 2019 it will have become routine to map infants’ genes when they are born, Dr Flatly told The Times.
This will open a new approach to medicine, by which conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease can be predicted and prevented and drugs used more safely and effectively.
A baby’s genome can be discovered at birth by a blood test. By examining a person’s genome, it is possible to identify raised risks of developing diseases such as cancers. Those at high risk can then he screened more regularly, or given drugs or dietary advice to lower their chances of becoming ill.
Personal genomes could also he used to ensure that patients get the medicine that is most likely to work for them and least likely to have side – effects.
The development, however, will raise legal concerns about privacy and access to individuals’ genetic records.
“Bad things can be done with the genome. It could predict something about someone – and you could possibly hand the information to their employer or their insurance company.” said Dr Flatley.
“People have to recognize that this horse is out of the barn, and that your genome probably can’t be protected, because everywhere you go you leave your genome behind. Complete genetic privacy, however, is unlikely to be possible”, he added.
As the benefits become clearer, however, he believes that most people will want their genomes read and interpreted. The risk is nothing compared with the gain.
1.In the first two paragraphs, the author mainly wants to tell us about______.
A.the significant progress in medicine
B.the promise of a leading company
C.the information of babies’ genes
D.the research of medical scientists
2.Which of the following is a problem caused by this approach?
A.The delaying in discovering DNA.
B.The risk of developing diseases at birth.
C.The side – effects of medicine on patients.
D.The letting out of personal genetic information.
3.What does the underlined sentence “… this horse is out of the barn” mean?
A.Genetic mapping technique has been widely used.
B.Genetic mapping technique is too horrible to control.
C.People are eager to improve genetic mapping technique.
D.people can’t stop genetic mapping technique advancing.
4.What’s Dr Flatley’s attitude towards the technology?
A.Tolerant. B.Conservative. C.Positive. D.Doubtful.
The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days continued over a long period if time.
One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are cautious, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.
1.The man bought the book because______.
A.he wanted to read it B.it was very interesting
C.there was a secret in the book D.he wanted to find the touchstone
2.We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is______.
A.pure B.cold C.magic D.big
3.Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?
A.Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles.
B.Because he didn’t want others to pick them up.
C.Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks.
D.Because he didn’t like the cold feelings.
4.What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
A.We about orate opportunities in our life.
B.We should seek for opportunities in the world.
C.We may seize opportunities when we are watchful
D.We may discover opportunities when forming habits.
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,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Eight – year – old Jesse Abrogate was playing in the sea late one evening in July 2001 when a 7 – foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth – to – mouth resuscitation (人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.
Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into to the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boy’s arm.
At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, well then we wouldn’t have had a chance.’
According to local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in area where swimming is allowed.’
When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”
1.What was the boy doing when the accident happened?
A.Feeding a hungry shark. B.Jumping into the rough sea.
C.Dragging a boy to the shore. D.Swimming in a dangerous area.
2.In which way did the boy’s uncle help with the operation?
A.By finding his lost arm. B.By shooting the fish.
C.By flying him to hospital. D.By blowing into his mouth.
3.How was his uncle in time of danger?
A.Careful. B.Brave. C.Optimistic. D.Patient.
Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch(门廊) will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You’ll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV. An electronic voice will read stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You’ll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events.
Most of the technology is possible now, but making more people believe that they don’t need to read a newspaper is the next step. But refusing computers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of traditional newspapers unavoidable.
Despite technological advances, it could take tens of years to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 to 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry.
1. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of computer newspapers?
A. They are cheaper than traditional newspapers.
B. They are more convenient to read.
C. You can choose the kind of voice you want to hear.
D. You can easily save information for future use.
2. Which of the following is a reason why it will take a long time to complete the changeover?
A. The technology is impossible now.
B. Computer newspapers are too expensive.
C. The popularization of computers needs a long time.
D. Traditional newspapers are easier to read.
3. It can be inferred that journalists are against computer newspapers because _________.
A. they don’t know how to use computer
B. they think computer newspapers take too much time to read
C. they think the new technology is bad
D. they have been trained to write for traditional newspapers
4. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Newspapers are out of fashion.
B. Newspapers of the future will be on the computer.
C. New communications technology.
D. Computer newspapers are well liked
Everyone has got two personalities—one is shown to the world and the other is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you are awake because you can control your behavior, but when you are asleep, sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, your are a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or your new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You are quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive person. You worry a lot and always easily get upset, you are very stubborn, but you aren’t very ambitious (有野心的). You usually live for today not tomorrow. This means you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up , you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you are often very defensive. You are shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You are easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You are usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.
1. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Your Sleeping Position and Your Personality
B. Sleeping and Your Health
C. The Secrets of Your Sleeping
D. Pay Attention to Your Sleeping Positions
2. If one goes to sleep on his stomach, he might ________.
A. never express his real feelings B. keep himself secret from others
C. be a very nervous person D. be usually careful
3. A person who sleeps curled up might ________.
A. like to stay alone B. love having a good time
C. be very ambitious D. always feel confident
4. Which of the important sleeping position that might let out your secrets?
A. The sleeping position when you fall asleep
B. The sleeping position when you wake up.
C. The sleeping position when you feel comfortable.
D. The sleeping position at midnight.