About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的). Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below. I was one of those children, carefree and happy. I live on a street that is only one block long. I have lived on the same street for sixteen years. I love my street. One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end. When I think of home, I think of my street. Only I see it as it was before. Unfortunately things change. One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become. Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors.
It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won’t be around much longer. I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car. In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days. The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home. The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days. It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever.
The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings” as friends and peers move on. Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home. The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street. We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle. Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on. Children who rode tricycles now drive cars. The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways. Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison. Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days.
Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes. For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill. The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street. We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag. The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill. When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same. It is a piece of my childhood. It is a visual reminder of being a kid. Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod.
There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change. But something happened. People grow up, and people grow old. Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved. In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors. I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction. It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child.The writer finds it hard to accept the fact that _____________.
| A.many of his good neighbors are growing old |
| B.the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow |
| C.the life of his neighbors has become very boring |
| D.the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life |
The biggest change on the writer's street is _____________.
| A.removing the hill to make way for residential development |
| B.the building of new homes behind his kitchen window |
| C.the fact that there are much fewer people around than in the past |
| D.the change in his childhood friends' attitude towards their neighborhood |
What does the writer mean by saying “my street will be another pea in the pod”?
| A.his street will be very noisy and dirty |
| B.his street will soon be crowded with people |
| C.his street will have some new attractions |
| D.his street will be no different from any other street |
Which could be a good title for the passage?
| A.The Past of My Street will Live Forever |
| B.Unforgettable People and Things of My Street |
| C.Memory Street Isn’t What It Used to Be |
| D.The Big Changes of My Street |
Did you know that there are actually people who have paid for a flight to the moon? In the future, there will be a lot more opportunities to travel to faraway places than now… perhaps even as far as the moon. As people adventure further and further away and as planes, trains, cars, and rocket ships become faster, is it safer to have these vehicles controlled by humans or by computers?
While many flights by plane are controlled automatically by machines, most people today wouldn’t let their car drive itself. That’s because currently the autopilot function on your car can only keep it on the same course you are travelling on. It won’t turn the car right or left. It won’t stop if an animal jumps in the way. However, cars today can sense when something is too close and warn the driver with flashing lights and alarms. Many cars also have GPS(global positioning systems) that tell drivers which road to take and when to turn. These systems, unlike human drivers, never get lost. In the future, it is easy to believe that your car will be better able to drive itself with the aid of computers that can determine the position of your car and the speed it should travel at.
In addition to computers being ‘smarter’ than people regarding the best way to go or knowing how close another vehicle is, computers don’t get sick, tired, or angry. This means they won’t make the same mistakes that people make when they are not having a good day. While responding with emotion is a good thing when choosing the best way to deal with a friend’s personal problem, it may not be such a good thing when deciding what to do at the wheel of a fast-moving vehicle.
So what are the disadvantages of autopilot systems? Maybe one disadvantage is that a small computer problem could cause a serious accident. It could also be argued that in unexpected situations, computers might not be able to respond appropriately; some decisions require human emotions. Another problem might be that if everything were controlled by computers or robots, people wouldn’t have any jobs. What is the best title for the passage?
| A.The Development of Autopilot |
| B.Technology of Future Travel |
| C.A New Driving System |
| D.Computerized Cars |
Which of the following is the disadvantage of an autopilot system?
| A. It won’t make the same mistakes as people do. |
| B. It can point out the best route for the driver. |
| C. It might not respond properly to unexpected situations. |
| D.It does not have human emotions to influence its function. |
If some falling rocks roll down toward your car, the autopilot on your car will_______.
| A.inform you of the danger |
| B.turn the car right or left |
| C.do nothing about it |
| D.stop the car |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the autopilot?
| A.Approving. | B.Objective. | C.Negative. | D.Doubtful. |
Most city parks are places where you can escape from big, ugly structures of metal and stone. The Manhattan High Line is different. Raised 25 feet above the ground, this massive metal structure once supported a rail line. The line opened in 1934 to bring trains directly into factories and warehouses. It was hardly used after the 1960s, and much of it was torn down. However, one section remained in an area of Manhattan called Chelsea. Chelsea was becoming more and more valuable as restaurants, art galleries and apartments were built, but the ugly railway structure remained as a dead weight. Everyone knew that at some time, it would have to be removed.
But the High Line was not destroyed. In fact, now the old rail line serves as one of the most peaceful places in the city. It holds an elevated park, with beautiful gardens, a sidewalk and great views of the city. The idea to change the rail line into a park came from Joshua David and Robert Hammond. In 1999, they attended a community meeting to decide the fate(命运) of the High Line. David and Hammond were the only people at the meeting interested in saving the structure for its historical significance. Later on, when they asked railway officials to take them up to look at the High Line, they saw a mile and a half of wild flowers growing in the middle of the city, and they realized that the High Line had potential to become a park. There was growing interest in improving urban centers, and so the project quickly won support and funds for construction were easily obtained.
The first section of the High Line opened in 2009 and immediately became popular with tourists and locals alike. Each part of the park has a different atmosphere. Some areas are like balconies (阳台)with wonderful city views. Where the rail line goes between buildings, trees are thickly planted. Other sections have wide walkways planted with wild flowers. Only the final section remains the way it has been for the last fifty years – a railway line overgrown with weeds.The underlined phrase “a dead weight” in Paragraph 1 means_____.
| A.something with potential to be better. |
| B.something with historical interest. |
| C.something which is a danger to people. |
| D.something useless which slows progress. |
According to Paragraph 2, David and Hammond wanted to save the High Line because they_____.
| A.thought it had historical value |
| B.wanted to reopen the train line |
| C.thought it would bring them money |
| D.were interested in improving the city |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that the park ______.
| A.is different in its design |
| B.is covered with trees |
| C.didn’t change at all |
| D.became a natural countryside |
Which of the following is NOT true about the High Line?
| A.It is situated above ground level. |
| B.Only part of the line remains. |
| C.It is now a popular park. |
| D.Trains still use the line. |
As a boy I was always small for my age. I was also five years younger than one of my brothers and seven years younger than the other. As a result I often felt left out when their friends came over to play. I was either too small or too young for whatever they were doing and they didn't want their younger brother listening in on their conversations either. More often than not I found myself outside playing alone and feeling forgotten.
I remember one spring afternoon feeling especially lonely as I sat in the yard behind our house. We lived miles from town and I rarely saw my own friends outside of school. I heard my brothers laughing from inside the house and felt a single tear coming down my cheek. At that moment I saw a large brown dog walking over to me. He looked happy and his tail was wagging as well. Even though he didn't know me he greeted me like a long lost friend, licking my chin and sitting beside me on the spring grass. It must have been at least an hour that I petted and talked to this four-legged angel. He let me pour out all my troubles and share my deepest thoughts before he kissed my cheek goodbye and ambled off either to Heaven or his home. I went back inside feeling happy, knowing that no matter what life may hold I was loved. Now over 40 years later I still remember that angel with a smile.
I believe that God sent him in that moment of sadness to remind me just how much he loved me. There is nothing more important than knowing we are loved. When we are loved, we will learn to love others. Learning to love helps us to understand ourselves and other people better.How did the writer feel when his brothers’ friends came?
| A.Proud. | B.Lonely. | C.Worried. | D.Happy. |
The writer shared his troubles and thoughts with the dog because ______.
it was his friend
B. it could understand him
C. it was friendly to him
D. it looked like an angelFrom Paragraph 2, we can learn that ______.
| A.the boy met a long lost friend |
| B.the boy had no friends at school |
| C.the dog helped the boy realize that he was loved |
| D.the dog spent the afternoon with the boy and his brothers |
The author wrote the story to______.
| A.encourage people to talk about their troubles |
| B.tell people they should treat animals friendly |
| C.share his unforgettable experience with us |
| D.show knowing you are loved is the most important |
The following are letters to the editor of a school newspaper
Dear editor,
I’d like to express my opinion about grades. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. I understand that grades are useful, but grades often limit creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades force an arbitrary(武断的) standard of success on everyone. I do not demand as some extremists do, that grades be removed immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith
Drama Club
Dear editor,
I’d like to say something about grades. Let’s face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate students to work at their highest level of competence. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a punishment to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure student achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper
Science ClubWhich of the following is not Magdalena Smith’s opinion?
| A.Students may give up the chance to learn music and sports for grades. |
| B.Students’ creativity may not be developed for grades. |
| C.Grades should not be used to measure a person’s success. |
| D.Grades should be taken away at once. |
We can learn Simon Harper _____.
| A.believes in the benefits of good grades |
| B.is concerned about students' creativity |
| C.doesn't work too hard at his studies |
| D.supports students' interests and abilities |
From the second letter, we can infer that Simon Harper is a/an_____.
| A.teacher | B.headmaster | C.student | D.advertiser |
Many people believe the glare from snow causes snow-blindness. Yet, dark glasses or not , they find themselves suffering from headaches and watering eyes, and even snow-blindness, when exposed to several hours of “snow light”. The United States Army has now determined that glare from snow does not cause snow-blindness in troops in a snow-covered country. Rather, a man's eyes frequently find nothing to focus on in a broad expanse of barren (少植被的) snow-covered terrain (地形). So his gaze continually shifts and jumps back and forth over the entire landscape in search of something to look at. Finding nothing, hour after hour, the eyes never stop searching and the eyeballs become sore and the eye muscles ache. Nature eases this irritation by producing more fluid which covers the eyeball. The fluid covers the eyeball in increasing quantity until vision blurs (模糊), then is obscured (遮蔽), and the result is total, even though temporary, snow-blindness.
Experiments led the Army to a simple method of overcoming this problem. Scouts ahead of a main body of troops are trained to shake snow from evergreen bushes, creating a dotted line as they cross completely snow-covered landscape. Even the scouts themselves throw lightweight, dark colored objects ahead on which they too can focus. The men following can then see something. Their gaze is arrested. Their eyes focus on a bush and having found something to see, stop scouring the snow-blanketed landscape. By focusing their attention on one object at a time, the men can cross the snow without becoming hopelessly snow-blind or lost. In this way the problem of crossing a solid white terrain is overcome.To prevent headaches, watering eyes and blindness caused by the glare from snow, dark
glasses are _________.
| A.indispensable and essential | B.useful | C.ineffective | D.available |
When the eyes are sore tears are produced to _________.
| A.balance the pain | B.treat snow-blindness |
| C.clear the vision | D.loosen the muscles |
Snow-blindness may be avoided by _________.
| A.concentrating on the solid white terrain |
| B.searching for something to look at in snow-covered terrain |
| C.providing the eyes with something to focus on |
| D.covering the eyeballs with more fluid |
The scouts shake snow from evergreen bushes in order to _________.
| A.prevent the men behind losing their way |
| B.beautify the landscape of the terrain |
| C.warm themselves in the severe cold |
| D.give the men behind something to see |
A suitable title for this passage would be _________.
| A.nature's cure for snow-blindness |
| B.snow-blindness and how to overcome it |
| C.soldiers marching in the snow |
| D.snow vision and its effect on eyesight |