Someone telephoned me today asking if I would be willing to bring food to a family in need. The mother was having a major operation and would be lying down for several weeks. Of course, I responded with an immediate “Yes!”. As I planned the meal in my head, I reflected on how many times over the years I had been asked to prepare food. I have done so countless times with a very open heart.
But the truly amazing thing is that I have received double over the course of my life. When my mother passed away, our house was filled with fresh dinners for weeks. A woman from the church of our community stopped by each evening with some food. The gift of food was her small way of trying to ease our pain.
Later in my life, when I was on bed rest during my pregnancy with twins, women of the church again stepped in to help. They arranged babysitting for my two-year-old daughter, and brought lovely dinners to our house. Even when I was put in the hospital, my husband would bring cooked meals to my hospital room. How we relied on these dinners to feed my tired husband and young daughter.
Food is all about comfort. It feeds our bodies, but it can also feed our souls. When you hear people talking about their favorite holidays, it usually includes their feelings connected with sharing food. I know I’ll have many more chances in my lifetime to prepare food for others. It is truly a gift I want to prepare and deliver to someone in need.We can learn from the first paragraph that the author _____.
| A．was tired of preparing food. |
| B．was glad to be able to lend a hand. |
| C．knew the family in need very well. |
| D．had to stay in bed for several weeks. |
The author has given lots of food to others because _____.
| A．she has received others’ food. |
| B．she is friendly to others. |
| C．she is a church member. |
| D．she is poor at cooking. |
What do we know about the author’s family?
| A．Her husband isn’t good at cooking. |
| B．Her family is too poor to buy enough food. |
| C．She has a babysitter taking care of her twins. |
| D．Her family lives not far from a church. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．She didn’t get enough food during her pregnancy. |
| B．Her mother died when she was in hospital. |
| C．She received food along with comfort in her hard times. |
| D．She thinks offering food is the best way to show love. |
Which of the conclusion can we get according to the article?
| A．Every man has his faults. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| D．One good turn deserves another. |
The basic flag of the United States is one of the world’s oldest national flags. Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzer land are older.
During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession. Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonise.
The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14, 1777. It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13 colonies that had declared their independence in 1776. Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky.
By 1817, there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag. As a result, Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star. In 1921 Preside William H. Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars. He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each. Previously the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag- maker’s fancy.
The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States. After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was official changed for the 26th time since its creation.
There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag. Among them are the president’s and vice- president’s flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies. Each state in the Union has an official flag. The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling. The basic flag of the United States is _______.
| A．the oldest national flag in the world |
| B．one of the world’ s oldest flags |
| C．the most beautiful flag in the West |
| D．as old as the basic flags of some European nations |
Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of _______.
| A．self- rule | B．occupation |
| C．peace and friendship | D．independence |
The first official flag of the United States was adopted ________.
| A．before the Independence War |
| B．right after the Independence War |
| C．when independence was declared in 1776 |
| D．during the War of Independence which ended in 1783 |
The 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars represent _______.
| A．13 independent states |
| B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776. |
| C．the U. S. Congress |
| D．13 famous figures in the American colonies |
How many states were represented on the new flag adopted in 1795?
| A．13. | B．15. |
| C．20. | D．2. |
Anybody who can speak one language has 'the gift' to learn mother. Add a Linguaphone course, and that possibility can become a reality quickly and easily. Study as little as half an hour a day and in twelve weeks you could be talking confidently in the language of your choice.
Linguaphone will provide you with everything you need to learn at your own pace, where and when you choose. And, although you aren't in a classroom,you certainly won't be left all alone. Our free Advisory Service can sort out any problem by post or phone.
You can listen to your course on any cassette player. But just in case you want to study on the move or without interrupting anyone,you can also receive a Linguaphone Personal Stereo Cassette Player completely free.
The Linguaphone cassette and information pack gives details(细节)of this offer, explains how Linguaphone will work for you, and tells you how you can try a course without risking a penny, with our 14-day money-back guarantee (保证).
Why not find out how you can become one of those ' gifted' people who can speak another language? To receive your cassette and information pack,return the coupon below or call us today. According to the ad, we can infer that __________.
| A．people can speak a second language by learning a 12-week Linguaphone course |
| B．Linguaphone will give free courses to second language learners |
| C．second language learners are to attend courses at Linguaphone Language Centre |
| D．second language learners can teach themselves by using Linguaphone materials |
Before a learner wants to take a Linguaphone course, be has to _________.
| A．write to the Linguaphone Centre first |
| B．fill out a coupon and post it to Linguaphone |
| C．pay for a cassette player |
| D．know the details of the information pack |
What guarantee does Linguaphone give?
| A．Learners can master another language in 14 days. |
| B．Learners can have a free trial learning for 14 days. |
| C．Learners can keep the Linguaphone pack for 14 days. |
| D．Learners can get back theft money after 14 days of learning. |
The purpose of the ad is to _________.
| A．offer Linguaphone cassettes to learners |
| B．offer Linguaphone courses free |
| C．give details of their guarantees |
| D．introduce and sell Linguaphone products |
A sixth of undergraduates in Beijing this year have registered at driving school. The students,mostly from majors such as business management or international trade, will finish their driving courses within 20 days or so.
Training costs have dropped to 2,600 yuan for students, according to the Haidian Driving School in Beijing. The price is not really low,but students will accept it, seeing it as an investment (投资) in their future. Familiarity with the operation of computers and fluent English are the basic skills graduating students need to find a job. But a driver's permit has become another factor (因素).
"in the job market, owning a driver's permit someumes strengthens a graduating student's competitiveness for a good position,'' says Zhou Yang, an undergraduate at the China University of Political Science and Law.
Cars will become a necessary part of many people's lives in the coming years, and it is difficult to get a permit of campus because of the pressures on working people's time. "Having a full-time job after graduation offers limited time to learn to drive. We senior students have plenty of spare time, plenty of opportunity to learn. "Zhou says.
Xu Jian, an official at the driving school, said undergraduates were very able and serious, and could grasp in an hour what ordinary people took four hours to learn. In this driving school, mid-die-aged people, young women and college students are the main customers.
To get a driver's permit, a beginner is now required to have at least 86 hours' practice before the .final road test. _________ in Beijing want to learn to drive.
| A．Most of the undergraduates |
| B．Many undergraduates |
| C．Many students in the driving school |
| D．Most of the students who learn business or international trade |
The undergraduates are learning to drive because _________.
| A．they need this skill to find a good job |
| B．they like to drive cars |
| C．they will not have any time to learn to drive after they have found a full-time job |
| D．most of them will be able to buy cars in the future |
Which of the following is likely to be Xu Jian's opinion of students learning to drive?
| A．He thought it was better to learn it at college than at work. |
| B．He decided it was a waste of money and time to learn to drive. |
| C．He agreed that they could learn to drive. |
| D．He thought they would spend three times more time to learn to drive than usual. |
Which of the following can be the best headline for the passage?
| A．Students Pay Less to Learn to Drive Now. |
| B．Students Learn to Drive. |
| C．It is Better to Learn to Drive at Colleges. |
| D．Welcome to the Driving School. |
The International Space Station，one of the most ambitious space projects ever and a key launching board for exploration of the solar system，turns l0 years old Thursday．
On Nov．20，1998，the first part of the space station was launched by the Russians from Kazakhstan．NASA followed up two weeks later with Piece No 2 carried up by a space shuttle．
The space station has grown into a giant outpost(前哨)355 km up，home to three people at any given time—soon to be six
．
Thanks to the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour，the space station now has five sleep stations，two baths，two kitchens and two mini—gyms．Ahogether，there are nine rooms，three of which are full scale labs．
The United States has financed the main part of the project，estimated to cost some 100 billion dollars．Fifteen other countries have also contributed，including Russia，Japan，Canada，Brazil anti eleven nations belonging to theEuropean Space Agency．
’Fhe space station has traveled 2．1 billion km，orbited Earth more than 57，300 times，hosted 167 people from 15 countries，and served up more than l 9，000 meals
”The ISS is the largest ever expenmeni in international technological cooperation，’’ said John Logsdon。a historian at the National Air and Space Museum in US．
“1 think it’s a necessary stepping stone to long—term human activities in new Areas of operations，”Logsdon said．The station is“off the planet and it’s the first Step outward—not all end in itself，but a step along the way．’’The passage is mainly about．
A the construction of the International Space Station．
B．the history of the International Space Station．
C the tenth anniversary of the International Space Station．
D．the eountries that help establish the International Space Station．Piece No 2 of the ISS was put into orbit oil
| A．Nov．6，1998 | B．Nov．24，1998 |
| C．Dee．8，1998 | D．Dec．9，1998 |
Which of the following is true about Endeav our according to the passage?
| A．Endeavour is a newly built shuttle． |
| B．Endeavour is part of the space station， |
| C．Endeavour didn’t get close to the space station． |
| D．Endeavour carried a lot of equipment for the apace station． |
Which of the following country has not made a contribution to the eonstruction of
the International space station according to the passage?
A．USA． B．Japan． C．Korea．D．Spain．
Whenever you send a letter or a postcard，you have to put stamps on the envelope or on the card．When did people first begin to use stamps?Who was thefirst to think of this idea?
In the early nineteenth century，people did not use stamps．They had to pay postag
e when they receive letters．They unhappy about this，especially whenthey pay for a letter which they did not wish to receive at a11．The postage was high at that time，because the post offices had to send many people to cotlem the postage．
RowIand Hill，a schoolnlaster in England，was the first to put forward aproposal to use stamps in the 50s of the nineteenth century．fie thought it wouldbe much easier for people to use stamps to coover postage．They could go to the nearby post office to buy stamps and put them on envelopes before they sent theletters，The post office simply put seals on the stamps so that people could notuse the staraps again．In this way，the post office did not need to send postmen tocollect postage．It only needed to send fewer postmen to deliver letters．’That was a good idea and the governmern finally accepted it．It was not until that people began to use stamps．
A．!he early 19th Century B．the middle 19th century
C．the late 19th century I)．the beginning of the 19th centuryBefore stamps were used，postage．
| A．was paid by the letter—posters | B．was paid by the letter—receivers |
| C．was collected by postmen | D．BothBand C |
After stamps were used，post offices needn’t
| A．send postmen to collect the postage |
| B．send postmen to collect letters |
| C．send postmen to deliver jetters |
| D．put seals on the used stamps |
Which of the following may be the best title of the passage?
| A．When did people first begin to use stamps? |
| B．Who was the first to think of using stamps? |
| C．Why were postmen sent to collect postage? |
| D．How did stamps come Into use? |