I got up and dressed, stuck my violin under my jacket, and went out into the street. I wandered about for an hour, looking for a likely place, feeling as if I were about to commit a crime. Then I stopped at last under a bridge near the station and decided to have a go.
I felt tense and shaking. I drew my violin from under my coat like a gun. It was here, in Southampton, with trains passing overhead, that I was about to prove myself.
The first notes I played were loud and raw, and then they settled down and began to run more smoothly and to stay more or less in tune. To my surprise I was neither arrested nor told to shut up. Indeed, nobody took any notice at all.
I walked the streets of Southampton for several days, gradually knowing how to try and get money by being a street artist. It was not a good thing, for instance, to let the hat fill up with money — the sight could discourage the people; nor was it wise to empty it completely, which could also confuse them, giving them no hint as to where to drop his money. Placing a couple of pennies in the hat to start the thing going soon became a good idea. Before I played another tune, I took off the big money, but always left two pennies behind.
Old ladies were most generous, and so were women with children, shop girls, and typists. As for the men: Heavy drinkers were always generous too and so were big young with muscles. But never a man with a hat, briefcase or dog; respectable types were the meanest of all, except retired army officers, who would bark “Why aren’t you working, young man?” and then threw much money into the hat to hide their confusion.The underlined phrase “have a go” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.
A.have a try | B.run away |
C.change a place | D.commit a crime |
When the writer began to play the violin, he thought that ________.
A.he could make a lot of money | B.he had chosen the wrong place |
C.he would get into trouble | D.people would stop and listen to him |
According to the passage, the writer thought the best way of encouraging people to give a street-violinist money was to ________.
A.let the hat fill up with money first |
B.leave a small amount of money in the hat |
C.make sure that the hat was always empty |
D.choose the best place to play more smooth tunes |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Most of the ladies were willing to give him money. |
B.Retired army officers seldom gave him money. |
C.Drinkers were generous with their money. |
D.Not all the people would feel pity for street-violinists. |
Environmental protection is frequently talked about nowadays. The authorities are doing their best to arise the public awareness of the vital importance of the environmental protection. This issue is, indeed, worth following up.
Environmental protection is closely related not only to our personal life, but also to the entire human race and the world’s further development. For one thing, the environment, in a narrow sense, determines the quality of our individual life. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc. , all come directly from the environment. If they continue to be contaminated, we may have neither clean water, nor healthy food. For another thing, in a broader sense, the environment plays a decisive role in fate of mankind. As is known to all, the earth, up to now, is human being’s only dwelling place. We can expect that some day we will live on another planet, but I doubt that this day will come earlier than the day when the earth becomes a globe of waste, if we keep damaging the environment. Finally, the environment is essential to the further development of the world. Extensive industrialization, which has brought about all the convenience and facilities we enjoy today, has been depending on the comprehensive exploitation of the earth’s natural resources found in the environment. If we do not protect the environment properly, further development cannot be guaranteed. In a word, to protect the environment is an urgent task.
Nevertheless, environmental protection is indeed a demanding task. Many people are still, either unconscious of the urgency of the task or deliberately damaging the environment for the interests of their own. Hence, we should adopt severe measures to prohibit people from doing more harms to the environment. Meanwhile, we need to make the gravity of the present situation known to all. In other words, punishment and instruction should be equally emphasized. Only in this way can we look forward to a cleaner and greener world.
.
. What does the underlined word contaminated(in paragraph 2)probably refer to?
A.polluted | B.protected | C.wasted | D.guaranteed |
.
The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to ________.
A.stress the importance of protecting environment |
B.enjoy beautiful environment happily |
C.try to develop our industrialization fast |
D.take severe measures to the environmental destroyers |
.
. From the passage we can know that ________.
A.environmental protection is indeed a demanding task to our government |
B.not all the people in the world realize the urgency of the task |
C.only a few people are damaging the environment on purpose |
D.some day we will live on another planet before the earth is damaged |
Dear editor,
I am Paul , a senior English teacher in Linchuan No. 1 Middle School in Jiangxi Province , China. This letter is written to ask for your opinion.
The other day, I met with a multiple - choice exercise. We teachers argued heatedly with each other over its answer. Unfortunately, neither side could convince the other. The sentence is to be attached at the end of the letter. There is no doubt that the reference answer C is correct. But I don’t think it is the only answer. Personally, I do think A is also a reasonable choice in sense as well as in grammar, if the case is treated from another aspect.
What puzzles me is why we should deal with so many multiple - choice exercises with not rigorous(严谨的)enough reference keys. But being a teacher, it’s very important and necessary to make it clear to students which answer is correct, which is more appropriate, and which is the best one. Regrettably, Multiple - choice test, which is a bit old - fashioned in western countries, seems to be quite popular and covers a rather high percentage in all sorts of English tests in China, especially in NMET.
Personally speaking, I don’t think multiple - choice test form making up more than 75 percent of the total scores in college entrance examination is a very good and effective testing method. Instead, more subjective testing forms depending on one’s own thinking and his ability to use the language like key words falling, question answering, paragraph or passage summarizing, English - Chinese or Chinese - English inter - translation, etc. should be applied to English proficiency tests. Through the test forms mentioned above, students’ ability to use the language will be better developed. Consequently, more advanced and outstanding English learners could be picked out. In fact, a test paper focusing on multiple - choice test influences, in a sense, students to form their own language thinking, which hinders(阻碍)the development of their language ability as well. Do you think so?
I am looking forward to your authoritative opinion. Thanks.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Liao.
. What can be learnt from the letter is that the writer ________.
A.writes to argue with the editor over China’s present test system |
B.thinks the reference answer to the sentence is completely wrong |
C.thinks subjective test forms constitute a rather high percentage in NMET |
D.doesn’t think highly of China’s present English proficiency test forms |
.
. In order to better develop students’ ability to use English, the writer suggests ________.
A.dealing with more multiple - choice exercises |
B.laying stress on the practice of subjective exercises |
C.arguing hotly with teachers over reference answers |
D.considering a problem from different aspects |
.
Which of the following does NOT belong to subjective exercises in English learning?
A.Keeping a diary. | B.Summarizing a paragraph. |
C.Copying a test. | D.Translating a passage. |
.
The writer seems to feel ________ as to the future development of students’ language ability.
A.concerned | B.curious | C.confused | D.satisfied |
A. You and Me, Baby
Reading level: Baby - Grade 1
Hardcover: 40 pages
Language: English
List Price: $15.95
Price: $12.44 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
You Save: $3.51 (22%)
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available.
Only 4 left in stock-order soon(more on the way). Want it delivered Thursday, September 27.
B. Ruff! Ruff! Where’s Scruff?
Reading level: Baby - Preschool
Hardcover: 16 pages
Language: English
Price: $11.16 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
Availability: In Stock. Sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available.
Want it delivered Thursday, September 2.
Book Description: It’s bath time for Scruff. But does anyone know where he’s hiding? Have the cows seen him? Moo - no !How about the pigs? Oink - no ! Looking for that dog is just too tough! But not for toddlers. If they look carefully, they’ll find Scruff hiding on every pop – up page !
C. The Giving Tree
Reading level: Ages 4 - 8
Hardcover: 64 pages
Language: English
Price: $11.55
Availability: Sold all year round and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout.
Book Description: Once there was a tree… and she loved a little boy. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her think… and the tree was happy.
D. Where the Wild Things Are
Reading level: Ages 6 - 10
Hardcover comic: 62 pages
Language: English
List Price: $16.95
Price: $11.53 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $ 25.
You Save: $5.42(32%)
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available. Want it delivered Thursday, September 12. Order it at once, and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout..
. Little Tom who likes to read picture books with a hide - and - seek adventure, will be likely to buy ________.
A.You and Me, Baby | B.Ruff! Ruff! Where’s Scruff? |
C.The Giving Tree | D.Where the Wild Things Are |
.
. How much will you pay if you order three books named “Where the Wild Things Are?”
A.$16.26 | B.$34.59 | C.$50.58 | D.$75 |
.
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
A.The language of four kinds of books is English. |
B.Four kinds of books are available at present. |
C.The cover of four kinds of books is hardcover. |
D.The reading level of four kinds of books are the same. |
.
. Where would this advertisement probably appear?
A.In a popular magazine. |
B.On the front - page of a newspaper. |
C.In a children’s story - book. |
D.On the Internet. |
Laura was married for 6 months. Her husband was using drugs. She didn’t want her son or her unborn baby to live that way, but she was afraid to ask her husband to leave. She left him a note instead. After reading the note, Laura’s husband waited for her to come home and then beat her and
her son.
He smashed(使……碎)dishes, pictures and toys and left the house in a terrible mess(混杂). He said it was all her fault. After Laura cleaned up the mess she went to the hospital. She was badly hurt all over her body, but the baby was fine.
Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job. She was ashamed to ask for help from the police, courts or women’s shelters. Laura wanted her marriage and family to work. Sometimes her husband was very nice to her. She decided to try harder se her children could have a home and a father. Laura joined a church and told a priest(牧师)about her problem.
But her husband kept using drugs and hurting the family. Finally, she told her husband she loved him, but they should live apart for a while. He beat her again. The priest had called and could tell Laura was in trouble. He came over to talk to her, He asked the husband to go out for a while. Laura packed up her kids and left. Her husband went to jail. Laura got a lot of help from groups that help women who have been beaten. Now she is in college, has her own apartment and works on special projects at a women’s shelter. “We got out , and it changed the life for me and my children. You can do it. You can break the cycle.” Laura said. Laura’s husband treated her ________.
A.carefully | B.badly![]() |
C.coldly | D.carelessly |
. Why did Laura not leave her husband in the beginning?
A.Because she loved him very much. |
B.Because he could make her live a rich life. |
C.Because he was her son’s father. |
D.Because she hoped to keep the family. |
. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Now Laura works on a special project at a women’s shelter.
B. Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job.
C. After Laura cleaned up the mess, she went to the church.
D. Laura was ashamed to ask for help from organizations.. Which do you think is this passage about?
A.Educational and social problems. | B.Working and housing. |
C.Family violence(暴力). | D.Relationship between husband and wife. |
While drunken driving may be on the decline, traffic safety experts remain puzzled over how to deal with another alcohol related danger: drunken pedestrains.
Pedestrians struck and killed by cars often are extremely drunk. In fact, they are intoxicated(喝醉的) more frequently and with higher blood alcohol levels than drunken drivers who are killed in accidents, various studies have shown. Forty percent of adult pedestrians involved in fatal crashes have a blood alcohol level of at least 0.10 which by law in most states signifies intoxication compared to only 25 percent of drivers in deadly accidents, according to recent federal data.
Some types of pedestrain accidents have been declining nationally, especially those involving children, but the number of adult pedestrians who are drunk when killed in traffic has remained relatively steady at 2500 a year. The total number of pedestrians killed annually in U.S. traffic accidents is at least 7000, or one of every seven highway accidents resulting in death.
“We’re dealing here, we think, with a very severe drinking problem that leads to a severe highway safety problem,” said Richard Blomberg, president of Dunlap and Associates Inc, in Norwalk, Coon.
Blomberg, whose consulting company found a very high rate of alcohol involvement in a controlled study of pedestrian accidents in New Orleans, was among several researchers who spoke on the topic at the annual meeting of the Research council’s Transportation Research Board(TRB) in Washington in January.
Pedestrian accidents have not received enough attention in the past, according to Kay Colpitts, who chairs the board’s committee on pedestrians. Few methods exist to monitor walking habits, she said, and researchers have been mystified(迷惑不解) about how to prevent disasters.
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Traffic Safety. | B.Drunken Drivers |
C.Drunken Pedestrian Accidents. | D.A Severe Highway Safety Problem. |
Among the causes of walkers’ accidents, the most serious problem is .
A.long delays in traffic signals that may make people cross streets ignoring traffic rules |
B.alcohol |
C.a lack of adult keeping eyes on many children involved in accidents |
D.former drunken drivers whose licenses are not allowed to use for a time |
According to recent federal data, drunken drivers with an over 0.10 blood alcohol level in deadly accidents .
A.are 15 percent less than drunken adult walkers with the same level |
B.are 2500 a year |
C.are at least 7000 in US traffic accidents |
D.make up one seventh of highway accidents |
According to the passage, what is Blomberg?
A.A researcher. |
B.A specialist in traffic safety. |
C.A clerk of a consulting company. |
D.A government official |