It was Saturday. As always, it was a busy one, for “Six days shall you labor and do all your work” was taken seriously back then. Outside, Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick were engaged in spring cleaning.
Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having Brother caught to beat carpets , they had sent him to the kitchen for string(线). It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would fly today.
My mother looked at the sitting room, its furniture disordered for a thorough sweeping, A gun she cast a look toward the window. “Come on, girls! Let’s take string to the boys and watch them
On the way we met Mrs. Patrick, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something wrong, together with her girls.
There never was such a day for flying kited! We played all our fresh string into the boys’ kites and they went up higher and higher .We could hardly distinguish the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down it the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth, just for the joy of sending it up again.
Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. “Perhaps it’s like this in the kingdom of heaven,” I thought confusedly.
It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to house. I suppose we had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been a surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was, we didn't mention that day afterward. I felt a little embarrassed .Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we keep “the things that cannot be and yet they are.”
The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently cried her desire to “go park ,see duck.”
“I can’t go!” I said. “I have this and this to do, and when I’m through I’ll be too tired to walk that for.”
My mother , who was visiting us , looked up from the peas she was shelling ,“It’s a wonderful day,” she offered,“Really warm , yet there’s a fine breezy . Do you remember that day we flew kites?”
I stopped in my dash between stove and sink. The looked door flew open and with it a rush of memories. “Come on.” I told my little girl. “You’re right, it’s too good a day to miss.”
Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath (余波)of a great war. All
evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely, but now for a long time he had been silent. What was he thinking of – what dark and horrible things?
“Say!” A smile slipped out from his lips. “Do you remember --- no, of course you wouldn’t. It probably didn’t make the impression on you as it did on me.”
I hardly dared speak. “Remember what?”
“I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp(战俘营), when things weren’t too good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?” Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought .
| A.she was too old to fly kites |
| B.her husband would make fun of her |
| C.she should have been doing her housework then |
| D.her girls weren’t supposed to play the boy’s game |
By” we were all beside ourselves”, the writer means that they all .
| A.felt confused | B.went wild with joy |
| C.looked on | D.forgot their fights |
What did the writer think after the kite-flying?
| A.The boys must have had more fun than the girls. |
| B.They should have finished their work before playing. |
| C.Her parents should spend more time with them. |
| D.All the others must have forgotten that day. |
Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?
| A.She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother. |
| B.She was reminded of the day they flew kites. |
| C.She had finished her work in the kitchen. |
| D.She thought it was a great day to play outside. |
The youngest Patrick Boy is mentioned to show that _____ .
| A.the writer was not alone in treasuring her fond memories |
| B.his experience in POW camp threw a shadow over his life |
| C.childhood friendship means so much to the writer |
| D.people like him really changed a lot after the war |
My love affair with the sea began when I was no more than six years old, walking along the sandy beaches. I always wanted to make the first set of footprints in the wet sand.
Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea’s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of. Soon, wearing a snorkel and a mask, I made my first solo adventures in the deep.
Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, in San Diego, asking how I might learn more about the sea.
A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received. During one of their cruises that summer, I met Dr. Robert Norris, a marine geologist. He loved the sea almost as much as I did. Soon he was asking me what my plans were and where I expected to attend college. I told him I didn’t know, so he suggested I consider his school, the University of California in Santa Barbara.
Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor. If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter. The undersea world is not our natural world. It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes. At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark. It is easy to get lost in such a world. I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, meteorology, geology, biology, and many other things. While I was in school, I took a little of everything.
I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U.S. Navy. If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn’t want that to happen. In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on expeditions so that we could explore the wonders of the deep.
Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come. In Paragraph 5, the writer discusses “the laws of the physical world.”Which of the following is an example of one of the laws?
| A.Water pressure. |
| B.Various ocean animal life. |
| C.The appearance of the water. |
| D.The different colors of the ocean. |
In college, the writer took many different types of courses because he _____.
| A.was not sure what he wanted to study |
| B.was advised to take them by Dr. Robert Norris |
| C.believed it would help him succeed in the Navy |
| D.thought they were needed to fully understand the ocean |
The writer joined the Navy to _______.
| A.develop his leadership skills |
| B.get along with people under stress |
| C.learn about the dangers of the ocean |
| D.gather specific information about ocean life |
What would the writer recommend to students who want to be underwater explorers?
| A.Spend time examining your talents. |
| B.Join groups to learn to get along on a team. |
| C.Interview explorers to see if they are happy. |
| D.Study as many ocean-related topics as you can. |
Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city.
1. Take pictures
One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with the person later. Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves, and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”. This can be the seed that leads to new connections. The next time you hear about a fun event email your new contacts to let them know about it.
2. Eat alone in public
You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit: you are much easier to approach when you are alone. People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else. Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious). Plus, having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it.
3. Join a class, sports team, or club
Yoga, salsa dancing, volleyball, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), a class for work, etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!
These are all great places to meet new people, primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the class. You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again.
Tips:
* In the beginning, never turn down an invitation from someone, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do.
* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are. If they have a better plan you can drop yours and join them. This will help establish you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend).
* Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person. People don’t want to be around someone like that!________ can give you an excuse to start new connections.
| A.Taking pictures of others |
| B.Eating by yourself in public |
| C.Reading interesting books |
| D.Joining group activities |
When having meals, you’d better ________ if you want to make new friends.
| A.approach others to show conscious friendliness |
| B.sit on your own in public places |
| C.invite others to your apartment to eat together |
| D.start a conversation with those who have friends aside |
Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?
| A.Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy. |
| B.Never turn down an invitation from your friends. |
| C.Offer suggestions on how to spend time together. |
| D.Always give a positive response to any request. |
By writing the text, the author intends to tell us ________.
| A.why you should change when you move to a new city |
| B.how you can make new friends in a new city |
| C.why you should make new friends in a new city |
| D.how you can keep in touch with strangers |
I want to talk about the economy.Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches.I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day.
Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy"."Share prices are flying high; interest rates are soaring; the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472.35." We hear this and subconsciously switch off.
Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth.The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life.
We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society.So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives.Our towns become more and more crowded.We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals.There's something wrong here.If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future.Yet the majority of us are deeply worried.More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations.
The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money.More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better.We all know it often means the opposite - greed, crime, poverty, pollution.More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption.Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down.If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate(僵局).
How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions.We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world.We create mountains of waste.We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land.
The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior.Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it.It is gathering the desire to do it.According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy?
| A.The Dow Jones Index. |
| B.Increases in interest rates |
| C.Skyrocketing share prices |
| D.Shopping in a supermarket |
It can be concluded from Paragraph 4 that.
| A.people are benefiting from a well-off society |
| B.the future generation is a big concern for most people |
| C.people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices |
| D.the majority of people are optimistic about the future |
What is true about economic expansion?
| A.It guarantees a better life for us. |
| B.It may lead to some social problems. |
| C.It will stop the circulation of money. |
| D.It has only brought desirable effects. |
The author writes the passage mainly to.
| A.call on us to change our behavior |
| B.suggest a solution for over-consumption |
| C.make a distinction between two economies |
| D.inform us of the effects of economic expansion |
I was sitting in the room reading when I heard a loud noise. To defend my home from break-in, I picked up my defense weapon--- a broom and went out. There on the roof of my porch(门廊), I saw a grey fluffy squirrel. I drove her away with the broom, but the next day I heard her again.
I searched squirrels on the net and found because their teeth keep growing, they have to constantly chew on things to shorten their teeth. This was disturbing so I asked my husband to call in some wildlife control people.
On Monday morning two men showed up, with guns in their hands. I pointed uneasily to the hole in my porch roof. They held up their guns. Suddenly I saw in my mind the baby nursery inside. I stopped them and confirmed that they wouldn’t harm her. They hesitated, but finally put down their guns. Then they brought out a bottle of deodorizer(除臭剂)and sprayed it into the squirrel’s home. They told me she would not like the smell and would leave.
There was no sign of Mrs. Squirrel, so they blocked the hole, took my cheque for $250 and left. Shortly after they left, Mrs. Squirrel returned from her shopping trip. She was mad at being driven out and began feverishly clawing at the porch roof. In order to stop the destruction of my home, I drove her away with the broom again.
Each day thereafter, Mrs. Squirrel continued her attack on my possession. I then called the company to report that “SHE’S BAAAAAACK…” The receptionist said that if Mrs. Squirrel had managed to find another way into my porch roof, it would be a new charge. I replied I couldn’t continue contributing my husband’s hard-earned income to their silly wildlife experts and hang up.
I went to the porch and banged on the roof. Mrs. Squirrel came out and glared at me. We negotiated some terms, came to an agreeable arrangement and went back into our respective homes.
All is quiet these days, although large quantities of materials have been removed from my garage wall and my daughter claims that some of her doll-house furniture has disappeared. I still hope that Mrs. Squirrel would leave, but I will wait until it is warmer and hopefully until after the birth of the little ones. What did the author think of the squirrel at first?
| A.Troublesome. | B.Dangerous. | C.Interesting. | D.Clever. |
Why didn’t the author ask the wildlife control people to come again?
| A.She worried about the safety of the squirrel. |
| B.She thought the company charged too much. |
| C.She decided to drive away the squirrel herself. |
| D.She doubted the ability of the wildlife control people. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A.Getting rid of the squirrel needs patience. |
| B.The squirrel has destroyed the author’s house. |
| C.The author has developed affection for the squirrel. |
| D.The author singed an agreement with Mrs. Squirrel. |
The author has written the passage in a (an) ________ way.
| A.persuasive | B.serious | C.informative | D.amusing |
The following is a father’s advice to his son/daughter, who has just graduated(毕业) from high school:
First of all, congratulations on your graduation! Graduation from high school means that a new stage of life is ahead of you. _____.
. After you have messed up(弄乱) something, you should learn to clean it up yourself. Cleanliness is indeed close to good manners.
Don’t mistake knowledge for wisdom(智慧). No matter how much information or knowledge you have, you will never make right judgments if you don’t have wisdom. _____. If you can imagine the possible future outcomes of your present decisions and actions, you can avoid mistakes. And if you can reflect(思考) on the mistake you have made, you can avoid making the same mistakes again and again. Such is wisdom.
Don’t complain(抱怨). When you take up a job, do your best to carry it out. _____.
Finally, be an early bird. ______. And the sight of the rising sun will warm your heart and give you energy for the day ahead. Besides, being an early bird, you have plenty of time to take exercise or do a lot of work.
| A.At the beginning of this new stage, I have some advice for you. |
| B.If you get up earlier than the sun, you can watch it rise up slowly into the sky |
| C.Once you start a job, you should try your best to do it well. |
| D.Clean your own room and do your own washing. |
E. Don’t waste time complaining about it, no matter how difficult and boring it is.
F. Get up early and go for some morning exercises to build up your body.
G. Wisdom comes from imagination and reflection.