How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times."
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.How did the author get to know America?
| A． From her relatives. | B． From her mother. |
| C． From books and pictures. | D． From radio programs. |
Upon leaving for America the author felt_______.
| A．confused | B．excited |
| C．worried | D．amazed |
For the first two years in New York, the author _________.
| A．often lost her way | B．did not think about her future |
| C．studied in three different schools | D．got on well with her stepfather |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A. She worked as a translator.
B. She attended a lot of job interviews.
C. She paid telephone bills for her family.
D She helped her family with her English.The author believes that______.
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, the attitudes to dirt are always changing.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, and washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief above was longlived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ.Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many firsttime parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary，Mary Ruebush，an American immunologist(免疫学家)，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because ________.
| A．they believed disease could be spread in public baths |
| B．they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in |
| C．they lived healthily in a dirty environment |
| D．they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease |
Which of the following best describes Henry IV's attitude to bathing?
| A．Approving. | B．Afraid. | C．Curious. | D．Uninterested. |
How does the passage mainly develop?
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of importance. |
| D．By following the order of time. |
What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?
| A．To stress the role of dirt. |
| B．To introduce the history of dirt. |
| C．To present the change of views on dirt. |
| D．To call attention to the danger of dirt. |
For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing．
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned（辞职）, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation．
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others．
A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers．
“Out in the cold” means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise. He was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be．When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_____”．
| A．I give him the cold shoulder |
| B．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| C．I think he is a cold fish |
| D．I'm likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say ______．
| A．she is a cold-blooded killer | B．she gets cold feet |
| C．she is a cold fish | D．she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “_____" to describe a man who hurts his lover without mercy．
| A．cold-blooded | B．cold-hearted | C．cold feet | D．cold shoulder |
The topic of this passage is about _____．
| A．the relationship between cold and our body |
| B．some expressions about friendship |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．how cold weather comes into being |
Children today are crazy about roller skating（溜冰）, for it's easy and fun. After supper on week days, anytime on weekends and especially any day in school holidays, so many roller skaters flow into streets, squares, parks and playgrounds. What a beautiful sight!
But a long time ago, roller skating was a different story. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin，whose work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked playing the violin. Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. Very pleased and a little excited, he accepted it. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think hard how to make an impressive entrance at the party. A strange idea struck him one day—he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
He tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Very proud of his invention, he couldn't wait for the special day to come, when he would arrive at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin did as he had planned, rolling into the room playing his violin. Quite astonished，all present cast their eyes over him. Then, unexpectedly, came one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!Merlin was considered a dreamer because he ________.
| A．always dreamed while sleeping |
| B．had very rich imagination |
| C．often gave others surprises |
| D．invented the roller skates |
Merlin roller skated into the room in order to ________.
| A．arrive at the party on time |
| B．impress the party guests |
| C．test his new roller skates |
| D．make the host satisfied |
The main point the writer tries to make in the last paragraph is ________.
| A．the party guests laughed at Merlin |
| B．the roller skates needed improving |
| C．Merlin got himself into great trouble |
| D．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation |
The text is mainly about ________.
| A．an unusual party | B．a funny musician |
| C．the origin of roller skating | D．the great joy Merlin brought |
Animals seem to have the sense to eat when they are hungry and they do not eat more than their bodies need. It has been shown that rats will, when given a choice over a period of time, prefer water with vitamins(维生素) to water without vitamins, even though there is no difference in taste or smell between the two water bottles. When a sweet smell was added to the vitamins-enriched water, the rats did seem to develop a taste for it and kept drinking it, even after the vitamins were changed to the clear water. In time(最后), however, they broke the habit and went back to where the necessary vitamins were.
In experiments, babies of 6 to 12 months old were placed in a room with many choices of baby food before them. They were given whatever food they pointed to or appeared interested in. We are told that at first they showed some unusual eating habits, but over a period of time they managed to choose a well-balanced diet.
So in choosing food, rats and babies do seem to know what's best for them. Clearly, there is a kind of “body wisdom”, which humans soon lose. Most of us do not eat as wisely as we could. Many of our food preferences are culturally determined and influenced by old habits. Some people eat foxes, dogs and blackbirds, while we eat cows and pigs. So what people eat and how much they eat seem to be greatly influenced by what is going around them. In the experiment on rats, a sweet smell was added to the rats’ drinking water to ________ .
| A．encourage rats to drink vitamins-enriched water |
| B．test whether rats know which drink is good for them |
| C．find out rats’ preference in flavor(口味) |
| D．show the vitamins are tasteless |
Talking about eating habits, babies and rats are just like each other because ________ .
| A．both have the wisdom to choose a balanced diet |
| B．both prefer flavored food and drink |
| C．both have the same eating habits |
| D．both develop a taste for the same kinds of food |
In the experiment mentioned in the second paragraph, babies were ________ .
| A．given many choices of drinks |
| B．placed and fed in a hospital |
| C．given all kinds of baby food |
| D．trained to select a balanced diet |
Grown-up people’s eating habits differ from those of babies because ________ .
| A．they know better than babies what kinds of food are good for their health |
| B．they usually cannot say no to all kinds of delicious foods |
| C．their eating habits have much to do with the social and cultural customs |
| D．they have more choices of food than babies in eating patterns |
This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won’t be of much use to you.
Actually I don’t care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can. In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to.
| A．describe the contents of the bag in detail |
| B．tell the thieves hardly any money was available |
| C．state the fact that she was careless with the money |
| D．give some suggestions to the three thieves |
Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?
| A．The cash in her bag. |
| B．The handbag itself. |
| C．The papers and notes in the bag. |
| D．The check book in the bag. |
What can we conclude about the police?
| A．They are unable to find the thieves. |
| B．They show sympathy to the woman. |
| C．They have doubts about human nature. |
| D．They think the case quite common. |
Why does the author write the letter?
| A．To give the thieves a serious warning. |
| B．To express her affection for her valuable bag. |
| C．To call people’s attention to their belongings. |
| D．To complain about the fall of morality. |