On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse |
| B．it was spring when the accident happened |
| C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son |
| D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous. |
What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?
| A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.. |
| B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce. |
| C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson. |
| D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson. |
How does the writer find other people on the dockside?
| A．Warm and ready to help | B．Thoughtful |
| C．Kind of cold-blooded | D．Not skillful at swimming |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To set us thinking what makes people brave. |
| B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson. |
| C．To remind people of risk while saving others. |
| D．To show people bravery can be learned. |
A school in Nanjing plans to order Korean-style school uniforms (校服) for students, but parents were against the move, believing that the new uniforms looked too good and would encourage early romances among the students.
Parents: “My daughter was so excited about the Korean-style uniform, saying it’s her dream to wear a miniskirt to school every day,” a mom said. “My daughter also called her classmates to talk about how handsome the boys looked in the uniforms! If the students wear such beautiful uniforms, how can they concentrate on their studies?”School: We had to stop the plan because many parents were strongly against it. Some parents thought it was just a way for the school to make money, and others thought the new uniforms would take students’ attention away from their studies.Students: The students were very disappointed about the school’s final decision. They thought the sportswear uniforms made them look dull. They said the Korean uniforms had many advantages such as raising interest in class and lifting confidence.As for concerns about romance, the students believe that love is love and has no relationship to the uniforms.The Department of Education: The schools can choose their own styles. Either sportswear or other uniforms are OK. Currently, most middle and elementary schools in Nanjing have sportswear uniforms.Expert: Fashionable school uniforms can increase students’ interest in learning.Parents don’t need to worry too much about early romances. Today’s primary and middle school students have strong personalities and their appreciation of beauty is rapidly forming. A fashionable uniform can develop their sense of belonging to the school and reduce their resistance(反抗) to the school’s management.But we don’t have to follow Korean or Japanese styles. We should design our own Chinese style uniforms.
1．Students think the new uniforms will________. A. make them have good taste in fashion B. make them feel confident C. make them feel proud of their school D. reduce their fear of teachers
3．The opinion of the expert is to________. A. forbid the students to wear fashionable uniforms
B. encourage the students to wear sportswear uniforms
C. design uniforms in a Chinese style
D. wear new uniforms in a foreign style
3．We can infer from the passage that_________.
A. school uniforms are mostly blue or black
B. few students are willing to wear school uniforms C. school uniforms are a waste of money
D. schools are encouraged to choose their own uniforms
第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
请阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项的标号涂黑。
May 16th Wednesday Sunny
They used to call her “the witch（女巫）”, but today I found things were different.
My legs were too short to reach the floor from up there on the big chair. I was so afraid. My legs started to shake.
It was the first time I had been to the principal’s（校长的） office. And I knew what she was going to ask me.
Why had I been running on the concrete（混凝土） in the playground? Why hadn’t I followed the school rules?
The principal’s secretary was sitting at her desk. She kept asking me questions like whether I liked school and what grade I was in. I didn’t want to talk to her, so I just gave one-word answers.
Then she asked what my dad did. But I didn’t really know what he did, so I made something up. “He plays basketball for the Boston Celtics,” I said.
The secretary just looked at me, and said nothing more.
Just then, the door to the principal’s offic
e opened. There she was, the woman that everyone called “the witch”.
Was she really that bad? I was surprised to see her office walls were bright yellow, and there were some nice pictures on the desk.
She told me about the pictures. I was surprised that she had a family and a kid, just like me.
Then she asked how my family was. It turned out that she had known me since I was only a few weeks old. I was happy to hear that. If she knew my mum, then I wouldn’t get into much trouble.
She cleaned the cut on my knee and told me to be more careful. She also told me about the rules of the playground. But she didn’t punish or shout at me. And I forgot all the bad things I had heard about “the witch”. I had met her and I knew she was nice.
1．“The witch” in the story refers to _______.
A. the writer B. the writer’s father C. the secretary D. the principal
2．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The writer often asked the principal for help.
B. The principal must be very strict with students.
C. Running in the playground was allowed by the school rules.
D. The writer’s father was an excellent basketball player.
3．Which word can replace the underlined phrase “made up” (in Paragraph 6)?
A. Told. B. Invented. C. Minded. D. Memorized.
4. How did the writer find the principal in the end?
A. Terrible. B. Kind. C. Proud. D. Strict.
A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who was on his trapped way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum(最后通牒) about the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's being late--serious illness at home--he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room(更衣室); everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"
The room exploded in laughter, except that the supervisor had to clamp off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job--with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
1. Why was Sam late for his job?
A. Because he was seriously ill at home. B. Because he received an ultimatum.
C. Because he was caught in a traffic jam. D. Because he was busy applying for a new job.
2. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Sam Maynard saved his job with humor B. Humor is important in our lives
C. Early bird can get the worm D. Humor can solve racial discriminations
3. The phrase "clamp off" in Paragraph 3 means__________.
A. try to hold back B. pretend to set C. send off D. give out
4. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?
A. Many lose life's battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.
B. It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for his work.
C. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
D. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.
With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save these in a dangerous situation. That's a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called "Noah's Ark".
Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of these animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M's College of Veterinary, Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will probably become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
"The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available panda eggs could be a major problem," Kraemer believes. "They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it's difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort," adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
"They are trying to do something that's never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah's Ark. We're both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. The cooperation between us is very much needed."
1. The aim of "Noah's Ark" project is to__________.
A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas
B. save endangered animals from dying out
C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study
D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
2. According to Professor Kraemer, __________.
A. The long time lasting cloning research could be successful.
B. The eggs transfers immediately result in having a baby.
C. The lack of nuclear transfer could be a major problem to have new pandas.
D. If species should die out, basic building blocks would heal them.
3. The best title for the passage may be__________.
A. China's Success in Pandas Cloning
B. Helping Ways to Avoid Extinction
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas
D. The Practice in Noah's Ark
4. From the passage we know that __________.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda's egg into a rabbit
C. about two thousand of species are to die out in a century
D. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
Western New Bridge Library Announcement
Shortened Library Hours for Spring Break
Library Hours have been shortened to 7 hours a day(9：00 a．m．—4：00p．m．)for Spring Break from
March 24 to March 30.
Coming Events
·On Monday, March 24，at 10：30 a．m．，Scott Sutton，a children’s writer, will tell stories to kids over
seven．Sutton’s attractive style will surely inspire everyone present!
·At 1:00 p．m．, on March 26，the Geogetown Musicians will present an Irish Folk Concert，which will be entertaining for the entire family．Come for the music and stay to check out some relevant books for the rest of the week!
·On Thursday, March 27，at 2：00 p．m．, the annual Children’s Gathering will take place in Room 201，
the second．floor．Pick up an invitation in the Children’s Room and return your RSVP(回复)to reserve
your seat at the table by 3：00 p．m．on Tuesday, March 25．Only children are allowed in the Gathering．
·At 10：30 a．m．on Friday, March 28，Enzo Monfre of the hit kid’s science show, ENZOology, will bring Fossils Live! Surely Enzo will take the audience back in time，deep beneath the surface of the earth to uncover the mysteries of killer dinosaurs，and more．Enzo recently appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show--come and see him at the library!
Please note：In case of emergency, please call the Help Desk at 926—3736 and follow the procedures
outlined on the voice message．The call-down service is staffed 24 hours a day,7 days a week for emergencies．The Help Desk supplies service to you all the year around! For questions about all these, please contact hltm@wnbl.org．
Come for the great Fun；Stay for the relevant Books!
1. To attend the annual Children's Gathering, one has to__________.
A. buy a ticket B. apply in advance
C. make a reservation D. contact the call-down service
2. According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will__________.
A. show the children around a zoo
B. tell stories to children over seven
C. be present at the science show in person
D. lead the children to the Ellen DeGenerse Show
3. The Help Desk in this library supplies service__________.
A. only during the daytime B. in case of emergency
C. till the end of the Spring Break D. after 22:00 p.m. every day
4. We can learn from the passage that children can__________
A. attend all the activities with their parents
B. enjoy reading some relevant books in the activities.
C. participate in the activities from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
D. choose only one of the activities according to their interest