My wife Julie and I were out on the road that runs around where we live, when we saw an old worn-out dog stumbling (蹒跚) painfully up the road. We stopped, bent down, talked gently to the dog and patted it. I checked and there was a collar with a phone number. I called but no one answered.
The dog was painfully thin. So Julie ran home to get some of our dog’s food while I tried to encourage the dog. After Julie came back, we sat down on the sidewalk while our new friend made short work of the food. Eventually we got her home.
After trying for many times we got a response from the number. A lady came around with a bunch of flowers for us. She explained that Tara had been her father’s dog. She was very old and got lost that morning. So, Tara was safely returned home.
Here is the truth of the story:
Actually Julie and I were out that morning because I was leaving. She was trying to persuade me to come back, but I wasn’t hearing anything that made that sound likely.
I was about to turn and go when an old black dog walked between us and almost fell down. Suddenly we had something more important than our problem to worry about. There was a creature in need right before us and we had to work together to help it.
We did help it. And here I am writing the story in my own home, in my own family.
In the song “Love Is Not a Fight” Warren Barfield talks about marriage. At one point he sings, “And if we try to leave, may God send angels (天使) to guard the door.”
Sometimes angels come disguised (伪装) as dogs. How was the dog when found?
| A．Too weak to walk. | B．Thin and worn out. |
| C．Unable to eat food. | D．Homeless but gentle. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that .
| A．the dog didn’t go with the writer |
| B．the writer had his own pet dog |
| C．Julie bought some food for the dog |
| D．the dog didn’t eat any of the food |
The underlined part “our problem” in the passage refers to the fact that .
| A．the writer didn’t want to take Julie’s advice |
| B．an old black dog appeared in front of them |
| C．Julie disagreed with the writer’s travel on business |
| D．the couple had some trouble with their marriage |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．An Angel Dog | B．A Helpful Couple | C．Saving the Dog | D．A Famous Song |
As I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart．We always had totally different opinions．He thought that college was a waste of time，but for me it was important to finish college．He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field，but l wanted a different life．There was a time when we did not talk with each other．
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health．When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him，I knew he was seriously ill．I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father’s requirement．
Two weeks after moving back，we bought a boat and started fishing again．Fishing was one of the few things that we did while l was young and that we both enjoyed．It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us．We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before．Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart．
It is not important how many fish we catch．It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years．I’m 62 and he is 84．When we are on the lake fishing，it is like two kids enjoying life．It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind．I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years．Now my heart is filled with love．A smile always graces my lips．The author and his father became further apart because______________．
| A．they lived very far from each other |
| B．they had different views on things |
| C．they only communicated by phone |
| D．they seldom went to see each other |
Why did the author come back to Tennessee?
| A．Because his father invited him to go fishing |
| B．Because he decided to live in a different city |
| C．Because his father is ill and needs caring |
| D．Because he regretted being rude to his father |
For the author，fishing with his old father___________ ．
| A．helps cure his father’s disease |
| B．is a good way to get close to nature |
| C．makes him realize the importance of relaxation |
| D．provides a chance for them to communicate |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer’s car is always breaking down. |
| B．Father intended me to be a fisherman. |
| C．I was unwilling to came back. |
| D．Father uesed to think it was useless to attend college.. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Fishing Brings Us Together | B．Forgiving Is Difficult |
| C．Memories of Old Days | D．My Beloved Father |
She belongs to no one but the whole world that can understand her language. Her music is appreciated across the globe but it is Singapore, China, Thailand and Britain that have helped to shape her talent.
Violinist, Vanessa-Mae, best known for her pioneering mix of pop and classical music, has just completed her Asian tour. She has a magic power that has attracted an audience from around the world but the violin genius has always drawn fans by blazing a new trail.
“I don’t like playing it safe, I like jumping into new styles,” she said. She started her Asian performance tour in China’s Hong Kong on September 19 and visited the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumper. The tour, aiming to promote her new album, “The Best of Vanessa-Mae”, ends in Thailand’s capital Bangkok on September 30.
The graceful and beautiful musician has attracted lots of fans in the places she has visited. She said although she enjoys trying out different forms of performance, including fashion shows and singing, she feels more comfortable with her violin. She has promised her fans she will never abandon the classical music that was the foundation of her training.
Vanessa-Mae, now 23, first picked up the violin at five. After six months of intensive training in Beijing, he turned professional at 10. it was her fusion (融合) of classical and rock in her 1995 album “The Violin Player”, that shot the then 17-year-old to international recognition. The record sold 3 million copies worldwide.
She has a Chinese-Singaporean mother and a Thai father. She was born in Singapore and grew up in Britain. Vanessa-Mae has released seven albums and plans two more in the near future—first a classical album,, then a pop recording.
She has said she wants to perform for the next 10 years, but after that she may settle down with her boyfriend, a 33-year-old wine-dealer from France, and concentrate on writing music.Vanessa-Mae started her Asian performance tour .
| A．to concentrate on writing music |
| B．to go on a lobng journey |
| C．to sell her new album “The Best of Vanessa-Mae” |
| D．to attract her fans |
She has given performance in these forms EXCEPT.
| A．playing the violin | B．fashion shows |
| C．singing | D．playing the piano |
What can we know about Vanessa-Mae from the passage?
| A．Her music is a mix of pop and classical music. |
| B．She has released nine albums. |
| C．Her music is a fusion of Chinese and Western music. |
| D．Being born in Singapore and growing up in Britain have resulted in popularity of her music. |
If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen (氮) dissolved (溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡) accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body — thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or brain, the consequence can be death.
Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression (减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs (鱼龙). That these ancient sea-animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil(化石)bones that have caved in on themselves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.
Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a suty of ichthyosaurs bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompession over the 150 milllion years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Trassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before the died, but not a single Trassic specimen showed evidence of that sort of injury.
If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly — and, most strangly, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothchild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.
Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have sufaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of the Jurassia oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaurs lunches. Trassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark-and crocodile-free. In the Trassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurrasic and Cretaceous, they were prey (猎物) as well as predator —and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?
| A．A twisted body. |
| B．A gradual decrease in blood supply. |
| C．A sudden release of nitrogen in blood. |
| D．A drop in blood presure. |
The purpose of Rothchild’s study is to see .
| A．how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends |
| B．how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression |
| C．why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies |
| D．when ichthyosaurs broke their bones |
Rothchild’s finding stated in Paragrapg 4 .
| A．confirmed his assumption | B．speeded up his research process |
| C．disagreed with his assumption | D．changed his research objectives |
Rothchild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs .
| A．failed to evole an anti-decompression means |
| B．grdually developed measures against the bends |
| C．died out because of large sharks and crocodiles |
| D．evoled an anti-decompression means but soon lost it |
Salvation Army Angel Program
Angel Tree collects gifts for children and families in need. Participate by selecting an angel from any Angel Tree at all Cyprus Credit Union location or any Utah Macy's Department store. Shop for your angel, then return your new, unwrapped gift to the same Angel Tree. Gifts must be returned before December 14. For more information, call (801) 988-5678 in the Salt Lake area,(801) 374-2588 in the Provo area.
Utah Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities Holiday Gift Box Program
The program serves primarily low-income adults with intellectual disabilities who don't qualify for other programs because of age limits, said Joyce Whalen, the association's board president. To donate, visit the association at 1326 S.2100 East from 9am to about 5:30 pm to choose an ornament (装饰物) that provides information about an individual who will benefit from the program. Shop for new items and return them by December 14. Donations of generic items, such as towels, socks and hygiene products also accepted, as are monetary donations. For more information, call 801-440-1674.
Utah Foster Care Foundation's Giving Tree Program
The program seeks new gifts and cash donations to fulfill the holiday wishes of more than 1,000 children in state-licensed foster homes." Many of the children in care have been removed from their biological homes because of neglect or abuse," said Nikki Mackay, the foundation's director. " Christmas can be a difficult time for them." To learn how to support the program, call 877-505-5437.
Utah State Hospital Forgotten Patient Program
The program provides Christmas gifts for hundreds of patients with mental illness. In the history of the program--which may go back as far as 60 years, organizer Shawna Peterson said, "we've never had a forgotten patient." And she doesn't want this year to change that. To support the program, contact Peterson at 801-344-6088.After you buy an angel, you should ________.
| A．post it to where you bought |
| B．open its package to examine it |
| C．send it to families in need for yourself |
| D．bring it back in its original form |
If you want to help adults with intellectual disabilities, you should call_____.
| A．801-440-1674 | B．801-988-5678 |
| C．877-505-5437 | D．801-344-6088 |
The underlined phrases "biological homes" in the third program refers to ______.
| A．homes where they are just brought up |
| B．homes where their natural parents live |
| C．homes where they learn biology |
| D．homes where are related to bacteria |
From the last program, we can infer that ______.
| A．the patients often forgot to come to the hospital |
| B．the patients are often forgotten to be looked after |
| C．the patients are being taken good care of |
| D．the patients had a poor memory in the hospital |
Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour. The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebra fish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebra fish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes (黑色素体). The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour.
It appears that, like the golden zebra fish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (突变)in the gene for melanosome production. This results in less pigmented skin. However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebra fish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun, which can cause skin cancer. But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng. Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colours, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment done on Michael Jackson.According to the passage, scientists have found .
| A．people living in northern latitudes need more sunlight |
| B．the reason why people change their skin colour |
| C．the reason why people get skin cancer |
| D．the gene that determines skin colour |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．people like to change their skin colour |
| B．a mutation in the gene for melanosome production is different in human and zebra fish gene |
| C．people will be able to change their skin colour without chemical treatment in the future |
| D．skin cancer can be cured now |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned according to the passage?
| A．The version of the pigment gene of Asians and that of Africans are the same. |
| B．Scientists have succeeded in turning the colour of a dark-striped zebra fish into uniform gold. |
| C．Dark skin can protect bodies from utral-violet rays of the sun. |
| D．People like pop king Michael Jackson. |
The passage is probably taken from __________.
| A．a novel | B．a science report |
| C．a story book | D．a science fiction |