Most students, when asked about their ideal graduation gift, would probably reply, “A car”, or “Money for a deposit on a house”. Cai Kaiyuan, 21, made a different choice. As a graduation gift to himself, he decided to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village in Tibet.
Cai, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at Huan Railway Professional Technology College, originally planned to cycle from Sichuan to Tibet. During his journey, Cai’s idea for a different graduation gift to himself began to take shape. “I did not know beforehand what the journey would mean to me. I just want to gain a unique experience and have pleasure in appreciating the view there,” he said.
It turned out cycling on a plateau was extremely challenging. And it has kept changing his outlook on life. Cai’s fingers even became frostbitten while cycling up a 5008-meter-high mountain, where temperatures often dropped to 18 below zero. At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak. “At the most serious moment, I felt that my life was on the line,” said Cai.
However, he also gained something unexpected. At Ya’an, a city in Sichuan, he met a group of tourists who are also university students. A girl called Wu Ling told him that she planned to work as a teacher in a primary school in Tibet after her journey. He was impressed by the idea as she looked slender and weak.
It was not until he reached a family-run hotel in Shigatse that Cai’s spirits began to rise. The hotel manager’s two daughters enjoyed talking with him. The kids asked about his experiences on his trip, and showed him the beautiful local lakes. “They told me that they always liked to talk to guests, as they wanted to improve their Mandarin,” he said, “Their parents and many locals can only speak Tibetan.”
Cai was touched by the girls’ story. Their situation is tough and the local people have little chance to learn Mandarin because the schools are short of teachers. “I want to do something to improve the situation for kids like them,” said Cai. His parents finally gave their agreement and his teachers also supported him.According to the passage, Cai Kaiyuan’s graduation gift to himself is _________.
| A．to have money for a deposit on a house |
| B．to travel by cycling from Sichuan to Tibet |
| C．to own a new car and marry a slender girl |
| D．to work as a volunteer teacher in Tibetan school |
What words can be used to describe Cai’s journey to Tibet?
| A．unique and pleasant | B．challenging but rewarding |
| C．relaxing but unexpected | D．freezing cold and boring |
The underlined phrase “on the line” in the third paragraph means “ ____________”.
| A．in a dilemma | B．making a phone call |
| C．at risk | D．very painful |
The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________.
| A．tell us about an unusual graduation gift |
| B．introduce a dangerous journey to us |
| C．give advice on how to travel to Tibet |
| D．encourage us to be a teacher in Tibet |
Which of the followings is NOT the reason for Cai to make his decision?
| A．He met Wu Ling and was impressed by her plan. |
| B．His parents and teachers persuaded him to go to Tibet. |
| C．He was moved by the kid’s desire to improve their Mandarin. |
| D．A lack of teachers makes the local people have little chance to learn. |
Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.
When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed and almost nobody worked. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.
The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for and hour of devotion, and opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.
Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association.① In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visit someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to Do this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such and answer would feel strange, an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants（剩余部分）of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.②The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when_________.
| A．everyone would pay a visit to some relative far away |
| B．everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure |
| C．Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house |
| D．nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
| A．People nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday |
| B．People in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday |
| C．Such answers are rarely heard in our modern society |
| D．Visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time |
From the last paragraph we may infer that people in Maine____________.
| A．suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment |
| B．have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life |
| C．have tense relationships with each other |
| D．always help each other when they are in need |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?
| A．Unsatisfied | B．confused | C．Respectful | D．Thankful |
Believe it or not,the ability to choose is the power to change.If you can choose to live your life differently,will you be the same person?
Well,choosing to do the following few “simple”things will help to change your life.
Review your life.Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, “If I do the same thing I do every day,will there be a change?If I want to change,where will my first step be?”
Make careful choices.Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life;describe and think what you really want
Keep up with chances.Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your goals,write them down and see which one suits you most.
Get down to business.Start working on your goals.People may bring you down;you may have difficulties;you will fail and want to give up.But the most important thing is never to give up.
If you try these “simple”things,you will find that success is something for everyone,and you will finally become what you want to be.Remember,success is more than what you hold in your hands;It is something from the heart.How many pieces of advice does the writer give on changing one’s life?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
Once you get down to business,the most important thing is to.
| A．see possibilities | B．set goals | C．ask for help | D．keep on trying |
The underlined word “it”in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．choice | B．change | C．success | D．life |
This passage mainly discusses the relationship between .
| A．choice and change | B．power and life |
| C．choice and difficulties | D．power and success |
The winds had finally died down,and the rains stopped.Paige and her parents were inside their house,sitting in the living room,which was dark except for a single candlelight.
“Let’s find out what’s going on outside,”Paige’s mom suggested as she turned on the small radio.
“…has moved out of the area,”an announcer’s voice boomed. “Winds reaching nearly 100 miles an hour passed through our town this morning. But,the worst is over,and it is safe to go outside.In fact,the sun is now peeking out from behind the…”
Suddenly,the radio went dead.The house was quiet again.
“Well,”Paige’s dad said, “at least we heard some good news,even if it was cut short.Let’s look out of the window and survey the damage.”
Paige ran to the window and looked outside.She saw tree branches lie on the lawn.The mailbox was broken,and some of the address letters and numbers on the mailbox were missing.
“The wind must have ripped(擦)them off,” Paige’s father noted.As he read the remaining letters he began to laugh.
The mailbox dispalyed “_ _RAIN.”
“It says “rain”,”Paige said. “That’s appropriate for a day like today!”The weather event that took place that day in the story was.
| A．an earthquake | B．a hurricane | C．a flood | D．a fire |
The living room was dark because .
| A．there were no lamps | B．someone forgot to pay the electric bill |
| C．the electricity had been cut off | D．the wind blew out the candle |
After the storm had passed,Paige’s family felt .
| A．worried | B．disappointed | C．relieved | D．scared |
The family’s last name could have been .
| A．Germain | B．Crain | C．Syrain | D．Rain |
When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy holiday presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.
I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a hand basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his presents. Finally he came to the checkout counter (交款处) and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money. Mark stood there holding his basket, tears falling down his face.
Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. "You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you," said the woman. "It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I would like you to find someone you can help. When you help others, 1 know you will feel as good about it as I do now."
Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.
I would like to say ’"thank you" to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later, Mark went house to house collecting blankets (毯子) and clothes for the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.When did the story probably happen?
| A．On Christmas Day. | B．Before Christmas Day, |
| C．On New Year’s Day. | D．After New Year’s Day. |
Why did the writer want to say ’’thank you" to the woman?
| A．Because she bought Mark a nice present. |
| B．Because she always paid money for others. |
| C．Because she collected clothes for the homeless. |
| D．Because she taught Mark to help people in need. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A big supermarket | B．A kind woman |
| C．A happy family | D．A wonderful gift |
“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to.
Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’re a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump(树桩) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.
A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’s not about going to a temple to burn some incense(香) hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’s practical advice you can follow each day.
Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups; those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper,” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.
It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “lucky”, in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.
I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’s studies I think not.
As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.
Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’s point?
| A．Make the best of a bad job. |
| B．Rome was not built in a day. |
| C．All is not gold that glitters. |
| D．A good heart conquers ill fortune. |
What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?
| A．She became famous through her family background. |
| B．She is a British talk show host. |
| C．She became successful by her own effort. |
| D．She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks in her life. |
The writer quoted the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show __________.
| A．man can conquer nature |
| B．luck is in your own hand |
| C．bad luck can turn into good |
| D．you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you |