I was on the escalator in a market. There was an old man who was about five or six people in the front of me. People behind him were all in a hurry and saw him as a rock. The old man knew these clearly and tried hard to step aside.
I remember…Sometimes when walking or driving behind an older person, I’ve gotten impatient and upset.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me!” said the old man, “I don’t mean to hold you up.” He then tried his best to get off the escalator.
I suddenly saw this in a whole new light. I felt sick to my stomach. The old man was apologizing to everyone, when we should have helped him to calm his fears.
One by one, people went around him quickly.By the time I got to him, I asked,“Sir, can I help you?”
The man thought for a while, then said,“Well, yes, thank you!”
I placed my hand under his left arm and walked away from the rush of people quickly.
“So what are you shopping for, sir?”
“Oh, today is Mother’s Day. I want to buysomething for my neighbor. She’s a single mother and she is always so nice to me.” he said, stopping suddenly as he searched his pocket.
“Oh, it’s here! I always carry them with me,” he said. Then he took out some business cards and handed me one which read:
“John Smith.
Friend to all…enemy to no one!
I said a prayer today and you were the answer.
Thank you!”
“That’s for you,” he said. “Thanks for stopping to help an old man.”
“My friend, you helped me. I discovered why I was unhappy with the world. Now I know how to solve the problem. No more with me!”
| A．Because he was in a hurry. |
| B．Because he didn’t want to be in other people’s way. |
| C．Because the escalator was very crowded. |
| D．Because he was as heavy as a rock. |
| A．the old man tried hard to step aside |
| B．the old man was difficult to get off the escalator |
| C．he was impatient and upset for the old man |
| D．the old man was apologizing to everyone |
| A．Cold. | B．Boring. | C．Warm. | D．Friendly. |
| A．the old man needed the writer’s help then he came |
| B．the writer was always friendly to other people |
| C．the old man believed everyone could be friends |
| D．the old man had lots of friends and no enemies |
| A．we should always help old people |
| B．we should share our enjoyment with our friends |
| C．it was valuable to make friends with the old man |
| D．if we are kind to others, we will be happy in our life |
My 10-year-old Donna said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.
“Sure, honey, that sounds great.” I said, thinking back to my own best friend, Lillian. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter, I was shy, but Lillian drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.
In senior high school, Lillian went on a trip to Florida. This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon.” she told me. But three days later, Lillian’s sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn’t come out any more. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey. Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.
The next day Donna brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs. Loggia.” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile. “My name is Laura.”
My daughter’s new friend was so much like Lillian. I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura’s mom came to pick her up later that afternoon. I opened the door to let her in. “Judy!” she cried. “It’s me, Lillian’s sister, from Washington Heights.” Yes, my daughter’s friend looked familiar. She was Lillian’s niece.The underlined words in the first paragraph “to bring her out of her shell” mean ___________.
| A．to help her become less shy |
| B．to help her become smart |
| C．to help her live happily |
| D．to help her walk out of her house |
Laura looked familiar to the writer because she ______________.
| A．was Lillian’s niece |
| B．was as old as her daughter |
| C．was from Washington Heights |
| D．had shiny black hair and a big smile, too |
Why did the writer lose her best friend? Because ____________________.
| A．she moved to New Jersey |
| B．they were different from each other |
| C．her best friend travelled to Florida |
| D．her best friend lost her life on a trip |
“I knew we would be best friends forever.” is a sentence from the passage and should be put at the end of _______．
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
We can infer (推断) from the passage that______.
| A．Laura is outgoing |
| B．Laura helps Donna a lot |
| C．Laura and Donna are of the same age |
| D．Judy moved to New Jersey because of Lillian’s death |
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is the color of most growing plants, too.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet finished or plants that are not ripe.
For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in war (战争). By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today--a person who is new in a job.
About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities in the east. The greenhorn didn’t have the skills that he would need to live in the hard, rough country.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution (革命) is the name which was given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural (农业的) scientists who had green thumbs.According to the passage, a greenhorn means________ now.
| A．a young cow or ox whose horns have not yet developed |
| B．a soldier who has not had any experience in war |
| C．a person who is new in a job |
| D．a man who doesn’t have the skills to live in the country |
The meaning of the underlined word “ripe” in the second paragraph is ________.
| A．未完成的 | B．成熟的 | C．青涩的 | D．老练的 |
Which of the following about the Green Revolution is NOT right?
| A．If there weren’t the Green Revolution, we would have no rice to eat. |
| B．The expression “the Green Revolution” appeared several years ago. |
| C．Because of the Green Revolution, we have more kinds of rice and other grains. |
| D．Agricultural scientists with green thumbs started the Green Revolution. |
We can know from the passage that _______.
| A．all growing plants is green |
| B．green is the most important color in nature |
| C．a person with a green thumb can make plants grow well |
| D．the expression “a green thumb” has a history of two hundred years |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．a greenhorn | B．a green thumb |
| C．the Green Revolution | D．the word “green” and its story |
Our factories and homes burn coal and oil. Every year we have forest fires somewhere. Many scientists believe that the climate is changing.
The earth will perhaps be warmer by about 7 degrees centigrade. At the South Pole and the North Pole, the ice will melt (融化). The sea level (海平面) will rise by about 7meters. As a result, water will cover cities like London, Tokyo and New York. Some ports and towns along the coasts will disappear under water.
Some other scientists think that the dust, smoke and pollution from coal, wood and oil fires will block out the sunrays(紫外线). Then the earth will become colder and great sheets of ice will cover Europe and North America.
When chemicals in the air mix with rain, we have acid (酸) rain. Acid rain can bring us great harm. It destroys forests and kills life in lakes and rivers.
People are beginning to see how serious the problem is. They find it important to work with nature instead of against it. They are trying to save the earth in many different ways. But one of the most important things to do is to make people understand that saving the earth is saving ourselves. Some scientists believe that .
A. the earth is growing warmer
B. we can find oil in our forests
C. we have to burn down the forests every yearIce at the poles will if the earth gets warmer.
A. cover cities like London and Tokyo
B. raise the sea level by 7 degrees
C. become water and make the sea level riseAcid rain .
A. brings great changes in our climate
B. kills pests in lakes and forests
C. kills the fish in rivers and lakesWhat can we learn from the third paragraph?
A. The dust together with pollution from coal, wood and oil fires will bring us more heat from the sun.
B. The sunrays will come more because of the dust and pollution from fires.
C. As a result of the dust and pollution from coal, wood and oil fires, the earth will become colder.Which statement is TRUE?
A. People have come to know the importance of working with nature.
B. All the scientists agree that our earth is sure to become warmer and warmer.
C. The sea level will rise if the earth gets colder.
Having Fun “Growing” and “Stealing”?
Recently, an Internet game has become a new fashion among young office workers and students. People can “farm” on a piece of “land” and “grow”, “sell” or even “steal” “vegetables”,”flowers”, and “fruits” on the Net. They can earn some e-money and buy more “seeds” , “pets”, and even “houses”.
Joyce interviewed some young people. Here are their opinions.
Harold: I don’t quite understand why they are mad about the childish game. Maybe they are just not confident enough to face the real world.
Allan: I enjoy putting some “bugs” in my friends’ gardens and we’ve become closer because of the game. Having fun together is the most exciting thing about it.
Laura: You know, people in the city are longing for (渴望) the life in the countryside. It reduces my work pressure (压力) ; besides, it gives me the exciting experience of being a “thief ”.
Ivy: Well, it’s just a waste of time. Teenagers playing the game spend so many hours on it that they can not focus on (专注于) their study. According to the passage, people can’t things in this game.
A. grow B. borrow C. stealAmong the people Joyce interviewed, likes the game while dislikes the game.
A. Laura; Allan B. Allan; HaroldC. Ivy; AllanFrom Laura’s words, we can guess that she is most probably .
A. a student B. a thief C. an office workerWhich is NOT the reason why people like the game?
A. They can have fun with friends.
B. The game can relax people and give them a new experience.
C. They are confident enough to face the real world.Where can you find this passage?
A. In a newspaper.
B. In an advertisement.
C. In a science book..
The sun is a huge, hot and bright star. It is important because without it there would be no life on the earth. The sun gives us light and heat.
All living things depend on the sun for their growth. Plants need light and heat to grow. They use the light from the sun to make food. But we human beings cannot make food by our own bodies from the sun. All the food we eat comes from plants in a food chain(链) . And the food chain starts with the sun . For example.
sun —→
potatoes —→
chipssun —→
corn —→
hens —→
eggs
sun—→
wheat —→
bread
Animals need sunlight, too. Just like us, their food comes from plants in food chain, which begins with the sun. For example,
Sun → leaf → caterpilllar(毛虫) → bird
Sun → seaweed(海藻) → small fish → whale(鲸)
With the help of sunlight, we can see things during the day. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunlight is very strong and it shines through the clouds. If there was no sun, it would be dark all the time. The sun is a star.
A. huge, cold and bright B. huge, hot and bright C. small, warm and brightWhat are the two main things the sun gives us?
A. Light and heat. B. Heat and eggs. C. Corn and light.From the passage we learn that .
A. when the sky is cloudy, there is no sunlight at all
B. without the sun there will be no life on the earth
C. we human beings can make food by our own bodiesAll the food we eat comes from in a food chain. And the food chain stars with the .
A. plants; earth B. plants; sun C. animals; starWhich is the best title (标题) for this passage?
A. Plants need heat and light to grow
B. All living things depend on the sun for their growth
C. The sun is very important