Her frozen fingers touched the flame trying to feel alive. She could feel the warmth but it was a cold heat, as if the candle was rejecting her.
Her arms turned red because of the cold, her short sleeved shirt not giving her enough warmth. The winter air grabbed(抓住) at her arms, causing her pain, but she didn’t mind. She knew she should put her jacket on, it was winter in Connecticut, but that would be giving up. Up here, in this tree she felt safe.
She looked at the candle, surrounded by hardening wax(蜡). She placed her fingers gently on the warm green wax. This candle was a reminder of her life inside that house, a life she would have to return to eventually.
As a child, she had gotten this candle. She spent all she had on it. The beautiful crystal box (水晶盒)had caught her eye. Five whole nickels(五分币)had brought her that candle.
She gave it to her mother for Mother’s Day. Her mother had managed a smile and put it on a shelf. “It’s very pretty, honey! I will put it right here.” Since then that candle had never been moved, never been lighted, sitting dusty on a cluttered shelf that no one could see. Later on, her parents got divorced.
By now the candle was colder than the air and the darkness was complete. The snow on the ground made the night lighter and less satisfying than it had been before the first snowfall. She liked the darkness because she felt safe in it. From the glances of her friends who liked the girl she used to be. From the boys who could never figure out who she was. From her guidance counselor(顾问) whose endless worried looks never made her feel any better.
No one was outside at this time of night. She was alone in the world, just how she liked it. Just as she was about to lean back against the branch, she heard a sound.
She heard footsteps breaking the ice in the snow, heading toward her. He was making his way toward the white fence at the edge of the building, right against the road. Normally she would have ignored this person and stayed on her branch faraway from human contact, but this figure had something with him. He trudged(吃力地走) toward the white fence carrying a case. The figure reached the fence, opened the case and took out a shiny object.[来源
She took her eyes off this figure only long enough to climb down the tree to get a better view of him. She reached the bottom and saw that the person had turned to face the street, sitting on the white fence that she and her friends once sat on. She stepped carefully on the ice, making her way toward him.
And then a beautiful sound of music came from the shiny object. She stopped and listened to it. She started walking towards the guy again. Just as she was about to step onto the snow banks, she slipped on the ice crashing to the ground. The figure turned around in surprise and a sudden recognition fell upon them both.The girl was hiding in the tree at deep night to ______.
| A.keep herself from the cold |
| B.wait for the boy to come |
| C.want to be left alone |
| D.seek safety from any hurt |
From the story, we can learn that ______.
| A.the girl suffered a lot in her life |
| B.the girl’s parents divorced because of her |
| C.teachers and friends treated the girl badly |
| D.the girl used to stay in the tree when feeling sad |
The underlined word “it” in the story refers to ______.
| A.leaning back against the branch |
| B.being alone in the world |
| C.not being disturbed at night |
| D.it being dark with snow around |
From the end of the story, it can be known that the girl _______.
| A.knew the person |
| B.knew what the object was |
| C.realized her wishes |
| D.would never feel alone any more |
There are two kinds of physical activity which require special training. The first demands exact, careful movements of the muscles(肌肉).This kind of activity must be strictly controlled because even a slight movement in the wrong direction will lead to a mistake. To type quickly, for example, a person needs training; the slightest movement of a finger in the wrong direction may cause a spelling mistake. A dancer who has to dance on the point of her shoes or turn around on one foot must be trained for a long period of time before she can
sense her own center and balance herse
lf. You may have seen a girl walking on a rope across an empty space, which, too, requires a lot of practice.
The second kind of physical activity needs greater strength or extra
effort. Most of us get tired if we try to run half a mile without stopping, but a specially-trained person can do this without much effort. Three years ago, some scientists carried out experiments, which produced meaningful and unexpected results. They wanted to find out whether a certain amount of physical exercise would injure those suffering from heart problems. They selected some male patients and trained them in continuous bicycle riding. They were surprised to find that the harmful effect of a given amount of physical effort was actually less on the hearts of these trained patients than on those of the patients who were not similarly trained. This is important because it shows that regular physical exercise enables us to
make better use of the oxygen we breathe in and that this training, in fact, reduces the amount of work our hearts do. Many tasks which are hard for untrained people are not hard at all for trained people..The first kind of physical activity must be strictly controlled because ______.
| A.a mistake in the wrong direction is dangerous to the fingers |
| B.a wrong movement in a direction will cause no mistakes |
| C.a movement in the wrong direction will cause a mistake |
| D.a slight movement of a finger will lead to a mistake |
.
What must a dancer do before she can balance herself?
| A.she must dance on the point of her shoes | B.she must receive long-time training |
| C.she must turn around on one foot | D.she must perform again and again |
.
The experiments done by some scientists showed that __________.
| A.some male patients were asked to ride bicycles regularly in the experiments | B.the physical exercise had more harmful effect on the hearts of the untrained patients |
| C.the physical exercise was harmless to the male patients with heart trouble | |
D.the physical exercise could be helpful f or the patients to take in more oxygen |
. What would be the best title for this text?
| A.Training Our Bodies | B.Physical Activities |
| C.Movement Training | D.Extra Body Effort |
Recently a professor of philosophy(哲学)in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day to day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he has asked his students to do is to keep a record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value(重视)in life.
The professor says our relation with others often becomes clearly defined(明确)when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money.If he does,it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Otherwise it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who are rich to be very important. The professor interviews some rich people in his research for his book.
Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered about being rich?
Answer : The most surprising thing is why people give me so much respect(尊重). I am nothing.I don’t know much.All I am is rich.
People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much money do I need for any given purpose in my life? In his book,the professor uncovered an important need in modern society:to bring back the idea that money is a tool rather than the end.Money plays an important role in the material world,but expecting money to give happiness may be missing the meaning of life..
The students are asked to keep a record of every penny they spend to______.
| A.learn how to spend money | B.learn how to make more money |
C.know what to write in a record![]() |
D.know what is important in life |
.
In the second paragraph, the professor mainly tells us ________.
| A.never to borrow money from a friend |
| B.friendship disappears when it comes to money |
| C.money can influence friendship |
| D.money can weaken friendship |
.
.Through his book,the professor seems to tell us.
| A.money is very important in the material world |
| B.the purpose of our life is to make money |
| C.money does not surely mean happiness |
| D.we should value money in our life |
.
We consider rich people important because .
| A.they have a meaningful life | B.they are successful people |
| C.we sometimes borrow money from them | D.we think money is important in life |
.
Which of the following might the author disagree?
| A.Money is important in modern society. |
| B.The meaning of life does not completely lie in money. |
| C.Wealth will surely bring the owner happiness. |
| D.Happiness is not necessarily the result of wealth. |
An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son. Suddenly a crow(乌鸦) landed on their window.
The father asked his son, “What is that?”
The son replied, “That is a crow.”
After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is that?”
The son said
, “Father, I told you just now. It is a crow.”
After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this?”
This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already. ‘IT IS A CROW.’ Are you not able to understand this?”
A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page:
Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question. I did not at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son.
If you parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them. From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever. They have cared for me ever since I was a little child. They have always showered me with love. I will take care of my old parents in the BEST way no matter how they behave.”.
The writer mainly intends to ______.
| A.tell us the function of a diary | B.call on us to love our parents |
| C.teach us what a crow is | D.introduce a pair of son and father |
.
According to the passage, the son felt _____ when his father kept asking the same question.
| A.puzzled | B.angry | C.grateful | D.surprised |
.
We can know that the father wrote this diary at the age of ______.
| A.eighty | B.forty-give | C.thirty-eight | D.thirty-five |
.
The old man brought out the diary, which he had kept since his son was born, because ___.
| A.he forgot what had happened | B.he would like his son to read it |
| C.it could remind himself of the past | D.he wanted to find what a crow was in his diary |
Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen.
Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind (her goal) which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?
Winners in life set foals and follow through on them. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set---and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals really are. You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.
Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be revi
ewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way, you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goals..
The article is written to throw light on ______.
| A.the importance of setting goals | B.the way of setting goals |
| C.the winners of competitions | D.the goals in life |
.
The example of two drivers is adopted in order to ______.
| A.compare the difference of goals | B.explain the traffic rules |
| C.help readers understand the importance of goals | D.tell the function of a map |
.
The main idea of the fourth paragraph is that ______.
| A.it’s better to write a goal down | B.written goals can’t be forgotten easily |
| C.try to make yourself aware of your goals | D.written goals can be reviewed regularly |
Research shows that humans switch from selfish to unselfish behavior when they are watched. Do you?
A picture of a set of eyes on a computer screen can cause a change in the way people act. Even images of eyes on a charity donation, collection box encourage people to be unselfish, because people put more money in a
collection box that has a picture of eyes on it than they do when a flower symbol is on the box.
Manfred Milinski from the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany and Bettina Rockenbach of the University of Berlin, the authors of a new study, found that people act better when they are being watched because they feel they will be rewarded for good behavior. Their report also referred to other research showing that this response of behaving well when watched is somehow coded into humans and people respond this way unconsciously, or without realizing it.
It is not just humans that act unselfishly when they are being watched. A fish called the grooming fish cleans other fish. When other fish are around, it is gentler. When no other fish are around, however, the grooming fish bites chunks from the fish it is supposed to be cleaning.
The researchers suggest that the best way to get people to behave in the correct way is to make them feel watched. This could be the reason for the success of a famous American army poster. On it was a picture of an elderly man staring fiercely and pointing, it appeared, to the person who was looking at the poster. Under the picture was the caption 'I Want You' It encouraged hundreds of thousands of young American men to join the army during the Second World War to fight the Germans and Japanese..
According to the report, why does a person behave better when he feels he is being watched?
| A.He does not want to be shamed by others. |
| B.He needs to show he is a good person. |
| C.He desires others to like him more. |
| D.He feels he will receive some social reward. |
.
.What is the text mainly about?
| A.It describes changed behavior when observed. |
B.It details ways to control people's be havior. |
| C.It tells how to make people work harder. |
| D.It discusses different advertising methods. |
.
According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
| A.People pretend to behave better when they are watched. | |
| B.Fish bite other fish in a fish tank when they are alone. | C.People donate more money when they feel they are watched. |
| D.Soldiers fought better during World War II because of a poster. |
.
.Where would the study described in the text most likely be found?
| A.In a newspaper. | B.In a scientific journal. |
| C.In an advertising magazine. | D.In a science textbook. |