About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的). Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below. I was one of those children, carefree and happy. I live on a street that is only one block long. I have lived on the same street for sixteen years. I love my street. One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end. When I think of home, I think of my street. Only I see it as it was before. Unfortunately things change. One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become. Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors.
It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won’t be around much longer. I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car. In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days. The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home. The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days. It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever.
The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings” as friends and peers move on. Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home. The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street. We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle. Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on. Children who rode tricycles now drive cars. The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways. Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison. Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days.
Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes. For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill. The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street. We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag. The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill. When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same. It is a piece of my childhood. It is a visual reminder of being a kid. Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod.
There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change. But something happened. People grow up, and people grow old. Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved. In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors. I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction. It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child.The writer finds it hard to accept the fact that _____________.
| A.many of his good neighbors are growing old |
| B.the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow |
| C.the life of his neighbors has become very boring |
| D.the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life |
The biggest change on the writer's street is _____________.
| A.removing the hill to make way for residential development |
| B.the building of new homes behind his kitchen window |
| C.the fact that there are much fewer people around than in the past |
| D.the change in his childhood friends' attitude towards their neighborhood |
What does the writer mean by saying “my street will be another pea in the pod”?
| A.his street will be very noisy and dirty |
| B.his street will soon be crowded with people |
| C.his street will have some new attractions |
| D.his street will be no different from any other street |
Which could be a good title for the passage?
| A.The Past of My Street will Live Forever |
| B.Unforgettable People and Things of My Street |
| C.Memory Street Isn’t What It Used to Be |
| D.The Big Changes of My Street |
2008 sadly saw the worst earthquake in China in over 30 years. The Great Sichuan Earthquake was 8 on the Richter scale and killed around 70,000 people in May, not to mention the tens of thousands who were injured or went missing.
On 26th January, 2009, the biggest earthquake in India took the lives of 25,000 people. In the morning, when everybody was enjoying holiday, the earthquake began, It was about 7.5 on the Richter scale. "There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more. Everything has been pulled down. " said one of the villagers alive. " There is no water, no food and no one has come to help."
Nobody died in Pakistan, a country next to India. The City of Lahore was lucky. In Lahore American School, where I was studying, all of the students were safe. They were in the field, so most children didn't feel anything. The earthquake was felt by the teachers that were on the second floor. However, though Mrs Young was also on the second floor, she didn't feel anything. She didn't know what happened until a teacher told her about it. Those teachers who were on the other floors had different feelings. Mr Emond, the maths teacher from Australia, said that when the earthquake started he thought there was something wrong with him, but then another teacher said that it was an earthquake. After those words Mr Emond felt better. Mrs Davis and Mr Frost didn't feel anything either.
My mother didn't feel anything. She didn't even know that it was an earthquake till she saw a shaking light. My dad saw the computer shaking and then he looked out of the window and saw many people going out.People use Richter scale to tell ______________
| A.where the earthquake takes place |
| B.when the earthquake takes place |
| C.how serious the earthquake is |
| D.how long the earthquake lasts |
The recent biggest earthquake both in China and India killed around ___ people.
| A.25,000 | B.45,000 | C.70,000 | D.95,000 |
From the sentence “ There is nothing left between the sky and the earth any more” we learn that______________.
| A.India is a large country |
| B.the Indian had nothing after the earthquake |
| C.there is no tall building in India |
| D.the earthquake in India was serious |
According to the passage, the City of Lahore is in __________________.
| A.India | B.Pakistan | C.America | D.China |
Most children now chat daily either online or through their mobile phones. They are connecting to a huge number of other children all over the world. Some are shy “in real life” but are confident to communicate with others online; others find support from people of their own age on relationship issues, or problems at home.
Sometimes the online world, just like the real word, can introduce problems, such as bullying or arguments. Going online is great fun, but there are also a few people who use the Internet for offensive(冒犯性的)or illegal aims. Children must be made aware of both the good things and the danger.
To keep children safe your management must cover the family computer. Just as you decide which TV programs are suitable, you need to do the same for the websites and chat rooms your children visit. Remind your children that online friends are still strangers. Reminding them of the risks will keep them alert. (警惕)
Computer studies are part of schoolwork now, so it’s likely that your children may know more than you do. We get left behind when it comes to the latest gadgets (玩意儿) and interactive areas of websites, like chat rooms and message boards, which are especially strange. The language of chat is strange to many parents, too. Chatters love to use abbreviations such as: atb— all the best; bbfn— bye by for now; cul8er —see you later; gr8—great; idk— I don’t know; imbl— it must be love; kit —keep in touch; paw— parents are watching; lol—laugh out loud; xlnt— excellent!The passage is written for __________.
| A.children | B.parents | C.teachers | D.net bar owners. |
The underlined word “ aware” most probably means __________.
| A.careful | B.proud | C.to know | D.to hear |
Which of the following will the author probably agree with?
| A.Children shouldn’t chat so much online. |
| B.People had better not use the net language in real life. |
| C.Parents are advised to choose suitable websites and chat rooms for their children. |
| D.Children should surf the Internet together with their parents. |
When your son is chatting about something secret online with you standing beside him, he may use_______.
| A.bbfn. | B.lol | C.paw | D.cul8er |
King's College Summer School is an annual( 每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King' s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
| Application (申请) date Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2011. Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2011. Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2011. |
Courses English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture: 16 hours |
| StepslA letter of self-introduction lA letter of recommendation(推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
CostDaily lessons: $200 lSports and activities: $100 lTravels: $200 lHotel service: $400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King' s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo.com |
You can most probably read the text in ________.
| A.a textbook | B.a travel guide |
| C.a newspaper | D.a telephone book |
Which of the following is true about King' s College Summer School?
| A.Only top students can take part in the program |
| B.Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| C.King' s College Summer School is run every other year |
| D.Only the teachers of King' s College give courses. |
King’s College Summer School offered the following courses except ____.
| A.English Language | B.American History |
| C.American Culture | D.American Geography |
If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school __
| A.$200 | B.$400 | C.$900 | D.$500 |
In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father was an African and his mother was a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.
When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of the only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.
“I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince. But I kept asking myself who I am," said Obama.
However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president in US history.
Obama's unusual background made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol to help forget this question.
With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became the third black senator (参议员)in US history.
"Obama's success has made Martin Luther King's dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character," wrote ABC news.Obama was born in _______.
| A.Britain | B.American | C.Kenya | D.Indonesia |
Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?
| A.Obama's parents are both African |
| B.Obama was the first black senator in US history |
| C.Obama was once very depressed (压抑)because of his unusual background. |
| D.No other black students were in the school where Obama studied when he was ten. |
Obama became the first black president in US history when he was ______.
| A.37 | B.38 | C.47 | D.48 |
From the passage we can learn that ______________.
| A.Obama's father is a Kenyan prince. |
| B.Obama was a star in Harvard because he drank a lot |
| C.We should judge a person by what he did when he was young |
| D.Obama's success owes to his hard work |
WASHINGTON—More than one in 10 of the nation’s airline pilots are cleared to carry a handgun while flying, and the number will continue to grow, according to a Transportation Security Administration projection.
The Federal Air Marshal Service, a TSA agency that runs the armed-pilots program, reports that 85,000 to 90,000 pilots and crewmembers flying domestic passengers and cargo planes are eligible(符合条件的) to carry a gun. That puts the number of armed pilots at about 9,500.
The TSA projects the program to grow to 16.5% of eligible pilots by the year 2011. Aviation experts were surprised and alarmed that so many pilots are toting guns in the sky.
“That’s a big number compared to what I thought it would be,” said aviation-security consultant Rich Roth, who said he had predicted there would be fewer than 1,000 armed pilots. The 5-year-old program trains pilots for one week and arms them with 40-caliber semiautomatic pistols.
“That’s a scary number,” said Joseph Gutheinz, a former Transportation Department special agent and aviation attorney in Houston. “By allowing so many pilots the opportunity to fly armed, we’re giving terrorists opportunity to identify somebody who has a gun and overpower him.”
Capt. Bob Hesselbein, head of security for the Air Line Pilots Association, said the number of armed pilots is “a tremendous deterrent(威慑)” to hijackings. “The challenge of an organized terrorist team is to take control of the cabin, then the flight deck.”
Armed pilots have come under scrutiny(审查) since March 22 when the gun of a US Airways pilot fired in the cockpit(驾驶座) of Flight 1536 as it approached Charlotte from Denver. No one was hurt, and the plane landed safely after the bullet pierced(穿透) the fuselage. The best title for this passage is “_____”.
| A.More than 10% of pilots allowed to fly armed |
| B.Less than 10% of pilots allowed to fly armed |
| C.More than 16.5% of pilots allowed to fly armed |
| D.No chances for terrorists to hurt pilots |
From this passage we can infer that about 9,500 pilots in the USA are allowed to carry _____ while flying.
| A.shotguns | B.40-caliber automatic pistols |
| C.handguns | D.all the above |
Joseph Gutheinz’s attitude towards pilots’ carrying guns while flying is _____.
| A.positive | B.negative | C.angry | D.surprised |
Why did the US Airways pilot fire his gun in the cockpit of Flight 1536 as it approached Charlotte from Denver?
| A.To kill the terrorists who tried to hijack the plane. |
| B.To escape from the hijackings. |
| C.To tell the hijackers that he had a gun. |
| D.The passage doesn’t give the reason. |