Cohn Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose.
His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.
During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was starting Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.
When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting —7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. “You’ll recognize me,” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.
I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I stared at her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, attractive smile curved her lips. “Going my way , sailor?” she murmured.
Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.
And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.
This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment."I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"
The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are. "How did John Blanchard get to know Miss Hollis Maynell?
A.They were both interested in literature. |
B.John knew Hollis's name from a library book. |
C.John came across Hollis in a Florida library . |
D.They lived in the same city. |
Hollis refused to send Blanchard a photo because .
A.she thought true love is beyond appearance |
B.she had never taken any photo before they knew |
C.she was only a middle - aged woman |
D.she wasn't confident about her appearance |
How could Blanchard recognize Hollis?
A.She would be wearing a scarf around her neck. |
B.She would be holding a book in her hand. |
C.She would be standing behind a young girl. |
D.She would be wearing a rose on her coat. |
What was the real Miss Hollis Maynell like?
A.She was a middle - aged woman in her forties. |
B.She was a young, pretty girl wearing a green suit. |
C.She was a plump woman with graying hair. |
D.She was a slightly fat girl, with blonde hair. |
When Blanchard went over to greet the woman, he was .
A.shocked but inspired | B.annoyed and bad - mannered |
C.disappointed but well - behaved | D.satisfied and confident |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Love is blind | B.Don't Judge a Book by its Cover |
C.A Test of Love | D.The Symbol of Rose |
Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories,destroying fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged that their owners had to leave them,and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs. One person was killed,several were badly hurt and taken to hospital,and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm.
A farmer,Mr. Tan,said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.
“I was eating with my wife and children,”he said,“When we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him,safe but very frightened.”
Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children.
“There was no time to take anything,”she said,“A few minutes later,the roof came down.”
Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded area and the welfare department (福利机构) brought them food,clothes and shelter. How many homes altogether were damaged in the storm?
A.Fourteen | B.Twenty-one |
C.Twenty-nine | D.Thirty-six |
Where was Mr. Tan when the storm first began?
A.He was in bed. | B.He was inside the house. |
C.He was outside the house. | D.He was on the roof. |
The underlined word “shelter” in this passage means ______.
A.something to eat | B.something to wear |
C.somewhere to study | D.somewhere to stay |
Which of he following may be the best title for this passage?
A.A Terrible Storm | B.A Lucky Woman |
C.Good Soldiers | D.Clever People |
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or get our vulnerability(脆弱之处). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.According to the passage, persuasion means ______.
A.changing others’ points of view |
B.exercising power over other people |
C.getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
D.getting other people to consider your point of view |
The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means ______.
A.win | B.talk | C.compare | D.expect |
The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ______.
A.a danger to society | B.difficult to do well |
C.unwelcome behavior | D.never successful |
The passage mainly discusses ______.
A.that people persuade to get what they want |
B.that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
C.that persuasion is widely accepted and appreciated |
D.that people persuade in different ways |
Modern smart phones are fast becoming the must-have item. But what’s in store for the next generation of smart phones?
Tired of carrying around that heavy wallet? Soon you won’t need to! The next generation of smart phones will have NFC technology, which lets you pay for things with your smart phones. All you do is enter your credit card information into your phone. Then, when you are in a shop that allows NFC payments, you just wave your phone over a special instrument at the checkout. The purchase is instantly charged to your credit card.
Ever seen someone wearing something and wished you knew where to get it? Soon it will be easy with PicCommerce, new technology that uses image-recognition software. Here’s how it works. If you see something you like, simply take a photo of it with your smart phone. Then, your phone will send the image to a special server, which will respond with information about where you can buy it and how much it will cost.
Sick of your smart phone battery going flat? With so many applications draining (消耗) the battery, the latest phones need to be charged every day. But next generation smart phones will come with built-in chips that can connect to an antenna (天线) in your home. And as long as your phone is within range of the antenna, you will be able to charge your smartphone wirelessly, even if it is in your pocket.
Worried about getting your smart phones wet in the rain? A company called Hz0 has invented WaterBlock, new technology that makes your phone completely waterproof. And it’s so effective that your phone will even work underwater.
Fed up with carrying a heavy phone around? Soon, you will be able to get a PaperPhone! “Flexible phones are the future,” said scientist Roel Vertegaal. So, what are the benefits of flexible phones? Well, it means that instead of carrying your phone in your pocket, you could wear it wrapped around your wrist, for example.
Of course, there is just the problem: with so much new smart phone technology around, you will soon need to buy a new phone!To pay with your smart phone, you need to ________.
A.go to a bank |
B.store money in the phone |
C.buy a special instrument |
D.have a credit card |
We can learn from the 4th paragraph that the next generation of smart phones ________.
A.will have chips instead of batteries |
B.may consume less power |
C.will be charged easily |
D.needn’t be charged frequently |
Which feature of future smart phones does Paragraph 6 show?
A.They will be cheaper. | B.They will be easier to operate. |
C.They will be smaller. | D.They will be easier to carry. |
What can be the best title for the text?
A.The Future of Smart phones |
B.Basic Functions of Smart phones |
C.Advantages of Modern Smart phones |
D.The Development of Phone Technology |
Wild weather, unexpected coral reefs and dangerous sea creatures… these are the nightmares (噩梦) you can imagine a teenager on a solo voyage (独自旅行) around the world might suffer from. But for Laura Dekker, sailing around the globe seems less a price to be paid than a prize to be treasured.
As the 19-year-old Dutch sailor said in Maidentrip, a documentary released last year about her experience of becoming the youngest person to sail around the world alone in 2012, “I was born on a boat. I lived my first five years at sea. And ever since, all I have wanted is to return to that life.”
With her yacht Guppy, Dekker began her journey at 14 and sailed 50,004 kilometers in 519 days.
The flying fish keeping her company, the dolphins following in her wake and the warm days spent on deck playing the flute as she watched another unforgettable sunset were enough to make others jealous.
But these didn’t always go well. There were terrible moments in which Dekker feared death. On one occasion, a whale almost turned Guppy over. Another time, she battled extreme winds and Guppy surfed down 8-meter-high waves.
Out on the open sea alone, she also got used to living without a fridge, a flushing toilet, and a hot shower.
“As a human being you don’t need much,” she told Stuff.co.nz. “ They might make life more comfortable, but you really don’t need them to be happy.”
In fact, her outlook on life was shaped by the trip. “I wanted the storms. I wanted the calms. I wanted to feel loneliness,” she told The New York Times. “And now I know all these things. It’s the end of the dream I had as a child, and it’s the beginning of my life as a sailor.”According to the text, in which year did Dekker begin her journey of 50,004 kilometers at sea?
A.In 2012 | B.In 2010 |
C.In 2009 | D.In 2011 |
The method the author uses to develop Paragraph 5 is ________.
A.offering analyses | B.providing explanations |
C.giving examples | D.making comparisons |
Which of the following can best describe the girl Laura Dekker? _________.
A.Modest and optimistic | B.Patient and strong |
C.Brave and generous | D.Brave and determined |
How did Laura Dekker think of her life on the sea?
A.It was so dangerous and almost ruined her. |
B.It made her experience happiness and better understand life. |
C.It is the sailing on the sea that made her well known. |
D.It brought her great happiness and much comfort. |
The value-packed, all-inclusive sight-seeing package that combines the best of Sydney’s harbor, city, bay and beach highlights.
A SydneyPass gives you unlimited and flexible travel on the Explorer Buses: the ‘red’ Sydney Explorer shows you around our exciting city sights while the ‘blue’ Bondi Explorer visits Sydney Harbour bays and famous beaches. Take to the water on one of three magnificent daily harbor cruises (游船). You can also travel free on regular Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries or CityRail services (limited area), so you can go to every corner of this beautiful city.
Imagine browsing at Darling Harbour, tasting the famous seafood at Watsons Bay or enjoying the city lights on an evening ferry cruise. The possibilities and plans are endless with a SydneyPass. Wherever you decide to go, remember that bookings are not required on any of our services so tickets are treated on a first in, first seated basis.
SydneyPasses are available for 3, 5 or 7 days for use over a 7-calendar-day period. With a 3 or 5-day pass you choose on which days out of the 7 you want to use it. All SydneyPasses include a free Airport Express inward trip before starting your 3, 5 or 7 days, and the return trip is valid for 2 months from the first day your ticket was used.
SydneyPass Fares
Adult |
Child* |
Family** |
|
3-day ticket |
$90 |
$45 |
$225 |
5-day ticket |
$120 |
$60 |
$300 |
7-day ticket |
$140 |
$70 |
$350 |
*A child is defined as anyone from the ages of 4 years to under 16 years. Children under 4 years travel free.
**A family is defined as 2 adults and any number of children from 4 to under 16 years of age from the same family.A SydneyPass doesn’t offer unlimited rides on ________.
A.the Explorer Buses | B.the harbor cruises |
C.regular Sydney Buses | D.CityRail services |
With a SydneyPass, a traveller can ________.
A.save fares from and to the airport |
B.take the Sydney Explorer to beaches |
C.enjoy the famous seafood for free |
D.reserve seats easily in a restaurant |
If 5-day tickets were to be recommended to a mother who travelled with her colleague and her children, aged 3, 6 and 10, what would the lowest cost be?
A.$225. | B.$300. | C.$360. | D.$420. |