It was the Year from Hell-September 1993 to September 1994-the dog died, my marriage of 24 years ended, and my house burned down. I had moved into a new rented house with my youngest son, after my husband and I split up. We'd been in the house just six weeks. I went to a dinner party one night, and as I drove home, I saw helicopters hovering in the general vicinity of my new home. Smoke was billowing into the sky, and sirens were wailing. As I got closer, I thought, Wouldn't it be awful if that was my house? Then I turned the corner, and sure enough, it was my house.
I was devastated. It had been such a horrible year, and now everything I owned had gone up in smoke. Mementos, baby pictures, family keepsakes, clothes, furniture-everything was destroyed. My marriage was gone, my dog was gone, my home was gone, and all my worldly possessions, except my car and the clothes on my back, were gone too.
My son and I stayed with a friend for a couple of nights. Then my friend Gail heard about the fire, called me up, and said, "Come move into my house. I have seven bedrooms and five bathrooms-plenty of space for you and your son." It was a sprawling ranch house on a double lot in La Jolla, with an ocean view, to boot. Gail had three kids at home, but there was still plenty of room for me and my son, Sutton. Her offer was a godsend. Little did I know that her offer of a temporary place to stay would turn into a living arrangement that lasted two and a half years.
Gail and I had a lot in common. We had both been raised Catholic and our unconscious minds had been programmed the same way-we saw ourselves as good little Catholic girls who were gonna stay married forever. But both of our husbands decided they didn't want to be married anymore, and so here we were, two single mothers, dazed, confused, and in a fog. We had followed the rules... why were we not happy? Gail and I spent the next couple of years sorting out a lot of things together.
After we moved in, I soon began to look for a permanent place to live. After a few weeks, Gail said, "Please don't leave. I've never had so much freedom!" Having me in the house meant someone to help take care of her kids, someone to share cooking and gardening, and someone to share day-to-day life. She loved having me there, and I loved being there. So we stayed.
It was an important chapter in my life. Gail and I gardened together, talking back and forth as we worked in the soil. We both needed time to heal from our divorces, time to sort out the confusion, time to get some clarity on the past and some focus on the future. It was a time of deeper insight and spiritual growth for both of us. Over time, I grew to realize how strong I really was, how even-tempered, and how I really could get my act together and go on with my life.
Gail's generosity was more than anyone could ever ask or expect from a friend. She gave me a safe haven in which to mourn and heal and grow into the next chapter of my life. She showed her love in countless ways. I am eternally grateful to have a friend like Gail.
I'm also grateful for the lessons I learned from the fire and the other losses that came so suddenly, so fast. Much to my surprise, I found gratitude among the ashes. I was tested sorely-literally trial by fire. But, like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes strong and whole. I would not be the person I am today if not for that Year from Hell.Why did the writer say Sep 1993 to Sep 1994 was the Year from Hell?
| A．She got divorced from her husband |
| B．Both of her houses were burned down |
| C．She met some misfortune one after another |
| D．Her dog was killed in the big fire |
What did the writer and Gail have in common?
| A．Both of them had one son |
| B．Both of them believed in the same faith |
| C．Both of them lost the home |
| D．Both of them decided to divorce |
How did the writer spend the days with Gail?
| A．She looked after the 4 kids alone |
| B．She planted some flowers with Gail |
| C．She shared the same bedroom with Gail |
| D．They did some cleaning together |
which is the right order of the following events?
①、She wanted to find a permanent house
②、She shared cooking with Gail
③、She went to a dinner party one night
④、She stayed with a friend for a couple of days
⑤、She lost her dog
| A．③⑤④①② | B．④①⑤③② | C．③④②⑤① | D．①③⑤④② |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Generosity from a friend |
| B．Recover from the pain |
| C．The Year from Hell |
| D．Gratitude among the ashes |
The name of our restaurant is Mediterranean Seafood Restaurant. When you hear the name you will immediately think of the sea and Europe. European countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and France are all famous for their special cuisine(菜肴) and most of the best sea recipes come from these countries. These countries also produce the best wines and champagnes(香槟酒) in the world.
Our restaurant has the best seafood in the world. Enjoy the best sea recipes from the Mediterranean countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. We only use fresh ingredients brought directly from the sea to our kitchen.
Among the beverages we serve, you will find the best brands of wines and champagnes on earth. We also have a large variety of colorful cocktails. If you drink one of those and eat our seafood, you’ll experience a feeling that you have never felt before. We also have excellent waiters and waitresses who wear typical mariner(水手) uniforms.
Mediterranean Seafood Restaurant is the best choice for seafood lovers because it has everything you need for the perfect meal. You can find every kind of seafood here. If you are tired of the typical restaurants, come here to discover the true taste of the sea.
Nowhere else has the wonderful environment that we have. Most of the other restaurants offer the same type of dishes without the real flavor of the sea. You’ll like the Mediterranean because the quality of our service is unique. Don’t waste your time trying to find another place to eat; we have everything that you are looking for — comfort, newness, and of course, delicious food.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Why the restaurant is named the Mediterranean. | B．Where the Mediterranean restaurant is. |
| C．A general introduction to the restaurant. | D．The entertainment in the Mediterranean. |
The underlined word “beverages” in the third paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．drinks | B．fruits | C．vegetables | D．dishes |
We can infer from the passage that the reason why waiters and waitresses wear mariner uniforms is that ______.
| A．they want to make people feel that they are at sea |
| B．they find it comfortable to wear uniforms |
| C．they want to remind people that they are on a ship |
| D．mariner uniforms can keep people safe at sea |
From the writing style of this passage we can see that it is ______.
| A．a news report | B．an advertisement | C．a pupil’s composition | D．a funny story |
We can stay young forever. That is the message Dr. Shen Ziyin wants to give the world. And the Chinese doctor claims that he has found an answer to the problems of aging.
His solution is a herbal medicine to slow the process of aging.
Dr. Shen Ziyin has been trained in Western medicine. At the same time he studied traditional Chinese medicine. And, he has been working for the past forty years to put together the best of both and find a cure for aging. He has taken a hint from the ancient Chinese medicine system called “shen”.
According to Shen, it is the kidney（肾脏）which adjusts the functioning of the body as well as its aging process. It is responsible for the level of activity that the human bodies go through. Studies conducted by Dr. Shen show that herbal medicine based on the shen system slow the aging process, says a report in The Telegraph newspaper.
We notice that when people grow old, they have reduced strength, loss of hair, backache, weakness in general, and wrinkles, among others. This happens because when people grow old, their bodies produce T-cells. These T-cells contain a particular substance called Fas. Fas makes the cells in the body destruct themselves.
So the only way to slow down aging is to slow the production of T-cells in the body. This can happen if people eat low calorie food. Then the body is not active enough to produce extra T-cells. But, is going hungry all the time a good price to pay for staying young?
This is where Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine comes in. But how effective it will be, only time can tell. How did Dr. Shen find the solution to the problem of aging?
| A．By studying Western medicine. |
| B．By learning traditional Chinese medicine. |
| C．By combining both Western and Chinese medicine. |
| D．By doing research on both Western and Chinese people. |
The reason why people become old is that _________.
| A．their bodies produce T-cells |
| B．their bodies are unable to fight diseases |
| C．they have reduced strength, loss of hair |
| D．they become weaker and weaker |
We can probably learn from the passage that _________.
| A．producing more low calorie food allows people to keep young |
| B．the more Chinese herbal medicine people drink, the better for health |
| C．people should try to quicken the production of T-cells in the body |
| D．it remains unknown how effective Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine is |
The World Health Organization says obesity rates are rising in Pacific island countries. So, too, are health problems linked to being overweight.
The WHO says a major reason for the rising obesity rates is an increase in imported foods. It says many Pacific islanders have replaced their traditional diets of vegetables and fruits with imported processed foods.
Dr.Temu Waqanivalu is with the World Health Organization’s South Pacific office in Suva, Fiji.He says many of the imported products lack nutritional value.
Temu Waqanivalu said: “In some of the places, you’d be amazed to see how a bottle of Coke is cheaper than a bottle of water. I think that represents the kind of offenvironment we’ve created that doesn’t really encourage or make lifestyle choices an easy choice for the population.”
And a lack of physical activity among many Pacific islanders only adds to the obesity problem.
The WHO says more than 50 percent of the population is overweight in at least ten Pacific island countries. The rate is as high as 80 percent among women in the territory（领地）of American Samoa. Fiji had the lowest obesity rate at 30 percent.
In all, almost ten million people live in Pacific island countries. The WHO estimates that about 40 percent of them have health disorders related to diet and nutrition.
Diabetes（糖尿病）rates are among the highest in the world. Forty-seven percent of the people in American Samoa have diabetes. So do 44 percent of the people in Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand.
By comparison, the diabetes rate is 13 percent in the United States, a country that has its own problems with rising obesity.
Officials also note an increase in nutritional problems like anemia and not enough vitamin A in the diets of Pacific islanders. Dr. Waqanivalu says treating conditions related to obesity and diet puts pressure on limited health resources and budgets.The main reason why obesity rates are rising in many Pacific islanders is ________.
| A．the change of society |
| B．the change of eating habits |
| C．the change of life style |
| D．lack of exercise |
Imported products lack nutritional value but people love to buy them because they are ________.
| A．cheap | B．popular | C．tasty | D．convenient to get |
How many people living in Pacific island countries have health disorders?
| A．1 million. | B．4 million. | C．6 million. | D．10 million. |
The percentage of diabetes rates in American Samoa is ________.
| A．optimistic | B．steady | C．worrying | D．low |
Teddy Bears have been a very popular children’s toy for many years. Most adults can remember their first stuffed（填充玩具）bear, and over the decades these toys have become nearly a symbol of their childhood. However, children are not the only ones with whom these toys have become popular, as many adults make it a habit to collect these toys as well.
The Teddy Bear first became popular during the early 20th century and was associated with then President Theodore Roosevelt. The story can date back to a hunting trip that President Roosevelt had taken where he was invited to be the one to shoot a black bear that had been tied to a tree. Being a crazy outdoors lover and hunter, Roosevelt refused to kill the animal because he believed that shooting the helpless bear was unsportsmanlike and wrong. This story quickly spread through newspapers across the country, and in the end inspired the introduction of a stuffed toy called “Teddy’s bear”.
These toys became popular soon after first introduced, and within ten years, they were being produced by dozens of companies around the world. Within a generation, these stuffed bears were “the” toy to have, and have always been within children’s toy boxes ever since.
They are most often mass-produced in factories in order to keep up with the high demand. However, there are still companies that take great pride in their handmade designs; and while handmade teddy bears are often preferred, they are also generally more expensive than their mass-produced ones.
Today, these bears and other similar toys generate well over a billion dollars a year in profits for the companies that make them. Walk through just about any toy store in America and you will find dozens of different teddy bears lining the shelves. According to the passage, we can know President Roosevelt ______.
| A．didn’t like hunting |
| B．enjoy being special |
| C．was not brave enough |
| D．was fair and respectable |
Compared with mass-produced teddy bears, the handmade ones ______.
| A．don’t sell well |
| B．are of high quality |
| C．are more expensive |
| D．are preferred by adults |
From the last paragraph, the writer intends to show ______.
| A．teddy bears are very popular |
| B．toys are loved by many companies |
| C．producing toys can earn more money |
| D．teddy bears are also enjoyed by adults |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．History of the Teddy Bear. |
| B．A popular toy — Teddy Bear. |
| C．Who made the first toy bear? |
| D．Profits Teddy Bear have made. |
In-line skating（滚轴溜冰）is a fun sport that everyone can enjoy. Follow these safety tips to keep skating safe and fun.
Step 1: Gear up!
Even before you put on your skates, put on all your safety gear（护具）.
Step 2: Buckle up!
Strap（绑紧）on your skates. Make sure they fit well and are snugly（紧贴）around your ankles. This helps your ankles stay strong and straight.
Step 3: Fall down!
You probably do not usually try to fall. But it is good to practice falling on skates. Fall forward onto your knee pads. Put out your hands and let your wrist guards hit the ground. See? Are you surprised that it doesn’t hurt?
Practice falling until it is easy to fall forward and get up again. If you are not afraid to fall, you will try new things. Knowing how to fall will help you be a better skater and find your balance. When you can stay balanced, you won’t fall as much.
Step 4: Stop!
Make sure you can stop on your skates. The quickest and safest is probably the brake stop. The brake is usually on the back of the right skate.
The brake stop:
Roll forward with your skates pointing the same way. Let your right skate roll a little forward. Bend your knees as if you are sitting down. Then press your right heel down hard. This will make your brake pad drag on the ground until you stop.
The T stop:
Roll forward with your skates pointing the same way. Then turn your right foot out so the toes are pointing to your right. Drag your right skate. Let the wheels drag on the ground until you come to a stop.
Another way to stop is to run or jump onto the grass.
Step 5: Roll around!
Find a flat, smooth place to practice. Do not skate in streets. Parks and playgrounds are good places to practice. Look for “No skating” signs to make sure you can skate there.According to the article, which of these steps are most important for a new skater?
| A．Learn to fall and stop safely. |
| B．Find a class and skate fast. |
| C．Relax and have fun. |
| D．Buy expensive gear and skates. |
In the step right after “Buckle up!” you should practice how to _____________.
| A．skate fast | B．brake | C．fall safely | D．put on gear |
To begin a brake stop, you should let your right skate roll forward, bend your knees, and _________.
| A．turn your foot |
| B．press your right heel down |
| C．put your wrists out in front |
| D．tighten your skates |
How is the passage organized?
| A．It tells stories about skating. |
| B．It gives descriptions of skates. |
| C．It uses a question-and-answer form. |
| D．It gives step-by-step instructions. |