At the age of 16, Clara Barton was advised to become a teacher, since she was quite shy. She taught in Massachusetts for ten years, and was invited to Bordentown, New Jersey, to teach in a private school. She saw personally that these communities needed free education for their citizens, and she responded by creating a free school, one of the first in her state. Later, officials ignored her and appointed a male as principal instead. She resigned and moved to Washington DC, becoming the first woman employed by the U. S. Patent Office.
Clara Barton was forever changed by her experience with the troops in the Civil War. She saw surgeons dressing wounds with cornhusks（玉米叶）, since they had nothing else. The medical supplies for the Army were well behind the troops, who were moving faster than their medical supply lines. She brought in a wagon of bandages and medical supplies that she had collected personally beforehand. Barton continued to work on the battlefields throughout the war.
She helped in the identification process of 13,000 dead Union soldiers. Afterward, she was an important figure in a campaign to identify missing soldiers from the Civil War. This non-stop work debilitated her, and upon recommendation by her physicians, she traveled to Europe to recover herself.
While in Europe, and still in poor health Miss Barton was moved by the hardship on civilians brought about by the France-Prussia war. She helped in their relief effort, and in that work she was inspired to create the Red Cross, which served all troops and civilians.
Clara Barton returned to America and then began the establishment of the American Red Cross. The US government did not think there would ever be another war, after the horror of the Civil War. But she convinced them that the Red Cross would be valuable to serve in times of natural disasters, as well. This was her lasting legacy（遗产）, an agency that still provides aid to victims today.What does this text mainly tell us about?
| A．The establishment of the American Red Cross. |
| B．A general introduction of Clara Barton’s life. |
| C．Clara Barton’s contribution to the Red Cross. |
| D．Clara Barton’s service in the army. |
Why did Clara give up her job in the free school?
| A．Because officials didn’t make her principal. |
| B．Because she wanted to work in a Patent Office. |
| C．Because she wanted to serve in the army. |
| D．Because she was not satisfied with the pay. |
The underlined word “debilitated” in the third paragraph means .
| A．rewarded | B．satisfied | C．disturbed | D．weakened |
What is the greatest contribution made by Clara Barton?
| A．She set up a free school. |
| B．She collected supplies for the army. |
| C．She identified missing soldiers. |
| D．She set up the American Red Cross. |
In the United States, 30 percent of the people have a “weight problem”. To many people the cause is obvious (明显的): they eat too much. But scientific evidence (证据) does little to support this idea. Going back to America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they at e more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch television.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don’t eat more on average than thinner people. A 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers showed that fat people eat less than slim (苗条的) people.
Studies also show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University found the following interesting facts:
The more the man ran, the greater loss of the body fat.
The more they ran, the greater increase in food intake.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.Nowadays many Americans have the problem that ______.
| A．they are too slim | B．they work too hard |
| C．they are too fat | D．they lose too much body fat |
According to the passage, how many people in 900 Americans have a “weight problem”?
| A．150. | B．300. | C．600. | D．270. |
Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that eating too much is the cause of a “weight problem”?
| A．Yes, there is plenty of evidence. |
| B．Of course, there is some evidence to support this. |
| C．There is hardly any scientific evidence to support this. |
| D．We are not sure. |
The Americans in 1910 ________.
| A．ate more food and had more physical activities |
| B．ate less food but had more physical activities |
| C．ate less food and had less physical activities |
| D．had more problems |
Even a child knows that nodding the head means “Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary he is expressing agreement.
The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn’t mean “No”, but “Yes”.
If a person doesn’t know this, it might cause misunderstanding.
At one time a foreigner in Indian told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner repeated his request and the driver shook his head again. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice, “Yes, sir,” smiling and shaking his head again at the same time.Generally speaking, nodding the head means _______, and shaking the head means _______.
| A．Yes; No | B．No; Yes | C．Yes; Yes | D．No; No |
Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him to drive him to his office? Because _________.
| A．the Indian driver had something important to do |
| B．the foreigner promised to give him only a little money |
| C．the driver felt uncomfortable at that time |
| D．in India shaking the head means agreement |
Why did the foreigner become angry? Because _______.
| A．the Indian driver didn’t want to send him to his office |
| B．he misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India |
| C．he asked the driver to send him to his office, but the Indian driver didn’t say any words |
| D．the Indian driver asked him for a lot of money |
The underlined phrase “on the contrary” means ________.
| A．just the opposite |
| B．clear difference between two things |
| C．doing what you want to do |
| D．on the other hand |
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
| Captain Good Fellow Do you enjoy interesting stories, funny games and exciting dances? Captain Good Fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00, free. |
| Walking Tour of the Town Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about the local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes! |
| Films at the Museum Two European films will be shown Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The Workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898. |
| International Picnic Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and inexpensive. From noon to 5:00 p.m. |
| Take me out to the Ballgame It’s October, and tonight is the last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold …. Don’t forget sweaters and jackets. |
| Do you want to hear “the Zoo”? “The Zoo”, the popular rock group from Australia, will give their first U.S. concert tomorrow night at 8 at Rose Hall, City College. |
You can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arab food at ________.
| A．Central Park on Saturday | B．the ballgame outside |
| C．5:00 in the afternoon | D．the front entrance of City Hall |
You can see movies at ________.
| A．the City College | B．the Central Park |
| C．the City Theatre | D．the Museum Theatre |
If you are going on the Walking Tour, don’t forget ________.
| A．your worries | B．your comfortable shoes |
| C．your beautiful walk | D．your learning about local history |
“The Zoo” is ________.
| A．a park with lots of animals | B．a first concert from the US |
| C．a music group from Australia | D．a popular rock band from Europe |
I have been teaching in the United States for three semesters. During this time, I have been very impressed with the hardworking American students. Tuition fee (学费) in American universities are pretty expensive. Most American students receive little, if any, financial support. As a result, they have to work hard to pay for their tuition and other basic expenses. Tertiary (高等) education is a necessity in today’s workforce. Young people with higher education are rewarded with a good career and better salary. So how do American students support themselves?
All my American students have to work to pay for their tuition. For this reason, most universities provide limited jobs for students who need economic help. They also help students search for jobs in the community. I have been touched to see some students are so worn out from their jobs that they doze in my classroom. In addition to taking part-time jobs, students are also expected to take part in various social and sporting activities and, in fact, those who do not take part in are often looked down upon by their peers.
A number of American university students are married with families, or are single parents. These students are faced with the additional burden of raising a family. They have to spend much time, money and energy caring for their children and family. Most American university professors are strict. They test students on every unit in their course, in addition to mid-term and final exams in each semester. A lack of preparation by students may result in their failure. This means the loss of a lot of money and possibly future employment opportunities for these students. For this reason, many American students will study or stay up all night before an exam, in an effort to pass.
In contrast, Chinese students have a much easier time, because most Chinese parents pay for their kids’ tertiary education. Moreover, Chinese students do not need to worry about raising children or maintaining a family. So, Chinese students have no reason for not studying hard and achieving good marks.Which of the following is not the difficulty American students have to face?
| A．They have to work hard to pay for the high tuition fee. |
| B．Many American students have a burden of a family. |
| C．They need a better education to get a best job. |
| D．They have to pass strict tests to complete their education. |
Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．American students have no time to think of physical exercise. |
| B．Sporting activities are popular among American students. |
| C．American students should take part in various social activities. |
| D．Those who don’t participate in social and sporting activities are usually unpopular with their peers. |
Compared with American students, Chinese university students __________.
| A．have no difficulty in raising a family |
| B．live an easy life in universities |
| C．don’t have to take full-time jobs |
| D．have more duty to make greater progress |
This passage mainly deals with __________.
| A．part-time jobs chosen by American students |
| B．the high fees of American universities |
| C．difficult lives American students have to face |
| D．different opinions on American universities |
It is reasonable to say that every teenager can be affected by peer pressure (从众心理) at some point. Every day, in any high school, peer pressure has a major influence over the behavior of teenagers. It can be as subtle (微妙的) as being persuaded to be late for class or as extreme as a dangerous drug. Whether subtle or extreme, peer pressure can have damaging, sometimes life changing, and even serious results.
“Teens don’t often consider the long-term results that some behavior can cause,” said Terri Price, a researcher. “Peer pressure can be very difficult to handle for many teens because of their fears of not fitting in”. Peer pressure has always been part of teen life, but teens experience it differently than their former generations did in the past. Sources of peer pressure have increased because of the Internet and other electronic communications.
Recognizing peer pressure can be as simple as noticing that you have been asked to do something that you are not comfortable with. “Listen to your instinct （直觉） , which is a sign for whether something is right or wrong. If it feels wrong, then most likely it is. ”says Price.
Teens are in a time of life when they are still discovering who they are. Many teens are influenced by peer pressure because of their insecurities (不安全感). This can make them helpless especially when their self-control is weak or they lack healthy support, causing them to take risky behavior or turn to unhealthy support.
Dealing with peer pressure is a topic of concern for teens. People can say, “Just say no,” but the truth is that the statement is easier said than done.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to .
| A．the Internet | B．teen life |
| C．peer pressure | D．the fear of not fitting in |
You can know whether a teen suffers peer pressure by watching.
| A．whether he often surfs the Internet |
| B．whether he can get security |
| C．whether it is subtle or extreme |
| D．whether he feels comfortable with it |
Why are teens easily influenced by peer pressure?
| A．Because they don’t have the feeling of safety. |
| B．Because they are afraid of fitting in or being accepted. |
| C．Because they need support for their health. |
| D．Because they have nobody to turn to when in trouble. |
According to the passage, we can know that dealing with peer pressure is
| A．easy | B．hard | C．a new topic | D．an impossible task |