One of the most famous basketball players in the New Castle ' s history was paralyzed(瘫痪的) in a wheelchair one day and was walking the next. Citizens of New Castle simply refer to it as " The Miracle" .
Joel Haler woke up in his dorm room at Hope College last October totally paralyzed from the waist down. Four hospitals later, the only way he could walk was through Robotic Walking Treatment.
"This past Tuesday ,I was doing the Robotic walk and lasted ten minutes, " Joel said. After that, he gave up. Joel w-anted to accept the inevitable (不可避免的事) and cancelled his next Robotic Walking Treatment appointment.
Then , the night before his cancelled appointment, he woke up to a terrible pain. An hour and a half later ,the serious pain left him with an unusual feeling in his legs.
" As it continued to move up my legs ,it became more and more painful and it took an hour and a half to reach my hips(臀部) , " Joel recalled.
"I stood up and walked into my parents' room. ' Mom and dad, look! ' ," he said proudly.
" He said something and I was like, ' Joell Joel ! You ' re walking ! You ' re walking ! ' We jumped out of bed , cried and hugged, " Joel ' s mom Karen remembered.
"I burst into tears. It ' s hard seeing your son not be able to walk .but he was standing there , walking , " Joel ' s father Eric said , tearfully.
It was Thursday , January 23 , when he could finally walk. That date made perfect sense to Joel. He had dreamt of a calendar that only said "J 23 " . He didn't know what to make of it until "a little boy at church ,four years old, came up to me and said, ' you will walk on a Thurs-day ' , " Joel recalled.
So the 20-year-old college student, who could only walk with the aid of a robot on Tuesday ,was walking on his own. According to the passage , " The Miracle" is that ________
| A．Joel Haler became the most famous basketball player |
| B．Robotic Walking Treatment could cure paralysis |
| C．Joel Haler could walk again after three months ' paralysis |
| D．a paralyzed boy could play basketball well |
Which part of Joel Haler' s body didn't work?
| A．His whole body. | B．His legs and feet. |
| C．His arms and hands. | D．His arms and legs. |
Before Joel Haler ' s walking again , his attitude to the illness was ______.
| A．positive | B．indifferent | C．optimistic | D．hopeless |
Looking back on my childhood, I believe that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and my sisters soon gave up their flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do maths well.
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I remember clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal clear memory of the dogs, farm animals, local birds, and above all, insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love for the natural world and my passion has led me into varied explorations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s observations and discoveries. Then something brings these observations together in my mind. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books.
But curiosity, a keen （敏锐的）eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist. A scientist, up to a point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.The first paragraph tells us the writer .
| A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood |
| B．lost his hearing when he was a child |
| C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters |
| D．was born into a naturalist’s family |
The writer can’t clearly remember his relatives probably because .
| A．he didn’t live very long with them |
| B．the family was very large |
| C．he was too young when he lived with them |
| D．he devoted himself to observing nature |
It can be inferred from the passage that the writer was .
| A．a scientist as well as a naturalist |
| B．not a naturalist but a scientist |
| C．only a born naturalist |
| D．first of all a scientist |
According to the writer, a born naturalist should first of all be .
| A．good at maths | B．full of passion |
| C．knowledgeable | D．self-controlled |
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a great bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts thought that this was an impossible project and told Roebling to forget it. But Roebling could not ignore the vision of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an engineer, that the bridge could be built.
The father and son developed concepts of how it could be completed and how the difficulties could be overcome. After that, they began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway (在进行中) a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which made him unable to walk or talk or even move.
Everyone had a negative comment since the Roeblings were the only one who knew how to build the bridge. In spite of these difficulties, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge. It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was to move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving it, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. The project was underway again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.
Today the Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory to the victory of one man's determination not to be defeated by circumstances. This is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical disability and achieves an impossible goal.
1．When John Roebling had the idea of building the bridge, ________.
A. his son supported him immediately
B. many experts thought it impossible
C. there was no bridge around New York
D. he persuaded the government to support him
2．What is the right order of the following statements?
a. The Roeblings talked about the possibilities of building the bridge.
b. Washington became disabled.
c. John Roebling believed that building the bridge was possible.
d. Washington's wife helped instruct the building.
A. a d c b B. b c d a C. c a b d D. a d b c
3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. the government did offer much help to building the bridge
B. to go to the long Island, we can go across Brooklyn Bridge now
C. Washington had only one finger after the accident
D. it took 13 years to complete the bridge
4．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. the Roeblings were devoted to their work
B. how the Brooklyn Bridge was built by the Roeblings.
C. a strong will is not to be defeated.
D. success lies in patience and hard work.
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums: No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(古董).
Pop music: Britain is the only country to rival(与……比敌)the US on this score.
Black cabs: London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food: Visitors can find everything from Eth
iopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion: Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
Bad news
Poor service: “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport: Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is inexplicably(不可解的) popular.
Lack of language: Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.
Rain: Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning: So that even splendidly hot summer become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels: The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours: Alcohol is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in 24-hour cities.What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
C．Pop music in Br itain is worse than that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When is alcohol not able to get?
| A．At 9:00p.m. | B．At 10:00p.m | C．At 11:00p.m. | D．At 12:00p.m. |
Which of the following is true
according to the passage?
| A．You have to pay to visit the museums. | B．It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there. |
| C．You cannot find Chinese food there. | D．The public transport is poor there. |
Harry’s father bought a magazine which gave its readers information about all kinds of products and helped them make the best choice while buying.
Harry borrowed his father’s magazine when he needed a new computer. “I’ll read it and choose the best one.” He said.
The magazine described these computers.
| The DGT PC450 |
The BNK 975XF: AT $3,200 |
The CGP 8PT |
 This computer comes with lots of good software. However it does not have much memory and is rather slow. At $2,850 it’s not very good value for money. |
 This is the most expensive computer we tested. However it is also the most reliable (可靠的). It is very fast and has lots of memory. It is worth the extra money if you can afford it. |
 At only $1,900. It has lots of memory and is quite fast. However it broke down twice while we were testing it and we cannot recommend (建议) it for reliability. |
Harry chose the BNK 975XF. “I know it’s expensive,” he said, “but it will be with me for a long time and do everything I want it to do.” Harry wants to buy a computer, so he borrowed ___________ from his father.
| A．a magazine about all kinds of products | B．a computer magazine |
| C．a shopping book | D．a book about all kinds of computers |
____________ doesn’t have much memory and is rather slow.
| A．The BNK 975XF | B．The DGT PC450 |
| C．The CGP 8PT | D．Harry’s computer |
The CGP 8PT is _____________ among the three kinds of computers.
| A．the fastest | B．the most expensive | C．the cheapest | D．the slowest |
Harry chose the BNK 975XF because _________.
| A．it is the most expensive | B．it has lots of good software |
| C．it has much memory | D．it would work for him for a long time |
Islamabad, Pakistan, June 22nd---Two mountain climbers surprisingly survived (幸免于) a fall of over 500 feet on the 25,530-foot mountain in Pakistan, Saturday. The two climbers were climbing an ice-covered wall of the mountain when they suddenly lost their footing and fell about 560 feet to a narrow snow-covered ledge(悬崖突出部分) below. “We were lucky that ledge was there,” said the climbers, “Otherwise, we would have fallen over 2,000 feet.” If the ledge had not been there, the two climbers almost certainly have met their death. “It’s a wonder,” the climbers said, “that we landed on the ledge, and the snow was loose enough to cushion(缓冲) our fall. We’re thankful that we survived.”
When a reporter asked them if they planned to give up mountain climbing after their narrow escape(九死一生), the two climbers replied, “Not at all. We’ll be goin
g back up there just as soon as we get out of the hospital.” The mountain climbers survived because _____.
| A．they had fallen only 500 feet down | B．of the ledge and the loose snow on it |
| C．of their strong bodies | D．they were very good climbers |
If there had not been
the snow-covered ledge, _____.
| A．they wouldn’t have fallen down | B．they would have them wounded |
| C．they would have lost their lives | D．they would fall into the deep snow |
How high was the ledge from the foot of the mountain?
| A．2,560 feet high | B．2,000 feet high |
| C．25,530 feet high | D．More than 1,400 feet high |
Choose the right order which shows what happened to the two climbers.
a. talked with a reporter b. lost their footing
c. was sent to a hospital d. fell to a ledge
e. started to climb an ice-covered wall
| A．b-d-c-e-a | B．e-d-b-c-a | C．e-b-d-c-a | D．a-c-b-d-e |