When my father was celebrating a milestone (里程碑) birthday, I pulled together a surprise gift that he would never forget.
As he was approaching 60,1 had a firm idea: What if I could get the memories people had of him, put each one into an envelope - 60 in total - and have him open them, one by one, on his birthday? So I wrote an e-mail to family and friends, explaining my idea.
I sent the e-mail and waited. And then the replies started coming in and I was very, very surprised. There were so many memories, and they were all so lovely. They came from the '50s, '60s, '70s, from every decade（十年） between now and the day my dad was born. They came from my mother, my siblings, my grandma, my dad's friends from high school, his sister, my dad's first boss, a colleague at his first job, from people who hadn't seen my dad in 40 years, from people I myself hadn't even informed. They typed them and handwrote them. They mailed them and e-mailed them.
The night before Dad's birthday, my sister and 1 stayed up late, putting everything together with some
The next morning, after breakfast and presents and cake, we gave the pile of envelopes to him. "Just one more thing for you," we said.
It took him a long time to open them and read. Each one was a brief ticket to another time, a leap (跳跃) backward over years and decades. There was a lot of laughter and a few tears, too.
I was kind of sad when the project was over because it was great fun to collect these memories. It gave me a different picture of my dad.
When did the author give her father a surprise gift? (no more than 4 words)
Who sent the mails? (no more than 6 words)
Why did the author and her sister stay up late the night before their father's birthday? (no more than 9 words)
How did the author's father most probably feel when he read (he mails? (no more than 3 words)
What was the surprise gift? (no more than 6 words)
It remains a curiosity and a bit of a historical mystery why we don't all drive on the same side of the road. The fact is that most people are right-handed; that's why, for much of history, drivers have stuck to the left. Ancient Romans using two-wheeled carriages are believed to have held the reins(缰绳) with their right hands and a whip with their left; to avoid whipping the near drivers, they favored the left-hand side the road. It's also easier for right-handers to get on a horse from the left, so riders were attracted to that side to avoid the near traffic as they climbed on and off. Finally, knights(骑士) and the other drivers favored the left so they could do battle, if necessary, with their good hand.
So why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there's no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, people in upper class drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasantry to the right. During the violence, fearful rich people sought to mix with the peasantry by traveling on the right as well. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-handed conquest, like Great Britain, kept their left-handed tradition.Who had a major effect on “keep-right” traffic law?
| A．Ancient Romans | B．Hitler |
| C．Napoleon | D．Austrians |
What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered. |
| B．Hitler ordered right-hand traffic in Austria. |
| C．Great Britain escaped right-handed conquest. |
| D．The reasons that most of the world drives on the right side. |
What does the word peasantry in the last paragraph mean?
| A．People in upper class. |
| B．Right-handers. |
| C．Drivers. |
| D．Poor people. |
Apart from Great Britain, which country mentioned in the text keeps left-hand
traffic?
| A．France | B．Ancient Rome |
| C．Russia | D．Germany |
A jobless man Hambley applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
"You are employed" he said. "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."
Hambley replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."
"I'm sorry", said the HR manager. "If you don't have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy ten kilograms tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital（本金）. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with sixty dollars.
Hambley realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go earlier every day, and return late. Thus, his money doubled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, Hambley is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker(代理人), and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email. Hambley replied, "I don't have an email."
The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build a company. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" Hambley thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!" Hambley was refused by the HR manager because he________.
| A．didn’t have an email |
| B．didn’t exist |
| C．couldn’t clean the floor. |
| D．was dishonest |
In less than two hours, Hambley succeeded in earning ________ dollars.
| A．twenty | B．sixty | C．ten | D．thirty |
What do the underlined words “the retailers”refer to?
| A．People that sell insurance. |
| B．People that sell goods to the public. |
| C．People that double their capital |
| D．People that have their own truck. |
What is Hambley’s opinion on Network?
| A．It’s helpful |
| B．He wanted to use it later. |
| C．An office boy should use it. |
| D．It doesn’t mean everything. |
（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
Elephants are trained, at an early age, not to escape. One leg of a baby elephant is tied with a rope to a wooden post planted in the ground. The rope limits the baby elephant to an area determined by the length of the rope. At first the baby elephant tries to break free from the rope, but the rope is too strong. Soon the elephant learns that he cannot break the rope in any case. This space defined by the rope becomes the elephant's comfort zone.
As the elephant grows up it could easily break the rope, but it does not even try because it was conditioned as a baby to think that it still could not break free. As a result, the large elephant remains tied and stays in a small space.
This metaphor(隐喻) can be used to describe what happens to human beings as we become trapped in a comfort zone. Just as the elephant's space determines what it can do, our comfort zone determines what we are able to achieve. Fortunately, humans are born with the ability to make conscious choices. The elephant doesn't try to break the rope free while we can easily leave our comfort zone.
In order to expand our potential and succeed in life, we must expand our comfort zone into unfamiliar fields. You will never realize what you are truly able to achieve if you remain in your comfort zone. The area where the baby elephant can move around is decided by ________.
| A．the space covered by the elephant |
| B．the length of the rope |
| C．the elephant’s comfort zone |
| D．the wooden post planted in the ground |
The large elephant does not try to break the rope, because ________.
| A．the rope is too strong |
| B．a wooden post is planted in the ground |
| C．the elephant likes the small space |
| D．the elephant thinks it still could not break free |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．How to train elephants |
| B．A cautious elephant |
| C．A comfort zone |
| D．Expand your comfort zone |
“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline（自律）with all of them came first.” — Harry S. Truman
That is the quotation (引语) that had me thinking yesterday. Discipline（纪律）, in particular self-discipline, is what will get us through most things in life, from writing this simple post to Achieving Greatness for You and I. You may ask, “Why is discipline important in writing this post?” For people who have tried writing, you would know how hard it might get sometimes to actually sit down and finish the whole article in one period without getting up every few minutes to get a drink, a snack or toilet break etc.
Just with most things in life, often we lack the self-discipline to see us through what we are hoping to do or achieve. One area where self-discipline is clearly important is in losing weight. Some people are constantly looking for quick fix to their weight problem; they will jump at anything that is claimed to help them lose weight in the shortest time. They may lose weight fast, but they will find the result short-term especially if they do not change the way they live and the food they eat.
A friend of mine shared his experience going through the journey from 115 kilograms to 56 kilograms in around one year. His journey of losing weight started from a trip with his daughter to the doctor for her check-up. He playfully weighed himself on the weighing machine while his daughter was having the check-up. The doctor saw his weight and made a remark, “If you maintain that balloon weight, you cannot see your grandchildren.”
That made him decide, “Enough is enough!” Not only that, he felt tired easily and his excessive (过多的) weight made him feel like a walking balloon. In that moment of awakening, he made decisions to change his lifestyle and eating habits.What does the author mainly talk about in the passage?
| A．His writing hobby. |
| B．The best way to lose weight. |
| C．The importance of self-discipline. |
| D．How to live a healthy life. |
We know from the second paragraph that the author __________ .
| A．can write easily after finishing his routines |
| B．doesn’t think writing is an easy job |
| C．writes just for fun |
| D．must have achieved much in his writing |
The author’s friend was determined to lose weight when he __________ .
| A．had a trip with his daughter and her family |
| B．knew the doctor was just making fun of him |
| C．was much touched by the doctor’s remark |
| D．realized that he would become a grandparent soon |
The author holds the belief（信念）that __________ .
| A．we can’t achieve anything in life without self-discipline |
| B．only great men need self-discipline |
| C．self-discipline is most needed in losing weight |
| D．self-discipline has something to do with one’s lifestyle |
China is having such a huge influence on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn the Chinese language in a bid to keep competitive.
“Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown quickly in the past five years,” said Vivien Stewart, vice president at the Asia Society. China’s quick rise to near-superpower and its effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the American’s interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a “rapid rise” in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language. “The Chinese rich cultural traditions and blossoming economy mean that it is now important for all of our students to be better prepared,” said Michael Levine, Asia Society's executive director of education. A survey found that 2,400 high schools - an unbelievably high number - would be interested in offering the Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Chinese language and culture when the courses become available in 2016.
China, the world’s most popular nation, is important to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. Its political influence is also rising across the world. It has replaced the United States as the world’s largest consumer and could become the second largest economy in the world, after the United States, in the next two to three decades.
Even though the US State Department has described the Chinese language “critical” to national prosperity and security, “the current facilities to support recruitment(招募) of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is terribly not enough,” an Asia Society study says. The Society has set an aim of having at least five percent of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015.
“Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese,” said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco-based Chinese American International School. The most popular languages after English in US schools at present are Spanish and French while Japanese is the most popular Asian language.The underlined word blossoming (Para. 2)means______.
| A．weak | B．old | C．developing | D．developed |
Why do more and more Americans begin to learn the Chinese language?
| A．To be a bridge between the two big countries. |
| B．To keep competitive. |
| C．Because they are always interested in it. |
| D．To gain advantage in trade. |
What problems is the US faced with when it comes to learning Chinese?
| A．A lack in current facilities to support recruitment of students and teachers and programs. |
| B．Not many people want to learn foreign languages. |
| C．The language is rather difficult compared with English. |
| D．Too many Chinese are learning English. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Foreign Language Learning |
| B．Danger from China |
| C．The Chinese Language gets More Popular |
| D．Difficulties in Learning the Chinese Language. |