I was puzzled! Why was this old woman making such a fuss about an old copse(矮林) which was of no use to anybody? She had written letters to the local paper, even to a national, protesting about a projected by-pass to her village, and, looking at a map, the route was nowhere near where she lived and it wasn’t as if the area was attractive. I was more than puzzled, I was curious.
The enquiry into the route of the new by-pass to the village was due to take place shortly, and I wanted to know what it was that motivated her. So it was that I found myself knocking on a cottage door, being received by Mary Smith and then being taken for a walk to the woods. “I’ve always loved this place,” she said, “it has a lot of memories for me, and for others. We all used it. They called it ‘Lovers lane’. It’s not much of a lane, and it doesn’t go anywhere important, but that’s why we all came here. To be away from people, to be by ourselves. ” she added.
It was indeed pleasant that day and the songs of many birds could be heard. Squirrels watched from the branches, quite bold in their movements, obviously few people passed this way and they had nothing to fear. I could imagine the noise of vehicles passing through these peaceful woods when the by-pass was built, so I felt that she probably had something there but as I hold strong opinions about the needs of the community over-riding the opinions of private individuals, I said nothing. The village was quite a dangerous place because of the traffic especially for old people and children, their safety was more important to me than an old woman’s strange ideas.
“Take this tree,” she said pausing after a short while. “To you it is just that, a tree. Not unlike many others here.” She gently touched the bark, “Look here, under this branch, what can you see?”
“It looks as if someone has done a bit of carving with a knife.” I said after a cursory inspection.
“Yes, that’s what it is!” she said softly.
She went on, “He had a penknife with a spike for getting stones from a horse's hoof, and I helped him to carve them. We were very much in love, but he was going away, and could not tell me what he was involved in the army. I had guessed of course. It was the last evening we ever spent together, because he went away the next day, back to his Unit.”
Mary Smith was quiet for a while, then she sobbed. “His mother showed me the telegram. ‘Sergeant R Holmes …Killed in action in the invasion of France.’…”
“I had hoped that you and Robin would one day get married.” she said, “He was my only child, and I would have loved to be a Granny, they would have been such lovely babies’- she was like that! ”
“Two years later she too was dead. ‘Pneumonia (肺炎), following a chill on the chest’ was what the doctor said, but I think it was an old fashioned broken heart. A child would have helped both of us.”
There was a further pause. Mary Smith gently caressed the wounded tree, just as she would have caressed him. “And now they want to take our tree away from me.” Another quiet sob, then she turned to me. “I was young and pretty then, I could have had anybody, I wasn’t always the old woman you see here now. I had everything I wanted in life, a lovely man, health and a future to look forward to.”
She paused again and looked around. The breeze gently moved through the leaves with a sighing sound. “There were others, of course, but no one can match my Robin!” she said strongly. “And now I have nothing - except the memories this tree holds. If only I could get my hands on that awful man who writes in the paper about the value of the road they are going to build where we are standing now, I would tell him. Has he never loved, has he never lived, does he not know anything about memories? We were not the only ones, you know, I still meet some who came here as Robin and I did. Yes, I would tell him!”
I turned away, sick at heart.The main purpose of this passage is to ________.
A.draw attention to the damage that wars cause |
B.persuade people to give up private interest |
C.arouse the awareness of being environmentally friendly |
D.introduce a touching but sad love story |
Which of the following words can best describe Mary Smith?
A.Selfish. | B.Faithful. | C.Changeable. | D.Stubborn. |
The underlined sentence “I felt that she probably had something there” means ________.
A.I thought there might be something hidden in the woods by Mary Smith |
B.I guessed there might be a story related with Mary Smith |
C.I thought there might be some reason for Mary Smith’s protest |
D.I guessed there might be a secret purpose of Mary Smith. |
What was probably the carving on the wounded tree?
A.The date when Robin Holmes would leave for army. |
B.Their wish that this place and tree would last long. |
C.Their names and a heart with a sign of arrow through it. |
D.Their protest against the war which tore them apart. |
In Mary’s opinion, which of the following might have caused Robin’s mother’s death?
A.Pneumonia | B.A chill on the chest | C.A heart attack | D.Severe sorrow |
The “tree” probably stands for ________.
A.her romance . | B.her determination | C.her sadness | D.her dream |
Hello. It’s one of the first words we learn as babies, yet it’s one of the last ones we think to use as adults. That’s unfortunate, b 48 saying hello is more than just saying hello—it is recognition of another’s worth. How might the world change—how might we change—if we mastered this word? To find o 49 , I spent one month saying hello to every person I met. Here’s what I’ve learned. It can boost (促进) productivity. In one of the few studies ever done on this subject, Allan Allday, a 50 assistant professor of special education at Oklahoma State University, had middle school teachers greet their students individually each morning. This exchange of greetings raised the kids’ productivity. School went from impersonal to p 51 , and that resulted in more class participation and better grades.
Environments influence friendliness, One study found that people in the city were more likely to kiss one hand with a stranger than those in the countryside. And researchers say,pleasure environments generally encourage more smiles and hellos t 52 unpleasant ones. My experience was similarly. Whatever the reason, my urban hellos were answered far l 53 often than my rural one. Similarly, people in vacation spots, l 54 the Jersey Shore, were far friendlier than those hurrying work downtown.
It’s a form of universal health insurance. It’s impossible to say hello w 55 smiling. And smiling has been shown to lower blood pressure, relieve stress and boost happiness. Apparently, a smile creates a similar effect in the recipient (接受者)。
Hey there,
So you’re about to spend four years of your life and tens of dollars of your parents’ money, and all you really know about college is that all of your friends are going. Do you ever stop to wonder why you’re going?
Relax. You’re making the right decision. First of all, you’ll discover what interests you by taking courses in many subjects. For example, it’s hard to decide if you want to be a painter if you’ve never painted any pictures; once you’re in a drawing-room on campus, you’ll know one way or the other. College is also a lot of fun — after you graduate, you’ll be working every weekday for 50 or so years. And remember that college graduate earn about twice the income of those who never attended college.
Finding the right college can be difficult. Fortunately, Johnson Review is here to help you every step of the way.
* Researching Schools. To us. the most important decision you’ll make is to choose the school that really fits you best — not the once that is the most competitive(有竞争力的)or has the best-equipped rooms.
* Applying to School. On JohnsonReview.com. you’ll find hundreds of actual college application(申请)and links to many more.
* Raising Your Scores. American College Test is one of the most difficult parts of the admission(录取)course. It’s not the most important, though, and not everyone needs to prepare for the best. But, if you can do better, find the right course for better scores.
*Paying for School. Most families need financial aid for the high cost of college. The problem is that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get caught up in the price of college rather than learning the ways to get financial aid. If you really do your research, you’ll learn that you can afford to attend any college, no matter the cost.
For more information, call 600-3681 or visit JohnsonReview.com. Wherever you go. have a nice trip !
Johnson Smith
Founder and CEO
Johnson Review
1.How many reasons for going to college does the author mention in the text?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
2.The author thinks you should choose the college that is .
A. well-equipped B. competitive C. suitable D. famous
3.What does the author advise you to do to pay the high cost of college ?
A. To ask the family for help. B. To make a study of financial courses.
C. To do research on the price of college D. To get to know how to ask for financial aid.
4.What’s the author’s purpose of writing this text.?
A. To suggest ways to prepare for college learning.
B. To help readers find the right college.
C. To make Johnson Review popular.
D. To introduce college life.
5.Where may the article be taken from?
A. A Journalist Book B. A Travel Book C. A Grammar Book D. An Advice Book
Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert (警报) system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry's trade association, CTIA, estimates (估计) more than 48 billions text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alter and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvement to the nation's emergency alter system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alter the public about emergencies.
"The ability to deliver accurate and timely warning and alters through cell phone and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alter system by carriers - telecommunication companies - is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alters.
There would be three types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alter from the president, likely involving a terrorists attack or natural disaster. The second would involve "approaching threats," which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction (绑架)emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2010.
1. |
What is the purpose of the approval plan?
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2. |
The improvement to the present system is in the charge of.
|
3. |
The carriers' participation in the system is determined by.
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4. |
Which of the following is true of cell phone users?
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5. |
An alert message will NOT be sent if.
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6. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the test?
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Melissa Poe was 9 years old when she began a campaign for a cleaner environment by writing a letter to the then President Bush. Through her on efforts, her letter was reproduced on over 250 donated billboards (广告牌)across the country.
The response to her request for help was so huge that Poe established Kids For A Cleaner Environment (Kids F.A.C.E.) in 1989. There are now 300,000 members of Kids F.A.C.E. worldwide and it is the world’s largest youth environmental organization.
Poe has also asked the National Park Service to carry out a “Children’s Forest” project in every national park. In 1992, she was invited one of only six children in the world to speak at the Earth Summit in Brazil as part of the Voices of the future Program. In 1993, she was given a Caring Award for her efforts by the Caring Institute.
Since the organization started, Kids F.A.C.E. members have distributed and planted over 1 million trees! Ongoing tree-planting projects include Kids’ Yards — the creation of backyard wildlife habitats (栖息地) and now Kids F.A.C.E. is involved in the exciting Odyssey, which is a great way to start helping.
“We try to tell kids that it’s not OK to be lazy,” she explains, “You need to start being a response, environmentally friendly person now, right now, before you become a resource-sucking adult.” Kids F.A.C.E. is __________.
A. a program to help students with writing
B. a project of litter recycling
C. a campaign launched by President Bush
D. a club of environmental protection What can we learn about Poe?
A.She was awarded a prize in Brazil. |
B.She donated billboards across the country. |
C.She got positive responses for her efforts. |
D.She joined the National Park Service. |
Kid’s Yards is ____________.
A.established in national park |
B.started to protect wildlife |
C.a wildlife-raising project |
D.an environment park for kids |
Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
A. Adults are resources –sucking people.
B. Poe sought help from a youth organization
C. Kids F.A.C.E. members are from the U.S.
D. Kids are urged to save natural resources.
It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’ ”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘ We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.
Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain. Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to ________.
A.support his family | B.pay for his college education |
C.help his partner expand business | D.do some research |
Which of the following is true of Buck?
A.He put money into the sandwich business. |
B.He was a professor of business as ministration. |
C.He was studying at the University of Bridgeport. |
D.He rented a storefront for Deluca. |
What can we learn about their first shop?
A.It stood at an unfavorable place. |
B.It lowered the prices to poor management. |
C.It made no profits due to poor management. |
D.It lacked control over the quality of sandwich. |
They decided to open a second store because they _________.
A.had enough money to do it |
B.had succeeded in their business |
C.wished to meet the increasing demand of customers |
D.wanted to make believe that they were successful |
What contributes most do their success according to the author?
A.Learning by trial and error. | B.Making friends with supplies. |
C.Finding a good partner. | D.Opening chain stores. |