“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I was disappointed. “If you go on, one day something good will happen.” When I graduated from college, I decided to try for a job in a radio station and then work hard to become a sports announcer (广播员).
I took a taxi to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station, but I was turned down every time because I didn’t have any working experience. Then, I went back home.
My father said Montgomery Ward wanted a sports-man to help them. I applied (申请), but I didn’t get the job, either. I was very disappointed.“Everything happens for the best,” Mom reminded me. Dad let me drive his car to look for jobs. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, Peter MacArthur, told me they had already had an announcer. His words made me disappointed again. After leaving his office, I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling after me, “What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he asked me to broadcast an imaginary (虚构的) game. I did so and Peter told me that I would be broadcasting Saturday’s game!
On my way home, I thought of my mother’s words again:“If you go on, one day something good will happen.”What kind of job did the writer want to get after he graduated from college?
| A．A programmer. | B．A sports announcer. |
| C．A sportsman. | D．A taxi driver. |
Why couldn’t the writer get a job at first?
| A．Because he didn’t want to get it. |
| B．Because he didn’t have any experience. |
| C．Because his parents didn’t agree with him. |
| D．Because no stations needed an announcer. |
Every time the writer couldn’t get a job, his mother ________.
| A．said nothing to him | B．told him to give up |
| C．encouraged him to go on trying | D．advised him to get further education |
The underlined phrase “turned down” is closest in meaning to the word “______”.
| A．asked | B．invited |
| C．refused | D．taken |
Which of the following is NOT true about the writer in the passage?
| A．He disliked the job in Montgomery Ward. |
| B．He got a good job in Davenport, Iowa at last. |
| C．He was given a chance by Peter. |
| D．His father also gave him some help. |
任务型阅读
阅读下面短文，根据短文中的信息完成文后表格(每空一词) (10分)
How do you imagine the future? Will life in the future be better, worse or the same as now? What do you think of the future?
People think that life will probably be very different in 2050. First of all, planes will be very small, so flying will be very cheap. Everyone will have a small car. Fuel(燃料) will be new and clean but expensive. We will see robots everywhere. And space planes will take us around the world in two hours. Houses will be warm in winter and cool in summer, so they will be very comfortable. We’ll use the sunshine to heat our houses. Computers will be very small, so they’ll be very light. People will do many things on the Internet.
At that time, water will become one of our most serious problems. In many places, farmers will be in great need of water to grow fruit and vegetables.
By 2050, we will be able to help blind people see again or deaf people hear again. At that time, our life will become better and better.
| What will the future be |
|
| Planes and cars |
※ Planes will become very ※Everyone will have a small car. Fuel will be new and clean, but it’s not as ※There will be space planes which can make us travel around the world within |
| They will be comfortable to live in. People will not feel hot or |
|
| Computers |
They will be very small and light. |
| Water |
It will become a very serious |
| Doctors can make the blind |
阅读表达 阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容回答问题(10分)
Raising chickens seems a difficult task for teenagers. Gracie Goodpasture, from Virginia, US, not only raises them, but also tries to breed (喂养) the “perfect chicken”. And she even won an award for her love of science.
Gracie started breeding chickens in her third grade at Steward School. At first, she worked on some farms for her school project. But later, the 14-year-old started to have some ideas of her own.
“Some have thicker eggshells (蛋壳), and they’re hearty (健壮的) throughout the winter,” said Grade.
Since then, the young science lover started to try to find the healthiest free-range (散养) chickens. And she ended up breeding a type that now bears her name.
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) gave the 2015 Angela Award to Gracie Goodpasture. Her interests don’t end with chickens and eggs. She is also into building robots and testing preservatives (防腐剂) in fast foods. In her words, she wants to go to Virginia Tech for poultry (家禽) sciences in the future.
回答下面5个问题，每题答案不超过4个词。Where is Gracie from?
____________________________________________________________________In which grade did Gracie start breeding chickens？
____________________________________________________________________What did Gracie find about some chickens’ eggshells?
____________________________________________________________________When did NSTA give the Angela Award to Gracie?
____________________________________________________________________Why does Gracie want to go to Virginia Tech in the future?
____________________________________________________________________
It is reported that some developed countries have shipped broken parts of computers to China. Such a thing can be founded every day although it is against international laws. Last month Hong Kong officers found 131,000 kilograms of broken computers, TVs and phones sent from Japan.
Things like these are called electronic waste, or e-waste. Dealing with them is not an easy job because dangerous poison like mercury(汞) and lead (铅) can be found in them. Every time an old computer breaks down, it needs to be dealt with safely. But at present, broken computer parts are usually buried. It may be hundreds of years before they are really goes in the earth.
Many places in China are polluted by e-waste. Guiyu in Guangdong province is one of them. This town is named as “the e-waste capital of the world”. It has to deal with 1.5 million kilograms of e-waste each year, from which it makes 75 million years. But it comes at a cost. Many of the poison in e-waste find their way into the environment. Plastic is burned outdoors and chemical water is poured into rivers, Greenpeace, an environmental group, has found the air, the earth and the rivers in Guiyu badly polluted.
The Chinese government wants the country to develop, but in a way that doesn’t do harm to the environment and people’s life. This year, China presents a new protection law, the strictest one we have ever had. Computer companies like Lenovo and Dell will be asked to take back their old computers. This is because the companies that make computers know best to deal with them safely. Hopefully, the problem with e-waste will be solved in the near future.The e-waste found in Hong Kong last month was from________.
| A．France | B．Japan | C．Germany | D．Australia |
The underlined word buried probably means ______ in the passage.
| A．焚烧 | B．障碍 | C．回收 | D．掩埋 |
The town of Guiya in Guangdong Province_________.
| A．is the e-capital of the world |
| B．has serious e-waste pollution |
| C．Deals with e-waste safely |
| D．speeds much money on e-waste |
This year, the Chinese government __________.
| A．tried to change people’s life |
| B．closed some computer companies |
| C．make a new environment protection law |
| D．asked people to hand in their old computers |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the way in dealing with e-waste |
| B．the cost of burning e-waste |
| C．the e-waste problem in China |
| D．the need to pass a law against e-waste |
How much do you know about Albert Einstein?
Albert Einstein, born on March 14, 1879 in Germany, was a great scientist in the world. He was strange because he hated haircuts and new clothes. He believed in peace. All his life, he hated war. However, his most famous idea, E = mc², helped create the world’s most dangerous weapon (武器). Many people think he was the smartest person in the world. But Einstein said that he thought like a child with many questions and unusual ideas.
What did he like?
Einstein liked learning sailing. He sailed in small boats all his life. He once joked, “Sailing is the sport that takes the least energy!”
When Einstein was a child, his mother made him take violin lessons. At first, he didn’t like the violin. But then he learned to love music and became a good violinist. Later, he said, “Love is the best teacher.”
Why is the sky blue?
In 1910, Einstein asked a question which many children often ask, “Why is the sky blue?” After his careful research, he answered the question like this： “It’s because light is made up of many colors including blue. When light travels to Earth, gas particles(气体微粒) spread the blue light all over the sky.” His answer is true in physics.
According to the passage, Albert Einstein __________ haircuts and new clothes.
| A．forgot | B．minded | C．liked | D．disliked |
The underlined part actually shows Albert Einstein was a/an __________ person.
| A．clever | B．imaginative |
| C．practical | D．childlike |
Einstein ______________ learning sailing and playing the violin.
| A．was interested in | B．looked forward to |
| C．was known for | D．was bored with |
From Paragraph 3 we know that ______________.
| A．mother teaches the best |
| B．without mother’s push, we can’t love anything |
| C．we should love our teacher |
| D．when we love something, we’d like to learn about it |
Einstein offered a __________ explanation for the question why the sky is blue.
| A．magic | B．wise |
| C．scientific | D．Careful |
It was nearly dark, the sun was dropping down the mountains far away. Little Tom came back home, with tears in his eyes.
“What’s the matter, Tom? How’s your trip?” his mother asked with a big smile. “I failed. The mountain is so high and full of big or small stones on the way, I still go ahead. But I was tired and it was so late that I had to come back.” Tom cried. “It doesn’t matter, you are only 14 years old after all. You will have another chance.” his mother said. “But, standing at the top of the mountain is my dream!” Tom said. His father came over and asked, “Did you see the green trees on your way to the mountain?” “Sure, and there are a lot of beautiful flowers by the side of the road.” Tom replied. “Did you hear the birds singing?” his father asked. “There were many kinds of birds singing in the trees, and the sound was very sweet.” Tom said. “Did you feel the beauty of nature?” his father asked. “Yes, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees and the colorful flowers made a nice picture.” Tom answered. “That’s enough!” his father smiled and said, “Please remember, son. For often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Although you didn’t reach the top of the mountain, you got a lot on the way.”
It is true that not every goal will be achieved, not every job will end up with a success, and not every dream will come true. The most beautiful scenery (风景) is on the way.
Tom got back home _____________ when the sun was dropping.
| A．slowly | B．sadly |
| C．quickly | D．early |
Tom’s parents wanted Tom _______________.
| A．to be friendly | B．to be happy |
| C．to be clever | D．to be healthy |
What’s the main reason that Tom didn’t reach the top of the mountain?
| A．The mountain was so high. |
| B．The way was full of big or small stones. |
| C．He was tired and it was so late. |
| D．He was only 14 years old. |
Tom saw a lot of things on the way to the mountain except _______________ .
| A．clear water | B．blue sky |
| C．colorful flowers | D．green trees |
The writer tries to tell us that ____________.
| A．the goal is not important |
| B．everyone should climb the mountain |
| C．the mountain is very beautiful |
| D．the process (过程) is more important than the result |