My grandmother was from a town in Michigan. Summer after summer, I enjoyed staying with my grandparents as a young child. I was from the city and loved the small town they lived in. People knew everyone, their kids, their pets, their ancestors. The bond with them continued to grow as I grew and they got older. Grandma was always using her hands for something exciting. She would make little sandwiches and we’d have tea parties. She’d make beautiful quilts for each one. I remember the small thimble(顶针) she would use while doing her needle work.
A few years ago, when Grandma left this earth, I bid farewell to a loving grandmother. How quickly our lives can change. We had just had tea together a couple of months earlier, on her 91st birthday.
I missed her very much. On one particular birthday, when I was feeling a little low, something happened to make me feel like she was sharing that special day with me. I was arranging some colorful pillows that she had made, and suddenly I felt something inside one pillow. It was small and hard. I moved the object to a seam(接缝) that I carefully opened, and to my delight out came a tiny silver thimble! How happy I was to find something that had been a part of her. Not realizing it had fallen off her finger, I pictured her sewing it in that little pillow that I just happened to place on my bedspread that day. I carefully laid the thimble alongside the others I’ve collected over the years, where I could continue to see the gift God chose to reveal to me. What a precious memory of a very special lady who somehow, I knew, was laughing in delight at sewing her thimble inside my pillow.
I made some tea, using my best china, as Grandma always did, and enjoyed my tea and Grandma’s thimble. What a wonderful birthday that was!The author liked staying with her grandparents because________.
| A．they often bought her some gifts |
| B．she was curious about people and things there |
| C．she could have tea parties and eat sandwiches |
| D．she could learn to sew quilts |
How did the author feel when she found the silver thimble?
| A．Sad | B．Proud | C．Lucky | D．Cheerful |
It can be inferred from the passage that the silver thimble________.
| A．was the item the author had been trying to find |
| B．was the most treasured possession of Grandma |
| C．was very precious to the author |
| D．was a birthday gift Grandma had given the author |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A little pillow | B．Grandma’s silver thimble |
| C．My grandparents | D．My childhood |
King's College Summer School
King's College Summer School is an annual( 每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King's College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year's summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
| Application (申请) date Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2009. Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2009. Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2009. |
Courses English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture: 16 hours |
| Steps A letter of self-introduction A letter of recommendation(推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
Cost Daily lessons: $200 Sports and activities: $100 Travels: $200 Hotel service: $400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King' s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo, com |
You can most probably read the text in ________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a travel guide | C．a textbook | D．a telephone book |
Which of the following is true about King' s College Summer School?
| A．Only top students can take part in the program. |
| B．King' s College Summer School is run every other year. |
| C．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| D．Only the teachers of King' s College give courses. |
If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school ______.
| A．$200 | B．$400 | C．$500 | D．$900 |
What information can you get from the text?
| A．The program will last two months. |
| B．You can write to Thompson only in English. |
| C．As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2009. |
| D．You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |
Situated in the Northeast region of Vietnam, Halong Bay is made up of 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. The concentrated zone of stone islands is famous for its spectacular scenery of caves, and forms the central zone of Halong Bay.
Seen from above, Halong Bay looks like a geographic work of art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a wonderful world. There is Man’s Head Island, which resembles a man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks like a dragon winding above the blue water. La Vong Island resembles an old man fishing. There are also the islands of the Sail, the Pair of Roosters, and the Incense Burner, which are all astonishingly like their names.
It has been proven by scientists that Halong Bay was one of the first places of human existence. It is also a region of highly-concentrated biological diversity with many ecosystems of coral reefs, and tropical forests, which are home to thousands of species of animals and rare plants.
The beach located along the coast of Halong Bay has a year-round average temperature of 20℃. Among the palm trees are large hotels. Visitors are seen on white sand and under the green trees are small family-run restaurants. After swimming, tourists can enjoy cold drinks. No wonder the 18h meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages of UNESCO officially recognized Halong Bay as a natural heritage site of worldwide importance.What forms the central zone of Halong Bay?
| A．1,969 islands of various sizes. |
| B．The concentrated zone of stone islands. |
| C．989 islands that have been given names. |
| D．Man’s Head Island. |
We can infer that the names of most islands ______.
| A．have something to do with theirs shapes. |
| B．were given by the visitors in Halong Bay |
| C．were given by the geologists of Vietnam |
| D．are related to their history |
The author writes the passage mainly to_______.
| A．tell some information about the history of Vietnam |
| B．introduce the average temperature in Vietnam |
| C．introduce the beach of Vietnam |
| D．tell readers something about Halong Bay |
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20%--40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warms that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the markers will bring the product to market within about a year. According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
| A．aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents |
| B．has gone through testing at laboratories |
| C．aims to prevent drivers from sleeping |
| D．has been on sale for 12 months |
How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
| A．By sounding a warning. | B．By touching the wristband. |
| C．By checking the driving time. | D．By pressing the steering wheel. |
We can learn from the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ________
| A．About 400 milliseconds | B．below 500 milliseconds |
| C．over 500 milliseconds | D．about 4 minutes |
When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
| A．moves more regularly | B．stops working properly |
| C．opens the window for the driver | D．sounds more frequently and loudl |
A student and his teacher were walking through the forest. The student was disturbed(扰乱) by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest（不安）. He asked his teacher, “Why most people’s minds are restless, and only a few have a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind ?”
The teacher looked at him, smiled and said, “I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away denovo”. This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, “Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered, "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?" The elephant stopped eating and said, “My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed(沉湎于) in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew（咀嚼）it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
The student's eyes opened wide and smile rose on his face. "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".
"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind". How did the elephant drive the fly away?
| A．With its long tail. | B．With its long ears. |
| C．With its strong legs | D．With its long trunk. |
The reason why the elephant stayed calm and still was that _______.
| A．it didn’t have a sense of direction |
| B．it was too heavy to move around like the fly |
| C．it paid much attention to things around it |
| D．it concentrated (集中) on what it was doing |
The underlined word “denovo” in the second paragraph probably means _______.
| A．in total | B．in common | C．once again | D．as usual |
The main purpose of the passage is to tell the readers _______
| A．the relationship between the mind and attention |
| B．how to make use of the five senses |
| C．people should stay calm and still |
| D．only the elephant can control the mind and attention |
The spread of worsening international financial crisis has seriously affected world economic growth and stability. The ongoing financial crisis is rarely seen in history. Countries and organizations have taken measures in response, and we hope these measures will produce the desired results soon. Countries in Asia and Europe are an important force for international financial stability and world economic growth. I suggest that we make greater efforts in the following aspects:
First, countries should run their own affairs well. In the face of the crisis, it is important for leaders to act in the fundamental and long-term interests of the people and use necessary monetary and regulatory tools to regain market confidence as soon as possible and maintain economic growth.
Second, set up coordination(调和) and cooperation among governments. The financial departments, central banks and financial regulators around the world should closely follow the development of the crisis and study its trend and impact.
Third, strengthen regional financial dialogue and cooperation. Members of the Eurozone have reached agreement on the basic principles to tackle the financial crisis. We in Asia are also exploring the possibility of expanding the size of bilateral currency swap( 互惠外汇信贷)arrangements under the 10+3 framework .
Fourth, push forward the reform of the international monetary and financial systems. The present crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the existing international financial system and governance structure. It important to do three things in this regard: first, increase the say and representation of developing countries in international financial organizations; second, expand the space of the regulation of the international financial system, and third, establish a reasonable global financial rescue mechanism（机制）.
71. According to the passage, members of the Eurozone reached agreement on _______.
A.how to deal with the financial crisis
B.how to regain market confidence
C.how to maintain economic growth
D.how to study the crisis trend
72. Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is ________ .
A. to closely follow the development of the crisis.
B. to study the trend and impact of the financial crisis.
C. to do their own business well.
D. to increase the say and representation of developing countries in international financial organizations.
73. Which word has the same meaning with the underlined word maintain ?
A. mainly B. keep C. increase D. decrease 74.According to the passage, which of the following sentence is false?
A.Global issues included energy, food, the environment etc.
B.There has been no financial crisis more serious than this one in history.
C.Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is to do their own business well.
D.Asian and European countries are an important force for the world economic growth. 75.The passage mainly talks about ________.
A.What we should do during the financial crisis.
B.We should draw serious lessons from the financial crisis.
C.Countries and organizations have taken measures in response to the financial crisis.
D.We should set up coordination and cooperation among governments.