I loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it when mother sat doing letters. Looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother,“But the desk,”she said again,“is for Elizabeth. ”
I never saw her get angry, and never saw her cry. I knew she loved me, and she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened and a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional (易动感情的)”, but she lived“on the surface”.
As years went by and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way that she did forgive (原谅) me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer. It didn’t come.
It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to her.
I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, though she had never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside… a photo of my father and a one-paper letter. Folded (折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.The writer began to love her mother’s desk ______.
| A．after mother died | B．when she was a child |
| C．before she became a writer | D．when mother gave it to her |
The passage shows that mother _______.
| A．was too serious about everything her daughter had done |
| B．was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter |
| C．cared much about her daughter in words |
| D．wrote to her daughter in careful words |
The word“gulf”in the 4th paragraph means _______.
| A．deep understanding between the old and the young |
| B．part of the sea going far in land |
| C．free talks between mother and daughter |
| D．different ideas between mother and daughter |
What did mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness？
| A．She read the letter again and again till she died. |
| B．For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in her life. |
| D．She had never received the letter. |
What’s the best title of the passage？
| A．My Letter to Mother | B．Mother and Children |
| C．My Mother’s Desk | D．Talks Between Mother and Me |
| I’ve always tried to tell Willianms She fell in love with broadcasting She has also attended a Coldplay concert She hopes to become a television anchor(主播) Williams had sent a few broadcasts(广播)she had done. |
Williams, 15, is a student at Nation Ford High, South Carolina, ________. She is quickly making herself noticed.
Not long ago she got a call from Teen Kids News in New York, which is a weekly show. __________for her school news program to the show. The producer contacted Williams, and asked if she would work for them.
“All I could say was, yes, yes, yes!” Williams said. “I didn’t even hesitate(犹豫).”
Williams said she became interested in broadcast journalism when she was in the sixth grade. One day she heard that forest fires were burning nearby. After P.E., she went out into the forest and reported on the fires. __________. From then on she tried to do it as much as she could.
Williams had to face both good and bad comments from audiences (听众).
“Everyone has a different opinion and __________that you can’t listen to it, ”said Lori Williams, a former Atlanta CNN producer. “If it’s what you love to do, it will be more important than everything else.”
Williams’ advice to other young broadcasters is to look for support from friends and family. “With every negative(消极的)comment, there’s five positive, and that’s how I think about it,” she said.
The first program Williams held was about an artist’s pumpkin patch. In the program she asked teenagers what they thought of the artist’s work.
“I was a little nervous. I was going through my lines thinking, ‘No pressure’,”Williams said._______and met Kathie Lee Gifford, an American TV host, singer, songwriter and actress. Gifford told Williams to continue doing what she loved because it would lead to big things.
“Getting advice from her was great,” Williams said.
My 10-year-old Donna said, “Mom, I made a new friend at school today. Can she come over tomorrow?” Donna was a shy girl and I wanted her to make some friends to bring her out of her shell.
“Sure, honey, that sounds great.” I said, thinking back to my own best friend, Lillian. We lived across the street from each other in Washington Heights, New York. We met at the age of 10, too. Like my daughter, I was shy, but Lillian drew me out. She was one of the friendliest people in school, with shiny black hair and a mile-wide smile.
In senior high school, Lillian went on a trip to Florida. This was the first time we had to be away from each other for a few days. “I’ll be back soon.” she told me. But three days later, Lillian’s sister told me that she had fallen into a river and hadn’t come out any more. Soon, my family moved to New Jersey. Whenever I thought of her, tears came into my eyes.
The next day Donna brought her new friend home. “Hi, Mrs. Loggia.” the little girl said. Her hair was so shiny and black and she shot me a big smile. “My name is Laura.”
My daughter’s new friend was so much like Lillian. I was still puzzled (迷惑) when Laura’s mom came to pick her up later that afternoon. I opened the door to let her in. “Judy!” she cried. “It’s me, Lillian’s sister, from Washington Heights.” Yes, my daughter’s friend looked familiar. She was Lillian’s niece.The underlined words in the first paragraph “to bring her out of her shell” mean ___________.
| A．to help her become less shy |
| B．to help her become smart |
| C．to help her live happily |
| D．to help her walk out of her house |
Laura looked familiar to the writer because she ______________.
| A．was Lillian’s niece |
| B．was as old as her daughter |
| C．was from Washington Heights |
| D．had shiny black hair and a big smile, too |
Why did the writer lose her best friend? Because ____________________.
| A．she moved to New Jersey |
| B．they were different from each other |
| C．her best friend travelled to Florida |
| D．her best friend lost her life on a trip |
“I knew we would be best friends forever.” is a sentence from the passage and should be put at the end of _______．
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
We can infer (推断) from the passage that______.
| A．Laura is outgoing |
| B．Laura helps Donna a lot |
| C．Laura and Donna are of the same age |
| D．Judy moved to New Jersey because of Lillian’s death |
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is the color of most growing plants, too.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet finished or plants that are not ripe.
For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in war (战争). By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today--a person who is new in a job.
About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities in the east. The greenhorn didn’t have the skills that he would need to live in the hard, rough country.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution (革命) is the name which was given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural (农业的) scientists who had green thumbs.According to the passage, a greenhorn means________ now.
| A．a young cow or ox whose horns have not yet developed |
| B．a soldier who has not had any experience in war |
| C．a person who is new in a job |
| D．a man who doesn’t have the skills to live in the country |
The meaning of the underlined word “ripe” in the second paragraph is ________.
| A．未完成的 | B．成熟的 | C．青涩的 | D．老练的 |
Which of the following about the Green Revolution is NOT right?
| A．If there weren’t the Green Revolution, we would have no rice to eat. |
| B．The expression “the Green Revolution” appeared several years ago. |
| C．Because of the Green Revolution, we have more kinds of rice and other grains. |
| D．Agricultural scientists with green thumbs started the Green Revolution. |
We can know from the passage that _______.
| A．all growing plants is green |
| B．green is the most important color in nature |
| C．a person with a green thumb can make plants grow well |
| D．the expression “a green thumb” has a history of two hundred years |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．a greenhorn | B．a green thumb |
| C．the Green Revolution | D．the word “green” and its story |
Our factories and homes burn coal and oil. Every year we have forest fires somewhere. Many scientists believe that the climate is changing.
The earth will perhaps be warmer by about 7 degrees centigrade. At the South Pole and the North Pole, the ice will melt (融化). The sea level (海平面) will rise by about 7meters. As a result, water will cover cities like London, Tokyo and New York. Some ports and towns along the coasts will disappear under water.
Some other scientists think that the dust, smoke and pollution from coal, wood and oil fires will block out the sunrays(紫外线). Then the earth will become colder and great sheets of ice will cover Europe and North America.
When chemicals in the air mix with rain, we have acid (酸) rain. Acid rain can bring us great harm. It destroys forests and kills life in lakes and rivers.
People are beginning to see how serious the problem is. They find it important to work with nature instead of against it. They are trying to save the earth in many different ways. But one of the most important things to do is to make people understand that saving the earth is saving ourselves. Some scientists believe that .
A. the earth is growing warmer
B. we can find oil in our forests
C. we have to burn down the forests every yearIce at the poles will if the earth gets warmer.
A. cover cities like London and Tokyo
B. raise the sea level by 7 degrees
C. become water and make the sea level riseAcid rain .
A. brings great changes in our climate
B. kills pests in lakes and forests
C. kills the fish in rivers and lakesWhat can we learn from the third paragraph?
A. The dust together with pollution from coal, wood and oil fires will bring us more heat from the sun.
B. The sunrays will come more because of the dust and pollution from fires.
C. As a result of the dust and pollution from coal, wood and oil fires, the earth will become colder.Which statement is TRUE?
A. People have come to know the importance of working with nature.
B. All the scientists agree that our earth is sure to become warmer and warmer.
C. The sea level will rise if the earth gets colder.
Having Fun “Growing” and “Stealing”?
Recently, an Internet game has become a new fashion among young office workers and students. People can “farm” on a piece of “land” and “grow”, “sell” or even “steal” “vegetables”,”flowers”, and “fruits” on the Net. They can earn some e-money and buy more “seeds” , “pets”, and even “houses”.
Joyce interviewed some young people. Here are their opinions.
Harold: I don’t quite understand why they are mad about the childish game. Maybe they are just not confident enough to face the real world.
Allan: I enjoy putting some “bugs” in my friends’ gardens and we’ve become closer because of the game. Having fun together is the most exciting thing about it.
Laura: You know, people in the city are longing for (渴望) the life in the countryside. It reduces my work pressure (压力) ; besides, it gives me the exciting experience of being a “thief ”.
Ivy: Well, it’s just a waste of time. Teenagers playing the game spend so many hours on it that they can not focus on (专注于) their study. According to the passage, people can’t things in this game.
A. grow B. borrow C. stealAmong the people Joyce interviewed, likes the game while dislikes the game.
A. Laura; Allan B. Allan; HaroldC. Ivy; AllanFrom Laura’s words, we can guess that she is most probably .
A. a student B. a thief C. an office workerWhich is NOT the reason why people like the game?
A. They can have fun with friends.
B. The game can relax people and give them a new experience.
C. They are confident enough to face the real world.Where can you find this passage?
A. In a newspaper.
B. In an advertisement.
C. In a science book..