Minnie's flat, as the one-floor resident apartments were then being called, was in a part of West Van Buren Street inhabited by families of laborers and clerks, men who had come, and were still coming, with the rush of population pouring in at the rate of 50,000 a year. It was on the third floor, the front windows looking down into the street, where, at night, the lights of grocery stores were shining and children were playing. To Carrie, the sound of the little bells upon the horse-cars, as they tinkled in and out of hearing, was as pleasing as it was novel. She
gazed into the lighted street when Minnie brought her into the front room, and wondered at the sounds, the movement, the murmur of the vast city which stretched for miles and miles in everydirection.
Mrs. Hanson, after the first greetings were over, gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper. Her husband asked a few questions and sat down to read the evening paper. He was a silent man, American born, of a Swede father, and now employed as a cleaner of refrigerator cars at the stock-yards. To him the presence or absence of his wife's sister was a matter of indifference. Her personal appearance did not affect him one way or the other. His one
observation to the point was concerning the chances of work in Chicago.
"It's a big place," he said. "You can get in somewhere in a few days. Everybody does."
It had been understood beforehand that she was to get work and pay her board. He was of a clean, saving character, and had already paid a number of monthly installments(分期付款)on two pieces of land far out on the West Side. His ambition was some day to build a house on them.
In the interval which marked the preparation of the meal Carrie found time to study the flat. She had some slight gift of observation and that sense, so rich in every woman-intuition.
She felt the drag of a lean and narrow life. The walls of the rooms were improperly papered. The floors were covered with matting and the hall laid with a thin rag carpet. One could see that the furniture was of that poor, hurriedly patched together quality sold by the installment houses.
She sat with Minnie, in the kitchen, holding the baby until it began to cry. Then she walked and sang to it, until Hanson, disturbed in his reading, came and took it. A pleasant side to his nature came out here. He was patient. One could see that he paid enough attention to his baby.
"Now, now," he said, walking. "There, there," and there was a certain Swedish accent
noticeable in his voice.
"You'll want to see the city first, won't you?" said Minnie, when they were eating. "Well, we'll go out Sunday and see Lincoln Park.
Carrie noticed that Hanson had said nothing to this. He seemed to be thinking of something else.
"Well," she said, "I think I'll look around tomorrow. I've got Friday and Saturday, and it won't be any trouble. Which way is the business part?"
Minnie began to explain, but her husband took this part of the conversation to himself.
"It's that way," he said, pointing east. "That's east." Then he went off into the longest speech he had yet taken part in, concerning the lay of Chicago. "You'd better look in those big manufacturing houses along Franklin Street and just the other side of the river," he concluded. "Lots of girls work there. You could get home easy, too. It isn't very far."
Carrie nodded and asked her sister about the neighborhood. The latter talked in a soft tone, telling the little she knew about it, while Hanson concerned himself with the baby. Finally he jumped up and handed the child to his wife.The first paragraph mainly describes__
| A.the surroundings around the Hansons' flat |
| B.the scenes in West Van Buren Street |
| C.what Mr. and Mrs. Hanson's flat looked like |
| D.the nightlife of West Van Buren Street |
From the passage we can learn that Mr. Hanson__·
| A.was glad at Carrie's arrival’ |
| B.cared little about his child |
| C.was unfamiliar with Chicago |
| D.tried hard to live a better life |
We can draw a conclusion from the passage that__.
| A.Minnie's house was very well furnished |
| B.Carrie was a sensitive girl with ambition |
| C.Carrie came to look after her nephew |
| D.Minnie and her husband got on very well |
Which of the following shows the right order of the events in the story?
a. Carrie observed the Hansons' flat.
b. Mr. Hanson handed his baby to Minnie.
c. Minnie told Carrie about their neighborhood.
d. Carrie sang to the baby to stop it from crying.
e. Mr. Hanson explained the business part to Minnie.
f. Minnie gave Carrie the baby and proceeded to get supper.
| A.c-a-f-e-d-b | B.a-c-f-eb-d |
| C.f-a-d-e-c-b | D.f-e-a-b-c-d |
| Answering the Community Needs of Our City The Silver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2004. This chart shows how we have tried to make your life better. |
||
| Transport |
☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded. |
|
| ☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service. ☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January. ☆50 percent of city bus-stops have been upgraded. ☆Buses to the eastern suburbs will run every 15 minutes. |
||
| Education |
||
| ☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2004 ! ☆Rental for private schools has been reduced. ☆Teachers report that the 'no hat - no play' rule has been successful. |
||
| Communication |
Protection and Security |
|
| ☆Broadband cable is now available to all parts of the city. ☆All of the new Government buildings are ' smart'-wired for better computer service! |
☆Extra police now patrol (巡逻 ) the tourist areas. ☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area. |
|
| Medical Facilities |
Entertainment / Recreation |
|
| ☆The new state-of-the-art Nightingale Hospital was opened in June. ☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been employed from overseas. |
☆The John Street basketball courts have been re-surfaced ! ☆The new Central Community Building opened in May. ☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library. |
The public notice is from _________.
| A.the community | B.the local government |
| C.the citizens | D.a travel agency |
The notice is mainly about _________.
| A.the work carried out by the people of Silver City |
| B.the facilities available in Silver City |
| C.some improvements in Silver City |
| D.information for interested tourists |
All the following are true EXCEPT that ___________.
| A.both residents and tourists can enjoy more security now |
| B.Station Street Hospital had out-dated facilities before 2004 |
| C.primary students had to pay for their textbooks in 2003 |
| D.Dover Hospital is still short of trained medical staff |
Which of the following changes would tourists to Silver City be most happy with?
| A.Travel books are provided in the new library. |
| B.Traveling by train is more convenient in Silver City. |
| C.Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital. |
| D.There are more police officers on duty now. |
At a few minutes past five, Dave noted that the blanket of darkness was lifting. He was just able to make out the heavier masses that eventually appeared as the familiar trees that lined the road at the base of the hill. The upper reaches of the sky showed lighter shades of gray.
Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water, and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps.
As he walked down toward the lake, Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before.
By the time where he reached the small boat, a thick white mist(雾气)had spread over the surface of the water. He stepped into the boat, sat down, and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore.
The outer fringe(边缘)of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly. All he could see was the enveloping whiteness. He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake.
Dave rowed steadily ahead, relying on a mental picture of the surroundings. Then the mist began to rise, slowly. It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake. The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low-flying insects.
The magic time had arrived. Dave raised his pole. Dawn was broken. He was excited with expectancy.Dave got up early in the morning to .
| A.enjoy the scene of the lake | B.seek adventure at the lake |
| C.go fishing in the lake | D.take a walk by the lake |
According to the story, which of the following is TRUE?
| A.Dave broke the quietness of the lake. |
| B.Dave was familiar with the surroundings. |
| C.Dave took a picture of the lake with him. |
| D.Dave forgot the fishing pole at the beginning. |
The underlined word “It” in Paragraph 6 refers to .
| A.fish | B.boat | C.silence | D.mist |
What can we learn from the end of the story?
| A.Dave was hopeful of catching a lot of fish. |
| B.Dave wished the weather would be better. |
| C.Dave was happy that dawn was broken. |
| D.Dave expected someone else would come. |
Bad behavior is something that most people don’t want to tolerate. However, we have had to tolerate it more and more with each passing year. There seems to be no concern for other people’s feelings; nor do we seem to care about other people’s property. We live in an age where saying what is on our minds has priority over any harm that it might do.
There are ways to deal with bad behavior in modern times, though. Too many of us let bad behavior go because we don’t want to rock the boat. This is the time that you should rock the boat and rock it hard. Let people know that you expect it to change. That is the key to dealing with bad behavior. If it continues, take the proper action for the situation you are in. If you have developed the habit of bad behavior, take a hard look at it and then change it. You can’t expect others to behave well if you aren’t willing to look at your own bad behavior and change it.
If you don’t have control over anything in a situation, just walk away from it and move on to something that you do have control over. You needn’t feel ashamed of that. Besides, you must stand firm in what you believe. You can’t control what other people do, but you can control what you do about it. You can’t go wrong if you stand firm in what you believe. Understanding your responsibility is also important. Don’t try to take on the responsibility for other people’s behavior. Take care of what you have to and do it in the way you know it should be done. The rest will take care of itself.
Bad behavior is on the rise with more and more people behaving badly without having to pay any consequences. Worry about how you behave rather than how others behave. Pretty soon, it just may catch on.It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that _____________.
| A.bad behavior is common today |
| B.bad behavior is sure to hurt people deeply |
| C.people behave badly because of carelessness |
| D.people are more understanding than before |
When dealing with people’s bad behavior, you are advised to ____________.
| A.fight it bravely whenever it happens |
| B.ignore it if it is beyond your control |
| C.let it go to avoid trouble |
| D.make people feel ashamed of their bad behavior |
Why do many people behave badly according to the passage?
| A.Because bad behavior is often ignored. |
| B.Because people are often influenced by others. |
| C.Because people aren’t punished for their bad behavior. |
| D.Because people haven’t realized its consequences. |
In the past, man did not have to think about protection of the environment. There were very few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.
Today things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth will not survive.
Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on land. Yet, we continue to use more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste is still put into rivers, but there are few laws to stop this.
We also know that if the population of the countries in the world is to rise at the present rate in a few years, there will not be enough food.
What can we do to solve these problems?
If we eat more vegetables and less meat, there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.
Our natural resources will last longer if we learn to recycle them.
The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if all of us think about the problem, we will have a better and cleaner planet in the future.This passage mainly tells us about ______.
| A.the problems we are facing today about environment and the ways to solve them |
| B.the unlimited natural resources in the world |
| C.our rivers are being polluted by waste from factories |
| D.the ways early man protected the environment |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A.If we eat more vegetables, more food can be saved. |
| B.In the past, there was no need for people to think about environmental protection. |
| C.If we keep on cutting trees, forests will disappear. |
| D.We shouldn’t take more and more fish out of the sea, or there will soon be no fish left. |
What is implied (暗示) in the passage?
| A.Man is cleverer than any other animal. |
| B.Man will destroy himself if he doesn’t solve the problem. |
| C.Modern fishing methods are helpful in our fishing industry. |
| D.We should make more laws in order to survive. |
From the passage we can see that the world’s natural resources ______.
| A.will never be used up | B.are being polluted |
| C.are as plentiful as in the past | D.are being used up very quickly |
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships.One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances.Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties.Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily difficulties.People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties.Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people protect themselves from illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways.First, friends, relatives and coworkers may let us know that they value us.Our self respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties.Second, other people often provide us with informational support.They help us to explain and understand our problems and find solutions to them.Third, we typically find social companionship supportive.Engaging in leisure time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distract(转移…注意力)us from our worries and troubles.Finally, other people may give us important support—financial aid, material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us solve and deal with our problems.Research shows that people’s physical and mental health has much to do with.
| A.the social medical system |
| B.the amount of support they get from others |
| C.their strength for dealing with interpersonal ties |
| D.their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles |
The underlined word “cushions” probably means “”
| A.adds up to | B.decreases the effect of |
| C.gets rid of | D.lays the foundation for |
Social companionship is beneficial in that it
| A.helps strengthen our ties with relatives |
| B.enables us to get rid of our faults and mistakes |
| C.makes our leisure time activities more enjoyable |
| D.draws our attention away from our worries and troubles |