“Father, do you see Mother in your dreams?” the young girl asks. “You know sometimes I do.”
“Mother comes to see me a lot, you know. We sit and talk.” The father smiles. “How is your homework coming along?”
“Why do I have to study so hard?”
“It is what your mother would have wanted!”
She regrets speaking her mind. “I’m sorry, Father, I shouldn’t have said that.” She looks up and sees his eyes well up with tears.
“It’s okay, love,” he gets up and pours himself a drink. “I’ll just sit outside for a while. You finish up your work, okay?”
“I’m sorry, Father; Mother did love you very much. She told me all the time.”
“Homework, first, eh? Then we can chat about your mother.”
He heads off outside and sits in his usual chair, looking around the courtyard. The whole area relaxes the mind and somehow soothes the soul.
“All finished, Father. May I get a drink and sit with you? I have some questions.”
She comes with two drinks one for him and one for herself. He looks surprised. She never really liked him having a drink. Although he had cut back a lot from before he brought her here, it still seemed strange.
“Mother told me all about you. That is before she passed away. We would laugh together at your love stories.”
He listens without uttering a single sound.
“Why didn’t you come and take her away with you? She really wanted that. Did you know that?”
Her father looks at his daughter lovingly. “Circumstances were difficult back then. It was just the way things were. When it came time to…” He sighs. “To visit her it was too late.”
The girl smiles. “I hope I will have the same kind of love you and mother had.”
“Without all the heartache,” her father adds.
“She always knew you loved her. She told me every day,” the child mentions cheerfully. “I saw her crying sometimes when she read your letters.”
“Did she make you promise to look after me?” She inquires.
“She asked me to take care of you.”
“You promised her, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did.”
“It is nice out here, isn't it? Mother would have been very happy here.”
She talks with some authority. Her father remains silent. A smile comes to his weary brow. He nods his head.
“Mother wanted me to give you something. I think now the time is right.” She runs to her room. Upon returning she hands her father a book. “It’s mother’s diary! She wanted me to give it to you.”
He takes the book and holds it in his trembling hands, “Thank you.”
“Mother said you would understand things better.”
“Wise woman, your mother.”
He places the book on the table as he gets up. The girl gets up and wraps herself around her father.
“I love you.” she looks up at his face.
He picks her up and hugs her. “I love you, too.” His voice trembles.
“It’s okay, Father. We have each other now and mother is in both of us.”
He kisses her head.
“Time you went to bed,” her father softly says.
He puts her down and she scampers off to get washed and ready for bed.
Clearing up everything he checks on his daughter. She is in bed waiting for her good night kiss. He tucks her in and bids her goodnight.
Just as he is to leave she tells him. “Mother told me she adopted me when I was a baby.”
He stands at her bedroom door. Words fail him. Yes, he knew she was adopted.
“I am really lucky for being loved by my parents, even if I am not really theirs.”
“You trying to bring on the water works?” he tells her.
She giggles, “Goodnight, Father. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
His face lights up as he wipes his dampened eyes.
The door closes and the child falls asleep dreaming of her mother.
Sitting outside he picks up the diary and opens it and reads the first line: “I love you, my dearest, if only things could have been different…”What can we know about the couple’s relationship?
| A．They understood each other very well. |
| B．They quarreled a lot and are separated. |
| C．They used to have misunderstandings. |
| D．They were quite sure of each other’s love. |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．The girl was adopted because the couple couldn’t give birth. |
| B．Father looks after the girl just because the girl is alone. |
| C．The girl feels unfortunate that she was adopted. |
| D．Father was not very close to the girl before she moved in with him. |
Why didn’t father bring mother home when she was ill?
| A．Because he was too busy with his work. |
| B．Because he didn’t know he was wanted. |
| C．Because he was too poor to afford the medical fees. |
| D．Because he didn’t know she was in hospital. |
What does the sentence “You trying to bring on the water works?” mean?
| A．You want another cup of water? |
| B．Are you kidding me? |
| C．Are you trying to make me cry? |
| D．Are you thinking about the water factory? |
Which word best describes father’s feeling at the end of the story?
| A．Regretful | B．Satisfied |
| C．Confused | D．Doubtful |
A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspapers. “Last week,” said he, “my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising ,but didn’t get it back ”
“How did you write your advertisement ?”asked one of the listeners ,a merchant .
“Here it is,” said the man ,taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read, “Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening a black silk umbrella .The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No 10 Broad Street .”
“Now ,”said the merchant, “I often advertise ,and find that it pays me well .But by the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance .let us try your umbrella again ,and if it fails ,I will buy you a new one. ”
The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote :“If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn’t wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No. 10 Broad Street .He is well known .”
This appeared in the paper ,and on the following morning ,the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors that had been thrown in and his own was among the number. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter This is a story about ________.
| A．how a man lost and found his umbrella. |
| B．how to make an effective advertisement. |
| C．how to find lost things. |
| D．how to put an advertisement in the newspaper. |
“If it fails, I will buy you a new one ” suggested that _______.
| A．he was rich enough to afford an umbrella |
| B．he was not sure he would get the umbrella back |
| C．he was quite sure of his success . |
| D．he was ready to help others . |
The result of the first advertisement was that ________.
| A．the man got his umbrella back . |
| B．the man wasted some money advertising . |
| C．the man found his umbrella |
| D．someone found his umbrella . |
According to the first advertisement ,anyone who ___would receive ten shillings.
| A．left the umbrella in the City Church |
| B．found the umbrella at No. 10 Broad Street |
| C．gave the message to the man |
| D．left the umbrella at No. 10 Broad Street |
Everywhere man is altering the balance of nature．He is facilitating the spread of plants and animals into new regions, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously．He is covering huge areas with new kinds of plants, or with houses, factories, slag-heaps and other products of his civilization．He exterminates some species on a large scale, but favours the multiplication of others．In brief, he has done more in five thousand years to alter the biological aspect of the planet than has nature in five million．
Many of these changes which he has brought about have had unforeseen consequences．Who would have thought that the throwing away of a piece of Canadian waterweed would have caused half the waterways of Britain to be blocked for a decade, or that the provision of pot cacti for lonely settlers’ wives would have led to Eastern Australian being overrun with forests of Prickly Pear? Who would have prophesied that the cutting down of forests on the Adriatic coasts, or in parts of Central Africa, could have reduced the land to a semidesert, with the very soil washed away from the bare rock? Who would have thought that improved communications would have changed history by the spreading of disease-sleeping sickness into East Africa, measles into Oceania, very possibly malaria into ancient Greece?
These are spectacular examples; but examples on a smaller scale are everywhere to be found．We make a nature sanctuary for rare birds, prescribing absolute security for all species; and we may find that some common and hardy kind of bird multiplies beyond measure and ousts the rare kinds in which we were particularly interested．We see, owing to some little change brought about by civilization, the starling spread over the English country-side in hordes．We improve the yielding capacities of our cattle; and find that now they exhaust the pastures which sufficed for less exigent stock．The following examples except ________ reflect man altering the balance of nature．
| A．man is covering huge areas with new kinds of plants |
| B．man is facilitating the spread of animals into new regions． |
| C．man is killing some species on a large scale |
| D．man is getting to know the importance of keeping the balance of nature． |
What had a piece of Canadian waterweed cause?
| A．Eastern Australian was overrun with forests． |
| B．Half the waterways of Britain blocked for a decade． |
| C．In parts of central Africa, the land reduced to a semidesert． |
| D．Disease-sleeping has been caused． |
What have spread diseases?
| A．Disease-sleeping sickness． | B．Measles． |
| C．Improved communications． | D．Malaria． |
We make a nature sanctuary for rare birds but __________
| A．some common and hardy kind of bird multiplies |
| B．rare kinds multiply |
| C．all bird multiply |
| D．no bird multiply |
The main idea of the passage is _________．
| A．that man is deliberately destroying the balance of nature |
| B．that man has foreseen the consequences of altering the balance old nature |
| C．that improved communications have changed history |
| D．that man is altering the balance of nature |
An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we've never taken a good look right under our noses. The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地壳) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper). Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface. The Mohole project, a U.S. plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔). Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer. Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust --- about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there's a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it's time for a thorough new method to explore the earth's inside. Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes. Instead, we should open a crack (裂缝).
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Next, he'd pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (熔化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot. The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper. The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration. "We're going somewhere we haven't been before,"he says. "In all possibility, there will be surprises.”
This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn't Going To Happen. The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything. But Stevenson's idea may inspire a new look at an old problem. Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.Going inside the earth is _____ than going into space.
| A．more interesting | B．more possible | C．easier | D．more challenging |
How deep have we gone into the earth until now?
| A．6 miles. | B．4,000 miles. | C．7.5 miles. | D．25 miles. |
Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson's idea?
| A．It is an inspiring but not practical idea now. |
| B．It is a practical proposal that has come into use now. |
| C．It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice. |
| D．It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．An Annoying Problem for Humans |
| B．To the Center of the Earth |
| C．The Mohole Project |
| D．David Stevenson's Proposal |
Building after building under water．Refugees in shelters．Thousands of others unsure where to go．Bodies in streets．This is what one of America's historic cities was reduced to this week by a powerful storm, Katrina（卡特里娜）．The mayor of New Orleans says thousands may be dead．Hurricane Katrina also caused death and destruction in parts of Mississippi and Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico．
New Orleans is famous for its wild Mardi Gras celebrations．New Orleans is also a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade．Yet the city of nearly five hundred thousand people was built below sea level．New Orleans has depended on levees to control floods from the Mississippi River．Katrina struck on Monday．New Orleans avoided a direct hit．But two of the levees failed the next day．Most of the city was flooded．Helicopters dropped huge sandbags to fill the breaks．But the water had no place to go．Pumping stations had no power．
America faces one of the worst natural events in its history．President Bush says the recovery will take years．People were told to leave the path of the storm．But some would not or could not．Many of those worst affected by Katrina are poor and black．African-American leaders and others were angry that government aid did not arrive faster．President Bush visited some of the damaged areas on Friday．He said the way officials reacted to the crisis was unacceptable．Which is true of the following details about New Orleans?
| A．New Orleans is a newly－built city of America |
| B．There were no black people in New Orleans． |
| C．This is the first time that hurricane has stricken it． |
| D．New Orleans is a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade． |
What does the underlined word “levees”(in the second paragraph) mean?
| A．trees | B．dams | C．ports | D．ships |
Which is right about the Hurricane Katrina?
| A．It also caused the destruction in parts of Mississippi． |
| B．A lot of people died in this disaster． |
| C．It cut off the electricity supply of the city． |
| D．All of the above is right． |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．President Bush was not concerned about this disaster． |
| B．The recovery of the city will take a few days． |
| C．In this disaster the government aid didn’t arrive in time． |
| D．In this city there were no pump stations． |
On the New York set of the film Hide and Seek, ten-year-old Dakota Fanning spends her time playing a deeply disturbed girl who deals with her mother's suicide (自杀) by creating an imaginary friend, who may not frighten her family.
Today, though, she has the day off. "This week I only worked two days,"says Fanning, sitting in a sofa in her hotel's library, "but I get bored when I'm not working. Especially because it's cold here and I can't do anything, you know? So, I've been knitting (编织) --- all day, every day."The actress, who's held her own opposite Oscar winners such as Sean Penn and Denzel Washington, recently mastered the fine art of scarves (围巾). Though she's about ready to move on to hats, she first plans to make a souvenir (纪念品) scarf for Robert De Niro, who plays her father in the film. "He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet in your entire life,"she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I would make him a brown one.”
Like any other fifth-grader, Fanning spends several hours a day going to school. In addition to her personal trailer (活动住房) --- which is kept well-supplied with hot chocolate packets, lemon Gatorade, and a TV that doesn't always work --- she has another trailer where her teacher, Jan, conducts classes in history, spelling, reading, math, science and health. "We have this big board where we have a calendar (日历),"Fanning says. "When we were here in January, I wrote the calendar in all blue. February was red, and March was green.”
On this particular morning, she had a spelling test. "There was a topic for each of the word lists,"she says, sitting on her knees. "This one was flowers --- they were all names like oxygen, carbon dioxide, chrysanthemum (菊花)..."Chrysanthemum? "Well, they didn't make me spell that one. They just had me fill in the ‘e'. But I can spell it: c-h-r-y-s-a-n-t-h-e-m-u-m.”Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Dakota Fanning is a young gifted actress. |
| B．Dakota Fanning is a lonely orphan. |
| C．Dakota Fanning is a creative pupil. |
| D．Dakota Fanning has many interests. |
Dakota Fanning has to knit all day in order to _____.
| A．kill time | B．make money | C．master a skill | D．make a scarf for her boyfriend |
By saying that "He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet in your entire life”, Dakota Fanning really means that _____.
| A．she is the daughter of Robert De Niro |
| B．she has fallen in love with Robert De Niro |
| C．she is in love with Robert De Niro |
| D．she admires Robert De Niro very much |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Dakota Fanning's Role |
| B．Dakota Fanning's Knitting Art |
| C．Dakota Fanning's Day Off |
| D．Dakota Fanning's Spelling Test |