My day began on a decidedly sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling with a limb of my azalea bush. By the time I got outside, he'd broken it. "Can I take this to school today?" he asked. With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn't see the tears gathering in my eyes. I loved that azalea bush. I touched the broken limb as if to say silently, "I'm sorry."
I wished I could have said that to my husband earlier, but I'd been angry. The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum. If he'd just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers with Jonathan. What are his priorities anyway? I wondered. I was still mopping up the mess when Jonathan walked into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast, Mom?"
I opened the empty refrigerator. "Not cereal," I said, watching the sides of his mouth drop. "How about toast and jelly?" I smeared the toast with jelly and set it in front of him. Why was I so angry? I tossed my husband's dishes into the sudsy water.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I managed to lug the wet clothes to the Laundromat. I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. Staring at the graffiti on the walls, I felt as wrung-out as the clothes left in the washers.
As I finished hanging up the last of my husband's shirts, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan's class let out at 2:15. I dumped the clothes in the back seat and hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher's door and peered through the glass. With one finger, she motioned for me to wait. She said something to Jonathan and handed him and two other children crayons and a sheet of paper.
What now? I thought, as she rustled through the door and took me aside. "I want to talk to you about Jonathan," she said. .
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me.
"Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?" she asked.
I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. I glanced at my son busily coloring a picture. His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. His eyes burst with blue as he admired his handiwork.
"Let me tell you about yesterday," the teacher insisted. "See that little girl?"
I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
"Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical. Her mother and father are going through a nasty divorce. She told me she didn't want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for the class to hear, 'Nobody loves me.' I did all I could to console her, but it only seemed to make matters worse."
"I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan," I said.
"I do," she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. "Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, 'I love you.'"
I felt my heart swell with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. "Thank you," I said, reaching for Jonathan's hand, "you've made my day."
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my lopsided azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical verse came to me: "...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak of my husband's brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling with hot pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of love that God planted in my family beginning to bloom once again in me. My husband's eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. "I love you," I said.From the first four paragraphs, we know that_____
| A．the writer's husband was a very considerate man |
| B．the writer was fond of life in a cave |
| C．the present life let the writer feel nothing but sad |
| D．things didn't go as the writer expected. |
What's the proper order of the events according to the passage?
①Mother arrived at school and knew the truth.
②The son presented the flower to the girl.
③Mother felt sad to see the flower branch broken.
④The girl was desperate and wanted to die.
⑤The son broke a flower branch and took it to school.
| A．③①②④⑤ | B．④⑤③②① |
| C．⑤④③②① | D．④③⑤①② |
What was the writer’s most probable state of mind when the teacher wanted to have a talk with her?
| A．enthusiastic | B．amazed |
| C．optimistic | D．calm |
What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “hysterical”?
| A．angry | B．shocked |
| C．mad | D．light-hearted |
Why did Jonathan pick up a limb of the writer's azalea bush?
| A．He had a preference for azalea. |
| B．He wanted to show off before his classmates. |
| C．He intended to comfort the girl. |
| D．He lost his heart to the girl. |
The best title of the story may be________ .
| A．The Greatest of These | B．A limb of my azalea bush |
| C．You’ve made my day | D．My best day |
The kiwi bird
The kiwi bird is a flightless bird，about the size of a chicken. It sleeps during the day and is active at nighttime. It has a long beak that is onethird the length of its body, and its beak actually has nostrils (鼻孔) at the end. The kiwi is the only bird with this feature. Another unique feature of the kiwi is that it has no tail. It has thick brown hairlike feathers. This bird has many physical features unlike any other bird on earth.
Kiwi birds have been called a genetic leftover. Their characteristics seem very odd to us probably due to the fact that they haven't evolved much at all. They are suspected to be about 8 million years old. That's 7 million years older than humans. Due to New Zealand's isolated environment, it has been safe from predators(食肉动物) and hasn't needed to do much adapting. They just hang around.
With its long beak, the kiwi digs up and chows down on worms. A kiwi is almost blind; it can see about six feet at night and around two feet during the day，so when it comes to hunting the kiwi is not well equipped.It uses the nostrils on its beak to find its food and then picks up the worms with its beak.
The kiwi bird is native of New Zealand.It is the island country's national bird, and is rare anywhere but here and a few Pacific island neighbors. Of course，it is available for viewing at certain zoos.It has stayed in its native land due to the facts that it is an isolated island and that kiwis can't fly.
Kiwi birds are extremely unique in the bird world. Though they are the size of chickens, they lay eggs the size of ostrich eggs, weighing around a pound each.Their enormous eggs are the largest in the bird world, compared to their bodies. These birds were named after their distinctive shrill cry “keewee keewee”．Which of the following is NOT the distinctive feature of the kiwi bird?
| A．It has no tail at all. |
| B．It has a long beak. |
| C．Its feathers are thick and brown. |
| D．There are nostrils at the end of its beak. |
Kiwi birds haven't evolved much over the past 8 million years probably because ________.
| A．the climate is mild |
| B．they have no enemy |
| C．something is wrong with their genes |
| D．they have adapted to living on the island |
What plays a key role in looking for food?
| A．Its long beak. | B．Its eyes. |
| C．The nostrils. | D．Its tail |
What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
| A．The kiwi bird's habitat. |
| B．The kiwi bird is New Zealand's national bird. |
| C．The kiwi bird can not fly. |
| D．The kiwi bird is available at zoos. |
Kiwi birds got their name from ________.
| A．the large size of their eggs |
| B．the food they feed on |
| C．their appearance |
| D．their unique cry |
No one knows for sure when advertising first started.It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.That led to the concept of specialization，which means that people would specialize，or focus，on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr.Fielder，for example.He did everything connected with farming.He planted seeds，tended the fields，and harvested and sold his crops.At the same time，he did many other jobs on the farm.However，he didn’t make the bricks for his house，cut his trees into boards，make the plows(犁)，or any of the other hundreds of things a farm needs.Instead，he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.
Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr.Plowright.Using what he knew about farming and working with iron，Mr.Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier.Mr.Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows.Perhaps，he thought，other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr.Plowright let people know what he was doing？Why，he advertised，of course.First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers.That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door.It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr.Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago.Even before most people could read，they understood such signs.Shopkeepers would carve into stone，clay，or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium，in advertising talk，is the way you communicate your message.You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols.The second medium was audio，or sound，although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today.Originally，just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument，such as a bell，were used to get people’s attention.
A crier，in the historical sense，is not someone who weeps easily.It is someone，probably a man，with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city.In ancient Egypt，shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products.Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods.Perhaps the crier described the goods，explained where they came from，and praised their quality.His job was，in other words，not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.What probably led to the start of advertising?
| A．The discovery of iron. |
| B．The specialization of labor. |
| C．The appearance of new jobs. |
| D．The development of farming techniques. |
To advertise his plows，Mr.Plowright ________.
| A．praised his plows in public |
| B．placed a sign outside the shop |
| C．hung an arrow pointing to the shop |
| D．showed his products to the customers |
The writer makes up the two stories of Mr.Fielder and Mr.Plowright in order to ________.
| A．explain the origin of advertising |
| B．predict the future of advertising |
| C．expose problems in advertising |
| D．provide suggestions for advertising |
In ancient Egypt，a crier was probably someone who ________.
| A．owned a ship |
| B．had the loudest voice |
| C．ran a shop selling goods to farmers |
| D．functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about ________.
| A．the history of advertising |
| B．the benefits of advertising |
| C．the early forms of advertising |
| D．the basic design of advertising |
Some time ago，I was diagnosed with breast cancer and reacted in the way most people would.The first thing came to mind was a “death sentence”. However，I found out later it was truly “an awakening” for me，especially after being diagnosed with colon cancer a few years later，but still alive to tell about them both.I began to question God.Why was I chosen to suffer this double challenge？What had I done in life so bad to have this placed upon me？I was unhappy with the way I look and the intolerant pain I had to experience each day，but instead of sighing over my fate，I decided to look on the positive sides of it.
I knew that I was about to face a new beginning，new hope，do and see more with a whole new perspective on life.I also began thinking of the individuals that are no longer among us and how there will always be someone worse off than I am.Who am I to complain？I still have my life.
During my treatments，I experienced something of a miracle that I had to write down.I took that experience and turned it into a poem and I called it “Peace”．I took that poem along with many others I had composed during my breast cancer period and submitted them for publication.The book of poems was accepted and published under the title “True Simple Poems of Life，Faith and Survival”．
I continue to write and hope that my poetry may encourage other unfortunate people and my writing continues to give me strength.I've had another inspirational children's book published called “If Only I Could Fly，Said Mattiebee”．
I would never have become a writer，producing inspirational stories，if I had not gone through all that I did.I'm a true example that you can survive cancer，not once，but twice，providing that you catch it in time.It won't all be easy，but you must have faith and allow that faith to direct your path.
I truly believe when you survive a terrible tragedy or a horrible disease like cancer，it's for a reason—you have a purpose，and I want to live and find out exactly what that is for me.How did the author feel about her disease at first?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Pessimistic. |
| C．Confident. | D．Discontented. |
When did the author begin to notice the positive sides of her tragedy?
| A．After she was diagnosed with colon cancer. |
| B．After she was diagnosed with breast cancer. |
| C．After she wrote her first poem. |
| D．After she became a writer. |
In the author's opinion，________.
| A．no one is luckier than her |
| B．God doesn't treat everyone fairly |
| C．writing poetry is the best way to deal with cancer |
| D．being alive is lucky for her |
We can know from the passage that ________.
| A．the author developed breast cancer a few years after colon cancer |
| B．writing only helped the author alone |
| C．the author wrote stories as well as poems |
| D．If Only I Could Fly，Said Mattiebee is a poem |
Many women write to me perplexed(困惑的) about why they can't form close friendships.They try new approaches，put themselves in all the right places，see therapists，and read relevant selfhelp books.They consider themselves interesting，loyal，kind，and friendworthy people.But for reasons unknown to them，they have a tough time forming intimate relationships.Many admit to not having even one close friend.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers some clues as to how both nature(personality) and nurture (experience) impact our friendships.Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Toronto，Mississauga studied more than 7,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 75 over a period of ten years，looking at the number of times these adults moved during childhood.Their study，like prior ones，showed a link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing：The more times participants moved as children，the poorer the quality of their adult social relationships.
But digging deeper，the researchers found that personality—specifically being introverted (内向的) or extroverted (外向的)—could either intensify or buffer (缓冲) the effect of moving to a new town or neighborhood during childhood.The negative impact of more moves during childhood was far greater for introverts compared to extroverts.
“Moving a lot makes it difficult for people to maintain longterm close relationships，” stated Dr.Shigehiro Oishi，the first author of the study，in a press release from the American Psychological Association，“This might not be a serious problem for outgoing people who can make friends quickly and easily.Less outgoing people have a harder time making new friends.”
Families often have to relocate—across town，across the country，or across the globe.Yet，in many cases，their kids and young adolescents haven't yet built up a bank of friendships.So the conventional wisdom is to try to minimize moves for the sake of your child，whenever possible，and to move at the end of the academic year.The passage is written mainly to ________.
| A．offer advice to women on how to form intimate relationships |
| B．explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships |
| C．explain how moves during childhood affect children |
| D．tell us how to help children make friends |
Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．People who moved less during childhood have better social relationships. |
| B．The more people moved during childhood，the more friends they have. |
| C．The more people moved during childhood，the better they adjust to society. |
| D．There is no link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing. |
In order for children to maintain longterm close relationships，parents ________.
| A．should not relocate their homes |
| B．should relocate their homes within the town |
| C．had better move at the end of the school year |
| D．had better move when their children couldn't build up a bank of friendships |
We learn from the fourth paragraph that moves during childhood ________.
| A．have a bigger impact on an introverted person compared to extroverts |
| B．have no impact on an outgoing person |
| C．are a big problem for both introverts and extroverts |
| D．help children better adapt to a new environment |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．our friendships are mainly affected by our nurture |
| B．we can move when children have made a lot of friends |
| C．the impact of moves will disappear when one reaches adulthood |
| D．there is some way to minimize the impact of moves during childhood on children |
Before the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914，the only way ships could leave Boston was on a route around Race Point—the northern tip of Cape Cod.However，navigation during the 18th century was a nightmare，because the floating cross current(交叉气流) around Race Point caused countless accidents.So building a lighthouse to lighten the place was very necessary.
As early as 1808，the people of Provincetown requested a lighthouse on Race Point，but it took Congress eight years to react when they finally paid $ 8,000 on April 27,1816 to build a lighthouse —Race Point Light，which was located in the town of Provincetown，Massachusetts.It was first built of stone 25 feet high with no foundation and its light was 30 feet above the sea.It was equipped with one of the nation's earliest revolving lights.
Actually，there were two other lighthouses on Cape Cod，but they were hit by a storm in October 1841.In the following year，Race Point Light was examined by I．W.P.Lewis，who realized the light's importance.He said，“The light should be useful to all ships leaving Boston.However，its illuminating power is so weak that people would hardly be able to differentiate it from the lights set on the ships which stay in the bay，or close by.It hasn't played its role as a lighthouse well.”
The result was that old lighthouse was destroyed and a new iron lighthouse with a proper foundation was put up to take its place.The new lighthouse was 45 feet high.Although the original keeper's house was in good repair，it was destroyed too and a new one was built.Today the lighthouse has been automated(自动化)and Race Point Light is still an active aid to navigation.
You can park at Race Point Beach and walk about 45 minutes to the lighthouse.Sunset at Race Point Light is one of the Cape Cod's most popular scenes.And at times whales can be seen in the lighthouse.For reservations to stay one night in the keeper's house at Race Point call(508)487－9930.The underlined word “illuminating” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
| A．preventing accidents | B．cooling the air |
| C．providing light | D．predicting weather |
Why was the original Race Point Light replaced by a new one?
| A．It was too old to repair properly. |
| B．It hadn't done a good job in helping the passing ships. |
| C．It was destroyed in a storm in October 1841. |
| D．It wasn't high enough and had no foundation. |
According to the passage，Race Point Light ________.
| A．is also a tourist spot now |
| B．stopped working after 1914 |
| C．was built by I．W.P.Lewis |
| D．has been automated since 1841 |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．The keeper's house is open to the public now. |
| B．The present keeper's house is the original one. |
| C．The two other lighthouses had revolving lights too. |
| D．The government didn't agree to build Race Point Light. |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．The building process of Race Point Light. |
| B．The tourism value of Race Point Light. |
| C．The three lighthouses on Cape Cod. |
| D．The history of Race Point Light. |