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 Puritans (清教徒) get a bad reputation in America—especially when it comes to alcohol.
Mayflower, the first ship that came over from England to Massachusetts Bay, actually carried more beer than water．In fact the Founding Fathers of America liked a drink—Samuel Adams was a partner in his father’s brewery, and Thomas Jefferson was famous for importing European wines.
Early Americans took a healthful small drink for breakfast, whiskey was a typical lunchtime drink, ale (麦芽酒) accompanied supper and the day ended with another drink called nightcap．Most Americans in 1790 consumed an average of 5.8 gallons of pure alcohol a year．In 1830, consumption reached 7.1 gallons a year and alcoholism was starting to have a serious influence on communities．Women and children might be in physical danger if the man of the house began drinking．If he became ill or lost his job through drinking, there was no social safety net to support or protect his family．Eventually, alcoholism was being treated as a disease.
By the late 19th Century, support for Prohibition, banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol, was powerful．The first arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol was in 1897.On 16 January 1919, Prohibition was set into law．However, by the 1930s when American economy was experiencing a hard time it was widely believed that making alcohol legal again would provide badly-needed jobs and taxes．So in February of 1933, Prohibition was endeD． Still, Prohibition had a great influence on alcohol drinking in this country．In 1955, Americans drank an average of 2.3 gallons of pure alcohol a year．The Prohibition movement was still quite strong after Prohibition ended and it led to a lot of local prohibition on alcohol.
The American presidency has done a lot to rehabilitate alcohol and make it respectable again．Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama can all be seen on film drinking socially and making official toasts with international celebrities.Which is TRUE about the Puritans according to the passage?
| A．Their ancestors came to America to sell alcohol. |
| B．They founded the breweries in European countries. |
| C．They had a habit of alcohol drinking. |
| D．They were the major importer of alcohol. |
In what way was an alcoholic’s family affected by alcoholism?
| A．His family couldn’t afford the drink. |
| B．His family might suffer financially. |
| C．His wife and children might become ill. |
| D．His family ought not be treated equally. |
What can be learned about Prohibition in America?
| A．It came into law in the 19th century. |
| B．It discouraged alcohol drinking. |
| C．Its effect disappeared after its removal. |
| D．It failed to forbid drunk driving. |
The passage mainly talks about__________.
| A．the brief history of alcohol drinking in America |
| B．American presidents’ affection for alcohol drinking |
| C．the Puritans’ bad reputation in America |
| D．the reasons why Prohibition came into law |
Gregory Kloehn digs through dustbins every day, but not for the reason that most people would think．He isn’t homeless．In fact he is trying to help the homeless.
Gregory began his life as a sculptor．But he often felt that his sculptures, which just stood in rich people’s houses for years, lacked a meaningful purpose．So in 201l he decided to put his artistic energies into creating homes to sell—not ordinary homes but small structures built entirely from recycled materials.
The thought of creating homes for the homeless didn’t occur to him until the year 2013, when a homeless couple asked him for a tarp(防水布)．Instead of a tarp, Gregory offered them something better: a small home with a water tank, a kitchen and a trap for waste．They were so grateful that Gregory decided to focus his efforts on helping house the homeless population in his city．And soon his “Homeless Homes Project” was started.
Before starting a new home, Gregory, goes hunting for materials by digging through dustbins．Everything he finds is usable—refrigerator doors become house doors; washing machine doors often serve as windows, and the tops of cars become strong roofs．He put wheels at the bottom for users to move their homes around easily．Each home takes two to three days to make．
So far Gregory has donated dozens of homes to the city’s most needy．While his small low-cost mobile homes are not the final solution to the problem of homelessness, they are really practical and do provide a warm and safe place for the homeless to stay in．They are simply a way for one man to do something nice for those in need of some help.
Gregory has written a book titled Homeless Architecture, where he explains techniques to build those homes and he is now working on weekend workshops．“A lot of people who hear about what I’m doing want to get involved,” he said． “Maybe we can meet someplace and put a couple of homes together.”Why did Gregory turn from making sculptures to creating homes?
| A．He had no home to live in． |
| B．He had to make more money. |
| C．He lost interest in sculpture. |
| D．He wanted to help the homeless. |
The author mentions the story in Paragraph 3 to tell us____________.
| A．Gregory’s small homes were popular among the homeless |
| B．how Gregory got the idea of “Homeless Homes Project” |
| C．the homeless couple asked Gregory to produce more homes |
| D．housing the homeless in a city was not an easy task |
What can we conclude from Paragraph 4?
| A．Gregory has great trouble hunting for materials for his small houses． |
| B．It takes Gregory a long time to produce a home． |
| C．Gregory’s work requires imagination and creativity |
| D．Everything in the dustbins will be used in Gregory’s work． |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．Gregory’s project will help more homeless people. |
| B．Gregory doesn’t need to make small homes now． |
| C．Gregory’s work will completely solve the homelessness problem． |
| D．A single person can make no difference to social problems． |
Nanjing and Hangzhou summer camps offered
We are looking for hard-working and open-minded English teachers to join the Nanjing ( Jiangsu Province) and Hangzhou ( Zhejiang Province) summer camps !
Both of the summer camps will run from the beginning of July to the end of August．You will be expected to teach spoken English to Chinese students of different ages．We encourage you to bring your own culture to the classes to make things more interesting.
The information of the Nanjing camp:
● Working hours: 40 hours per week, 5 working days per week.
● Salary: about 7, 000 RMB per month.
● Accommodation: free (single room).
The information of the Hangzhou camp:
● Working hours: 5 hours per day ( =" 50" min./class x 6 classes), one day rest per week.
● Salary: 20,160 RMB in total (420 RMB per day =" 70" RMB/class x 6 classes).
● Accommodation: free (shared room).
The requirements of the summer camps:
● Native English speakers (US, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand).
● A university degree.
● Teaching experience.
Please send us your resume (简历), copies of certificates and passport if you are interested in the camps.
E-mail: teacher1324@ sinA． com．cn
For more information you can visit our website at http://www．English summer camps.com．cn.Look forward to hearing from you soon!What kind of people is the passage mainly written for?
| A．Chinese-English teachers． |
| B．Foreign-English teachers. |
| C．Chinese-speaking students． |
| D．English-learning students. |
How long will a teacher work for the summer campsa?
| A．Less than one month． |
| B．About five weeks. |
| C．About eight weeks． |
| D．More than two months. |
Which of the following people might be accepted as a teacher at the summer camps?
A． Wang Li, an excellent teacher from China.
B． Robert, a high school student from the USA.
C． Linda, an experienced university teacher from Canada.
D． Jerry, a university student from Australia.Compared with the Nanjing camp, the Hangzhou camp __________.
| A．has longer working hours |
| B．has fewer students to teach |
| C．provides better accommodation |
| D．pays a higher salary |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项。
Sitting at a desk in a classroom all day can be pretty boring.
The teachers at Ward Elementary in Winston –Salem, North Carolina, picked up on that and traded in their students’ desks for exercise bikes as a part of their Read and Ride program!
The Read and Ride program began five years ago．One classroom has enough bikes for every student in any given class, and throughout the day teachers bring in their students to the room to ride them and read their books．
Even regular classrooms have one bike in the back of each room for students who just can’t sit still to use to help them burn energy in a good way．
Students love being more active! Teachers enjoy seeing students eager to read． Parents appreciate stronger, smarter children．Headmasters value this effective and cost-free program．“Riding exercise bikes makes reading fun for many kids who get frustrated(挫败的) when they read． Thus, they have a way to release that frustration while they ride,” said Scott Ertl, who started the program．“As we can see, everyone wants to promote literacy and lose weight! But many students who are overweight struggle with sports and activities since they don’t want to always be the last or lose with others watching on the playground． On exercise bikes, however, students are able to exert(发挥)themselves at their own level—without anyone noticing when they slow down or take a break.”
As it turns out, not only are the bikes helping the students burn calories, they’re also helping them learn better and stay focused． At the end of the school year the school analyzed testing data and found that students that spent more time reading and riding did more than twice as well on reading tests than their fellow students who spent the least time in the program.Why did the teachers start the Read and Ride program?
| A．To get the students out of the classrooms. |
| B．To make the students more active in sports． |
| C．To read effectively in an active way. |
| D．To help the overweight students keep fit. |
According to Scott Ertl，riding exercise bikes___________.
| A．is the least expensive way for exercise |
| B．can benefit overweight students in both ways |
| C．is the best way to build up students’ body |
| D．is a good way to avoid being watched by teachers |
The program helps the students in the following ways except________．
| A．help them learn better |
| B．reduce their reading difficulties |
| C．build up their bodies |
| D．improve their learning concentration |
What separates me from everyone else? The difference is not what clothes I wear or the music I listen to, but what I feel inside．
Ever since I was young, I have loved professional wrestling．I woke up every Saturday to watch my favorite "Superstars．" As I grew older, I got a lot of flak for watching this "fake" sport．My peers would laugh at me for following what was called a "man's soap opera．" So, I put my love for wrestling on the shelf．Like everyone else, I wanted to be associated with the cool clique．I yearned to be invited to the parties of the in-crowd and hang out with the popular kids．I became pretty successful．Although my Friday evenings were busy with parties, I would still wake up early Saturdays to watch wrestling．It wasn't until freshman year that I realized I wasn't being myself．
That year, I tried many new things and activities and made new friends．In my town, football was the sport, so I decided to play football, thinking it might give me a head start in popularity．The team started with 48 athletes．At the end, there were 14 of us left．I stuck it out not because I liked it, but because I am not a quitter．That long season taught me a lesson: I wasn't a football player．More importantly, it taught me to be myself．
After that season, I went back to being a wrestling fan．I watched it religiously, no matter what insults were thrown my way．I came across a quote: "Don't Dream It, Be It．" When I read this, my friend Dan had the same idea I had．
"What if we build a wrestling ring?" we asked．We acquired the necessary wood and equipment for its construction．The following weekend, we met at his house．We saw our dream in a pile in his backyard．We worked from dawn to dusk to build our great establishment．By Sunday night, our mission was complete．Our hard work (combined with a little creativity) had paid off．We had a real ring．We decided to hold an "event．" We practiced for hours, trying to improve every aspect of our wrestling ability．The date was May 24th．Our show had a start time of 9: 00 p．m．To our surprise, about one hundred family, friends and fans showed up to support us．It was the most important night of my life and a complete success．Since that time, we have held five shows with as many as two hundred and fifty people turning out．We continue to live this dream．We accomplished what we set out to do．We are now well known throughout school．When I walk down the halls, I am respected by my peers．Some are the same peers who ridiculed me for watching wrestling when I was younger．When they approach me, they often say, "Good match, Chris．" I humbly say, "Thank you," knowing I did something I believed in．
As my senior year winds down, I'll remember all of my high school memories．But what will stick out most is the memory that I did something I loved, despite what everyone said or thought．I accomplished my goal ．．．I lived my dream．What makes the writer different from the others is __________．
| A．the different sports he loves |
| B．the different clothes he wears and the different music he listens to |
| C．that he is younger than the others． |
| D．the different ideas he has |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．I practiced wrestling secretly in my spare time． |
| B．I put the clothes for wrestling on the shelf． |
| C．I decided to quit following wrestling． |
| D．I began not to watch wrestling on TV． |
When the writer was a freshman, he ___________．
| A．knew he couldn’t be a good football player |
| B．realized he was being himself |
| C．was still sociable |
| D．built a wrestling ring |
The writer built the wrestling ring in order to ________．
| A．play football there |
| B．make his dream realized |
| C．be a professional player |
| D．have parties there． |
What is the writer’s attitude towards his experience in high school?
| A．Optimistic |
| B．Pessimistic |
| C．Doubtful |
| D．Surprised |