Last year, I was on a plane with my friend, waiting for it to take off. The pilot’s voice was heard throughout the plane: “Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. Our engines don’t work. We are going to jump-start them. Once we get them going, we’ll get up in the air and see what happens.”
That was all he said. “See what happens?” Shouldn’t we have had a better plan than that? At that point. I could only laugh nervously. One woman started crying, “Oh no! We are going to crash!’’ There were sighs of hopelessness and anxiety, and we hadn’t even taken off yet.
The pilot even seemed unhappy. He told us our one engine was working double time, and his plan was to get up in the air and see what happens! Then we did. We got up in the air, and what happened? Nothing. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched down than applause burst out as everyone on the airplane breathed a sigh of relief.
All too often, people stop trying to achieve their goals just because they don’t have a guaranteed (有保证的) result. But success will never be guaranteed. The best thing that you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens. While I do prefer planning better than “see what happens” when it comes to flying, it really isn’t such a bad idea for life.
If your effort is to build a business then get up in the air and see what happens! Don’t give yourself all the reasons why you can’t. Do not wait until you have everything you need. You never will!
If your goal is to start a friendship, say “Hello”, get up in the air and see what happens! The results could be very rewarding. If your goal is to learn a new skill, get up in the air and see what happens! It might not be as difficult as your think. It could be fun!How did the author feel when the pilot said the engines didn’t work?
| A．Disappointed. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Curious. | D．Relieved. |
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means .
| A．to think carefully before you make friends |
| B．to start to fly first to see what will happen in the sky |
| C．to make an effort even if the result is uncertain |
| D．to get up from the chair and greet somebody |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．We Will See What Happens |
| B．I Survived an Adventurous Flight |
| C．The Pilot Risked Our Lives |
| D．Making Plans Is Better Than Taking Chances |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true.
Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time._______, our world is becoming much smaller.
| A．Because of the rise in pollution |
| B．Thanks to science development |
| C．Because the earth is being polluted day and night |
| D．Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
Hundreds of years ago, life was __________ it is today.
| A．much easier than | B．as easy as |
| C．much harder than | D．as hard as |
Pollution comes in many ways. We can even hear it. Here “it” means _______.
| A．rubbish(垃圾) | B．noise pollution |
| C．air pollution | D．water pollution |
Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because _______.
| A．it makes much noise |
| B．it makes us angry more easily |
| C．it makes our rivers and lakes dirty |
| D．it’s bad for all living things in the world |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| C．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2. |
Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his three-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight（困窘的）, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty.
He shouted at her loudly, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses in the box. I filled it with my love. All for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her for forgiveness（原谅）. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary（假想的）kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession（财产）anyone could hold.Why did the father punish his daughter?
| A．Because the girl had torn his favourite paper. |
| B．Because the girl was wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. |
| C．Because the girl took the box under the Christmas tree away. |
| D．Because the father was in bad temper（脾气）. |
Why did the father become angry again when he opened his present?
| A．Because the present is not suitable for him. |
| B．Because his daughter didn’t know that when she gives someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it. |
| C．Because he hated receiving present. |
| D．Because he found that the present box was empty. |
What kind of present did the little girl give her father?
| A．The little girl had put her kisses in the box as a present. |
| B．The little girl had kissed the box as a present. |
| C．The little girl had filled the box with gold wrapping paper. |
| D．The little girl had filled the box with air. |
How did the father feel after he listened to his daughter’s explanation?
| A．Happy. | B．Sorry. |
| C．Crazy. | D．Impatient. |
What’s the meaning of the last sentence—“There is no more precious possession（财产）anyone could hold.”?
| A．The possession is too heavy to hold. |
| B．There’s no more precious thing for us to hold. |
| C．It’s not necessary to hold the possession. |
| D．The present contained with children’s love and kisses is the most precious thing. |
Mr Smith made many tests (作试验) with different animals and the monkey was the cleverest of all the animals.
One day Mr Smith put a monkey in a room. He also put some small boxes in it. In one of the boxes there was some food. "How long will it take the monkey to find the food? " Mr Smith said to himself. " Let me wait and see. " He left the room and waited outside. Three minutes later, he put his eye to the keyhole (钥匙眼). What did he see? He saw the eye of the monkey. The monkey was on the other side of the door and looked at Mr Smith through the keyhole.Mr Smith made tests with __________.
| A．different animals | B．the monkey only |
| C．all the monkeys | D．all of the cleverest animals |
There was some food in _______ of the small boxes.
| A．some | B．none | C．one | D．each |
Mr Smith put a monkey and some boxes in a room because he wanted to know___________.
| A．how much food monkey could find |
| B．how many boxes the monkey could carry |
| C．how long it would take the monkey to put its eye to the keyhole |
| D．how long it would take the monkey to find the food |
What was the monkey doing when Mr Smith was putting his eye to the keyhole?
| A．The monkey was eating food. |
| B．The monkey was looking for food. |
| C．The monkey was eating on the other side of the door. |
| D．The monkey was looking at Mr Smith through the keyhole. |
Mr Smith is a ________.
| A．teacher | B．scientist (科学家) |
| C．doctor | D．farm worker |
Doctor Mason has held a clinic for ten years. He is an expert doctor. He usually gets up at 7:00 a.m. and commutes to work by subway. It’s always very crowded with people and he tries to keep his distance from them. In the winter he notices the stress on the faces of the commuters and knows that some of these people will come to him for advice. He always solves their problems and returns to the comfort of his home a satisfied man.
Martin is a gifted artist. He knows that he has an unusual occupation（职业）, but he actually treats it as a disciplined career. He gets up at the same time every day and works for nine hours with a break for lunch. His new project uses metal but his designs use pencil and paper. In nine months’ time, his work will be on display outside the local library, and he will be very proud of it.What kind of transportation does Doctor Mason usually take?
| A．bus | B．underground |
| C．boat | D．bicycle |
What does Doctor Mason often do when he’s in a subway which is crowded with people?
| A．He tries to take the next one. |
| B．He gives up and tries to take a taxi. |
| C．He tries to keep his distance from the tube. |
| D．He tries to keep his distance from the people. |
What’s the possible meaning of the word “gifted” in the passage?
| A．intelligent | B．stupid |
| C．common | D．strange |
What does he use in his design?
A. metalB. metal and pencil
C. pencil and paper D. Both A and C.Which of the statements is NOT true?
| A．When Doctor Mason notice the stress on people’s face in winter, he knows that some of these people will come to him for advice. |
| B．Doctor Mason often feel satisfied after he helps people with their problems. |
| C．Martin is very strict with his work. |
| D．Martin has to work for nine hours without a break everyday. |
Have you got a Facebook account? Are you thinking of getting one? Jamie Simmonds has just signed up. Let’s see how she’s getting along.
As from June 2012, Facebook had over 955 million active users. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. Facebook is translated into more than 70 different languages. The world spends 700 billion minutes a month on Facebook. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page says he’s a Harvard graduate, even though he actually dropped out to focus on Facebook. The site is valued at between $7.9 and $11 billion.Which of the following is conveyed in this passage?
| A．Visiting Facebook website took up a large part of Jamie’s time and energy. |
| B．Jamie is enthusiastic about her present job. |
| C．Facebbook was created by a Harvard graduate, Mark Zuckerberg. |
| D．Compared with Facebook, Twitter is a better choice for Jamie. |
Why did Jamie’s boyfriend ask her whether she had broken up with him?
| A．He had seen photos of Jamie dancing on the table. |
| B．She showed in her Facebook that she was still not dating anyone. |
| C．Her boyfriend was angry that she refused to add him as her friend. |
| D．He saw the name of her ex-boyfriend on his news feed. |
What does the word “un-friend” mean in the underlined sentence “Someone’s un-friended me!”?
| A．Be unfriendly to others |
| B．Remove a name from friend list |
| C．Have a quarrel with somebody |
| D．End friendship with somebody |