July 21st. 2007 was a typical English summer’s day—it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5p.m., however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of waters greeted me. Thank God! The kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the wall’s ceilings pulled down.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home. So we camped upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we move to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community（社区）. We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbors, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.
Although our situation was very bad, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought. “We didn’t have a straw hut（茅草房）that was for Christmas. But I can’t wait—I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won’t need any gifts—living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush—we have our home back. And that’s the main thing.What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Found. | B．Missing. | C．Right. | D．Wrong. |
It can be inferred from the text that the author _________.
| A．cared much about her children |
| B．was sick of staying upstairs alone |
| C．could not stand living in a wooden house |
| D．did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood |
Why does the author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?
| A．Because her situation was not serious. |
| B．Because some others suffered even more. |
| C．Because she had ever been to Northern India. |
| D．Because very few other places were also flooded. |
What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?
| A．She realized she needed no more possession. |
| B．She valued human feelings more than before. |
| C．She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed. |
| D．She thought her own home was the most important of all. |
The 92-year-old, thin, calm and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, even though she is nearly blind, moved to a nursing home today.
Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she walked slowly to the elevator, I provided a true description of her tiny room, including the old sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she said with the happiness of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…just wait.”
“That doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It’s how I arranged my mind. I have already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account. You take what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to put in a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.” And with a smile, she said, “All my memories are happy ones.”
Mrs. Jones was always happy in the nursing home and she died at the age of 108. We can infer from the passage that the author________.
| A．is one of Mrs. Jones’ children | B．is a relative of Mrs. Jones |
| C．works in the nursing home | D．is the owner of the nursing home |
The room in which the old lady will live________.
| A．is very comfortable | B．is fairly big |
| C．isn’t well equipped | D．is equipped with new furniture |
Mrs. Jones was very happy when told about her room because she________.
| A．couldn’t see what her room was like |
| B．thought the nursing home was her home |
| C．would have to live in the nursing home |
| D．had already made up her mind to be happy |
Which of the following words can best describe Mrs. Jones?
| A．Proud. | B．Cheerful. | C．Determined | D．Honest |
Literature is a term used to describe written as well as spoken material．Generally speaking, it is often used to describe anything from creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama and fiction．
Then why read literature, since it is often imaginary and seems unconnected with real life?
A lot of us read literature for pleasure and relaxation．It’s always pleasant to read some interesting books, such as comedies and novels, in our spare time．In a modern life full of pressure, it is our common desire to read some imaginary works and seek relaxation from the stress in life．
Reading literature is more than fun; it also enables us to acquire knowledge．As a general rule, literature represents a language or a people, and it often gives us an insight（洞察力）into the traditions, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written．
Sometimes literature can even offer us new, creative ways to have a better understanding of the world．It helps us make sense of the world around us．It introduces us to new worlds of experiences．We enjoy the comedy and the tragedy of poems, stories and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books．Eventually, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it．In a sense, we explore the human condition and analyze how and why people think the way they think and feel the way they feel．Literature enables us to think analytically and promotes open minds．We see the world through the eyes of different cultures and in turn learn the ways to deal with things that happen around．
So we can definitely say literature is of great importance to us．Why not get going with one poem, drama or fiction at once?
| Topic |
|
of literature |
It describes anything, whether written or spoken, by using creative imagination． |
| Types |
|
| ▲To get pleasure and relaxation to get ▲To gain ▲To offer people ways to ▲To help us think analytically and make us |
|
| Why not start to read literature right now? |
To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．
Common sense is not all that common．
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes （戏谑的引语） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．
Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推论）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?
| A．Doing things his own way． |
| B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes． |
| C．Making as few mistakes as possible． |
| D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing． |
Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?
| A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company． |
| B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather． |
| C．A company’s next move follows a good plan． |
| D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments． |
What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?
| A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy． |
| B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas． |
| C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty． |
| D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse． |
What would be the best title for his passage?
| A．A Mirror of Human Nature | B．To Blame or to Forgive |
| C．A Mark of Maturity | D．Truth or Excuse |
Beginning college is exciting: new ideas to explore, new challenges to meet and many decisions to make．Your future begins here．
However，you will find college life is different from your previous school environment．Many of us can be easily overwhelmed（压垮）by the details of running a well-balanced life．While some of us may have the know-how, I guess there are more of us who can benefit from learning about the experiences of others who have walked the college halls before you．
The following you may find of use about life on campus．
* Plan well．There are so many new things to do at a new college or university．Give yourself time to make new friends and become familiar with the campus, but don’t forget why you are there．Give some time for social activities and manage your time wisely．
* If you don’t have a “system” for planning your time now （like a day timer, a computer data book）, get one．Most of all, don’t depend on your memory．
* Don’t miss the guidelines．The restrictions, rules and regulations of all kinds can usually be found in your student handbook．Consider them well-balanced food for thought．What dates are important? What pieces of paper need to be handed in? What can/ can’t you do in class? What can/ can’t you do in your student residence（住处）? Who has right for what? What do you need to complete to graduate?
* Write the word “STUDY” on the walls of our bedroom and bathroom, and maybe it will help to write it on a piece of paper and stick it on the telephone, TV and the kitchen table．Consider this—you are paying thousands of dollars for your courses．You pay every time you have to repeat or replace a course．
* Build your identity．This is the time for you to decide what to do and what not to do．Take as much time as you need to explore new ideas．Do not be afraid of the beyond．This is learning to make good choices．What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To offer advice on college life． |
| B．To explain why college life is exciting． |
| C．To describe the importance of college life． |
| D．To persuade you to go to college． |
According to the passage, why is it exciting to begin college life?
| A．Because you will have more freedom at college． |
| B．Because you will no longer be afraid of the beyond． |
| C．Because you prepare for your future career and life there． |
| D．Because professors there will provide you with many new ideas． |
The underlined word “know-how” refers to ．
| A．an understanding of how things are going at college |
| B．practical knowledge about how to behave and what to do at college |
| C．college halls where rules and regulations are presented |
| D．an environment completely different from the one you’re used to |
According to the passage, college students ________ ．
| A．needn’t learn from those who went to college before them |
| B．spend as much time as possible on social activities |
| C．should know what they have fought for on campus |
| D．are supposed to repeat or replace at least one course |
Britons Learn to Forgive
LEEDS, England ─ A Leeds University psychology （心理学） professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Britons forgive their enemies．
“The hatred we hold within us is a cancer,” Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease．
More than 70 people have become members in Hart’s first 20-week workshop in London ─ a course he says is the first of its kind in the world．
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory．They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian-born Hart．
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight．
The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hatred in these people．“People have lots of negative attitudes towards forgiveness,” he said, “People confuse forgiveness with forgetting．Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one．”
Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed．
“The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you are angry with,” said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project．
Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people “want to get free of the past”．From this passage we know that _________．
| A．high blood pressure and heart disease are caused by hatred |
| B．high blood pressure can only be cured by psychology professors |
| C．without hatred, people will have less trouble connected with blood pressure and heart |
| D．people who suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease must have many enemies |
In Hart’s first 20-week workshop, people there can ________．
| A．meet their enemies | B．change their attitudes towards bitterness |
| C．enjoy the professor’s speech | D．learn how to quarrel with others |
If you are a member in Hart’s workshop, you’ll ________．
| A．pay much money to Hart | B．go to the workshop every night |
| C．attend a gathering twice a month | D．pour out everything stored in your mind |
The author wrote this passage in order to ________．
| A．persuade us to go to Hart’s workshop |
| B．tell us the news about Hart’s workshop |
| C．tell us how to run a workshop like Hart’s |
| D．help us to look at various kinds of angers |