In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl going to Howard University, aiming at a law career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different story to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to leave college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a mix of adopted(收养)and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To put eyes on him was wonderful---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy then followed son No.3. in 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how engaged I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each term
The hardest part was feeling sorry about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to give up, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you are looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you are in the middle of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process(过程). Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be ________ .
| A．a judge | B．a teacher |
| C．a writer | D．a doctor |
Why did the author give up school in her second year of college?
| A．She wanted to study by herself. |
| B．She fell in love and got married. |
| C．She suffered from a serious illness |
| D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
| A．She was busy yet happy with her family life. |
| B．She ignored her sorry feeling for her sons. |
| C．She wanted to remain a full-time housewife. |
| D．She was too confused to make a correct choice. |
What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
| A．failure is the mother of success. |
| B．little by little, one goes far. |
| C．every coin has two sides. |
| D．well begun, half done |
In England a woman fell down a stair. Panic followed—178 persons lost their lives. In Michigan a woman fell ill. There was a call for water. Someone thought it meant fire---71 were killed. In Oklahoma an old man’s hair caught fire---36 died.
What should you do to be out of danger?
1. As you sit in any crowd, pick out an exit(出口) which is not the one where most persons enter and plan to use if necessary.
2. If a rush stairs, do not get into it . Stay still. Let it pass. Then go to the exit you have chosen.
3. Do not cry out. Speak quietly. Act calmly.
4.Do not stop for your hat and coat unless they are at hand.
5. If there is smoke, crouch. The best air is about three feet above the floor.
6. When you are outside the building, stay out. Many dead would be alive if they had not returned for something.
7. When you get out, move far from the door so that others can get out.The first paragraph tells us that over two hundred people lost their lives because of_________.
| A．a fire | B．a call for water |
| C． falling downstairs | D．panic |
If you are in a crowd when panic stars, you should ________.
| A．run with the others. |
| B．call for help as loudly as you can. |
| C．hurry at once to an exit. |
| D．stay still until the crowd has passed. |
What should you do once out of a place where there is panic?
| A．stay outside. |
| B．go back for your wallet. |
| C．return to ask people not to run. |
| D．stand near the exit. |
When you are safe outside a burning building , stay away from the door so that _______.
| A．the smoke can get out. |
| B．you will not get burned |
| C．others may leave. |
| D．others may enter. |
In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. More than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university. They use the loan (贷款) to pay for tuition fees, books and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan. The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with debts of around £12,000. Students of medicine usually have debts of more than £20,000. That is a lot of money. It means graduates cannot afford to buy a house for many years. They even struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan after graduating. If you start to earn over £15,000 a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary. Is it any surprise, therefore, that the average British person does not leave their parents’ home until they are 30 years old?
You might think that a British person with a degree will find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in white-collar jobs seem to have a degree these days, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper. Like everyone else, graduates usually have to start at the bottom and work their way up. That can be very frustrating for them, since they are often over-qualified for the work they are doing. While at university, they have dreams of getting an exciting, challenging job. Therefore, life after university ends up being quite disappointing for a lot of graduates.
All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money.What's the best title of this passage?
| A．What's a University Education worth in the UK? |
| B．There is a lot of competition in the UK |
| C．There won't be any University Place left for British students |
| D．It doesn't cost students more and more to attend university |
What's the following is true?
| A．University Education is really worth the money in England |
| B．University Education is worth all over the world except in England |
| C．British education is becoming more expensive for a majority of British students |
| D．British students don't like to go to university |
We can infer from the passage ____
| A．The average British person didn't leave their parents' home until they are 35 years old |
| B．Having a degree doesn't get aBritish person a good job |
| C．Students are graduating without larger and larger debts. |
| D．things are easier for students from other countries coming to study |
in the UK without moneyThe word "interest" in paragraph2 means_______
| A． money paid for a week's work |
| B． money borrowed from a band |
| C． a regular monthly salary |
| D． extra money paid on a loan or bank savings |
Disease, poverty, hate, love－Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy（遗产） was far greater that just “great-literature”. February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.
A White Christmas
Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas” － not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today. In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day－unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off. Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth－“home enjoyments, affections and hopes”. In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”
“Dickens” poverty
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian London. He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy(官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about poverty in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”.The article is mainly about.
| A．a brief introduction to Charles Dickens’ |
| B．the characters in Charles Dickens’ stories |
| C．Charles Dickens’ impact（影响力) on the world |
| D．Charles Dickens’ achievements in literature |
Why is Dickens’ called “the man who invented Christmas”?
| A．Because he created both religious and culture festival. |
| B．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations. |
| C．Because his novels have something to do with Christmas. |
| D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas. |
We can learn from the passage that.
| A．Charles Dickens’ novels reflect(反映) the true life at his age |
| B．Dickensian is widely used to describe the Christmas |
| C．Every person can take three days off for Christmas |
| D．The theme of Charles Dickens’ stories is about poverty |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Dickens gave the modern world six things. |
| B．Dickens is still popular today in Britain. |
| C．Dickens invented Christmas |
| D．Agreements made by the underclass of society |
In the year after my mother left us, my father was 42 and he knew that he wasn’t going to make it to 43. He wrote a letter to me and hoped that something in it would help me for the rest of my life.
Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter, some of his words have lived in my heart. One part always stands out. “Right now, you are pretending to be a time killer. But I know that one day, you will do something great that will set you among the very best.” Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself. “You will do something great.” He didn’t know what I would be, and neither did I, but at times in my life when I’ve felt proud of myself, I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask, “Is this what you were talking about , Dad ? Should I keep going?”
A long way from 12 now, I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress. Lately, though, I’ve come to believe he would want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of , and believe in somebody else. It’s time to start writing my own letters to my children. Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had. Our kids don’t hold back because they’re afraid to fail. They’re only afraid of failing us. They don’t worry about being disappointed. Their fear ---- as mine was until my father’s letter---- is of being a disappointment.
Give your children permission to succeed. They’re waiting for you to believe in them. I always knew my parents loved me. But trust me: That belief will be more complete , that love will be more real, and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts ：“Don’t worry; you’ll do something great .”Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back.We learn from the text that the author__________.
| A．lost his father when he was young |
| B．worked hard before he read his father’s letter |
| C．asked his father’s permission to believe in himself |
| D．knew exactly what great thing his father wanted him to do |
What does the author tell us in the 3rd paragraph?
| A．Children need their parents’ letters. |
| B．Children are afraid to be disappointed. |
| C．His children’s fear of failure held them back. |
| D．His father’s letter removed his fear of failing his parents. |
Which of the following is true of the author?
| A．He got no access to success. |
| B．He wrote back to his father at 12. |
| C．He was sure his parents loved him. |
| D．He once asked his father about the letter. |
The main purpose of the text is to .
| A．describe children’s thinking |
| B．answer some questions children have |
| C．stress the importance of communication |
| D．advise parents to encourage their children |
There are four forms about medicine. Every must know how to use the medicine. Because it is very important. Never take any by mistake.
1）Take the medicine with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours as required. For further night-time and early morning, take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in 24 hours. For Children six to twelve years old, go to your doctor for advice. Reduce dosage(剂量) if nervousness, restlessness or sleeplessness takes place.
2）Each pill of the medicine taken three times every day for fourteen years old. As usual, a pill 6:00 a. m. before breakfast, one before 11:00 and one before sleep. Not for children under six years old and old persons with heart attack.
3）The medicine for a person with a fever. Once two pills a day before sleep for adult. Not take the medicine without fever. Half for Children under 12 years old. Children with a high fever go to see a doctor.
4）The medicine taken three times a day. Once five pills for adult with a cold. Half of the pills for children 10 years old. Take the medicine before breakfast, lunch, supper or before sleep. Obviously a kind of medicine can’t be proper for____judging from the information.
| A．some old persons with heart attack |
| B．some old persons with a fever |
| C．children over twelve years old |
| D．neither adults nor heart attack |
When a person has a cold. he had better .
| A．have twice a day |
| B．have about more than fourteen pills a day |
| C．have four times a day |
| D．have nine pills a day |
How many kinds of medicine are used for the children six years old?
| A．All of them. | B．Three kinds of medicine. |
| C．Two kinds of medicine. | D．Almost not any medicine. |