I wished I had known earlier the fact that I was a low achiever because there was a reason beyond my control. Then I needn’t have worked so hard in my late twenties and early thirties. But I just didn’t know that. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me.
Most people who go through university read at least twice as fast as I do. I can never tell my left from my right. I avoid dialing a telephone if I can help it, because I sometimes have to try three times before getting the number right. I hear that recording “The number you have reached is not in service” more than any man on earth.
Despite my weaknesses I view my dyslexia(difficulty in reading) as a gift, not a curse(诅咒). Many dyslexics are good at right brain, namely abstract thought, and that is what my king of creative writing is. I’m starting with nothing and coming up with something that didn’t exist before. That’s my strong point. I owe my career to Ralph, Salisbury, my writing instructor at the University of Oregon, who looked past my misspellings and gave me encouragement and hope. I just carried on and never looked back. I’m also very “visual”. This means nothing in school, but when I write books or scripts, I’m seeing everything in my imagination. I write quickly. I go like the wind and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is not the problem. I have no problem downloading; it is inputting where things get messed up.
The real fear I have for dyslexics is not that they have to struggle with messy input, but that they will quit on themselves before they finish school. Parents have to create victories whenever they can, whether it is music, sports or the arts. You want your dyslexic child to be able to say, “Yeah, reading is hard. But I have these other things I can do.”According to the passage we know that________.
| A．The author had known he was a low achiever since he was a little child |
| B．The author didn’t work very hard on writing in his late twenties |
| C．The author owed his dyslexia to his laziness in the childhood |
| D．The author worked hard for people’s praise |
From Paragraph 3 we can know that ______
| A．The author was grateful to his writing instructor |
| B．The author often complained about his dyslexia |
| C．The author had trouble with both inputting and outputting. |
| D．Having problem in inputting, the author wrote slowly. |
For dyslexics, the author thinks that_________.
| A．they should work as hard as himself |
| B．they had better choose to drop out of school |
| C．they should be constantly encouraged |
| D．they should put their hearts into reading |
Which of the following proverbs can best summarize the main idea of the passage?
| A．He who laughs last laughs best. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．Reading enriches the mind. |
| D．When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window. |
What kind of man is the writer?
| A．Open-minded and optimistic |
| B．diligent and generous |
| C．clever but selfish |
| D．kind but useless |
In the north of Scotland there is a lake called Loch Ness. It is the biggest lake in Britain. It is over thirty kilometres long and in places nearly 300 meters deep. It is cold and dark and not many people went there until after 1930. Then a road was made around the lake. Holiday makers began to use the road, and this was when the stories began.
Someone said that he had seen a monster in the lake. He said it was twelve meters long. It had a long neck and a small head. Then someone else said he had seen it. Others said the same thing and in 1933 a London doctor took a photo. It looked like a monster with a long neck and a thick body but the photo was not dear. The newspapers printed the picture and called it the Loch Ness monster, or "Nessie".
Then the argument began. Some people, however, were certain there was something living in the lake. Others said there was nothing there.
In 1961, a lot of people joined together to make a real effort to see and photograph the monster if there was one! Several times people thought they saw something but after ten years there was still no real proof.
Later underwater television cameras were used, but no one found any real proof. However, they did find something interesting: a huge underwater cave. It was big enough to be home of a monster, but of course, this was not a proof.
In 1975, however, some American scientists formed a search group. They used an underwater camera. It took pictures every seventy seconds. Some of the pictures seemed to show a red-brown creature. Its body was about four meters long and had a very ugly head on the end of a four meter neck. Many people then began to believe in the monster. But even today we can not be certain.Before 1930, ____.
| A．few people went to Loch Ness Lake |
| B．many people had been there |
| C．nobody went to the lake |
| D．nobody knew about the lake |
What did the monster look like?
| A．It looked like a horse. |
| B．It was a creature with a long neck and a small head. |
| C．It looked beautiful. |
| D．It was tiny and pretty. |
Who first took a photo of the monster?
| A．An American |
| B．A television camera |
| C．A holiday-maker |
| D．A doctor from London |
A search group formed by some American scientists.
| A．found the monster itself |
| B．found a huge cave under water |
| C．believed that there wasn't any monster at all |
| D．took some pictures which seemed to show a monster |
Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.What is the text mainly about?
| A．The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. |
| B．A special fish living in freezing waters. |
| C．The ice shelf around Antarctica. |
| D．Protection of the Antarctic cod. |
Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
| A．The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃. |
| B．It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture. |
| C．A special protein keeps it from freezing. |
| D．Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．A type of ice-salt mixture. | B．A newly found protein. |
| C．Fish blood. | D．Sugar molecule. |
What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．sugar | B．ice |
| C．blood | D．molecule |
May : Happenings from the past
May 5,1884
Isaac Murphy , son of a slave and perhaps the greatest horse rider in American history , rides Buchanan to win his first Kentucky Derby . He becomes the first rider ever to win the race three times .
May 9 , 1754
Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette produces perhaps the first American political cartoon （漫画）, showing a snake cut in pieces, with the words “ Join or Die” printed under the picture.
May 11,1934
The first great dust storm of the Great Plains Dust Bowl , the result of years of drought，blows topsoil all the way to New York City and Washington , D.C. .
May 19, 1994
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis , former first lady and one of the most famous people of the 1960s , died of cancer in New York City at the age of 64 .
May 24, 1844
Samuel F.B. Morsr taps out the first message , “ What Hath God Wrought ,” over the experimental long-distance telegraph line which runs from Washington, D.C. , to Baltimeore , Md .We know from the text that Buchanan is_____________.
| A．Isaac”s father |
| B．a winning horse |
| C．a slave taking care if horses |
| D．the first racing horse in Kentucky |
What is the title of the first American political cartoon ?
| A．Join or Die | B．Pennsylvania Gazette |
| C．What Hath God Wrought | D．Kentucky Derby |
In which year did the former first lady Jacqueline die ?
| A．1934 | B．1960 |
| C．1964 | D．1994 |
Which of the following places has to do with the first telegram in history ?
A. Washington , D. C. B. New York City
C. Kentucky. D. Pennsylvania
Doctors say anger can be an very harmful emotion unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that angry feelings can lead to heart disease， stomach problems， headaches， emotional problems and possibly cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger， losing control of themselves. But other people repress their anger. They cannot or will not express it.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person’s health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry， the brain gives off the same hormones（激素）that are produced during tense situations. They speed the heart rate， raise blood pressure， or sugar into the blood and narrow the blood vessels（脉管）to the interstices（空隙）. In general， the person feels excited and ready to act.
Doctors said that repressing these feelings only makes the feelings continue. And this can lead to many medical problems. Doctors thought a person could prevent these problems by letting the anger out by expressing it freely. But recently some doctors held a different view. They said that people who express anger repeatedly and violently did become， in fact， more and not less angry.
They said this，too，can cause medical problems.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease， and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger， and then decide if the cause is serious. If it is， they say： “Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably. ”What does the phrase repress anger mean？
| A．Forget one’s anger. |
| B．Express one’s anger openly. |
| C．Treat one’s anger calmly and reasonably. |
| D．Keep one’s anger inside. |
Repressing anger is considered to be dangerous because of all the following except that _____.
| A．the heart rate increases |
| B．the blood pressure rises |
| C．the blood contains sugar |
| D．some blood vessels become thinner |
When you get angry，which of the following should you do for the good of health？
| A．Repressing the anger. |
| B．Expressing the anger. |
| C．Learning how to make a deal. |
| D．Treating the anger properly. |
What is the central topic of this passage about？
| A．The different ways of dealing with anger. |
| B．The dangers of anger and the solution. |
| C．New medical discoveries. |
| D．The argument between the new and old views about anger. |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother‘s Day，on the second Sunday in May，and Father’s Day，on the third Sunday in June.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents.They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens.They give love and care.These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers.More mothers now work outside the home.More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations（康乃馨）.A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home，as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents.These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important，but it is “the thought that counts.”Greeting card stores，florists，candy makers，bakeries，telephone companies，and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents？
| A．Parents bring up children |
| B．Parents give love and care to children |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up |
What do you know from the passage？
| A．Mother‘s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
On Mother‘s Day and Father’s Day，____ .
| A．people usually have family parties |
| B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery |
| C．children always go to parents’home |
| D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts |
What do you think “florists”do？
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make bread or pastry. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother‘s Day and Father’s Day. |