An incredible dog has mastered more than just the doggy paddle (狗刨式游泳) — the golden brown pet helps disabled children learn how to surf. Ricochet’s owner Judy Fridono said, “I was working with her at balance and coordination (协作). Her balance is so good that she can help to stabilize the board for the kids. And it makes them feel good to know that Ricochet is there with them, keeping them company.”
After becoming an expert, two-year-old Ricochet helps the disabled children build up the confidence to get on the board themselves. Dressed in a yellow jacket, Ricochet helps to counter-balance the board and acts as a reassuring presence.
Ms. Fridono knows what an impact her beloved dog can have. She herself was severely disabled since her teens. Having Ricochet around lifts her spirits, and inspires her to conquer her pain to get on the board. “Ricochet has taught me to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can’t,” she said.
One of those who have benefited from Ricochet’s skills is six-year-old Ian McFarland. In 2008 a car crash left him with brain damage. Although he had loved surfing before the accident, he was too nervous to go back into the water. His fear turned to excitement, when he was told he could try a tandem (双人) surf session with Ricochet. Their session was a success and by the end of it, Ian was smiling from ear to ear. As well as helping with treatments, Ricochet also raised £5,000 to help continue Ian’s recovery.
Over the last 10 months, Ricochet’s excellent performances on the sea have raised more than £30,000 for a number of charity causes.
According to the passage, Ricochet is .
| A．a dog | B．a doctor |
| C．a dog owner | D．a disabled boy |
What role does Ricochet play according to the passage?
| A．She acts as a pet to please its owner. |
| B．She accompanies the disabled children at home. |
| C．She works as a guide dog for the blind |
| D．She helps the disabled children learn to surf. |
Which statement can best describe Ricochet?
| A．The two-year-old dog is severely disabled. |
| B．Ricochet helps youngsters build up their confidence. |
| C．Ricochet helps youngsters in their daily life. |
| D．Ricochet is a lifesaver on the sea. |
（共15小题; 每小题2分，满分30分）
A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty jar and started to fill it with rocks. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, and give a dinner party. Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities(优先). The rest is just sand.”The professor filled an empty jar with rocks to ________.
| A．teach a life lesson |
| B．make an experiment |
| C．show the large jar |
| D．recognize the jar |
What did the professor think were the most important things in his life?
| A．Rocks, pebbles and sand. |
| B．House, job and car. |
| C．Family, health and children. |
| D．Work, house and party. |
The underlined word “pebbles” in the first paragraph probably refers to ________.
| A．tasty cokes |
| B．round stones |
| C．glass balls |
| D．sweet potatoes |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Take Care of the Rocks |
| B．An Important Lesson |
| C．A Jar Full of Happiness |
| D．The Important Things In Life |
Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents. Instead, they have to search hard for information from dinosaurs’ fossils (恐龙化石) because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
It’s very difficult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils. Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place. They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck (陷入) all at once, or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries. Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone.
Though there are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups. “That’s pretty much settled at this point,” says Paul Sereno. A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together.
As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs-birds and crocodiles-for possible models. Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water. The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same.
There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered. Dinosaur scientists, will have to find more proof to reach an agreement.Dinosaur scientists can get information directly by.
| A．studying dinosaur fossils |
| B．examining modern animals |
| C．watching dinosaurs |
| D．using telescopes |
What is pretty much settled according to Paul Sereno?
| A．Half of the dinosaurs lived alone. |
| B．Most dinosaurs moved long distances. |
| C．Many dinosaurs settled in the north. |
| D．Some dinosaurs lived in big groups. |
Dinosaur scientists can probably know whether dinosaurs were good parents by .
| A．watching many kinds of animals |
| B．studying dinosaurs’ living relatives |
| C．following the tracks left behind |
| D．working on dug-out dinosaur eggs |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the 4th paragraph?
| A．Birds hardly pay attention to their young. |
| B．Baby crocodiles can look after themselves well. |
| C．Some dinosaurs took care of their young. |
| D．Birds and crocodiles take good care of their young. |
The expression “Go for it!” is a way of encouraging someone to try something. “Go for it!” means you should not worry about failure or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly.
“Go for it!” gets name from football. Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada.
One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. The team must make a critical decision.
The conservative (保守) choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed.
People present are certain to shout their advice. Some will shout: “Kick the ball!” But others will encourage the team to take a chance. “Go for it!” they will scream.
In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely.
There is no guarantee (保证) that the action you “go for it” will succeed. But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it. You put your fears behind. You choose courage over safety. You hold your breath and go for it.The expression “Go for it!” comes from .
| A．English football | B．Egyptian football |
| C．Japanese football | D．American football |
According to the passage, when we decide to go for it, we only consider .
| A．safety | B．action | C．result | D．situation |
In which of the following situations should we use the expression nowadays?
| A．We decide to avoid trouble or danger for the future. |
| B．We try to improve our English for better education. |
| C．We need to make a quick decision at the last moment. |
| D．We have to make a choice between success and failure. |
We’re trying to decide where to go on our vacation this summer. We usually go to the Lake Arrowhead for a few weeks, but we’d like to go somewhere else this year. We’re tired of doing the same thing summer after summer. Some friends of ours suggested that we go to Hawaii. That would be wonderful! I’m sure we’d enjoy a trip like that, but of course it’s out of the question. In the first place, it would be rather expensive, and in the second place, there wouldn’t be enough time. If we’re lucky enough to save some money between now and next summer, and if I’m lucky enough to get four weeks of vacation instead of two weeks, maybe we can go to Hawaii next year. As a matter of fact, if we wanted to plan a trip like that, it might be advisable to stay home this summer and not go any place. That’s one way we could begin to save some money for next year’s trip. Also, if we were to stay here, I could offer to work instead of taking two weeks off; then maybe my boss would suggest that I be given four weeks’ vacation next summer instead of two weeks.The authorto spend their vacation this year.
| A．is going to Hawaii |
| B．will go to Lake Arrowhead |
| C．has decided to go nowhere |
| D．hasn’t decided where to go |
The sentence “it’s out of the question” means “”.
| A．it is possible | B．it is a question |
| C．it is impossible | D．it is not a question |
If the author wanted to make a trip to Hawaii, he might this year.
| A．save some money |
| B．stay at home |
| C．work rather than take two weeks off |
| D．all the above |
A trip to Hawaii that to Lake Arrowhead.
| A．costs much more than | B．costs as much as |
| C．takes less time than | D．takes as much time as |
阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification(资格证书) if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I’ve got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren’t top of the class at school.What is the author’s present job?
| A．Working part-time in a college |
| B．Taking care of children for a family. |
| C．Helping children with their schoolwork. |
| D．Looking after children at a kindergarten. |
When staying with the two girls’ family, the author.
| A．was paid for extra work |
| B．often worked long hours |
| C．got much help from her boss |
| D．took a day off every other week |
Why did the author leave her first job?
| A．She found a full-time job. |
| B．She was fed up with children. |
| C．She decided to attend a part-time course. |
| D．She needed a rest after working extra hours. |
What has the author learned from her own experiences?
| A．Less successful students can still have a career. |
| B．Qualifications are necessary for a career. |
| C．Hard work makes an excellent student. |
| D．One must choose the job she likes. |