A young man returns to his hometown of Aractataca, Colombia. He visits the house where he lived as a child. Here, he remembers the most important memories of his childhood. Standing in front of his old house, the young man makes an important decision. He says to himself, “I will start my life over again. I will become a writer.”
This man is the world famous writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1928. During his early life, Garcia Marquez’s grandmother and grandfather told him many stories. His grandmother would tell him legends as if they were real. Garcia Marquez says that his grandmother’s way of storytelling later influenced his own methods.
When Garcia Marquez was about 20 years old, he left Aractataca and attended university in Bogota. He began studying law because this was what his father wanted him to study. However, Garcia Marquez was not happy.
During this time Garcia Marquez returned to Aractataca. It was on this visit that he realized he must stop studying law. And he recognized that he must return to the dream of his childhood-writing. For the next few years, Garcia Marquez wrote for many different newspapers. And in 1955, he published his first book called “Leaf Storm”.
For many years, Garcia Marquez knew he wanted to write about his grandfather’s house in Aractataca. To write this book, Garcia Marquez and his wife had to sell almost all of their possessions to survive. But their act was worth it. The book, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was immediately successful. And this book created a path for Garcia Marquez’s future success.
In 1982, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was given the Nobel Prize in Literature for his book “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, making him the first Colombian and the fourth Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Who influenced Garcia Marquez’s writing style?
| A．His grandfather. | B．His father. |
| C．His grandmother. | D．His wife. |
Garcia decided to take up writing_________.
| A．when he worked for a newspaper |
| B．under the influence of his family |
| C．when he graduated from college |
| D．after a visit to his hometown |
Garcia’s book “One Hundred Years of Solitude” .
| A．was written in the 1950s |
| B．enjoyed a quick success |
| C．helped Garcia lead a better life |
| D．was about Garcia’s grandfather |
What do we know from the text about Garcia Marquez?
| A．He is the first Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. |
| B．He wrote for newspapers before publishing his own books. |
| C．His book “Leaf Storm” marked his great success in literature. |
| D．He followed his father’s wish to become a writer. |
Four out of ten women who diet end up heavier than when they started watching their waistline（腰围），a study revealed today. The research also showed that a large percentage of women started noticing the pounds creeping back on just 21 days after reaching their ideal weight.
Yesterday, Dr Ian Campbell of the Jenny Craig Weight Management Program said ： "In the UK 61. 4 percent of adults are over-weight or obese. Successful weight management requires a long-term commitment in order to lose weight successfully and for good. Dieting can be a real challenge so setting realistic goals and remaining focused on them is important. Otherwise as this research shows, women could end up heavier than when they started. "
The "Food, Body, Mind" report was publicized by Jenny Craig who quizzed 2，000 women aged between 18 and 65 who diet regularly on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors around weight loss. Six in ten said they were on a diet then and one in five women said they were on a " continuous diet".
It found the most common triggers to start dieting was seeing their " reflection in the mirror"，preparing for a summer holiday or unflattering photos posted on social networking sites. Other popular reasons include comments by friends or relatives or their other half.
However, the study showed that one in ten give up within one day, while almost a fifth manage to make it to a week or more. The average is ten days. Many blamed pressure they put on themselves to lose weight too quickly for the weight gain, which leaves them with a bigger appetite than normal. Others blamed colleagues, who tuck into fatty lunches and snacks unaware of the effect it has on the dieters, while mothers' polishing off their children's leftovers（剩饭）was an-other common cause of weight gain. Which of the following might be the best title for this article?
| A．Three reasons to fail in dieting |
| B．Important things for successful diet |
| C．Obesity-a problem for 61. 4% adults in the UK |
| D．Four in ten women gain weight on diets |
Women who go on a diet __________.
| A．are all overweight or obese |
| B．are likely to gain weight again after reaching their ideal weight |
| C．all fail because they are not persistent enough |
| D．all end up heavier than when they start to diet |
The underlined word "triggers" in Paragraph 4 probably means __________.
| A．effects |
| B．examples |
| C．causes |
| D．imagination |
Which of the following is NOT the reason that many people quit dieting very soon?
| A．The pressure they put on themselves to lose weight quickly. |
| B．Colleagues who tuck into fatty lunches and snacks. |
| C．Reflections they see in the mirror. |
| D．Leftovers of children's taken by their mothers. |
The website FarmersOnly. com calls itself an online dating and friendship finder. The idea started in the mind of a man, Jerry Miller in Ohio. He wondered how farmers could meet new people who understand the life of a farmer. Jerry Miller is not a farmer but he represents a lot of farmers.
As he tells it, the idea for the site was planted when a farmer told him one day that she was recently divorced and would like to date. But someone would invite her to meet for coffee at nine o'clock at night, when she had to start her day at five the next morning.
So, in 2005，Jerry Miller launched his website. "You don't have to be a farmer to be on FarmersOnly. com. But you do have to have the good old-fashioned traditional values of America's heartland. "
You also have to live in the United States or Canada to be a member of the site. Some services are free, but a full membership costs fifty dollars for a year. As of last week the site listed more than58，000 members. Many of them are farmers in the United States. Others are students or workers involved in some way with agriculture. Jerry Miller tells us about thirty marriages in the last year have resulted from his website.
Some farmers have also found love through a group, Singles in Agriculture, which was formed as a nonprofit organization in 1986. It organizes gatherings that usually end with a dance, but is not a dating service. The purpose is to support educational and social activities that offer people a chance for friendship. Its website, singlesinag. org, says there are more than 1，000 members across the nation and as far away as France. Jerry Miller started FarmersOnly. com in order to __________.
| A．help farmers |
| B．support traditions |
| C．understand farmers |
| D．represent farmers |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 indicate?
| A．She dislikes city lifestyle. |
| B．She prefers late night coffee. |
| C．Country life isn't well understood. |
| D．It's tiring to get up early. |
Which of the following is true of singlesinag. org?
| A．Its services are free. |
| B．It provides dating services. |
| C．Only farmers can become its members. |
| D．Farmers in France can't benefit from it. |
It can be inferred from the text that __________.
| A．all farmers desire marriage |
| B．farmers are easy to meet new people |
| C．more farmers get divorced in the USA |
| D．the Internet helps improve farmers' social life |
Mark Twain was a famous American writer. He wrote many stories and many of them were very funny. These stories are still read by many people all over the world. Besides writing, he also liked hunting and fishing very much, so one year he went to Maine（缅因州）for a holiday and spent three very pleasant weeks in the woods there.
When he had to go back home, he went to the station with his baggage. There he asked a porter（搬运工）to put it into the train. Then he got into the smoking car and sat down in one of the comfortable seats there. The car was empty when he got in, but a few minutes later, another man got in and sat down on the seat opposite his. Mark Twain looked at the man and thought that this man looked quite unpleasant. However, it would be impolite to say nothing in that situation, so he said good morning to the man, and they began to talk.
First they talked about the heavy snow and then they talked about Maine. The stranger said，"We have some beautiful woods in Maine. It would be a pity to come to Maine without spending some time there. I suppose you have been in our woods, haven't you?" "Yes, I have，"answered Mark Twain. "I've just spent three weeks there and I had a very good time, too. And let me tell you something. Although fishing isn't allowed in Maine during this season, I've got two hundred pounds of beautiful fish with my baggage in this train. I like to eat fish, so I packed it in ice to take it home with me. May I ask who you are, sir?"
The stranger looked at Mark Twain for several seconds and then answered，"I'm a police officer. My job is to catch people who hunt and fish during the wrong seasons. And who are you?"
Mark Twain was surprised and frightened when he heard this. He thought quickly and then answered，"Well, I'll tell you, sir. I'm the man who tells the biggest lies in America. " What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Mark Twain and a porter. |
| B．The stranger and a police. |
| C．The porter and a police. |
| D．Mark Twain and the police. |
We can infer that Mark Twain had been to the woods in Maine in __________.
| A．summer |
| B．autumn |
| C．winter |
| D．spring |
Which of the following statements about Mark Twain is NOT TRUE?
| A．Writing, hunting and fishing were his favourites. |
| B．His fish was delivered home by train. |
| C．He felt pity for not spending some time in Maine. |
| D．in fact, he told lies to the police officer at last. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Mark Twain was one of the biggest liars in America. |
| B．The stranger was impolite to Mark Twain in the smoking car. |
| C．Mark Twain went to the woods in Maine for writing stories. |
| D．The stranger was the one who caught people fishing in winter. |
You may have heard of the man who decided to repair the roof of his house. To be safe, he tied a rope around his waist and threw the other end of it over the top of the house. He asked his son to tie it to something secure. The boy fastened the safety rope to the bumper(保险杠) of their car parked in the driveway. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But a little while later, his wife, unaware of the rope securing her husband, she started the car and drove away. Imagine what the result would be.
This story, factual or not, points to a great truth. It is a truth about where we place our security; about those things to which we’ve tied our safety lines. What is your rope tied to? Think about it. What do you depend on to keep you from disaster? Is your rope tied to a good job? Is it tied to a relationship with somebody you rely on? Is it tied to a company or an organization?
Writer Susan Taylor tells of discovering how unreliable some of our safety lines really are. She tells of lying in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she fell out of bed and managed to go to the doorway, watching in horror as her whole house cracked down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of bricks. She lost everything — every button, every dish, her automobile, every article of clothing. Susan trembled, scared and crying, in the darkness. In the early morning she cried and called out for help.
Thoroughly exhausted, she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers instead of crying. So she grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive and, amazingly enough, unhurt.
She thought about her situation. In the stillness, fear abandoned her and a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness flooded in, the likes of which she had never before known. It was an experience that was to change her life forever.
In the deepest part of her being, Susan realized a remarkable truth. She realized she had nothing to fear. Amazingly, whether or not she was ever rescued, whether she ever made it out alive, she sensed she had nothing to fear.
For the first time in her life she understood that her true security did not depend on those things in which she had placed her trust. It lay deep within. And also for the first time, she knew what it was to be content in all circumstances. She realized that whether she had plenty or hardly enough, somehow she would be all right. She just knew it. She later wrote, “Before the quake I appeared very successful, but my life was out of balance. I wasn’t happy because I had been making money and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship — I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along…There’s a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us.”
She had tied her rope to the wrong things. It took a disaster for her to understand that those things are not trustworthy. So she let go of the rope and discovered peace. She found that her true security was a power within- dependable and sure.
What is your rope tied to? And what would happen if you found the courage to let go of it?In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the man to___________.
| A．describe a scene | B．introduce a topic |
| C．offer an argument | D．satisfy the readers’ curiosity |
If the story of the man was true, the most probable result would be that___________.
| A．the bumper of the car broke up |
| B．the house was destroyed by the car |
| C．the man was badly injured or even killed |
| D．the wife was scolded by her husband |
Why was Susan crying in the darkness?
| A．Because she was afraid of staying in the dark. |
| B．Because she wanted to be heard by the rescuers. |
| C．Because she was frightened and felt helpless. |
| D．Because she had tied her rope to the wrong thing. |
What did Susan feel after she thought about her situation?
| A．She felt she was still alive. |
| B．She felt very peaceful. |
| C．She felt completely hopeless. |
| D．She wanted to change her life forever. |
How did Susan like interpersonal relationship and income before the earthquake?
| A．They were meaningless. |
| B．They were very important. |
| C．They were unnecessary. |
| D．They were among some choices. |
Which of the following should be the best title?
| A．An Experience from an Earthquake. | B．A Rope Tied to a Car. |
| C．Please Let Go of Your Trust. | D．What to Depend on. |
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you had a hundred dollars less. Also imagine what it would be like spending the rest of your life with you eyes closed. Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your fingertips.
With existing medical knowledge and skills, two-thirds of the world’s 42 million blind should not have to suffer. Unfortunately, rich countries posses most of this knowledge, while developing countries do not.
ORBIS is an international non-profit organization which operates the world’s only flying teaching eye hospital. ORBIS intends to help fight blindness worldwide. Inside a DC-8 aircraft, there is a fully-equipped teaching hospital with television studio and classroom. Doctors are taught the latest techniques of bringing sight back to people there. Project ORBIS also aims at promoting peaceful cooperation among countries.
ORBIS tries to help developing countries by providing training during three-week medical programs. ORBIS has taught sight-saving techniques to over 35,000 doctors and nurses, who continue to cure tens of thousands of blind people every year. ORBIS has conducted 17 plane programs in China so far. For the seven to ten million blind in China, ORBIS is planning to do more for them. At the moment an ORBIS is working on a long-term plan to develop a training center and to provide eye care service to Shanxi Province. ORBIS needs your help to continue their work and free people from blindness.
For just US$38,you can help one person see; for $380 you can bring sight to 10 people; $1,300 helps teach a doctor new skills; and for $13,000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your money can open their eyes to the world. Please help ORBIS improve the quality of life for so many people less fortunate than ourselves.The first paragraph is intended to ______.
| A．introduce a new way of reading |
| B．advise the public to lead a simple life |
| C．direct the public’s attention to the blind |
| D．encourage the public to use imagination |
What do we learn about existing medical knowledge and skills in the world?
| A．They are enough. |
| B．They are not equally distributed(分布，分配). |
| C．They have not been updated. |
| D．They have benefited most of the blind. |
ORRIS aims to help the blind by ______.
| A．teaching medical students |
| B．training doctors and nurses |
| C．running flying hospitals globally |
| D．setting up non-profit organization |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．ORRIS in China | B．Fighting Blindness |
| C．Sight-seeing Techniques | D．ORRIS Flying Hospital |