Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother. Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months. "This will be like a walk in the park," he'd told his wife. "I'll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom."
Things started well, but just after eight o'clock, his three little "good kids"—Mike, Randy, and Alex—came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted "breakfast, daddy." When food had not appeared within thirty seconds, Randy began using his spoon on Alex's head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍). Mike chanted "Where's my toast, where's my toast," in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy's underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their very eyes. Someone named "Not Me" had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o'clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the family room, but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly11:17, Brad called the daycare centre(日托所). "I suddenly have to go into work and my wife's away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes? " The answer was obviously "yes" because Brad was smiling.When his wife left home, Brad expected to __________.
A.enjoy his first day off work |
B.watch TV talk show with his children |
C.go out for a walk in the park |
D.read the newspaper to his children |
Which of the following did Randy do?
A.Drawing on the wall. | B.Feeding the fish |
C.Eating apple jam | D.Reading in a room |
Why did Brad ask the daycare centre for help?
A.Because he wanted to clean up his house |
B.Because he suddenly had to go to his office. |
C.because he had to take his wife back home. |
D.Because he found it hard to manage his boys. |
This text is developed _________.
A.by space | B.by comparison |
C.by process | D.by time |
Did you ever look up at the moon and think you saw a man’s face there? When the moon is round and full, the shadows(影子) of the moon mountains and the lines of the moon valleys sometimes seem to show a giant nose and mouth and eyes. At least, some people think so.
If there were a man on the moon—instead of mountains and valleys that just look like the face of a man—what would he be like?
He would not be like anyone you know. He would not be like anyone anybody knows.
If the man on the moon were bothered by too much heat or cold the way Earth people are, he could not stay on the moon.
The moon becomes very, very hot. It becomes as hot as boiling water. And the moon becomes very, very cold. It becomes colder than ice.
Whatever part of the moon the sun shines on is hot and bright. The rest of the moon is cold and dark.
If the man on the moon had to breathe to stay alive, he couldn’t live on the moon because there’s no air there. He’d have to carry an oxygen tank, as astronauts do. There’s no food on the moon, either. Nothing grows—not even weeds(grass).
If the man on the moon liked to climb mountains, he would be very happy. There are many high places there, such as the raised land around the holes, or craters(火山口), of the moon. Some of these rims are as tall as Earth’s highest mountains.
But if the man on the moon liked to swim, he would be unhappy. There is no water on the moon—just dust and rock.
When you think of what it’s like on the moon, you may wonder why it interests our scientists. One reason is that the moon is Earth’s nearest neighbor—it is the easiest place in space to get to.
Going back and forth between the moon and Earth, astronauts will get a lot of practice in space travel. Things learned on moon trips will be of great help to astronauts who later take long, long trips to some of the planets.
Scientists are also interested in the moon because it has no air. The air that surrounds Earth cuts down the view of the scientists who look at the stars through telescopes. A telescope on the moon would give them a clearer, closer view of the stars.(words: 411)What is the reason why our scientists are interested in the moon.?
A.The moon is beautiful. |
B.The moon is different from the earth. |
C.The moon is Earth’s nearest neighbor—it is the easiest place in space to get to. |
D.The moon is the easiest place in space to get to and it has no air, unlike Earth. |
The underlined word “rim” in the Paragraph 8 means _________ .
A.ball | B.hill | C.round edge | D.height |
What is the main thought of the passage?
A.We can learn much from research on the Moon. |
B.There may be human beings on the moon. |
C.If there were a man on the Moon, there would be many similarities between the man on the Moon and on the Earth. |
D.A telescope on the Moon would help scientists have a clearer, closer sight of the stars. |
Everyone has got two personalities(性格)—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive(不坦率的)person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You’re very stubborn, but you aren’t very ambitious(有雄心的). You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up(卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive(提防的). You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed(压抑). You always say what you think even if it annoys people.(words: 278)According to the writer,you naturally show your secret and real personality _______.
A.only in a normal night |
B.only when you go to sleep |
C.only when you refuse to show yourself to the world |
D.only when you change sleeping position |
Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?
A.He or she is always open with others. |
B.He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
C.He or she is always easily upset. |
D.He or she tends(倾向) to believe in others. |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?
A.He or she is careful not to offend(冒犯) others. |
B.He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion. |
C.He or she likes to bring others happiness. |
D.He or she can’t be successful in any business. |
Maybe you don’t want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why?
A.He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
B.He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
C.He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
D.He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you. |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because __________.
A.he or she always shows sympathy for people |
B.he or she is confident,but not stubborn |
C.he or she has more strengths than weaknesses |
D.he or she often considers annoying people |
Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a self-effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.
Sometimes you remember things that did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remembered locking it carefully the night before.
Memory “trick” works the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber(理发师) shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.
We always seem to find something funny in incidents(小事) caused by people’s forgetfulness or absent-mindedness(心不在焉). Stories about absent-minded professors have been told for years, and we never got tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absent-mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “trick” of our memory can cause us great trouble. (words: 169)If you want to have a good memory, ________.
A.you should force yourself to remember things |
B.you should make a self-effort of practice and exercise |
C.you should never stop learning |
D.you should try hard to remember things |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.One night the writer forgot to lock the front door. |
B.One night the writer forgot having locked the front door. |
C.The writer remembered to lock the door. |
D.The writer remembered unlocking the front door. |
From the sentence "We never get tired of hearing new ones", we can infer that______.
A.we enjoy hearing new stories about absent-mindedness of professors |
B.we don’t want to know anything more about absent-mindedness of professors |
C.we will never get rid of(摆脱) listening to new stories about absent-mindedness |
D.absent-mindedness happens not only to professors but to many other people |
Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two or three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the mid-term exam, this test will not include multiple-choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays(文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (全面的), which means you’ll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your mid-term exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project (项目) will count as 20 percent and the mid-term exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday. (words: 176)What will be included in the exam?
A.There will be only multiple-choice questions. |
B.The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions. |
C.The exam will have an oral and a written sections. |
D.Therewill be only essay questions. |
Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
A.It will be easy to understand. |
B.Students will be tested on all the materials discussed in class. |
C.It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects. |
D.Students must complete all parts of it. |
The underlined phrase run into probably means.
A.go into | B.meet somebody unexpectedly |
C.come up against something with force | D.come across |
When was this talk most likely given?
A.During the first week of class | B.During mid-term week |
C.On the last day of class | D.On the last day of the exam week |
“Drink your milk. It’s good for you!” You’ve probably heard that many times, and it’s true. Milk contains calcium, which is a necessary nutrient for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. The U.S. government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free or low-fat milk at each meal.
Last Thursday, however, a group of doctors asked the government to remove milk from the lunch program. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says, “Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein, all of which have negative effects on health.” “One of the only reasons people talk about dairy, or promote it, is that it is going to help build strong bones.” says Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM. There are better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu. Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient.
Of course, calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but your genes, how much vitamin D you take in and getting an hour’s worth of exercise every day all play a part.
Some nutritionists disagree with the idea that milk isn’t important. Keri Gans, a dietitian, says, “I think it’s irresponsible to take away this beverage that children enjoy, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from the lunch line.”
The U.S. government is studying the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a long way off. Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University, puts it best: “Milk has nutrients. Other foods have the same nutrients. It’s just a food. Like other foods, too much might be a problem.”What is mainly talked about in the first paragraph?
A.The concern about students’ health. | B.Traditional attitudes towards milk. |
C.Ways to keep bones and teeth healthy. | D.The practice of the U.S. government. |
According to Dr. Neal Barnard, milk is preferred mainly because _____.
A.children like its taste | B.people ignore its disadvantages |
C.it contains more calcium than other foods | D.the calcium in it can build up bone strength |
We can learn from the text that _____.
A.bone strength is determined by many factors |
B.people’s diets shouldn’t contain animal protein |
C.the opinion of the PCRM will soon be accepted |
D.people should turn to vegetables for calcium |