Golden sunlight danced in the treetops, and children’s laughter filled the park. The smell of popcorn played on the breeze, and life seemed good. It was one of the happiest Saturday mornings I had spent with my little daughter, Gigi.
That was, until two strangers threw her into their car and sped away. It seemed like a bad dream. I could barely whisper when the police questioned me. For hours we waited, but there wasn’t any news.
“Go home, Ma’am,” the police officer said. “We’ll monitor your telephone. Trust me, we’ll find her.” After what had just happened, it was hard for me to trust anything.
My friend Gloria came over that afternoon. “I heard about Gigi on the radio. Everyone is looking for the car. The interstates are all blocked.” She took my hand and said, “Look here. I want you to have this picture and pray with me.”
It was a picture of a little girl sound asleep in her bed. Standing by the bed was a tall, blond angel. His hand was touching the girl’s shoulder as he smiled down at her.
“I’m too exhausted for any hocus-pocus right now, Gloria! I want my daughter home!” I screamed, and then began sobbing. Gloria placed the photo on our desk and knelt down beside me. “Just pray with me,” she said, holding my hand.
I had no strength left, so we prayed and waited what seemed an eternity. But the phone never rang.
Suddenly, the front door swung open. There stood Gigi. “Gigi! Thank God!” I cried, throwing my arms around her, “Where did those men take you? How did you get home? Did the police find you?”
“No Mommy!” said Gigi. “I was really scared because those men said they were taking me far away. We were going really fast. But then a tall man walked out in front of the car, and they ran off the road and hit a tree.” Then the tall man ran up and opened the car door and pulled me out. He was really nice, and said I would be okay now. He must have brought me home because then I woke up here in front of our house.”
“But who... how did he know... where to bring you?” My voice broke and trailed to a whisper.
“I don’t know, Mommy,” Gigi said.
Just then Gigi noticed Gloria’s picture on the desk. “That’s him!” She gave a loud cry, pointing at the picture. “That’s him! Except he didn’t have wings, and he was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. But that’s him exactly. I’d remember him anywhere!”
Later that night, the police found the injured kidnappers. When questioned, the driver remembered making a sharp turn to avoid hitting a tall blond man.
Twenty years have gone by. Nobody claims to have rescued Gigi and there have been no logical explanations for Gigi’s miraculous escape.
There have always been things that people can’t explain. But, from that day forward, I believe that all experiences, positive and negative, are given to us for our strengthening and learning.
Gigi keeps Gloria’s picture on her desk, and she remembers her angelic friend. And, like my daughter, I have a faith that has carried me through many trials since that day many years ago.The writer describes a happy scene at the beginning of the passage to ___.
| A．introduce a topic |
| B．attract readers’ attention |
| C．show the beauty of nature |
| D．make a sharp contrast |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the pray together with Gloria?
| A．Curious | B．Grateful |
| C．Doubtful | D．Causal |
The main reason why the kidnappers could be arrested was that _____.
| A．the police followed and caught them |
| B．Gloria’s best friend helped the police to find them |
| C．an angel spotted them and took them to the police station |
| D．they had an accident when a tall man tried to stop their car |
What can be best title for the passage?
| A．picture of an angle | B．power of God |
| C．Gigi’s escape | D．Mommy’s anxiety. |
Fluency(流利) in another language is one of the most important aims of a newcomer to another country. In addition, understanding the culture and learning to communicate comfortably with people of that culture are as important as learning the rules of the language. Language learning and culture learning go together and may take a long time.
Sometimes people feel that they understand a culture after a few weeks or months. People do learn a lot when they first begin living in another culture, but this is only the first stage of learning. It usually involves(含包) things like learning everyday activities and some basic customs.
To really understand another culture, people have to go beyond the first stage, this is challenge(挑战) because it is often difficult to know what to learn. Much of what we call “culture” is hard to see.
Culture is like an iceberg(冰川). Picture in your mind a huge iceberg in the ocean. The only part of the iceberg that you see is the tip. You don’t see the rest of the iceberg because it is hidden from sight in the water. It is easy to forget that it is there. Most of the iceberg is deep within the ocean, just as much of a culture is deep within its people.
When you meet someone from another culture, certain culture differences are obvious: You hear another language or you hear your own language spoken with an accent. You see different foods, clothes and sometimes physical characteristics of people. You observe new customs or habits, such as the use of chopsticks, and, bowing or kissing on both cheeks as a greeting. These differences are interesting and important, but they are usually not too difficult to understand. They are visible so they are seen easily and quickly.
The part of culture that is like the underwater part of the iceberg consists of assumptions(设想), communication styles, values, and beliefs about what is right and wrong. The hidden part of culture affects much of a person’s way of thinking and communicating. It is the meaning behind his or her verbal (言语的) and nonverbal language. Learning to communicate well with people from another culture involves becoming aware of the hidden part of culture.What’s the subject of this passage?
| A．Learning about culture. | B．Language learning. |
| C．The hidden part of the iceberg. | D．Fluency in another language. |
What is learning about culture?
| A．Learning the hidden part of the iceberg, which is underwater. |
| B．Learning everyday activities and some basic customs. |
| C．Learning the culture of an iceberg. |
| D．Learning the visible as well as the hidden differences of culture. |
The underlined phrase “consists of” can be replaced by “______”.
| A．lies in | B．is made up of | C．agrees with | D．is different from |
What conclusion can we draw after reading this passage?
| A．Values and beliefs are like the tip of the iceberg. |
| B．People often become aware of the hidden part of culture. |
| C．The tip of the iceberg is larger than the hidden part. |
| D．The hidden part of culture has a great effect on people’s communication styles. |
SPECIAL EVENTS(事件)
THIS WEEKEND
Captain Goodfellow
Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00, free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The Workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898.
International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 p.m.
Take Me out to the Ballgame
It’s October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold… Don’t forget sweaters and jackets.
Do you want to hear “The Zoo”?
“The Zoo, a popular group from Australia, will give their first U.S. concert tomorrow night at 8 at Rose Hall, City College.You can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arab food ________.
| A．at the front entrance of City Hall | B．at the Ballgame |
| C．at 5:00 p.m. | D．at Central Park on Saturday |
If you are going on the Walking Tour, don’t forget ________.
| A．your worries | B．your beautiful walk |
| C．your learning about local history | D．your comfortable shoes |
You may see this passage in ________.
| A．a British newspaper | B．an American newspaper |
| C．a British magazine | D．an American magazine |
A good way to pass an examination is to work hard every day in the year. You may fail in the examination if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the examination. A few days before the examination you should start going to bed early. Do not stay up late at night learning things. Before you start the examination, read carefully over the question paper. Try to understand the exact meaning of each question before you pick up your pen to write. When you have at last finished your examinations, read over your answers. Correct any mistake that you see and make sure that you have not missed anything out. “Stay up late at night” here means .
| A．sleeping in bed | B．just sitting up without doing anything |
| C．walking about in the room | D．working far into the night |
The first thing to do after you get the question paper is to .
| A．start to answer questions | B．work the difficult problems |
| C．have a look at the titles | D．read it very carefully |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
| A．You must not hand in the examination paper before you check your answers. |
| B．You must wait till others point out mistakes in your paper. |
| C．You must first hand in your paper then correct the mistakes. |
| D．You must be the last to hand in your paper. |
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921. The British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland. In the north, is part of the united kingdom. The republic of Ireland. In the south. Is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes ,was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of bunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work , forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”, Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different are as have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.what does the author tell us in paragraph 1 ?
| A．how the Irish fought against the English. |
| B．how Ireland gained independence. |
| C．how English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
| D．how two ”Irelands” came into being. |
we learn from the text that in Ireland____________.
| A．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
| B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
| C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
| D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
the last paragraph is mainly about____________.
| A．the Irish character |
| B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments |
| D．a famous Irish writer |
what can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland | B．A very difficult history |
| C．Ireland, past and present | D．the independence of Ireland |
How often one hears children wishing they were grown up, and the old wishing they were young again! Each age has its pleasure and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting any time in useless regrets.
Children is a time when there are few duties to make life hard. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after, and loved whatever he may do. It’s impossible for him to be given so much again in his life without having to do anything in return. Besides, life is always giving new things to the child. A child finds pleasure in playing in the rain, or in the snow. His first visit to the seaside makes him wild. But a child has his pains; he is not so free to do as he wishes. He is continually being told not to do this, not to do that, or being punished for what he has done wrong. His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
When the young man starts to make his own living, he becomes free from the rules of school and parents; but at the time he is forced to accept duties. He can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes and his room, but has to work for them if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry and suffer. And if he breaks the law of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison, lf, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble, and has good health, he can have the great happiness of seeing himself make steady progress in his job and of building up his own position in society and enjoy success and good reputation..
Old age has always been thought of as the worst age to be, but it is not necessary for the old to be unhappy. Old age has its own happiness. They can have the joy of seeing their children making progress in life; they can watch their grandchildren growing up around them and, perhaps, best of all, they can, if their life has been a useful one, feel the happiness of having come through the battle of life safely and of having reached a time when they can lie back and rest, leaving others to continue the fight.The main reason children wish they were grown up, and the old wish they were young again is that ______.
| A．both aren’t satisfied with the weak points at their ages |
| B．both enjoy the strong points at the other age by looking back or looking forward |
| C．the human beings should be like this |
| D．they don’t think both ages are acceptable |
“Enjoy what each age gives him without wasting time in useless regrets” means ______.
| A．Enjoy what is given to him by people at his age, feeling regrets |
| B．Enjoy himself at his own age, feeling regrets for a waste of time |
| C．Make full use of the time he is given at his age instead of regretting having no achievements |
| D．Enjoy his own age and look down on the people at other ages |
“Children is a time when there are few duties to make life hard” means “______”.
| A．Children shouldn’t be made to live a hard life |
| B．All the children won’t have to work for their own living |
| C．Children shouldn’t answer for the hard life they are leading |
| D．A child bas few duties to try hard to make a living for himself or for his seniors |
According to the passage, what is a child’s greatest dissatisfaction?
| A．He thinks he has not got the equal freedom as his seniors. |
| B．He thinks he knows less about things than the older do. |
| C．He thinks it easy for him to do something wrong. |
| D．He thinks the society doesn’t believe in him. |