A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus route was by the sea shore and I was enjoying the breeze (微风) while watching the sea waves. After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them curiously and realized that all the window seats were occupied (占据). They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my inner mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I occupied another seat and we parted our ways. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.
Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.
“Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.
Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”
She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”
Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”
She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?”
“Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.
The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?
A.Because they wanted to enjoy the sea view. |
B.Because they couldn’t sit together. |
C.Because there were no empty seats. |
D.Because they preferred to stand. |
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means that the author had a feeling that ______.
A.he wanted to do something special |
B.the sea wave made him upset |
C.a wave from the sea flooded him |
D.he wanted to make a sea wave in his heart |
The author’s act of kindness helped the young boy and the girl ______.
A.begin to talk to each other again after a quarrel |
B.sit together and become friends very soon |
C.clear up a misunderstanding between them |
D.know each other and get married |
From the story, we can conclude that ______.
A.small things can create great happenings in life |
B.it is giving rather than receiving that matters |
C.offering one’s seat to others may win respect |
D.we sometimes forget what happened in the past |
The best title for the passage would be “______”.
A.The empty seat on the bus | B.The pleasant travel |
C.The love on the bus | D.The bus ride |
Is there a magic cutoff period when children become responsible for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (audiences) in the lives of their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital passage waiting for doctors to put a few stitches(缝线) in my son’s head.I asked, “When do you stop worrying?” The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my thirties,I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked continually and disrupted the class.As if to read my mind, a teacher said.“Don’t worry.They all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open.A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves.Don’t worry; in a few years, you can stop worrying.They’ll be adults.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being weak.I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle.There was nothing I could do about it.My mother just smiled faintly andsaid nothing.
I continued to suffer from their failures, and be absorbed in their disappointments.My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life.I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted(萦绕心头) by my mother’s warm smile and her occasional “You look pale.Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home.Are you depressed about something?” Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
One of my children became quite anxious about me recently, saying, “Where w
ere you? I’ve been calling for three days, and no one answered.I was worried.”
I smiled a warm smile.The author intends to tell us in the passage that_______.
A.parents long for a period when they no longer worry about their children |
B.there is no time when parents have no worry about their children |
C.it’s parents’ duty to worry about their children |
D.there should be a period when parentsdon’t have to worry about their children |
We can infer from the underlined sentence “My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.” that ______.
A.her mother shared the same idea as the nurse |
B.her mother didn’t agree with the nurse |
C.her mother thought the nurse was lying |
D.her mother wouldn’t express her opinion upon the matter |
The author mentioned her ages of twenties, thirties, forties and fifty in order to show_______.
A.the hard times she experiences in her life |
B.the different stages of her children |
C.the support she received from her mother |
D.she had been worrying about her children in her life |
What can we infer from the last sentence?
A.The mother was happy that her child began to worry about her, too |
B.Finally the mother didn’t have to worry about her children |
C.At last the mother could live her own life without worry. |
D.The mother succeeded in turning her children into adults. |
Which of the following should be the best title?
A.Life | B.Parents | C.Worry | D.Children |
The cars were honking (鸣叫) on the road one morning as I was walking to the park.I walked on and soon found the cause — a little taxi that had got stuck in the middle of the road.There was sweat on the driver's face as he tried to start the engine again and again — nothing happened."No petrol,"
I said to myself and then found myself getting angry."Why doesn't the fool move his taxi to the side?" I thought, so did all the others who honked and shouted.
He got up tiredly, and the passenger in the taxi got out.He was a young man in a white shirt, who watched the driver try to push it to the side."Stupid guy!" I said."Can't he lend a helping hand?
I watched as the poor driver pushed it to the side.Cars, buses and trucks went past cursing (咒骂) the poor man.The young man took another taxi and went off.
The taxi driver began mending his taxi."Stupid passenger!" I said to him."He didn't help you!" The taxi driver slowly got up."Sir!" he asked, "Did you?" I looked at him guiltily, then looked away, and walked away fast, asking myself, "Did I help the poor man push his taxi?"
What had I been doing as the traffic jam took place? How had I helped deal with the problem? Did I help the poor man push his taxi? I’d done my bit, with my mouth.But never had I moved to solve the problem.I was shocked with guilt as I heard him asking, "Sir! Did you?"Why did a traffic jam happen on the road when the author was walking to the park?
A.There was too much traffic in the street. |
B.Truck drivers attempted to go ahead of others. |
C.A taxi driver couldn't start his engine. |
D.A young man wasn't good at driving. |
The author's attitude toward the passenger is that of __________.
A.anger | B.respect | C.sympathy | D.guilt |
Why did the author feel guilty?
A.Because he blamed the driver wrongly. |
B.Because he didn't help the driver, either. |
C.Because he tried to help but failed in the end. |
D.Because he didn't persuade the passenger to help. |
From the incident, the author learnt a lesson that we should _________.
A.criticize those who don't help |
B.hurt the self-respect of others no more |
C.think more of those who are in need |
D.stop talking and start to help |
阅读下列短文,根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格中填入恰当的单词。
注意:每个空格只填入一个单词。
About six years ago, I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked, “ So, how have you been?” And the boy---who could not have been more than seven or eight years old replied, “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident(小事) stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I hardly found out we were “ depressed” until we were in high school.
The evidence of changes in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is based not only on natural biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in gradual stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the past 30 years, however, a secret-revelation(提示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately (不加区分地), to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation(诱惑), many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.
Title: _______ in Today’s Children
Main comparisons |
Contexts |
Different( |
Children in the past just did what they were |
Children today act as if they were |
|
Different |
Children in the past |
Sometimes sadness |
|
Different |
Children in the past got knowledge in |
Children nowadays get some knowledge by |
Some 80 percent of graduate students in East China's Zhejiang province said in a survey they will give up trying to find jobs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, first-tier cities in China that have been considered dream places for many, because of the untouchable home prices and high living costs.
The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 job seekers who were attending Sunday's job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students. The survey showed graduates are becoming more realistic in their job search despite the job market becoming better.
The fair attracted more than 10,000 graduate students with 7,382 positions.
"The pressure of buying a house in Beijing is unbelievable," said Wang Jian from Nanjing Normal University, who acknowledged he had thought about finding a job in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, but in the face of huge pressures, he has no choice but to be "realistic."
People can have a very comfortable life in Nanjing with a monthly salary of between 3,000 yuan ($450) and 4,000 yuan, but in Shanghai, 5,000 yuan a month can only help you survive and buying a house will remain a dream,
A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology said he just turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a month because "living costs in Shanghai are too high."
An unnamed male student from Nanjing University said he will try first-tier cities only if he can get a high salary. "I would go to Beijing only if I can earn 200,000 yuan a year," he said.
"Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou once had the advantages that other cities don't have, but the high housing prices and living costs make young people barely able to breathe," said Ren Leiming from the job service center of Jiangsu's colleges and universities.
"First-tier cities have plenty of talents that make it hard for people to be outstanding, and if you go work in smaller cities you can become a dominant player at your position much more easily," said Ren.Tthe majority of graduate students will give up trying to find jobs in the first-tier cities
because
A it is not easy to find jobs there .
B. home prices and living costs there are very high.
C .they can’t make full use of their knowledge and skills there .
D. monthly salaries there are low compared with those in other cities .Which of the following statements is TRUE about the job market now ?
A. There are more job opportunities offered now
B The job markets are becoming more and more competitive .
C. Many graduate students are n’t satisfied with the working conditions
D Companies and enterprises have stricter rules to take in graduate students .We can learn from the news report that .
A. In Shanghai, 5,000 yuan a month can only help you buy a luxury house .
B. The fair attracted more than 10,000 graduate students and laid-off workers with 7,382 positions
C. The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 personnel managers who were attending Sunday's job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students.
D A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a monthThe words Ren said in the last paragraph mean .
A.people can’t achieve more in first-tier cities . |
B.people can easily be outstanding in smaller cities |
C.he would rather go to first-tier cities than smaller cities . |
D.talents are more welcome in first-tier cities than smaller ones |
The CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs’ story about death
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered(遇到)to help me make the big choice in life.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors’ code for preparing yourself to die.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. I was completely in despair. Later that evening, I had another biopsy(活组织检查)and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death. To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Your time is so limited that you shouldn’t waste it repeating someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma(教条)----which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart. It somehow already knows what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because_________.
A.he had to rest at home |
B.his disease was not serious at all |
C.his disease couldn’t be cured |
D.he had to wait for the result of the test |
How did the author feel after the diagnosis?
A.Angry | B.Excited | C.Optimistic | D.Hopeless |
What does the author think of death?
A.He thinks it is nothing to be scared of. |
B.He thinks it is not the end of life. |
C.He thinks it is impossible to avoid. |
D.He thinks it is the beginning of a new life |
In the author’s opinion, we should ____________.
A. follow others’ advice
B. take no notice of diseases
C. take exercise and keep healthy
D have the courage to follow our heart