It was in October. I was aimlessly wandering down the street, heading into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but it seemed everyone was in a hurry.
I took the next-best action. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet. She hesitated, and then seemingly against her better judgment, she moved toward the door.
When she got outside I said to her, “Just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone.”
For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.” I thanked her for coming out to see it; she went back inside and I left. It felt good to share the beauty.
Four years later my situation changed greatly. I came to the end of a twenty-year marriage. I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life. I lived in a trailer park which, at the time, I considered a real come-down, and I had to do my wash in the community laundry room.
One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: clothing sales in a department store.
Then something that happened to her changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, “God is in his heaven and all is right with the world,” and she had realized the truth in that statement. From that moment on, she turned her life around.The author asked the woman to go outside to ______.
| A.admire the sunset | B.cheer her up |
| C.offer some help | D.have a chat |
Four years later, the author ______.
| A.found her dream job |
| B.put an end to her marriage |
| C.worked in a laundry room |
| D.lived in the same community |
After reading the article in the magazine, the author was probably______.
| A.disappointed | B.puzzled |
| C.inspired | D.overjoyed |
Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?
a. I shared a few words and beautiful sunset with the woman.
b. The woman I met years ago got into frustration after divorce.
c. I got divorced and felt lost in my life.
d. I came across a beautiful sunset but had no one to share with.
e. The woman felt astonished by the invitation from a stranger.
f. I recognized the woman I met before in the magazine.
| A.b, d, e, f, a, c | B.d, e, a, c, f, b |
| C.d, e, a, f, b, c | D.b, d, e, a, c, f |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A.Sharing Beauty | B.Never give up |
| C.Beauty of Life | D.An Unforgettable experience |
As a music teacher for twenty-seven years, I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers(障碍) to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.
A few years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking, and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase, “Oh, yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. She never said or sang a word.
One day late in the school year, when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh, yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music, we had made a connection.
Several years later, I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times, mimicking(模仿) the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl, through her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever.
Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.The author thinks music________.
| A.can make children calm down |
| B.Can connect heart to heart |
| C.Is difficult for pre-school students |
| D.Is a good means to find a job |
According to the second paragraph, Vanessa________.
| A.Got used to singing songs |
| B.Was too shy to speak |
| C.Was the youngest in the class |
| D.Enjoyed the author’s classes |
When Vanessa spoke the words “Oh, yes!”, the author felt________.
| A.Surprised | B.Happy | C.Frightened | D.Satisfied |
What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
| A.The author has been in touch with Vanessa for several years. |
| B.Vanessa became as healthy as other children. |
| C.The song made a deep impression on Vanessa. |
| D.Being a good educator became Vanessa’s dream. |
How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病) . Believing my career (职业生涯)was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological (心理的) tool.”What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
| A.Difficulties influenced his career. |
| B.Specialists offered him medical advice. |
| C.Training helped him defeat his disease. |
| D.He overcame the shadow of illness to win. |
What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
| A.Her training schedule. |
| B.Her daily happenings. |
| C.Her achievements. |
| D.Her sports career. |
What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to?
| A.Ways that help one to focus. |
| B.Words that help one to feel less tense. |
| C.Activities that turn one’s attention away. |
| D.Habits that make it hard for one to relax. |
According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
| A.Courage. |
| B.Devotion. |
| C.Hard work. |
| D.Self-confidence. |
Not all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far, the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it. Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after wars.
They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. “Some memories can ruin people’s lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry(精神病学)at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve(减轻)a lot of that suffering.”
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us avoid the mistakes in the past. “All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I am not sure we’d want to wipe those memories out.” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A.People often suffer from bad memories. |
| B.American researchers are trying to develop a pill. |
| C.Forget bad memories , and be happy. |
| D.The research has caused a heated argument. |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to “_____”.
| A.the new drug |
| B.the research into the drug |
| C.the bad memory |
| D.the chemical in the drug |
Which of the following is NOT the opinion of the opponents(反对者)?
| A.Our memories give us our identity. |
| B.The memories help human avoid mistakes of the past. |
| C.The drug should be used in only very serious cases. |
| D.People may not be sure whether they want to wipe the memories out. |
Children of America are getting fatter every time. 13% of the children at the age of 6 to 11 are overweight(too fat).
When we look at children's lives today in the USA, we can see the root(origin)of the problem--sports and foods. Young children like sports but they don't have enough around the start of high school. That's especially true for girls. Meanwhile, to make matters worse, schools are becoming much more interested in sports teams. So children are not able to get enough exercise just when they need it the most. There is also the food problem. Children get most of their calories(热量) at restaurants or parties or somewhere else away from home. They often drink too many Cokes. Parents have a lot of fears about telling a child he needs to lose weight-- they are afraid it will push a child into an eating disorder. Some parents fear that pushing children to lose weight means their children will think they're not good enough, or not loved because of their weight. Parents need to come to terms with the fact that the family is very important to the children. The most useful program for children is called "family weight control". This is good news. Mom and Dad, even if they don't have weight problems, have to go through the same program as their children and learn how to get some exercise and how to eat healthily.Why are American children getting fatter? The writer thinks_______.
| A.parents also have weight problem as their children |
| B.children drink too many Cokes |
| C.schools are more interested in sports teams |
| D.children have less exercise and eat unhealthily |
The writer wants to tell parents that_______.
| A.overweight children are not loved by people |
| B.children are afraid to lose weight when they have to |
| C.family members can help overweight children a lot |
| D.girls don't like to exercise |
Which of the following is NOT the root of overweight problem? _______.
| A.Higher-calorie. | B.Less sports. |
| C.Family weight control. | D.higher-fat foods. |
The writer thinks if mother or father is on the same program as their children, _______.
| A."family weight control" will be successful |
| B.it will make the children eat much more |
| C.their children will not eat better |
| D.parents will feel sorry about themselves |
One is not born able to speak a language. One is born able to make a noise. I have heard babies cry in America and in China. I can’t tell any difference. But when I hear someone from America speak English and hear someone speak Chinese, I can tell you there are a lot of differences.
I believe a common(普遍的) problem with Chinese students’ learning English is that they were not taught to think in English. They have an idea spoken in English and want to translate the idea into Chinese, then they think in Chinese of the proper reply and translate it into English. After a long period of speaking the language, one begins to think in the foreign language naturally. You will learn faster if you begin to think in English at the very beginning of your study. Many students ask me: What can I do to improve my spoken English?
My reply is: The more English you speak, the better English you will speak. There are many things you can do to improve your spoken English. Of course, the best way is to live where English is spoken as a language of the country.The cries of American and Chinese babies are _______.
| A.different | B.the same |
| C.not like each other | D.like each other |
The underlined sentence (in Paragraph 2) means that______.
| A.some teachers didn’t teach students to think in English |
| B.teachers never gave the students the way of learning English |
| C.students didn’t remember the way teachers taught them |
| D.teachers didn’t want their students to think in English |
The underlined word “they” (in Paragraph 2) refers to “_____”.
| A.Chinese students | B.English students |
| C.Chinese teachers | D.English teachers |
According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
| A.You must think in English all the time. |
| B.You should always translate English into Chinese. |
| C.After speaking English for a long time, you may probably think in English naturally(自然地). |
| D.The best way of learning English is to live in America. |