It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries（食品杂货），saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity（人性）as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.Why was the bike so important to the couple?
| A．They used it for work and daily life. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．The man’s job was bike racing. |
We can infer from the text that ____________.
| A．the couple worked 60 hours a week. |
| B．people were busy before Christmas |
| C．the stranger brought over the bike |
| D．life was hard for the young family. |
What do the couple learn from their experience?
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. |
| B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. |
| D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling 
habits.
In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a husband or wife, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a police or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you’ve never intended to be seen.
Some experts tell us boundaries are healthy, and it’s important to reveal (暴露) yourself to your friends, family and lovers in stages, at proper times. But few boundaries could remain. The digital equipment makes it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can even reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey shows that 60 percent of them feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”
But people often say one thing and do another. Only a tiny number of Americans change the behaviors in an effort to protect their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track your automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests, and these tests show that the majority of Americans will not keep personal secret just in order to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券)
But privacy does matter—at least sometimes. It’s like health: when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone, do you wish you’d done more to protect it. So, when it comes to privacy, why do so many people say one thing and do another? And what can be done about it? What would be the experts advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．There should be fewer secrets between friends. |
The author says “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret” because ______.
| A．modern society has finally entered a much opened society |
| B．people leave privacy around when using modern technology |
| C．there are always people who are curious about others’ affairs |
| D．many search engines profit by selling people’s privacy |
According to Alessandro Acquits, most Americans _________.
| A．like to exchange their personal secret for the commercial benefit |
| B．aren’t interested in the pitiful commercial benefit to keep their personal secret |
| C．pay no attention to their personal secret for the commercial benefit |
| D．can’t keep the balance between their personal secret and the commercial benefit |
The best title for the passage could be _________?
| A．Is Privacy As Important As Health |
| B．What Can Be Done to Protect the Privacy |
| C．Does Privacy Matter |
| D．Does Modern Technology Reveal Privacy |
As computer games get to look more lifelike, it seems that their violence is spilling over into real life. It is reported that some dozens of children have been murdered since 1997, which has been linked to all obsession (着迷) with violent video games. Recently the parents of a 14-year-old murder victim in the UK blamed the killer's obsession with the game Manhunt, causing a government review of legislation (立法) to protect children.
Psychologists think there may be many reasons why violent games are more harmful to children than violent movies. Firstly, players are actively involved in violence, and may begin to see using weapons as second nature. Secondly, violent games provide repetitive aggressive (侵犯的) experiences that are rewarded by more killing.
Many studies have shown that people who play violent games regularly are more likely to show high levels of aggression. For instance, in 2000, scientists in Iowa State University found that people who played violent games were more likely to admit involvement in aggressive behaviors, including assaults (侵犯人体罪) or robberies.
A study of 13 to 14-year-old children showed that more than half had played games recommended only for over18s. The more violent the games they played, the more they considered physical aggression to be acceptable. Besides, children who play violent games are more prone (有做……倾向的) to arguing with teachers and fighting.
Experimental studies have also hinted at a possible link. In one, scientists asked a group of students to play a violent game, while another group played the nonviolent. Those who played the violent games were faster to react to aggressive words subsequently (随后) flashed on screen. We may infer from the first paragraph that .
| A．computer games have little to do with violence in real life |
| B．Manhunt has resulted in the death of one of its plays |
| C．lifelike computer games are forbidden in the UK |
| D．legislation to protect children in the UK still needs improving |
Violent games are more harmful to children than violent movies because .
| A．violent movies are not so attractive to children |
| B．the viewers can't take part in violent movies |
| C．violent movies are not popular with children |
| D．children can win awards in violent games |
What will be probably discussed in the paragraph following the passage？
| A．Further research on the harm of violent games. |
| B．Further differences between violent game and nonviolent games. |
| C．Ways to protect children from violent games. |
| D．The result of more experimental studies. |
What would be the best title for the passage？
| A．Games and Murder |
| B．Should Computer Games become lifelike？ |
| C．Legislation, effective or not？ |
| D．Violent Games and Nonviolent Games |
Jeanne Calment, a French woman, became a record breaker on 17 October, 1995, when at the age of 120 years and 238 days, she became the longest-lived human being on record. A Japanese man died in 1986 at the age of 120 years and 237 days.
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France; her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes her as being more like a 90-year-old woman in good health than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied: A very short one. She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercise every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a day, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at the time, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday, Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying: Sorry, I’m still alive!How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?
A．She is miserable and unhappy. |
B．She is cheerful and humorous. |
| C．She would like to live much younger. | D．She feels she is going to die very soon. |
We can owe her good health and long life to _______.
| A．smoking only a little every day |
| B．her giving up smoking and drinking |
| C．drinking two glasses of strong red wine every day |
| D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercise |
Which of the following word could best replace the word “move” in the fourth paragraph?
| A．deal | B．trick | C．march | D．sport |
Why does Jeanne Calment say “Sorry, I’m still alive” to the lawyer every year on her birthday?
| A．Because she had an agreement at 80 with the lawyer which was to her advantage. |
| B．Because she has asked the lawyer to pay her more rent than they first agreed. |
| C．Because the lawyer has paid her much more money than the value of the house. |
| D．Because the house she sold to the lawyer is worth the money he has already paid. |
My grandfather worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates（木箱）for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage（孤儿院）in Brazil. On his way home, he found his glasses were gone. W
hen he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket and fallen into one of the crates. His new glasses were heading for Brazil! The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.“It’s not fair,” he thought as he walked home angrily. “I’ve been very faithful in giving my time and money to my work, and now this.”Several months later, the director of the orphanage came to the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to my grandfather’s small church in Chicago.He began by thanking the people for their kindness in supporting the orphanage. “But most of all, ” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, some people had just come to the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were very worried about this. Then your crates arrived. When I removed the covers, I found a pair of glasses lying on top.”He paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, he continued, “When I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that!”The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But they thought it was strange because there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.Sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, my grandfather, an ordinary carpenter realized his glasses had found a good place to go.We know from the text that .
| A．the author’s grandfather got his glasses back from the director of the orphanage |
B．the author’s grandfather found that his glasses were at home at last |
C．the author’s grandfather’s burden of supporting his family was very heavy |
D．the author’s grandfather worked as a carpenter in a school in Chicago |
From the text we can infer that the author’s grandfather was very after
hearing what the director of the orphanage had said.
| A．surprised | B．disappointed | C．pitiful | D．proud |
The underlined word “miraculous” （Paragraph 7） can be replaced by .
| A．practical | B．wonderful | C．necessary | D．important |
I really hadn’t meant to yell at them. But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen.
With a tiresome report to write, I felt bothered at my desk. Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault. A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly.
“Ok, you two here, but what an awful thing you are attempting!” I was shouting angrily. I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me. “Get away from us!” he shouted back, there being an expression of support from his sister.
All of a sudden, I found the fault in myself. Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers(钳子) and crawled towards them, “Crabby（暴躁的） Daddy is here. Ha, Ha, Ha, he likes to yell at children, and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away, but now he was laughing and crying at the same time. My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well. Still, I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way.
Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself. It only shows just how to get rid of something (ill-feelings, responsibility…) by blaming others. It’s not my “best self”.
We have to search for our “best self” when with our children. They don’t need perfect parents, but they do need parents who are always trying to get better. Here, I am reminded of the words of a great thinker. “When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the book…” Then, in our lifetime, couldn’t we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level, what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children? The author couldn’t help yelling at his kids this time probably because________.
| A．the weather was so unpleasant | B．he was tired of his boring work |
| C．the kids didn’t ask him to join them | D．a Daddy has his right to do so |
Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?
| A．No obvious reason. |
| B．The boy’s yelling back. |
| C．His self-awareness. |
| D．The girl’s shouting back |
According to the passage, the author will _____ in another similar situation.
| A．play a crab again like this time |
| B．apologize to kids in a sincere way |
| C．avoid blaming kids in a hurry |
| D．beat them up about such things |
What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph(s)?
| A．How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault. |
| B．How to play with our children in a more interesting way. |
| C．How to deal with the housework with children around us. |
| D．How to persuade children to do what they are told to. |
What does “the boy wanted no part of me” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．The boy was happy because I loved them. |
| B．The boy was curious because I wanted to help them. |
| C．The boy was very happy for I was angry. |
| D．The boy didn’t want me to join them. |