We all have our ways of marking time. As a photographer, my life is measured from one story to the next. My oldest son was born in the middle of a long story about the Endangered Species Act. My daughter came along with a pack of gray wolves.
Twenty stories later, though, it’s the story in Alaska that I’ll remember best. It was the story about the loss of wilderness—and the story during which my wife Kathy got cancer. That’s the one that made time stand still. I stopped taking pictures on the day when she found that tumor. Cruelly, it was Thanksgiving. By Christmas, she had become very weak. Some days she was so sick she couldn’t watch TV.
Early examination saves time. But ours was not early. By the time you can feel it yourself, it’s often bigger than the doctor want it to be.
Cancer is a thief. It steals time. Our days are already short with worry. Then comes this terrible disease, unfair as storm at harvest time. But cancer also has the power to change us, for good. We learn to simplify, enjoying what we have instead of feeling sorry for what we don’t. Cancer even made me a better father. My work had made me a stranger to my three kids. But now I pay attention to what really matters. This is not a race. This is a new way of life and new way of seeing, all from the cancer.
In the end each of us has so little time. We have less of it than we can possibly imagine. And even thought it turns out that Kathy’s cancer has not spread, and her prognosis(诊断) is good, we try to make it all count now, enjoying every part of every day.
I’ve picked up my camera again. I watch the sky, searching for beautiful light. When winter storms come, Kathy and I gather our children and take the time to catch snowflakes(雪花) on our tongues. After all, this is good. This is we’re living for.As a photographer, the author used to ______.
| A.leave his daughter with a pack of gray wolves. |
| B.express his love for his family in a special way. |
| C.miss a great many important historical moments. |
| D.devote much more to his career than his family. |
Why did the author decide to stop taking pictures?
| A.To cure his own disease. |
| B.To spend more time with his wife. |
| C.To seek a better position. |
| D.To leave the wildness alone. |
What is the biggest change the cancer has brought to the author?
| A.He treasured every bit of time with his family. |
| B.He has become a stranger to his children. |
| C.He takes his work more seriously. |
| D.He focuses more on medical care. |
The author and his family catch snowflakes on their tongues probably because______.
| A.the snowflakes taste very good. |
| B.snowflakes are what they feed on. |
| C.they regard that as a way to enjoy life. |
| D.there is beautiful light in the snowflakes. |
A fad diet is a diet that suddenly becomes popular, usually because it promises people that they will lose a lot of weight overnight. Although dieters may really show weight loss from a fad diet, they will almost certainly get back the weight if their usual eating habits (习惯) remain unchanged. Moreover, fad diets continuously call for special products of questionable value or for “health foods” that may cost twice as much as supermarket(超市) foods. Worse yet, certain fad diets don't include nutrients(营养)good for health. People have been known to become very ill as a result of following medically unhealthy diets.
The worse fact of fad diets, though, is that they keep people who are over-weight or sick from receiving the medical care that they truly need.The word “fad” in the first sentence means ______.
| A.new | B.wonderful |
| C.popular quickly | D.loved by people |
From the text we know that ______.
| A.people refuse to accept fad diets |
| B.fad diets can help people to lose weight |
| C.a man can lose weight after eating a fad diet |
| D.fad diets are now welcomed by people |
In the writer's opinion, fad diets______.
| A.are very helpful |
| B.are not healthy diet |
| C.won't cost much |
| D.include lots of nutrients |
The last paragraph tells us ______.
| A.that fad dieters are often overweight |
| B.fad dieters need medical care if they are overweight or sick |
| C.how fad dieters get sick |
| D.overweight or sick fad dieter can’t get medical care in time |
Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic, wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss about any holiday, this still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating little habit, like sneezing or yawning I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important.What is the author’s attitude toward dreaming?
| A.He thinks it puzzling |
| B.He likes it |
| C.He is interested in it |
| D.He doesn’t accept it as part of his life |
For the author of the passage, dreaming is________. .
| A.another kind of existence |
| B.an irritating little habit |
| C.a horrible but wonderful experience |
| D.a true reflection of reality |
The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are_____.
| A.interesting | B.unbelievable |
| C.mysterious(难以理解的) | D.lazy |
Why does the author of the passage complain?
| A.Because most people are overexcited about their dreams |
| B.Because most people are not interested in talking about their dreams |
| C.Because most people have had dreams most of the time |
| D.Because most people consider their dreams of too much importance |
His first fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted (收养) by the chief of his tribe (部族) and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination ( 种族歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law (种族隔离法), colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition (反对) to the system Mandela was arrested (被捕) and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and become the president of the country after the first elections were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer (拳击手) and fought in the ring when he was young.
“ Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat (撤退),” he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skilful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _____.
| A.winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B.uniting South Africa |
| C.organizing a government in South Africa |
| D.controlling the spread of AIDS |
If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he _____.
| A.could easily have been the president of South Africa |
| B.could still have lived a happy life |
| C.could have been in a difficult situation |
| D.would have been an excellent boxer |
It can be inferred that Nelson Mandela _____.
| A.continues to help the black people with the political struggle |
| B.is taking a position in a music group |
| C.is taking on the world’s greatest fight against AIDS |
| D.is preparing for the next election of president |
Which statement can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A.Struggle is his life. |
| B.Sports make his fame. |
| C.Fight for equal rights. |
| D.Great fighter against government. |
Classified Ads(广告)
For direct classified service, call 800-0667 10 a.m.—4 p.m., Monday---Friday.
For Rent
Best on Campus
Excellent Room for girls, begins Jan. , 2, 4, or 8 months lease. Single, $ 105. $125. Double, $ 140. Call 800-1932.
Family Home, 3 bedrooms, large yard. $ 275. Call 800-4300.
For Sale
Sheepskin Coat, men’s size 42, 1year old. $ 85. After 6 p.m. call 800-5224.
Moving: Must sell. Color TV 21, $ 150; transistor radio, $ 15; recorder, $ 25. Call 800-0739.
Help Wanted
Babysitter—My home
If you could find a few hours during the day, some evenings and weekends to care for 2 school- age children, please call 800-1111.
Lost
A black bag with a pencil-box and some books left in the reading room. Will the finder please come to Class 3, Grade 1?
Found
A green jacket was left on the sports ground yesterday afternoon ( April 15th). Will the owner please ring 656-6688?If you wanted to place an ad. , what number would you call?
| A.800-0739 | B.800-1932 | C.800-5224 | D.800-0667 |
“ Classified Ads” may probably mean “________”.
| A.ads about everyone’s life |
| B.ads giving one some necessary information |
| C.ads divided into different groups according to a certain rules |
| D.ads for which you needn’t pay any money |
If you want to find a part-time job, you will look at________.
| A.For Rent | B.For Sale | C.Help Wanted | D.Lost |
Balzac was good at buying things at its lowest price. One day he wanted to buy a vase in a shop window that was much more expensive than he could offer. Not being able to make the shopkeeper cut down its price very much, he left without further talking. Collecting a half dozen of his friends, he explained his wish to them and they worked a plan. The first would enter the shop and make an offer, lower than the marked price. Not getting the vase at his price, he would walk out. Shortly after another would enter and ask for a price lower than the first. In this way, each of the others would offer a price lower than the one before, and the last of his friends made a great effort to attempt to get it at the lowest price. Before long Balzac himself would return, offer more than the last two or three persons made and trust to luck. The plan worked--- Balzac got the vase at his price!Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A.vase in the window was placed much higher than Balzac could reach. |
| B.At first the price of the vase was much higher than Balzac could offer. |
| C.Balzac always wanted to buy a vase that was much more expensive than he could pay. |
| D.Balzac was very poor. He couldn’t buy the vase at a high price. |
How many friends did Balzac gather?
| A.Six | B.Twelve | C.Ten | D.Five |
Who asked for the lowest price?
| A.The first one. | B.The second one. |
| C.The last of his friends. | D.Balzac. |
What kind of person does the writer try to tell us about Balzac and his friends?
| A.Unkind | B.Dishonest | C.Selfish | D.Clever |