When I was a kid, I was close to my dad, but as I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father’s requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I’m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like two kids enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.The author and his father became further apart because______________.
| A．they had different views on things |
| B．they lived very far from each other |
| C．they only communicated by phone |
| D．they seldom went to see each other |
What made the author come back to Tennessee?
| A．Because his father invited him to go fishing. |
| B．Because he decided to live in a different city. |
| C．Because his father is ill and needs caring. |
| D．Because he regretted being rude to his father. |
For the author, fishing with his old father ___________ .
| A．helps cure his father’s disease |
| B．is a good way to get close to nature |
| C．makes him realize the importance of exercise |
| D．offers a chance for them to communicate |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The writer’s car is always breaking down. |
| B．Father intended me to be a fisherman. |
| C．I was unwilling to come back. |
| D．Father used to think it was useless to attend college. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Forgiving Is Difficult | B．Fishing Brings Us Together |
| C．Memories of Old Days | D．My Beloved Father |
Ning Zetao has become China’s new swimming star due to his amazing performance at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon(仁川), South Korea.
With already two gold medals in hand, the 21-year-old clocked 47.70 seconds in the 100m freestyle, setting a new Asian record. This result has been recognized by FINA as the world’s third best time this year, fast enough to have won a gold medal in last year’s Barcelona World Championships.
“It is my first international event,”said Ning, who later won a fourth gold medal in Incheon. “I am happy that my results are pretty close to my personal best.”
Born in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou,Ning entered the local team at the age of 11 and joined the navy team in 2007.He first caught people’s attention in 2009 when he finished eighth in the 200m individual medley at the National Games.
Nevertheless, Ning suffered from bone infection in both knees for a long time, which made him unable to train hard on his kicks.
He also had an indigestion problem and had to eat “soft” food which is easy to digest. His poor stomach even made it impossible for him to complete week-long full time training.
But the young swimmer never gives up. His idol is the great Russian swimmer Alexander Popov, who continued to win Olympic gold medals after he was stabbed on a street. Ning said, “He was a real fighter and I need to learn from him.”
Taken better care of by coaches and doctors, Ning can now train as normally as others. And that is why he can get today’s achievements.
The gold medals at the Asian Games also boosted the confidence of the new swimming star, who hopes to enter the national team and compete for China in more international events.
“Chinese men’s swimmers have never been placed among top eight in the short-distance freestyle,” he said. “I hope I can do it, just like what Sun Yang did in the mid-long distance freestyle.”
The best title could be ______.
| A．Ning Zetao, a world famous swimmer |
| B．Ning Zetao, a promising rising star |
| C．Ning Zetao, a strong-will soldier |
| D．Ning Zetao, a world gold medalist |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．the results Ning got in Incheon are his best |
| B．Ning is good at both 100m and 200m freestyle |
| C．Ning broke an Asian record at the 2014 Asian Games |
| D．Ning has already got 5 gold medals in the international event |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．some health problems have little effect on Ning’s training |
| B．being well cared of is the main reason for Ning’s achievements |
| C．the Chinese swimmers have never got into the top eighth in the world event |
| D．gold medalist as Ning is, he is not yet a member of National Swimming Team |
The underlined word “boost” in the last but one paragraph probably means ______.
| A．increase | B．weaken | C．lack | D．encourage |
Old tennis balls are being used in an unusual way to help us learn more about one of the rarest mammals (哺乳动物)in the country.
Harvest mice are only about 2 inches ( 5 cm) long. This spring and summer, wildlife experts are encouraging people to report sightings of harvest mice so that records can be built up about numbers and locations.
Meadows and grassland are animals' traditional homes but as farming methods change over time, the habitats are being lost and numbers are thought to be declining.
Old tennis balls, complete with penny-sized holes, make a strong and popular choice of home for the mice and around 200 are available for surveyors to distribute and monitor, after being donated by a local tennis club.
The project, supported by the Leicestershire County Council, is thought to be the biggest of its kind ever run in Leicestershire.
County Council wildlife expert, Helen O'Brien; said, “ Little is known about the creature's present situation locally so we need people to look in tall grass and fields and send in their information. The information will help us track numbers and tell us where we need to focus our attention to safeguard(保障)their future. ”
Anyone interested in getting involved (参与), can pick up tips and learn more about harvest mice on a training day. This is taking place between 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm on Monday, 14th June at the County Council's Environmental Resource Centre in Birstall. People living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland can get involved with the survey or book a place on the training day by calling Gareth Price at 0116-267-1950. The underlined word" declining" in Para. 3 is closest in meaning to __________.
| A．dropping |
| B．increasing |
| C．keeping |
| D．moving |
According to the passage, old tennis balls are __________.
| A．seriously polluting harvest mice's homes |
| B．being used to kill harmful animals in the fields |
| C．being provided for harvest mice as homes |
| D．being collected to raise money to save animals |
The County Council needs local people to __________.
| A．donate food for harvest mice |
| B．keep harvest mice as pets at home |
| C．raise more cats to kill harvest mice |
| D．collect information about harvest mice |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Harvest mice like old tennis balls |
| B．The importance of tennis balls |
| C．The rarest animal ：harvest mice |
| D．Harvest mice's homes are being lost |
Edward Nino Hernandez is 24 years old. In many ways，he is a traditional Colombian (哥伦比亚的)man. He loves to dance, dreams of owning a fast car and wants to see the world. However, he has just been officially certified as the world's shortest living man by Guinness World Records with a height of 27 inches( ≈0. 7m).
Although he has cataracts (白内障)in both of his eyes that require an operation that the family can't afford, he said, “ I feel happy because I'm special. ” He also said he has a girlfriend. Nino works part time as a dancer. Recently, he has won a part in a new film, playing a drug thief. Nino said there are some disadvantages of being the world's smallest man. “It bothers me that people are always touching me and picking me up,"he said.
Nino's mother, Noemi Hernandez，has 5 children and Nino is the oldest. She said, “ He hasn't grown since he was 2 years old. ” She added that doctors could not explain why Nino was so small. She said Nino weighed just 3. 3 lb( 1. 5kg) when he was born and was just 15 inches long. Doctors at first wondered why he was so small and studied him until he was three years old, but then" lost interest" . She and her husband lost a daughter who was born similarly small in 1992. Their youngest child, Miguel Augel, 11, stands 37 inches tall. The other three boys are of normal height and appearance. Nino had to repeat several years of school before dropping out (退学)when he was about 13. His mother said he loves to travel, though he hasn't been outside Colombia.
The former smallest man in the world was He Pingping of China ，who was 1. 5 inches taller than Nino and recognized by Guinness as the shortest man. He died in March. The underlined word" certified" in the first paragraph may mean
“__________”
| A．recognized |
| B．ignored |
| C．set |
| D．won |
Nino feels annoyed in his daily life because __________.
| A．he finds it difficult to talk with others |
| B．he is not high enough to carry heavy things |
| C．he is often made fun of by other people |
| D．nobody wants to pick him up |
What was the height of He Pingping?
| A．27 inches. |
| B．37 inches. |
| C．28. 5 inches. |
| D．38. 5 inches. |
From the text we can know __________.
| A．why Nino is so short |
| B．all Nino's family are very short |
| C．Nino didn't grow after the age of 2 |
| D．Nino finished school at the age of 12 |
Many people are upset when their flight is delayed. Not only do they have to change their schedule but, even worse, they have to wait in an airport! There's no need to be upset, though. Airports are much better places these days than most people think. Look at the following realities, and you may change your mind.
Belief 1 ： Airport food is bad—as bad as airplane food.
Reality ： Airports have fine international food and you can buy something to have for later—for example, cheese and seafood in Paris.
Belief 2 ：Shopping in airports is great，that is，if you need a T-shirt.Reality ： In Amsterdam，you can buy anything. In El Paso，Texas, you can buy old-fashioned knives or special art. The art is so interesting that some people fly to El Paso just to visit the airport gallery (画廊). And Singapore's airports are known for some of the best shopping in the world.
Belief 3 ： Airports make people uncomfortable and tense.
Reality ： The airport at Honolulu has peaceful gardens. Pittsburgh has a meditation (沉思)room ： when you walk in, you can hear relaxing music and see pictures of clouds painted on the walls. If you prefer exercise, hotels at the airports in Los Angeles, Dallas，and many other cities have fitness centers (健身中心)that anyone can use.
So, the next time you're waiting in an airport, have some fun!According to the passage, in which airport can you buy an interesting painting?
| A．El Paso. |
| B．Amsterdam. |
| C．Singapore. |
| D．Los Angeles. |
What can we know about the airport at Honolulu?
| A．Its food is world-famous. |
| B．It is known for its art gallery. |
| C．It has peaceful gardens for passengers to relax in. |
| D．Its fitness center is open to all passengers for free. |
Which of the following opinions does the author agree with?
| A．Airplane food is free of charge and delicious. |
| B．Things in airports are too expensive to buy. |
| C．It can be comfortable and relaxing in airports. |
| D．Airports are not so good as most people think. |
What does the underlined sentence means?
| A．You can buy anything in airports. |
| B．Airport shops sell great T-shirts. |
| C．Everything for sale in airports is great. |
| D．There is no T-shirt for sale in airports. |
Last December, I performed 30 shows in 11 days. I knew it would be a tiring tour before I set off, but I just wanted to be there to support our men and women.
From the minute I walked onstage the afternoon I arrived at the army, the soldiers were cheering， singing along at the top of their voices. I had done hundreds of concerts, but it was my first time to perform for troops. Looking at the smiling faces of these soldiers—some of them only teenagers—I felt great joy moving through me. They were the loveliest fans I had ever met. Then，from out of nowhere , words came into my head. “I want to play you something new. ”a song just came in my head minutes ago. It's called Here With Me, ” I told them. Cheers rang out. As I sang, I could see the tears in some of the soldiers' eyes. I finished to thunderous applause.
At the autograph (亲笔签名)part afterward，one of the soldiers took out a picture of a high school student. “This is my girl. You know, I miss her so much,”he said. “That new song you sang meant so much to me. Those were the words I've always wanted to tell her. ”
I realized that the song wasn't about me and that it was, in fact，a gift for these men and women. I played it in every concert after that, always with the same unbelievable reaction.
On the long plane ride home I kept thinking about the soldiers I'd met. They risked their lives every day to defend our country, yet they were grateful for a simple concert. I decided to record the new song to thank our men and women in uniform (制服). Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "troops"in the second paragraph?
| A．Officials. |
| B．Teenagers. |
| C．Soldiers. |
| D．Students. |
When the author performed on the stage, he felt __________.
| A．pleased |
| B．nervous |
| C．confident |
| D．worried |
What might be the topic of the new song?
| A．The tiring army life. |
| B．The danger of being a soldier. |
| C．The excitement of going to a concert. |
| D．The family one misses. |