Mum, it’s me. Hopefully, this Mothering Sunday you will get to hear those three words. I will, of course, try to phone you. I hope we will be able to speak for the allowed 10 minutes. But I suspect many inmates will be using the phone, so if I don’t call and if we don’t speak, then this is what I would have said:
It’s not your fault that I am here. I know that deep in your heart you have questioned whether my current circumstance is somehow your fault, if the reckless stupidity of my past is somehow a failure on your part. It is not. Only one person is to blame, only one person should hurt — me. You have always taught me that when the room goes dark, you can wait for the lights to be switched back on or you can search in the dark and turn the light on yourself. You are my light. You always have been and always will be. There is nobody I admire more, nobody I have strived harder to please in my life, which is why my current failure hurts me so much.
I am so sorry that I will not be there to see you, but I want you to know that now, as always, you are here with me. In my darkest hours, and in the coldest loneliness of my past few months, my mind has so often wandered to the past, to when it was you and me — and I have been able to smile. Yours is the strength that I draw upon.
A parent’s job is to make sure that they pass on the best of themselves to their children. You have done that. It is the inner you in me that will get me through this.
I have failed you so epically, but you have never failed me. If I think back to the tears I shed when Dad left, all those years ago, I see you through their misty glaze. You holding me and you telling me we’d be OK, and we will be. We are and always will be the best team.
Childhood heroes such as footballers, actors and rock stars are clichéd. If the job’s done right, a child’s heroes should be their parents — you are mine. The strength you showed after the divorce from Dad to find your biological parents, to go to university and get your teaching qualifications, to begin your life again, is the strength that I draw on now. It is the belief in myself, it is the belief you have in me, that tells me that once I am released I can and will rebuild my life. I will make you proud again. I will make you happy to have me as your son. Yours is the will that gets me through every day.
I don’t believe you can judge a person for the mistakes they make, as we all make them, but you can judge them for what they do afterwards. And after this, when it is all over, you will still have a son with the same hopes and dreams. They have not diminished. If you can dream it, then you have to believe it can happen — right?
So this Mothering Sunday, please think back to that morning in the 80s, the first Mother’s Day without Dad, when a six-year-old me got up early and made breakfast for you. Do you remember it? Could you ever forget? A slice of bread a doorstep thick and a wedge of cheese equally dense. You didn’t have to eat it, but you did, chewing every dry mouthful. I know now why you forced yourself — because it had been made with love. Well, things don’t change this year — this letter is that bread and cheese (it sure has plenty of the cheese!).
I love you so much. I am sorry I have let you down, but you have taught me that we will always pick ourselves up and become better than we were before. Thank you for everything and this year, more than ever:
Happy Mothering Sunday.
Love, your sonAccording to the passage, what made the author most upset at present?
| A．Losing his freedom temporarily. |
| B．Being unable to phone his mother. |
| C．Failing to live up to his mother’s expectations. |
| D．Having no chance to spend the weekend with mother. |
What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Mothering Sunday. | B．Dark time. |
| C．His mistake. | D．Near future. |
What did the author do in the loneliness of his past months？
| A．He summed up the causes of the failure in his life. |
| B．He planned to help his mother find her birth parents. |
| C．He recalled the fond memories of being with his mother. |
| D．He prepared himself to go to university for further studies. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “clichéd” in Paragraph 6?
| A．Ridiculous. | B．Liberal. |
| C．Explicit. | D．Common. |
Which of the following can best describe the author’s mother?
| A．Selfless but stubborn. | B．Guilty but determined. |
| C．Selfish but responsible. | D．Caring but envious. |
| Gadgets make study fun Now in a world piled high with smartphones, tablets (平板电脑)and e-readers, technology has entered the classroom in ways unimaginable． Taking classes can be fun too． All you have to do is swipe your fingers on your phone screen and download some apps (应用程序), which can make your study more fun and efficient ． Balancing study and play in a college setting has never been easy-and with the following few apps, it’ll be tough to tell the two apart． |
| Evernote Use:note-taking Can be used on: iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, Android , BlackBerry, Palm OS and Windows , Phone 7 price :free If you take notes to stay organized，then Evernote is for you． The main thing about Evernote is that all of your notes are automatically sent into the cloud-and then you can access them from any web-connected computer via the Evernote app or a web browser(浏览器)． Evernote also supports audio and photo notes-rather handy if you want to record your lecture or take photos of any projected notes． But, of course, ask for permission first． |
| Wikipanion Use:research database Can be used on: iPhone/iPad/iPod touch Price :free ( Wikipanion Plus for $4．99,or 31．87 yuan ) Now , you don’t necessarily have to go to a library or anywhere with computer services to do research work for your paper anymore． You can get access to the research databases just on your smartphone or tablet． |
| Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days Use: English learning application Can be used on : iPhone/iPad/iPod touch Price:For a limited time you can get the App for only $0．99—half price．Still learning English with a workbook? If so, you are behind the times．Get 21st Century Newspaper’s new iPhone App, “Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days”．When you download the App on your iPhone, you can listen to the hottest bilingual news selected from the newspaper’s official website (w．w．w．i2lst．cn)and read by native speakers, “Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days” has ranked No 1 on the Chinese education App list． For a limited time you can get the App for only $0．99—half price． |
The purpose of this passage to ．
| A．make your study more fun and efficient |
| B．introduce some apps used on gadgets |
| C．advertise high-tech teaching ways |
| D．promote new application programs |
According to the passage, we can know that ．
| A．the three apps all support audio and photo forms． |
| B．college study is undoubtedly full of ease and fun |
| C．college students used to do research work in the library or via computers |
| D．students can record lectures and send them to the cloud without permission |
Which of the following is true about the apps?
| A．They can only be used on smartphones． |
| B．Evemote and Wikipanion Plus are free． |
| C．Evemote can merely be used on a computer． |
| D．They improve learning efficiency and pleasure． |
In the eyes of dog lovers, the dog is man’s best friend. But for much wildlife, loose dogs may be a dangerous enemy, according to a study by a biologist from Utah State University in the US.
Based on much existing research and their own case studies, Julie Smith of Utah State University and four other scientists conclude that loose dogs may represent a huge danger to wildlife, especially endangered species, by hunting down or worrying them and by spreading diseases. They also found that dogs, their worldwide numbers around 500 million, can cause more damage to wildlife and livestock(牲畜) than wolves and other enemies of these animals.
Smith gave examples from the US state of Idaho, where research showed the presence of dogs reducing some deer populations. On the Navajo American Indians’ reservation in northeastern Arizona, packs of loose dogs are attacking livestock. They have killed populations of small animals such as rabbits and act as a disease carrier for rabies(狂犬病) among people and other animals, she said. Loose dogs also were to blame for distemper(温热病) outbreak leading to a die-off of endangered black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming in the 1980s.
The phenomenon is not just limited to US; it’s a global problem. Julie Smith once studied three endangered species in central Asia: wild sheep, gazelles and antelope. The rate of injury and death to these animals by loose dogs was very high. In another case, Smith found that dogs, not wolves, as originally suspected, were responsible for a large number of livestock killings in the mountainous Basque country between Spain and France.
Authors of the new study said the problem is likely to worsen as communities expand. Then how to deal with it?
Indeed, in many countries, leash(拴狗的皮带) laws permit punishment of dog owners whose pets attack wildlife. But lawbreakers are rarely punished because the police lack both people and money.
Smith has low-cost solutions to the problem for dog lovers, though. They include public dog-training programs and vaccinating (预防接种) dogs against rabies and other illnesses.Julie Smith’s study mainly tells us that _______.
| A．many species are endangered because they are killed by loose dogs. |
| B．wild dogs are immune to many diseases. |
| C．wolves are still the greatest enemy of livestock. |
| D．loose dogs are a great danger to wildlife. |
Which of the following statements about loose dogs is TRUE according to the research?
| A．There are around 500 million loose dogs around the world. |
| B．The black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming were once the main food source of local loose dogs. |
| C．The problem caused by loose dogs is the most serious in the US. |
| D．People used to think that wolves, rather than loose dogs killed livestock in the Basque country. |
Which of the following is among Julie Smith’s solutions to the trouble caused by loose dogs?
| A．More strict leash laws |
| B．Public dog-training programs. |
| C．Vaccinating people against rabies and other illnesses. |
| D．More support from the police. |
What is the main point of the article?
| A．A global disaster caused by loose dogs. |
| B．What makes the dog man’s greatest friend. |
| C．The problem of loose dogs and the possible solutions. |
| D．The danger of the increasing numbers of dogs. |
Swimming is one of those activities that can be learned early in life.Little children can learn to swim as soon as they walk.In fact,you need the same skills in walking as in swimming. However,I believe that five is the best age to learn.By five or six,a child knows fear of water,a very important thing to know.It's wise to be afraid,to recognize true danger.Young ones understand that the water can sometimes be very dangerous.
To really benefit from swimming,every swimmer should learn,as soon as possible,these four basic strokes;butterfly,backstroke,breastroke,and crawl.I feel that one of these-the breaststroke-is different from the others,since some young swimmers use this stroke naturally,without any training.
In swimming there are certain rules every swimmer should follow:
1.Never swim alone!No matter how good you are in the water,don't risk drowning by swimming alone.If you swim by yourself,with no life guards or friends with you,you may get into trouble.
2.Don't go beyond your abilities.Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the bank or the beach,Showing off by doing dangerous tricks is no good. Swim safely and you will continue to swim and alive.
3.Don't smoke.Swimming depends on a healthy body;good lungs are part of it.
4.Work at any activity that builds muscles.Little children can learn to swim as soon as _____.
| A．they can talk | B．they start walking | C．they have no fear of the water | D．they are five or six years old |
The author believes that fear of water is_____.
| A．stupid | B．sensible（明智的） | C．dangerous | D．not smart |
According to the passage,you should not swim alone because_____.
| A．the water is too cold | B．your parents would not be happy |
| C．something in the water might attack | D．you might drown |
When did you last see a polar bear?On a trip to a zoo,perhaps?If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago,you would have seen a whole polar bear club.These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water.That day,the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher.The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island,New York are usually about the age of 60.Members must satisfy two requirements.First,they must get along well with everyone else in the group;this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club.Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Dcotors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming.Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops.Other doctors,however,point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming.They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm.Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water.A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental.The Polar Bears love to swim all year round;they find it fun and relaxing.As one 70-year-old woman says,"When I go into water,I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____.
| A．they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months |
| B．they must reach the age of 60 |
| C．they should be easy to make friends with |
| D．they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February |
According to the passage,some doctors believe it is true that_____.
| A．Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water |
| B．cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high |
| C．you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue |
| D．cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter |
The Polar Bears like to swim year-round,for_____.
| A．it is an easy way ot keep the body warm in winter | B．they can remain young |
| C．they find it enjoyable and interesting | D．they might meet fewer troubles in life |
The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．the requirements of the Polar Bear Club | B．a group of cold-water-swimming livers |
| C．the Polar Bears' life in New York | D．doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming |
Extract（摘要）1
A computer is an "information processor".It is given information,called "data",instructed to do certain things and then show us the results.The data put into the computer is called the"input" and the results which come out are the "output".Some people say the circle of large standing stones at Stonechenge is a kind of computer.Prehistory people worked out their calendar（日历）from the position of the shadows made by the sun shining on the stones.
Extract 2
Teach yourself new subjects and skills at your own pace with a home computer.Use it to help with schoolwork,for self-improvement,even to improve your career skills.Learn touchtyping. Foreign languages or computer programming.A home computer can help children of all ages learn classroom subjects such as spelling,geography and others.In fact it makes learning fun.So if you want to teach yourself,or help your children teach themselves-get a home computer.It can also help you manage your personal finances or help you to work taxes and plan household budgets.You can make business a pleasure with a home computer.The writer introduces the words such as "input" and "output" in order to_____.
| A．introduce people to computer language |
| B．show computer language is the same as English |
| C．help people some scientific language |
| D．give people some scientific language |
Why does the writer talk about Stonechenge in Extract 1?
| A．To give an example of the very first computer. |
| B．To show that computers are older than mankind. |
| C．To tell the difference between the past and the present. |
| D．To give another way of explaining computers. |
If you think of the circle of large standing stones as a computer,_____.
| A．the shadow is the input and the position is the output |
| B．the sunlight is the input and the calendar is the output |
| C．the position is the input and the sunlight is the output |
| D．the calendar is the input and the shadow is the output |
Extract 2 is probably taken from_____.
| A．a computer textbook | B．a company's advertisement |
| C．a teach-yourself computer book | D．a children's guide to computers |