Looking through a magazine in a waiting room recently, I came across an article with the title “My top five most precious possessions”．It was just a few lines of text with pictures, but it caught my imagination.
It’s interesting how inanimate(无生命的) objects can take on such significance and become woven into a person’s, and sometimes a whole family’s, life history.
Anyway, the article had me considering what my most precious possessions are.It was difficult to choose only five, but here are mine:
An old cardboard box filled with my children’s baby photos.
A yellow pocket-sized birthday book of special things (poems, pictures of flowers and trees, etc) given to me by my dad when I was probably about seven or eight years old.
A 21st Birthday card from my mum.In it she’s written her congratulations, her love, and her hopes for my future.She died not long after, when I was in my early twenties.
A few ancient but very beautiful botany books that were once my great grandmother’s.She was a botanist in a time when it was relatively unusual for women to be qualified in this field and I think she was probably a remarkable and very interesting woman.I’d like to have known her.
A brooch(胸针) left to me by my much-loved grandmother.It was given to my great grandmother (her mother) by my great grandfather on his return from World War Ⅰ.It is not worth anything in terms of money.However, it not only stands for a link between four generations of women, but it is also a reminder of one young man’s return from World War I.
How about you? I’d love to hear what you feel are your most precious possessions. What made the writer have the idea of writing the passage?
| A．Her love for her relatives. |
| B．Her rich imagination about the objects. |
| C．An article in a magazine. |
| D．Some pictures in an article. |
According to the passage, the writer ________.
| A．lost her mother at the age of 26 |
| B．was a mother of several children |
| C．got the yellow birthday book at 8 |
| D．studied botany well when she was young |
The writer considered her grandmother remarkable and interesting because she ______.
| A．wrote a large number of botany books |
| B．left the writer some ancient but beautiful botany books |
| C．was unusually famous for her achievements |
| D．could become a botanist in the special time |
How many reasons made the writer think the brooch was one of her most precious possessions?
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
In the writer's opinion, something that is thought to be the most precious should be able to ________.
| A．change a person’s and even the whole family’s life history |
| B．have a great effect on one person’s life |
| C．remind somebody of his or her close relatives |
| D．show a person’s love and respect for his or her relatives |
Our daughter Kerrin, a student at Boston University, had been home for a week-end visit, and I dropped her off at the bus station just in time for her back to college. After Kerrin’s bus had gone and I was driving away, I noticed that she had left her purse on the passenger seat. Worried that she would arrive in Boston without money or keys to her room, I called my wife, Bette Jean, on the car phone, explaining why I would be late. As I was following the bus, Bette Jean phoned me back to say she had phoned the bus dispatcher（调度员）on the other line and he, in return, had phoned the bus driver on yet another phone. The driver asked me to wave out of my window to show where I was. Then he pulled over at a rest stop, and I did the same. Kerrin jumped off the bus, and I handed her the purse and went on my way.The writer saw his daughter’s purse right after .
| A．seeing her off at the bus station |
| B．starting his car again |
| C．she got off the car |
| D．she got on the bus |
Kerrin didn’t find her purse missing until .
| A．the bus started off |
| B．her mother told her |
| C．the bus stopped again |
| D．she returned to the university |
In which order did the following persons know about the loss of the purse?
| A．driver—writer—Better Jean—Kerrin |
| B．Kerrin—writer—Better Jean—driver |
| C．writer—driver—Kerrin—Better Jean |
| D．writer—Bette—Jean—driver—Kerrin |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．The bus was too fast for the car to catch up with in no time. |
| B．The writer had tried to phone the dispatcher but failed. |
| C．The writer couldn’t get in touch with the driver by the phone. |
| D．Both the writer and the bus driver could use the car phone. |
Which of the following seems the most necessary in helping the writer?
a. his car b. phone c. the bus driver
d. the dispatcher e. his wife f. his daughter
| A．a, b, d and e | B．c, d, e and f |
| C．a, b, c and d | D．b, c, d and e |
Customs are social habits. They have been handed down through generations (代) among groups, social classes, etc. Customs can be described as ways of doing things. They are particularly (特别) strong in social practices on the occasions (场合) of births, marriages and deaths.
In China, these days, some people in cities are learning from Western customs. For example, some brides dress in the long white dress that is usual bridal wear in many Western countries.
Every people (民族) has special customs for New Year. The Han people have many interesting Spring Festival customs. And now, quite a number of people living in the cities have followed the Western customs of sending New Year greeting cards for January 1st.
One interesting custom in China is that mothers wrap (包) up their babies tightly (紧紧的).This is not the custom in Western countries, where babies are usually dressed in loose garments.It is true that customs .
| A．have been formed during a short time |
| B．have been formed little by little |
| C．have been quickly formed and changed |
| D．have never been changed |
In this passage, the word “garment” is .
| A．a kind of food | B．a bed |
| C．a sort of clothes | D．a room |
How do the Chinese young people learn from Western countries at their marriages?
| A．The brides（新娘）have on the white clothes. |
| B．Men wear the white coats. |
| C．Their parents all have attended their marriages. |
| D．Their marriages are only held in the men’s homes. |
From this passage we know .
| A．the people all over China spend New Year in the same way |
| B．people in the villages and cities send New Year greeting cards to each other |
| C．each people has his special custom for New Year |
| D．most of Chinese people take Spring Festival seriously |
The difference about clothing between Chinese and Western babies is that .
| A．Chinese babies are usually dressed in new clothes |
| B．Chinese mothers are used to dressing their babies in colourful clothes |
| C．Western babies are dressed in bigger clothes while Chinese babies are usually wrapped |
| D．Western babies have more clothes than Chinese babies |
Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbors. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated .
| A．in spring | B．summer |
| C．in autumn | D．in winter |
The first to celebrate thanksgiving were .
| A．some people from England | B．the American Indians |
| C．Sarah Josepha Hale | D．Governor Bradford |
We can infer from the passage that New England must be .
A. in the U. S. A. B. in Great Britain
C. in Canada D. on some island off the AtlanticWhich of the following is NOT true?
| A．Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest. |
| B．Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations. |
| C．Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God. |
| D．There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. |
The passage mainly tells us .
A. how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A.
B. how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated
C. that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday
D. how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places
The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people. We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well. I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes. He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine. I was amazed. The sad truth is, great talent is not enough.
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100, 000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth.”
There is an old saying that goes, “Job means‘ just over broke (破产)' ”. And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people. Because school does not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers“ live within their means”. They work and they pay the bills. Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn.
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald's?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald's makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald's is excellent at business systems. The reason so many talented people are poor is because they focus on bui1ding a better hamburger and know little or nothing about business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that.
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by .
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．do in their own way |
| C．live in their own circle |
| D．live within what they earn |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don't work hard enough. |
| B．They lack financial intelligence. |
| C．They don't make full use of their talents. |
| D．They have no specialized skills. |
The success of McDonald's lies in its .
| A．skills at making hamburgers. | B．good business systems |
| C．talented workers | D．excellent service |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us .
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．what schools should teach students |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald's makes much money |
“Confidence” is probably one of the most noticeable traits (品质) in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confident American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor. As a student, being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don't mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What's worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue—this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive.
Being confident for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace. But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their speeches. (The course I'm teaching here is Public speaking). Modesty is a trait highly valued in China, but it won't be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program.To compete with American students it's very important to.
| A．be quite confident |
| B．be polite and friendly |
| C．have more discussions with them |
| D．understand what they think about |
A professor will have the worst opinion of a student who.
| A．gives a silly or simple answer |
| B．tries to seize any chance to speak in class |
| C．shows no interest in the course |
| D．is considered to have no opinion of his own |
The author is most likely to feel embarrassed if .
| A．he asks a student to repeat what he has said |
| B．the students bargain with him |
| C．he pretends to know what he doesn't |
| D．he has to give a speech |
We learn from the second paragraph that .
| A．we should also remain modest in America |
| B．modesty doesn't help you much in America |
| C．Americans also like modest people |
| D．modesty can help you through an American graduate program |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．American students are ready to accept the grades from the teacher. |
| B．The writer teaches in Europe for a living. |
| C．Students are encouraged to present simple questions. |
| D．One’s ignorance will give away in time. |