When milk arrived on the doorstep
When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s,we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep.His name was Mr.Basille.He wore a white cap and drove a white truck.As a 5yearold boy,I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt.He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course,he delivered more than milk.There was cheese,eggs and so on.If we needed to change our order,my mother would pen a note-"Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery" —and place it in the box along with the empty bottles.And then,the buttermilk would magically(魔术般)appear.
All of this was about more than convenience.There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen.Mr.Basille even had a key to our house,for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors,so that the milk wouldn't freeze.And I remember Mr.Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table,having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today.Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk,thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete(竞争). Besides,milk is for sale everywhere,and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories.I took it home and planted it on the back porch(门廊)．Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is.So I start telling stories of my boyhood,and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.Mr.Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer ________.
to show his magical power
to pay for the delivery
to satisfy his curiosity
to please his motherWhat can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?
He wanted to have tea there.
He was treated as a family member.
He was a respectable person.
He was fully trusted by the family.Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?
Nobody wants to be a milkman now.
It has been driven out of the market.
Its service is getting poor.
It is forbidden by lawWhy did the author bring back home an old milk box?
He missed the good old days.
He wanted to tell interesting stories.
He needed it for his milk bottles.
He planted flowers in it.
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分, 满分40分）
阅读下列短文, 从每篇短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked if I would give him some money so he could get something to eat. I'd read the signs: "Don't give money to beggars as most of them are swindlers." So I shook my head and kept walking.
I wasn't prepared for a reply, but with no hesitation, he followed me and said, "I really am homeless and I really am hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!" But I kept on walking.
The incident kept bothering me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn't have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he hadn’t been a real beggar. On a freezing cold night, no less, I assumed the worst of a fellow human being.
Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn't help thinking of him. I tried to reason my failure to help by supposing government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you're not supposed to give money to beggars.
Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for The Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean's Cafe, a local charity service kitchen, feeds hundreds of hungry local people every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row of vegetables or flowers in their gardens for Bean's? Plant a row for Bean's. It’s clean and simple.
We didn't keep records back then, but the idea began to take off. Folks would fax me or call when they took something in. It’s food for the spirit and comfort for my conscience.
In April 1995, the Garden Writers Association of America(GWAA) held their annual meeting in Anchorage and after learning our program, Plant a Row for Bean's became Plant a Row For The Hungry. The idea then was to have every member write or talk about planting a row for the hungry, which brought the program to national attention.
As more and more people participated, new variations cropped up. Many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo for the program. Donations poured in. It was then that I could really stop feeling guilty.The underlined word “swindlers” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．policemen | B．writers | C．cheaters | D．beggars |
Why did the author think he assumed the worst of a fellow human being?
| A．Because he didn’t show fair respect to a beggar treating him badly. |
| B．Because he could have helped a hungry man but he passed by. |
| C．Because he believed that no people begged because of real hunger. |
| D．Because he thought that charity work was the government’s duty. |
How did the author make up for what he had done?
| A．He set up a local kitchen to help the poor. |
| B．He planted a row of vegetables for charity. |
| C．He called on people to donate money to the Bean’s. |
| D．He initiated the idea of Plant a row for Bean’s. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The beggar gave up the first time he was turned down by the author. |
| B．The author invented the program inspired by the Anchorage Daily News. |
| C．GWAA expanded the program concept and made it nationwide in 1995. |
| D．The program was later taken over by some seeding companies. |
In Britain in the 1890s there was a postcard “craze(热潮)”. People formed clubs and collected and exchanged postcards. Even Queen Victoria had her own private collection.
When Edward was the king, the British had a cheap and good postal system. If anyone wanted to tell a friend that they were coming for tea in the afternoon, they would send a postcard in the morning. “Drop me a card” was as common then as “give me a ring” as now.
In 1902 an important step was taken. The government said that half of the side that was used for the address on the postcard could be used for messages, and the whole of the other side could be used for a picture. It was then that the simple postcard, as we know now, was created.In Britain in the 1890s, _______.
| A．people were interested in sending cards |
| B．people were interested in playing cards |
| C．people were interested in collecting postcards |
| D．people were interested in buying postcards |
Which statement is TRUE?
| A．Postcards were not used in the 19th century. |
| B．It was not until 1902 that the simple postcard as we know was created. |
| C．Postcards were used only for collection in the 1890s. |
| D．There was no message on the old postcard. |
Choose the best title for the passage.
| A．Postcards Old and New |
| B．Postcard Clubs in the 1890s |
| C．Creation of the Present Postcard |
| D．Postal System in Britain |
Read the following time table and then answer the following question.
Train Time Table
lv. (Leave) Boston Ar. (Arrive) Midway Ar. New York
5:10 AM EX.(Except)Sun. 7:00 AM10:45 AM
7:10 AM Daily9:00 AM12:45 PM
9:10 AM Ex. Sat. & Sun. 11:00 AM2:45 PM
10:00 AM Ex. Hol.(Holiday) 11:45 AM2:55 PM
1:15 PM Daily3:15 PM5:45 PM
3:40 PM Ex. Hol.5:40 PM8:15 PM
5:20 PM Daily7:20 PM9:55 PMWhat is the shortest time between Boston and New York by train?
| A．5 hours 35 minutes |
| B．5 hours 5 minutes |
| C．4 hours 30 minutes |
| D．4 hours 25 minutes |
How many trains have to spend over five hours on the way from Boston to New York?
| A．5 | B．3 | C．7 | D．2 |
On Christmas Day, how many trains can you certainly take from Boston to New York?
| A．2 | B．4 | C．5 | D．3 |
I Don’t Think I Wrote Wrong
Lao Yang was born in a small town. He liked reading when he studied at school. He thought the writers were respected(尊敬) and could get a lot of money. He wrote a lot of stories and posted them to the editorial departments (编辑部) but didn’t receive any answers.
Now he works in a factory. He’s busy at work. When he’s free, he always reads something. He always remembers he hoped to be a writer when he was young. One day, Xiao Ping, his ten-year-old daughter, came back. She looked worried and didn’t eat anything. She said Miss Gao, her Chinese teacher, told them to write a solicit article(征文) “My Father” that evening. But she did not know what to write.
“That’s easy,” said Lao Yang. “Let me help you.”
Then he sat down to write the solicit article at once. He easily finished it on time. He was sure Miss Gao would like it. But one afternoon he asked his daughter if the article had been chosen to post to the editorial department.
“My teacher said your article digressed from the subject(离题),” said the girl.
“I don’t think so,” Lao Yang shouted angrily. “I described(描写) just my father!”Lao Yang wrote a lot of stories because _______.
| A．he likes reading |
| B．he learned much at school |
| C．he wanted to be a writer |
| D．he wanted to help others |
Lao Yang posted the stories to the editorial departments, _______.
| A．and he got a lot of money |
| B．and he became a famous man |
| C．and he was respected |
| D．but he failed |
As _______, Lao Yang decided to help his daughter.
| A．he was a writer |
| B．he was free |
| C．he wanted to realize his ideal(理想) |
| D．he wanted to make his daughter happy |
Lao Yang’s solicit article digressed from the subject _______.
| A．because he couldn’t write it at all |
| B．because he didn’t know his father well |
| C．because it was too bad to be chosen |
| D．just because he described his father |
Do you know what Street Sense is? It’s a newspaper in Washington D.C. about homeless people and problems that affect them. Homeless, or formerly homeless, Washingtonians write many of the articles. The newspaper’s business model is based on homeless sellers who sell the newspaper. You can hear them call out “Street Sense for sale!” near subway entrances, lunch places and other areas around the city.
The Street Sense newspaper is housed in an office in a Christian church in Washington. Every other Wednesday about fourteen thousand copies are printed. The newspaper expresses the thoughts and experiences of people who call the streets home.
Four staff members work at Street Sense and two of them are paid. The staff members write the first two pages of the paper. Interns--students working as part of their studies--and volunteers help. Homeless writers provide the rest of the material. This includes poems, stories and essays.
Street Sense provides training for the homeless people who want to become part of the sales team. After the training, each student is given ten free copies of Street Sense. Once those are sold, trainees become real salespeople. They buy papers for thirty-five cents each and sell them for a dollar.
Lisa Gillespie is the managing editor of Street Sense, She says the newspaper plays a part in homeless people’s lives that other media can not. With the help of the newspaper, a lot of homeless people have become confident again, and their lives have also been improved a lot.What does the writer mainly tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. Something about the Street Sense.
B. Homeless people in Washington D.C.
C. How Street Sense solves homeless people’s problems.
D. Where you can buy Street Sense.How often is Street Sense printed?
| A．Once a week | B．Twice a week |
| C．Every two weeks | D．three times a month |
What do the staff members mainly do at Street Sense?
| A．They sell newspapers along the street. |
| B．They write the first two pages of the paper. |
| C．They edit the newspaper after they receive articles. |
| D．They provide the last two pages of the paper. |
What can we infer from this passage?
A. If you are one of the trainees of Street sense, you can get ten dollars from selling all of your newspapers.
B. There are too many homeless people in Washington D.C. for the government to help.
C. Most articles of Street Sense are about Washingtonians’ lives.
D. If you become real salespeople of Street Sense, you can get thirty-five cents from a copy of the newspaper.