My mother died twice in August 2009—once on her75th birthday at a crowded restaurant, surrounded by her closest family members - and finally，the next day at a hospital. Eight months later, I began to come out of the fog of grief and depression to find a new purpose for my life.
Like many of my generation, I had lived only for myself—traveling, acquiring what I needed, rising to a position of importance and getting financial rewards. I was “kind - hearted” and “volunteered” for various causes, but really didn't give of myself.
In the spring after Mom's death, I found myself waking in the middle of the night with one thought. I wanted to offer myself as a living kidney (肾)donor. My husband Robb had received the gift of life through a kidney transplant (移植）from a deceased donor in 1999，so I was familiar with the need for donors and knew several people who were waiting for a life saving transplant. I decided to offer myself to be matched with the most suitable person on the waiting list at my local transplant center. I was paired with a 71-year-old grandmother from New Jersey who had survived for six years. At her 70th birthday, her family threw a big party as they did not expect her to live much longer. She has become my very good friend.
In donating my kidney, I extended myself in a way far beyond what I ever believed was possible. I did so in honor of my mother who sacrificed so much for me and my sisters, and in memory of my husband's donor who extended her life through him.
I encourage all who enjoy the gift of good health to share with others, either as a living donor or by donating organs upon death. By extending yourself through organ donation, you will live on through others in a magic way and give comfort to your loved ones. From the second paragraph, we can conclude that __________
| A．the author was kind and generous in giving help |
| B．the author enjoyed financial rewards seriously |
| C．the author sought reasons to help others |
| D．the author looked after her own interest |
When did the author decide to offer her kidney?
| A．The moment her husband received a kidney transplant. |
| B．In the fourth month of 2010. |
| C．When she was waking at midnight alone. |
| D．After she visited a 71-year-old woman. |
The grandmother's family held a birthday party __________
| A．to show thanks for what the author had done |
| B．to celebrate the old woman's recovering |
| C．to make the old woman happy |
| D．to say goodbye to the old woman |
After donating her kidney, the author __________.
| A．carried out her mother's last wishes |
| B．wanted to honor her husband's donation |
| C．intended to live a longer life |
| D．meant to do something useful to others |
All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all things clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother's house, leave a half written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had "put it back where it belonged." as she explained.
My wife, on one of her first visits to my mother's house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused (疑惑的), she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有......的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find the every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. "Do you remember what I was doing?" was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
| A．She enjoyed removing others' drinks. |
| B．She became more and more forgetful. |
| C．She preferred to do everything by herself. |
| D．She wanted to keep her house in good order. |
My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother's house because _______.
| A．she had already finished them |
| B．my mother had taken them away |
| C．she forgot where she had left them |
| D．someone in my family was holding them |
The underlined part to the fifth paragraph suggests that my sister _______.
| A．is happy to clean windows |
| B．loves to clean used windows |
| C．is fond of clean used windows |
| D．likes clean windows as my mother did |
This passage mainly tells us that _______.
| A．my mother often made us confused |
| B．my family members had a poor memory |
| C．my mother helped us to form a good habit |
| D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother |
You do not need every word to understand the meaning of what you read. In fact, too much emphasis (强调) on separate words both slows your speed and reduces your comprehension.
First, any habit which slows down your silent reading to the speed at which you speak or read aloud, is inefficient. If you point to each word as you read, or move your head, or form the words with your lips, you read poorly. Less obvious habits also hold back reading efficiency (效率). One is "saying" each word silently by moving your tongue or throat; another is "hearing" each word as you read.
These are habits which should have been outgrown long ago. The beginning reader is learning how letters can make words, how written words are pronounced, and how sentences are put together. Your reading purpose is quite different, which is to understand meaning.
It has been supposed that up to 75% of the words in English sentences are not really necessary for expressing the meaning. The secret of silent reading is to find out those key words and phrases which carry the thought, and to pay less attention to words which exist only for grammatical completeness.
An efficient reader can grasp the meaning from a page at least twice as fast as he can read the page aloud. He takes in a whole phrase or thought unit at a time. If he “says" or "hears" words to himself, they are selected ones, said for emphasis.This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．improving eye movement |
| B．reading more widely |
| C．changing poor reading habits |
| D．reading as fast as you can |
Saying each word to yourself as you read _____.
| A．improves comprehension |
| B．increases reading speed |
| C．gives too much emphasis |
| D．reduces reading efficiency |
Your reading purpose should be _____.
| A．to understand all the words |
| B．to make fewer eye movements |
| C．to understand meaning |
| D．to understand the grammatical structures |
While reading, efficient readers usually _____.
| A．move their eyes quickly |
| B．take in whole phrases or thought units |
| C．point at key words |
| D．read only important points for speed |
In some parts of the United States, farming is easy. But farming has always been difficult in the northeastern corner of the country, which is called New England.
New England has many trees and thin, rocky soil. Anyone who has wanted to start a new farm there has had to work very hard. The first job has been cutting down the trees. The new job has been digging out the roots of the trees. Then the farmer has had the difficult job of removing stones from his land. This work of removing stones never really ends, because every winter more stones appear. They come up through the thin soil from the rocks below. Farmers have to keep removing stones from the fields. Even today, farms which have been worked on for two hundred years still keep producing more stones. That is why stone walls are used instead of fences (篱笆) in New England fields. The stone walls are not high and a man can easily climb over them. However, they keep the farmer’s cows from joining those of his neighbor’s.Where is New England?
| A．In England. | B．In North America. |
| C．In South America. | D．In Australia. |
Why do stones keep appearing?
| A．Because the farmers keep digging them out. |
| B．Because there are rocks below the soil and the soil is too thin. |
| C．Because there are no trees at all. |
| D．Because the wind keeps blowing. |
Why do the farmers build stone walls instead of fences?
A. Because the stone walls are not high and a person can easily climb over them.
B. Because the stone walls can stop the cows from joining their neighbor’s.
C. Because there are too many stones.
D. Both A and B.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．There are almost no trees in New England. |
| B．Farming is difficult in New England. |
| C．It’s difficult for farmers to remove stones from the fields. |
| D．The stone walls in New England are not high. |
In the past ten years, many scientists have studied the differences between men and women. And they all got the same answer: The sexes(性别) are different, because their brains are different. And this, the scientists say, makes men and women see the world in different ways.
Boys, for example, generally are better than girls at mathematical ideas. Boys also generally are better than girls at the kind of hand and eye movements necessary for ball sports. Girls, on the other hand generally start speaking earlier than boys. And they generally see better in the dark than boys and are better at learning foreign languages.
What makes men and women better at one thing or another? The answer is the brain. The brain has two sides connected by nerve(神经) tracks. The left side generally is used for mathematics, speech and writing. The right side is used for artistic creation(创造) and the expression for emotions(情感). In men and women, different areas in each side of the brain develop differently. In boys, for example, it’s the area used for mathematics. In girls, it is the area used for language skills. Another interesting difference is that the two sides of a man’s brain are connected by a smaller number of nerves than the two sides of a woman’s brain are.Which of the following is the best title of the article?
| A．Research on the Brain |
| B．Men and Women are Different in Brain |
| C．People’s Different Brains |
| D．Who Are Better, Boys or Girls |
__________ men and women think differently.
| A．The different brains make |
| B．Sex makes |
| C．The different experiences make |
| D．The influences(影响) of society make |
According to the article, girls are generally better than boys at __________ in your school.
| A．mathematics | B．physics | C．English | D．chemistry |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The left side of brain in boys generally develops better than that in girls. |
| B．The left side of brain in girls generally develops better than that in boys. |
| C．Men are better than women in all things. |
| D．The area in girls used for language skills develops better. |
60. The number of nerves connecting the two sides of the brain in men __________.
| A．is the same as women’s |
| B．is different from women’s |
| C．is larger than women’s |
| D．is twice as large as women’s |
You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. The following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.
Getting around Australia:
Air
Flying is the best way to cover a long distance in a short time. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.
Drive
Australia has a vast network of well-maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. It’s easy for you to find car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.
Bus
Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.
Rail
Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size and variety. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.
Ferry
The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities.
Walk
With easy on the feet pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities.
Besides all the above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia—impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.The underlined word “untouched” in the 1st paragraph means __________.
| A．unmoved | B．special | C．natural | D．unconnected |
Which of the following is TRUE about travelling in Australia?
| A．More travelers make the flying fees among airlines higher than before. |
| B．You can easily rent a car to explore its most beautiful touring routes. |
| C．Taking a bus tour is the most comfortable, economical and efficient way. |
| D．Train services can offer you more comfort than any other means of transport. |
Ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania usually runs __________.
| A．only at night hours | B．only during rush hours |
| C．several times a day | D．between different cities |
Where does the article come from?
| A．Scientific journal | B．Magazine | C．Travel Guide | D．Text Book |
If you have only 5 days and want to visit Australia’s famous attractions that are far away from each other, which way of travelling best suits you?
| A．By air. | B．By car. | C．By bus. | D．On foot. |