Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor(走廊). In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?
| A．The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions |
| B．They talked with each other all night |
| C．They got angry about the window |
| D．The author didn’t understand the man’s words |
On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because _______.
| A．he couldn’t find a seat by the window |
| B．he was angry with the man sitting next to him |
| C．the window was kept shut all night |
| D．there were too many people on the train |
It can be learned from Para.10 that the author was afraid that ______.
| A．he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train |
| B．more people might crowd into the train |
| C．he would miss the ship that went where he worked |
| D．he would have to buy another ticket |
The noise in the underlined sentence “a noise started above our heads”(Para.15) was made by ________.
| A．the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices |
| B．the ship that was lying two miles away |
| C．the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor |
| D．the train itself telling people that something was wrong |
Amy Pankratz spent a few nights in the hospital with her daughter, Isabella, who caught a bad flu. “Lying in bed beside Isabella, I could hear the cries of children in pain, ”says Amy. “It completely broke my heart. ”
When Isabella was getting well and could leave her room, she wore her prized possession—a “superhero cape(短斗篷)”Amy had sewn to encourage her—and walked into the hallway. The pink cape was an instant hit with the other young patients, who were doing exercise around the nursing station. Then, all the kids were taking turns wearing the cape, giggling, ”Amy says. “These were some of the same children I had heard crying the night before, and here they were playing and having fun—kids just being kids! ”
From that moment on, Amy began making Comfort Capes for little ones battling with serious illnesses. “I felt God presenting an opportunity, ”she says. “I hoped Comfort Capes can help these kids feel brave, to lift some of the fear away. ”
Since then, Amy has made and donated more than 5, 000 capes in the United States. Amy usually pays for materials herself, although she accepts donations.
The capes she makes for kids in treatment are different from those her own children have. Before Amy starts to sew she learns what image or character the little boy or girl connects with. “ I choose the pattern, color and theme specially for each child,” explains Amy.
When she is not sewing, Amy is raising awareness of childhood cancers and looking into ways to get Comfort Capes to more kids who need them, “ If a cape can help a child, even only for a moment, forget his illness, its worth the time spent sewing, she says.What made Amy feel sad when she was staying with her daughter in the hospital?
| A．Her daughters serious illness. |
| B．The cries of children in pain. |
| C．The tiredness from sewing the cape. |
| D．The illness of children in her daughters room. |
What purpose did Amy have when she began making Comfort Capes for sick children?
| A．To make them feel warm. |
| B．To find friends for her daughter. |
| C．To make them happy and fearless. |
| D．To raise the awareness of childrens illness. |
According to the passage, we can get that the authors attitude toward Amys behaviour is ________.
| A．indifferent | B．neutral |
| C．negative | D．supportive |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Turning Sick Kids into Superheroes |
| B．How to Treat the Sick Children |
| C．A Strong Mom Who Helps Others |
| D．Amy: a Considerate Woman |
Parts of Africa are covered by a dark cloud. But this is no rain cloud. It is a living cloud made of billions of locusts(蝗虫) that are traveling across the continent eating everything in their path.
And now in the battle to stop this disaster, a radio station in Senegal, West Africa, is offering listeners 50 kilograms of locusts. “We think this idea will get more people to take part in the war on the locusts.” said Abdoulaye Ba, from Sud-Fm, a radio station in one of Senegal’s worst affected area.
This is West Africa’s biggest locust disaster in 15 years, and it is moving east, causing huge damage to crops. As they move they produce young and increase their number and will soon threaten Sudan in the northeast of Africa. Some say it could reach Asia.
Experts say the harmful effect on crops in areas already suffering from food shortage and war could cast many people to go hungry. Governments in the areas are not well equipped to fight the pest.
Although leaders of 12 countries have agreed on a plan, it is not expected to be enough. “We are now treating 6,000 hectares per day with pesticide(杀虫剂), but we need to treat 20,000 hectares per day in order to have any hope of controlling this disaster,” said Mohamed Adballahi Ould Babah, director of locust control in Mauritania.
Requests are being made for international aid, which is the only way to limit the disaster, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warned.By using “dark cloud” to describe locusts in the first paragraph, the author mainly meant to______.
| A．show the size, speed and damage of the mass of locusts |
| B．suggest the high speed that locusts travel at |
| C．warn that locusts would sweep the continent severely |
| D．hint that they look like dark monster |
The story is mainly about______.
| A．West Africa’s united effort in fighting a disaster |
| B．the difficulty in controlling locusts |
| C．the great damage locusts caused to West Africa |
| D．a struggle to fight against a disaster brought by locusts in West Africa |
According to the text we learn that the locust disaster______.
| A．can be even more serious in Asia |
| B．is then out of control |
| C．has affected greatly most areas |
| D．cannot be stopped unless twice as much pesticide is provided for the affected areas |
Which of the following is WRONG？
| A．Sud-Fm offered a reward for fighting locusts so that more people would join in the effort. |
| B．Senegal is to southwest of Sudan. |
| C．The locusts can cause such damage mainly because it has no natural enemy in West Africa. |
| D．12 countries affected by locusts have untied but still lack pesticide. |
Some plants get so hungry they eat flies, and small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environments) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.
You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks(茎)are leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny hairs. When an insect lands on them, the traps suddenly shut. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus’ flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous Plant Society’s Newsletter. He states despite any science-fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: “attract, kill, digest, and absorb” some form of insects. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants—well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar to produce food. What makes meat-eating plants different is their special leaves, which need insects for one reason: nitrogen(氮). Nitrogen is a nutrient(营养物质) that they can’t obtain any other way. Why?
Almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil. Meat-eating plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity .So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to meat-eating plants. Never fertilize(施肥) them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.According to the passage, Venus flytrap.
| A．is a small plant which grows in a container |
| B．is a kind of plant which gets hungry easily |
| C．can trap and feed on some form of insects |
| D．grows 6-8 inches tall |
From the passage, we can infer that .
| A．meat-eating plants are found nowhere else except Antarctica |
| B．All green plants get nitrogen from the soil |
| C．meat-eating plants endanger humans in science-fiction stories |
| D．The nutrient-poor soil is beneficial to meat-eating plants |
Meat-eating plants grow very slowly, .
| A．so you’d better fertilize them |
| B．probably because the supply of nitrogen is cut off |
| C．simply because they can’t absorb nitrogen from the soil |
| D．and then they will die slowly |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants. |
| B．It’ hard to get nutrients in the soil when acidity is high. |
| C．Venus flytrap eats flies to get nutrient from them. |
| D．Green plants make sugar at night. |
Christmas in the United States is traditionally a time of gift-giving and family gatherings. But small towns across the country have their own traditions.
Middleburg，a small town in the state of Virginia，is known for its horses. For more than 50 years, Middleburg has organized a yearly Christmas parade(游行). Men and women ride horses through the woods and fields．They follow hunting dogs as they search for a wild fox．But first，these hunters ride in the yearly parade, wearing their bright red hunting clothes and hats．
John Hale, a citizen of Middleburg says many city people visit his town. “We have a lot of people from an urban area that come to visit，but it involves a lot of the old traditions.” The nighttime hay ride is one such tradition．Small groups gather under the moonlight on an open wagon filled with hay. The passengers sing as farm horses pull the wagon slowly across the fields．
There are some newer traditions, too. Trey Matheu works at the nearby Salamander Resort. He says a visit to Middleburg is a chance to slow down for a day. He says Middleburg can be a calming, peaceful place without tension．
“Middleburg is an opportunity to take a step back, to take a deep breath, and understand that even though life is moving on at a very fast pace, there’s really an opportunity where you’re allowed to step off for a little bit.”
Parade organizers say more than 13,000 people attend even in below-freezing weather. But if you ask，you will hear many different reasons why people come to watch the parade：
“I come here because I’m from a small town. I like how everybody comes together.”“I live right down that street; right there. And that’s my dog.”
Middleburg looks its best at Christmastime. That may be why so many people return each year．Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．Middleburg Christmas parade |
| B．A small town known for horses |
| C．Christmas traditions in Middleburg |
| D．Newer traditions at Christmastime |
At Christmas, people in Middleburg usually ___________．
| A．visit friends and families |
| B．feed farm horses with hay |
| C．hunt for dogs in the woods |
| D．ride in the yearly parade |
According to Trey Matheu, why do people visit Middleburg?
| A．To relax themselves． |
| B．To enjoy the fresh air． |
| C．To escape competition． |
| D．To challenge themselves． |
What do we know about the small town Middleburg?
| A．It makes a large profit from tourism． |
| B．It attracts many people each year． |
| C．It is a good place for family gatherings． |
| D．It doesn’t respect Christmas traditions． |
A time capsule buried by Apple founder Steve Jobs 30 years ago has been discovered after its location was long forgotten.
In 1983, the young tech innovator was attending a conference in Aspen when he and the group decided to bury as a trick during a design convention. The tube that was filled with an eclectic collection of goods- ranging from the then-new apple mouse to a six-pack of beer for the people who discovered the time capsule- was meant to be dug up 20 years later. There was a problem with that plan, however, as everyone involved forgot where it was buried.
The final discovery happened at the hands of the crew from the National Geographic Channel’s reality show called Diggers. The discovery was well documented and is surely going to be featured on an upcoming episode, and even the experts had problems finding this particular treasure. CNET reports that in spite of their preparations and clear idea of where the 13-foot-long tube was, it still took them two hours to dig it up using heavy machinery.
To anyone removed from the tech industry, the accomplishment in finding the tube appears to be the biggest accomplishment. To others, the most interesting object would likely be the Lisa Mouse placed in the tube by the hands of a then-28-year-old Jobs. The Lisa Mouse, which Jobs named after his daughter, was one of the first commercial computer mice soled publicly, making it a rarity at the time.
The Aspen Historical Society is going to help the show creators make a list of the tube’s contents-but no word yet whether or not the Diggers cracked open one of the six bottles of Boddington’s Ale that was left inside for the people who found the tube.Why didn’t people dig up the tube as planned?
| A．Because it was difficult to dig it up. |
| B．Because the tube was too heavy. |
| C．Because everyone involved forgot where it was buried. |
| D．Because Steve Jobs died. |
What is the meaning of the word "eclectic" in paragraph 2?
| A．electronic | B．original |
| C．various | D．extreme |
Who discovered the time capsule?
| A．Steve Jobs | B．the crew from Diggers |
| C．Lisa | D．the experts |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．A time capsule was buried by Apple founder Steve Jobs. |
| B．A time capsule has been discovered after its location was long forgotten. |
| C．the accomplishment in finding a tube. |
| D．the origin of Lisa Mouse. |