On April 8th, 2013, the world felt sorry because of the death of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who died at the age of 87. Besides being the country’s longest leader (1979-1990) in the 20th century, she was the first woman to lead Britain. She worked hard and did well in her work, so she was called “Iron Lady”.
Whatever you think of Margaret Thatcher, the thing everyone does agree on is that she was a woman with great decisions. When she took over Britain in 1979, she led a country that was in economic trouble. She faced a lot of problems because of the poor economic position.
In order to make the country become strong again, Ms. Thatcher had to make some hard and special decisions like raising interest rates and even taxes at a time when most British people were living a hard life. In this way she led Britain to run out of economic troubles.
Early in her second term, just as things were looking a little better, she faced another problem — a strike by the British Miners Union. Once again, the Iron Lady stood her ground to stop the longest strike in the country’s history.
In 1982, Argentina said that they had owned the Falkland Islands since the 19th century. Britain, however, considered the islands to be one of their overseas dependent territories (领土). Margaret Thatcher tried to talk about the problem with Argentines. But Argentines didn’t agree with her ideas, so Ms. Thatcher did what any strong leader would do — send in the British Army. It took 74 days, and on 14th June 1982, the Argentine army finally failed and Britain controlled the Falkland Islands again.
When Ms. Thatcher resigned in 1990, she left behind a country that was very strong. Unluckily, during the last few years of her life, something was wrong with her mind. She hardly remembered anything that was happening around her and even what she had done during her wonderful lifetime.Why did Margaret Thatcher decide to raise interest rates?
| A.Because English people were very rich and happy. |
| B.Because she needed money to fight against Argentina. |
| C.Because Britain needed to run out of economic troubles. |
| D.Because people stored too much money in the banks. |
How did Margaret Thatcher make her country control the Falkland Islands again?
| A.She paid a lot of money for the islands. |
| B.She helped people on the islands a lot. |
| C.She sent many workers to the islands. |
| D.She sent in the British Army to the islands. |
What was the matter with Ms. Thatcher after she resigned?
| A.She couldn’t say anything at all. |
| B.She almost couldn’t remember anything. |
| C.She couldn’t walk at all. |
| D.She couldn’t hear anything at all. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Ms. Thatcher was ________.
| A.determined | B.sensitive |
| C.humorous | D.generous |
I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors’ house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon.
Several months later, I found I couldn’t see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, “Why doesn’t she clean her window? It looks terrible!”
One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including (包括) the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt ashamed for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days!
The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging(评判) others.How long has the writer lived in the house according to the passage?
| A.One years. | B.Two years. |
| C.Three years. | D.Four years |
The writer couldn’t see the woman clearly because ______________.
| A.the writer’s window was dirty |
| B.the woman’s house was too far |
| C.the woman didn’t open her window |
| D.there was something wrong with his eyes |
3The underlined word “ashamed” means _________________.
| A.高兴的 | B.放松的 |
| C.羞愧的 | D.骄傲的 |
According to the passage, the writer has learnt how to __________________.
| A.clean the house | B.judge others |
| C.help neighbors | D.learn English |
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present.On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office,a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car.“Is this your car,Paul?”he asked.
Paul answered,“Yes,my brother gave it to me for Christmas.”The boy was surprised.“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything?Boy,I wish…”He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for.He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,”the boy went on,“that I could be a brother like that.”Paul looked at the boy in surprise,then he said again,“Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes,I’d love that.”
After a short ride,the boy turned and with his eyes shining,said,“Paul,would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little.He thought he knew what the boy wanted.He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back,but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The street urchin was very surprised when ________.
| A.Paul received an expensive car |
| B.Paul told him about the car |
| C.he saw the shining car |
| D.he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin ________.
| A.wished to give his brother a car |
| B.wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C.wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
| D.wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________.
| A.to show his neighbors the big car |
| B.to show he had a rich friend |
| C.to let his brother ride in the car |
| D.to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer(推断)from the story that ________.
| A.Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B.the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C.the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D.the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the name story is _________.
| A.A Christmas Present |
| B.A Street Urchin |
| C.A Brother Like That |
| D.An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California,the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle,a big city,on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco,also on the Pacific coast,are larger than Seattle. Henry’s cousin,Susan,lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington,D. C. It is the capital,but it is much smaller than New York.How many states are there in the U. S. A. ?
A. Five B. Forty- Five C. Fifty D. FifteenWhich state is the largest in population?
| A.California | B.Rhode-Island |
| C.Alaska | D.Los Angeles |
Which state is the coldest,the newest,and the smallest in population?
| A.Rhode Island. | B.Seattle. |
| C.San Francisco. | D.Alaska. |
Which of the following is true?
| A.The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast. |
| B.Washington is the most important and the largest city. |
| C.New York is the largest city in the United States. |
| D.Henry’s cousin lives in the Seattle. |
Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city?
Because _________.
A. it is the largest city
B. it is the largest in population
C. it is the most beautiful city
D. it is the capital of the United States
This is a talk by a London taxi(出租车)driver.
“I’ve been a taxi driver for nearly ten years. Most London taxi drivers have their own taxis.”
“It’s a nice job most of time. you meet a lot of people. I always work at night,because there is too much traffic during the day. I live twenty miles(英里)outside London and I go to work at 5:30 in the afternoon.”
“I usually go home between 2 and 3 in the morning.”
“Some very strange things happened late at night .The other day I was taking a woman home from a party .She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house,she found that she had lost her key. So I waited in the car with the dog while she climbed in through the window.”
“I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on.I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought I was a thief(小偷).
Luckily the woman came downstairs(下楼).She must have gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog!”The driver always worked at night because it was easier to _____.
| A.drive |
| B.make money |
| C.climb in through the window |
| D.meet a lot of people |
The woman climbed in through the window because _____.
| A.she wanted to have a sleep |
| B.her husband didn’t open the door for her |
| C.she didn’t want to pay the driver |
| D.she couldn’t find her key |
The story happened _____.
| A.early in the morning |
| B.late at night |
| C.20 miles outside London |
| D.near the police station |
Which of the following is wrong?
| A.The driver worked until between 2 and 3 in the morning. |
| B.The police made a mistake. |
| C.The woman had no money to pay the driver. |
| D.The woman had forgotten about the driver and the dog. |
The driver climbed in through the window to
| A.get money from the woman |
| B.return the dog to the woman |
| C.see what was happening in the house |
| D.phone the police |
There is nothing in the Hippocratic Oath that tells doctors what to do when they make a mistake with a patient. Nor is there much on this subject in medical school curriculums or in training programs.
But there should be.
Much was made of the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report that 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year in hospitals from preventable medical errors, many of them made by doctors.
The report stated much first-hand information to address the problem, but there was little discussion about how doctors, when they have made mistakes, should deal with their patients,
Everyone assumes that the ever-present threat of accusation has made doctors more anxious about admitting error, and no doubt it has, But doctors have always been tight-lipped about their mistakes, in part to preserve an illusion(幻觉,错误的信仰) of medical omnipotence(全能)
Studies suggest that patients are less likely to accuse doctors when they apologize for mistakes, and many hospitals now encourage their physicians to admit their errors. According to an supportive group called The Sorry Works! Coalition, 16 states have already passed laws giving doctors legal immunity(饶恕) for their apologies to patients.
Of course, there are plenty of doctors with a nice bedside manner who can get away with bad treatment. How else to explain patients who often line up in court to support doctors accused of malpractice(失职)?
The surprising truth is that many patients have a hard time knowing whether they are really getting good medical care.
Because so many diseases change randomly over time, patients sometimes spontaneously(自发的) improve despite improper treatment. On the other hand, a patient who receives exemplary medical care may fare badly(情况不好) simply because the illness is hard to treat. In other words, doctors are often praised or blamed, when the outcome is in fact a chance event.
Many, perhaps even most, medical errors probably have little ill effect and go unnoticed by patients. Many lawyers would disagree, but doctors ought to let their patients know when they’ve made a mistake; it humanizes them and builds trust.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A.The doctor made the mistake deliberately so they do not apologize. |
| B.Doctors never tell the patient they have made a mistake. |
| C.The patients won’t forgive the doctor if he make the mistake. |
| D.The patient will usually forgive the doctor when the mistake are not intentional. |
What does the sentence “But there should be” mean in the second paragraph?
| A.But there should be more subjects in medical school. |
| B.But there should be something more specific in the Oath. |
| C.But the doctor should not make any mistake. |
| D.But there should be something to tell the doctor what to do when they make a mistake. |
What is the author’s attitude toward the opinion that the doctor should apologize when he makes a mistake?
| A.Supportive | B.Critical |
| C.Indifferent | D.Neutral |