A
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment—to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.
Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her student’s art. And they were.
But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher’s true child of misery, frail and unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.
Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an empty hand.
His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be?One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the police protect and care for people. And so the discussion went—until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.
When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas’ desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and murmured, “It’s yours, teacher.”
She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here and there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, “Take my hand, Douglas, we’ll go outside.” Or, “Let me show you how to hold your pencil.” Or, “Let’s do this together.” Douglas was most thankful for his teacher’s hand.
Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.
In fact, people might not always say “thanks”. But they’ll remember the hand that reaches out.What’s the purpose of the assignment the teacher gave her students?
A.To celebrate Thanksgiving Day. |
B.To show gratitude for others. |
C.To improve students’ art level. |
D.To make the festival fun. |
Which of the following is true?
A.The teacher thought students couldn’t focus their art on turkey and other traditional goodies. |
B.Douglas would often join in his classmates and played with them happily. |
C.The picture was really different for there was nothing but a hand. |
D.The boy told his teacher the content of the picture actively. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “capture”?
A.affect | B.reflect | C.conquer | D.arouse |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A.Words speak louder than actions. |
B.Lost time is never found again. |
C.Time tries all. |
D.Love me, love my dog. |
One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).
I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.
I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.
Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.
When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.
“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.
Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.
Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.
45.According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones .
A.are open B.are usually shut C.grow quickly D.stop growing
46.According to Monty Maldonado, .
A.not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone
B.pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals
C.people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears
D.most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals
47.We can learn from the passage that on sunny days .
A.seeds may fall out of the cones
B.squirrels stay still in their nests
C.it’s difficult for a seed to take root
D.the wind will put the pine trees in danger
48.In the last paragraph, the author points out that .
A.more and more new trees need to be planted in future
B.people should be responsible for protecting animals
C.people should be careful not to damage the pinecones
D.squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves
49.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.
B.The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.
C.The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones.
D.Pine trees are precious to animals and people.
第二部分:阅读理解(共25题,第一节每题2分,第二节每题1分)
第一节:阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A,B,C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Trouve sat up on its back legs arid growled(吼叫)the words “How are you, Grandmama?” The audience roared with laughter and clapped. Twenty-year-old Aleck gave the dog a morsel(一口)of food. His hard wok paid off. His dog could talk!
Aleck was fascinated with the different sounds of people’s speech. His father taught students who had a speech problem to improve their speech. Aleck paid close attention. Could an animal form sounds into words, too? He decided to experiment with Trouve, the family dog.
The easy part was teaching Trouve to growl whenever Aleck wanted. The little dog growled for a morsel of food.
Next Aleck moved the dog’s “lips’ as it growled. It sounded like “ma ma ma.” Trouve learned quickly to stop the growling just as Aleck’s hand moved away. They practiced and practiced until the dog said “ma ma” perfectly.
Soon Aleck discovered more. If he pushed gently under the dog’s jawbone(下颚骨), it made the “ga” sound. If he pushed once and moved the dog’s lips twice, he could make the dog say, “ga ma ma”. With even more practice, it sounded like “grandmama.” Whenever Trouve said “grandmam,” Aleck gave the god two treats, so Trouve loved the lessons.
Aleck tried to teach his dog to move its tongue. So that Trouve could say more words. That didn’t work, but Aleck didn’t give up.
After many hours of practice, Trouve could say, “Ow ah oo ga-ma-ma?” This sounded just like “How are you, Grandmama?”
Friends and neighbors traveled to see young Aleck and his amazing talking dog. Rumors spread that the dog could speak by itself, which wasn’t true. No matter how much Aleck tried, the dog was never able to move its lips without help.
Aleck’s full name was Alexander Graham Bell. He wanted to know more about the world all his life. He had many ideas. Some worked; others didn’t. But he kept trying—always learning; One of his inventions was something called the telephone.
41.Which of the following is TRUE of Aleck?
A.His father had an influence on him.
B.He had a talent for giving speeches.
C.He taught Trouve to talk in honor of his grandmother.
D.He carried out many experiments to improve people’s speech.
42.Trouve grew fond of practicing talking because .
A.it liked being together with Aleck B.it was given some food for that
C.it would like to develop its potential D.Aleck treated it like one of the family
43.Which of the following words can best describe Aleck?
A.Humorous. B.Naughty. C.Knowledgeable. D.Curious.
44.What contributes most to Aleck’s success in teaching the dog to talk?
A.His own hard work. B.His neighbor’s help.
C.His father’s encouragement. D.The dog’s smartness.
To Whom It May Concern:
My husband and I got married in 1965 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children. Then four years ago, our youngest child went to school and I thought I might go back to work.
My husband was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He emphasized all of the things I can do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business.
After several weeks of job-hunting I found my present job, which is working for a small public relations firm. At first, my husband was very proud of me and would tell his friends , "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for."
But as his joking remark approached reality, my husband stopped talking to me about my job.I have received several promotions and pay increases , and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, my husband and I can do many things that we had always dreamed of doing , but we don't do these things because he is very unhappy.
We fight about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end.
I love my husband very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior, but I also love my job.I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how .Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career?
Please help.
"Distressed"The letter was most probable written ________.
A.in 1975 | B.around 1980 | C.four years ago | D.in 1965 |
Her husband ________ when she first found her present job.
A.was very critical of her | B.felt disappointed |
C.was proud of her | D.was happy but critical |
What does the underlined word "promotion" mean?
A.scolding | B.criticism | C.prize | D.advancement |
As her income increased, ________.
A.she found a gap emerged between her and her husband |
B.she bought more clothes and a house |
C.she did the many things she and her husband dreamed of |
D.she felt very proud of herself |
During the summer holidays there will be a revised (修改过的) schedule (时刻表) of services for the students. Changes for dining-room and library service hours and for bus schedules will be posted on the wall outside of the dining-hall . Weekly film and concert schedules, which are being arranged(安排),will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club.
In the summer holidays, buses going to the town center will leave the main hall every half hour during the day. The dinning-room will serve three meals a day from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. during the week and two meals from noon to 7:00 p.m. on weekends. The library will continue its usual hours during the week, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The weekend hours are from noon to 5:00 p.m.
All students who want to use the library borrowing services must have a new summer card. This announcement will also appear in the next week’s student newspaper.The main purpose of this announcement is to______.
A.tell students of important schedule changes |
B.tell students of new bus and library services |
C.show the excellent services for students |
D.ask students to renew their library cards |
At which of the following times will the bus leave the main hall?
A.8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 | B.8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 |
C.8:30, 9:00, 9:30; 10:00 | D.8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 12:30 |
Times for films and concerts are not listed in this announcement because______.
A.they are not to be announced | B.they are hard to arrange |
C.the full list is not ready | D.the full list is too long |
In the summer holidays, the library will have______.
A.no special hours |
B.special hours on weekdays |
C.special hours on weekends |
D.special hours both on weekdays and weekends |
James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. his astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal(描画, 描写)of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.
When he was in Dublin College, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately(热情地, 热烈地)interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself norwegian(挪威语)so that he could read Ibsen’s(挪威剧作家及诗人)works in the original.
When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile(流犯, 被放逐者), because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.James Joyce was famous for many reasons except _______.
A.his way of constructing a novel |
B.his frank portrayal of human nature |
C.his complete command of English |
D.his passion in literature |
“he is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his ________.
A.achievement in literature |
B.achievement in the nationalist movement |
C.achievement in his study of languages |
D.mastery of the English language |
How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?
A.2. | B.3. | C.1. | D.4. |
Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?
A.Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity. |
B.Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best. |
C.Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. |
D.Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best. |