Mary Allen was my best friend- like the sister I ever had. We did everything together : piano lessons, movies, swimming, and horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Mary and I kept in touch through letters and we saw each other on special occasions- like my wedding and Mary’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back stamped “Address Unknown”.
Over the years, I thought of Mary often. I wanted to share stories of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sorrow when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Mary could fill.
One day I was reading the newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked a lot like Mary and whose last name was Wagman- Mary’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagman. ”I thought, but I wrote to her anyway.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!”she said excitedly. “Mary Allen Wagman ”is my mother. Minutes later I heard a voice that was recognized instantly, even after 40 years. We laughed and cried and caught up on each others lives.
Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And theres one thing that Mary and I know for sure: We don’t lose each other again.I want to find Mary ______________ .
| A．to share my stories |
| B．to share my sorrow |
| C．to fill the empty in my heart |
| D．all of the above |
The writers married name is __________ .
| A．Wagman | B．Allen |
| C．Tobin | D．we dont know |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．We never see each other again when I moved away when I was 13 |
| B．I find my friend in the newspaper |
| C．It is 40 years since we last saw each other |
| D．My friends husband is Mr. Tobin |
The best title of the passage is ________
| A．My Good Friend | B．Friend Again- Forever |
| C．An Important Friend | D．Friends Like the brother |
Recently, the TV show “Where are we going, Dad?” produced by Hunan SatelliteTelevision is a big hit across nation. Many famous stars brought their children to a strange village alone, and they had to spend 72 hours with their children there. The program fully showed us a modern version of the “how to be a good father”. As the young parents today are too busy to take care of their children, this new form of “Lost on the way” played by nanny Daddy and cute kids triggered（触发）a lot of people’s emotional resonance（共鸣）. Both the kids and their parents will find that their hearts are being drawn closer. But this kind of feeling has just proved that there is a big spiritual barrier between the modern parents and children.
The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents’ confusion in children’s education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.
In the real life, on the one hand the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34.We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. Theparticipation of mother in the children’s education is also very low.
It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going, Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.To raise a child in modern society, parents should ________.
| A．break down the barrier between children and teachers |
| B．play computer games with their children |
| C．balance well between family and career |
| D．keep their children at home to avoid socializing |
Which of the following can be inferred in the passage?
| A．36% of the audience of the program are female aged from 25-34. |
| B．Parents shouldn’t entirely leave the education of children to the old. |
| C．In a modern family it is often mothers who are responsible for raising a child. |
| D．The program shows us the confusion where the parents and children will go to play. |
What does the underlined word “participation” probably mean?
| A．taking responsibility | B．understanding |
| C．taking part | D．keeping company |
What attitude towards modern family education does the author express in the second paragraph?
| A．Optimistic. |
| B．Indifferent. |
| C．Proud. |
| D．Worried. |
Which one is the best title of the passage?
| A．New problems in Modern Children’s Education |
| B．Modern Education is Important |
| C．Confusion Behind “Where are we going, dad?” |
| D．Nanny Daddy and Cute Kids |
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment . “We didn’t know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many ,many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.
According to US government reports , emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 million tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9.Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with , the world is a safer and healthier place .A kind of “Green thinking ” has become part of practices .
Great improvement has been achieved .In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs ; today in 1995 there are about 6,600 . Advanced lights ,motors , and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution .
Twenty –five years ago , there were hardly any education programs for environment .Today , it’s hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program .“Until we do that , nothing else will change! ” say Bruce Anderson .According to Anderson , before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___
| A．the social movement |
| B．recycling techniques |
| C．environmental problems |
| D．the importance of Earth Day |
Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
| A．The grass –roots level |
| B．The business circle |
| C．Government officials |
| D．University professors |
What have Americans achieved in environmental protection ?
| A．They have cut car emissions to the lowest |
| B．They have settled their environmental problems |
| C．They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
| D．They have reduced pollution through effective measures . |
What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph ?
| A．Education | B．Planning |
| C．Green living | D．CO reduction |
Arriving in Sydney on his own from India, my husband, Rashid, stayed in a hotel for a short time while looking for a house for me and our children.
During the first week of his stay, he went out one day to do some shopping. He came back in the late afternoon to discover that his suitcase was gone. He was extremely worried as the suitcase had all his important papers, including his passport.
He reported the case to the police and then sat there，lost and lonely in a strange city, thinking of the terrible troubles of getting all the paperwork organized again from a distant country while trying to settle down in a new one.
Late in the evening, the phone rang. It was a stranger. He was trying to pronounce my husband’s name and was asking him a lot of questions. Then he said they had found a pile of papers in their trash can（垃圾桶）that had been left out on the footpath.
My husband rushed to their home to find a kind family holding all his papers and documents. Their young daughter had gone to the trash can and found a pile of unfamiliar papers. Her parents had carefully sorted them out, although they had found mainly foreign addresses on most of the documents. At last they had seen a half-written letter in the pile in which my husband had given his new telephone number to a friend.
That family not only restored the important documents to us that day but also restored our faith and trust in people. We still remember their kindness and often send a warm wish their way.What did Rashid plan to do after his arrival in Sydney?
| A．Go shopping | B．Find a house |
| C．Join his family | D．Take a vacation |
The girl’s parents got Rashid’s phone number from_______.
| A．a friend of his family |
| B．a Sydney policeman |
| C．a letter in his papers |
| D．a stranger in Sydney |
What does the underlined word “restored” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Showed | B．Sent out | C．Delivered | D．Gave back |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．From India to Australia. |
| B．Living in a New Country. |
| C．Turning Trash to Treasure. |
| D．In Search of New Friends. |
Even though it was only October, my students were already talking about Christmas plans. With each passing day everyone became more , waiting for the final school bell. Upon its , everyone would run for their coats and go home except David.
David was a small boy in ragged（破旧的）clothes. I had often what kind of home life David had, and what kind of mother could send her son to school dressed so for the cold winter months, without a coat, boots or gloves. But something made David . I can still remember he was always a smile and willing to help. He always after school to straighten chairs and sweep the floor. We never talked much. He just simply smile and ask what else he could do, then thank me for letting him stay and slowly home.
Weeks passed and the over the coming Christmas grew into restlessness（骚动不安）until the last day of before the holiday break. I smiled in relief as the last of them out of the door. Turning around, I saw David standing by my desk.
“I have something for you,” he said and from behind his back a small box. it to me, he said anxiously, “Open it.” I took it over from him, thanked him and slowly unwrapped it. I lifted the lid and to my saw nothing. I looked at David’s smiling face and back into the box and said, “The box is nice, David, but it’s .”
“Oh no, it isn’t,” said David, “It’s full of love. My mum told me before she died that love is something you can’t see or touch unless you know it’s there.”
Tears filled my eyes I looked at the proud dirty face that I had paid attention to. I never forget the meaning the little empty box set on my desk. After that Christmas, David and I became good friends
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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.The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to _______.
| A．answer some questions |
| B．arouse (激发) the readers’ curiosity |
| C．express some unusual feelings |
| D．give some advice in advance |
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 |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．A Train that Is Never Late |
| B．A Quick and Wise Decision |
| C．A Journey to Mendov |
| D．A Bad Experience on the Train |