Robert and Peter study in the same university. They do everything together and help each other. But they often play jokes on each other. The school year was over last month and they decided to travel through the country in America. They drove a car and could stop wherever they were interested in and started whenever they wanted. Of course they enjoyed themselves. It was very hot one day and they were both hungry and thirsty. They stopped in front of a restaurant by the road. They came in, sat down at a table and ordered some dishes. Robert looked around and found there was a small bowl on the table. He thought there was some ice cream in it and took a spoonful of it and put it into his mouth. Immediately he knew it was mustard(芥末),but it was too late. Tears ran down his face, but he pretended nothing had happened. The other young man, seeing his friend crying, asked, “What are you crying about, Robert?” “I’m thinking of my father who was hanged twenty years ago,” was his reply.
After a while, Peter made the same mistake. Tears ran down his cheeks, too. And his friend asked him why.
“I wonder why your father hadn’t been hanged before he got married!”Robertdidn’ttellPeteritwassomemustardinthebowlbecause .
A.hewantedhisfriendtorepeatthemistake. |
B.hedidn’tknowhisfriendhatedit. |
C.hethoughthisfriendknewwhatitwas. |
D.hethoughthisfriendwasinterestedinit. |
What do Peter’s last words mean?
A.Robert’s father would be hanged earlier. |
B.It was wrong to play a joke on a friend. |
C.He must give his friend a lesson. |
D.His friend wouldn’t be born. |
The writer mainly wants to tell us________ in this passage.
A.not to trust your friend. |
B.a joke |
C.not to mistake mustard for Ice cream. |
D.it’s wrong to lie to friends |
Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen(婴儿圈栏)sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle(喧闹)of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. "Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...." The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________.
A.it was too cold and quiet |
B.she could only sing one song in the small farm |
C.there was nothing more that could make her excited |
D.The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.
A.passed away four years ago |
B.left the small farm with Lord |
C.left for Lord to live her own way |
D.preferred to be with Lord |
The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.
A.recalled | B.comforted | C.shouted | D.sighed |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.
A.The writer was able to sing before she could speak. |
B.The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city. |
C.The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower". |
D.The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse. |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______
A.Cherish life | B.My happy childhood |
C.Our small farmhouse | D.Mom’s music |
A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to evade policemen after a bank robbery, the Associated Press reports that 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn’t touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was caused by terror. Can the guy be held responsible for the woman’s death? Prosecutors(公诉人) said that he can under the state’s murder rule, which allows someone to be charged with murder if he or she causes another person’s death while committing or fleeing from a severe crime like robbery—even if he or she doesn’t kill someone on purpose.
But, medically speaking, can someone actually be frightened to death? We asked Martin Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Absolutely, no question about it.
The body has a natural protective method called the fight-or-flight response(战或逃反应), which was originally described by Walter Cannon,the chairman of Harvard University’s physiology department from 1906 to 1942. If, in the wild, an animal is faced with a life-threatening situation, the autonomic nervous system responds by increasing heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, and slowing digestion, among other things. All of this increases the chances of succeeding in a fight or running away from an aggressive beast. This process certainly would be of help to primitive humans. However, in the modern world there is obvious decline of the fight-or-flight response.
The autonomic nervous system uses the chemical messenger to send signals to various parts of the body to activate the fight-or-flight response. This chemical is toxic in large amounts; it damages the organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. It is believed that almost all sudden deaths are caused by damage to the heart. There is almost no other organ that would fail so fast as to cause sudden death. Kidney failure, liver failure, those things don’t kill you suddenly.
By the way, any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness can cause the same result. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, “I can die now”, and then he dropped dead. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers. Why the Charlotte, N.C., man was charged?
A. Because he threatened the policemen to kill an old woman.
B. Because he caused an old woman’s terror and she died.
C. Because he beat an old woman and caused her heart attack
D. Because he murdered an old woman while robbing a bank. What is Martin Samuels’ attitude to the possibility of being frightened to death?
A.Approval. | B.Disapproval. | C.Doubtful. | D.Indifferent. |
Which of the following about the fight-or-flight response is true?
A. The fight-or-flight response was raised and proved by Martin A. Samuels.
B. It is a natural protective method that can’t be found in all creatures but humans.
C. The ancient humans had a superior fight-or-flight response than modern ones.
D. The fight-or-flight response is beneficial to both our actions and organs. What activity can we infer is less
likely to damage the organs?
A.Winning a big lottery. | B.Missing a dead family. |
C.Watching a horror movie. | D.Listening to a sweet song. |
The purpose of the passage is_________.
A.to explain why people will die of a heart attack |
B.to offer some advice on protecting us from heart failure |
C.to compare different kinds of feelings to cause a death |
D.to show strong emotions can cause a sudden death |
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,并在答题卡上将该项标号涂黑。
A
HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SCHOOL REPORT Form Teac ![]() Term:Summer 2010 Form:Ⅳ B
FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS HEADMASTER |
According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon .
A.is too talkative in the class |
B.likes to work with his classmates |
C.doesn’t exercise his body at the right time |
D.becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all |
Which of Simon’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?
A.Biology and Maths. | B.History and French. |
C.English and Chemistry. | D.Physics and Physical Education. |
Which of the following statements best describes Simon?
A.He has made great progress in language classes. |
B.His potential has been fully reflected in science classes. |
C.His grade in maths makes him a born scientist. |
D.He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects. |
Based on the school report, which of the following statements is true?
A.Simon didn’t bother his teacher to revise French. |
B.Basically, Simon did a good job in science. |
C.Simon is a determined learner in English. |
D.Simon is able to pay attention to history for long. |
Astronauts’ meals have come a long way from the free-dried powders and semi—liquid pastes of decades ago,now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini—greenhouses on the moon.
Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Martian outsteps will be able to dine on fresh vegetables.Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers——and eventually food on the moon.
This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46-cm triangular aluminiumframe.It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface,and protect it while it grows.
The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $21 million to any entrant who can launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.
Paragon officials say future testing of the “Lunar Oasis” will be driven by Odyssey’s flight Schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest.
When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica, a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days, it can complete its life cycle in a single lunar night.
“Colonizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away,but it is important that we do this research now. ”Paragon president Jane Poynter said.
“It takes a long time to get a lot of research, and to get integrated, reliable efficient systems before colonists move in. ”she said.The article is written mainly to__________.
A.predict the astronauts’ meals in the future |
B.introduce an experiment “Lunar Oasis’’ |
C.tell us the future development of astronomy |
D.focus on the human’s great progress |
The article implies that__________.
A.astronauts can grow flowers in space at present | |
B.Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately | |
C.Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out![]() ![]() |
D.the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012 |
The underlined word “colonists” in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of______.
A.plants | B.wild beasts | C.human beings | D.scientists |
The seeds of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because _________.
A.their life cycle is much shorter |
B.they are more nutritious than other food |
C.they are related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage |
D.they are very delicious |
The Harvard Student—led Walking Tour
Let a student show you Harvard···on a free walking tour.
We welcome our neighbours to stop by the Harvard University Events&Information Centre,
located in the Holyoke Centre Arcade at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge.
Let a student take you and your family, school,or organization on an engaging,hour-long free historical tour of the Harvard Campus. The tours leave from the Events&Information Centre.Not only will you discover the location of fascinating exhibition and programmers on campus,you will also see Harvard’s rich sampling of American history and architecture from the Colonial period to the present.
Schedule of Tours
Tours leave the Events&Information Centre at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday through the academic year (February4 through May 2;September 23 through December 16).Summer tours(June 24 through August 15)are offered at 10 a.m.,11:15 a. m.,2p.m.,and 3:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday.Reser—vacations for special tours of 20 or more people may be made by calling the Events&Information Centre at (617)495-1573 or emailing icenter@ camail Harvard, edu. Tours are suspended March23 through April2 for Spring Break.May3 through June23 for Spring intercession(祷告),and August16 through September 22 for Summer intercession.
NOTE:Prospective(未来的)students may take tours originating at the Harvard Admission Office, located at Byerly Hall on 8 Garden Street in Cambridge.From April through August,the Admissions staff conducts an information session at l0a.m. followed by an 11 a.m. tour.Monday through Friday On Saturdays.there is no information session but the 11 a.m.tour is still scheduled.Another session is held year-round at 2 p.m. with a 3 p.m. tour following. For more information on tours for prospective students,please call at(617)495-1551.
Harvard University Events&Information Centre
Location:Holyoke Centre Arcade.1350 Massachusetts Avenue,Cambridge MA 02138
Phone:(617)495-1573A person can join in a tour at ________on Saturday through the academic year.
A.10 a.m. | B.2 p.m. | C.11:15 a.m. | D.3:15 p.m. |
If you want to go for an information session, you can go on __________.
A.May 2 | B.June 23 | C.August 20 | D.September 1 |
A student who wants an information session may _________for more information.
A.call (617)495-1573 | B.call (617)495-1551 |
C.email icenter@ camail. Harvard.edu. | D.go to the Events&Information Centre |
The above ad.is mainly intended for________.
A.foreign visitors | B.freshmen |
C.high school students | D.those living near Harvard University |