SpecialEventsThisWeekendCaptai-优题课

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her three-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's tummy.
The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen. But complications arise during delivery. Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital.
The little girl gets worse. The doctor tells the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst." Karen and her husband have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby — now they plan a funeral.
Michael, keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, "I want to sing to her," he says. But kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. However, Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it or not.“If he doesn't see his sister now, he may never see her alive.” She dresses him in an oversized scrub suit and marches him into ICU. The head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, "Get that kid out of here now! " The mother, the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!" Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. And he begins to sing.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray”
Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate becomes calm and steady.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away "
The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr.
Keep on singing, Michael. Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse as well as Karen.
Funeral plans are scrapped. The next, day — the very next day — the little girl is well enough to go home!
NEVER GIVE UP THE ONE WE LOVE!
How did Michal’s feel when he knew that he was going to have a sister?

A．indifferent.	B．worried
C．expectant.	D．disappointed.

The doctor recommended the family ___________.

A．get ready for the worst result.

B．wait for the hope in the near future.

C．prepare much more money for the infant.

D．prepare for another chance in other hospitals.

Which word can best replace the underlined word in Paragraph 4?

A．pointed.

B．yelled.

C．whispered.

D．ignored.

What happened when Michael sang to his little sister?

A．The little baby responded to his song and woke up immediately.

B．The baby heard the song and burst into tears.

C．The baby’s physical signs disappeared eventually.

D．The baby recovered from the dangerous state of coma gradually.

What could be the best title of the article?

A．An unexpected gift.	B．A miracle of love
C．A iron-mother.	D．A medical success.

Cutting global warming pollution would not only make the planet healthier, it would make people healthier too, new research suggested.
Cutting carbon dioxide emissions could save millions of lives, mostly by reducing preventable deaths from heart and lung diseases, according to studies released Wednesday and published in a special issue of The Lancet, a British medical journal.
　　"Relying on fossil fuels leads to unhealthy lifestyles, increasing our chances of getting sick and in some cases takes years from our lives," US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a telecast briefing from her home state of Kansas. "As greenhouse gas emissions go down, so do deaths from cardiovascular（心血管） and respiratory（呼吸道） diseases. This is not a small effect."
　　Instead of looking at the health ills caused by future global warming, as past studies have done, this research looks at the immediate benefits of doing something about the problem, said Linda Birnbaum, director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
　　Some possible benefits seemed highly speculative, the researchers conceded, based on people driving less and walking and cycling more. Other proposals studied were more concrete and achievable, such as reducing cook stoves that burn dung（粪便）, charcoal and other polluting fuels in the developing world.
　　And cutting carbon dioxide emissions also makes the air cleaner, reducing lung damage for millions of people, doctors said.
　　"Here are ways you can attack major health problems at the same time as dealing with climate change," said lead author Dr. Paul Wilkinson, an environmental epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
　　Wilkinson said the individual studies came up with numbers of premature deaths prevented or extra years of life added for certain places.
　　For example, switching to low-polluting cars in London and Delhi, India, would save 160 lost years of life in London and nearly 1,700 in Delhi for every million residents, one study found. But if people also drove less and walked or biked more, those extra saved years would soar to more than 7,300 years in London and 12,500 years in Delhi because of less heart disease.
What does the passage mainly talk about? _______.

A．How can people live longer?

B．Cutting carbon dioxide emissions saves lives.

C．Global warming threatens people’s lives.

D．People should stop relying on fossil fuels.

The new research differs from past studies in that _______.

A．it focuses on the immediate benefits of cutting carbon dioxide emissions

B．it studies the bad effects arising from future global warming

C．it is believed by more people

D．it mainly targets at developing countries

According to Kathleen Sebelius, _______.

A．sometimes it takes years to see the bad effects caused by consuming fossil fuels

B．without greenhouse gas emissions, people would not die of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases

C．the main reason why people get sick is that they rely on fossil fuels

D．deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are closely related to greenhouse gas emissions

Which of the following is the most practical way to cut carbon dioxide emissions according to the passage? _________.

A．Driving less

B．Walking and cycling as much as possible.

C．Stopping using fossil fuels

D．Reducing the use of polluting fuels to cook.

It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A．London and Delhi have already benefited from reducing greenhouse gas emissions

B．switching to low-polluting cars would save 160 lives in London each year

C．walking and biking instead of driving will reduce the chance of heart disease

D．attacking health problems and dealing with climate change are contradictory

As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have clear memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew （工作人员）. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is especially afraid of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I had a sombre feeling on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me abroad, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today，I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general，for me，has always been a terrible and painful experience．Flying on Lufthansa，however, is something I always have and always will look forward to.
Which country does the author live in now? ________.

A．India.

B．Canada.

C．Belgium.

D．Germany.

What made the author so interested in traveling abroad? ________.

A．Growing up in India.

B．Once staying in Canada.

C．Once traveling to Canada with his father.

D．His father's stories about his traveling experiences.

Which of the following is true about the author's trip to Europe in 1998? _________.

A．The author traveled with one of his parents.

B．Both their going and return were by air.

C．They traveled in spring that year.

D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months.

It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.

A．a city in India	B．a city in Europe
C．an airline company	D．a travel agency

he underlined word “somber” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”.

A．happy

B．sad

C．angry

D．enjoyable

The USA is a land of immigrants. Between 1815 and 1914, the world witnessed the greatest peaceful migration in its history: 35 million people, mostly Europeans, left their homelands to start new lives in America. Why did these people risk everything by leaving their homes and families?
First, what forced emigrants to make the decision to leave? One major cause for European farmers to leave was the rise in population which in turn led to land hunger. Another was politics. There was an increased taxation（税收）and the growth of armies, and many young men fled eastern Europe to avoid being forced to join the army.
Physical hunger provided another pressing reason. Following the collapse （衰退）of the economy of southern Italy in the 1860s, hundreds of thousands decided to start a new life in America. Religion also encouraged millions to leave the Old World.
In short, people chose to leave their homes for social, economic and religious reasons. As a result, by 1890 among a total population of 63 million, there were more than nine million foreign-born Americans.
But what were the attractions? First of all, there was the promise of land which was so scarce in Europe. Next, factories were calling for workers, and pay conditions were much better than back home. Men were needed to open up the West and build the long railroads, and new towns needed settlers to live in and to develop business. There was the space for religious people to practice their faith in peace.
This immigration meant that by around the 1850s Americans of non-English had started to be more than those of English. As we know, there were losers. To start with, there were those unwilling immigrants, the slaves who had been used as a source of cheap labour. Nor should we forget the equally unlucky American Indians. By 1860 there were 27 million free whites, four million slaves and a mere 488,000 free blacks.
Nowadays, the USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land. As always, it remains an attractive place to those who think it will offer them a second chance.
What is not the cause for people to leave their homeland?

A．The search for religious freedom.	B．The search for adventure.
C．Unwillingness to join the army.	D．Economics.

Why was life of the 19th Century European farmers difficult?

A．There was no land.	B．There was no peace.
C．The population had gone down.	D．There were too many of them.

Which of the following was not an attraction of the USA?

A．Employment	B．A healthy life
C．freedom of religion	D．Business opportunities

What is the topic of this passage?

A．The USA is still seen by millions as the Promised Land.

B．The USA is a land of immigrants.

C．Religion encouraged millions to leave the Old World.

D．About one-eighth of non-native born Americans live in the USA in 1890.

The American Indians __________.

A．were as fortunate as the slaves

B．were more unfortunate than the slaves

C．were the most unfortunate

D．were as unfortunate as the slaves

How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny. I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your destiny depends on you, not on any other external factors.
I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it. Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting(运用) the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you reap what you sow. You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky. You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone. Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; but use it as feedback. Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand (or sit ) there, do something to improve your life.
According to the woman mentioned in Para.3, her life ____________.

A．Doesn't need improving	B．couldn't be improved
C．will be better some day	D．Will be worse in the future

What does the author think of the woman's life? ____________.

A．positive

B．satisfying

C．colorful

D．passive

Which of the following statements is the author's opinion? ___________.

A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging.

B．Your luck can be changed by your efforts

C．You can only achieve success when God wills it.

D．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends.

In Para.5, the author emphasized the importance of _____________.

A．positive action	B．positive thinking
C．hope for the best	D．intention to succeed

The text is mainly written to advise you to ____________.

A．understand yourself	B．improve your life
C．believe in yourself	D．change your normal way

A．At City College.	B．At Museum Theatre.
C．At City Theatre.	D．At Central Park.

A．at City Hall	B．at Rose Hall
C．at City College	D．at Central Park