High school graduation—the bittersweet feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago.
As graduation day approached, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I was finally coming of age. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I wanted without someone looking over my shoulder and it meant going to school with boys—a welcome change coming from an all-girl high school. There was never any question in my mind that I would go to a college away from home. My mother’s idea, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Trying her best not to force her preferences on me, she would mildly ask whether I had considered particular schools—all of which happened to be located in or near my hometown of Chicago. Once it was established(建立) that, as long as the expenses would not be too heavy a burden on the family budget, I would be going away anyway, my family’s viewpoint changed. Their concern switched from whether I was going away to how far. The schools I was considering on the East Coast suddenly looked much more attractive than those in California. But which college I would attend was just one of what seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like? Would I be unbearably lonely not knowing anyone else who was going to the same school? Would the other students like me? Would I make friends easily? Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn’t be able to stand it? And what about the work—would I be able to keep up? (Being an A student in high school seemed to offer little hope I would be able to survive college.) What if the college I chose turned out to be a terrible mistake? Would I be able to switch to another school?
Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree turn. I really didn’t want to leave high school at all, and it was questionable whether I wanted to grow up after all. It had been nice being respected as a senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn’t enjoy the idea of being on the bottom rung of the ladder again.
Despite months of expectation, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar melody (旋律) of “Pomp and Circumstance” echoed in the background, I looked around at the other students in white caps and gowns as we seriously lined into the hall. Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was overcome by a rush of sadness. As if in a daze (恍惚), I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma(毕业文凭). As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a brand-new life. Exciting as the future of a new life seemed, it wasn’t easy saying good-bye to the old one—the familiar faces, the familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn’t particularly fond of and the long travel each day between home and school that I hated. Good or bad, it was what I knew.
That September, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university in Providence, Rhode Island. I needn’t have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still treasure today. Years later, financial difficulties forced my high school to close its doors forever. Although going back is impossible, it’s comforting to know I can revisit my special memories any time. In this article the author mainly describes ________.
| A．the great excitement before the graduation ceremony |
| B．her mixed feelings before graduation and on the actual graduation day |
| C．her happiness to be admitted to a wonderful university |
| D．her eagerness to go to a wonderful university far away from home |
The author’s mother ________.
| A．did not care very much which college her daughter went to |
| B．was greatly disappointed at her decision to go to a college on the East Coast |
| C．willingly allowed her to go to a college of her own choice |
| D．wished that she would study at a college or university close to home |
Expectation and excitement suddenly changed into anxiety and fear. Which of the following did the author NOT mention as a reason for that change?
| A．Growing homesick might seriously affect her physical health. |
| B．She might make a wrong choice and enter a university she did not like at all. |
| C．Her being a top student at high school did not mean she could be successful at college. |
| D．It might be hard for her to make friends in the new environment. |
On the actual graduation day, ________.
| A．she sang a song “Pomp and Circumstance” |
| B．she went through the whole ceremony in a daze |
| C．she came to realize that she was the only one who had a passion for her old school |
| D．reaching out for diploma, she was aware of a new stage in life ahead of her |
The author adopts a(n)________ tone in writing this article.
| A．negative | B．serious |
| C．emotional | D．cold-blooded |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steer them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because ．
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can' t choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The word "steer" underlined in the last sentence most probably means .
| A．force | B．guide |
| C．expect | D．observe |
The main purpose of the text is to .
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts |
| C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
It was a cold December and Mrs. Bell wanted to do a lot of shopping. She waited until it was Saturday, when her husband was free, and she took him to the shops with her to pay for everything and to carry for her what she had bought. They went to a lot of shops, and Mrs. Bell bought everything she could think of.
She often stopped and said, “Look, Peter! Isn’t that beautiful?
“All right, my dear. How much is it?” answered Mr. Bell, and then he took money out to buy it for her.
It was almost dark when they came out of the last shop, and Mr. Bell was tired. He was thinking about a nice drink by the side of a warm fire home. Suddenly his wife looked up at the sky and said, “Look at that beautiful moon, Peter!”
Without stopping, Mr. Bell answered at once. “All right, dear. How much is it?” Then he took his wallet out of his pocket.Mrs. Bell took her husband to the shops because ．
| A．he liked beautiful things |
| B．he liked to do shopping too. |
| C．she wanted him to pay money |
| D．he was always free |
Mrs. Bell bought in the shops.
| A．nothing | B．a drink |
| C．the most beautiful thing | D．a number of things |
Mr. Bell shopping.
| A．was addicted to | B．was thinking about |
| C．was tired of | D．was very interested in |
According to the last paragraph, we know Mr. Bell .
| A．wanted to buy the moon |
| B．did not really know what his wife was saying |
| C．was a millionaire |
| D．did not like the idea of buying the moon |
Ask any student to say one thing they know about Charles Dickens, and it is very likely they will say Oliver Twist. His classic tale of a poor orphan boy strikes at the heart of all those who have ever wanted "more", as Oliver did.
And now, Dickens' classic scenes of the lives of the Victorian British poor will appear in a big screen movie, "Oliver Twist," an adaptation of his classic tale directed by Roman Polanski.
The new film is not meant for younger viewers, and is meant for children over 13. For those old enough to enjoy it, however, the film shows just how long people have been enjoying Dickens' remarkable literature. His short stories and essays began appearing in magazines in 1833. "Oliver Twist" was published in 1837 - more than 165 years ago.
"Oliver Twist" tells the story of an orphan forced to live in a workhouse headed by the awful Mr Bumble, who cheats the boys who work there out of their already low pay. Oliver decides to escape to the streets of London, where he meets a thief called Fagin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley, who leads him into a world of crime. Several of Dickens' books have been made into films and television series, including 2002's "Nicholas Nickleby" and 2000's "David Copperfield." And several versions of "A Christmas Carol" have entertained audiences for years.
In his novels, Dickens wrote about several important issues. He talked about the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1824 in "Oliver Twist"; the French Revolution in "A Tale of Two Cities"; and helping the poor in "Hard Times.” One of Dickens' best-known books is the first Christmas book he wrote - "A Christmas Carol" (1843), about a mean man.
We thought this would be a good time to take a look at the man behind the words and see what kind of experiences helped shape and affect one of the best — known writers of all time.The “workhouse” in paragraph 4 should be ___
| A．a building where people are kept as a punishment for a crime they have committed |
| B．a place where dancing is taught or trained for international performance |
| C．a building where very poor people were sent to live and given work to do |
| D．a place where films are made or music is recorded |
How many works are mentioned in the passage?
A. 3 B. 4 C 5 D. 6The passage show many things about Oliver except that____
| A．he is forced to live in a workhouse by Roman Polanski |
| B．he meets a thief, Fagin, in the streets of London |
| C．he lives a hard life in his childhood |
| D．Fagin trains and forces Oliver to do some crimes |
The fifth paragraph mainly tells us ___
| A．Dickens’s birth and schooling |
| B．Dickens’s work experience |
| C．Dickens’s works and themes |
| D．Dickens’s influence and contribution |
In America, square dancing has been the most popular form of folk dancing since the early days. In early times, when men and women worked in groups to build a barn (谷仓) or harvest crops, they danced when the work was done. The music came from the violin for the most part, but if there was no one to play a musical instrument, clapping was used to produce the rhythm to which people dance. The early settlers danced in a store, in a barn, or in a farm kitchen.
A square is formed by four couples （对）who stand facing the centre of the square. Each couple stand on one side of the square, the boy on the left and the girl on the right.
The caller is an important part of the dance, since he tells the dancers which steps to do. If the dancers do not know the steps, he teaches them. It takes time to learn to be a good caller, and good callers are always in demand（被需要）.
These are the names of some of the steps the dancers do: Form a square; Circle; Honour your partner; Swing your partner; Form a star. There are many more. As the callers tell the dancers what to do next, they move to form the pattern（图形）he calls.
Large or small numbers of people can dance at one time. Sometimes 800 or 1,000 people may be dancing at the same time. Or there may be only one square of eight people.
Special clothes are worn by some when dancing. This makes the dance more colourful to watch. The special clothes are different from place to place. Women often wear full skirts of various colours with a pretty blouse. Men have coloured shirts and western trousers that they wear only when square dancing. In some country areas, everyone wears his best clothes.
Today in some parts of the United States you will find some schools, clubs, or groups square dancing for fun.From the passage we know that square dancing came from_______.
| A．the clubs | B．the schools |
| C．big cities | D．the countryside |
How many steps do the dancers usually do while square dancing?
| A．At most four. | B．At least one thousand. |
| C．At most eight. | D．At least five. |
For what purpose do the American men and women dance?
| A．For money. |
| B．To lose weight. |
| C．For fun. |
| D．To show their beautiful clothes. |
If 800 people dance at the same time，how many squares can be formed?
| A．200 squares. | B．100 squares. |
| C．400 squares. | D．One big square. |
Halloween falls on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.
The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day marches in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray（祈祷）for the family's dead relatives.
The act of giving out soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for homeless ghosts. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was finally taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given sweets, food, and money.
The tradition of dressing in costume（服饰） for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies were often not enough because people were afraid of the darkness and would stay at home without doing businesses.
On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would meet with ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for their fellows(同伴).
On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to satisfy the ghosts and prevent them from trying to enter their houses.Halloween is a day_______.
| A．respecting the old |
| B．pleasing the children |
| C．honoring the dead |
| D．praying for relatives |
Which of the following statements is false about Halloween?
| A．Halloween has a long history. |
| B．Children can get a lot of gifts. |
| C．Americans created the festival. |
| D．People were afraid of darkness. |
Ancient people would wear masks on Halloween in order to______.
| A．frighten the ghosts | B．leave their homes |
| C．enjoy themselves | D．look like ghosts |
The best title for the passage is___________.
| A．Halloween Traditions | B．American Traditions |
| C．Ancient Church Practices | D．Halloween Costumes |