A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high rains, smelly and dirty.
Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was, “No charge.” She said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. 
The next day I we
nt for a haircut, and the same thing happened.
As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押贷款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d begun to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans.
It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no places to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to rent his house to me while he went to England on his one-year-paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.
Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance. The garage employee’s attitude toward the author was that of ________.
| A．unconcern | B．sympathy |
| C．doubt | D．tolerance |
What do we know about James Kennedy?
| A．He was a writer of an online magazine. |
| B．He was a poet at the University of Florida. |
| C．He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail. |
| D．He offered the author a new house free of charge. |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．the author’s family was in financial difficulty |
| B．rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster |
| C．houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area |
| D．the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank |
From Paragraph 4, we can know that the author’s new house ________.
| A．was located in the University of Florida |
| B．was offered by a poet and the rent was expensive |
| C．was sponsored by James Kennedy with its 8-month rent |
| D．was well-equipped but the rent was low |
The author learned from his experience that ________.
| A．worldly possessions can be given up when necessary |
| B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases |
| C．people benefit from their sad stories |
| D．human beings are kind after all |
My daughter and I collected the empty cans and bottles in our home .this morning, We had 6 full garbage bags later so I knew we would be spending a bit more of time at the recycling center. When we got there , a man and his kids were also doing the morning recycling and were using two of the four machines to recycle their plastic and cans. Luckily ,we were able to use the 2 remaining machines.
Of course, there were others that came, but when they saw the two families with garbage bags full of recycled things, they quickly left. However, one woman came in with just 5 cans and looked as if she was in a hurry. So I stopped what I was doing and let her in to recycle her cans. Of course, she was grateful, and it felt good to let her go ahead of me. But that was not the whole story.
My daughter and I continued to work through the bags, but the plastic recycling machine stopped working because it was full. My daughter was left with nothing to, do. The other family was still using the other two plastic recycling machines, but it. seemed that they were almost done .I just told my daughter we would have to wait until they were done. But the man of the other family came through with another act of kindness. He offered to let us go ahead of him. I was really surprised, because we had more than 5 bottles, but he didn’t seem to mind. I happily accepted it.
It was great to give and then to get an act of kindness in turn. It was small, I didn't expect it, but it surely brightened up my day.What can we learn from Paragraph l?
| A．The writer did collecting every morning. |
| B．The writer usually had 6 bags of cans to recycle. |
| C．There were four recycling machines in all. |
| D．Most people did recycling in the morning. |
Why did the writer let the woman recycle her cans first?
| A．Because there were many other families there. |
| B．Because the woman seemed to be in a hurry. |
| C．Because the writer wanted to hear a story. |
| D．Because the woman was very grateful. |
Why couldn't the writer finish her recycling in time?
| A．Because her daughter' s machine stopped working. |
| B．Because the other family was still using the machines. |
| C．Because she let the other family use her machine first. |
| D．Because she helped recycle the other family's bags first. |
What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The kindness. | B．The offer. |
| C．The machine. | D．The 5 bottles. |
Which of the following best describes the topic of this passage?
| A．A good name is sooner-lost than won. |
| B．A little is better than none. |
| C．All men cannot be first. |
| D．One good turn deserves another. |
Noah Webster, born on October 16, 1758 , is known for The American Dictionary of the English Language. He has been called the " Father of American Scholarship and Education. " His " Blue-Backed Speller" books were used to teach spelling and reading to five generations of American children. But how much .do you know about him beyond that?
At the age of 16, Noah Webster began attending ,Yale College. Unfortunately, he spent his four years at Yale during the American Revolutionary War, and, because of food shortages, many of his college classes were held in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Later, he served in the army.
Having graduated from Yale in 1778, Webster wanted to continue his education in order to earn his law degree. He had to teach school in order to pay for his education. He set up many small schools that didn't survive, but he was a good teacher because instead of forcing his students to learn, like most teachers did, he rewarded them. He earned his law degree in 1781, but did not practice law until 1789. Once he started he found the law was not to his liking.
Webster did not have much money. In 1793 , Alexander Hamilton lent him $ 1500 to move to New York City to edit a newspaper. In December, he founded New York ' s first daily newspaper, American Minerva, and edited it for four years. For decades, he published . textbooks, political essays, a report on some diseases, and newspaper articles for his party, He wrote so much that a modern list of his published works required 655 pages .Noah Webster died on May 28, 1843 and was buried in the Grove Street Cemetery.What's the main idea of Paragraph l?
| A． Webster's famous dictionarie . |
| B．Webster's daily routines. |
| C． Webster's main achievements. |
| D．Webster's college education. |
Which of the following best describes Webster's life at Yale?
| A．Tough. | B．Smooth. | C．Normal. | D．Tiring. |
What did Noah want to be after graduation from Yale?
| A．A teacher. | B．A lawyer. | C．A headmaster. | D．A scholar. |
Why was Webster a good teacher?
| A．Because he set up many small schools. |
| B．Because he graduated from Yale College, |
| C．Because he forced his students to learn. |
| D．Because he often rewarded his students. |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．Webster was a most productive author. |
| B．Webster led a miserable life in New York City. |
| C．Webster's books added up to 655 pages. |
| D．Webster didn't write any polifical works. |
When Luca first heard of the Island of Inventions, he was still very young. But its wonders sounded so incredible that they were forever burned in his memory. From that moment, he never stopped searching for clues which might lead him to the island. He read hundreds of adventure books, histories, volumes of physics and chemistry, even music.
Over time, he pieced together his idea of what the Island of Inventions was like. It was a secret place, where all the great wise men of the world would meet to learn and invent together. Access to the island was totally restricted. To join, you had to have created some great invention for humanity. Only then could you receive the special invitation — which came with directions to the island.
So Luca spent his youth studying and inventing. Every new idea he got, he made it into an invention, and if there were something he didn't understand, he’d seek others to help him. Soon he met other young inventors and he told them about the Island of Inventions. They too dreamed of one day receiving an invitation letter.
As years passed, the disappointment of not receiving their invitation made Luca and his friends work harder and co-operate more. They would meet in Luca's house, share their ideas and build new machines. Their inventions became known throughout the world, and improved the lives of millions.
But still, no invitation came.
They didn’t lose heart. They continued learning and inventing every day, trying to come up with more and better ideas. Fresh young talent joined their group, as more inventors dreamed of getting to the island.
One day many years later, Luca, already very old, was speaking with a brilliant young man named Roberts, who had written to him, asking him to join the group. Luca started telling the man of the wonderful Island of Inventions, and of how he was sure that some day they would receive an invitation. Surprised, the young inventor interrupted: “You mean this place isn’t the Island of Inventions? Isn't the letter you sent me the real invitation?”
It was only then that Luca realised that his dream had become true in his very own house. No island could exist which would be better than where he was now. No place of invention would be better than what he and his friends had created. Luca felt happy to know that he had always been on the island, and that his life of invention and study had been a truly happy one.Why did Luca and his colleagues probably never receive an invitation to the island?
| A．Their ideas were not considered worthy enough. |
| B．They were too concerned with acquiring fame. |
| C．The organization had already broken up. |
| D．The island was not a real place. |
What did Luca learn at the end of the story?
| A．The island of inventions did not exist. |
| B．He had wasted most of his life. |
| C．He had unknowingly built his own dreamland. |
| D．He finally would receive his invitation. |
Which of the following best describes Luca?
| A．Aggressive. | B．Trusting. | C．Creative. | D．Easy-going. |
Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping. Or is it?
Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim of fraud (诈骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of stealing. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation.
Another problem is the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing up powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue. Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items where design and color are not essential to customer satisfaction.
Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large vans pouring out carbon monoxide and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly irritated (使烦恼) by the fact that the delivery is late and you have wasted the leave from work you have taken to receive it!
Without question, online shopping is here to stay and it has its benefits. However, perhaps it is not as wonderful as some of its supporters claim it to be.The author lists several questions in Para. 1 to.
| A．support online shopping |
| B．collect answers from readers |
| C．show his dislike of going shopping |
| D．introduce the topic of the passage |
By what can online shoppers avoid fraud?
| A．Using only trusted websites. |
| B．Choosing big websites. |
| C．Collecting shopping evidence. |
| D．Seeking advice from the police. |
The author agrees with the fact that ______.
| A．customers are never satisfied with products |
| B．online shopping is a safe way to make purchases |
| C．online shopping has nothing to do with global warming |
| D．delivery delay often makes online shoppers unhappy |
What is the author’s attitude towards online shopping?
| A．Very popular. | B．A wise choice. | C．Not trouble free. | D．A waste of time. |
Many people influenced various aspects of my life, based on their personal characteristics, accomplishments, and values. I have been fortunate to have had numerous teachers and professors who I respect for their patience and intelligence. There are artists that have inspired me by their natural talents and original creativity. I value many political leaders, who have inspired me by their contributions to society, and their ability to change our futures. But of all the people I have known in my life, the person I admire most is my father.
As the youngest girl in my family, I always considered myself to be “Daddy’s little girl”. While I grew up, it always made me sad to see so many of my friends and neighbors without a father or father-like figure around. This helped me appreciate how my father always takes an interest in his children’s lives. In every aspect of my life my father continuously pushes me to excel, so I could accomplish my work outstandingly among my people. Whenever I feel like giving up, or have a question or a concern, I know I can always call on him for advice. From him I have also learned that sometimes you have to put others’ needs ahead of your own, but you should make sure you are not taken advantage of by others. His strength seems to be unbreakable during hard times, and he is extremely determined to accomplish anything he sets his mind on, no matter how tiny it is. I highly respect him for how he stands up for what he believes in, and will never back down. I have always admired his open mind, compassion for people, and sense of understanding. He is a very reserved man, but to everybody’s surprise, he has a great sense of humor, and always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his wife, his children and his friends.
Living in his affection and instruction, I am very proud of my father. He also professes how proud he is of his children, and is still there to support us in whatever we are involved in. What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How my father loved me |
| B．My father—the person I admire most |
| C．I am the apple on my father’s palm |
| D．My father—the one who influenced me most |
Which of the following could not be used to describe the author’s father?
| A．Considerate and humorous |
| B．Affectionate and open-minded |
| C．Knowledgeable and sociable |
| D．Energetic and helpful |
Which of the following can best explain the underlined word “excel”?
| A．Do better than others. | B．Show off. |
| C．Be cleverer than others. | D．Keep healthy |
What can we infer about the author?
| A．She appreciated her father because he solved all the problems for her. |
| B．She considered her father humorous and was often made to laugh by him. |
| C．She had sympathy for the fatherless. |
| D．She was outstanding in work because her father pushed her hard. |