It was 8:35 am. My girls and I were rushing through the front door of the school as I yelled, “Hurry up! The bell was about to…” RIIIIIIIING! The girls froze and their eyes widened. My shoulders sagged(下垂). We were too late.
We were often late for school last year, and every time we ran breathlessly into the attendance I heard myself making silly excuses to Beth, the long-suffering secretary: our alarm didn’t go off; there was so much traffic; it was my husband’s fault; the dog…I didn’t know-something about the dog!
As time passed by, my lying became a habit, and it raised a red flag for me. Lying - even in the form of “harmless” excuses - means we’re ashamed. Shame is different from guilt. Healthy guilt is fair and helpful. But shame can be dangerous. Nothing ruins the connection between two people more quickly than shame and lies do. Anyone trying to live a healthy and honest life must avoid shame at any cost. I was trying to live a healthy and honest life, but my excuses were keeping me from reaching my goal. So I vowed（发誓）to do something different .
The next time we were late, I went to the attendance office. When Beth asked me to fill in a form with the reason for being late, I told the truth. “These days, we are very tired and disorganized,” I wrote. Beth looked down at that form, and the slowly looked up at me. She gave us a warm and big smile and her blue eyes twinkled. She started laughing. So did my kids and I.
We’re all imperfect human beings. We make mistakes. Everyone does make mistakes. However, it’s OK to tell the truth about them. It’s OK to forgive ourselves and promise to try again.By writing Paragraph1, the author wants to show that .
| A．her daughters were not easy to deal with |
| B．she didn’t have an organized lifestyle |
| C．her daughters didn’t like going to school |
| D．she lived a lazy life with her daughters |
What do we know about the author from Paragraph2?
| A．She lived an extremely busy life. |
| B．She liked complaining about life. |
| C．She liked making fun of other people. |
| D．She liked making excuses for her lateness. |
We learn that as time went by, the author .
| A．found that other people liked lying to her |
| B．realized the harm of lying and wanted to change |
| C．found that shame had a positive effect on her life |
| D．realized that she could no longer live a healthy life |
The last paragraph shows when we make a mistake we should .
| A．blame it on different things |
| B．never let others know it is our fault |
| C．never forgive ourselves for making it |
| D．forgive ourselves and try harder next time |
American researchers have discovered that human brains and sleep patterns are confused by devices(装置) that give out bright lights. Electronics, such as laptops, mislead our minds into thinking that it is still daytime, preventing sleep and increasing the risk of insomnia.
Sleep experts say human's natural body clock begins to rest and relax from the day between 9 and 10 pm but the use of computers confuses it.
A person's brain biologically becomes awake when the sun is out because bright light after dark causes the brain to stop producing the hormone (荷尔蒙) called melatonin that makes us sleepy.
Researchers say blue light from devices such as iPads, which is expected to become a popular reading tool when it comes out later this month, is particularly disruptive (干扰的)during the night when the brain thinks it should be dark.
Experts say a good book is a far better way of resting the brain and ensuring a good night's sleep because the bedside lamp(灯) light doesn't affect the brain as it does not look straight into a person's eyes.
“Potentially, yes, if you're using an iPad or a laptop close to bedtime... that light can be stimulating (刺激) to the brain to make it more awake and delay your ability to sleep，” Phyllis Zee, a professor at Northwestern University and director of the school's Centre for Sleep & Circadian Biology, told CNN.
“And I think more importantly, it could also be enough to affect your circadian (昼夜节律的) rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up. ”
Alon Avidan, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California Los Angeles, added, “I wish people would just take a boring book — an oldfashioned book — and read by a lamp.”The underlined word “insomnia” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．being unable to eat properly |
| B．brain injury |
| C．being unable to fall sleep |
| D．lack of energy |
Melatonin is the hormone that ________.
| A．makes us sleepy |
| B．helps us relaxed |
| C．prevents us from waking up |
| D．makes us excited |
The bedside lamp light doesn't affect the brain because ________.
| A．it doesn't give out blue light |
| B．it's not as bright as your laptop |
| C．it doesn't enter your eyes directly |
| D．it is adjustable |
We can conclude from the passage that ________.
| A．one who uses his laptop often before bedtime can have his body clock disturbed |
| B．using a laptop before bedtime is more harmful than using an iPad |
| C．we'd better not do anything before going to bed |
| D．the best time to go to bed is before 9 pm |
Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively (不引人注目地) and leave no mark.
Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in national parks.
Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully equipped campsite(野营地) seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access：walking in makes a real adventure.
Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy(隐秘) and minimum（最小的） influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot.
When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward(迎风的) side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.You needn’t ask for permission when camping in________.
| A．national parks in England |
| B．most parts of Scotland |
| C．crowded lowland Britain |
| D．most parts of England |
The author thinks that a good campsite is one________.
| A．with easy access | B．used previously（以前） |
| C．with modern conveniences | D．far away from beaches |
The last paragraph mainly deals with________.
| A．protecting animals |
| B．building a campfire |
| C．camping in woodland |
| D．finding a campsite with privacy |
The passage is mainly about________.
| A．the protection of campsites |
| B．the importance of wild camping |
| C．the human influence on campsites |
| D．the dos and don’ts of wild camping |
In a room at Texas Children Cancer Center in Houston, eight-year-old Simran Jatar lay in bed with a drip (点滴) above her to fight her bone cancer. Over her bald (秃的) head, she wore a pink hat that matched her clothes. But the third grader’s cheery dressing didn’t mask her pain and weary(疲倦的) eyes.
Then a visitor showed up. “Do you want to write a song?” asked Anita Kruse, 49, rolling a cart equipped with an electronic（电子） keyboard, a microphone and speakers（扬声器）. Simran stared. “Have you ever written a poem?” Anita Kruse continued. “Well, yes,” Simran said.
Within minutes, Simran was reading her poem into the microphone. “Some bird soaring through the sky,” she said softly. “Imagination in its head…” Anita Kruse added piano music, a few warbling (鸣, 唱) birds, and finally the girl’s voice. Thirty minutes later, she presented Simran with a CD of her first recorded song.
That was the beginning of Anita Kruse’s project, Purple Songs Can Fly, one that has helped more than 125 young patients write and record songs. As a composer（作曲家） and pianist who had performed at the hospital, Kruse said that the idea of how she could help “came in one flash”.
The effect on the kids has been great. One teenage girl, curling (蜷缩) in pain in her wheelchair, stood unaided to dance to a hip-hop song she had written. A 12-year-old boy with Hodgkin’s disease who rarely spoke surprised his doctors with a song he called I Can Make It.
“My time with the kids is heartbreaking because of the severity of their illnesses,” says Anita Kruse. “But they also make you happy, when the children are smiling, excited to share their CD with their families.”
Simran is now an active sixth grader and cancer-free. From time to time, she and her mother listen to her song, Always Remembering, and they always remember the “really sweet and nice and loving” lady who gave them a shining moment in the dark hour.Simran Jatar lay in bed in hospital because ______.
| A．most of her hair had fallen out |
| B．she was receiving treatment for cancer |
| C．she felt depressed（沮丧的） and quit from school |
| D．she was suffering from a pain in her back |
What do we know about Anita Kruse’s project?
| A．It helps young patients record songs. |
| B．It is supported by singers and patients. |
| C．It aims to replace the medical treatment. |
| D．It offers patients chances to realize their dreams. |
What does the case（实例） of a 12-year-old boy suggest?
| A．Most children are naturally fond of music. |
| B．He was brave enough to put up performance. |
| C．The project has positive effect on young patients. |
| D．Singing is the best way to treat some illnesses. |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Purple Songs Can Fly |
| B．Singing Can Improve Health |
| C．A Shining Moment in Life |
| D．A Kind Woman—Anita Kruse |
A painting by Chinese artist Qi Baishi set a record for modern art and calligraphy (书法) on the mainland when it sold for 425.5 million yuan at an auction (拍卖) on May 22. The sale was a milestone (里程碑) in the auction of modern and contemporary artworks.
The price meant its value had risen more than 2,000 per cent in six years. The work , Eagle standing on pine tree with four-character coupleti（对联）, measures about 2.6 metres by 1 metre . It was the second highest price paid for an artwork on the mainland . A Song dynasty work by Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million yuan in 2010. Qi’s painting was finished in 1946 when Qi was 86, and was his largest work . With a starting price of 88 million yuan, it attracted nearly 50 bids（出价）in half an hour. Shanghai businessman Liu Yiqian said that the work had belonged to him and had cost less than 20 million yuan in 2005. The auction company said the work was brought back to the mainland after being bought from a private owner in San Francisco six years ago.
China ranked first in global art sales last year, ahead of the United States and Britain . Four Chinese artists were among the top 10 in worldwide sales: Qi Baishi , Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi. Qi’s works ranked second in sales to Pablo Picasso’s last year . Qi was born into a peasant family in Hunan in 1864. He taught himself to paint and focused on nature including plants, insects, birds and fish. He is mostly well-known for his paintings of shrimps. In 1953, he was elected president of the Association of Chinese Artists. He died in Beijing in 1957.What’s the best title of the text ?
| A．Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Discovered . |
| B．Qi Baishi’ s Painting Was Brought Back . |
| C．Qi Baishi’s Painting Sets an Auction Record . |
| D．The Value of Qi Baishi’s Paintings Is on the Increase . |
Whose artwork sold for the highest price on the mainland ?
| A．Qi Baishi’s . | B．Huang Tingjian’s . |
| C．Xu Beihong’s . | D．Zhang Daqian’s . |
The auction price of Qi’s painting was _____ million yuan higher than the starting price in the auction .
| A．337.5 . | B．348.8 . | C．50 . | D．11.3 . |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Qi finished the painting when he was young . |
| B．The painting was once stolen by an American . |
| C．The owner of this painting Liu Yiqian gained a lot of money . |
| D．Pablo Picasso’s works ranked second in sales to Qi’s last year . |
The text is most probably taken from a _____.
| A．computer book | B．library guide |
| C．technology magazine | D．newspaper report |
Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. His father was an artist and also an art teacher. He gave little Picasso the first lesson in drawing. The boy showed great interest in it and learned it very quickly. Picasso drew so well that he won a prize – “Science and Charity” for his first important painting at the age 15. Later he studied in several cities in Spain. But no one could teach him because he had known so much.
When he was 19, he visited Paris. At that time, Paris was the center of the world for artists. Everything in the painting world was new to Picasso. When he was 23, he moved to Paris to live and spent the rest of his life in France.
In his 80s, Pablo Picasso still worked like a young man. He kept on looking for new ideas and new ways to work. He never stopped painting all his life.
Pablo Picasso died in 1973 as a great artist in the world. Pablo Picasso was born _____.
| A．in France in 1973 | B．in Spain in 1973 |
| C．in Spain in 1881 | D．in Paris in 1881 |
Pablo Picasso won the prize______.
| A．“Science and Art” at the age of 15 |
| B．“Science and Charity” at the age of 15 |
| C．“Science and Art” at the age of 19 |
| D．Science and Charity” at the age of 23 |
______was the center of the world for artists when Pablo Picasso was young
| A．Spain | B．New York |
| C．London | D．Paris |
Pablo Picasso was good at _________
| A．teacher | B．acting |
| C．painting | D．thinking |
What about Pablo Picasso when he was over 80 years old?________________
| A．He still worked and kept painting all his life |
| B．He gave lessons in drawing |
| C．He studied in several cities in Spain |
| D．He spent the rest of his life with his father |