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 |
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.The author(作者) had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because __________ .
| A．the town was far away from Sydney |
| B．she missed the only train back home |
| C．she was going home for her holidays |
| D．her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
| A．He bought sandwiches for the girl . |
| B．He gave the girl a ride back home. |
| C．He helped the girl find a ride. |
| D．He watched the girl for three hours. |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that __________.
| A．she realized he was Gordon |
| B．she had known him for decades |
| C．she was going to the nearby town |
| D．she wanted to pay back the help she once got |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Sometimes giving produces nice results. |
| B．Those who give rides will be repaid. |
| C．Good manners bring about happiness. |
| D．People should offer free rides to others. |
Most people are aware of what the adoption process is because it has become rather common in our society. Adoption is where a child is legally placed with guardians (监护人) or parents (or perhaps a single parent) other than the birth mother or father. Once an adoption is finalized, all parental rights are turned over to the adoptive parents and there is no legal difference between adoptive parents and natural birth parents. There are generally two types of adoption, which are closed adoption and open adoption.
When an adopted person has access to his or her adoption file and original records, it is referred to as an open adoption. The term is also used to describe any contact that may be between the adoptive family, the birth parents, and the adopted child. The level of openness can change greatly in such contact depending on each individual relationship. There can be indirect contact between the natural birth parents and the child through the form of letters and photographs, or there can be actual physical contact.
A semi-open adoption is where the birth parents may have contact with the adoptive parents before the birth of the child, either once or several times. After the birth there is no more contact. A semi-open adoption may remain as it is or it can become either open or closed.
A closed adoption is where only the medical and historical information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive family. Typically, the birth and adoptive parents do not know each other’s identities. The record of the birth parents is kept sealed (密封). A closed adoption is usually only effective in the adoption of babies. The adoption of an older child who already knows his or her birth parents cannot be kept closed.How many adoption types are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the closed adoption?
| A．The birth parents may have indirect contact with the adoptive parents. |
| B．The biological parents may often go to see their birth child. |
| C．No information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive parents. |
| D．Generally speaking, the adoptive parents do not know the birth parents’ identities. |
Suppose someone adopts a child and his biological parents often get contact with the child by telephone. We can call this adoption _____.
| A．a closed adoption | B．an open adoption |
| C．a semi-open adoption | D．a semi-closed adoption |
From the passage, we know adoption is _____.
| A．where a child is brought up by the government |
| B．where a child is legally sent abroad by the birth parents |
| C．where a child is legally placed with adoptive parents |
| D．where a child is sent to live with the children whose parents have died |
You might not know it, but there is something wonderful at your fingertips. You can make people happier, healthier and more hard-working just by touching their arms or holding their hands.
Doctors say that body contact is a kind of medicine that can work wonders. When people are touched, the quantity of hemoglobin (血红蛋白)－a type of matter that produces the red color in blood increases greatly. This results in more oxygen reaching every part of the body and the whole body benefits. In experiments, bottle-fed baby monkeys were separated from their mothers for the first ten days of life. They became sad and negative. Studies showed the monkeys were more probable to become ill than other babies that were allowed to stay with their mothers.
Human babies react in much the same way. Some years ago, a scientist noticed that some well-fed babies in a clean nursery became weak. Yet babies in another nursery were growing healthily, even though they ate less well and were not kept as clean. The reason, he concluded, was that they often had touches from nurses.
Experiments show that most people like being touched. And nearly all doctors believe touch helps to reduce patients' fear of treatment. Of course there is time when a touch is not welcome. But even if we don't like being touched, a smile can make us feel better. Smiling increases blood flow and starts the production of "happy brain" chemicals. So let's have a big smile and don't forget to keep in touch.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Everyone knows that body contact can make people happier. |
| B．People may work harder because of body contact. |
| C．Your fingertips can do something. |
| D．People may not understand the importance of touching. |
According to the passage _____.
| A．human brains need oxygen and blood supply now and then |
| B．touches from doctors and nurses have nothing to do with treatment |
| C．new-born baby monkeys should stay away from their mothers |
| D．not all the people like being touched |
The word "benefits" in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．to be useful or helpful |
| B．to get something useful or helpful |
| C．to be ill |
| D．to be hurt |
The best title for the passage might be _____.
| A．Why People Touch | B．Smile and Touch |
| C．Wonders of Touch | D．Touch or Not |
Where do you find out about the world’s longest walk? The world's tallest man? The world's oldest woman? You know the answer, of course. It is the Guinness Book of World Records. How would people find such unusual facts without this book?
Guinness Book did not exist until 1951. Here is what happened. The managing director of Guinness Brewery was a curious man. He wanted answers to some questions about records. For example, he wanted to know what was the fastest flying game bird in Europe. But he was frustrated. There was no book to answer questions like this.
The director, Sir Hugh Beaver, contacted the McWhirter twins. They were brothers who owned a research agency. He asked them to put together a new reference book. It would include all kinds of unusual records. The brothers quickly accepted. The first edition of their book was published in 1955. Soon the Guinness Book of World Records was a best seller. It has sold more copies than any book except the Bible. A new edition is published every year.
Where do all the book's records come from? They are a combination of things like natural wonders, sports records, and stunts(特技) (How many people would push an egg with their noses if they weren’t trying to get to the book?). But the editors try to keep things honest. All records must be verified by an investigator. Only then are they printed.
The Guinness Book is a big business. It is published in dozens of languages. There are TV shows and museums. It is proof of how interested people are in strange pieces of information. The passage is mostly about _____.
| A．the McWhirter twins |
| B．the director Sir Hugh Beaver |
| C．unusual records in the Guinness Book |
| D．a history of the Guinness Book |
The Guinness Book _____.
| A．is a best seller |
| B．is published only in English |
| C．does not always check its records |
| D．has a full-length movie based on it |
It is clear from the passage that the McWhirter twins _____.
| A．wanted to publish the book so that they set up a research agency |
| B．owned so good a research agency that they liked to help others |
| C．recognizes that Sir Hugh's idea for a book was a good one |
| D．wanted to know the answers to some questions about records |
In this passage, the underlined word "verified" means _____.
| A．questioned | B．proved the truth | C．written up | D．blocked |
The desire for a better life is sometimes so big that it makes people leave their countries and their families and work in other countries. They know that they will have to face difficult moments, that they won't be able to communicate with the persons around them, and that they have to work in illegal conditions to get the money they need for their families, but they all take these chances and they hope they will succeed.
On the other hand, there are people who immigrate (移民) just for the sake of the people they love. They leave their families to make other families with the people they love. Women go to meet their men who have chosen other countries to start a new life, even if they miss their families and friends. Maybe they don't have a place to work but they are able to wait to see what destiny (命运) has for them.
There are also the cases of the people who are forced to leave their countries because of a war which threatens their lives. They'd rather start from the very beginning again than risk putting their lives in danger.
When well-developed countries see that their homeland is being "invaded" by lots of immigrants, they set new laws that make immigration harder. As a result of this, many illegal immigrants cross the borders and are eager to work, although they are paid only half the amount of money native workers receive for the same kind of job.
The opinions of the local people are varied and they range from total refusal to complete acceptance. Immigrants in countries which have large communities of them are fighting for the recognition of their social rights and for equal treatment. Many immigrants have managed to be fully accepted by the communities where they live and have managed to change the opinions of the local people about them.Which of the following reasons for immigration is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Escaping from a war. |
| B．Being reunited with the beloved people. |
| C．Seeking a better life |
| D．Studying a foreign language |
What's the usual response to immigrants in well-developed countries?
| A．To accept them. |
| B．To refuse them. |
| C．To put limitations on immigration. |
| D．To encourage them. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some immigrants are still fighting for their rights now. |
| B．Immigrants are never accepted no matter how hard they try. |
| C．Native people usually earn more money than illegal immigrants. |
| D．The local people have different attitudes toward immigrants. |
The passage implies that _____.
| A．many people go to other countries with great determination |
| B．illegal immigrants cause great damage to developed countries |
| C．stricter laws should be set to prevent immigration |
| D．culture shock causes great anxiety in some immigrants |