DearWilliam,It’s2:25am.Ican’ts-优题课

It’s interesting that the arrival of snow has a different effect on people in different countries. For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others it is a catastrophe (灾难) or even a wonder.
There are countries between these two extremes (极端) that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities(数量) every year. Britain is one such country, for which the arrival of snow quite simply creates problems. Within hours of the first snowfall, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses stop in the middle of traffic. Normal communications are affected as well, telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual. Almost within hours, there are also shortages(不足) -- bread, vegetables and other things -- not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened, and go out to store up these commodities (日用品), “just for fear that something bad should happen.”
Why then does snow have this effect? After all, the Swiss, Austrians and Canadians don’t have such problems. It is simply because there is not enough planning and preparation. We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice. To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow ploughs and machines to spread salt. The reason why a country like Britain does not buy some ploughs is that they are only used for a few days in any one year, and the money could be more useful in other things such as hospitals, education or helping the old.
According to the writer, Britain is a country____.

A．which has regular snow	B．which is not well prepared for snow
C．for which snow is not a problem	D．for which snow is a wonder

The arrival of snow in Britain affects all of the following except____

A．traffic

B．communication

C．food supplies

D．service quality

After a few hours’ snowing there are often shortages of food because______

A．shops have closed down	B．people buy as much as they can
C．farmers can’t produce any more	D．people eat more vegetables in winter

The first reason that the British don’t buy snow ploughs is that______

A．spreading salt is good enough	B．old people need more money
C．snow ploughs are not used often	D．the hospital is more important

A lady in an old cotton dress and her husband, dressed in an old suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked into the president of Harvard’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such country people had no business at Harvard. She frowned(皱眉). “We want to see the president,” the man said softly. “He’ll be busy all day,” the secretary said coldly. “We’ll wait,” the lady replied.
For hours, the secretary didn’t talk to them, hoping that the couple would finally become tired and go away. They didn’t. And the secretary finally decided to disturb the president. “Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they’ll leave,” she told him. He frowned too. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them.
The president walked toward them unwillingly. The lady told him, “We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard, and was very happy here. But he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to set up a memorial(纪念碑) to him somewhere on campus. ” The president was so surprised that he shouted sharply, “We can’t put up a statue(塑像) for every person who attended Harvard and died. This place would look like a cemetery (墓地).
“Oh, no” the lady explained, “We don’t want to build a statue. We thought we would give a building to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at their plain clothes, and said with surprise, “A building! Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.”
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly. “Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they set up the university with their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
What did the old couple go to Harvard for?

A．They wanted to see their son.

B．They had an important meeting

C．They went to Harvard just to start a university

D．They wanted to meet the president of Harvard.

Why didn’t the president come out to meet the couple?

A．He was really busy at that time.

B．The secretary didn’t allow the couple to meet the president.

C．He was important and didn’t have time for unimportant people.

D．He had an important friend to meet and had to spend some time together.

From the passage, we can know ______.

A．the old couple were in fact rich people

B．the secretary was afraid of the old couple

C．the old couple’s son was killed in Harvard

D．the president of Harvard was kind and patient to anyone

The best title of the passage is “______”.

A．A Statue or A Building	B．How Stanford University Was Built
C．A Visit to Harvard University	D．A Strange Old Couple

It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary(薪水).
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 a.m. and usually comes home around 5 p.m. or even 6 p.m. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?

A．The writer’s studies.	B．The writer’s future job
C．Dinner plans	D．Wars around the world

We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ____________.

A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English

B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor

C．gets along very well with the writer

D．doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea

The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____________.

A．agrees

B．shouts

C．complains

D．smiles

Which of following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?

A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.

B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future.

C．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.

D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future.

A greeting is a way of saying "Hello" to someone. People in different countries greet each other in different ways. Here are some.

World Greetings

Philippine	The everyday greeting for friends is a handshake for both men and women. Men sometimes pat each other on the back.
Japan	When people meet for the first time, they usually bow. In business, people also shake hands. In formal situations, people often exchange business cards. When you give a business card, give it with two hands. This is polite. Special note: In Japan, a smile can have different meanings. It usually means that the person is happy, or that the person thinks something is funny. But it can also mean that the person is embarrassed.
New Zealand	Usually, both men and women shake hands when they meet someone for the first time. Fun fact: If you see two people pressing their noses together, they are probably Maori. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand. This is their traditional greeting.
Brazil	Men often shake hands when they meet for the first time. When women meet, they kiss each other on the cheek. Women also kiss male friends to say hello. When you shake hands, look at the person in the eyes. This shows interest and friendliness.

In this passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned?

A．Kisses.

B．Hugs.

C．Bows.

D．Handshakes.

Of the five pictures above (a, b, c, d and e), which is the same way to greet each other in the four countries?

A．a

B．b

C．c

D．d

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Both men and women shake hands in Brazil when they meet.

B．Japanese won't smile until they feel very happy.

C．The Maori often press their noses together to greet each other.

D．In Philippine, people shake hands only when they meet for the first time.

Scientists who study the climate are still arguing about how fast the earth is warming and how much it will warm, but they do agree that the earth is warming and that it will keep warming if we don’t do anything about it.
Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels (化石燃料) like oil and coal cause greenhouse gases to escape into the air and that these gases are causing most of the warming. Another cause is deforestation (cutting down trees) . Trees soak up carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases, from the air.
There are already some changes happening because of global warming. Sea level is rising and some animals are already moving to new homes. It’s already too late to stop global warming completely.
If the warming gets worse, as scientists expect, there may be some kinds of plants and animals that is disappearing because they can’t move to new homes. There may be more storms and floods. Sea level may rise so much that people have to move away from the coasts. Some areas may become too dry for farming.
Global warming is a very difficult problem to fix. People are having a hard time agreeing on what to do about it. For example, everyone agrees that wasting energy is a bad thing to do. But some people think that the federal government (联邦政府) should make laws about it, while other people think it should be up to each person or business to decide what to do.
Many states and businesses in the United States are not waiting until the federal government decides what to do. They have already started working on the problem.
What are the scientists arguing about in the passage?
A. How fast is the earth warming? B. How much will the earth warm?
C. The earth will keep warming if we don’t do anything about it. D. Both A and B.
What does the underlined phrase “soak up” mean?

A．take in

B．grow up

C．take off

D．set up

What may be the causes of global warming?

A．The disappearance of plants and animals and the wasting energy.

B．The burning of fossil fuels and storms and floods.

C．The burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

D．The rising of sea level and deforestation.

What is the best title of this passage?

A．The reason for global warming	B．How to stop global warming
C．The changes to the world	D．The global warming

A．家有一老, 如有一宝	B．岁月不待人，尽孝需尽早
C．年龄长一岁，责任重一分	D．学无老少，能者为师