Delvin Washington was having a difficult speech therapy (治疗). Over half a year ago, Washington was preparing for the biggest day of his young life ---graduating from high school. But on a cloudy day in May, he had a serious car accident. He survived, but his life changed forever. He recently began all-day physical rehabilitation (康复治疗). He is relearning almost everything, from the names of his best friends to simple physical tasks.
His friends and family have given him a lot of support. While Washington lay in a coma in hospital, friends and family filled his room during visits. They celebrated his 18th birthday in July while he was still unconscious.Two days after Thanksgiving, eight friends from high school visited Washington at his home. The friends looked through photos on Facebook, showing them all to Washington. As he sat in his wheelchair, friends asked him to recognize the people in the photos, helping him recover his brain.
Washington’s popularity doesn’t come from nowhere. He was determined to become a police officer after college and behaved like a respectable police officer at school.His high school principal (校长), Eric Markinson, said Washington was always a gentleman. “He was incredibly gracious (和善的) and incredibly helpful,”he said.
His accident has damaged Washington’s brain. It has caused his left side, from his face to his feet, to all but shut down. His personality has also changed. The serious police-officer behavior is gone. He laughs a lot and smiles when he sees children, his mom said.
Now Washington is working hard on all-day rehabilitation. So far, he has made tremendous (巨大的) improvement, said his therapist Lindsay Sims.“I try to live as independently as possible,”Washington said slowly but firmly.What happened to Delvin Washington last May?
| A．He started to make improvements in his speech therapy. |
| B．He was seriously injured in a car accident. |
| C．He graduated from high school with good grades. |
| D．He suffered a heart attack and went into a coma. |
What can we know about Washington’s friends?
| A．They helped Washington make up for the lesson s he had missed. |
| B．They worked together to collect money for Washington on campus. |
| C．They helped Washington realize his dream of becoming a police officer. |
| D．They regularly visited Washington and helped him with his rehabilitation. |
Which word can best describe Delvin Washington?
| A．strong—willed | B．energetic |
| C．pessimistic | D．depressed |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．Washington’s friendship with his friends. |
| B．Washington making great efforts to achieve his dream. |
| C．What makes Washington so popular at school. |
| D．How Washington is recovering his brain. |
World top-ranked badminton player Lin Dan said last Friday that he was a better player than Taufik Hidayat in the year of 2006 despite losing the Asian Games single title to the Indonesian Olympic champion.
“I have ranked No.1 in the world for two straight years and I think people can easily come to a conclusion on who is a better player for the whole year,” said Lin Dan, also known as Super Dan in the badminton world because of his marvelous performance in the sport.
Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its second gold medal in Doha on December 9, retaining his Asian Games singles title and avenging(报仇) two losses to the badminton world champion.
Lin, 23, led China to the men’s team title after defeating Hidayat twice in three days, in the preliminary round and in the semifinals of the Asian Games.
In their third meeting, Lin came up against a better-prepared Hidayat than he had encountered previously.
Hidayat was cheered on by the noisy support from dancing and flag-waving Indonesian fans, who had converted the badminton arena into a national celebration even before the two players stepped onto the court.
There’s been a lot of acrimony(言语的刻毒) between Hidayat and Lin, who this year won the single title in the world championships after former champion Hidayat crashed out in the quarterfinals.
In Doha, Hidayat was quoted as calling Lin “arrogant” before the event began, but the two stars played down the rift (a situation where two people dislike each other).
“It’s no problem, we’re close friends,” said Hidayat. “The media fabricated it.”
Lin said last Friday in Beijing that he and Hidayat remain friends despite all the rumors（谣言）.
“There is no problem between Taufik and me although we don’t talk to each other very much,” said Lin. “Media tends to make up things in order to make their stories juicy.”What does the underlined word “fabricated” mean?
| A．made up | B．reported | C．discovered | D．found out |
What is the relationship between the two players like?
| A．They are only opponents. |
| B．Lin looks down upon Hidayat. |
| C．They both think they are friends. |
| D．The media has worsened the relationship between them. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Lin beat Hidayat in all the games of 2006. |
| B．Lin won the single title in the world championships in 2006. |
| C．Indonesian fans held a national celebration after the two players stepped onto the court. |
| D．Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its first gold medal in Doha on the ninth of December |
This passage implies that ________.
| A．Hidayat was in a better prepared condition than Lin in the Asian Games |
| B．Lin helped to win the men’s team title in the Asian Games of 2006 |
| C．Both of them are the best badminton players in the world |
| D．Media tends to make up rumors |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Opponents Become Good Friends |
| B．True Friendship |
| C．World Top-ranked Badminton Players |
| D．Who Is a Better Player? |
Philip was a nine-year-old boy in a Sunday school class of 8-year-old girls and boys. Sometimes the third graders didn’t welcome Philip into their group and usually tricked him. This was not because he was older, but because he was “different”. You see, Philip suffered from a condition called Downs’s Syndrome. This made him “different”, with his facial characteristics, slow responses and mental problems.
One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some plastic eggs that pulled apart in the middle. The teacher gave one to each child. On that beautiful spring day, the children were to go out and discover for themselves some symbol of “new life” and place it inside the plastic eggs.
After the children returned to the classroom, the teacher opened their eggs one by one, asking each child to explain that symbol of “new life”. The first opened egg contained a flower. Everyone cheered. In another was a butterfly…. When the teacher opened the last egg, it was empty. “That’s stupid,” said someone. The teacher felt a pull at his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up, Philip said, “It’s mine. I did it. It’s empty. I have new life, because the tomb is empty.” Not a sound was heard in class at all. From that day on, Philip became a real part of the group. They welcomed him, and whatever made him different was never mentioned again.
Philip’s family knew he wouldn’t live a long life, for there were too many things wrong with him.The underlined word “condition” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
| A．grade | B．status | C．health | D．disease |
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.
| A．The 8-year-olds were sometimes cruel |
| B．The 8-year-olds were friendly to Philip |
| C．Philip was really different in school |
| D．Philip was older and more sensitive |
The teacher gave each child one plastic egg to let them ________.
| A．play around on that beautiful spring day |
| B．put some symbol of “new life” into it |
| C．try to pull it apart in the middle |
| D．go out and discover themselves |
After Philip explained his new life, ________.
| A．The class thought he was clever. | B．The class fell silent. |
| C．He began to study in the class. | D．He felt dying. |
We learn from the passage that ________.
| A．The teacher used to have classes outdoors |
| B．The Philip’s new life wish was empty |
| C．Philip was healthy as a whole |
| D．Philip was accepted by his classmates in the end |
It was unusually quiet in the emergency room on December 25.
I was nurse on duty that day. I didn’t think there would be any patients, sighing about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children.
“Are you all sick?” I asked suspiciously.
“Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.
But when it came to descriptions of their presenting problems, things got a little vague. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren’t accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.
Something was wrong, but I didn’t say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She responded, “Take your time; it’s warm here.”
On a hunch (出于直觉), I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No address---they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.
I looked out at the family huddled by the Christmas tree. The little one was pointing at the television and exclaiming something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at an ornament on the Christmas tree.
I went back to the nurses’ station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, grumbling about working Christmas, turned to compassion for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there’s a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.
We were all offered a free meal in the hospital cafeteria on Christmas Day, so we claimed that meal and prepared a banquet for our Christmas guests. We needed presents. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things available that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs, and exceed the expectations, of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.
Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four year old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Working Christmas Day | B．Christmas Day is Coming |
| C．A Happy Family | D．A Pale Woman and Four Small Children |
What kind of person do you think the author is?
| A．Hardworking and outgoing | B．Serious and careful |
| C．Hardworking and warmhearted | D．Serious and stubborn |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Something was wrong with one of the children’s heads. |
| B．The pale woman forgot to write the address. |
| C．The author did not understand the truth. |
| D．The children’s mother told a lie. |
It can be inferred from the text that______.
| A．The author didn’t think there would be any patients on Christmas Day |
| B．The woman was uncomfortable when she lowered her head |
| C．The family appeared in the emergency room on Christmas Eve |
| D．The woman and four small children were satisfied and grateful |
British Summer Time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In the depths of winter the nights in the UK are anything from 15-19 hours long. Longer nights mean frost and fog are more likely to form.
Twice a year the clocks change, forward in the spring and then back again in the autumn. But why? It happens twice a year. We all change our clocks and watches by one hour. In the spring, we add an hour, and go onto what is called British Summer Time, while in the autumn, we do the reverse, and return to Greenwich Mean Time.
Why bother?
It’s all to do with saving the hours of daylight, and was started by a guy called William Willett, a London builder, who lived in Petts Wood in Kent. Basically, he figured that you could improve the population’s health and happiness by putting forward the clocks by twenty minutes every Sunday in April and do the opposite in September.
Economics
His idea was not taken up, even though a “Daylight Saving Bill” was introduced some five years before the outbreak of World War One. But once the war started, it was considered wise to economics, to promote greater efficiency in using daylight hours, and in the use of artificial lighting. And so in 1916, “Daylight Saving Time” was introduced. Even though most countries abandoned this after that war, some eventually decided that it was a good idea, and most of these nations began to keep it throughout the year.
Experiment
Since 1972, Britain has decided to go with Greenwich Mean Time in winter, and British Summer Time in Summer.
But back in 1968, Britain tried a four-year experiment by advancing time one hour ahead of GMT throughout the year.
But those living further north, particularly in Scotland, found it most unsatisfactory, with dark mornings for much of the year, and the experiment was dropped.
But the arguments go on …and on.Why some countries decide to change the clocks after World War One?
| A．To improve the people’s health and happiness. |
| B．To do a certain experiment |
| C．To save energy to develop economies. |
| D．All of the above. |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．The idea of changing the clocks suffered disagreement. |
| B．The people in Scotland don’t change the clocks. |
| C．The idea was first thought of by an educator. |
| D．It’s unnecessary to change the clocks. |
What is the real meaning of the last sentence of the passage?
| A．Nobody in the UK likes the idea. |
| B．All things need arguments. |
| C．The British are fond of arguments. |
| D．Different views of the idea still exist. |
Throughout seafaring history, ships and sailors have been lost to storms, accidents and war. Until recently, most of these ships were weak wooden sailing vessel (船只), their skeletons(骨架) quickly eaten away by sea creatures. Now, large vessels made of steel float on the seas. Thousands of these huge ships have been lost in times of war and in times of peace.
The bones of great metal ships, unlike the wooden vessels of old, survive the destruction of the sea long enough to become home and harbor for underwater life of all kinds. Shipwrecks(残骸) often provide the only hard surface and structure at the sandy bottom of the sea, something many sea creatures need.
The ship has been underwater for only five days. Its surface is still clean. Six weeks later, the wreck is covered with a slimy layer of algae(海藻), but it is still recognizable as a ship. Soon, animals that need to attach themselves to a hard surface, like the feather duster worms, make the wreck their home.
In warm waters, coral polyps(珊瑚虫) settle on the wreck and begin the process of building a rock-like crust on the ship. Small fish are attracted on all of these creatures. Larger fish come to feed on these small fish that hide in the wreckage. Eventually, the largest animals are attracted to the rich life on the shipwreck.
Shipwrecks give us valuable information about how sea plants and animals develop. We know exactly how long this wreck has been under water and how long sea life has been growing on it. Yet even the strongest steel shipwreck will finally be destroyed by the flows of water. But long after this wreck has been broken apart, it will still act as a reef (礁石). Layer upon layer of sea life has formed a structure that is now more natural than artificial, and will remain an island of life under the sea.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about shipwrecks?
| A．Most ships in ancient times sank easily and become shipwrecks. |
| B．Shipwrecks, for scientists, are worth researching to get valuable information. |
| C．The skeletons of old wooden shipwrecks will exist for quite a long time. |
| D．Some sea animals tend to seek food on the shipwrecks. |
The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to tell us_____.
| A．the differences between the ancient vessels and the modern ones |
| B．how the ships become shipwrecks at sea |
| C．how coral polyps live on the wreck in warm waters |
| D．the value of studying shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea |
Which of the following is closer to the underlined “crust”?
| A．a hard outer covering | B．the skin of a rock |
| C．a hole in a ship | D．a small house |
What will happen to shipwrecks in the end?
| A．They will be pulled out of the sea for research. |
| B．They are likely to disappear and form reefs. |
| C．They will become an island under the sea. |
| D．They will be like works of art. |