In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic – and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo – a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up
on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be _______.
| A.a writer | B.a teacher |
| C.a judge | D.a doctor |
Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
| A.She wanted to study by herself. |
| B.She fell in love and got married. |
| C.She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D.She decided to look after her grandma. |
What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
| A.Failure is the mother of success. |
| B.Little by little, one goes far. |
| C.Every coin has two sides. |
| D.Well begun, half done. |
Which of the following can best describe the author?
| A.Caring and determined. |
| B.Honest and responsible. |
| C.Ambitious and Sensitive |
| D.Innocent and single-minded |
A child who has once been pleased with a tale(神话故事) likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.
A change made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises(出现) from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar(奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl-friend.
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.
1. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is _______.
A. repeated without any change B. treated as a joke
C. made some changes by the parent D. set in the present
2. According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is _______.
A. in a realistic setting B. heard for the first time
C. repeated too often D. told in a different way
3. The advantage claimed(提出) for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it _______.
A. makes them less fearful
B. develops their power of memory
C. makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of
D. encourages them not to have strange beliefs
4. One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that _______.
A. they are full of imagination.
B. they just make up the stories which are far from the truth.
C. they are not interesting.
D. they make teachers of history difficult to teach.
June 26, 2000 — the Human Genome(基因组) Project, a great $3 billion, 15-year task aimed at drawing the genetic(遗传的) map of humans, is now more than 90 percent completed. The scientific and medical communities are very excited about the chances genetic research provides for getting rid of diseases and prolonging human life. But those communities and policy makers also are careful about the scientific door they are opening as the project uncovers the mysteries of life.
For the last few years, the genetic advances in the developing field of biotechnology have provides material for all kinds of work, but the developments of modern science in unlocking the secrets of the human genetic code(密码) have opened a world of possibilities for human health, as well as for the popular imagination.
While European and Japanese researchers are making rapid progress in decoding(解码) human DNA, the leading organization for genetic research is in the United States, which began in 1990, is “unlocking the code” of the human body to learn how to defeat fatal diseases. Already, the Human Genome Project has become widely known and praised for finding the genes(基因) connected with terrible diseases as yet, and making progress toward separating the genes that show a sign of breast cancer or AIDS.
Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections(传染), and genetic diseases. Medical companies are very interested in mapping the human genome, as they expect to develop a lot of new drugs for these illnesses.
1.Why did the scientists work hard at mapping the human genome?
A. Because the human genome can destroy many illnesses.
B. Because the human genome's completion can help them get rid of many diseases.
C. Because they wanted to be better known than others.
D. Because the human genome can provide a lot of chances of work.
2.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.If the genes can be found, scientists can study many new ways to cure illnesses.
B.The scientists have made great progress in connecting the genes with the cancers.
C. Many medical companies show great interest in drawing the human genome map.
D. The United States began the Genes Study early in the 19th century.
3.The author suggests that the Human Genome Project can cause _______.
A. the policy makers to feel very worried and careful
B. the scientists to work harder.
C. many people to find work easily.
D. a lot of companies to produce many new drugs.
4.The main idea of this article is about _______.
A. unlocking genetic code B. the genes' discovery
C. the great human genome D. the genes and the scientists
In the past decade the popularity of rock climbing has greatly increased, and so has the number of injuries. It has been estimated that rock climbing is now enjoyed by more than 9 million people in the US each year. Study findings revealed a 65 percent increase in the number of patients that were treated in US emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1991and 2008.
The study, published in the online issue of the American Journal of Preventive medicine,found that about 40,000 patients were treated in US emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1991 and 2008. The most common types of rock climbing –related injuries were fracture(骨折) and sprains (扭伤)。The ankle was the most common body part to be injured (40%).Climers in the study ranged in age from 2 to 74, with an average age of 26. The study also found that women took up a quarter of the injuries.
Falls were the primary reason for injury with over three-quartes of the injuries occurring as the result of a fall. The severity of related injuries had a lot to do with the height of the fall. Patients who were injured after falling from a height over 20 feet were 10 times more likely to be treated than patients who were injured falling from 20 feet or lower.
“We found that the climbers who fell from heights higher than 20 feet took up 70 percent of the patients treated for a rock climbing-related injury, explained the study author Lara McKenzie, PhD, director at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Hospital. “This trend, combined with the fact that rock climbers have a higher hospitalizaton rate than other sports and recreational injuries, demonstrates the need to increase injury prevention efforts for climbers.
1.Which body part is most likely to get injured for a climber ?
A.The arm B.The ankle C. The knee D. The hand
2.How many women climbers in American got injured while climbing a rock between 1991 and 2008 ?
A.About 40,000 B.About 30,000 C.About 20,000 D.About 10,000
3.The severity of climbers’fall-related injures is mainly related to ______.
A.the height of the fall. B.the climber’s age.
C.the climber’s health condition D.the climber’s climbing experience.
4.The underlined word “demonstrates” in the last paragragh can be replaced by ________.
A.demands B.prevent C.proves D.describes
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A teenager says he convinced the White House that he was Iceland’ s president and managed to schedule a call with George W.Bush , but was found out before he got to talk to the US president.
“My call was transferred around a few times until I got hold of Bush’s secretary and managed to book a call meeting with Bush the following Monday evening ,” Vifill Atlaso, 16, told Reuters.
Several Icelandic police turned up at his door two days later---the day of the planned call---and took him in for questioning.
“They told me the CIA had called the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police and asked if the police could try and find out where I received that phone number from,” said Atlason.
The teenager said he was unable to recall where he had discovered the telephone number of the White House.
“I know I’v had it on my phone card for at least four years now and that an Icelandic friend gave it to me, but I don’t remember who,”he said.
At a White House news conference on Monday, Bush’s spokeswoman Dana Perino said her understanding was that Atlason had called a public line “that anybody can call”, according to a transcript(记录).
Jon Buartmarz, Chief Superintendent at Iceland’s national police headquarters, said Icelandic police had not spoken to their US counterparts about the matter. He declinced(拒绝) to say how police were tipped off (通告) about Atlason’s call.
“As far as we’re concerned, there will not be any further investigation, and I don’t know if the American government is taking any action because of this,”he said.
1.According to the passage, when did Atlason call the White House ?
A.On Friday B. On Saturday C. On Sunday D. On Monday
2.What does the underlined “it ”refer to ?
A.The telephone number of the White House.
B.The telephone number of his friend.
C.A White House news conference .
D.CIA
3.How did Atlason get the telephone number of the White House ?
A.From a newspaper
B.From Bush’s secertary
C.From an Icelandic friend
D.By calling the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police.
4.What is the main idea of the article ?
A.An Icelandic teenager tricks the the White House
B.CIA found out the truth of a trick.
C.A teenager pretended to be the Icelandic president.
D.The telephone number of the Whiite House is known by public.
Television, which made its first serious appearance in 1939, did not become common until the early 1950s. Since then, millions of children have grown up in front of the set, and many people now worry about the effect that TV has on the young, and on society in general. Educators, psychologists, and crime experts wonder if television should be abolished(取消). Many ordinary parents wish it had never been invented. Why are they so afraid? Is television as harmful as they think it is?
Like almost anything else, television has its good and its bad sides. One should surely thank its inventors for the joy and interest that they have brought into the lives of the old, the sick, and the lonely -- all those who, without it, would have no pleasure and no window on the world.
In truth, television has opened windows in everybody's life. No newspaper has ever reached so many people and shown so clearly what was happening right now in their own country and everywhere else. TV not only gives the news instantly, it also shows it in pictures more powerful than words. It can be said that TV has brought reality to the public. Millions of people now have seen the effects of a battle, a flood, a fire, a crime, disasters of every sort on the screen.
Unfortunately, television's influence has been extremely harmful to the young. Children do not have enough experience to realize that TV shows present an unreal world. They want to imitate what they see. They do believe that the violence they see is normal and acceptable. By the time they are out of high school, most young people have watched about 15,000 hours of television, and have seen about 18,000 killings or other acts of violence. All educators and psychologists agree that the "television generations" are more violent than their parents and grandparents,
According to the same experts, the young are also less patient. Used to TV shows, where everything is quick and entertaining, they do not have the patience to read an article without pictures; to read a book that requires thinking; to listen to a teacher who doesn't do funny things like the people on children's programs. And they expect all problems to be solved happily in ten, fifteen or thirty minutes. That's the time it takes on the screen.
It is certain that television has deeply changed our lives and our society. It is certain that, along with its benefits, it has brought many serious problems. To these problems we must soon find a solution because, whether we like it or not, television is here to stay.
1. First TV set was made ______.
A. in 1939 B. in 1950s C. in 1940s D. in 1919
2. Which of the following people have a view on TV different from the others?
A. Educators.B. TV producers. C. Crime experts.D. Psychologists.
3. According to the author, who need TV most?
A. Educators. B. Crime experts.
C. The old and the lonely. D. The children and their parents.
4. We can conclude that ‘television generations’ are_______.
A. lonelyB. more patient C. more violentD. more gentle