Sam Allred suffers from a rare and incurable kidney (肾脏) disease. One day, when his sister was playing a song repeatedly, Sam sang along. His sister thought it was funny so she recorded it and posted the video online. The video — and Sam — became a hit. Only 8 years old at the time, he couldn’t have expected the response.
“(The television show) The Doctors called and wanted me on their show so they paid for me to go to California,” says Sam, now 13, “and we got to stay in a hotel where all the movie stars stayed.”
During that visit to California, Angie Allred, Sam’s mother, had an idea about Sam writing a children’s book. Together, she and Sam wrote Opening Hearts, which tells Sam’s experience of living with a chronic (慢性的) illness.
“I wrote the book to teach people to be kinder to people,” Sam says.
Moreover, Sam wanted to send pillows to sick children staying in hospitals around the country to make their stay more comfortable, an idea that came from a time when he was in the hospital.
“A few kind boys came in with pillows and they gave me one and it meant a lot to me that someone cared about kids in the hospital,” says Sam.
Angie thought of starting a nonprofit organization to provide a way for people to contribute money to realize Sam’s ideas. She named the nonprofit Kindness for Kids.
Since then, Sam has taken pillows to children staying at Providence Hospital in Anchorage.
Sam’s father, Scott Allred, owns a small business that contracts (承包) shipping services with FedEx Ground. He asked the company for help.
“FedEx Ground learned about Sam’s pillow project,” says Erin Truxal, manager of public relations for FedEx Ground. “We thought, ‘What a perfect way for us to get involved.’”
The company provided shipping services for Sam to ship about 5,000 pillows to hospitals.
Sam wants to send more pillows to all of the children’s hospitals in every state. His goal is simple: “Kids in the hospital as happy as they were before they got sick,” he says.We can learn from the text that Sam Allred _____.
| A．was a healthy boy |
| B．was popular at an early age |
| C．sang the song with his sister |
| D．worked in his father’s company |
Opening Hearts is a book that _____.
| A．is a best seller |
| B．is about Sam’s sister |
| C．was published when Sam was 13 |
| D．was written by Sam and his mother |
What is FedEx Ground’s attitude towards Sam’s career?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Approving. | D．Uninterested. |
Which of the following can best describe Sam Allred?
| A．Optimistic and warm-hearted. |
| B．Honest and responsible. |
| C．Unusual and confident. |
| D．Friendly and brave. |
Su Hua is studying at Cambridge, UK. She has bought a bicycle and is worried about security（安全）. Her friend, Kate, found this article and sent it to her.
| Introduction A lot of crime is against bicycles. About 150,000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found. You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps. Basic Security Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places. Always lock your bicycle when you leave. Secure it to lampposts or trees. Take off smaller parts and take them with you, for example lights and saddles（车座）. Locks Get a good lock. There are many different types in the shops. Buy one that has been tested against attack. Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop. Marking Security marking your bike can act as a deterrent to a thief. It can also help the police find your bicycle. It should be clearly written and include your postcode and your house or flat number. This will provide a simple way to identify your bicycle. Registration There are a number of companies who will security mark your bicycle for you. They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database. Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you. Finally Keep a record of the bicycle yourself: its make, model and registration number. You can even take a photograph of it. This will prove the bicycle belongs to you. |
Which part of the text gives you information on how to lock up your bicycle when you leave it?
| A．Locks. | B．Marking. | C．Registration. | D．Basic Security. |
The underlined phrase “act as a deterrent to a thief” means .
| A．help you recognize your bike |
| B．help the police find your bicycle |
| C．stop someone stealing your bicycle |
| D．stop you worrying about your bike |
The article advises you to keep a record of your bicycle.
| A．in the bike shop and your computer |
| B．in a police station and a security company |
| C．in a security company and your university |
| D．by yourself and in a security company |
The main purpose of this article is.
| A．to tell you what to do if your bicycle is stolen |
| B．to suggest ways of keeping your bicycle safe |
| C．to give you advice on where to buy a good lock |
| D．to say why you shouldn’t keep your bicycle in a quiet place |
Have you ever seen people dance? Some dances are fast and others are slow. People’s feet always move when they dance. They keep on moving until the music stops.
People have enjoyed dancing for a very long time. This story is of a different kind of dance. It is a dance without people or music. Yet this dance is one of the oldest in the world. It is the dance of bees.
If you have ever watched bees, you know that they are very clever. They also work hard looking for food and bringing it back to their home.
The home of the bees is called a bee hive. Here hundreds even thousand of bees live. They work day and night building small walls. There they make their honey. This is the same honey that we eat.
Where does the honey come from? Bees live on food from flowers. Have you seen bees flying around a flower garden? When a bee rests on a flower, it tries to go to the centre of it. There it takes in as much food as its body can hold. Then it flies to take the food back to the hive.
At the hive, bees change flower food into honey. Then they fly away for more food.
How do the bees know where to find the best food in the sweetest flowers? One bee acts as a guide. When it discovers good flowers, it flies back to the hive and tells the others. It does this by dancing for them.
The bee dances on one side. This tells the other bees which way to go to find the flowers. But that is not all. The bee dances for some time. And the length of its dance tells the other bees how far they must fly to reach the flowers.
When the bees see the dance, they know where the flowers are. They fly away and return with more food for the hive.
Sometimes we hear the music of the bees as they fly around. But few people have ever seen them dance. Yet without that dance we might never have sweet honey to eat.The writer believes that_________.
| A．people dance better than bees |
| B．people learned dance from bees |
| C．bees dance more often than people |
| D．bees don’t like music |
From this passage we know that the dance of bees means_______.
| A．They are good at dancing |
| B．they want to show their beauty |
| C．they communicate with each other |
| D．they have nothing to do |
Which of the following is true?
| A．People get honey from flowers directly. |
| B．People draw honey from bees’ bodies. |
| C．People produce honey in a secret place. |
| D．People get honey from bees indirectly. |
What character do bees have?
| A．dance-loving | B．hard-working |
| C．music-loving | D．active |
There are many ways to find a job. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their advantages, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources to help them find the right job.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Finding a job. |
| B．College students’ part-time jobs. |
| C．Craigslist Web site. |
| D．The relation between study and work. |
By logging on the Craigslist Web site, you can ______.
| A．sell your old things |
| B．do some shopping online |
| C．create your own announcement board |
| D．get useful information about 450 cities |
“What Color is Your Parachute?” is a book which gives tips to those who want to _____.
| A．work on the airplane | B．buy a parachute |
| C．publish a book | D．find a suitable job |
How many ways of finding a job are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
Every country has its heroes. The heroes are the people the nation and especially the young people admire. If you get a list of the heroes of a nation, it will tell you the potential（潜势）of that nation.
If today in America, you ask the high school students to list their heroes, their choice would probably fall into three groups. The first group of heroes would be the rock stars —the people connected with rock music. There is no doubt that such people do have talent but one wonders if one should hold up rock stars as a model (推举…为榜样). The rock stars too often are involved with drugs and their personal life is not all that good. The rock stars are rich and wear the latest fashion styles. However, one should seek more in a hero than such things as money and good clothes.
A second type of hero for the American youth is the sports star. Again you have a person who has a great ability in one area — SPORTS. However, too often the personal life of the sports star is a bit of a mess. Too frequently drugs and drinking are a part of life of the sports star.
A third type of hero is the TV or movie star. This person may have lots of acting talent and is quite handsome. However, the personal life of too many actors is quite sad and they should not be held up as a model for young people.
Today, the rock star, the athlete and the actor all have become the models of the youth in America. Really, do you hear a young person say that his hero is a doctor, a teacher, or a scientist? These people are not rich and do not wear fashionable clothes. However, they are talented people who work hard to make the world a better place for everyone.
What is really sad is that the young try to imitate their heroes. They like to wear the same clothes and follow their styles. If the heroes of today for the American youngsters are only rock stars, athletes and actors, the future does not look too bright.The hero discussed in this article means a person ______.
| A．who has done something brave |
| B．who plays an important role in a play |
| C．whom people greatly admire |
| D．who rides the waves and moves with the tides |
What is true of the groups mentioned in this article?
| A．They are not fright but are good-looking. |
| B．They are rich but are strict with themselves. |
| C．They are talented in some area but lead an indecent life. |
| D．They are perfect in every way. |
American young people will not admire ______.
| A．a university professor | B．a popular singer |
| C．a football player | D．a film actress |
According to the writer, people should hold up as their model those______.
| A．who are rich and wear the latest fashion clothes |
| B．whose personal life is good |
| C．who can express people’s feelings |
| D．who work in the interests (利益) of the people |
There is a wonderful story about a young girl who had no family and no one to love her.
One day, feeling very sad and lonely, she was walking through a grassland when she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thorn （荆棘） bush. The young girl carefully released the butterfly. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“For your wonderful kindness,” the good fairy said to the girl, “I will give you any wish you would like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then replied, “I want to be happy.”
The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her secret of happiness .She would only smile and answer, “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed, the neighbors all gathered around her, and feared that her unbelievable secret of happiness would die with her. “Tell us, please,” they begged, “Tell us what the good fairy said.” The lovely old woman simply smiled and said, “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.”______ the girl felt sad and lonely.
| A．There were many friends but |
| B．There was nobody to love her so |
| C．There was nothing to do |
| D．Seeing the butterfly was caught |
Noticing the butterfly was caught by the thorn, the orphan girl ______.
| A．helped the butterfly escaped from the thorn |
| B．felt sorrow,but she didn’t go up to help it |
| C．fell down on it too |
| D．failed to help it release from the thorn |
The only thing that the little girl wanted was________.
| A．to be rich | B．to have her own parents |
| C．to have a lot of friends | D．happiness |
The neighbors all gathered around the old happy woman when she was dying, because ______.
| A．they loved this woman deeply and they didn’t wanted her to die |
| B．the woman had lots of money to be shared as soon as she died |
| C．they wanted to know the secret of her lifetime happiness |
| D．they wanted to pray for her after her death |