About a year ago, a couple with three children moved into the apartment next door to me. I never heard any noise from the children, but the parents were always yelling at them.
We often met. I always spoke, but the only answer I ever got was a hello from a four-year-old girl. One day when I returned, they were just coming back to their apartment and the little girl was holding the door in the hall open for the others. I remained in the car doing unnecessary things. The parents were telling her to hurry. I looked up and saw the little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me. I hurried as much as I could and thanked her. She was smiling from ear to ear.
That afternoon I was at the K-Mart and saw a white teddy bear. I thought of the little girl and said to myself, “I bet she would like it.” So I bought it for her.
The next day there was a knock on the door and it was the little girl and her father. She was so proud of her bear and thanked me. Then I noticed her mother and the other children were there in the hall, too.
Now when we meet in the hall, we all speak in a friendly manner. Last night we had about four inches of snow. The temperature was below zero. When I opened the outside door, there was my car with all the snow removed. The man next door was the only person I knew in the whole building, so when I saw him the next day, I asked him if he was the nice person that removed the snow. He said NO. He wanted to, but his wife said she wanted to do it.
Isn’t it amazing that the small kind act of a four-year-old girl can change so many things for the better?Why did the author do unnecessary things in his car?
| A．His neighbor yelled at him. |
| B．He did not know how to kill time. |
| C．The weather was cold outside. |
| D．He did not wanted to be embarrassed. |
The underline word “yelling” in the passage probably means _____________.
| A．knocking | B．shouting |
| C．beating | D．laughing |
What the four-year-old girl did made the author feel _____________.
| A．warm | B．sad |
| C．upset | D．angry |
The passage mainly tells us__________.?
| A．Children should be polite to their neighbors. |
| B．People should be kind and communicate with each other. |
| C．Your neighbors are not as bad as you think. |
| D．Things can be changed by removing snow. |
There’s nothing like having a child to remind you that you are no longer the center of your own universe. But every now and then, I need to relax with some“me”time.
I booked an overnight trip to Dover, Delaware. We arrived in Delaware right after sunset. Mom and I settled into our hotel room and went downstairs to the restaurant, and then I ordered myself a drink. I had just taken two sips when my husband called me.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,”Craig said.“The baby is burning up and we are on the way to the hospital.”I didn’t know how to reply. I was so desperate to get away to take a break. My baby was sick but I couldn’t do a thing for him. The situation made me feel so helpless.“I don’t know what to do,”I told him.“I’m five hours from home!”“I know,”my husband said.“You can’t help that. I’ll call you when I know what’s wrong.”My husband and my father took the baby to the emergency room. Meanwhile, I searched the restaurant for my mom. Once I found her, we went to our hotel room and waited for a phone call.
Over an hour later, Craig called to tell me that the baby had bronchitis(支气管炎). He seemed to be feeling better. The next morning, when I returned home, the baby was already back to his happy self.
Ever since this incident, I have really struggled with the concept of“me”time. I try to figure out why I need a break from the child who I love very much. However, sometimes I need to feel like a person and not just a mommy machine. In recent months, I have taken some“me”time. My mom helped keep the baby so I could go shopping, take a nap, and clean my house. On a couple of occasions, Craig and I went to dinner with friends. And this summer, I even managed to read an entire novel while the baby rested.
Now I’ve decided not to leave the baby overnight again or travel a long distance without him. I remember when I first announced my pregnancy(怀孕), a friend told me there was no ‘me’ in mommy. Maybe there’s not. But for me, I’m taking“me”time when I can.After the author answered the first phone call, she .
| A．took a taxi to the hospital |
| B．didn’t want to go home |
| C．was too concerned to have dinner |
| D．telephoned her father immediately |
The author’s husband called her again to .
| A．tell her to look after his mother |
| B．inform her of the baby’s condition |
| C．advise her to buy some medicine |
| D．complain about their child’s bad behavior |
For the author, “me”time mainly refers to the time when she needn’t .
| A．focus on taking care of her baby |
| B．read interesting stories to her baby |
| C．travel a long distance with her baby |
| D．spend time doing housework by herself |
What’s the author’s attitude towards her friend’s words?
| A．Interested. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Doubtful. |
April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started at first in the United States and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their work places. The purpose of this day is to broaden girls’ horizons and raise their self-confidence .
For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in society. But actually, “girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys, whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a chief executive (主管).” says the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, an organization which supported the activity of the Day. “Now the girls have a close look at what their parents are doing and this may help them to be more self-confident when they are faced with a choice of work.”
Schools and many companies support the activity too. Palmers Green High School for girls in north of London, has made the day a necessary part of careers education.
Zarina Bart, 15, from Palmers Green, went with her mother Gwen to her Lawyer’s office this year’s Take Our Daughters to Work Day. “I learned how to fill in a legal aid form and I read details of a case. Then I went to see the actual trial.” she said.
Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work “It’s really strange seeing Mum at work--running around, getting serious and telling people what to do.” She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother’s footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence.
Experts believe that girls with higher self-confidence aim higher and are more likely to be successful in life. Parents have important effect on the confidence of teenage girls. If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work as well as at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction. The writer’s purpose in writing this text is to ______.
| A．broaden girls’ view and raise their confidence |
| B．introduce to us a special day for girls |
| C．tell how the special day for girls came into being |
| D．show us the girls can do as well as boys |
A particular mention of Zarina’s story ______.
| A．shows a successful parents’ effect on the daughter |
| B．serves as an example of how the Day works |
| C．tells what a woman lawyer’s daily work is like |
| D．explains why a girl should go to see mum’s office rather than dad’ |
After seeing her mum at work, Zarina Bart ______.
| A．started to work with her mum |
| B．felt more certain about her future |
| C．learned how to work as a lawyer |
| D．decided to become a lawyer |
In the text the writer especially suggests the importance of ______.
| A．support from society |
| B．understanding of the parents |
| C．parents ’job |
| D．girls’ self-confidence |
“The Lord of the Rings”, one of the best sellers in the new millennium（千禧年）, was made up of three parts——“The Fellowship of the Ring”, “Two Towers”, and “The Return of the King”. Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up playing languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien’s becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon.
After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever, he began composing(创作) the mythology（神话故事） for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon listening to chapters of Tolkien’s imaginative work “The Hobbit”.
Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for a local people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them, Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves（侏儒）. On the way, he meets the twisted（变形的）, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible.
One of Tolkien’s students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwin, to look at a draft（草稿）. The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwin, thought that the best judge for a children’s book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and “The Hobbit” was published in 1937.
It sold so well that Unwin asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced “The Lord of the Rings”, a series of books so creative that they hold readers—new and old —after their publication. What can we learn about “Hobbit” that Tolkien created in his works?
| A．Hobbit was a local people who were very tall and strong . |
| B．Hobbit was a race living in English downtown areas . |
| C．Hobbit was a group of people who were mostly dwarves. |
| D．Hobbit was a social group of people who lived in old castles. |
Which of the following helped most in making “The Hobbit” published?
| A．Stanley Unwin’s son . |
| B．One of Tolkien’s students . |
| C．Bilbo Baggins. |
| D．Allen & Unwin . |
What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A．a famous professor at Oxford University.. |
| B．A completely new masterwork in the new millennium. |
| C．“The Lord of the Rings” and its writer . |
| D．The power of the magic ring. |
Which of the following shows the right order of Mr J.R.R.Tolkien’s life experience?
a. He had his “The Hobbit” published.
b. He became a member of the lnklings.
c. He served in World WarⅠ
d. He became an undergraduate at Oxford.
e. His work “The Lord of the Rings” came to the world.
f. He moved to England to live with his aunt.
| A．f-c-d-b-e-a | B．d-f-c-a-b-e | C．f-d-b-c-a-e | D．f-d-c-b-a-e |
Language is a major problem for the European Union (EU) . The Treaty (条约) of Rome ,which created the organization that finally became the EU, stated that each country’s language must be treated equally. The original six countries had only three languages between them: French, German and Dutch/Flemish. However, there are now 15 countries in the EU, with a total of 12 languages. EU documents must be translated into all these languages, and at official meetings the speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
All this translating is very expensive and time-consuming. It is said that nearly half of all employees of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches and nearly half of the EU’s administrative (管理方面的) costs are spent on this task. In the near future it is probable that several more countries, most of them having their own languages, will join the EU, thus making the situation even worse.
The problem is just cost; there are practical difficulties as well. With 12 languages, there are 132 possible “translation situations” that might be needed. It is often difficult to find people in the right place at the right time who can translate from, for example, Danish into Greek, or Dutch into Portuguese, at a high professional standard.
In practice the problem has been less serious by the use of English in many contacts between EU officials , since almost all of them speak some English. However, any move to reduce the number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller countries. Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU business. However, this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany .The organization that finally became the EU _______.
| A．included 132 languages |
| B．was set up by the Treaty of Rome . |
| C．started with three countries . |
| D．was started by France and Germany . |
What’s the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To show that the problem cannot be solved . |
| B．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency . |
| C．To find out a problem and show how serious it is. |
| D．To give a solution to a problem . |
The writer mentions “Danish into Greek” as an example of _______.
| A．a situation that occurs often. |
| B．a situation that might be difficult to deal with . |
| C．languages easily being interpreted. |
| D．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter |
The writer suggests that if the number of official languages was reduced, _______.
| A．Only languages which are easy to translate would be used officially. |
| B．The smaller member countries would be pleased . |
| C．the EU would not know which official languages to choose . |
| D．Countries whose languages were not used officially would be unhappy . |
To find how the name Canada came about we must go back to the 16th century. At that time, the French dreamed of disclosing and controlling more land, of expanding trade beyond their borders and of spreading their faith across the world .In 1535, Francois I ,King of France, ordered a navigator named Jacques Cartier to explore the New World and search for a passage to India.
Cartier first arrived at the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he wanted to explore. He did not know what to expect but he hoped that this Gulf was just an arm of the ocean between two islands. If it was, he would soon be on his way to the Far East. So he sailed upstream along the St. Lawrence River. However, instead of reaching Asia he arrived at Quebec or Stadacona, as the Indians called it. It was at this point that the term “Canada” entered the country’s history. Apparently the word “Canada” came from an Indian word “Kanata”, which means community or village. Cartier first used it when he referred to Stadacona or Quebec. What a huge “village” Canada is!In the early sixteenth century, the King of France ordered Cartier to ______
| A．find the new world. |
| B．go and visit the American Indians |
| C．build an entirely new country |
| D．get more information about America and find a way to Asia |
Having reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence Cartier thought _____
| A．he had already got to India |
| B．he had sailed into the Atlantic |
| C．it was a water passage to the East |
| D． it was a water way to the New World |
In the early sixteenth century, Quebec was only ____.
| A．an Indian village |
| B．a little town in southern Canada |
| C．the place which we call Canada now |
| D．a village at the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence |