At Denver there was an crowd of passengers into the coaches（车厢） on the eastbound B. & M. express. In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveler. Among the newcomers were two young men, one of handsome presence with a bold, frank face expression and manner; the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed（拷上手铐） together.
As they passed down the aisle of the coach the only available seat offered was a reversed one facing the attractive young woman. Here the linked couple seated themselves. The young woman's glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her face and a tender pink tingeing（稍加染色，影响） her rounded cheeks, she held out a little gray-gloved hand. When she spoke her voice, full, sweet, and deliberate, proclaimed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard.
"Well, Mr. Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose I must. Don't you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the West?"
The younger man aroused himself sharply at the sound of her voice, seemed to struggle with a slight embarrassment which he threw off instantly, and then clasped her fingers with his left hand.
"It's Miss Fairchild," he said, with a smile. "I'll ask you to excuse the other hand; "it's otherwise engaged just at present."
He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining "bracelet" to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl's eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague（含糊，犹豫）, relaxing distress. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, was about to speak again when the other forestalled him. The glum-faced man had been watching the girl's face expression with veiled glances from his keen, shrewd eyes.
"You'll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you're acquainted with（认识，熟悉） the officer here. If you'll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen（围栏，监狱） he'll do it, and it'll make things easier for me there. He's taking me to Leavenworth prison. It's seven years for cheating."
"Oh!" said the girl, with a deep breath and returning color. "So that is what you are doing out here? An officer!"
"My dear Miss Fairchild," said Easton, calmly, "I had to do something. Money has a way of taking wings with itself, and you know it takes money to keep step with our crowd in Washington. I saw this opening（通道） in the West, and--well, an officer isn't quite as high a position as that of ambassador, but--"
"The ambassador," said the girl, warmly, "doesn't call any more. I needn't ever have done so. You ought to know that. And so now you are one of these brave Western heroes, and you ride and shoot and go into all kinds of dangers. That's different from the Washington life. You have been missed from the old crowd."
The girl's eyes, fascinated, went back, widening a little, to rest upon the glittering handcuffs.
"Don't you worry about them, miss," said the other man. "All officers handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr. Easton knows his business."
"Will we see you again soon in Washington?" asked the girl.
"Not soon, I think," said Easton. "My butterfly days are over, I fear."
"I love the West," said the girl irrelevantly. Her eyes were shining softly. She looked away out the car window. She began to speak truly and simply without the gloss of style and manner: "Mamma and I spent the summer in Denver. She went home a week ago because father was slightly ill. I could live and be happy in the West. I think the air here agrees with me. Money isn't everything. But people always misunderstand things and remain stupid--"
"Say, officer," shouted the glum-faced man. "This isn't quite fair. I'm needing a drink, and haven't had a smoke all day. Haven't you talked long enough? Take me in the smoker now, won't you? I'm half dead for a pipe."
The bound travelers rose to their feet, Easton with the same slow smile on his face.
"I can't deny a require for tobacco," he said, lightly. "It's the one friend of the unfortunate. Good-bye, Miss Fairchild. Duty calls, you know." He held out his hand for a farewell.
"It's too bad you are not going East," she said, reclothing herself with manner and style. "But you must go on to Leavenworth, I suppose?"
"Yes," said Easton, "I must go on to Leavenworth."
The two men sidled down the aisle into the smoker.
The two passengers in a seat near by had heard most of the conversation. Said one of them: "That officer is a good sort of man. Some of these Western fellows are all right."
"Pretty young to hold an office like that, isn't he?" asked the other.
"Young!" exclaimed the first speaker, "why--Oh! Didn't you catch on? Say--did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?"From the first three paragraphs, we know that_________
| A．the two young were seated opposite to the young woman by accident. |
| B．it was not difficult for the woman to find the men were handcuffed |
| C．the young woman found she knew one of the men at the first sight of them. |
| D．the young woman may not be good at communicate |
What would be the possible sentence following the underlined “and –-“
| A．and it is not easy to make such a fortune |
| B．and I do the cheating things to collect money |
| C．and I tried my best to be a good officer |
| D．and the West is bond to be wealthy |
When Easton uttered the underlined sentence "My butterfly days are over, I fear", his real meaning was that__________
| A．he would have to focus on his work |
| B．he would be put in prison |
| C．his chance of being with butterfly is small |
| D．his workload as an officer was heavy |
Why did the glum-faced man urge Easton to the smoker?
| A．Because he needed a drink and tobacco badly. |
| B．Because he was angry that Miss Fairchild did not say any good words for him |
| C．Because he was bored and tired with Miss Fairchild and Easton’s talk. |
| D．Because he was afraid Miss Fairchild would find the truth. |
Which of the following can NOT be inferred from the passage?
| A．Miss Fairchild was an ambassador |
| B．Easton was an officer with his prisoner |
| C．the glum-faced was considerate and careful |
| D．Easton had been trying to make a big fortune in the West |
What was the best title of the passage?
| A．Miss Fairchild’s Trip |
| B．Hearts and Hands |
| C．The Story of a Handcuff |
| D．The Meeting of Two Friends |
Astronomy is the oldest science known to man. Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about the heavens. But man was limited by what he could see with his eyes alone.
The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago. They could see the size, color, and brightness of a star. They could see its place in the sky. They watched the stars move as the seasons changed. But the Greeks had no tools to help themselves study the heavens.
Each new tool added to the field of astronomy helped man reach out into space. They did not know that the planet called Saturn(土星) had rings around it. Their sight was so limited that they could not see all the planets. In the early 1700s, people thought there were only six planets. Nepture(海王星), the last of eight planets to be discovered, was not seen until 1846.
Before the spectroscope(分光镜), man did not know what kind of gases was in the sun or other stars. Without the radio telescope, we didn’t know that radio noises came from far out in space.
Today, astronomy is a growing science. We had learned more in the last fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy.. Thousands of years ago, people observed the stars with the limitation of their _____.
| A．eyesight | B．land |
| C．wealth | D．knowledge |
. When the Greeks watched the stars, they could ____ .
| A．know what the stars were made of |
| B．not see their places in the sky |
| C．help themselves study the heavens |
| D．watch the stars move as the seasons changed |
. Until there were ____, man knew very little about the moon.
| A．telescopes | B．spectroscopes |
| C．radio telescopes | D．spaceships |
. Which of the following sentences is NOT true?
| A．Astronomy is the oldest science that humans have known. |
| B．Astronomy is developing fast with the help of technology. |
| C．In the early 1700s, people didn’t know the existence of Neptune. |
| D．Over 2,000 years ago, the Greeks knew the planet Saturn had rings around it. |
. This passage mainly talks about _____.
| A．tools used in astronomy |
| B．the development of astronomy in the last 50 years |
| C．Greeks’ achievements in astronomy |
| D．new tools and the development of astronomy |
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their cats are just as used to the warm shelter as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for a long period of time, thinking that all animals are used to living outdoors. This can put their pet in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the weather is bad. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you’re cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you must leave them outside for a long time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of non-frozen water.
If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very smart in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide somewhere. Watch them closely when they are left outdoors, and provide them with shelter of good quality. Keep an eye on your pet’s water. Sometimes owners don’t realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can’t get anything to drink. Animals that don’t have clean and unfrozen water may drink dirty water outside, which may contain something unhealthy for them.. The word shelter in paragraph one means:
| A．warm clothes | B．a hiding place |
| C．proper temperature | D．diet food |
. What do we learn about pets from Paragraph one?
| A．They are often forgotten by their owners. |
| B．They like to stay in warm places. |
| C．They build their own shelters. |
| D．They are used to living outdoors. |
. Why are pet owners asked to stay with their pets when they are in cold weather?
| A．To keep company. |
| B．To keep them from eating bad food |
| C．To help them find shelters. |
| D．To know when to bring them inside |
. If pets are left on their own outdoors in cold weather, they may ______.
| A．run short of clean water | B．dig deep holes for fun |
| C．dirty the snow nearby | D．get lost in the wild |
. What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To solve a problem |
| B．To give practical advice |
| C．To tell an interesting story |
| D．To present a research result. |
"Itis a dreadful thing to be poor a fortnight before Christmas," said Clorinda, with the mournful sigh of seventeen years.
AuntEmmy smiled. Aunt Emmy was sixty, and spent the hours she didn't spend in a bed, on a sofa or in a wheel chair; but Aunt Emmy was never heard to sigh.
"Thegifts which money can purchase are not the only ones we can give," said Aunt Emmy gently, "nor the best, either."
"Oh,I know it's nicer to give something of your own work," agreed Clorinda, "but materials for fancy work cost too. That kind of gift is just as much out of the question for me as any other."
"Thatwas not what I meant," said Aunt Emmy.
"Whatdid you mean, then?" asked Clorinda, looking puzzled.
AuntEmmy smiled.
"Supposeyou think out my meaning for yourself," she said. "That would be better than if I explained it. Besides, I don't think Icouldexplain it. Take the beautiful line of a beautiful poem to help you in your thinking out: 'The gift without the giver is bare.'"
"I'dput it the other way and say, 'The giver without the gift is bare,'" said Clorinda, with a grimace. "That is my predicament exactly. Well, I hope by next Christmas I'll not be quite bankrupt. I'm going into Mr. Callender's store down at Murraybridge in February. He has offered me the place, you know."
"Won'tyour aunt miss you terribly?" said Aunt Emmy gravely.
Clorindaflushed. There was a note in Aunt Emmy's voice that disturbed her.
"Ithink she would rather have your companionship than a part of your salary, Clorinda," said Aunt Emmy. "But of course you must decide for yourself, dear. " ““
"Well,I must say bye-bye and run home. " Clorindalived just across the road from Aunt Emmy in a tiny white house behind some huge willows. But Aunt Mary lived there too--the only relative Clorinda had, for Aunt Emmy wasn't really her aunt at all. Clorinda had always lived with Aunt Mary ever since she could remember.
Clorindapuzzled over Aunt Emmy's meaning for four days and part of three nights. Then all at once it came to her. Or if it wasn't Aunt Emmy's meaning it was a very good meaning in itself, and it grew clearer and expanded in meaning during the days that followed, although at first Clorinda shrank a little from some of the conclusions to which it led her."
OnChristmas Day, Clorinda went over to Aunt Emmy's. It was a faded brown Christmas after all, for the snow had not come. But Clorinda did not mind; there was such joy in her heart that she thought it the most delightful Christmas Day that ever dawned.
Sheput the queer cornery armful she carried down on the kitchen floor before she went into the sitting room. Aunt Emmy was lying on the sofa before the fire, and Clorinda sat down beside her.
"I'vecome to tell you all about it," she said.
AuntEmmy patted the hand that was in her own.
"Fromyour face, dear girl, it will be pleasant hearing and telling," she said.
Clorindanodded.
"AuntEmmy, I thought for days over your meaning ... thought until I was dizzy. And then one evening it just came to me, without any thinking at all, and I knew that I could give some gifts after all. I thought of something new every day for a week. At first I didn't think Icouldgive some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had. I got over that, though, Aunt Emmy. Now I'm going to tell you what I did give.
"First,there was old Aunt Kitty. You know she was my nurse when I was a baby, and she's very fond of me. But, well, you know, Aunt Emmy, I'm ashamed to confess it, but really I've never found Aunt Kitty very entertaining, to put it mildly. She is always glad when I go to see her, but I've never gone except when I couldn't help it. She is very deaf, and rather dull and stupid, you know. Well, I gave her a whole day. I took my knitting yesterday, and sat with her the whole time and just talked and talked. I told her all the Greenvale news and gossip and everything else I thought she'd like to hear. She was so pleased and proud; she told me when I came away that she hadn't had such a nice time for years. "
"Thenthere was ... Florence. You know, Aunt Emmy, we were always intimate friends until last year. Then Florence once told Rose Watson something I had told her in confidence. I found it out and I was so hurt. I couldn't forgive Florence, and I told her plainly I could never be a real friend to her again. Florence felt badly, because she really did love me, and she asked me to forgive her, but it seemed as if I couldn't. Well, Aunt Emmy, that was my Christmas gift to her ... my forgiveness. I went down last night and just put my arms around her and told her that I loved her as much as ever and wanted to be real close friends again.
"Igave Aunt Mary her gift this morning. I told her I wasn't going to Murraybridge, that I just meant to stay home with her. She was so glad--and I'm glad, too, now that I've decided so."
"Yourgifts have been real gifts, Clorinda," said Aunt Emmy. "Something of you--the best of you--went into each of them."
Clorindawent out and brought her cornery armful in.
"Ididn't forget you, Aunt Emmy," she said, as she unpinned the paper.
Therewas a rosebush--Clorinda's own pet rosebush--all snowed over with fragrant blossoms.
AuntEmmy loved flowers. She put her finger under one of the roses and kissed it.
"It'sas sweet as yourself, dear child," she said tenderly. "And it will be a joy to me all through the lonely winter days. You've found out the best meaning of Christmas giving, haven't you, dear?"
"Yes,thanks to you, Aunt Emmy," said Clorinda softly. Clorinda felt anxious before Christmas because_____________________.
| A．She had to leave Aunt Mary |
| B．She didn’t know what kind of Christmas gifts she should buy |
| C．She had not enough money to buy Christmas gifts |
| D．She had no time to make a proper decision |
Which of the following sentences can best explain the line “The gift without the giver is bare.”？
| A．A gift is valued by the mind of the giver. |
| B．Forgiveness is a gift for the giver and the receiver. |
| C．You cannot buy love or respect with expensive gifts. |
| D．Think twice before you give gifts to somebody |
What is the gift that Clorinda gave to old Aunt Kitty?
| A．Passion | B．Sympathy |
| C．Kindness | D．Company |
What does the underlined phrase “in confidence” mean?
| A．respectfully | B．confidently |
| C．secretly | D．willingly |
Which two words can best describe Aunt Emmy?
| A．cute and joyful | B．kind-hearted and emotional |
| C．optimistic and wise | D．gentle and timid |
Which of the following is the best title?
A. A Special Christmas B. Clorinda’s Gifts
C. Aunt Emmy C. Clorinda’s choice
The most common use of intelligence test scores is to predict degree of academic success. Such scores are used in some communities as bases for admitting able children to schools at ages younger than normal, and they are very generally used to determine admissions to schools beyond public secondary school. Another use common in elementary schools involves comparing such scores with performances in various subjects to identify children who are working below capacity.
The greatest problem in using intelligence tests for the purpose of prediction is that no dependable criterion of their accuracy exists. The ideal criteria would be objective and reliable achievement tests following instruction in each subject, but there are few such tests, especially at the college level. Studies have shown that correlations(相关性) between intelligence tests and achievement tests in various subjects through secondary school range roughly from 0.5 to 0.8. Such correlations are fairly high, but they do not suggest anywhere near complete agreement.
At the college level there are two major tests used as criteria of admission. By far the more important is the College Entrance Examination, constructed by the Educational Testing Service authorized by the College Entrance Examination Board. These tests are returned to the Educational Testing Service for scoring, and the results are then made available to the various colleges authorized by the students to receive them. The second test of this type is the American College Test, which operates in essentially the same fashion.
Both tests constitute measures of certain skills, abilities, and knowledge that have been found to be related to success in college. Their correlations with academic success are limited for three outstanding reasons. First, measures of achievement in college are themselves perhaps no more reliable than those in elementary and secondary schools. Second, intellectual factors do not alone determine academic success, especially at the college level. Many students drop out of schools because they are inadequately motivated or because they dislike the instructional programme. Third, correlations are lowered because the use of such tests for denying admission to some students means that the range of scores for those admitted is restricted, and such restriction tend to reduce correlation.The intelligence scores can be used in the following way EXCEPT_____.
| A．telling in advance the degree of academic success |
| B．admitting intelligent children to school at the age younger than ordinary |
| C．finding out children with lower ability in primary schools |
| D．selecting pupils by public secondary schools |
The ideal criteria in using intelligence tests for prediction should be _____.
| A．accurate college tests |
| B．objective and reliable achievement tests |
| C．objective and reliable intelligence tests |
| D．a series of objective multiple choices |
What can be inferred from the second paragraph?
| A．Ideal criteria for objective and reliable achievement tests in college courses are hard to find. |
| B．Intelligence test scores can accurately predict the degree of academic success. |
| C．The correlations between intelligence tests and achievement tests are lowest in college courses. |
| D．The high correlations between intelligence tests and achievement tests in secondary school gain universal recognition. |
The results of the College Entrance Examination will be _____.
| A．sent to the college that the students chose |
| B．more important to the students than the American College Test |
| C．decided by the College Entrance Examination Board |
| D．used as criteria of the American College Test |
The correlations between two college admission tests and academic success in college are limited for the reason that _____.
| A．many students drop out of schools |
| B．students are not adequately motivated |
| C．intellectual factors are more important for students than when they were in primary and middle schools |
| D．measures of college achievement are unreliable like those in primary and middle schools. |
Derek Wayne has obtained a 30-year, fixed-rate home loan of $ 100,000 with an annual interest rate of 7.5 percent. Because the loan extends for such a lengthy period, the mortgage(抵押) company calculates a monthly payment that ensures it will get most of its interest back first. Thus in the beginning months, Wayne’s principal payment—the amount he pays toward his actual loan—increases extremely slowly.
| Payment Number |
Total Monthly Payment |
Principal Portion of Payment |
Interest Portion of Payment |
Current Balance |
| 1 |
$699.21 |
$ 74.21 |
$ 625.00 |
$99,925.79 |
| 2 |
$699.21 |
$74.68 |
$624.54 |
$99,854.11 |
| 359 |
$699.21 |
$690.56 |
$8.66 |
$694.87 |
| 360 |
$699.21 |
$694.87 |
$4.34 |
$0.00 |
Let’s analyze Wayne’s early payments. Imagine that on December 15 the Mauritanian Mortgage Corporation gives Wayne $100,000, and on January 15 his initial payment is due. Throughout this first month, interest accumulates on the entire $ 100,000. On a yearly interest rate of 7.5%, Wayne’s monthly rate is 0.625% or 7.5%divided by 12. Multiplying $100,000 by 0.625% yields $625, the portion of Wayne’s first monthly payment that is interest. So Wayne now owes $ 99,925.79 ( $100,625－$699.21). His February interest payment will be 0.625% of $ 99,925.79.
By the time Wayne makes his last few payments, his monthly interest payment has decreased considerably. His balance following his 359th payment is $ 694.87, and 0.625% of that is about $ 4.34, his final interest payment. What was the total amount of interest Wayne paid? Multiplying 360 months by $699.21 equals $ 251,715.60, and subtracting $100,000(the loan amount) leaves $151,715.60—over 1.5 times what he actually borrowed!This passage is mainly concerned with_________________.
| A．Derek Wayne |
| B．the Mauritanian Mortgage Corporation |
| C．how interest payments on a loan change |
| D．calculating the number of payments Wayne made |
The monthly interest rate on Wayne’s loan was____________.
| A．7.5% | B．6.5% |
| C．0.625% | D．$625 |
We can conclude that Wayne’s total monthly payment was always___________.
| A．$699.21 | B．$100,000 |
| C．$360 | D．$151,715.60 |
The table in the passage helps the readers see_____________.
| A．Wayne’s down payment before he took out the loan |
| B．Wayne’s first and last payments |
| C．how much his interest payments increased |
| D．at what point the interest and principal payments were just about equal. |