It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers __________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．were poor but somewhat content (满足的) |
| C．dreamed of having a better life |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs ?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．The crops didn't do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in diseases. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
What can we infer推断 from the last sentence of the text ?
| A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
| B．Health is more important than money. |
| C．The harmony(和谐) between man and nature is important. |
| D．Good old days will never be forgotten. |
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼) in the closet (衣橱)?”Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet’. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it. ”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica's father said with anger. “Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great－great－grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?”“Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners. ” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now, ” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank into a faint(晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened?Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum, ” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad. ” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They're both crazy, ” she thought. According to Jessica's mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means______.
| A．a family honor |
| B．a family secret |
| C．a family story |
| D．a family treasure |
Jessica's mother fell down into a faint because she was______.
| A．knocked |
| B．frightened |
| C．injured |
| D．surprised |
Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?
| A．She was curious about it. |
| B．She planned to keep it for fun. |
| C．She needed it for her school task. |
| D．She intended to scare her parents. |
Jessica's parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because______.
| A．they were crazy |
| B．they were overexcited |
| C．they realized their misunderstanding |
| D．they both thought they had won the quarrel |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift . Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).
On September 11th ，1958，Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift , and here it is.” What an honor！I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories .I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing bad been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days I Heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. “If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before .
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home !”
“Thank God !” I heard Mum cry .
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love! what happened to the author on September 11th , 1958?
| A．He got a baby brother. |
| B．He got a Christmas gift |
| C．He became four years old. |
| D．He received a doll. |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A．Impossible. |
| B．Boring |
| C．Difficult |
| D．Fearful |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．A sad Christmas day |
| B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family |
Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain(抱怨) about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering
especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one.Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness(孤独) or regret or anger or fear.These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn.As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct(指导)." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.From the passage,it can be inferred that .
| A．everybody has problems |
| B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life |
| C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain |
| D．people like to complain about their problems |
The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to ___.
| A．save space |
| B．persuade readers |
| C．make readers laugh |
| D．get readers' attention |
The main idea of paragraph 3 is that _________.
| A．most people feel life is easy |
| B．the writer feel life is easy |
| C．the writer likes to complain about his problems |
| D．most people complain about how hard their lives are |
According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to ______.
| A．encourage them to learn |
| B．teach them to fear the pain of solving the problems |
| C．help them learn to deal with pain |
| D．teach them how to respect problems |
The saying from Benjamin Franklin "Those things that hurt, instruct" suggests that ______.
| A．we do not learn from experience |
| B．we do not learn when we are in pain |
| C．pain teaches us important lessons |
| D．pain cannot be avoided |
Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge (剧增)of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse(反面)of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to putting off marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy comes to life, the number of marriages also rises.
The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible (似是而非的). Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.
Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.
Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities. The word “portend” (Line 2, Para.1) is closest in meaning to“_____”.
| A．defy |
| B．signal |
| C．suffer from |
| D．result from |
It is said in the passage that when the economy slides_____.
| A．men would choose working women as their marriage partners |
| B．more women would get married to seek financial security |
| C．even working women would worry about their marriages |
| D．more people would prefer to remain single for the time being |
If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,_____.
| A．they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners |
| B．their husbands are expected to do more housework |
| C．their marriage ties can be strengthened |
| D．they tend to put their career before marriage |
One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.
A. they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom
B. they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands
C. they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations
D. they tend to suspect their husbands? loyalty to their marriage
D. The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.
The income gap between China's rural and urban residents（居民） has continued to widen during the past few years in spite of rapidly rising rural incomes, Agricultural Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Wednesday．
The income ratio（比率） between urban and rural residents was 3．28:1 in 2006, against 3．23:1 in 2003, said Sun in his report on the promotion of building a new countryside in 2007．Sun also said the net income of rural residents in different regions also varied widely．The income gap is only one of several problems in rural areas, according to Sun's report．While listing the achievements in rural areas in recent years, Sun believed that rural development still followed behind urban development．
"We have bigger pressure to ensure the supply of major agricultural products such as grain," he said．"China's urbanization（都市化） has been speeded up and more rural residents have gone to urban areas," he said．
"In this case, more agricultural producers become farm produce consumers, which created more pressure for supply," he said．
Another problem facing China's agricultural development is inadequate application of science and technology．
"Only 30 percent of scientific and technological achievements have been applied to agricultural production, which is 40 percentage points lower than developed countries," he said．
Despite increased government spending in rural areas, the infrastructure（基础下部组织） is still poor and easily hit by disasters．
According to Sun, the government spent 431．8 billion yuan （$59．15 billion） on agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, an increase of 80．1 billion yuan over the previous year．
China set aside 11．38 billion yuan to promote a new rural cooperative medical care system and 27．98 billion yuan to support the new compulsory education mechanism in rural area to ensure that all citizens shared the fruits of China's reform and opening-up, Sun said．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the income gap between China's rural and urban residents will disappear this year． |
| B．The net income of rural residents in different regions is the same． |
| C．The government has taken measures to develop the economy in the rural areas． |
| D．Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the supply of major agricultural products is enough． |
How much is spent on agriculture, rural areas and farmers the previous year?
| A．431．8 billion yuan |
| B．511．9 billion yuan |
| C．351．7 billion yuan |
| D．80．1 billion yuan |
Which is NOT the problem in rural areas?
| A．The income gap |
| B．The inadequate application of science and technology |
| C．The supply of major agricultural products |
| D．China's urbanization |