Grandma celebrated her fifty-third birthday just weeks before grandpa died of cancer in 1965. Although his passing was very difficult for her, I think their shared struggle to make his life longer taught grandma that good health was not to be taken for granted, and she made up her mind to live the rest of her own life as fully and as long as she could. One day, when she announced to attend lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon, where she lived, we rolled our eyes in embarrassment and helplessly wished she would just stay home and bake cookies as normal grandmothers did. Many years filled with countless dance lessons passed before we learned to appreciate the wonder of having a dancing grandma.
I suppose grandma's primary motivation for wanting to learn to dance was social. She had been a shy girl, always very tall and heavy, and had married into grandpa's quiet lifestyle before developing any elegance or confidence in her personal appearance. Dancing, on the other hand, filled her life with flash lights, wonderful parties, beautiful dresses, handsome young dance instructors, and the challenge of learning. Although the weekly dance lessons did not change her ample, two-hundred-pound figure, grandma surprised everyone with energetic performances on the dance floor, which soon gave her as much elegance and confidence as any Miss American competitor.
Having taken weekly dance lessons for years, my grandma learned various dances easily and was soon participating in dancing matches all over the Northwest. When I was fourteen, grandma proudly invited me to watch her compete in one of these matches to be held in the grand ballroom of the Red Lion Inn. My attitude was still unenthusiastic at that point, but to make her happy, my mother and I attended the match. As if to prove me wrong, grandma made a wonderful showing in every event she entered. I thought she was truly the queen of the ball during the dance, and my thoughts were shared by the judges a short time later when she was awarded a gold cup for her outstanding performance.What did grandma learn from grandpa's death?
| A．Good health was not there for everyone. |
| B．She should take dance lessons. |
| C．She had to struggle to live a better life. |
| D．She should wear beautiful dresses. |
Normal grandmas usually ________ in the author's point of view?
| A．took dance lessons |
| B．did some exercises at home |
| C．took care of grandchildren at home |
| D．did some housework at home |
The author felt ______ when he was invited to watch grandma's match.
| A．happy | B．proud |
| C．excited | D．uninterested |
Tracy Caulkins is known as the first American to set an American record and win an American title in each of four swimming strokes（泳姿）: breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, freestyle.
Tracy Caulkins was born in Minnesota and lived in Iowa until she was six. She began swimming when she was eight, after the family had moved to Nashville, Tennessee. While unwilling at first to swim in cold water or get her face wet, she began to train in earnest (认真地) as her talent became clear. Though her father worked for the public schools, the family sent her to a private school when the public schools could not accommodate (适应) her training schedule.
At age 13, Tracy Caulkins took part in the trials(选拔赛) for the 1976 Olympics, but did not make the team. She continued to win national and international titles, and was disappointed in 1980 when the U.S. didn’t attend the Moscow Olympics. She continued to train and compete.
In 1981, Tracy Caulkins began college, graduating in 1985. In college, she continued competing and training, though she had slowed down from her peak (顶峰) years.
Caulkins trained especially hard for the 1984 Olympics, and not only made the team, but was captain of the swim team and at Los Angeles, won three gold medals and was named Sportswoman of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee. After that she retired from swimming, and was a commentator (解说员) for swimming events as well as taking advantage of her fame to do business.
Tracy Caulkins married Australian swimmer, Mark Stockwell, in 1991, their romance having begun at the 1984 Olympics when he jumped into a warm-up pool to introduce himself. They married in Nashville and moved to Australia, where they had three children. Caulkins continued to be professionally involved in sports. Tracy Caulkins was sent to a private school because _____.
| A．the schedule of the public school wasn’t suitable for her |
| B．her parents had to work in the school |
| C．her family had moved to Nashville, Tennessee |
| D．she showed strong interest in swimming |
Which Olympic Games did Tracy Caulkins attend?
| A．The 1976 Olympic Games. | B．The 1980 Olympic Games. |
| C．The 1984 Olympic Games. | D．The 1992 Olympic Games. |
Give the correct order of the following events in Tracy Caulkins’ life.
a. She was named Sportswoman of the Year.
b. She became a commentator.
c. She got married.
d. She went to college.
e. She attended the Olympics.
| A．d; e; a; b; c | B．d; e; c; b; a | C．d; a; e; c; b | D．d; e; a; c; b |
When was Tracy Caulkins born?
A. In 1963 B In 1953 C In 1960 D Not mentioned
One of the best-known American writers of children’s books is Alfred Strong, or Doctor Strong, as he is better known to readers everywhere. Now, an art show called “Doctor Strong From Then to Now” is travelling around the United States. The pictures and drawings show the history of Doctor Strong.
Doctor Strong first became famous almost fifty years ago when his first children’s book was published. Since then, he has written forty-five books that have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world.
Doctor Strong’s books are known for their easy use of words and colorful, hand-drawn pictures. These drawings bring life to his imaginary creatures. The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hundreds of others.
The San Diego Museum, in California, organized the art show. It included about three hundred Doctor Strong’s original(最早的) drawings and some of his writings.
Most of Doctor Strong’s books, although written in a funny way, have serious messages. For example, in Mc Elligot’s Pool, he describes the danger of pollution. He discusses the arms race in The Butter Battle Book, written in 1984.
Doctor Strong is almost eighty-four years old now. He says he never planned to write stories just for children. He says he writes stories that interest people of all ages. He says he uses easy words so that everyone, even a child, can understand. Alfred Strong is a famous _______ in the United States.
| A．doctor | B．artist | C．writer | D．reader |
Doctor Strong first became famous in __________.
| A．his eighties when an art show was travelling around the United States |
| B．his fifties when his drawings and writings were published |
| C．1984 when his book Mc Elligot’s Pool was published |
| D．his thirties when his first book was published |
Doctor Strong’s books are very popular in America because __________.
| A．they are stories about animals such as cats, elephants and so on |
| B．they are written in easy words with colorful pictures |
| C．he organized the art show in California |
| D．they are written in a funny way |
His purpose in writing many such books is __________.
| A．to show his original pictures and drawings |
| B．to organize a special art show of his own |
| C．to make his readers laugh or smile when they read his books |
| D．not only to interest people but also to uncover some serious social problems |
Ice Hotel Quebec, located 30 minutes west of Downtown Quebec City, Canada, is only open during the winter season. The hotel is made entirely of ice. The two galleries at the Ice Hotel Quebec feature events such as ice painting and ice sculpture(冰雕) competitions.
Things to Do
Guests have a choice of different winter vacation activities, including cross-country skiing, ice skating, dog sledding (狗拉雪橇)， ice fishing and sliding(滑行). Ice Hotel Quebec has a sauna( 桑拿浴)，so remember to pack your bathing suit.
Rooms & Suites(套房)
The hotel offers 18 rooms and 14 theme suites built from 12,000 tons of snow and 400 tons of ice. The walls at Ice Hotel Quebec are four feet thick and allow the hotel to keep a temperature of -2℃ to -5℃.
The furniture at the hotel is made of snow and ice, including the beds. The beds are equipped with a thick foam mattress(泡沫床垫)and an extra thick sleeping bag. That is enough to prevent you from catching a cold.
Vacation Tip
Ice Hotel Quebec offers 30-minute guided public tours daily from 10:30am to 4:30pm. It costs $15 CAD for adults, $7.5 for children (under eight), $13for students\seniors (above sixty), and $42 for families.
Plan This Vacation
Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada will be open for its sixth season from January 5th to April 1st. Costs for overnight stays start at $199CAD per person.
If you’re looking for something really different to do on your next trip, think creatively and plan to visit the truly unusual Ice Hotel Quebec! If you visit the Ice Hotel, you can enjoy the following EXCEPT___________.
| A．going fishing | B．going skating |
| C．appreciating ice sculptures | D．holding an ice party |
Sleeping is not a problem in the Ice Hotel because ____________.
| A．the rooms are made of ice |
| B．the temperature is as high as -2℃ |
| C．the sleeping bags are warm |
| D．the walls are four feet thick |
If Mr. Smith attends a 30-minute public tour with his wife and seven-year-old twin sons, he should pay at least_________.
| A．$37.5 CAD | B．$45 CAD | C．$42CAD | D．$199 CAD |
Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better in school. It doesn’t take much further thought to know that adults will feel better and do better at work as well. Whether you work at home, on the farm, at the office, at school, or on the road, it is not a good idea to have no breakfast.
If we have no breakfast, we are likely to become tired when our brains and bodies run low on fuel (食物). By mid-morning, a lot of us grab a cup of coffee or eat a sugary candy bar to wake up again. This might work for a few minutes, but by lunch time we are hungry. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Having no breakfast is a popular way to lose weight, but not a smart one. Many people believe that they will lose weight if they have no meals, but that just isn’t true; the body expects to be refueled a few times a day, starting with a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast is good for losing weight. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to keep a healthy weight.
A healthy breakfast should have some protein (蛋白质) and some fiber (纤维). Protein can come from low fat meats, eggs, or beans. Fiber can be found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. A good example of a healthy breakfast might be something simple like a hard boiled egg, an orange, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk. Stay away from sugary foods and white bread because they are digested (消化) quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in several hours. Protein and fiber will keep you feeling full until lunch time. The first paragraph mainly tells us that ______.
| A．it is necessary to have a good breakfast every day |
| B．many adults are too busy to have breakfast every day |
| C．many adults go to work without having breakfast |
| D．many children go to school without breakfast |
According to the passage, we feel tired at work probably because __.
| A．we need to have a cup of coffee | B．we don’t have a good breakfast |
| C．our brains don’t work any longer | D．we don’t have enough sleep at night |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Having a good breakfast can help you to finish your work. |
| B．Eating a good breakfast is enough for the whole day. |
| C．Breakfast is really the most important meal in a day. |
| D．You will be happier if you have a good breakfast. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．it is healthy only to have beans and eggs for your breakfast |
| B．you mustn’t have meat for your breakfast |
| C．you should eat sugary foods if you feel hungry |
| D．you should eat something which has protein and fiber for breakfast |
At some point I noticed that people were staring at me. The box boys at the supermarket spoke to me with respect. People were mistaking me for somebody else. It had to be somebody who weighed close to 300 pounds and wore a full beard. I enjoyed the way people would suddenly turn to look at me as if I wore wings. Nobody mentioned my name， but naturally they assumed I knew who I was. I could hardly ask， “By the way， who am I？”
As a result of being in the public eye， I began to change myself. I kept my shoes shined. Also， I changed shirts every day. The more I changed， the more second looks I received. From enjoying the attention， I began to long for it. I’d always felt I was somebody special. Now others were finally realizing it.
But who did people think I was？ I must have been a movie star， or at least a television personality. Then one evening I was sitting at a bus stop in Westwood Village when two young men in an old car looked up at me with that expression I had come to recognize as a respect to my talent and success. One of them said， “Hello， Dom！” So that was who I was！ Once I imagined that well-known comedian， I realized I couldn’t have been anybody else. I gave my young fans a big celebrity grin and said， “Hello， boys！” I waved one hand with a welcome-to-Hollywood gesture they would be talking about for years.
I also realized that it was time to go on a diet. I ate more salads and vegetables. I laid off the carbohydrates. I walked a couple of miles every day. When I had lost about 40 pounds， I shaved off my beard. I didn’t realize that my barber had actually been trying to make me look like the fat Dom DeLuise. I waited for my clients to ask， “What did you do to yourself？” But nobody even noticed a change. I melted back into the general population.Why was the author mistaken by people for somebody else？ (No more than 11 words) (2 marks)
What did the author do to change himself as a result of being in the public eye？ (No more than 12words) (2 marks)
Why did the young man greet the author？(No more than 10 words) (3 marks)
What did the author expect his clients to do ？(No more than 11 words)(3 marks)