When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him tag along on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.
"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father.
So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, 'Mom, can I go? Can I go?'"
The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to Story Corps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. "This is the life that I want to live someday."
Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together—father supervising（监督）son.
"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced."
I received a phone call that night. And they said, 'Well, your son was at this fire.' I said, 'OK, which way is this conversation going to go? ' Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.
"And they said, 'But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'
And the word went around, 'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad."
Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son."The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．put out fire |
| B．watch basketball |
| C．follow his father |
| D．ask his mother’s permission |
Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _________.
| A．27 | B．21 | C．8 | D．35 |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too. |
| B．Dekalb Walcott Jr. is proud to be a second-generation firefighter. |
| C．Dekalb Walcott Jr. wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III. |
| D．Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son |
| B．Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy |
| C．Dekalb Walcott III: A Second-generation Firefighter |
| D．Dekalb Walcott Jr.: A Chicago Fire Chief |
Earlier, in the old days, women used to sit at home separated from the outside world. They used to manage the home and look after children. They were free of the responsibility of earning money to support the family, which was left to men.
With the coming of industrialization (工业化) and technological development, the lifestyles of human beings started to change. The needs of human beings started to grow. In this process, women slowly started to move outside the home. Women received the same education as men. Gradually, women slowly started to think independently and participated equally with men in all fields of life, including politics, sports and even military.
With changing environments, the role of women has become more important in society. To match today’s standard of living, it is necessary for both men and women to support the family.
Today, women have been given bigger roles to play in society. They are even taking more responsibility than men. At first, men disagreed with women pursuing (追求) their careers outside the home. However, with growing needs and a shortage of money, they had no other way but to accept the reality.
The financial contributions from women to their families have increased, but in some places, the home is still managed only by women as in the past. It is a challenging task for women to manage both. Women are bearing the stress and suffering mental difficulties with both managing the home and pursuing their careers.The best title for the passage would be _________.
| A．Women's Responsibility in Society | B．The Changing Social Environments |
| C．The Changing Role of Women in Society | D．Women's Financial Contributions |
Earlier in the old days, women used to do the following EXCEPT _________.
| A．wash clothes | B．prepare dinners |
| C．look after children | D．make money for the family |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．women don't need to manage the home today |
| B．women are taking more responsibility than before |
| C．men still disagree with women pursuing their careers |
| D．men have begun to do more housework than women |
Winston Churchill was born into a famous family．His father was a successful politician．However, as a boy, Churchill was considered a slow learner in school．Later he entered the Army and saw action in various countries．
In October 1900, Churchill began his political career．For the next sixty years Churchill’s work as a great politician was both brighter and more difficult than his father’s had been．In 1939 German attacked Poland．Churchill prepared to fight．In 1940 he became the Prime Minister of English．
France fell．The Germans fought their way through Western Europe．It looked as if Britain was about to lose the war．Was it now possible to ask for peace, and listen to Hitler?
Churchill spoke: “I have nothing to offer but blood, hard work , tears and sweat… You ask what is our policy? I will tell you, it is to fight, by sea , by land and air, with all our force and with all the strength that God can give us．You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory．”
The Germans began moving their armies to the French coast and prepared to go to war with British．The British had not enough guns to go around．Churchill gave the answer: “ We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be．We shall fight on the coast ; we shall fight on the landing grounds; we shall fight in the fields and in the streets; we shall fight in the hills; we shall never give up．”
By his courage and hard work, Churchill heartened his people and other nations fighting together against Hitler．Victory finally came when the Germans lost World War II．
Churchill died in 1965 and was given a state funeral．This was a fitting payment to one of all the greatest men the world had ever seen．Churchill ______ before he became a politician．
| A．was a slow student | B．was an army man |
| C．helped his father in his career | D．had little interest in politics |
The Germans attacked British _______．
| A．after France was defeated | B．before France fell |
| C．soon after Poland was attacked | D．before Churchill became the Prime Minister |
The underlined word “heartened” probably means ______ in this passage．
| A．surprised | B．encouraged | C．asked for | D．called for |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Churchill had worked as a politician for more than sixty years． |
| B．The writer admired and respected Churchill very much． |
| C．Churchill was not so clever as his father． |
| D．Churchill was one of the most inspiring, brave and wise leaders in the British history． |
One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain.
Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email.
Everything in this universe is balanced and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he’d been admitted to (录取) Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on.
Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through.When the author learnt her friend had lost his mother, she ______.
| A．gave him some money | B．wrote an email to him |
| C．went to visit him | D．went for a journey with him |
What good news did the author’s friend receive?
| A．He received the author’s email. | B．He was told that life would go on. |
| C．He would go to Cambridge University. | D．His life would go back to normal again |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The author wrote four emails to her friend. |
| B．The mother of the author’s friend died from cancer. |
| C．The author’s friend is a teacher in Cambridge University. |
| D．The author felt relaxed after sending the email. |
The author aims to tell us that ______.
| A．life is not fair to everybody | B．time waits for no man |
| C．everyone has good and bad times in life | D．where there is a will, there is a way |
This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, I’m Barbara Klein.
Animal experts say one of the world’s most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards(豹) still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards.
Recently, their numbers have been reduced by one. Some person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death. The animal’s body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.
An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past fives years. Mr. Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs(幼兽) or young.
It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified(确定) three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.
Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened(威胁) the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.
Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife. This passage is probably from____________.
| A．a magazine | B．a newspaper report | C．a TV report | D．a film |
Why is the killing of an adult female a huge loss?
| A．It could lead to the death of an adult male. |
| B．It means it can not give birth to the young any more. |
| C．It is worth more money than a male. |
| D．There is only one adult female in the world. |
The number of the Amur leopards in China is becoming smaller because of all the following EXCEPT
| A．new roads | B．climate change | C．human hunting | D．rare diseases |
According to the experts the Amur leopards ____________.
| A．are living on plants | B．are living in the zoo |
| C．are well protected by people | D．are endangered |
Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.
Life is like a game and maybe you can award points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.
What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.
It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact, you should be always realistic(现实的). Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “give up” be a part of your vocabulary.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that____________.
| A．human beings should try to avoid making mistakes |
| B．no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes |
| C．mistakes and failures make up our life |
| D．human beings make mistakes easily |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Try to reach 50 points. | B．Try to get as many points as you can. |
| C．Award yourself for your success | D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points. |
The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through____________.
| A．examples | B．numbers | C．experiments | D．stories |
The underlined word “despondent” in the last paragraph means____________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed | C．surprised | D．excited |