I call my story the story of a bad boy, partly to distinguish myself from those faultless young gentlemen, and partly because I really was not an angle. I may truthfully say I was a friendly, impulsive(易冲动的)teenager. I didn’t want to be an angel. In short, I was a real human boy, such as you may meet anywhere in New England.
Whenever a new scholar came to our school, I used to ask him “ My name’s Tom Bailey; what’s your name?” If the name struck me favorably, I shook hands with the new pupil cordially, but if it didn’t, I would turn and walk away, for I was particular on this point.
I was born in Rivermouth almost fifty years ago, but, before I became very well acquainted with that pretty New England town, my parents moved to New Orleans. I was only eighteen months old at the time of the move, and it didn’t make much difference to me where I was, because several years later, when my father proposed to take me North to be educated, I had my own view on the subject. I instantly kicked over the little boy, Sam, who happened to be standing by me at the moment, and declared that I would not be taken away to live among a lot of Yankees! You see I was what is called “ a Northern man with Southern principles,” I had no recollection of New England: my earliest memories were connected with the South. I knew I was born in the North, but hoped nobody would find it out. I never told my schoolmates I was a Yankee, because they talked about Yankees in a scornful way which made me feel that it was quite a shame not to be born in the South.
And this impression was strengthened by Aunt Chloe, who said, “There wasn’t no gentlemen in the North no way.”
With this picture of Northern civilization in my eye, the readers will easily understand my terror at the bare thought of being transported to Rivermouth to school, and possibly will forgive me for kicking over little Sam, when my father announced this to me. As for kicking little Sam, I always did that, more or less gently, when anything went wrong with me.
My father was greatly troubled by this violent behavior. As little Sam picked himself up, my father took my hand in his and led me thoughtfully to the library. He appeared strangely puzzled on learning the nature of my objections to going North.
“Who on earth, Tom, has filled your brain with those silly stories?” asked my father calmly.
“Aunt Chloe, sir, she told me.”
My father devoted that evening and several evenings to giving me a clear account of New England: its early struggles, its progress, and its present condition. I was no longer unwilling to go North; on the contrary, the proposed journey to a new world full of wonders kept me awake nights. Long before the moving day arrived I was eager to be off. My impatience was increased by the fact that my father had purchased for me a fine little Mustang pony, and shipped it to Rivermouth two weeks before the date set for our own journey. The pony completely resigned me to the situation. The pony’s name was Gitana, which is the Spanish for “gypsy”, so I always called her Gypsy.
Finally the time came to leave the vine-covered mansion among the orange-trees, to say goodbye to little Sam(I am convince he was heartily glad to get rid of me), and to part with Aunt Chloe. I imagine them standing by the open garden gate; the tears are rolling down Aunt Chloe’s cheeks; they and the old home fade away. I am never to see them again!The underlined word “cordially” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “________”.
A.sincerely | B.unbelievably |
C.officially | D.closely |
The second paragraph is intended to _______.
A.support Tom’s opinion that he is a “faultless young gentlemen” |
B.show just how much confidence Tom possesses |
C.contradict other people’s belief that Tom is not a well-behaved, friendly boy |
D.provide an example that Tom is friendly and not an angel |
Tom Bailey’s feeling on moving to Rivermouth can best be described as _______.
A.cold, as he was too young to know any better |
B.unwilling until his father corrected his misunderstandings about life in the North |
C.angry because he would be forced to leave his pony, Gypsy, behind |
D.excited until he realized that he would have to part with Aunt Chloe and little Sam |
It can be inferred from “a Northern man with Southern principles” that ______.
A.Tom is a Yankee, unwilling adapting to a Southern lifestyle |
B.even though Tom now lives in the South, he is proud of his Northern heritage |
C.Tom has successfully subscribed to some Northern values and some Southern values |
D.although Tom was born in New England he liked the way of life and culture in the South |
Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”
In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.
Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.
Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door. The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.
A.loss | B.wonder |
C.lucky thing | D.terrible thing |
Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.
A.he was a man difficult to please |
B.she never knew when he was coming |
C.she was too busy looking after her children |
D.he never stayed long enough for a meal |
What do we know about James’ behavior?
A.He was a kind man, with love for the family. |
B.He was generous, especially towards his brother. |
C.He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids. |
D.He was rude to his sister-in-law. |
Maggie felt pleased when _______.
A.she paid James the money that she owed him |
B.James gave some money to the children |
C.she had to wake James up to catch his train |
D.James thanked her for the nice supper |
The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.
A.had been dead | B.suffered from loss of memory |
C.had run away from him | D.might appear again one day |
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.。Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?
A.Cruel. | B.Serious. | C.Strict. | D.Cold. |
. From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ______.
A.the skill to throw and catch things |
B.the speed of one’s hand movement |
C.the strength and skill to hang and sway |
D.the bodily skill to rotate round a bar |
. What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?
A.Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it. |
B.The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up. |
C.Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher. |
D.What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity. |
. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.
A.they felt sorry for what they had done before |
B.they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt |
C.they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars |
D.they were astonished to find the author’s progress |
. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.
A.the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep |
B.the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own |
C.Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph |
D.in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth |
There was one thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and heavy automobile traffic. At present, we realize that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the east of the United States and brought health warnings in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be infected by air pollution. Some scientists consider that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect”— conserving heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be in water.
Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particular matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature — a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. Today we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report drafted by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very possible). Perhaps, if we are lucky enough, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now. Driven by economic profits, people neglect the damage on our environment caused by the “advanced civilization”. Maybe the air pollution is the price the human beings have to pay for their development. But is it really worthwhile?As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution _______.
A.cause widespread damage in the countryside |
B.affected the entire eastern half of the United States |
C.had damaged effect on health |
D.existed merely in urban and industries areas |
As to the greenhouse effect, the author __________.
A.share the same view with the scientist. |
B.is uncertain of its occurrence |
C.rejects it as being ungrounded |
D.thinks that it will destroy the world soon |
The word “offset” in the second paragraph could be replaced by _________.
A.slip into | B.make up for | C.set up | D.catch up with |
It can be concluded that ____________.
A.raising the world’s temperature only a few degrees would not do much harm to life on earth |
B.lowering the world’s temperature merely a few degrees would lead major farming areas to disaster |
C.almost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade |
D.the world’s temperature will remain constant in the years to come |
This passage is primarily about __________.
A.the greenhouse effect | B.the burning of fossil fuels |
C.the potential effect of air pollution | D.the likelihood of a new ice age |
You must have been troubled by when to say "I love you" because it is one of the greatest puzzles in our life.
What if you say it first and your partner doesn’t love you back? Or if they do say it but you don’t feel they mean it? Being the first to declare your love can be never racking (紧张) and risky and can leave you feeling as vulnerable as a turtle with no shell. But is the person who says it first really in a position of weakness? Doesn’t it pay to hold back, play it cool and wait until the other half has shown their hand faster?
“A really good relationship should be about being fair and being equal,” says psychologist Sidney Crown. “But love is seldom equal.” “All relationships go through power struggles but,” he says, “if a love imbalance continues for years, the rot will set in.” That feeling of “I’ve always loved you more” may be subverted (颠覆,破坏) for a time, but it never goes away completely and it often emerges in squabbling (大声争吵). In love, at least, the silent, withholding type is not always the most powerful. “The strongest one in a relationship is often the person who feels confident enough to talk about their feelings,” says educational psychologist Ingrid Collins. Psychosexual therapist Paula Hall agrees. "The one with the upper hand is often the person who takes the initiative.” In fact, the person who says “I love you” first may also be the one who says “I’m bored with you’ first.” Hall believes that much depends on how "I love you" is said and the motivation of the person saying it. Is it said when they’re drunk? Is it said before their partner flies off on holiday, and what it really means is “Please don’ t be unfaithful to me” ? By saying “I love you”, they are really saying “Do you love me?” If so, wouldn’t it just be more honest to say that. Collins agrees that intention is everything. "It’s not what is said, but how it’s said. What it comes down to is the sincerity of the speaker.”What is the main idea of this passage?
A.The importance of "I love you" | B.The meaning of "I love you" |
C.The time of saying "I love you". | D.The place of saying "I love you" |
In the first sentence the author means that____________.
A.it is easy to say "I love you" |
B.it is hard to say "I love you" |
C.we have many troubles in our life |
D.people usually do not know when to say "I love you" |
According to the expert, a good relationship should be _____________.
A.fair and equal | B.fair and kind |
C.powerful and equal | D.confident and fair |
In the third paragraph, the phrase "with the upper hand" means __________.
A.being low in spirit | B.having only one hand |
C.being active | D.being passive |
What is the most important for you to consider when somebody say "I love you" to you?
A.The intention. | B.The place. | C.The time. | D.The determination. |
I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A.She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields. |
B.She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination. |
C.She is not good at telling stories of the kind. |
D.She finds space research more important. |
From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the author’s failures to ________.
A.the very fact that she is a woman |
B.her involvement in gender politics |
C.her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist |
D.the burden she bears in a male-dominated society |
What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People’s stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A.Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues. |
B.Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence. |
C.Her female students can do just as well as male students. |
D.More female students are pursuing science than before. |
What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A.Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation. |
B.Women have more barriers on their way to academic success. |
C.Women can balance a career in science and having a family. |
D.Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career. |