It’s a too long story — 17 months to be exact — with an ending that’s short and sweet. Ruthie has, finally and happily, been reunited with her family.
The story goes back to October, 2005. Ruthie, 8 months old, was sitting on the back seat of the family car when her owner walked hurriedly into a Long Island store. When Nancy Noel returned a few minutes later, Ruthie was nowhere in sight.
Nancy Noel and her husband, Lincoln Werden, got in touch with Nassau County police, put up flyers (小传单) around their Manhasset neighborhood. But no sightings of Ruthie were reported. Until last week, that is, someone sent Ruthie to a Manhattan shelter after finding her walking slowly around the Bronx — 25 miles from where she was taken on that fateful October day.
And then, shelter workers searched Ruthie for a possible microchip (微芯片) — she had one fixed under her skin. It showed her family’s name and address. Ruthie was immediately reunited with Nancy Noel and her daughter, Sara Werden.
“We never thought we would see her again,” said Sara Werden. “We were just amazed.”
She’s no longer the tiny pup they last saw. In fact, Ruthie gained (增加) 10 pounds during her months away from home. She’s on a diet now, and has already lost one and a half pounds. Ruthie also has a new friend to play with. The family had got another dog, named Holly, after losing the hope of ever finding their beloved Ruthie.According to the passage, when did Ruthie get together with her family?
| A．In October 2005. | B．In March 2006. |
| C．In May 2007. | D．In March 2007. |
According to the passage, Ruthie should be _____.
| A．a pet dog that Nancy Noel raised |
| B．one of Nancy Noel’s daughters |
| C．one of Holly’s sisters |
| D．a police working for Nancy Noel |
Which of the following shows the right time order according to the passage?
a. Ruthie was sent to a shelter.
b. Ruthie stayed outside a Long Island store.
c. Ruthie was fixed a microchip.
d. Ruthie reunited with her family.
e. Shelter workers found Ruthie’s address.
| A．baecd | B．caebd | C．bedac | D．cbaed |
Which of the following can be inferred according to the passage?
| A．Ruthie was stolen by a thief. |
| B．Ruthie had enough food during the days when she was lost. |
| C．Nancy Noel never lost the hope of finding Ruthie. |
| D．Ruthie had to put on weight after she was found again. |
Alice’s mother died when Alice was five years old. Alice, who grew up to be my mother, told me that after her mother’s death her family was too poor to even afford to give her a doll.
In December 2012, I had a job at a local bank. One afternoon, we were decorating the tree in the bank lobby(大厅). One of my customers approached me with her beautiful handmade dolls. I decided to get one for my daughter, Katie, who was almost five years old. Then I had an idea. I asked my customer if she could make me a special doll for my mother—one with gray hair and spectacles(眼镜): a grandmother doll. And she gladly agreed.
A friend had told me that his dad who played Santa Claus would be willing to make a visit on Christmas morning to our home to deliver my Katie her presents, so I made some special arrangements.
Christmas Day arrived and at the planned time; so did Santa Claus. Katie was surprised that Santa had come to see her at her own house. As Santa turned to leave, he looked once more into his bag and found one more gift. As he asked who Alice was, my mother, surprised at her name being called, indicated that she in fact was Alice. Santa handed her the gift, with a message card that read:
For Alice:
I was cleaning out my sleigh(雪橇) before my trip this year and came across this package that was supposed to be delivered on December 25,1953. The present inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it. Many apologies for the lateness of the gift.
Love,
Santa Claus
My mother’s reaction was one of the most deeply emotional scenes I have ever seen. She couldn’t speak but only held the doll she had waited fifty-nine years to receive as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. That doll, given by “Santa”, made my mother the happiest “child” that Christmas.The reason why the writer’s mother couldn’t have a doll when young was that_________.
| A．Santa Clause forgot to deliver the doll to her |
| B．her daughter couldn’t make a doll by herself |
| C．her parents left the doll in the Santa Clause’s sleigh |
| D．her family was badly off when she was a child |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．the writer’s father played the Father Christmas |
| B．the writer’s mother was already in her sixties when she received the doll |
| C．the writer asked one of her friends to make the doll for her mother |
| D．the Santa Clause was too careless to deliver the doll on time |
When the writer’s mother received the doll that she had waited so long, she was __________.
| A．pleased and inspired | B．puzzled and angry |
| C．happy and excited | D．curious and grateful |
The best title for this passage could be __________.
| A．A Doll from Santa | B．An unforgettable Christmas |
| C．A considerate daughter | D．A help from Santa Claus |
Migrants to the UK are to be quizzed about their English skills before being able to claim income-related benefits, the government has announced.
In a move to "protect the integrity（完整性）of the benefits system", people will also be asked what efforts they have made to find work before coming to Britain. Work and Pensions Secretary Duncan Smith said people should not be able to "take advantage" of British benefits. Job centres in England, Scotland and Wales will use the "more mighty" test. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the test would ensure "only migrants who have a legal right to be in Britain and plan to contribute to this country can make a claim for benefits".
"For the first time, migrants will be quizzed about what efforts they have made to find work before coming to the UK and whether their English language skills will be a barrier to them finding employment," the DWP said in a statement.
Income-related benefits include council tax benefit, housing benefit, income-based jobseeker's allowance and pension credit.
Mr. Duncan Smith said British people were "rightly concerned" that migrants should contribute to the economy and should not be "drawn here by the attractiveness of our benefits system".
"It is vitally important that we have strict rules in place to protect the integrity of our benefits system," he said. He said the new test would help create a fair system which provided for "genuine" workers and jobseekers but "does not allow people to come to our country and take advantage".
To claim the benefits, migrants will have to pass a "habitual residence test" including more than 100 extra questions compared to now. This will be overseen by an "intelligent IT system" which will ensure questions are "tailored to each individual claimant".
Migrants will be allowed to claim benefits if they can prove they are legally allowed to be in Britain and are "habitually resident" of the country. As part of this they might be questioned about what measures they have taken to "establish" themselves in Britain and what ties they still have abroad.
"They will also have to provide more evidence that they are doing everything they can to find a job," the DWP said.What does the British government use the test for?
| A．promoting the English skills of migrants. |
| B．making efforts to help migrants find work. |
| C．protecting the rights of migrants. |
| D．ensuring the British benefit claimed legally by migrants . |
What do we know about the test?
| A．All British residents must be quizzed about their English skills. |
| B．The test will ask migrants whether they are willing to work in Britain. |
| C．The test is an act to protect British benefits system. |
| D．The test will help the government dismiss jobseekers. |
What does the underlined word “claimant “(in para.7) probably mean in the text?
| A．a person who applies | B．a person who is badly off |
| C．a person who migrates | D．a person who is quizzed |
What does the passage mainly want to inform us?
| A．All migrants can claim benefits from the UK. |
| B．Income-related benefits can be a great help to migrants. |
| C．All migrants come to the UK only to claim benefits. |
| D．Migrants are to pass a test to get the benefits from the UK. |
We Chinese are not big huggers. A handshake or a pat on the shoulder is enough to convey our friendship or affection to one another.So when our newly-acquainted Western friends reach out in preparation for a hug, some of us feel awkward.
Many questions go through our head. Where should I put my arms? Under their armpits or around their neck? What distance should I maintain? Should our chests touch?
It’s even more difficult with friends from some European countries. Should I kiss them on the cheek while hugging? Which side? Or is it both cheeks? Which side should I start on?
But it isn’t just people from cultures that emphasize a reservedness in expressing physical intimacy(亲密) who find hugging confusing. Hugs can cause discomfort or even distress in people who value their personal space.
In a recent article for The Wall Street Journal, US psychologist Peggy Drexler said that although the US remains a “medium touch” culture — “more physically demonstrative than Japan, where a bow is the all-purpose hello and goodbye, but less demonstrative than Latin or Eastern European cultures, where hugs are strong and can include a kiss on both cheeks”, Americans do seem to be hugging more.
From politicians to celebrities, hugs are given willy-nilly to friends, strangers and enemies alike; and the public has been quick to pick up the practice. Public figures know that nothing projects like the ability as a good hug. US First Lady Michelle Obama has put her arms around icy foreign leaders like Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the Queen of England, on the latter occasion actually breaking the rule of royal manners.
But not all are grateful to be embraced, even by the most influential and famous. To them, any hug is offensive if it’s not sincere.
Amanda Hess, writing for US magazine Slate, says public figures should stop imposing hugs on everyone they meet. For them, a hug is rarely a gesture of sincere fellowship, compassion or affection. It’s all part of a show. Hugs are falsely intimate power plays used by public figures to establish their social dominance over those in their grasp.
Cecilia Walden, a British journalist writing for The Telegraph who lives in New York, holds the same opinion. “Power-hugging”, as she calls it, is “an offender dressed up as kindness”. It has become a fashion in the US where “bosses are already embracing their staff (either shortly before or after firing them), men and women ,their friends or enemies, in a thousand cheating displays of unity”.From the first four paragraphs, we can see that ___________.
| A．we Chinese people don’t know how to hug |
| B．people from European countries often get puzzled about hugging |
| C．people in Western countries seldom use hugs to express their physical closeness |
| D．hugs can bring pressure to people when used improperly |
The example of US first lady Michelle Obama is given to show that __________.
| A．Americans hold a “medium touch ”culture |
| B．public figures know hugging functions well in public |
| C．she is much liked by American people |
| D．hugs are forbidden in England |
“Power-hugging” in the last paragraph actually means that _________.
| A．hugs are only used sincerely by some people with power |
| B．hugging is powerful to bosses in US |
| C．public figures sometimes use hugging just for a show of power |
| D．public figures can hug anyone in their grasp freely |
What can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Hugs, vital or not? | B．Hugs, tricky affair? |
| C．Hugs and public figures | D．Hugs and power |
Doctors sometimes use light therapy to treat a form of depression in people who get too little morning sun. But too much light at other times may actually cause such mood disorder. Long-lasting exposure to light at night brings depression, a new study finds, at least in animals.
The new data confirm observations from studies of people who work night shifts, says Richard Stevens of the University of Connecticut Health Center. Mood disorders join a growing list of problems, including cancer, obesity and diabetes that can occur when light throws life out of balance by disturbing the biological clock and its timing of daily rhythms.
In the new study, Tracy Bedrosian and Randy Nelson of Ohio State University exposed mice to normal light and dark cycles for four weeks. For the next four weeks, half of the mice remained on this schedule, and the rest received continuous dim light throughout their night. Compared with mice exposed to normal night-time darkness, those getting dim light at night lost their strong preference for sweet drinks. “A sign that they no longer get pleasure out of activities they once enjoyed,” Bedrosian says.
In a second test, mice were clocked on how long they actively tried to escape a pool of water. Those exposed to night lights stopped struggling and just floated in the water, a sign of “behavioral despair”, 10 times as long as the mice that had experienced normal night-time darkness. All symptoms of depression disappeared within two weeks of the mice returning to a normal light-dark cycle, the researchers report. The scientists could also quash the behavioral symptoms by injecting the brains of animals with a drug that prohibits the activity of certain molecules linked with human depression. This finding further suggests that light at night may cause something related to depression.
Human studies linking night-time light and mood disorders are important but can not easily detect molecular underpinnings(分子基础) as animal studies can, says George Brainard of Thomas Jefferson University. The new work, he says, suggests that the change of the biological clock by light at night can be “an extremely powerful force in regulating biology and behavior”.After being exposed to continuous night-time light, the mice __________.
| A．changed their preferences |
| B．escaped from the water more eagerly |
| C．remained active as before |
| D．showed less interest in their favorites |
What does the underlined word “quash” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．study | B．predict |
| C．ease | D．cause |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _______________.
| A．light at night may have practical value |
| B．the biological clock is beneficial to humans |
| C．human mood disorders cannot be healed easily |
| D．human studies are more important than animal studies |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Night-time light may cause depression. |
| B．A drug has been found to cure mood disorders. |
| C．The study on animals can be applied to humans. |
| D．Human biological clock can be controlled by light. |
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch(养马场). He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying: “I want to tell you a story. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, ‘See me after class.’
“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, ‘Why did I receive an F?’ The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ Finally, after a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.’ ”
Monty then turned to the group present and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two years ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough courage not to give up yours.’ ”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what,” Monty at last concluded.The teacher asked the boy to rewrite the paper because __________.
| A．the boy was too poor to achieve his dream |
| B．the teacher doubted his chance of success |
| C．the boy was not good enough to achieve his goal |
| D．the teacher looked down on the boy absolutely |
Which of the following could best express the teacher’s feelings when she said the words before leaving the ranch two years ago?
| A．Regretful and proud. | B．Regretful and guilty. |
| C．Honest and sorry. | D．Embarrassed and proud. |
From the passage we can conclude that __________.
| A．the boy was an unrealistic person |
| B．the boy’s father was irresponsible for his education |
| C．the boy had great courage and determination |
| D．the teacher often found fault with his students |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Set a practical goal |
| B．Try to be realistic |
| C．Prove yourself through success |
| D．Keep your dream |