The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12"Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the worlD. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy ."
The clock struck one. I was quite ho peless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I coulD. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ .
A.asleep |
B.working in bed |
C.outside |
D.quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________.
A.it was too late at night |
B.he was very tired |
C.his eyes l ids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
D.he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author?
A.He went to a church to pray again |
B.He passed the exam by luck |
C.He failed in the exam |
D.He was punished by his teacher |
The best title for the passage would be __________ .
A.The Night Before the Examination |
B.Working Far into the Night |
C.A Slow Student |
D.Going Over My Lessons |
Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends---you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you---loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease but the situation is somewhat different from that of a ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.When you speak to the class, you should speak ________.
A.as slowly as possible | B.in a low voice |
C.loudly | D.forcefully |
Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is ________.
A.noisy | B.quiet |
C.having a rest | D.serious |
If you are having a conversation with an official, the most important thing for you is____.
A.to show your ability |
B.to be very gentle |
C.to make sure that you can be heard |
D.to put the official at ease |
When my daughter realized that she had really hurt another child with a mean word, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't always make things better. So I told her the story of Will, a 9-year-old boy whose father left his mom two years earlier.
Will was angry, and he often hurt others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I see why Dad left you!" Unable to deal with Will, the mother sent him to spend the summer with his grandparents. His grandmother's strategy to help Will learn self-control was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail (钉子) into a four-by-four board every time he said a mean thing. For a small boy, this was a hard task, but he couldn't return until the nail was all the way in.
After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. In the end, he even apologized for all the bad things he'd said. One day his grandmother made him bring in the board filled with nails and told him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in, but after a huge struggle, he did it. His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology and, of course, I forgive you because I love you, but I want you to know that an apology is like pulling out one of those nails. Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. I know your dad put a hole in you, but please don't put holes in other people; you're better than that."
The truth is that no matter how much we apologize to people, we can't take back what we said. The best thing for us to do is to try not to hurt people in the first place.What did the writer's daughter do when she realized she had hurt another child?
A. She cried and pretended to be hurt.
B. B. She wanted to say sorry to that child.
C. She wanted her mother to tell her a story.
D. She wanted her mother to apologize to that child.Why did Will's mother send him to his grandparents'?
A.Because Will could hurt nobody there. |
B.Because she was afraid that other children would hurt Will. |
C.Because Will's grandparents told her they had a good way with children. |
D.Because she didn't know how to stop Will from hurting others. |
The underlined words "cautious about" in Paragraph 3 mean ___________.
A.careful about | B.excited about |
C.angry at | D.interested in |
What does the writer want to tell us by writing this passage?
A.Parents should never hurt their children. |
B.Children are more likely to listen to their grandparents. |
C.We should not hurt other people in the first place. |
D.Old people are really good at bringing up children. |
How do you address (称呼) people in English when you want to talk to them? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow.
1. When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. Usually, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger, it is necessary to use such a phrase as “Excuse me”.
2. In British English “Sir” and “Madam” are considered to be too formal (正式的) for most situations. They are used mostly to customers (顾客) in shops or restaurants. While in American English “Sir” and “Madam” are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with old people whose names you don’t know.
3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use “Mr.” “Mrs.” “Ms.”, etc before their family names.
4. There are many others forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, “pal” and “mate” can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men.According to the passage, “excuse me” is mainly used to ______
A.address a person you don’t know |
B.apologize to others |
C.catch the attention of a stranger |
D.suggest good manners |
If John Smith is your best friend, according to the passage you should often call him _______
A.John | B.Smith | C.Mr. John | D.Mr. Smith |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.“Sir” and “Madam” are used more often in America than in English |
B.People often use “Mr.” “Mrs.” or “Ms” before the first names of those people who they don’t know very well. |
C.Pal and mate are usually only used among men. |
D.While addressing friends, people just use their first names. |
The passage is most likely taken from an English _________
A.textbook | B.card |
C.storybook | D.grammar book |
Many people feel that their parents were harder on them than on their brother or sister. And many are quick to blame(责备) negative results in adulthood on it. But results from a Temple University study published this month suggest that it is not necessarily true.
Researchers have found that among siblings(兄弟姐妹)in the same family,recalled negative early experiences such as conflicts(冲突) with parents seem to have little influence over psychological(心理的)wellbeing(幸福) in midlife.
“Existing research suggests the importance of early childhood parental treatment on later wellbeing,but respondents in this study who thought they were treated less favorably than their siblings have been found to be just as satisfied in their lives,”said Adam Davey,a psychologist in the College of Health Professions.
Davey's study looked at data collected from 1,369 siblings between the ages of 26—74 from 498 different families to determine the extent(程度)to which different childhood treatment reached into adulthood. Each sibling answered a series of questions about their memories of parental affection(喜爱),conflicts with their parents when they were young and current wellbeing. Davey and his team found that those who remembered having more conflicts with their parents than their siblings still tended to have generally high levels of wellbeing in adulthood. Not surprisingly,they also found that happier memories,such as memories of affection and warmth,can have positive effects.
Older respondents who were married and had children of their own tended to have a more positive recollection of their childhood. Davey says these findings could suggest that life experience acts as a filter(过滤)for remembering childhood memories. He adds that personality also plays a role:those who were more outgoing tended to have a better recollection of their childhood.
“Even people who grow up in the same environment can have different ways of recalling the past. And it's not necessarily what happens in the past,but the way we remember it that makes a difference to our wellbeing,”said Davey.What's the purpose of the passage?
A.To show how to improve wellbeing in midlife. |
B.To teach parents how to give their children a happier childhood. |
C.To blame some parents for being harder on one of their children. |
D.To show the link between negative childhood experiences and wellbeing in adulthood. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor(因素) on how people recollect childhood in Paragraph 5?
A.Having children or not. | B.Being healthy or not. |
C.Life experience. | D.Personality. |
According to Davey,what influences our wellbeing in adulthood?
A.What happened in the past. | B.How we remember the past. |
C.The role we play in society. | D.How much we have. |
I'm a pig,and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters,and my wife,believe it or not,is a dragon!Do I live in a zoo?No,of course not!I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs(十二生肖).Depending on the year of your birth,each person has an animal for a sign. That's why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you,like me,were born in the year of the pig,then you are brave,thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
Now let's take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago,and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don't just use pigs for their meat—almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists' brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax,rubber and plastics.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film Babe starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated(提名)for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer,Rob Shepherd,has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don't just want to eat pigs,it seems!
Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example,if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day,you can say “Pigs_might_fly!” to him. Hungry?Well then,you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you?Well,you can say that they “saved your bacon”.The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ________ tone.
A.sad | B.confused |
C.serious | D.humorous |
According to Paragraph One,his wife was born in the year of the ________.
A.dragon | B.snake | C.rabbit | D.pig |
We may know from the passage that ________.
A.people in England like pigs more than other animals |
B.pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine |
C.pigs are the first animals raised by man |
D.more people don't want to eat pigs now |
Which diagram shows the structure(结构)of the passage?