The Doll and the White Rose
I was walking around in a mall, when I saw a cashier(出纳员) hand this little boy some money back．The cashier said, “I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll．”The little boy seemed very disappointeD.
I walked toward him and asked him who he wished to give this doll to．"It's the doll that my sister wanted so much for Christmas．She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her: But Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now．I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there．"His eyes were so saD."My sister has gone to be with GoD.Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister．"
My heart nearly stoppeD.The little boy looked up at me and continued, "I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet．I need her to wait until I come back from the mall．"
I quickly reached for my wallet and said," Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll．"
"OK, I hope I do have enough," he saiD.I put some of my money with his without him seeing and we started to count it．There was enough for the doll and even some spare money．
Surprisingly, the little boy cried, "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that Mommy could give it to my sister．He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much．But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose ! "
Then I remembered two days before a local newspaper reported an accident in which a woman and a little girl were badly injureD.The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state．Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after I met the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the woman had passed away．I couldn't stop myself from going to the funeral．Teary-eyed, I felt that my life had been changed forever．
The boy wanted to buy the doll because ．
| A．he had always been eager for such a doll |
| B．Santa Claus didn't give him any Christmas gift |
| C．he would give it to his mother as a birthday surprise |
| D．he wanted to turn his sister's Christmas wish into reality |
We can learn from the story that ．
| A．the boy's sister died after staying in hospital for two weeks |
| B．the boy's family were all seriously injured in a car accident |
| C．the author gave the boy some extra money without his notice |
| D．the boy's mother always wished to receive a white rose on Christmas |
The story most probably conveys the message that ．
| A．a kind act can bring joy and hope to others |
| B．a gift is a perfect way to express love for others |
| C．losing a family member is a heavy blow to children |
| D．a religious belief can help one solve problems in his life |
How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?
In the southwest African country of Namibia,and the Sahara lands of Mall further north,the desert elephant does just that.
Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant,the desert cousin differs in many ways.Their bodies are smaller,to absorb less heat,and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces.They are taller,to reach higher branches.They have shorter tusks(象牙),and most importantly,longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.
Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and water-holes,and have a larger group of families.They drink only every 3-4 days,and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat,which is only used when badly needed.Desert elephants are careful feeders—they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches,and thus maintain what little food sources are available.Young elephants may even eat the dung(粪便) of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.
During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly.Desert elephants have sand baths,sometimes adding their own urine(尿液) to make them muddy!
As we continue to overheat our weak planet,it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “_______”.
| A．remains in the African countries |
| B．drinks 120 liters of water a day |
| C．manages to live in desert areas |
| D．eats 150 kilograms of food daily |
Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they______.
| A．rarely ruin trees |
| B．drink only every 3-4 days |
| C．search for food in large groups |
| D．protect food sources for their young |
The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with______.
| A．stories and explanation |
| B．facts and descriptions |
| C．examples and conclusion |
| D．evidence and argument |
What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?
| A．Overheating the earth can be stopped. |
| B．Not all animal species are so adaptable. |
| C．The planet will become hotter and hotter. |
| D．Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants. |
Karen,grown up in a very traditional family in the western United States,maintained high moral(道德的) standards throughout her youth.In 1984,at the age of 23,she married Bill.They were blessed with two children,a boy and a girl.
By 1991 their love had deepened,and they were happy.Later that year,Bill developed a white spot on his tongue.He visited a doctor.
One day shortly after that,Bill called Karen to sit beside him.He said with tears in his eyes that he loved her and wanted to live forever with her.The doctor suspected that he had been infected with HIV,the virus that leads to AIDS.
The family was tested,Bill and Karen’s results were positive.Bill had become infected before he met Karen;then he passed the virus on to Karen.The children’s results were negative.Within three years,Bill was dead.“I don’t know how to express what it is like to watch the once handsome man you love and intend to live with forever dying slowly.I cried many nights.He died three months short of ten years of our marriage,”says Karen.Though a doctor told Karen that she would soon follow her husband into death,she is still alive.The infection has progressed to the early stages of AIDS.
Karen is but one of about 30 million people now living with HIV/AIDS,a figure larger than the combined populations of Australia,Ireland and Paraguay.According to one UN report,Africa has 21 million of these victims.By the turn of the century that number could reach 40million and the disease will bring on the greatest disaster in human history.Of the world’s sexually active adults aged 15 to 49,1 in 100 has already been infected with HIV.Of these,only 1 in 10 realizes that he or she is infected.In some parts of Africa,25 percent of the adults are infected.
Since the beginning of the spread of AIDS in 1981,about 11.7 million people have died of it.It is roughly calculated that in 1997 alone,about 2.3 million people died of it.Nevertheless,there are fresh reasons for optimism in the battle against AIDS.During the past few years,there has been a drop in new AIDS cases in wealthy nations.In addition,promising drugs hold out hope of better health and longer life.By telling the story of Karen,the author intends to______.
| A．warn people against high risk behaviors |
| B．stress the importance of medical tests |
| C．express sympathy for AIDS victims |
| D．show the consequences of AIDS |
The underlined part in Paragraph 1 most probably means “_______”.
| A．were lucky in having |
| B．were asked to adopt |
| C．regretted having |
| D．gave birth to |
Bill was suspected of being infected with HIV after______.
| A．he got married to Karen |
| B．the family members were tested |
| C．Karen persuaded him to see the doctor |
| D．he found something wrong with his tongue |
It can be concluded from the passage that______.
| A．promising drugs will soon stop AIDS |
| B．the spread of AIDS could be controlled |
| C．it is hopeless to win the battle against AIDS |
| D．the death rate of AIDS patients has been reduced |
Dogs wag(摇摆) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back,a study has found.
Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs,catching their responses to a range of stimuli(刺激物) with video cameras.To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years.The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Ban University.The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli.They were tested one at a time.
The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners-a positive experience-their tails wagged energetically to the right side.When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right,but with somewhat less enthusiasm.The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag,although with less intensity again.The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog,similar to a German shepherd,changed the direction of tail wagging to the left.Reseachers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back.When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended to wag their tails to the left,suggesting they preferred company.While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video,it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood(心情) of dogs.Computer and video systems,for example,could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.
| 1． |
The video cameras were used to catch the dogs' responses because.
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| 2． |
The underlined word "intensity" in the passage means.
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| 3． |
When there are no stimuli,a dog will.
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| 4． |
The underlined word "they" refers to.
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| 5． |
The purpose of doing the experiment is.
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The best title of the 3rd advertisement would be _______.
| A．Training at Home | B．Learning at Home |
| C．Recording Work | D．Working at Home |
According to the information above,if your child has hearing problems,you can turn to _______.
| A．At-Home Profession Crop |
| B．Globe Insurance Company |
| C．Bradford Publications |
| D．American Inventors Corp |
From the advertisements above,we can learn that _______.
| A．Globe Insurance Company has a history of 51 years |
| B．as a medical transcriptionist,you may earn $25 000 a month |
| C．Bradford Publications offers a treatment to hearing impaired parents |
| D．you can visit www.aic.com when you invent a new model of hearing aid |
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星),and say they could be protecting life from the planet's terrible environment.
Images of the Mars caves from Northern
Arizona University
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.Each as large as a football field,they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
"If there is life on Mars,there is a good chance you'd find it in caves,"said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke,a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia,yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm,suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
"I said:'Wow,that's a cave',"Dr.Clarke said excitedly."People have been looking for these for a long time;now we have found them."
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold,radiation-soaked(充满辐射的),dry surface.
"Tiny drops of water could collect inside,"he said."If there are gases coming out,they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria.A cave is also a protection from radiation;the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation."
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago.The outside of the tubes cooled,forming solid walls,while something hotter inside allowed the remaining lava to flow out,forming caves.
| 1． |
What does the passage mainly talk about?（）
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| 2． |
We can learn from the passage that（）
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| 3． |
According to the passage,Dr.Clarke was so excited because（）
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| 4． |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include（）
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