The Colonel（上校） asked Ashenden a good many questions and then suggested that he had particular qualifications for the Secret Service. Ashenden knew several European languages and the fact that he was a writer provided excellent cover: on the pretext（借口） that he was writing a book he could, without attracting attention, visit any neutral country.
It was while they were discussing this point that the Colonel said, "You know you might get material that would be very useful to you in your work. I'll tell you an incident that occurred only recently. Very dramatic. A foreign government minister went down to a Mediterranean resort to recover from a cold and he had some very important documents with him that he kept in a dispatch case（公文箱）. A day or two after he arrived, he picked up a beautiful blonde at some restaurant or other, and he got very friendly with her. He took her back to his hotel, and when he came to himself in the morning, the lady and the dispatch-case had disappeared. They had one or two drinks up in his room and his theory is that when his back was turned the woman slipped a drug in his glass.
"Do you mean to say that happened the other day?" said Ashenden.
"The week before last."
"Impossible," cried Ashenden. "Why! We've been putting that incident on the stage for sixty years, we've written it in a thousand novels. Do you mean to say that life has only just caught up with us?"
"Well, I can guarantee the truth of the story." said the Colonel, "And believe me, the government has been put to no end of trouble by the loss of the documents."
"Well sir, if you can't do better than that in the Secret Service," sighed Ashenden, " I'm afraid that as a source of inspiration to the writer of fiction, it's washout（失败）."How did the Colonel suggest that Ashenden's being a writer would relate to his work as a spy?
| A．It would make traveling abroad more possible. |
| B．It would make it easier for him to meet people. |
| C．It would enable him to avoid arousing suspicion. |
| D．It would enable him to use the languages he knew. |
The reason for the Minister's trip was ________ .
| A．to fetch some documents |
| B．to get over an illness |
| C．to meet a spy |
| D．to deliver some papers |
According to the Colonel the incident happened _______.
| A．a few days before |
| B．a few weeks before |
| C．two weeks before |
| D．sixty years before |
Ashenden cried 'Impossible' after hearing the Colonel's story because he thought ______ .
| A．it was so stupid |
| B．it was too close to fiction |
| C．it was too embarrassing |
| D．it was too recent |
①Researches show what we already suspected: Three out of four babies who died of SIDS(婴儿猝死) involved co-sleeping. We’ll say it again. The safest course is not to sleep with babies.
②We know the argument: Bad parenting, not co-sleeping, is to blame for the dozens of babies’ deaths. Some parents stick to co-sleeping because it helps them bond with their newborns. They say those who give co-sleeping a bad name either had been drinking, used drugs or were too tired to notice that they rolled over on their children.
③But, most of the cases did not involve drugs or alcohol. There’s a “but” here, however. Submitting to a test for drugs or alcohol in these cases is voluntary, so it’s difficult to know with certainty.
④Organizations like the Black Health Coalition and others have explained the safe way to co-sleep. While we understand those arguments, we also know that mistakes can happen and that it only takes one time for something to go terribly wrong. The risk outweighs the benefit.
⑤In all likelihood
, parents will continue to co-sleep, and some will do so without ever having an incident, but babies are too vulnerable(易受伤的) for parents to take such chances. Therefore, the best place for babies to sleep is in their own beds, on their backs, with no pillows, blankets or toys. No parent wants a tragedy to occur. The best way to make sure the tragedy doesn’t happen is to allow babies to sleep alone in their own cribs.According to the author, most of the SIDS cases happened because of ________.
| A．drugs | B．co-sleeping | C．drinking | D．bad parenting |
Some parents think sleeping with their babies can ________.
| A．keep the babies healthy |
| B．give co-sleeping a good name |
| C．prevent themselves from drinking |
| D．develop a good relation with their babies |
The author holds the opinion that ________.
| A．parents can sleep with babies, but cautiously |
| B．co-sleep helps to bring babies closer to parents |
| C．parents can’t take chances to sleep with their babies |
| D．accidents only happen to those careless parents |
Which of the following best describes the structure of the text?
| A．① | B．①② | C．① | D．① |
↙↘ ↓ ↙↓↘ ↙↓↓↘
②③④③④②③④②③④⑤
↘ ↙ ↓↘↓↙
⑤⑤⑤
I have to admit: I don’t flush the toilet every time I go to the bathroom. In fact, I firmly believe “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.”
I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I work at home. Alone (well, except for the cats and dogs). All day. And I drink a lot of water, which makes for many trips to the bathroom.
Another thing I have to admit: I also try to use very little toilet paper. I wash my hands after, though. Every time. (So maybe the water I don’t use flushing makes up for the water used to wash my hands?)
Ironically, my husband, who only uses toilet paper when necessary, always flushes. But he doesn’t seem to mind that I don’t flush every time. Or, at least not enough to file for divorce yet.
Posted by Juliet Farmer
Jun 14, 2010 at 10:21 PM
Comments (2)
When I’m at home alone I do not flush every time I pee(小便). My husband hates that, though, so when he’s home, I flush a little more often. I grew up doing that because I had a family that lived with huge tanks and you have to do it that way because it’s easier on the system, so it doesn’t bother me. I do flush when I’m out in public, at people’s houses that don’t have big tanks and when we have company!
CherBearCM, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:21 PM
Not always. But I have 4 children who are always hanging from the door knob（球形捏手） while I pee anyway. So I’m lucky I have time to wash my hands after. The average toilet uses 8 gallons of water per flush! Much less than what it takes to wash my hands after. (just saying)
luvbnmomnwife, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:32 PMCherBearCM doesn’t flush the toilet every time she pees ______.
| A．because she can’t afford so much water |
| B．because her husband doesn’t like that |
| C．when she is with her friends |
| D．when she is alone |
luvbnmomnwife seems to enjoy ________.
| A．washing hands after using the toilet |
| B．taking care of her four children |
| C．peeing with her kids watching |
| D．flushing the toilet after peeing |
The text is taken from ________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a website |
| C．a magazine | D．a handbook |
Which of the following titles best suits the text?
| A．Stop flushing your toilet! |
| B．Do you flush the toilet every time? |
| C．Don’t forget to flush the toilet after peeing! |
| D．Do you realize the importance of saving water? |
The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it in
to the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand, and it’s just as easy to throw it away. The man bought the book because _____________.
| A．he wanted to read it | B．it was very interesting |
| C．there was a secret in the book | D．he wanted to find the touchstone |
We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is _________.
| A．pure | B．cold | C．magic | D．big |
Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?
| A．Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles. |
| B．Because he didn’t want others to pick them up. |
| C．Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks. |
| D．Because he didn’t like the cold feelings. |
What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
| A．We should offer opportunities in our life. |
| B．We should seek for opportunities in the world. |
| C．We may seize opportunities when we are watchful. |
| D．We may discover opportunities when forming habits. |
Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills（读写能力）. With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence, according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ).
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache.” said Lisa Myton, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April. According to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.．What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A．A special reading program. | B．Advantages of raising dogs. |
| C．Service in a public library. | D．Children’s reading difficulties. |
Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think ________.
| A．dogs are young children’s best friends |
| B．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children |
| C．children can play with dogs while reading |
| D．children and dogs understand each other |
By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea,” the writer means the library ____________.
| A．accepts the idea put forward by ITA | B．uses dogs to attract children |
| C．has opened a children’s department | D．has decided to train some dogs |
A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _________.
| A．a book used in Saturday classes | B．a prize for the children |
| C．a book written by the children | D．a gift from parents |
Princeton University
Location
The University is in Princeton, New Jersey. It is an hour's train ride south of New York City and an hour's train ride north of Philadelphia.
Students
There are 4,600 undergraduates (本科生). There are also 1,900 post-graduate students, but Princeton is unusual among universities in having a student body made up largely of undergraduates.
Faculty
Princeton has about 700 full-time faculty members (教员). There are another 300 or so part -time and visiting faculty. All faculty members at Princeton are expected to teach and research.
Degrees
Princeton offers two undergraduate degrees: the bachelor of arts (A.B.) degree and the bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.) degree.
Academic Year
An academic year runs from September to late May and lasts two terms (fall and spring). A normal course load is four or five courses per term, although many students take extra courses.
Residences
Princeton provides housing for all undergraduate students. Freshmen and second-year students are required to spend their first two years in one of five colleges. Each college has its own dining hall, common rooms and computer centers.
Fees and Expenses (Academic Year 2004-2005)
Tuition (学费): $29,910
Room and board: $ 8,387
Other expenses (books, telephone, etc.): $ 3,083
Total: $ 41,380 How many kinds of faculty members are there in Princeton University?
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Two. | D．One |
In Princeton University, an undergraduate will pay at least ________ for the Academic
Year2004-2005 besides tuition.
| A．$11,470 | B．$ 52,850 | C．$ 41,380 | D．$ 8, 387 |
In what way is Princeton University different from other American universities according tothe text?
| A．All the faculty members at Princeton are expected to teach and research. |
| B．It provides housing for all undergraduate students. |
| C．Its students are mainly undergraduates. |
| D．It has five colleges. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．It's about an hour's train ride from Princeton University to the north of New York City. |
| B．Undergraduates should spend their first two years in one of five colleges. |
| C．An academic year lasts about nine months in Princeton University. |
| D．Princeton offers two undergraduate degrees. |