Dear God,
This is Charles. I’m twelve. I’m typing this letter. Sometimes it’s hard for me to write. It’s a disease called dysgraphia. I also have learning disabilities, but my IQ was tested at 140.
I could never hold a pencil in the right way. My brain doesn’t sense what my hand is doing. I can feel the pencil, but the message doesn’t get through right. I have to hold the pencil tighter so that my brain knows I have it in my hand.
It’s much easier for me to explain things by talking than writing. There are so many things I can picture in my mind, but my hands just can’t draw it the way I see it.
It’s OK. I’m not complaining. I’m really doing fine. You see, you gave me a wonderful mind and a great sense of humor. I’m great at figuring things out, and I love to debate. We have some great discussions in class, and that’s where I really shine.
I want to be a lawyer when I grow up. I know I’d be good at it. You have told me that you made me special. You make me believe that you will see me through, and that you have plans for me to give me a future and hope. My parents want to help me, so they buy me a laptop. My teacher is the best this year! I am allowed to do a lot of my work on the computer.
Life’s hard sometimes, but I accept the challenge. Thanks for loving me. Thanks for everything.
CharlesThe second paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．the details of his disease |
| B．his feelings about the disease |
| C．how to prevent the disease |
| D．how he holds a pencil in the right way |
The boy wanted to be a lawyer because of the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．he loved to debate |
| B．he was good at explaining things |
| C．he had a great sense of humor |
| D．lawyers don’t have to depend on writing |
The boy wrote the letter in order to ______.
| A．complain about his disease |
| B．show his gratefulness |
| C．show others that he was clever |
| D．talk about his life |
Many Americans have been leaving their cars at home and riding to work on bicycles. Andy Clark is the leader of the League of American Bicyclists. His group supports bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.
Clark says this is good news for the environment. He says riding a bicycle to work does not burn fossil fuel or creates dangerous pollutions. Experts say the effects are the most important on short trips. The Department of Transportation says fifty percent of Americans drive eight kilometers or fewer to work. Shorter car trips set out more pollution into the air for each kilometer drive. This is because the car engine will set out the harmful air when it warms up before it can work well.
James, a members of Congress (国会), is a strong supporter of bicycle use. He says cities, counties, state governments and state highway transportation agencies are planning the roadways of the future. They are creating roads and paths for bicycles in cities and between communities.
Last year, Portland, the Pacific Northwest city in the state of Oregon, had the highest percentage of bicycle users in the United States. Portland has been doing progressive city planning for many years to create special paths for bike riders. What happened in America now according to the news?
| A．Many Americans lost jobs now. |
| B．Many Americans prefer short trips. |
| C．There are more and more bicyclists now in America. |
| D．The pollution is getting worse and worse in America. |
Where is Portland?
A. One of the cities in the USA. B. One of the counties in the USA.
C. One of the states in the USA. D. A country in the northwest of the USA.What does the underlined word “harmful” mean in the second paragraph? The closest meaning is “_______”.
| A．polluted | B．dangerous | C．clean | D．foolish |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Many Americans like bike-riding for fun. |
| B．Short car trips can reduce pollution. |
| C．American government suggests people riding bicycles. |
| D．Many Americans ride bicycles to support environment protection. |
I once experienced an unforgettable trip to Gloucester to see some of the world's most beautiful and exciting animals in their own habitat(栖息地), the North Atlantic Ocean.
After a long trip by bus, we got on the ship. After a while, we stopped and everyone on the ship started to shout because we saw a humpback whale(座头鲸). It was wonderful. Sometimes, whales came so close to the ship that you thought you could easily touch them.
While we were watching the whales, a guide was giving us some information about them. She told us that we saw only two kinds of whales -- 50-foot humpback whales (singing whales) and 70-foot fin back whales (the second largest whales on earth). She also said we could easily recognize a whale by its tail because every whale has a different kind of tail just like people have different fingerprints.
They all have names, and on this trip, we saw "Salt" and "Pepper", two whales named by a biologist and a fisherman. They were swimming together all the time.
I took twenty-seven photos, but it was very hard to take them because the whales were quick and stayed on the surface(表面) of the ocean just for a short time. It was really something. It was one of the chances that a person hardly ever experiences in life, but I had that chance.This passage is mainly about ____.
| A．an unforgettable experience in the forest |
| B．an unforgettable trip to see some strange animals in the mountains |
| C．a long trip on the ship |
| D．an unforgettable trip to watch whales |
Everyone on the ship began to shout because ______.
| A．a whale came so close to the ship | B．they saw a singing whale |
| C．they saw a fin back whale | D．they could touch the whale |
When they were watching the whales, ____.
| A．some of them fed the whales |
| B．they found several kinds of whales |
| C．a guide told them something about the whales |
| D．some of them took many photos and touched the whales |
How can we recognize a whale?
| A．By its tail(认识). | B．By its head. |
| C．By its neck. | D．By its eyes. |
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything -- tutors, cards, special learning centers -- in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic(天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and paper were spread(铺开)out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mother looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity(好奇心). She went to his room and asked, "son, what was it? Was it the nuns(修女)?"
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head(摇动), "No."
"Well then," she asked again. "What was it?"
Little Tommy looked at her and said, "Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed(钉) to the plus sign(加号), I knew they weren't joking." Why did Tommy's parents send him to a catholic school?
| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could learn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn't want him to learn math any more. |
Tommy's mother felt surprised that his son _____.
| A．was still the same |
| B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．kissed her hello after school |
| D．worked so hard but said too little |
The phrase "hit the books" means “_____” in Chinese.
| A．用功 | B．捶书 | C．发泄 | D．振作 |
The last sentence in the passage shows that ______.
| A．Tommy felt sorry for the man |
| B．Tommy didn't like the plus sign |
| C．Tommy was afraid of being nailed |
| D．Tommy liked playing jokes on others |
Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond(连结物) of love and commitment（承诺） between two people. But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol. The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years. No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long.
The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring. In Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字） a circle represented eternity. Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his.” The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay （which would have been changed often）, ivory, bone, or leather. Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude（未加工的） and rough. However, the sentiment（情感） remained the same-eternal commitment and love.
The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein（静脉） in the left hand went straight to the heart. This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes （most people are right handed.）It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition. In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger. Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition.
It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring that it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them. However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day.
Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you. There are several different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium. You can have an inscription（刻字） put on the inside of the band（镶边） if you like. Some people are even choosing a tattoo（刺花） band. The styles vary from a simple, yet elegant（优雅的） band to an elaborate（精致的） ring covered with jewels. If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set you will want to be sure the styles are compatible（一致的）. Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity.What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．History of rings | B．Interesting facts about rings |
| C．Different beliefs about rings | D．The meaning of the rings. |
What may the word “eternity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Elegance | B．Marriage | C．Wedding | D．Foreverness |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The meaning of the rings remained unchanged. |
| B．One should be careful of choosing a ring in a shop from different kinds. |
| C．Jewish are so faithful to their beliefs to wear rings on the fourth finger. |
| D．Now most people in the world still follow Roman Catholics traditionally. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Men were looked upon by women for thousands years. |
| B．Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful. |
| C．women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men. |
| D．You can have an inscription put on the inside the band. |
A young man went to a town and worked there. He did not have a wife and a servant did the work in his house.
The young man liked laughing a lot. He nailed the servant’s shoes to the floor on Monday, and then laughed, because he put his feet in them and fell down. The servant was not angry, but smiled.
Then the young man put brushes in his bed on Tuesday. The servant got into bed and hit the brushes with his feet. He was afraid. The young man laughed loudly again. Again the servant was not angry, but smiled.
Then on Wednesday the young man said to his servant, “You’re a nice, kind man. I am not going to be unkind to you again.”
The servant smiled and said, “And I’m not going to put any more mud from the street in your coffee.” He played a joke on the servant because.
| A．he hated him |
| B．he was not satisfied with the food the servant prepared for him |
| C．he wanted to get pleasure |
| D．he liked to show off himself |
When the young man played a joke on him, the servant was not angry but smiled because _____.
| A．he liked the young man’s action | B．making the young man laugh is his job |
| C．he was afraid to be fired | D．he thought he shouldn’t be angry with a child |
What did the servant do in return to the young man?
| A．He stole something from the house. | B．He gave a smile to the young man. |
| C．He had a fight with him. | D．He put mud into the young man’s coffee. |
Why did the young man stop playing jokes on the servant? Because ___.
| A．the servant showed kind and nice behavior to him |
| B．the servant told him the truth |
| C．he wanted to be a good man |
| D．his father told him to do so |