Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮) by one of our garden snakes.
'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.
"Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained.
"Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did. Like buying a new suit. "
Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off. I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.
"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained. "lt happens as part of their growth. "
"I see, Dad. " said Sarah. She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.
I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的); or at best, remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.
1.When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful,___________
A．he was shocked and jumped
B．he tried to understand her point of view
C．he thought that telling the truth was a merit
D．he decided to teach her something about the garden
2.How did Sarah feel about the author's explanation?
A．Confused. B．Boreci C．Satisfied. D．Excited.
3.Which of the following would the author agree with?
A．By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves.
B．It is necessary to force others to remove some things.
C．The community and culture force us to change.
D．It is natural to keep some old clothes.
4.From the text, we can conclude that the author___________.
A．does not like nature much
B．takes the chilcl's feelings lightly
C．is both a logical and thoughtful person
D．loves to see his daughter excited about animals
5.Which of the following could be the best title for the article?
A．The things we should cast off B．A shed snakeskin in Sarah's eyes
C．A natural part of our growth D．Renewal for snakes and us
As a senior high school student, my future is always on my mind. To be exact,thoughts of the future have kept me up countless nights and made me worry enough to do poorly on more than one test. Because of this, words of wisdom are a source of comfort.Steve Jobs gave a speech to Stanford's graduating class in 2005 and his words resound repeatedly in my mind whenever I think about my future.
It started when l became a junior, when college came into view. It's the first big step to making your life your own. So when Jobs discussed his life as a student, some fears were eased. He, too, felt the need to attend college to make something of himself. He faced what many are extremely afraid of: uncertainty. His lack of understanding caused him to stop attending college and focus on what he felt was important. His story had a happy ending, of course, since he certainly turned out well.
This doesn't mean that students shouldn't attend college, but rather that they shouldn't worry so much. You'll get where you need to go, even if your path is a bit morewinding(蜿蜒的)than you'd like.
Jobs talked about the hardships in his work. His love of his work helped him carry on and he got where he was meant to be, which restates the point: don't panic.One particular part of his speech stayed with me. Steve Jobs quoted(引用)thc saying"Stay hungry, stay foolisll" and it has become my motto. Staying foolish is realizing thatyou are still a fool, no matter how much you've learned or experienced. There is always more to explore. Staying hungry is wanting to find those things about which you are still uneducated.
Steve Jobs' level of success is possible to achieve, and I aim to prove that. With the will power to go into the world living every day like it's my last and allowing the future to take care of itself, I will do great things. In the last moments of my life, I'll be proud of what I have done and hope to have all the wisdom a person could wish for.
1.The author felt worried when_____.
A．he had to take tests at school
B．he had lots of sleepless nights
C．he thought about his future
D．he searched for words of wisdom
2.It is suggested in Paragraphs l and 2 that_____
A．the author is a college student
B．the author cares much about his future
C．Steve Jobs failed because of his decision
D．Steve Jobs' words had no effect on the author
3.What did the author gain from Jobs' speech?
A．Courage to drop out of school. B．Confidence in defeating Jobs.
C．Interest in computer industry. D．Bravery to face uncertainties.
4.What did NOT Steve Jobs encourage students to do in his speech?
A．Be content with what they know.
B．Have the desire to learn more.
C．Stay calm in the face of hardships
D．Be modest so as to learn more.
5.The passage is mainly about_____.
A．an experience of a speech
B．a memorable meeting with Jobs
C．the most impressive quotation in life
D．the wisdom drawn from a speech
An old man lay in a hospital bed, heavily sedated（给……服镇静剂）to ease the pain from his heart attack.. The nurse arrived and said, "Your 36 is here," repeating the words several times before the 37 conscious man opened his eyes. His son was a 38 who had come back from service to 39 to his beloved father.
The elderly man 40 out to touch his son's hand and held it gently. All through the 41 ,the young soldier sat in the ward（病房）offering words of 42 to his dying dad, who said 43 but kept a weak grip of his child. 44 of the noise of the oxygen tank and the moans（呻吟声）of the other patients, the soldier remained 45 by the old man-s side.
Several times in the course of that long night, the nurse returned and suggested that the soldier leave to 4 6 for a while, But each time he would 4 7 As dawn approached the elderly man 48 His loving son rested the old man's lifeless hand on the bed and left to find the 49 . The young man waited while the nurse carried his father's body away and when she returned, offering words of 50 the soldier interrupted her.
"Who was the man?"-he asked.
51 ,the nurse replied, "He was your father."
“No, he wasn't," the young man said, 6'I've never seen him before in my life.”
"Then 52 didn't you say something'?"
“When I arrived at the ward,I knew right away there had been a(n) 53 ,”the young man explained. "But I also knew that man needed his son, and he wasn't here.I could tell he was too一54 to know who sat beside him but he needed someone there, soI just decided t0 55 him.
1. A．wife B．son C．brother D．cousin
2. A．barely B．simply C．actually D．totally
3. A．director B．manager C．waiter D．soldier
4. A．talk B．listen C．attend D．adjust
5.A.looked B reached C.moved D. picked
6. A．morning B．noon C．afternoon D．night
7. A．sadness B．truth C．excitement D．encoursgement
8. A．something B．anything C．nothing D．everything
9. A．Free B．Unaware C．Afraid D．Tired
10. A．loyally B．seriously C．impatiently D．carelessly
11. A．walk B．chat C．rest D．exercise
12. A．refuse B．agree C．hesitate D．weep
13. A．awoke B．died C．recovered D．screamed
14. A．friend B．relative C．ambulance D．nurse
15. A．love B．anger C．sympathy D．admiration
16. A．Shocked B．Worried C．Frightened D．Annoyed
17.A. how B where C. why D. when
18. A．mistake B．hope C．accident D．event
19. A．anxious B．sick C．disappointed D．careless
20. A．leave B．support C．respect D．accompany
-I didn't go to the art show, because I lost my ticket．
-You______have borrowed mine I didn't go to see it anyway
A．would B．need C．could D．must
Birds'singing is sometimes a warning to other birds________away.
A．staying B．stayed C．stay D．to stay
Interest is as_______to learning as the ability to understand,even more so.
A．vital B．available C．specific D．similar
