The snow was falling. The schools were over earlier than usual, but much to my surprise my appointment wasn’t canceled. And so I went, feeling especially heroic. Snow or no snow, I’d be on time for my scheduled donation at the local blood center.
When I got there, I discovered four more “hero-types” were already there, with machines quietly collecting their lifesaving gifts. Seeing them made me believe that while I was proud to be there, I wasn’t a hero. And any silly heroic thoughts quickly disappeared as I lay back in my own donor chair and began my donation. I was ready to make a difference in the life of someone I’ d never meet.
My wife Karen is a donor, too. She’s been on the bone marrow (骨髓) list for fifteen years, ever since she signed up to provide bone marrow to a child. That little girl died before Karen’s bone marrow could help her, but Karen was called again recently as it turned out she might be a match for someone else. The caller asked Karen if she’d still be willing to become a bone marrow donor. “Yes,” she said and then immediately began answering questions in preparation for the pages of paperwork to follow. It was a race against time. I wish I could say this race was won, but again it wasn’t.
Last week Karen gave blood and next week I’ll make my usual donation. I’ll clear an afternoon from my schedule and call for an appointment. Whatever blood product they need whole, I’ll gladly give. I don’t know whose life my donation may affect, but it really doesn’t matter. And sadly, while so few among us actually take the time to donate, Karen and I always will.
1.What can be inferred about the author from the first paragraph?
A.He is quite fond of taking risks.
B.He is a man who always keeps his word.
C.The snow almost ruined his appointment.
D.He never thinks donating blood is a heroic deed.
2.What influence did other donors have on the author?
A.They changed his attitude to himself.
B.They helped him find joy in donating.
C.They made him feel it a duty to donate.
D.They strengthened his belief not to be a donor.
3.What does the passage say about Karen and her bone marrow donation?
A.She has been found a match to nobody.
B.She decided to join in it over 20 years ago.
C.She fell in trouble when she came to paperwork.
D.She has already met with two failures in donation.
4.Which of the following shows the author’s opinion?
A.More people should have become donors.
B.The donation itself should have been made easier.
C.Receivers should have been introduced to donors.
D.More blood products should have been developed.
If you’ll be taking vacation time in the coming year and plan on flying, here are some shopping tips for you. Those who fly first class and don’t care what airline tickets cost are excused from this lesson.
When to buy
If you are shopping for domestic (国内的) flights, check prices on Tuesday afternoons. This is an old tip but still useful because most US carriers continue to release sales on Tuesday morning, and competitors quickly drop their fares to match the better deals.
When to fly
Weekdays continue to be generally cheaper times to fly than weekends for most flights. In the US, the cheapest days are typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. A good itinerary (Ðг̱í) for the expensive US spring break travel period is Tuesday to Saturday; it will save you money over weekend-to-weekend travel.
Where to fly
We continue to see good deals to Boston and Denver and more and more nice prices to Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D.C. As for Europe, there have been surprising deals throughout the fall and those will continue into the winter.
Direct vs. connecting flights
Compare the price of direct with connecting flights. Sometimes adding a stop to your route will save you money. An example: an Francisco to Raleigh/Durham: $553 direct, $362 one-stop.
You’d better think twice about the direct flight for San Francisco to Raleigh.
Compare, compare, compare
Stifle the impulse to go to your favorite airline site to purchase tickets without doing any comparison. Example: Let’s say you want to fly from New York to London and figure your favorite US legacy carrier will get you there for the best price. Airline price: $554 round-trip.
However, the comparison site also showed a cheaper flight from the same legacy carrier ($521). See what you’re missing when you fail to compare?
1.When can you possibly find the best price for flights within the US?
A.On Monday morning. B.On Tuesday morning.
C.On Tuesday afternoon. D.On Sunday morning.
2.What does the underlined phrase “stifle the impulse” in the last but one paragraph mean?
A.Feel free to do something. B.Hold off on doing something.
C.Get well prepared for something. D.Make quick decision on something.
3.Who is the text intended for?
A.Those who usually choose first class for their flights.
B.Those who want to find suggestions on where to fly.
C.Those who are traveling during the spring break.
D.Those who are looking for the best airline ticket prices.
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Mike想了解中国的春节，请你给他写封回信介绍这个节日。要点如下：
1)春节的由来及寓意；
2)春节的庆祝活动；
3)邀请他到来中国欢度春节。
注意：1)词数100左右；
2)可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3)开头和结尾已为你写好。
Dear Mike,
In your last letter, you mentioned that you want to know something about the Spring Festival. I am writing to tell you about it.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours ,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（/)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It was raining light when I got up yesterday. After quick breakfast, I took an umbrella with me and went to school in a hurry. It was fifteen minutes after school began. I was running quickly while I saw an old man walking slowly in the rain. I stopped, wondered whether to help him or not, as I might be late for school. Then I made a decision to walk with him home. About ten minutes later, we arrived at his house. He showed his thank to me again and again. I smiled and said it was nothing. I was later when I got to school. Hearing his story, the head teacher, that was giving his lecture, praised me before all the students.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1 个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Over time I have been changed quite a lot. I began as a 1. (calculate) machine in France in 1642. When I was young I could 2. (simple) difficult sums. I developed very slowly and 3. took nearly two hundred years before I was built as an analytical machine by Charles Babbage. After I was programmed by an operator4. used cards with holes, I could "think"5. (logic) and produce an answer quicker than any person. At that time it was considered a technological revolution and the start of my "artificial intelligence". In 1936 my real father, Alan Turing,6. (write) a book about whether I could be made 7. (work) as a "universal machine" to solve any difficult mathematical problem. From then 8., I grew rapidly both in size and in brainpower. By the 1940s I had grown as large as a room, and I wondered if I would grow any larger. However, this reality also worried my designers. As time went by, I was made 9.(small). First as a PC ,and then as a laptop, I 10. (use) in offices and homes since the 1970s.
When my daughter was in grade school, one day she_______home four tiny twigs (枝条). They were trees given to the students by the school to plant._______of them looked very strong but with a hope for the future, I got a spade and planted them in our backyard. Over the years a (an)_______with the lawnmower (割草机) and poor soil brought a (an)_______to three of them. All that was left was a (an)_______evergreen.
It grew bent and very_______. It never got very tall and tilted (倾斜) to one side. In the end it looked more like a fat bush than a tree. I noticed a few years ago too that it was starting to_______. The lower branches were becoming_______. The needles on the branches a little further up had turned brown. Only the top third of the tree was still green. Last summer I did my best to save it by_______it a lot of fertilizer but my efforts ________.
This morning I went out and looked at it again. I was________whether it would be better to just cut it down. It sure would make mowing the lawn easier and I would no longer have to watch it slowly go________. As I walked over to take a closer look at it,________, I noticed something moving within the needles. It was a robin (知更鸟) patiently building a nest in the topmost branches. I________when I looked at it and decided that maybe this old tree had some life and________left in it yet. It may not be healthy or pretty but it was still giving a bird (a)________and oxygen to this world.
This tree________me of something too. All of our lives have purpose. All of our lives have ________ . It doesn’t matter if we are young and strong or old and sickly (病弱的). Until our last________, God has things for us to do, love for us to give, and joy for us to________. Until our last moment here we can help to make this world a better and more beautiful place.
1.A.got B.brought C.rushed D.returned
2.A.None B.All C.Each D.Three
3.A.failure B.incident C.accident D.character
4.A.damage B.death C.end D.hurt
5.A.only B.special C.unique D.single
6.A.slowly B.violently C.quickly D.wildly
7.A.stretch B.grow C.fall D.die
8.A.green B.bare C.lost D.powerful
9.A.delivering B.feeding C.spreading D.laying
10.A.failed B.worked C.replaced D.deserved
11.A.dreaming of B.disappointed at C.deciding on D.sorry about
12.A.mad B.tiring C.regular D.bad
13.A.therefore B.thereafter C.however D.besides
14.A.cried B.smiled C.laughed D.shouted
15.A.usefulness B.energy C.beauty D.strength
16.A.protection B.warm C.stage D.home
17.A.expected B.cured C.changed D.reminded
18.A.meaning B.beauty C.passion D.inspiration
19.A.doubt B.life C.breath D.appearance
20.A.enjoy B.share C.appreciate D.offer
