In 2010，my mother-in-law gave me her rather simple but graceful, antique “secretary desk.” The desk easily fit into the tiny room at the top of the stairs. I felt so secure, and confident when I sat down and began each writing session. Despite the desk’s appeal, its limited storage capacity meant that I often put file folders and books on the small floor space around me. After each writing session, I painstakingly gathered the tools of the trade and placed them on a nearby shelf until the next session.
A few years into my writing journey, we moved into a bigger home and I acquired my own office. My husband, Bill offered on more than one occasion to buy me a new desk for my office, but I ignored his offer.
One day, we stopped at the local office supply store. Bill found what he thought was the perfect desk for me. “ I want to buy this for you, sweetie. My writer needs a bigger desk.” He hugged me.
“Thanks, but I don’t want a bigger desk!” I said.
“Why don’t you want a bigger desk?” he said. “You must be afraid of something.”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” I said. “ Like I said, I really like my little desk. So don’t ask me again”.
He didn’t.
A few weeks later, while working in my new office, I looked around at the folders , books and papers lying all over my office floor but couldn’t find what needed to meet a contest deadline. My heart raced. I looked around my office. The room basically swallowed the tiny desk, making it look slightly out of place. Maybe I did need a bigger desk. Was Bill right? Was I afraid of something?
Unable to write, I pulled C.JoyBell C.’s book of poetry, All Things Dance Like Dragonflies, from the bookshelf. I flipped through its pages, and her words about faith jumped off the page into my heart. She talked about how she had trained herself to love the feeling of not knowing where she was going, and just trusting that as she opened up her wings and flew off in an unknown direction, things would work out.
At that moment, I recognized that a bigger desk symbolized bigger possibilities, stepping out in faith, and leaving my comfort zone.
1.What was the limitation of the “secretary desk”?
A.It was a bit small in size. B.It was too old to be functional
C.It competed with the shelf for room D.It prevented the author focusing on writing.
2.What happened to the author at the local office supply store?
A.She talked her husband into buying a desk. B.She had a quarrel with the salesperson.
C.She managed to overcome her fear. D.She declined her husband’s offer.
3.When did the author want to buy a new desk?
A.After she was stuck in a mess B.When she finished writing a book.
C.When she moved into a bigger house. D.After she missed an important contest.
4.What was the author afraid of before?
A.Unemployment B.Uncertainty
C.Loss of friendship D.Lack of trust
5.What would be the best title of the passage?
A.My writing journey. B.On the wings of change.
C.Why I love writing. D.A quarrel between my husband and I.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Let’s meet some of the great women who have left their mark on the country’s highest court.
Margaret Brent
In the early years of our nation, women were generally prevented from practicing law. However, there were some exceptions. One such exception was Margaret Brent, who settled in Maryland with her sisters in 1638 and became a wealthy landowner. Brent appeared before courts several times to file lawsuits( 诉 讼 ) against people who owed her money.
Lucy Terry Prince
Lucy was well -known for her skills as a public speaker, and in 1796 she became the first black woman in America to argue before a Supreme Court justice. The case arose from a land dispute, and Lucy argued against two leading lawyers. Chief Justice Samuel Chase , who oversaw the case, said that Prince “made a better argument than he had ever heard from a lawyer in Vermont.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, Ginsburg attended Cornell University and Columbia Law School. Between 1972 and 1978, she argued six cases before the Supreme Court concerning laws that kept women out of certain occupations. She won five of them. In the spring of 1993, Justice Byron White retired from the Supreme Court. President Bill Clinton then picked Ginsburg to be his replacement.
Myra Bradwell
In 1872, the Illinois Supreme Court denied Myra Bradwell’s admission to the Illinois Bar despite the fact that she had passed the state bar exam. Bradwell then asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn(撤销) the Illinois court’s decision. Unfortunately for Bradwell, the tables weren’t turned. The Supreme Court claimed that there was nothing unconstitutional about denying a woman the chance to practice as a lawyer.
1.Which of the following describes Margaret Brent?
A.Brave and determined B.Generous and friendly
C.Considerate and optimistic D.Traditional and scholarly
2.What was Samuel Chase’s attitude to Lucy’s argument?
A.Favorable B.Uncaring
C.Doubtful D.Grateful
3.Who served on the Supreme Court?
A.Margaret B.Myra Bradwell
C.Lucy Terry Prince D.Ruth Bader Ginsburg
4.What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in the text?
A.Bradwell failed the state bar exam B.Bradwell’s request was unconstitutional.
C.The Illinois Supreme Court broke the law. D.The Supreme Court ruled against Bradwell.
5.What does the underlined word “denied” mean?
A.Liked. B.Refused
C.Introduced D.Worried
NASA scientists have found evidence of flowing water on Mars. This opens up the possibility of___ and wonders we can’t begin to imagine. The____undoubtedly is an astonishing achievement.
We may be excited by the thought of living things on another ______, but we seem to have lost _______in our own. In the past four decades, the world has____50% of its vertebrate( 脊 椎 )wildlife. But across the latter half of this period, there has been a steep___ in media coverage (报道)of the subject.
Think of what would change if we valued_____ on the earth as much as we value the possibility water on Mars._____ 3% of the water on this planet is fresh and of that, two-thirds is frozen. Yet we lay waste to the ___part. Sixty percent of the water used in farming is____by careless irrigation. Rivers, lakes and aquifers ( 地 下 蓄 水 层 )are sucked dry, while what remains is often so bad that it____the lives of those who drink it. As for salty water, which so______us when apparently detected on Mars, however, on Earth, we express our___ by destroying it. A new report suggests fish numbers have halved since 1970. Coral reefs are under such___ that most could be gone by 2050.
A couple of weeks ago, I launched a column focusing on extreme consumption, and___ suggestions. They have flooded in. Here are just a few of the _____:wigs(假发)for babies, to allow “baby girls with little or no ___at all the opportunity to have a beautifully realistic hair style”; The iPotty, which _____little children to keep playing while toilet training; a smartphone for dogs to take pictures of themselves....
As clever new ways of wasting stuff are continually___ , we become more and more used to the___ consumption of the world’s precious resources. Isn’t it time for us to have second thoughts about our lifestyle?
1.A.peace B.trust C.life D.danger
2.A.appearance B.discovery C.performance D.operation
3.A.planet B.stage C.level D.island
4.A.courage B.hope C.pride D.interest
5.A.spread B.lost C.ignored D.found
6.A.climb B.turn C.increase D.decline
7.A.water B.plants C.animals D.air
8.A.Often B.Only C.Even D.Last
9.A.private B.public C.unclear D.accessible
10.A.checked B.chosen C.wasted D.polluted
11.A.saves B.threatens C.enriches D.changes
12.A.interests B.satisfies C.frightens D.terrifies
13.A.complaint B.doubt C.appreciation D.surprise
14.A.pressure B.control C.guidance D.attention
15.A.made B.considered C.invited D.followed
16.A.benefits B.reasons C.features D.products
17.A.time B.hair C.help D.knowledge
18.A.allows B.promises C.persuades D.advises
19.A.criticized B.reported C.replaced D.created
20.A.expensive B.limited C.pointless D.stable
After the war broke out , the soldiers in that area were the first group________to the front .
A.to send B.to be sent C.being sent D.sending
What he said was so confusing that I could hardly________his true intention.
A.turn out B.leave out C.make out D.pick out
I've tried hard to improve my English.But by no means ________with my progress.
A.the teacher is not satisfied B.is the teacher not satisfied
C.the teacher is satisfied D.is the teacher satisfied
