A lady in an old cotton dress and her husband, dressed in an old suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked into the president of Harvard’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such country people had no business at Harvard. She frowned(皱眉). “We want to see the president,” the man said softly. “He’ll be busy all day,” the secretary said coldly. “We’ll wait,” the lady replied.
For hours, the secretary didn’t talk to them, hoping that the couple would finally become tired and go away. They didn’t. And the secretary finally decided to disturb the president. “Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they’ll leave,” she told him. He frowned too. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them.
The president walked toward them unwillingly. The lady told him, “We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard, and was very happy here. But he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to set up a memorial(纪念碑) to him somewhere on campus. ” The president was so surprised that he shouted sharply, “We can’t put up a statue(塑像) for every person who attended Harvard and died. This place would look like a cemetery (墓地).
“Oh, no” the lady explained, “We don’t want to build a statue. We thought we would give a building to Harvard.” The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at their plain clothes, and said with surprise, “A building! Do you have any idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.”
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said quietly. “Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they set up the university with their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
1.What did the old couple go to Harvard for?
A．They wanted to see their son.
B．They had an important meeting
C．They went to Harvard just to start a university
D．They wanted to meet the president of Harvard.
2.Why didn’t the president come out to meet the couple?
A．He was really busy at that time.
B．The secretary didn’t allow the couple to meet the president.
C．He was important and didn’t have time for unimportant people.
D．He had an important friend to meet and had to spend some time together.
3.From the passage, we can know ______.
A．the old couple were in fact rich people
B．the secretary was afraid of the old couple
C．the old couple’s son was killed in Harvard
D．the president of Harvard was kind and patient to anyone
4.The best title of the passage is “______”.
A．A Statue or A Building B．How Stanford University Was Built
C．A Visit to Harvard University D．A Strange Old Couple
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary(薪水).
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 a.m. and usually comes home around 5 p.m. or even 6 p.m. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
1.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?
A．The writer’s studies. B．The writer’s future job
C．Dinner plans D．Wars around the world
2.We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ____________.
A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English
B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor
C．gets along very well with the writer
D．doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea
3.The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____________.
A．agrees B．shouts C．complains D．smiles
4.Which of following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?
A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.
B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future.
C．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.
D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future.
A greeting is a way of saying "Hello" to someone. People in different countries greet each other in different ways. Here are some.
World Greetings
|
Philippine |
The everyday greeting for friends is a handshake for both men and women. Men sometimes pat each other on the back. |
|
Japan |
When people meet for the first time, they usually bow. In business, people also shake hands. In formal situations, people often exchange business cards. When you give a business card, give it with two hands. This is polite. Special note: In Japan, a smile can have different meanings. It usually means that the person is happy, or that the person thinks something is funny. But it can also mean that the person is embarrassed. |
|
New Zealand |
Usually, both men and women shake hands when they meet someone for the first time. Fun fact: If you see two people pressing their noses together, they are probably Maori. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand. This is their traditional greeting. |
|
Brazil |
Men often shake hands when they meet for the first time. When women meet, they kiss each other on the cheek. Women also kiss male friends to say hello. When you shake hands, look at the person in the eyes. This shows interest and friendliness. |
1.In this passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned?
A．Kisses. B．Hugs. C．Bows. D．Handshakes.
2.Of the five pictures above (a, b, c, d and e), which is the same way to greet each other in the four countries?
A．a B．b C．c D．d
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Both men and women shake hands in Brazil when they meet.
B．Japanese won't smile until they feel very happy.
C．The Maori often press their noses together to greet each other.
D．In Philippine, people shake hands only when they meet for the first time.
During my last year of junior high school, our teacher, Mrs Debby, gave us a ____1___. I was a hard-working student and I did well in all subjects. I was ____2_____ that I had nailed this test and breezed through (轻松答完) the questions ___3____ I read the last one: ‘What is the ___4____ name of the woman who cleans the school?’
Of course I thought that ___5_____ have been a joke. I saw the cleaning woman every day. She was short and about 50 years old. She had dark hair. But ___6____ would I know her name? I had never talked with her before. In fact, I’d never ___7____ thought about talking to her. I looked at my paper and started to feel rather ___8____. Finally, I handed in my paper, leaving the last one____9___.
Before the quiz (随堂测验) ended, one student asked if the last question would be ___10___ in our grades. “Of course,” the teacher said, “In your life, you will meet many people. They are all ____11___. They deserve (理应得到) your attention and care, even if all you do is to____12___ and say hello.”
I’ve never___13____ that lesson. Everyone deserves my ___14_____ and I should get to know all of the people ___15____ work and live around me. That is, perhaps, the most important lesson of my life. I also later learned that the cleaning woman’s first name was Hannah.
1. A．match B．quiz C．contest D．game
2. A．worried B．excited C．confident D．nervous
3. A．until B．when C．after D．unless
4. A．last B．family C．full D．first
5. A．might B．must C．could D．would
6. A．what B．when C．how D．where
7. A．just B．nearly C．even D．almost
8. A．glad B．guilty C．surprised D．lucky
9. A．unseen B．unanswered C．unnoticed D．unchosen
10. A．counted B．valued C．amounted D．regarded
11. A．patient B．funny C．important D．necessary
12. A．watch B．smile C．talk D．feel
13. A．dreamed B．understood C．realized D．forgotten
14. A．attention B．love C．forgiveness D．sorrow
15. A．whose B．who C．which D．whom
---Can I get you a cup of coffee? ---_____________.
A．That’s very nice of you B．With pleasure
C．You can, please D．Thank you for the coffee
---It was ___________ who helped us out of danger.
---What brave and helpful children! We should learn from them.
A．they B．them C．their D．theirs
