It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
“Jack, did you hear me?”
“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.
“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.
“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.
“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.
“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.
Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.
“The box is gone,” he said.
“What box?” Mom asked.
“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.
Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.
“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.
Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,
“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.
Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”
“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.
“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.
1.Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?
A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.
B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.
C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.
D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.
2.Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.
A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing
B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday
C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address
D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together
3.Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?
A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.
B. Because he had no children or relatives.
C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.
D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.
4.Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?
A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.
B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.
C. He had missed his son and his family for days.
D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.
5.Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. The Good Old Times B. What He Valued Most
C. An Old Gold Watch D. The Lost Childhood Days
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Gallery Policies for Visitors to National Gallery of Art, Washington |
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Visitors must present all carried items for inspection upon entry. After inspection, all bags, backpacks, umbrellas, parcels, and other things as determined by security officers must left at the checkrooms, free of charge, close to each entrance. All oversized bags, backpacks and luggage must be left at the checkrooms near the 4th Street entrance of either the East or West Building. These items will have to be x-rayed before being accepted items of value, such as laptop computers, cameras, and fur coats, may not be left in the checkrooms but may be carried into the galleries. We regret that we do not have enough space for visitor items larger than 17×26 inches into the Gallery or its checkrooms. Additional security procedures and checks may be taken according to the decision of the Gallery. |
For the safety of the artworks and other visitors, nothing may be carried on a visitor’s back. Soft front baby carriers are allowed, but children may not be carried on shoulders or in a child carrier worn on the back. Pushchairs are available free of charge near each checkroom. Smoking is prohibited. Food and drink are not permitted outside the food service areas. Unopened bottled water may be carried only in a visitor’s bag. Cell phones may not be used in the galleries. Animals, other than service animals, are not permitted in the Gallery. Skateboarding is prohibited. Picture-taking (including video for personal use is permitted except in special exhibitions and where specifically prohibited. Tripods (三角架) are not allowed. Please do not touch the works of art. |
1.When people come to visit the Gallery, they should ____________.
A. leave all their carried items at the checkrooms
B. have all their carried items x-rayed at the entrance
C. take all their carried items with them without inspection
D. have all their carried items inspected at the entrance
2.What does the Gallery feel sorry for?
A. Visitors have to keep their valuable items in the checkrooms.
B. The size of visitor items allowed into the Gallery is limited.
C. It cannot keep oversized visitor items due to limited space.
D. Visitor items over 17×26 inches must go through additional checks.
3.Parents with small children visiting the Gallery _____________.
A. can carry their children in soft front child carriers
B. can carry their children on their shoulders
C. can carry their children in child carriers worn on the back
D. ought to pay if they want to use pushchairs for their children
4.Visiting photographers should make sure that __________.
A. pictures and videos are allowed for personal use anywhere in the Gallery
B. pictures and videos can be taken in some places for personal use
C. picture-taking and videoing are totally forbidden in the Gallery
D. tripods are allowed except in some special exhibitions
We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day. We can see its light and feel its warmth. The Sun is the major source of evaporation (蒸发) of water from the oceans and lakes. Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food. These green plants then provide food for all organisms (生物) on the Earth.
Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface. It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere. Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere, 30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface. The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet, causes water to evaporate, and provides energy for the water cycle and weather. Only a tiny part, approximately 0.023%, is actually used by green plants to produce food.
Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth. These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving. They are therefore called greenhouse gases.
When sunlight strikes an object, some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected. The amount reflected depends on the surface. For example, you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it. Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun, so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter. Dark-coloured surfaces, such as dark soil or forest, absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.
1.According to the passage, the root cause for weather changes on the Earth is ______.
A. the atmosphere surrounding the Earth
B. water from oceans and lakes
C. energy from the Sun
D. greenhouse gases in the sky
2.Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because most of it _______________.
A. absorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere
B. reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere
C. lost in the upper and lower atmosphere
D. used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes
3.We learn from the passage that _______________.
A. all living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food
B. a forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy
C. only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth
D. greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface
What time is it? Most people are pretty accurate in their answer. And if you don’t know for sure, it’s a very likely that you can find out. There may be a watch on your wrist, there may be a clock on the wall, desk, or computer screen; or maybe you’re riding in a car that has a clock in the dashboard (仪表板).
Even if you don’t have a timepiece of some sort nearby, your body keeps its own beat. Humans have an internal clock that regulates (调节) the beating of our heart, the pace of our breathing, the discharge (排出) of chemicals within our bloodstream, and many other bodily functions.
Time is something from which we can’t escape. Even if we ignore it, it’s still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is, “Who’s in charge?” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.
By taking control of how you spend your time, you’ll increase your chances of becoming a more successful student. Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your studies, the more time you’ll have to spend on your outside interests.
The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable that governs every waking moment of the day. Instead, the aim is to make informed choices as to how we use our time. Rather than letting the day go by, largely without our awareness, what we are going to discuss next can make us better able to control time for our own purposes.
1.The underlined word “ally” in Para. 3 more likely means somebody or something that is _________.
A. your slave and serves you
B. your supporter and helps you
C. under your control and obeys you
D. under your influence and follows you
2.The author intends to tell us that time _____________.
A. could be regulated by a timepiece such as a clock or a watch
B. could be managed by the internal clock of human bodies
C. should be well managed for our own interest
D. should be saved for outside interests
3.In the next part, the author would most probably discuss with you ________.
A. how to keep up with the times B. how to make up for lost time
C. how to have a good time D. how to make good use of time
Evelyn Glennie was the first lady of solo percussion in Scotland. In an interview, she recalled how she became a percussion soloist (打击乐器独奏演员) in spite of her disability.
“Early on I decided not to allow the 1of others to stop me from becoming a musician. I grew up on a farm in northeast Scotland and began 2piano lessons when I was eight. The older I got, the more my passion (酷爱) for music grew. But I also began to gradually lose my 3. Doctors concluded that the nerve damage was the 4and by age twelve, I was completely deaf. But my love for music never 5me.
“My 6was to become a percussion soloist, even though there were none at that time. To perform, I 7to hear music differently from others. I play in my stocking feet and can 8the pitch of a note (音调高低) by the vibrations (振动). I feel through my body and through my 9. My entire sound world exists by making use of almost every 10that I have.
“I was 11to be assessed as a musician, not as a deaf musician, and I applied to the famous Royal Academy of Music in London. No other deaf student had 12this before and some teachers 13my admission. Based on my performance, I was 14admitted and went to 15with the academy’s highest honours.
“After that, I established myself as the first full-time solo percussionist. I 16and arranged a lot of musical compositions since 17had been written specially for solo percussionists.
“I have been a soloist for over ten years. 18the doctor thought a was totally deaf, it didn’t 19that my passion couldn’t be realized. I would encourage people not to allow themselves to be 20by others. Follow your passion; follow your heart, they will lead you to to the place you want to go.”
1.A. conditions B. opinions C. actions D. recommendations
2.A. enjoying B. choosing C. taking D. giving
3.A. sight B. hearing C. touch D. taste
4.A. evidence B. result C. excuse D. cause
5.A. left B. excited C. accompanied D. disappointed
6.A. purpose B. decision C. promise D. goal
7.A. turned B. learned C. used D. ought
8.A. tell B. see C. hear D. smell
9.A. carefulness B. movement C. imagination D. experience
10.A. sense B. effort C. feeling D. idea
11.A. dissatisfied B. astonished C. determined D. discouraged
12.A. done B. accepted C. advised D. admitted
13.A. supported B. followed C. required D. opposed
14.A. usually B. finally C. possibly D. hopefully
15.A. study B. research C. graduate D. progress
16.A. wrote B. translated C. copied D. read
17.A. enough B. some C. many D. few
18.A. However B. Although C. When D. Since
19.A. mean B. seem C. conclude D. say
20.55. A. directed B. guided C. taught D. limited
--- I’m sorry. I ___________ at you the other day.
--- Forget it. I was a bit out of control myself.
A. shouldn’t shout B. shouldn’t have shouted
C. mustn’t shout D. mustn’t have shouted
