The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon（偶像）and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revealed in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester(学期) we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old.. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics （歌词） and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
1.Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A.serious B.cold C.humorous D.crazy
2.From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A.Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
B.Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married
through college education
C.Rose finished the college degree within a year
D.Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
3.Rose delivered（发表） the speech ______.
A.at the graduation
B.which she prepared carefully
C.ended with “The Song of Rose”
D.to challenge all the other speakers
4.According to her speech, ______.
A.whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B.all people don’t grow up while growing older
C.Rose usually regretted having done something
D.a nineteen-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose friends for their children. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
1.Many teenagers think their _________ know them better than their parents do.
A.friends B.teachers C.brothers and sisters D.classmates
2.When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.
A.go to their friends B.talk with their parents
C.have a discussion with their family
D.talk with their friends on the phone
3.Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A.Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.
B.Parents should like everything their children enjoy.
C.In all families, children can choose everything they like.
D.Parents should try their best to understand their children better.
4.The main idea of this passage is that _________.
A.Teenagers need good friends
B.Friends can give good advice
C.Parents often choose friends for their children
D.Good friends can communicate with each other
阅读下面短文,从各题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中选出最佳选项。
Ella Fant was a middle-aged lady who lived with her only son John in a small house. She loved John very much. In her 1he couldn’t do anything2. Every morning she would give him breakfast 3bed and bring him the papers to read. It isn’t really true that he was too 4to work—in fact he had tried a few5. First of all he was a window-cleaner and in his first week he managed to break at least six windows. Then he 6a bus conductor and on his second day a passenger stole his bag with all the fares （车费）collected. He 7lost his job as a postman 8he sent off all the letters when he should have taken them to people’s houses. It seemed that there was 9suitable work for him. So he 10to join the army. Mrs. Fant was so 11about this that she told the 12to all her neighbours. “My John is going to be a soldier”, she said. “He is going to be the best soldier there 13was, I can tell you!”
Then the great day came 14he was to march past the palace in the parade (接受检阅的队伍). His 15mother traveled to the city early in the morning to be sure of getting a good 16in the crowd.
The parade was full of sound and colour. But when John and his17came in sight, some of the people watching 18laughing at the one who couldn’t keep pace with the others as they marched along.
But Ella Fant, who was filled with19, shouted at the top of her voice: “Look at them! They’re all out of 20except my John! Isn’t he the best?!”
1.A. hope B. eyes C. head D. beliefs
2.A. wrong B. great C. good D. strange
3.A. to B. at C. in D. by
4.A. lazy B. young C. weak D. shy
5.A. ones B. years C. tasks D. jobs
6.A. followed B. met C. became D. found
7.A. thus B. even C. once D. only
8.A. even if B. so that C. because D. though
9.A. some B. such C. less D. no
10.A. began B. promised C. managed D. decided
11.A. excited B. worried C. anxious D. curious
12.A. incident B. change C. news D. matter
13.A. yet B. ever C. never D. just
14.A. where B. since C. when D. till
15.A. proud B. kind C. strict D. lucky
16.A. time B. position C. experience D. impression
17.A. neighbours B. army officer C. mother D. fellow soldiers
18.A. couldn’t help B. kept C. stopped D. shouldn’t burst out
19.A. sadness B. happiness C. surprise D. regret
20.A. sight B. order C. mind D. step
---I feel terrible ,but I’ve just broken your ashtray.
--- , for I had meant to change it.
A. Go head B . No problem
C. it’s nothing to get upset about D. I’ll look into it immediately
The great contributions he made our country is worth remembering.
A. to, well B. of, well C. to, very D. for, very
The theory _____ by Einstein was later to prove true, but at that time few people could accept it .
A. put out B. put together C. put aside D. put forward
