Hallmark arrived in my hometown of Calcutta, India when I was 16. On Valentine’s Day(情人节), I waited in line with many other teenagers just for a chance to get into the store. I remember wishing two things. One of them is that the good-looking boy whom I could see through the store window was picking out a gift for me. Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day passed and I received nothing but a lecture from my father on how Western capitalism(资本主义) was ruining your culture.
The next Valentine’s Day, I still didn’t have a boyfriend, but I did receive a greeting card from a secret admirer. I can’t remember what it exactly said inside the card, but it hardly mattered. I know I’m not the only one who’s had the blues because of being single on Valentine’s Day.
It’s not just on Valentine’s Day that I’m reminded of these feelings. One night, my friend and I were at the subway station in New York City waiting for the local to arrive. The station was mostly full of college students, and later an older couple walked in. Just at that moment, a street musician started playing She’s Only a Woman to Me. The couple began dancing around the station and lost in their own world. On the train, I found myself recalling the time when I was with a date at the subway station, and there he picked me up in his arms like I was a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员).
My view of romance has changed from when I was 16 in Calcutta to now, 23, and living in Manhattan. This year, I won’t focus all my romantic expectations on one particular day. I’ll spend Valentine’s Day with friends in New York City. But I won’t try to hide somewhere or turn off my cellphone. Instead, I’ll help my coupled-up friends pack for their weekend trips to Rome.
1.The underlined word “Hallmark” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to a .
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A．city |
B．street |
C．store |
D．man |
2.We can infer that in the opinion of the writer’s father .
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A．his daughter should have received a gift |
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B．people in India shouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day |
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C．people in India should welcome Western culture |
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D．his daughter should know more about capitalism |
3.According to Paragraph 2, if someone has the blues, he or she is probably .
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A．lucky |
B．angry |
C．excited |
D．sad |
4.What is implied in the passage?
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A．The writer now has a boyfriend. |
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B．The writer now is afraid of Valentine’s Day. |
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C．The writer will go to Rome with her coupled-up friends. |
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D．The writer’s attitude towards Valentine’s Day has changed. |
One cold January evening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, America, I went with my father on an oil burner service call. My father was in his forties at that time and I was about twelve years old. He was always working hard trying to support us seven kids. I enjoyed hanging out with him whenever I could — he taught me so much.
We arrived at the call and after walking over snow and ice, we knocked on the customer’s door. A senior citizen opened the door and let us into her very cold home. She was wearing an old, worn-out brown coat that went down to her knees. On her head, covering her gray hair, was an old and worn hat. The home wasn’t furnished very well and was quite dark, except for a single light bulb over the dining room table. Below the light was an older man counting change from several old coffee cans. He looked up at us as we passed by to get to the kitchen where my dad would fix the oil burner. He didn’t say anything. He just looked up at us. He couldn’t speak English, nor could his wife. She only pointed to the kitchen and smiled at us.
After a short while, my father had the heater up and running, and it began to heat their cold home. The lady asked my dad in poor English how much she owed him for fixing the heater. My dad looked around the house and said that he had to go out to the truck and write the bill.
Once in the truck he marked the bill “no answer at home, no charge”, so they wouldn’t be charged for his work. He looked over at me and said, “He was counting his change to pay me. They need their money more than I do.”
As usual, my father taught me something important that time, which was to be kind to the poor.
1.According to Paragraph 1, we know that the writer’s father .
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A．often taught the writer how to work |
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B．worked several jobs at the same time |
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C．had a very big family to support |
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D．brought up his children alone |
2.The description in Paragraph 2 shows that the old couple .
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A．had no job |
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B．led a very poor life |
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C．didn’t know how to save money |
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D．were not very friendly to strangers |
3.What can we infer from the passage?
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A．The old couple had no children in America. |
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B．The old man didn’t plan to pay money. |
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C．The old woman felt very embarrassed all the time. |
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D．The old couple were not native Americans. |
4.The writer’s father didn’t charge for his work because .
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A．he didn’t need that money |
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B．he felt pity for the old couple |
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C．he was not satisfied with his work |
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D．he wanted to set a good example to others |
When I walked into the house after school, the first thing I noticed was a box with items I recognized from my dad’s office.
“What are you doing at home?” I asked casually.
“Andrew, I was 31 today,” he answered quietly.
I was sure he was joking. “No, you weren’t. Why are you 32 at home?”
Then I noticed his 33 and realized he was telling me the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. 34 our family has been his joy, and I guess I have 35 his work for granted.
My father’s unemployment 36 many changes in our lives. For starters, he was at home all the time, which meant my bed had to be 37 , my room cleaned up, and my 38 done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer 39 jobs. I began to notice how 40 he seemed, and how losing his job affected his self-esteem, though he tried to be 41 . For the first time, I 42 my dad as vulnerable (易受伤的). He asked my brother and me to 43 less. I gave up my pocket money, 44 it wasn’t much. I felt I was doing the right. I also found a part-time job.
After several difficult months of searching, my dad 45 to go in a totally different direction. He 46 that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him 47 it, and I admired how much time and 48 he expended. I 49 knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really affected me.
Although this was one of the 50 experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity (逆境), and will be my foundations for success.
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Yao Ming made it clear that he would never consider retiring from the NBA he could recover his health.
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A．as long as |
B．as far as |
C．as well as |
D．as soon as |
Rising sea levels and drought caused by global warming could an increasing number of natural disasters.
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A．try out |
B．come about |
C．result in |
D．get into |
some views in the old edition of Three Character Classic, some schools in Hubei Province demand to delete those sentences.
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A．Exposed to |
B．Opposed to |
C．Addicted to |
D．Accustomed to |
