I spotted (发现;认出) him at the checkout counter, bagging at No.14. His arms shook violently as he placed a carton (纸板箱;纸盒) of eggs into a plastic bag. He wore a yellow plastic name tag on which he had written “Jerry” in kindergarten penmanship (书法). He looked middle-aged but his mental age must have been about 12.
Ever since I smiled at him the first time he bagged my groceries at my local supermarket, Jerry has followed me around like an adoring fan. His lack of boundaries makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know how to avoid being noticed by him. I don’t want to speak to the manager — my complaint could get him fired. So I start avoiding him.
There are other grocery stores, but I choose this one because it employs people with disabilities, from which my brothers have also suffered.
Last Wednesday after I finished choosing what I wanted, I turned around and drove my cart to Checkout No.3, hoping Jerry would not notice me and stay at No.14.
“Paper or plastic, ma’am?” Jerry’s soft voice surprised me from behind. “Paper, please.” I noticed that the checkout stand created plenty of space between Jerry and the clerk. In this situation, he knew where to stand. The clerk said to me: “＄27.30, please.” I handed my own cart, signed my receipt and stepped around the counter, where Jerry was holding my last packet of biscuits. He came towards me, stopping an inch from me. He was too close. I wanted to dash out of the store and leave behind the packet. Instead, I stood with my hand frozen on the cart. His eyes looked lonely — I knew they would follow me after I left the store. I wanted to apologize for my coldness. “I’m …I’m sorry.” A tiny voice inside me said. I tapped my head with my hand as if I had forgotten something. “Forgive me. I’m from New York City. I’m not used to people being so helpful.”
He laughed. I laughed. His eyes brightened. “It’s my job, ma’am. I like it.” he said. When he offered to push my cart, I didn’t care but nodded deeply.
44. The author feels uncomfortable because _______________ .
A. Jerry is like an adoring fan to her
B. Jerry is mentally younger
C. Jerry’s handwriting is terrible
D. Jerry is too close to her without proper distance
45. At the checkout stand, _______________ .
A. Jerry offered to pay my biscuits
B. Jerry was left behind with a packet of biscuits.
C. Jerry knew the social importance of distance.
D. Jerry was not close to me.
46. From the passage we can infer that _______________ .
A. Jerry liked his job
B. the author was afraid of Jerry
C. the author’s brothers were disabled
D. Jerry saw the author as his close friend
47. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. Too Close for Comfortable
B. Don’t Look Down upon the Disabled
C. How to Keep a Good Relation
D. Don’t Smile at Strangers
III．阅读理解
The blue tits(山雀) have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.
Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage(鸟羽) which acts as signal for drawing the female’s attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart(红尾鸲) may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously(先前) checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal(显露) his tail.
If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them.
36. How do the blue tits choose their nest?
A. They choose their nest together.
B. The male chooses their nest.
C. The house-hunter chooses their nest.
D. The female chooses their nest.
37. The writer was lucky to see ________.
A. how the male made his tricks
B. how an interested female played with the male happily
C. what the male displayed and won the female
D. that the male tried his best but failed to attract the female
38. You can spot a pair of redstarts in a Walsh wood ________.
A. at any time B. regularly C. in April D. occasionally
39. The writer is probably ________.
A. a bird expert B. a bird-hunter C. a bird raiser D. a scientist
Never did we have to play "stand up", "sit down", "speak out". I don't ____ one student who didn’t try his best.
|
A．hear from |
B．feel like |
C．think about |
D．know of |
四．任务型阅读：
认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked,“So, how have you been?”And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied. “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school.
The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is based not only on natural biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation(揭示)machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately(不加区分地), to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.
Title: Change in Today’s Children
|
Main comparisons |
Contexts |
|
Different(1)_____ |
Children in the past just did what they were(2)_____to. |
|
Children today(3)____as if they were adults. |
|
|
Different(4)_____ |
Children in the past never experienced(5)___. |
|
Sometimes sadness(6)_____to children nowadays. |
|
|
Different(7)_____to get knowledge |
Children in the past: in a (8)____and guided process. |
|
Children nowadays: by(9)_____TV without control. |
|
A phenomenon worth noting |
|
|
The author’s(10)_____to children’s change |
He prefers communication through print for children, which can control what children are to learn. |
三、阅读理【解析】
It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less justly, that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they are possessive and dominant; that they do not trust their children to deal with crises; that they talk too much about certain problems and that they have no sense of humor, at least in parent-child relationships.
I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how they themselves felt when young.
Young people often irritate their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which they have not yet been accepted. So they create a culture and society of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music or entertainers or vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents, this gives them additional enjoyment. They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are leaders in style and taste.
Sometimes you are resistant and proud because you do not want your parents to approve of what you do. If they did approve, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group. But in that case, you are assuming that you are the underdog: you can’t win but at least you can keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents’ control. But it ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself.
If you plan to control your life, co-operation can be part of that plan. You can charm others, especially parents, into doing things the way you want. You can impress others with your sense of responsibility and initiative, so that they will give you the authority to do what you want to do.
36. The author is primarily addressing _______.
A. parents of teenagers B. newspaper readers.
C. those who give advice to teenagers D. teenagers
37. The first paragraph is mainly about _______.
A. the teenagers’ criticism of their parents.
B. misunderstanding between teenagers and their parents.
C. the dominance of the parents over their children
D. the teenagers’ ability to deal with crises.
38. Teenagers tend to have strange clothes and hairstyles because they ______.
A. want to show their existence by creating a culture of their own.
B. have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste.
C. have no other way to enjoy themselves better.
D. want to irritate their parents.
39. To improve parent-child relationships, teenagers are advised to be _____.
A. obedient B. responsible C. co-operative D. independent.
二．完形填空：
Why did I come today? I wondered. My Christmas 16 contained several people that claimed they wanted nothing but I knew their feelings would be hurt 17 I didn’t buy them anything, so gift buying was 18 but fun.
Hurriedly, I finished shopping and 19 the long checkout lines. In front of me were a boy of about 5 and a younger girl. She carried a beautiful pair of 20 slippers. When we finally 21 the checkout register, the girl 22 placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a 23 .
“That will be $ 6.09,” the cashier said. The boy 24 his pockets. He finally came up with $ 3.12. “I guess we will have to put them back,” he 25 said. “We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow.” With that statement, a soft 26 broke from the little girl. “But Jesus would have loved these shoes,” she cried.
“Well, we’ll go home and work some more. Don’t cry. We’ll surely 27 ,” he said. Quickly I handed $ 3.00 to the cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And, 28 , it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice 29 said, “Thank you, lady.” “What did you 30 when you said Jesus would like the shoes?” I asked. The boy answered, “Our mommy is sick and going to 31 . Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus.” The girl spoke, “My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won’t mommy be 32 walking on those streets in these shoes?”
My eyes 33 as I looked into her tear-streaked face. “Yes,” I answered, “I am 34 she will.” Silently I thanked God for using these children to 35 me of the true spirit of giving.
16. A. plan B. list C. goods D. purchases
17. A. if B. because C. unless D. since
18. A. something B. nothing C. anything D. everything
19. A. waited B. joined C. attended D. gathered
20. A. cotton B. leather C. gold D. silver
21. A. approached B. passed C. checked D. found
22. A. immediately B. hesitantly C. shyly D. carefully
23. A. gift B. treasure C. life D. prize
24. A. opened B. touched C. tore D. searched
25. A. bravely B. uncertainly C. slowly D. doubtfully
26. A. tear B. sob C. smile D. sigh
27. A. leave B. come C. return D. arrive
28. A. above all B. at last C. at least D. after all
29. A. gratefully B. sweetly C. gracefully D. kindly
30. A. request B. expect C. mean D. attempt
31. A. hospital B. tomb C. heaven D. sky
32. A. equal B. comfortable C. convenient D. beautiful
33. A. pained B. flooded C. shut D. froze
34. A. sure B. afraid C. glad D. confident
35. A. inform B. warn C. cure D. remind
