Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn’t care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.
From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.
One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. “We’re going to have to put you guys in foster(收养) care.” the social worker said. “No! Don’t spilt us up!” the girl cried out. “Can’t you just leave it the way it is?” The social worker shook his head. Amy’s voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: “Why can’t I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway.” The social worker hesitated, and then said, “Maybe. Once you’re 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you’d be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together.” “I’ll do it,” Amy said.
One month later, Amy was named guardian of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn’t make her task any easier in the months ahead. However,Amy’s efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy’s relief at remaining the kids’ guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always
felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful
questions: “Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?” Then one day a visiting social worker
came over. “We’d like to get the boys adopted into homes,” she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, “Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they’re not going anywhere.” To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.
That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. “Cool!” Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family. As the proceedings(程序)ended, Amy thanked everyone. “No,” the judge responded, “Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you’re doing, especially for this many children. I’m very proud of you.”
On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist.
1. Which of the following best describes Amy?
A.Crazy and tough B.Firm and stubborn
C.Enthusiastic and generous D.Abnormal and aggressive.
2.From Paragraph 3, we can learn that __________.
A.The social worker gave in to Amy.
B.The social worker tried to adopt Amy’s brothers.
C.Amy tried to apply for the guardian of the brothers
D.Amy had no idea how to face her family being separated up.
3.By saying “They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family”, the writer means________.
A.they will live in the same area as other families
B.they made a deep impression on the neighborhood
C.Amy is able to take good care of the family
D.Amy and her brothers would be already just like a family
4.The best title for this text would be___________.
A.Standing On Two Feet B.Growing Up Alone
C.A Lifelong Fight D.A Teen Hero
5.What does the underlined word guardian in paragraph 4 mean?
A.保护者 B.监护人 C.收养人 D.引导人
Scientists have proved that sleeping and learning go hand in hand. Even a short nap can boost our memory and sharpen our thinking. But the relationship goes deeper than that.
“The brain is not passive while you sleep,” scientist Anat Arzi said. “It’s quite active. You can do many things while you are asleep.”
Arzi and her coworkers didn’t try to teach the sleeping volunteers any complex information, like new words or facts. Instead, the scientists taught volunteers to make new connections between smells and sounds.
When we smell something good, like a flower, we take deep breaths. When we smell something bad, we take short breaths. Arzi and her co-workers based their experiment on these reactions.
Once the volunteers fell asleep in the lab, the scientists went to work. They gave them a whiff of something pleasant and meanwhile played a particular musical note. They didn’t wake up, but they heard—and sniffed(吸气) deeply. Then the scientists gave the volunteers a whiff of something terrible and played a different musical note. Again, the volunteers heard and smelled—a short snort this
time—but didn’t wake up. The researchers repeated the experiment.
After just four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their paired smells. When the scientists played the musical tone that went with good smells, the sleepers breathed deeply. And when the scientists played the musical tone that went with bad smells, the sleepers breathed briefly—despite there being no bad smell.
The next day, the volunteers woke up with the sound-smell connection. They breathed deeply when hearing one tone and cut their breaths short when hearing the other, which must have been unusual for them. Imagine walking down the street and taking a deep breath upon hearing a particular sound!
1.In the study, the volunteers were taught _______.
A.to become active during sleep
B.to tell the difference between smell
C.to learn new words and scientific facts
D.to make sound-smell connections
2. How did the volunteers react when smelling something nice and hearing musical notes?
A.They took a deep breath. B.They had a wonderful dream.
C.They woke up at once. D.They took a short breath.
3. When the volunteers woke up the next day, they_______.
A.learned how to play to musical tones
B.forgot what happened during their sleep
C.continued with the sound-smell connection
D.changed their reaction when hearing.
4.The passage mainly tell us______
A.special smells and sounds can improve our memory.
B.our brain can actually learn something new during the sleep.
C.the volunteers will always hear similar sounds in the street.
D.our brain can tell the difference between smells during the sleep.
5.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.A short sleep can improve our memory and sharpen our thinking.
B.Arzi and her coworkers didn’t try to teach the sleeping volunteer some simple information.
C.When the volunteer smelt something terrible, they didn’t wake up.
D.After four repetitions, volunteers made a connection between the musical notes and their pared smells.
Michael Jordan told me not to mention this until the season was over and I promised him at that time. Now I think it’s time.
Early last season, I wrote a column about an act of kindness I had seen Jordan do to a disabled child outside the Stadium. After it ran ,I got a call from a man in the western suburbs. He said, “I read what you wrote about Jordan, but I thought I should tell you another thing I saw.” Here it comes, I thought. It always does. Write something nice about a person, and people call you up to say that the person is not so nice.
A few weeks later Jordan and I were talking about something else before a game, and I brought up what the man had said. Was the man right? Has Jordan really been talking to those two boys in that poor and dirty neighborhood?
“Not two boys,” Jordan said, “but four.”
And he named them. He said four names.
And what did they talk about?
“Everything,” Jordan said. “I’ve asked to see their grades so that I can check whether they’re paying attention to their schoolwork. If it turns out one or two of them may need teaching, I make sure they get it.”
It’s just one more part of Michael Jordan’s life, one more thing that no one knows about, one more thing Jordan does right. The NBA season is over now, and those boys have their memories. So do I! When the expert reviewers begin to turn against Jordan, as they surely will, I’ll think about those boys under the streetlight, waiting for the man they know to come, for someone they can depend on.
1.That man called after reading about what Jordan did to a disabled child because he wanted to ____.
A.become famous himself
B.know why Jordan appeared in a poor area
C.let the author know that Jordan was not that nice
D.offer another example to show that Jordan was a nice man
2.What can we learn from this passage?
A.Jordan is not such a great person.
B.Jordan deserves the admiration he had from others.
C.Jordan is always ready to make friends with young people.
D.Jordan is always misunderstood by expert reviewers.
3.What does the underlined word “ran” probably mean?
A.Published. B.Finished. C.Disappeared. D.Drove
4. Which of the following is NOT the reason why the author wrote this passage?
A.He would like to keep the promise he had made.
B.He thought it was time to help the disabled children.
C.He hated to see Jordan become someone else’s target.
D.He was impressed by Jordan’s deeds for the ordinary poor.
5. What’s the purpose of the writer writing the passage?
A.to show us the life of Jordan
B.to tell us everybody will make mistakes including Jordan
C.to criticize Jordan
D.to defend Jordan against attack
完型填空:(每小题1分,满分20分)
It was a cold winter morning. Half asleep at the train station, I stared into the distance, 41 for the train to take me to my 42 in Boston. The world was quiet. The very few people on the street kept to themselves, 43 their steaming cups of coffee.
Reaching into my pocket as the 44 was getting close, my hand searched for the $ 20 bill to pay my fare. The pocket was 45 ! I searched through my bag and then I felt 46 . Unless the money dropped from the sky, I’d be 47 there. “What’s the matter?” A short, elderly man stood before me. “Oh, nothing…. Well, I 48 my money and now I can’t pay for the ticket. I’m going to 49 my match class, and the train is leaving.”
“Here, use this.” The man held a $ 20 bill. I looked up, 5 0 . People just didn’t do that anymore. Everyone worried about their own 51 , rarely stopping to think about others, especially teenage strangers. “Thank you, but no, I can’t.”
“ 52 it – go!” The man pushed me 53 the train. I bought a round – trip ticket, and he refused the change I 54 to give him back. I did not know what to say – a million thoughts raced through my mind, yet I stood 55 .
For the train ride I was wordless. I began to see the world through 56 eyes. That man made a difference with such a simple 57 .
A week later I was at the train station again, with an extra 20$ 58 I saw the man. And there he was. “Excuse me, sir, I believe I owe you this.” I 59 the money into his hand. Failing to refuse, he said, “Just remember to do the same for someone in your shoes someday.” I smiled, content.
The elderly man is my hero. For many, heroes are famous, but my hero is a 60 stranger who taught me a lesson in life. I will never forget his kindness.
1. A.watching B.looking C.reaching D.arranging
2. A.home B.class C.office D.factory
3. A.serving B.carrying C.minding D.making
4. A.chance B.crowd C.driver D.train
5. A.deep B.empty C.messy D.tight
6. A.hopeless B.useless C.relieved D.dissatisfied
7. A.blocked B.drawn C.stuck D.tied
8. A.wasted B.counted C.spent D.lost
9. A.miss B.skip C.fail D.stop
10. A.frightened B.disturbed C.surprised D.concerned
11. A.problems B.complaints C.positions D.challenges
12. A.Bring B.Get C.Catch D.Take
13. A.in B.beyond C.toward D.on
14. A.offered B.managed C.happened D.attempted
15. A.nervously B.silently C.seriously D.uncomfortably
16. A.curious B.changed C.bright D.widened
17. A.task B.act C.example D.performance
18. A.so that B.even if C.now that D.in case
19. A.dropped B.pushed C.pressed D.threw
20. A.giving B.encouraging C.promising D.respecting
—Mary was being badly treated when John happened to pass by and helped her out.
—I think it was not a pure ________but had been well planned.
A.coincidence B.consequence C.incident D.chance
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was so __________that few people could understand it at that time.
A.controversial B.religious C.abstract D.contradictory