I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal (谷类食物), eggs or toast. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from other kids' too. But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, then we be gone one hour or less—not one hour and one minute. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you can see how mean she was.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath, while the other kids always wore their clothes for days. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.
Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed, “sick” like our friends did, and miss school. Our marks in school had to be up to par(达到正常水平). Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.
As the years rolled by, we were one by one put to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our mean mother. She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults.
Now I am trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children think I am mean because, you see, I had the meanest mother in the world.
1.What does the sentence “But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings.” mean?
A．The author's mother was only mean to her.
B．The author's mother suffered her.
C．The author's mother was mean to her sister, brothers and her.
D．The author wasn't alone because of suffering.
2.Why was the author's mother mean to her children?
A．Because she wanted her children to be top students in school.
B．Because she wanted her children to bring home colored report cards like her friends did.
C．Because she wanted her children to drop out.
D．Because she wanted her children to do their best at school and be educated and respected citizens.
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Some of the children weren't able to go to college because of their mean mother.
B．Mother didn't let the author tell lies.
C．Mother asked the author to wear clean clothes.
D．The author could not miss school even if she was ill.
4.The passage was written in a way of _______ tone?
A．humorous B．hateful C．ridiculous D．critical
CORVALIJS. Ore.-- Engineers at Oregon Suite University have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial (微生物的)fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater，opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves, but will sell extra electricity.
The new technology ,developed at OSU, can now produce 10 to 50 more times the electricity, per volume, than most oilier approaches using microbial fuel cells,and 100 times more electricity than some.
Researchers say this could eventually change the way that wastewater is treated all over the world, replacing the widely used “activated sludge (泥浆) ” process that has been in use for almost a century. The new approach would produce significant amounts of electricity while effectively cleaning the wastewater,
“If this technology works on a commercial scale the way we believe it will ,the treatment of wastewater could be a huge energy producer, not a huge energy cost.” said Hong Liu ，an associate professor in the OSU Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering. “This could have an impact around the world, save a great deal of money, provide better water treatment and promote energy sustainability.”
The biodegradable (能降解的）characteristics of wastewater, if developed to their full potential, could theoretically provide many times the energy that is now being used to process them, with no additional greenhouse emissions.
OSU researchers reported several years ago on the promise of this technology, but at that time the systems in use produced far less electrical power. With new concepts, the technology can now produce more than two kilowatts per cubic meter of liquid reactor volume.
The new system also works better than an alternative approach to creating electricity from wastewater, based on anacrobic (臭氧的）digestion that produces methane (甲烷）.It treats the wastewater more effectively, and doesn’t have any of the environmental drawbacks of that technology, such as production of possible release of methane, a significant greenhouse gas.
1.Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A．The treatment of wastewater is a huge energy cost.
B．Wastewater is being treated differently over the world.
C．Waste treatment plants have found a new way to power themselves.
D．Microbial fuel cells will produce more electricity from wastewater.
2.What can we learn about the new technology from the passage?
A．It can produce 100 times more electricity than any approach used today.
B．Through it more electricity can be created and water can be cleaned better.
C．It has already changed the way that wastewater is treated all over the world
D．It has opened the door to put microbial fuel cells to productive use.
3.What attitude does Professor Liu hold towards the new technology?
A. Supportive. B. Critical. C Unconcerned. D. Curious.
4.According to the last paragraph, why does the new system work better than the alternative approach?
A．Because it is co-friendly and treats wastewater more effectively.
B．Because it can make full use of anaerobic digestion producing methane.
C．Because it may produce less methane than the alternative approach.
D．Because it can produce 10 times the energy than the alternative approach.
Although man has known asbestos （石棉） for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H.W.Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for the opening of that first mine．
Mr.Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy． He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands.How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all．You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials． However, because it was very expensive to transport them from Italy to the United States, Mr.Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein（岩脉）, in the province of Quebec in Canada．
Ever since 1881 Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen．When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be．When it is separated, a strange thing happens: the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibres．
Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads, but they have found thousands of uses of this fireproof material, of the so-called “cloth of stone”．
1.Which title best expresses the main idea of this passage?
A．Asbestos mined in Canada B．Fireproof matter
C．A “wonder” mineral D．A new roofing material
2.Johns proved his ability as a salesman by_______．
A．going into roofing business B．carrying asbestos from Italy
C．sending a trained scientist D．showing the use of asbestos gloves
3.Which is the most important characteristic of asbestos that the author wants to show us?
A．It is like thread． B．It feels soapy．
C．It burns easily． D．It is unusually heavy．
4.The author’s main purpose in writing this passage was to _______．
A．show the need for more scientists
B．compare asbestos with other minerals
C．increase the sales of asbestos
D．present facts about asbestos
Nuclearpowered aircraft carriers are considered one of the most important marine weapons in the 20th century. So far, only two countries in the world, the USA and France, have ever produced them. But these fearful fighting machines are about to enter Asia.
The US Navy said last month that one of its nine nuclearpowered aircraft carriers will be sent to Japan to replace the diesel(柴油)powered carrier Kitty Hawk in 2008. In an agreement on October 30, the two countries also planned to level up their military (军事的) cooperation and the USA called for Japan to take a larger role in military alliance (同盟) moves.
It will be the first time that a nuclearpowered carrier is based in Japan. Bombed by US forces in World War Ⅱ at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan is the only world country to have been attacked by a nuclear weapon. Therefore, the citizens are highly sensitive to where nuclearpowered weapons are based.
“A radiation leak at Yokosuka would kill 100,000 people as far away as Tokyo, and could cause billions of dollars in damage，” said Masahiko Goto, leader of a protest group in Yokosuka. His group has collected more than 300,000 signatures of people across Japan opposed to the nuclear carrier.
The 44yearold Kitty Hawk, the US Navy's oldest active ship, has been based in Yokosuka since 1998. It had returned to the US to be decommissioned(使退役) in 2008. The new carrier, yet to be unveiled, will travel faster, be capable of supporting longer operations and carry with it the Navy's most modern technology.
Experts pointed that this change is not only to strengthen the USJapan military alliance but also to keep the military power of China and North Korea within limits. However, even Japanese experts don't believe that the two countries are threats to the region.
“There is no need for Japan to have a nuclear carrier as defense，” said Tetsuo Maeda, an international relations professor at Tokyo International University. He said that the change of ship indicates an increased military capability in the region, much more than what is needed.
1.With such a fearful weapon to enter its country, Japanese citizens ________.
A．are aware of its benefits to the country
B．are anxious about its potential danger
C．are curious about the advanced technology
D．are against where the carrier will be based
2.The replacement of the aircraft carrier is intended to________.
A．set up a kind of base in Japan
B．strengthen the USJapan military alliance
C．show Japan's greater military capability
D．get rid of the dated marine weapon
3.From the story, we learn that________.
A．no other countries except the USA and France possess aircraft carriers
B．Japan has long planned to increase its military capability with new weapons
C．Japan will be the first country in Asia to have a nuclear aircraft carrier
D．Japan will be the third country to produce a nuclearpowered aircraft carrier
4.The underlined word “unveiled” in the fifth paragraph probably means________.
A．perfected B．discussed about
C．produced D．brought to view
I still remember --- my hands and my fingers still remember --- what used to lie in store for us on our return to school from the holidays. The trees in the school yard would be in full leaf again and the old leaves would be lying around like a muddy sea of leaves.
“Get that all swept up!” the headmaster would tell us. “I want the whole place cleaned up, at once!” There was enough work there, to last over a week. Especially since the only tools with which we were provided were our hands, our fingers, our nails. “Now see that it’s done properly, and be quick about it,” the headmaster would say to the older pupils, “or you’ll have to answer for it!”
So at an order from the older boys we would all line up like peanuts about to cut and gather in crops. If the work was not going as quickly as the headmaster expected, the big boys, instead of giving us a helping hand, used to find it simpler to beat us with branches pulled from the trees. In order to avoid these blows, we used to bribe(贿赂) the older boys with the juicy cakes we used to bring for our midday meal. And if we happened to have any money on us, the coins changed hands at once. If we did not do this, if we were afraid of going home with an empty stomach or an empty purse, the blows were redoubled. They hit us so violently and with such evil enjoyment that even a deaf and dumb person would have realized that we were being whipped so much not to make us work harder, but rather to beat us into a state of obedience(服从) in which we would be only too glad to give up our food and money.
Occasionally one of us, worn out by such calculated cruelty, would have the courage to complain to the headmaster. He would of course be very angry, but the punishment he gave the older boys was always very small --- nothing compared to what they had done to us. And the fact is that however much we complained, our situation did not improve in the slightest. Perhaps we should have let our parents know what was going on, but somehow we never dreamed of doing so; I don’t know whether it was loyalty or pride that kept us silent, but I can see now that we were foolish to keep quiet about it, for such beating were completely foreign to our nature.
1.The statement “my hands and my fingers still remember” (Para.1) means that___________.
A．the author’s hands were severely injured in the cleaning up
B．the author seldom did such hard work as the cleaning up
C．the author was bullied by the big boys in the cleaning up
D．the author’s hands were his only tool for the cleaning
2.The headmaster asked the older boys to_____________.
A．beat those who worked slowly
B．treat the small boys as peanuts
C．take charge of the process of the cleaning
D．do the cleaning all by themselves
3.According to Para. 3, if the author had any money on him, he most probably_________.
A．gave it to the big boys so as to please them
B．gave it as a bride to the headmaster
C．spent it all on his midday meal
D．spent it buying midday meals for the big boys
4.When receiving complaints, the headmaster would deal with the big boys by means of _________.
A．slight punishment B．strict criticism
C．complete indifference D．good beating
As a music teacher，I have always known that music touches the soul. It can 36 all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way.It can be the 37 for each child to find their light.I would like to 38 a story about it.
For a few years I was 39 with the opportunity to teach disabled students.One of my most 40 students was a five-year-old girl called Vanessa，who had difficulty walking，and could not speak.We 41 sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to 42 on my lap．One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit.It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students 43 twice while singing the repeating phrase，“Oh，yes！” Vanessa liked to 44 her hands together with mine and clap with me.We probably performed that song during every class，Vanessa and I clapping together.But she 45 said or sang a word.
One day，when the song was finished，Vanessa turned around， 46 me in the eyes，clapped her tiny hands twice and said the words“Oh，yes！” I opened my mouth in 47 and for that moment I was the one who could not speak.When my heart 48 started beating again，I looked over at the assistant teacher to find her also 49 .Through music，we had made an awesome connection.
Several years later，I met Vanessa on the street in town.She waved with a big 50 on her face and then clapped her hands twice，imitating the song we had 51 so many times in our music class.The little girl， 52 her connection with music，left an impression on me that will last forever. Every child has the 53 to learn and grow. It is up to us to 54 the way to reach each and every one of our students.We all must find each child's 55 .
1. A．get across B．put away C．take over D．break through
2. A．means B．direction C．process D．effort
3. A．add B．talk C．share D．write
4. A．blessed B．tired C．covered D．filled
5. A．troublesome B．Hardworking C．memorable D．sensitive
6. A．most B．almost C．nearly D．mostly
7. A．stand B．sit C．lie D．jump
8. A．sang B．said C．followed D．clapped
9. A．strike B．put C．give D．shake
10. A．ever B．never C．still D．even
11. A．looked B．saw C．glared D．noticed
12. A．horror B．delight C．astonishment D．embarrassment
13. A．immediately B．fortunately C．slowly D．finally
14. A．happy B．grateful C．speechless D．hopeless
15. A．greeting B．smile C．expression D．sign
16. A．performed B．operated C．trained D．organized
17. A．upon B．through C．from D．beyond
18. A．standard B．ability C．plan D．freedom
19. A．discover B．invent C．test D．make
20. A．strength B．dream C．light D．weakness
