While I was in my 4th month of pregnancy (妊娠期) with my second child, we were preparing for a trip to Louisiana, where Marshall’s family live, to celebrate Jane’s 2nd birthday. Two days before we were to leave, we got the shocking news that I was going to lose the baby. Not knowing when this would happen, we decided to continue with our trip.
Since Marshall’s family lives on a 600-acre cattle farm, you often find that you have a lot of time to yourself to think when you are there. That is precisely what I did not want to do at this time. I told Marshall that I needed to get a good book to get lost in while I was there. I told him I heard the Harry Potter books were good, so he went out and got the first one for me.
During that trip, I totally got lost in the book, which was of great help during a time when I needed a distraction to forget about the sadness. In the book, I noticed the name “Seamus”. I vaguely remembered it was pronounced “Shamus” and I liked the sound of that. I mentioned it to Marshall and he liked it too. Toward the end of the trip, I had just 5 chapters left and I knew I was about to finish the first book, which I was pretty excited about.
Soon after we put Jane down to bed, I had started labor (分娩), so I was unable to read. The labor lasted 5 and 1/2 hours, but Marshall stayed there with me, sitting beside me and reading aloud the last 5 chapters of Harry Potter. I can never fully explain how much that helped me through the experience. And ever since then, Marshall and I both have been fans of the Harry Potter books. We remember how they helped us get through that time of our lives.
We were sad to have lost the baby, but the name Seamus started our journey toward adoption. And we gave this name to our adopted son. Though our Seamus doesn’t have a drop of Irish blood in him, the name fits him perfectly.
1.Why did the writer want a good book during the trip?
A. Because the trip to Louisiana would take a long time.
B. Because she didn’t want to think of losing her baby.
C. Because she had nothing else to do except reading.
D. Because a good book could help her enjoy her trip.
2.According to the story, we can know that the Harry Potter books _________________.
A. made the family’s trip more exciting
B. include five books all together
C. have someone called Seamus in them
D. can help people deal with their problems
3.The writer named her son Seamus because ___________________.
A. she wanted to keep her trip in memory
B. she loved this name very much
C. her son doesn’t have Irish blood
D. it is a perfect name for a boy
4.Which of the following is TRUE about the couple?
A. They planned their trip after getting the shocking news.
B. They thought the cattle farm was too large to do anything on.
C. They felt excited when they almost finished the trip.
D. They liked reading Harry Porter very much after the trip.
5.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Funny Stories Of My Family B. Seamus And Harry Potter
C. How We Got To Louisiana D. How My Son Got His Name
Have you ever asked yourself why children go to school? You will 1. (probable) say that they go to learn languages，arithmetic，history, science and some other knowledge．That is quite true；but why do they learn these things?
We send our children to school to prepare them for the time 2. they will be big and will have to work for 3. ．Nearly everything they study at school has some practical use in their life．But is that 4. only reason why they go to school?
There is more in education than just 5. (1earn)facts．We go to school to learn how to learn，so that when we have left school we can continue to learn．A man 6. really knows how to learn will always be successful，because when he has to do something new, he will not only be able to do it well himself, he will also be able to teach others 7. to do it in the best way．The 8. (educate)person，on the other hand，is either unable to do something new，or just 9. (do) it badly．The purpose of schools，therefore，is not to teach languages，arithmetic，history science，etc．， 10. to teach pupils the way to 1eam．
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This is one of life’s ______ questions and people have been debating about it for thousands of years. Now scientists believe they have solved this ______. Researchers from Sheffield and Warwick Universities in England discovered the answer ____. They used a super computer to observe the shell-making process while a new shell was ____. Then they found one protein called OC17 that is ______ for forming eggshell. This is only found inside a chicken’s body, which is proof that the ______ came first. The team was ______ looking at how animals and birds make eggshells but suddenly made their surprising ______. The big question now is where chickens came from. The ______ is from dinosaurs.
The research team said eggshells are one of nature’s most ______ creations. Professor John Harding from the team told reporters: “Understanding how chickens make eggshells is fascinating in itself, but it can also be _____ in designing new materials.” Eggshells are very lightweight but incredibly strong. Even the most up-to-date materials _____ by the world’s top engineers cannot produce anything as ______ as an eggshell. Professor Harding added that ______ eggshells could help to cure bone diseases and design materials for the construction industry. “Nature has found wonderful ways that ___ for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology — we can learn a lot from them.” he said.
1.A. strangest B. best C. oldest D. Closest
2.A. puzzle B. fact C. history D. opinion
3.A. on purpose B. by chance C. without hesitation D. at work
4.A. breaking B. changing C. disappearing D. Forming
5.A. necessary B. easy C. kind D. impossible
6.A. egg B. eggshell C. chicken D. dinosaur
7.A. obviously B. originally C. thoughtfully D. surprisingly
8.A. invention B. mistake C. statement D. discovery
9.A. answer B. research C. road D. egg
10.A. common B. ridiculous C. funny D. amazing
11.A. interesting B. helpful C. normal D. correct
12.A. bought B. cut C. designed D. carried
13.A. brilliant B. ordinary C.1ight D. small
14.A. finding B. watching C. studying D. making
15.A. happen B. work C. wait D. Look
－I’m thinking of the test tomorrow. I’m afraid I can’t pass this time.
－ ! I’m sure you’ll make it.
A. Go ahead B. Cheer up C. No problem D. Good luck
The people in the disaster areas are ready to accept _______ help they can get.
A. whichever B. however C. whatever D. whenever
I like the book so much that I'll buy it, _______.
A. no matter how it may cost B. how may it cost
C. how much may it cost D. however much it may cost
