–You are really crazy about music!
– Sort of. I always find in music _____ peace which is missing in _____ world full of challenges.
A. /; the B. /; a C. a; the D. the; a
She may have lacked a home, but now this teen has top honors.
A 17-year old student who spent much of high school living around homeless shelters and sometimes sleeping in her car-today graduated and spoke on behalf of her class at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County, Ga.，just outside of Atlanta.
Chelsea Fearce, who held a 4.466 GPA and scored 1，900 on her SATs despite having to use her cellphone to study after the shelter lights were turned off at night.
"I know I have been made stronger. I was homeless. My family slept on cushions on the floor and we were lucky if we got more than one full meal a day. Getting a shower, food and clean clothes was an everyday struggle,” Fearce said in a speech she gave at her graduation ceremony. Fearce overcame her day-to-day struggles by focusing on a better day. "I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore, she told WSBTV.
Fearce，one of five children, grew up in a family that sometimes had an apartment to live in, but at other times had to live in homeless shelters or even out of their car, if they had one. "You're worried about your home life and then worried at school. Worry about being a little hungry sometimes and go hungry sometimes. You just have to deal with it, You eat what you can, when you can.”
To our surprise, Fearce overcame the difficulties and even tested high enough to be ad- mitted into college halfway through her high school career. She starts college next year at Spelman College as a junior where she is planning to study biology, pre-"med（医学预科），"Don't give up. Do what you have to do right now so that you can have the future that you want,”Fearce said.
1.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. So Many Homeless Students in America
B. How Does a Homeless Student Live in Society?
C. The Hardship of Fearce and Her Family in America
D. Homeless Teen Graduates as a Speaker of High School Class
2.How did Fearce go on with her study without access to lights?
A. By the car light. B. By her cellphone.
C. By lights out of shelters. D. By moonlight.
3.When Fearce starts college at Spelman College, she will＿__．
A. have graduated earlier from high school than normal
B. be a 17-year-old student from a poor family
C. have a home without sleeping in her car or shelters
D. have raised enough money to go to college
4.From the passage, we can learn that＿__．
A. SAT is easy for the students of high schools
B. Fearce's parents have six children to support
C. Fearce often had to struggle with starvation
D. Fearce gave a speech at a ceremony of Spelman College
5.What can we learn from Fearce's experience?
A. Knowledge can change your fate.
B. Don't give up, and tomorrow will be better.
C. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.
D. He that will not work shall not eat.
Tony and I are good friends. We tried to walk across the United States of America. We're not exactly sure 1. we were doing it. Part of it was to test ourselves; to see if we could face the challenges. When I was 2. teenager I often daydreamed that I was going to walk across the United States 3. I graduated from high school. 4. ，I didn't do that. Before I knew it I was in my thirties, married, 5. (have) a job, yet still had this idea in my mind with each 6. (pass) year. I figured I was too old and my opportunity had passed. Then, a few years ago，I met Tony, 7. was in his thirties and quit his job as a civil engineer in New York City to walk across the United States. He wasn't doing it for a cause 8. as part of an organization. He was doing it 9. （simple) because he loved to walk and discover. The idea was back and I no longer had an excuse. We planned on averaging 20 miles a day and taking some days off to rest, so we expected the walk to. take about 6 months realizing it could take 10. （long). We were in no hurry: The total distance would have been about 3,100 miles.
My nephew's 10-year-old son came for a visit one hot，July weekend. I persuaded him to inside and joined him in a game. After for an hour, I suggested that we relax for a while. I fell into my favorite recliner（躺椅）to let my neck muscles relax. He'd slipped out of the room and I was catching a few enjoyable moments of peace and quiet.
"Look，Alice，”he said as he ran over to the chair where I was sitting"I found a kite. Could we go outside and it?"
Glancing out a nearby window, I noticed it was outside.“I'm sorry, Tripper,.” I said, sad to see his eyes. "The wind is not blowing today. The kite won't fly.”
The 10-year-old replied,“I think it's windy enough. I can get it to fly,”he answered as he ran out to the back door Up and down in the yard he ran, pulling the kite to a small length of string. He ran back and forth，as hard as his ten year-old legs would carry him, looking back at the kite behind. After about ten minutes of unsuccessful determination, he came back in.
I asked, "How did it go?"
"Fine，”he said, not wanting to admit ．“I got it to fly some”
As he walked past me to return the kite to the closet shelf, I heard him say under his breath, "I guess I'll have to wait for the ．”
At that moment I heard another Voice speak to my . "Alice, sometimes you are just like that. You want to do it your way instead of waiting for the Wind.，，
And the voice was right. We usually want to use our own efforts to what we want to do. We wait for the Wind only after we have done all we can and have exhausted（耗尽） our own ．We must learn how to rely on Him in the first place!
1.A. live B. study C. stay D. lie
2.A. playing B. resting C. challenging D. arguing
3.A. casually B. enthusiastically C. stubbornly D. deliberately
4.A. decorate B. drop C. hang D. fly
5.A. hot B. still C. noisy D. fine
6.A. bright B. disappointed C. dull D. satisfied
7.A. clever B. talented C. determined D. fearless
8.A. hurriedly B. curiously C. suddenly D. unwillingly
9.A. adapted B. added C. attached D. devoted
10.A. angrily B. nervously C. doubtfully D. hopefully
11.A. win B. defeat C. mistake D. luck
12.A. wind B. order C. news D. sunshine
13.A. heart B. memory C. dream D. world
14.A. imagine B. decide C. apply D. accomplish
15.A. courage B. patience C. strength D. knowledge
It is one of the most annoying words in the English language and it seems there is no escaping it. The word “huh?” is in worldwide use, a study found.
Researchers discovered that languages spoken in countries from Ghana and Laos to Iceland and Italy all include “huh?”, or something that sounds very like it. They said that while the study may sound silly, the word is an absolutely necessary part of speech. Without it and similar words, it would be impossible to show that we haven’t heard or understood what had been said and this would lead to constant misunderstandings.
But while other words used in the same context, such as “sorry” or “what”, vary widely across languages, “huh?” remains unchanged.
The Dutch researchers carefully studied ten languages from around the world, including Siwu, which is spoken in Ghana, and an Australian Aboriginal language, as well as Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Mandarin Chinese.
They analysed tapes of recorded conversations for words that sounded like “huh?” and were used to request that whatever had just been said be repeated. All contained a version of “huh?”. The word was also found in another 21 languages. While there were subtle differences in each country, all sounded basically the same.
This is surprising because normally unrelated languages will use very different words to describe the same thing. For instance, the Japanese for “dog” is “inu”, while the French is “chien”. It is thought that languages around the world have developed their own version of “huh?” because the sound is quick and simple to form, as well as being easily understood.
The researchers, said that it might seem unimportant to carry out scientific research into a word like “huh?” but in fact this little word is an essential tool in human communication. They also have an answer for those who claim that “huh?” isn’t a word. They say that it qualifies because of the small differences in its pronunciation in different languages. It also can be considered a word because it’s something we learn to say, rather than a grunt or cry that we are born knowing how to make.
1. According to researchers, the word “huh?” is very important in speech because of ________.
A. its stable meaning in language development
B. its important function in communication
C. its simple and easy sound and spelling
D. its popularity in every language
2.What is the natural response if you hear the lady you’re speaking to say “huh?”?
A. You should ask her to repeat what she says before that.
B. You should apologize to her for speaking in a low voice.
C. You should invite her to share her different views politely.
D. You should try to repeat what you’ve just said in a clearer way.
3.The main method used in the research of “huh?” was ________.
A. interviewing language experts in universities
B. talking with people from ten different countries
C. analyzing the recorded conversations in different languages
D. comparing different words with the same meaning in different languages
4.According to researchers, “huh?” should be considered a word rather than a sound because ________.
A. it is listed in most dictionaries
B. it is something humans learn to say
C. there is a clear and consistent spelling of the word
D. there is a big difference in the way it pronounces in different languages
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To inform readers about research on the worldwide used word “huh?”.
B. To argue that “huh?” is the most important word in every language.
C. To entertain readers by relating similar idioms in different languages.
D. To instruct readers of the differences of “huh?” in different languages.
Silk production has a long and colourful history unknown to most people. Scientific discoveries have shown that silk production existed in China from around 2500 B.C., although it could be much older. For hundreds of years, China kept the secret of silk to itself as one for the most closely protected secrets in history. Anyone revealing the secret of silkworms or trying to take silkworm eggs out of ancient China was punished by death.
At one time silk was reserved only for the Chinese emperor. Gradually, others began wearing silk. In addition to being used for clothing, silk came to have industrial uses in ancient China, something that happened in the West only in modern times. Silk was used to make musical instruments, fishing lines, weapons, ropes and even paper. During the Han Dynasty silk became a form of money. Farmers paid taxes in both rice and silk. The prices of goods were calculated in lengths of silk just as they had once been calculated in gold. The importance of silk is even reflected in the Chinese language. For example, of the 5000 most common Chinese characters, around 500 have silk as their “key”.
In spite of their secrecy, the Chinese eventually lost their monopoly on silk production. It reached Korea in around 200 B.C. when immigrants from China arrived there. Silk production came to India in 300 A.D.. It was not until 500 A.D. that silk production came to Europe when travellers smuggled out silkworms in hollow tubes of bamboo. These were used to establish silk industry in Rome (modern-day Italy), although Chinese silk was still considered to be the best.
Silk was brought to Rome from China by means of the Silk Road. There were actually two Silk Roads, one over land and one on the sea. The land route in particular had a huge effect in history. All sorts of trade goods — silver, gold, jade, porcelain — passed along this road. Ideas travelled the Silk Road too. For example the religion of Buddhism was carried to China from India by traders on the Silk Road. The Silk Road created the first international culture, exposing many people to the ideas and treasures of both Western and Chinese cultures.
1. How was China able to keep the secret of silk production?
A. It refused to sell its silk to other countries.
B. Foreigners were not permitted to enter China.
C. The silkworms needed were not able to survive outside China.
D. Chinese passing on the secret to foreigners were seriously punished.
2. Which of the following uses of silk is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. A way of purchasing goods people sold.
B. A material used for making different products.
C. A method of paying money to the government.
D. A valuable gift given to foreigners travelling in China.
3.In what order did silk production spread throughout the world according to the passage?
A. Europe à India à Korea à China. B. China à Korea à India à Europe.
C. China à India à Korea à Europe. D. China à Europe à India à Korea.
4.The underlined phrase “smuggled out” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. quietly traded B. openly removed
C. illegally transported D. violently stole
5.Which of the following is true about the Silk Road?
A. It allowed for economic and cultural exchanges between countries.
B. It made China the most powerful country in the ancient world.
C. It could only be completed by travellers with access to a boat.
D. It was first developed for transferring religious ideas.
