One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction (减少) and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy (隐私) for people on the other side.
This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.
There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn’t have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.
As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.
It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren’t a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other’s wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society.
1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to __________.
A. summarize the main idea
B. give detailed information
C. tell readers the author’s opinion
D. introduce the topic
2.What happened after the man being told he needed two more cents?
A. The man went back to his office immediately.
B. The man turned to a lady for help.
C. A woman offered a stamp to the man.
D. The man waited in line patiently.
3.What can we learn about the author?
A. She pays too much attention to privacy.
B. She believes people should participate in the world around them.
C. She confuses real barriers with false ones.
D. She insists all small things always have the greatest meaning.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Artificial Barriers B. Unnecessary Separation
C. An Unforgettable Experience D. The Kindness of People
When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
It goes like this: You can’t take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We’d take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the tram, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn’t like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closet station, where Mom’s friend was waiting to give us a ride home——our first car ride of the day.
The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.
Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just light-rail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.
On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestnut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where’s the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?
I’m writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn’t try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.
1.Which was forbidden by Mom on Transportation Days?
A. Having a car ride.
B. Taking the train twice.
C. Buying more than one toy.
D. Touring the historic district.
2.According to the writer, what was the greatest benefit of her Transportation Days?
A. Building confidence in herself.
B. Reducing her use of private cars.
C. Developing her sense of direction.
D. Giving her knowledge about vehicles.
3.The underlined word “paralyzed” (in Para. 5) is closest in meaning to “_______”.
A. displayed
B. justified
C. ignored
D. ruined
4.Which means of transportation does the writer probably disapprove of?
A. Airplane.
B. Subway.
C. Tram.
D. Car.
You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的). The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got.
1.After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _______.
A. notice small changes
B. expect small changes
C. welcome small changes
D. exaggerate small changes
2.How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
A. Cautiously.
B. Positively.
C. Sceptically.
D. Critically.
3.When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _______.
A. the relaxed policemen
B. the messy arrivals hall
C. the tight security
D. the bank robbers
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A. Life in Britain.
B. Back in Britain.
C. Britain in Future.
D. Britain in Memory.
It was a winter afternoon. Some friends and I were eating at a restaurant and talking. We talked and talked and soon became the topic. Suddenly I hit upon an idea. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go ? Others go in winter, but why couldn’t we? , we could be healthier if we did. ” I told them about this, and they all said it was a good idea . Early the next morning, we four were standing at the bus stop, with bags in our hands, for a bus to take us to the . The sky was clear; the sun was shining. But it was very cold all the same. our heavy overcoats were not enough to keep us warm. We all felt we should go back, but no one wanted to speak out.
We soon reached the sands. There was there, but we were not discouraged. Instead we were that we were the only ones that dared to challenge the weather. we changed our clothes quickly. But things were not going so . The freezing sea wind was blowing. We felt very cold and trembled all over. At we made up our minds to go into the water. We put our feet in first to take them back very quickly. The water was unbelievably cold. Then I suggested we all jump in . We all went back ten steps. I gave the , and we all rushed forward and jumped in. I shall never forget the moment I was in the water. I was up and rushed again to the shore. it was with my friends. We put on our clothes as quickly as possible.
On the way back home, we talked about this unforgettable . The four of us did not school for the following three days. We all suffered a lot a very bad cold. But we thought it was all worth it.
1.A. film B. music C. sports D. play
2.A. swimming B. skating C. skiing D. camping
3.A. Specially B. Besides C. Really D. Clearly
4.A. indeed B. fully C. certainly D. truly
5.A. looking B. searching C. waiting D. asking
6.A. river B. lake C. pool D. sands
7.A. Even B. Yet C. But D. Just
8.A. somebody B. nobody C. everybody D. anybody
9.A. excited B. happy C. proud D. lonely
10.A. So B. But C. Still D. Yet
11.A. wrong B. right C. bad D. smooth
12.A. first B. all C. last D. once
13.A. just B. then C. only D. but
14.A. one by one B. one after another C. separately D. at the same time
15.A. message B. order C. mark D. information
16.A. slowly B. nervously C. late D. immediately
17.A. Nor B. And C. So D. Or
18.A. idea B. experiment C. chance D. experience
19.A. attend B. reach C. enter D. go
20.A. by B. with C. from D. of
The officer insisted that Michael did not follow the correct ________ in applying for a visa.
A. pattern B. procedure C. program D. perspective
It is important to have your eyes examined regularly to check for any sign of eye disease that may not have any ________.
A. symptom B. similarity C. sample D. shadow
