As I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field，but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado bank to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father's requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart.
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I' m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.
1.The author and his father became further apart because .
A. they lived very far from each other
B. they seldom went to see each other
C. they only communicated by phone
D. they had different views on things
2.Why did the author came back to Tennessee?
A. Because his father invited him to go fishing.
B. Because he decided to live in a different city.
C. Because his father was ill and needed caring.
D. Because he regretted being rude to his father.
3.For the author, fishing with his old father
A. helps cure his father’s disease
B. makes him realize the importance of relaxation
C. is a good way to get close to nature
D. provides a chance for them to communicate
4.Which of the following can be the title for the text?
A. Fishing Brings Us Together B. Forgiving Is Difficult
C. Memories of Old Days D. My Beloved Father
Sweet peas, cucumbers, grapes ---- what do you think they have in common?
None of these vegetables grow on trees. They all don’t have strong roots, big trunks or long branches, which makes it harder for them to get sunlight. But don’t worry. They have developed their own unique way of growing taller climbing!
Take sweet peas as an example. The plant grows as a straight stem until it finds something to hold onto, either a nearby tree or a stick. That is when the stem makes small coil(卷曲) that helps the plant hold the stick tightly.
How these plants are able to do this has been a mystery to scientists for years. Even Charles Darwin was interested in this question. But it is not until now that a Harvard research team has finally found the answer. The study was published in the Journal Science earlier this month.
The key, as it turns out, is inside a kind of thread-like cell called “g-fiber cell”, which has the ability to shrink or stretch. Each stem of the pea plant is made of several layers of g-fibers. Once the plant finds something to hold onto, cells on side of the stem start to shrink, forcing the whole thing to bend and coil, which is a bit like how our muscles get our bodies to move.
What’s more, a pea’s coil is not exactly like that of a spring. If you look closely, you may find that a spring coils all in the same direction, but a plant’s coil is in two opposite directions, like a telephone line. This means that the stem can stay soft when pulled gently but become strong enough when pulled harder.
“You want the plant to have a little bit of flexibility(柔韧性) so that if the wind blows or an animal disturb it, it doesn’t break,” explained Sharon Gerbode, author of the study. “This structure allows the plant to easily accommodate small movement, but then if something really serious happens it can become strong and protect itself.”
1. According to the article, coiling happens in sweet peas plant to allow the plant to .
A. form a straight stem
B. grow strong roots
C. develop g-fiber cells on the stems
D. climb itself up toward the sunlight
2.According to the article, which one is true about “a sweet pea’s coil”?
A. to be like that of a spring
B. to bend all in the same direction
C. to make the stem hard break
D. to make the stem get soft when pulled hard
3.When the sweet pea plant finds something to hold onto, .
A. g-fiber cells on both sides of stem, forcing the stem to bend and coil
B. g-fiber cells on side of stem shrink, forcing the stem to bend and coil
C. g-fiber cells on the stem start to stretch, forcing the stem to bend and coil
D. there are more g-fiber cells on the stems
4.What’s the purpose of the writer in the passage?
A. To tell us why the sweet peas can climb the tree or stick.
B. To display new research allows scientists to understand more about climbing plants.
C. To show us new scientific research about the role of “g-fiber cell”.
D. To tell us the mysterious natural phenomena of some plants.
The cars were honking (鸣叫) on the road one morning as I was walking to the park. I walked on and soon found the cause — a little taxi that had got stuck in the middle of the road. There was sweat on the driver's face as he tried to start the engine again and again — nothing happened. "No petrol,"
I said to myself and then found myself getting angry. "Why doesn't the fool move his taxi to the side?" I thought, so did all the others who honked and shouted.
He got up tiredly, and the passenger in the taxi got out. He was a young man in a white shirt, who watched the driver try to push it to the side. "Stupid guy!" I said. "Can't he lend a helping hand? "
I watched as the poor driver pushed it to the side. Cars, buses and trucks went past cursing (咒骂 ) the poor man. The young man took another taxi and went off.
The taxi driver began mending his taxi. "Stupid passenger!" I said to him. "He didn't help you!" The taxi driver slowly got up. "Sir!" he asked, "Did you?" I looked at him guiltily, then looked away, and walked away fast, asking myself, "Did I help the poor man push his taxi?"
What had I been doing as the traffic jam took place? How had I helped deal with the problem? Did I help the poor man push his taxi? I’d done my bit, with my mouth. But never had I moved to solve the problem. I was shocked with guilt as I heard him asking, "Sir! Did you?"
1. Why did a traffic jam happen on the road when the author was walking to the park?
A. There was too much traffic in the street.
B. Truck drivers attempted to go ahead of others.
C. A taxi driver couldn't start his engine.
D. A young man wasn't good at driving.
2.The author's attitude toward the passenger is that of __________.
A. anger B. respect C. sympathy D. guilt
3.Why did the author feel guilty?
A. Because he blamed the driver wrongly.
B. Because he didn't help the driver, either.
C. Because he tried to help but failed in the end.
D. Because he didn't persuade the passenger to help.
4. From the incident, the author learnt a lesson that we should _________.
A. criticize those who don't help
B. hurt the self-respect of others no more
C. think more of those who are in need
D. stop talking and start to help
假设你校举办看图征文活动，题目为“How to protect your eyesight”。请你用英语写一篇短文，指出图中所反映的现象，并从阅读时间，光线，眼保健操及睡眠等方面，谈谈保护眼睛的具体做法．
注意：
1．词数100-120字；
2．可适当加入细节，以便行文连贯。
3．参考词汇：近视near-sighted
How to protect our eyesight
单词拼写（共15空格，每空限填一词， 注意用正确的形式，每空1分，共15分）
1.You are only________(稍稍)underweight for your height.
2.The Antarctica is a________(大陆)centered roughly on the South Pole.
3.The company has a long________(传统)of fine design.
4.Opportunities________(存在)in our company for experienced engineers.
5.The________(氛围)over dinner was warm and friendly.
6.There was a shortage of________(氧气)at the top of the mountain.
7.No one is to see the document without the________(许可)of the writer of the report.
8.I have only a________(有限的)understanding of French.
9.The central government has made a series of________(农业的)policies to encourage farmers to work the land.
10.He cheated her, which she would never________(原谅)．
11.She was________(生育)of a healthy boy weighing 3 kilogrammes.
12.I hope my kids will________(表现好)themselves while I am away.
13.It cost me a lot to travel around the world, but it was really________(值得的)，for it broadened my views.
14.The police________(观察)a man in black entering the bank.
15. Genius is 10%________(灵感)and 90% perspiration.
When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.
I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive(敏感) Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.
In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.
However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.
After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.
By Jack
1.Jack brought the couple their food very fast because _______.
A. the manager asked him to do so
B. he respected the elderly
C. the couple wanted him to do so
D. he wanted more pay
2.When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became _______.
A. nervous B. satisfied C. Unhappy D. excited
3.In Jack’s hometown, _______.
A. people dislike being called “old”
B. people are proud of being old
C. many people reach the age of seventy or eighty
D. the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants
4.After this experience, Jack _______.
A. lost his job in the restaurant
B. made friends with the couple
C. no longer respected the elderly
D. changed his way with older people
5.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.
B. Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.
C. The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.
D. From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.
