Old friends
They finish your sentences, they remember the cat that ran away when you were twelve, and they tell you the truth when you’ve had a bad haircut. But mostly, they are always there for you — whether it’s in person or ________late night phone calls — in good times and________. But as the years pass, it becomes increasingly________to see each other, to make new memories. ________, my high school friends and I promised long ago not to let this happen. We promised to have reunions.
A few months ago, we met up for a two-day________in the American Southwest. We grew up together in Maine and have said for years that we should have a(n) ________event, yet it’s often put off or________due to schedule conflicts(冲突). Not this year.
The weekend ________long talks by the pool, wonderful meals, and a hike that brought the entire group to________ . Not tears of sadness or anger, but an outpouring of emotion over the complete wonderment that we can be this close — twelve years after graduation — with such physical________between us. It’s heartbreaking that we can’t spend our days together in the same neighborhood, walking the same streets, reading the same newspaper at the same coffee shop. But that’s________. Grown-up life.
Most________ is the group’s adaptability to one another. The time we spend ________is non-existent. No need to get reacquainted (重新熟悉), we jump back in the saddle (车座) and it’s as comfortable as ever. Old friends — friends with an ever-present ________of support and sisterhood, friends that know each other innately (天生地) — are hard to come by and yet we remain as ________today as we were, years ago, giggling(咯咯笑) in the back row of Mr. McKechnie’s 9th grade math class.
Life today, ________, is no math class. Our world is full of________ , full of fear. Yet it ________ me — now, more than ever — how important it is that we stay________ . We may have questions about our future, but we have true faith in our past, and though this ________of friends has come to a close, we are already drawing up plans for the next one.
1.A. atB. throughC. inD. above
2.A. badB. convenientC. happyD. lucky
3.A. smoothB. unpopularC. difficultD. easy
4.A. FortunatelyB. ObviouslyC. ImportantlyD. Accidentally
5.A. partyB. meetingC. weekendD. weekday
6.A. unusualB. yearlyC. excitedD. important
7.A. damagedB. destroyedC. cancelledD. changed
8.A. consisted ofB. made upC. aimed atD. resulted in
9.A. happinessB. excitementC. sadnessD. tears
10.A. distanceB. differenceC. contactD. condition
11.A. truthB. theoryC. lifeD. fact
12.A. amazingB. disappointingC. embarrassingD. confusing
13.A. togetherB. awayC. offD. apart
14.A. imaginationB. senseC. ideaD. duty
15.A. closeB. interestedC. relaxedD. regretful
16.A. howeverB. thereforeC. besidesD. somehow
17.A. doubtB. chancesC. confidenceD. hopes
18.A. informsB. remindsC. persuadesD. warns
19.A. in chargeB. in briefC. in personD. in touch
20.A. contactB. conversationC. reunionD. party
阅读短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Life is just like a box. Inside it are happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. Experiences in it teach us new lessons and make us a better person.
Love
Love plays a key role on our life. Without love a person could become cruel and violent. In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care. They tell us what is right or wrong, good or bad. 1. . It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to the feelings of others. Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better.
Happiness and Sorrow
Materialistic happiness is short-lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others gives a certain level of fulfillment. 2. . No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow. Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary and pass away.
Failure and Success
3. . It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way.
Hope and Despair
Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well. Hope makes us dream. Hope builds in patience. 4. , because after every night there is a day. Nothing remains the same. We have only one choice — keep moving on in life and be hopeful.
Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be right or dull. 5. , so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.
A. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour
B. So the only alternative is work hard today
C. But we always tend to take this for granted
D. Success lies in trusting yourself
E. So let’s enjoy every day
F. Failure is the path to success
G. Peace of mind is the main link to happiness
If you are looking to putting a tree in your home for Christmas, there is always one debate that seems to arise in most households: whether you want a real tree or fake tree. Year after year, as we find ourselves cleaning old pine needles (松针) for months on end, we decide that we will never get another real tree. So that begs the question: Which kind of tree is better?
There is certainly a lot to be said for real trees. There is something fun about gathering the family together, going to a Christmas tree farm, and selecting or even cutting down your own tree. Real Christmas trees have that lovely holiday pine needle smell and they look great in your home.
Of course, on the other hand, they also leave a complete mess behind and needles that seem to keep appearing for weeks or even months after the tree comes down. You must also find a way to deal with your real Christmas tree after you’re done, which may mean cutting it into pieces so it will fit in the trash. Many dustmen will refuse to take away a tree that is left beside your regular trash, especially if it is a big tree or an old, yellow one with falling needles, making it hard to pick up. They don’t want a face full of sharp needles any more than you do!
With a fake Christmas tree, there is no mess, but there is also no Christmas smell and no exciting trip to the Christmas tree farm. Of course, these trees look the same in appearance as a real tree when decorated. Many of them come already with lights, so using that old, messy string of lights will be a thing of the past. For some people, a can of pine air freshener is enough to recreate the pleasant smell of a real tree.
As to which tree is the better choice, it is really a matter of personal preference. Both real and fake trees certainly have their benefits, and knowing which is better for you this Christmas really depends on what your family wants.
1.Which of the following shows the benefits of real Christmas trees?
a.providing more fun
b.easy to clean up
c.giving off a natural smell
d.easy to decorate
A. a, c B. a, d C. b, c D. b, d
2.The third paragraph is mainly about ________.
A. why many dustmen refuse to take away a real tree
B. how long a real tree can live
C. how to cut a real tree into pieces
D. what weaknesses a real tree has
3.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 shows that fake Christmas trees _______.
A. look more beautiful B. are more fashionable
C. can be used longer D. are more convenient
4.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?
A. Objective. B. Disapproving.
C. Skeptical. D. Optimistic.
About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled(注册) my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son’s teacher asked me to meet him at his office.
In the teacher’s office, an exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: “Is your son mentally retarded(弱智的)? Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?”
Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? No, no, it can’t be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.
My son could not follow the teacher’s directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was disrupting the class. Didn’t he know my son did not speak English yet?
He was angry: “Why hasn’t your son been taught to speak English? Don’t you speak English at home?”
No, I didn’t speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn’t want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer! What kind of person would not speak English to her son at home and at all times? “Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and send them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?”
Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of “those people.” Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left.
As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual(双语的).
Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others; it teaches people about other cultures and other places — something very basic and obviously lacking in the “educator” I met in New Jersey.
1.The teacher asked the author to his office ______.
A. to discuss Scola’s in-class performance
B. to get Scola enrolled in kindergarten
C. to find a language partner for Scola
D. to work out a study plan for Scola
2.What does the underlined word “disrupting” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Breaking B. Following
C. Attending D. Disturbing
3.The author’s attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as ______.
A. critical B. casual C. positive D. passive
4.This text is likely to be selected from a book of _______.
A. medicine B. education C. geography D. History
Baths and bathing have long been considered of medical importance to man. In Greece there are the ruins of a water system for baths built over 3,000 years ago. The Romans had warm public baths. In some baths, as many 3,000 persons could bathe at the same time.
Treating disease by taking bathing has been popular for centuries. Modern medical bathing first became popular in Europe and by the late 1700’s has also become popular in the United States.
For many years frequent bathing was believed to be bad for one’s health. Ordinary bathing just to keep clean was avoided, and perfume was often used to cover up body smells!
By the 1700’s doctors began to say that soap and water were good for health. They believed that it was good for people to be clean. Slowly, people began to bathe more frequently. During the Victorian Age of the late 19th century, taking a bath on Saturday night became common.
In the United States ordinary bathing was slow to become popular. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Americans were known as “The Great Unwashed!” In one American city, for example, a person was only allowed to take a bath every thirty days! That was a law!
Frequency of bathing today is partly a matter of habit. People know that bathing for cleanliness is important to health. Doctors know that dirty bodies increase the chance of diseases. As a result, in the United States, people generally bathe often. Some people bathe once a day at least. They consider a daily bath essential to good health.
1.In the 18th century doctors believed that being clean was _______.
A. unimportant B. good for health
C. harmful D. popular
2.During the Victorian Age _______.
A. the Americans ever took a bath every thirty days
B. frequent bathing was avoided
C. people used perfume to cover up body smells after bathing
D. the British people generally took a bath once a week.
3.The passage is mainly about _______.
A. bathing in the USA
B. the good points and bad points of bathing
C. the history of bathing
D. the modern medical bathing
It was a Saturday morning, a day I believed would end in victory. For weeks, I had been preparing for the match at the county fairgrounds, sponsored(赞助) by our local riding club. My horse, Tonka, and I could run faster than any kid in the county, and I hoped to bring home a blue ribbon.
My mother usually drove me to the riding events, but on this day, my father planned to drop us off at the fairgrounds with the horse trailer(马车) .
Although we never discussed it, my father’s struggle with alcoholism had become the silent center of our family life. My mother was paralyzed (瘫痪的) with fear and indecision. Her salary as a part-time nurse couldn’t possibly support four children. No one talked about alcoholism in those days, and it was my family secret.
We climbed on the trailer and my father pulled out of our driveway and headed toward the fairgrounds, picking up speed once we hit the main road. It wasn’t until we felt a big bump that I realized the trailer was out of control. The dream of my riding winner disappeared. Tonka lay on the floor, completely still. No words were possible. I knew he was dead.
Suddenly a man appeared. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Yes.”I answered, although I knew that nothing was all right. “Sit here on the grass,” he said. He bent down to look into the trailer. Tonka remained still. He touched Tonka and then turned to face me. “He is going to be OK. He has just been knocked unconscious.” He rubbed Tonka’s cheeks and gently pulled his ears. Tonka rose to his feet.
Our father was talking to a police officer. He was upset and in pain and took little notice of me. I looked back; the man was gone.
I never forgot him. He gave me strength and a sense of hope in a dark and frightening moment.
1.The writer went to the fairgrounds because he wanted to ________.
A. take part in a horse racing
B. buy Mum a blue ribbon
C. join the local riding club
D. train his horse there
2.We can learn from the third paragraph that ________.
A. the family kept silent at home
B. the family lived a secret life
C. Father was addicted to alcohol
D. Mum was physically disabled
3.What does “he” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A. Father B. The stranger
C. The horse D. The winner
4.What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
A. Once formed, bad habits are difficult to break.
B. Unexpected kindness is a light that shines in the darkness.
C. However mean your life is, meet it and live it.
D. Family is a place of encouragement, a safe harbor in the storms.
