Thomas, the pioneering White House reporter known for putting presidents on the hot seat, died at 92.
To those who regularly watch presidential press conferences, Helen Thomas is a familiar figure. Usually dressed in red and always seated in the front row, she is always the first or second reporter the president calls upon. It is an honour she has earned. Besides, it affords her the perfect opportunity to do what she does best—challenge the president and other public officials to tell the plain truth. She said, “ We reporters’ priority(首要事情) is the people’s right to know---without fear or favor. We are the people’s servants.”
Helen Thomas was born in Kentucky in 1920. All the nine Thomas' children were brought up to value education, and all were expected to make something of themselves through working hard. She decided to become a reporter while in high school. After receiving her bachelor's degree in 1942, Thomas headed for Washington D.C, looking for a newspaper job. Soon, she landed one at Washington Daily News. Her duty included fetching coffee and doughnuts for the paper's reporters and editors. This young woman found the atmosphere exciting, believing she had made the right career choice.
Her big break came when she was sent to Florida to report on the vacation of President John F．Kennedy and his family. Once President Kennedy took office, Thomas changed her focus from the president's family to his policies. She began attending the daily press briefings at the White House as well as presidential press conferences. Thomas has covered every president since Kennedy. Over the years, Thomas found her job “thrilling and inspiring”， but never boring. And she took seriously her duty to “keep an eye on the president” and keep American people informed.
1.What can we learn about Helen Thomas from the passage?
A．Her career took off after covering President Kennedy.
B．Her first job was to deliver doughnuts to a news agency.
C．She was born into a large family in Kentucky in 1942.
D．She decided to be a reporter while in college.
2.Paragraph 3 is written to show Helen Thomas________．
A．is a good decision maker for her career
B．appreciates education and hard work
C．wants to be famous by writing reports
D．has great support from her family
3.What does Helen Thomas think of her work?
A．Unbearable. B．Exciting.
C．Challenging. D．Unforgettable.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A．A reporter for Washington Daily News
B．A reporter challenging President Kennedy
C．A reporter from an ordinary family
D．A reporter sticking to the facts
People aren't walking any more—if they can figure out a way to avoid it.
I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn't in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.
It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune(免疫的), for I was born in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day's walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as a sign of strength and skill. A wellknown British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrhams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly and walking is an ideal form of exercise---the most familiar and natural of all.
It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flowers, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He can’t learn in a car.
The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don't dare to approach Nature any more. To them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat; to them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
I say that the green of forests is the mind's best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting.
1.What is the national sickness?
A. Walking too much.
B. Travelling too much.
C. Driving cars too much.
D. Climbing stairs too much.
2.What was life like when the author was young?
A. People usually went around on foot.
B. People often walked 25 miles a day.
C. People used to walk ten hours every day.
D. People considered a tenhour walk as a hardship.
3. What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph 6?
A. A queue of cars.
B. A ray of traffic light.
C. A flash of lightning.
D. A stream of people.
4.What is the author's intention of writing this passage?
A. To tell people to reflect more on life.
B. To encourage people to return to walking.
C. To advise people to do outdoor activities.
D. To recommend people to give up driving.
Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson admired him, trying to copy him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”
The old man quietly turning from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time.”
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead.
The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”
The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So, you think it is useless? the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”
1.What puzzled the grandson most was ________.
A. why he forgot what he read soon
B. whether it was useful to read books
C. what kind of book he could understand
D. how he could read books like his grandpa
2. Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water?
A. To train him to run faster.
B. To clean the dirty basket in the river.
C. To punish him for not reading carefully.
D. To get him to realize the use of reading books.
3.What lesson can we learn from the story?
A. The old are always wiser than the young.
B. It is foolish to carry water with a basket.
C. Reading books can change a person gradually.
D. You can’t expect to remember whatever you read.
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1. What makes Gifts.com popular?
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D. Its special gift ideas. .
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书面表达
假设你是李华, 你上个星期天去市图书馆看书时发现以下问题, 你写信向馆长Mr. Li 反映:
1. 新书太少;
2. 书架上的书比较混乱;
3. 阅览室的一盏灯坏了;
4. 管理员工作时彼此闲聊.
注意: 1. 词数100左右;
2. 可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯;
3. 信的开头和结尾已经为你写好, 不记入总词数.
Dear Mr. Li,
Last Sunday, I went to do some reading in your library. ___________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
So for the sake of readers I suggest that you change all these as soon as possible.
Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错
文中共有10处错误，每句中最多两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删减或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出改加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词，并按上述方法修改，否则不计分。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
As students, we have classes from early morning till late afternoon. Therefore, take a ten-minute break between class is definitely important, even necessary. Otherwise we may feel both physically or mentally tired. During the ten-minute break we did something to get rid of tiredness. What we need is to have real rest instead of getting even tired. So don’t do anything what will make you too much excited. My ten-minute break is always pleasing. I usually do some simple exercises. Sometime I have a free chat with my classmates or just take a walk during the break. When the new class begins, I feel freshly again.
