My father had always been an alert observer of human character. Within seconds of meeting someone, he could sum up their strengths and weaknesses. It was always a challenge to see if any of my boyfriends could pass Dad’s test. None did. Dad was always right—they didn’t pass my test either. After Dad died, I wondered how I’d figure it out on my own.
That’s when Jack arrived on the scene. He was different from any other guy I’d dated. He could sit for hours on the piano bench with my mother, discussing some composers. My brother Rick loudly announced that Jack wasn’t a turkey like the other guys I’d brought home. Jack passed my family’s test. But what about Dad’s?
Then came my mother’s birthday. The day he was supposed to drive, I got a call. “Don’t worry,” he said, “but I’ve been in an accident. I’m fine, but I need you to pick me up.”
When I got there, we rushed to a flower shop for something for Mom. “How about gardenias（栀子花）?” Jack said, pointing at a beautiful white corsage (胸花). The florist put the corsage in a box.
The entire ride, Jack was unusually quiet. “Are you all right?” I asked. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” he said. “I might be moving.” Moving? Then he added, “Moving in with you.” I nearly put the car on the sidewalk. “What?” I asked. “I think we should get married,” he said. He told me he’d planned his proposal in a fancy restaurant, but after the accident, he decided to do it right away. “Yes,” I whispered. We both sat dumbfounded, tears running down our cheeks. I’d never known such a tender moment. If only Dad were here to give his final approval.
“Oh, let’s just go inside.” Jack laughed. My mother opened the door. “Happy Birthday!” we shouted. Jack handed the box to her. She opened it up. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears. “Mom, what’s wrong?” I asked. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes. “This is only the second gardenia corsage I’ve ever received. I was given one years ago, long before you kids were born.” “From who?” I asked. “Your father,” Mom said. “He gave me one right before we were engaged.” My eyes locked on Jack’s as I blinked away(眨掉) tears. Dad’s test? I knew Jack had passed.
1.According to the text, we know the writer’s father was __________.
A. interested in observing things around
B. good at judging one’s character
C. strict with her boyfriend
D. fond of challenges
2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
A. Jack got the family’s approval except Dad’s.
B. Jack was different from any other boy.
C. Jack was getting on well with Mother.
D. Jack knew a lot about piano.
3.The underlined word “proposal” in Paragraph 5 means __________.
A. piece of advice B. wedding ceremony
C. celebration of birthday D. offer of marriage
4.On hearing “moving in with you”, the writer felt .
A. pleased B. worried
C. surprised D. disappointed
5.Why did the writer’s mother cry?
A. The gift was the same as the one her husband gave her.
B. She had never received such a beautiful gift.
C. Her daughter found her life partner at last.
D. The gardenia corsage was too expensive.
Have you ever made contact with the creative spirit, that certain something hard to describe, but full of good—and sometimes great—ideas? It is more than an occasional great thought. When we feel the moving of the creative spirit, it brings to life a style of being: a lifetime filled with the desire to invent, to explore new ways of doing things, and to turn dreams into reality.
That flash of inspiration is the final moment of a process marked by unique stages—the basic steps in creative problem-solving. The first stage is preparation, when you look for any information that might be important. It's when you let your imagination run free.
But one barrier(障碍) is the inside voice of judgment that locks up our creative spirit within the limits of what we think acceptable. It's the voice that whispers to you, "They'll think I'm foolish," or "That will never work." But we can learn to recognize this voice of judgment and have the courage to discount its unhelpful advice.
Once you have thought about all the relevant(相关的) pieces and pushed your mind to the limits, you can let the problem remain and take in all you have gathered. It's a stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness. As the saying goes, "You sleep on it."
We are more open to creative thoughts from the unknowing mind when we are not really thinking of anything. That is why daydreams are so useful in the search for creativity. Anytime you can just daydream and relax is useful in the creative process: a shower, long drives, a quiet walk, etc.
With luck, daydreaming will lead to a light turning on above your head, when all of a sudden the answer will come to you as if from nowhere. This is the popular stage—the one that usually gets all the glory and attention, the moment that people sweat and long for, the feeling "This is it!" But the thought alone is still not a creative act. The final stage is translation, when you take your creative thought and transform it into action; it becomes useful to you and others.
1.In Paragraph 1, “the moving of the creative spirit” probably means ________.
A. preparation B. exploration
C. problem-solving D. inspiration
2.According to the article, what keeps us from creativity?
A. Having less information to form a good idea.
B. Relying on others during the creative process.
C. Caring about other people’s opinions about us.
D. Thinking about too many ideas at the same time.
3.What can we learn from the fifth paragraph?
A. The unknowing mind is very difficult for us to understand.
B. Creativity arrives when we aren’t focused on anything.
C. Daydreaming is useless and has nothing to do with creativity.
D. Showers, long drives and quiet walk are good for our bodies.
4.When does creativity become useful to us and others?
A. When thought is turned into action.
B. When people understand our ideas.
C. When the popular stage is reached.
D. When we think “This is it!”.
5.Which of the following would the author probably support?
A. The creative spirit means an occasional great thought.
B. Others’ voice of judgment allows us to ignore barriers.
C. Creative problem-solving calls for barrier-free imagination.
D. Daydreaming is sure to bring a sudden answer to a problem.
Although he will always be remembered for starring “Superman,” the greatest role of actor Christopher Reeve’s life was as a champion of sufferers of spinal cord （脊椎） injuries and an supporter of stem cell （干细胞） research.
Unlike the man of steel, he wasn’t faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than an engine and he couldn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. But the courage and determination Reeve showeed in trying to overcome his paralysis （瘫痪） from a 1995 horse-riding accident went beyond any of the achievements of the comic book hero.
“He became a real-life Superman. His heroism, his courage was extraordinary,” Colin Blakemore, the chief executive of Britain’s Medical Research Council said. “Like many people who suffer some terrible injuries, Christopher Reeve was totally changed by that experience and brought the kind of energy and enthusiasm that made him successful as a film star to an entirely different issue, with huge effect.”
Reeve, 52, died of heart failure on October 10, 2004 after having treatment for an infected pressure wound without realizing his dream of walking again. But in the nine years since his accident, he made personal progress to regain respect and admiration, founded the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, a non-profit research organization, and used his fame to raise millions of dollars for research into spinal cord injuries.
He also provided hope and inspiration to other patients and made speeches to support scientists to be allowed to conduct stem cell research in the hopes of eventually curing paralysis and other illnesses such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
“He has been our champion. If you think of spinal injuries, you automatically recall a picture of Christopher Reeve,” said Paul Smith, executive director of the Spinal Injuries Association in England. It is because of Reeve that spinal cord injuries and stem cell research are so widely discussed, according to Smith. The fact that it happened to Reeve showed it can affect anyone, even Superman.
Reeve did not live long enough to see whether stem cell research could help restore movement to the paralyzed. The research is still in its early days and no one knows what advances it may bring.
1.Which of the following words can best describe the characteristics of Reeve?
A. strong-willed and caring
B. tough and persuasive
C. caring and reliable
D. sympathetic and considerate
2.The purpose of paragraph 2 is to show us that ______.
A. Reeve was not as capable as the image he acted in his film
B. the image of Superman created by Reeve will always be remembered
C. Reeve is no more than an ordinary person when he was faced with paralysis
D. the inspiring image in Reeve’s real life was even greater than that in his film
3.Reeve made the following contributions to the scientific research except______.
A. setting up a non-profit research organization
B. winning public respect and admiration by overcoming obstacles
C. influencing the world by making speeches on stem cell research
D. struggling for the permission to conduct stem cell research
4.It can be implied from the passage that ______.
A. Reeve remained optimistic after suffering from paralysis
B. stem cell research has long been a controversial subject
C. paralysis can happen to anyone no matter how strong he seems
D. some presently incurable illnesses are to be cured in the near future
5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. A Fighter of Spinal Cord Injuries
B. A Real Hero in Film
C. A Forever Superman
D. A Struggling Life
完形填空
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1-20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
It was 4 o'clock in the morning, when I received the phone call．
“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just ______ in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n) ______ and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was ______.
The doctor described the ______, which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they ______ the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline. The flames ______ my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
______, one of the boys who was quick—minded grasped my son and ______ him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in ______ to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars.
After he ______ from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容)for 6 months ______ it takes that long for the skin to stop wrinkling(起皱). So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns．
When I was a child, my mother told my sister，who had a 10-inch very ______ scar on her arm, “Nancy，if you ignore the scar，other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not ______ it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you. ’’
I ______ this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to _____ and returned to school with his head held high—glad he was alive.
By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not ______. So he made the ______ to give up any plastic surgery.
We all have “scars” that we believe ______ people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better. But you see, people will only judge you by your looks or your clothes if you are judging yourself by these same ______ standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value ______ yourself, and your beauty will shine through.
1.A. brought B. given C. turned D. showed
2.A. doctor B. hospital C. aircraft D. ambulance
3.A. serious B. terrible C. dangerous D. important
4.A. event B. process C. reason D. accident
5.A. got B. lit C. burned D. moved
6.A. took B. held C. caught D. attracted
7.A. Fortunately B. Surprisingly C. Happily D. Slowly
8.A. pushed B. threw C. dropped D. rolled
9.A.shape B. place C. fact D. time
10.A. benefited B. recovered C. suffered D. relaxed
11.A. if B. while C. because D. although
12.A. normal B. violent C. obvious D. popular
13.A. mention B. notice C. 1augh D. hide
14.A. sent B. kept C. handed D. passed
15.A. heart B. life C. practice D. admission
16.A. grow B. matter C. exist D. appear
17.A. mistake B. effort C. decision D. request
18.A. invite B. cause C. allow D. remind
19.A. false B. strict C. moral D. general
20.A. by B. over C. beyond D. within
Mary felt ___________ from the outside world, since the Internet connection isn’t available in the island.
A. cut off B. put out C. cut out D. put forward
The soldiers fought _________ of their country’s safety.
A. in advance B. in need C. in defense D. in support
