阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Hard as you try to break with family tradition, your heart remains at home on the holidays.
---Tayari Jones
Everybody in my family always get excited about the Christmas. As the middle, artist child, I was going to do my own thing, make some new_________. From a book, I drew________ --- I would spend the holiday at an artist colony!
No one took the news very well. From the way my mother got angry ________ me, you would think that I was divorcing the family. ________, I held my ground and made plans for my winter adventure in New Hampshire. About 30 artists were there, and it was as well artsy as I had ________ . It felt like my life had become a strange independent film.
By Christmas Eve, I had been at the colony more than a week. The novelty (新奇感) was ________ away. This was the holiday I’d always dreamed of. Not a Christmas sweater anywhere in ________. People here didn’t even say “Christmas,” they said “holiday.” Entire relaxation. Then why was I so ________?
Finally, I ________ home. My dad answered, but I could ________ hear him for there was too much good-time noise in the background. He turned ________ the volume on the Stevie Wonder holiday album and ________ me that my mother was out shopping with my brothers. Now it was my turn to ________ . They were having a fine Christmas without me.
Despite a heavy snowstorm, a large package ________ near my door at the artist colony on Christmas morning. Tayari Jones was written in my mother’s beautiful ________ . I grasped at that parcel(包裹) like I was five years old. Inside was a beautiful delicious cake, my ________. “Merry Christmas”, read the simple card ________ . “We love you very much.”
As I sliced the cake, everyone ________ around. Mother had sent a homemade gift. It was a minor Christmas miracle (奇迹) that one cake managed to feed so ________ . We ate it from paper towels with our bare hands, satisfying a ________ we didn’t know we had.
1.A. comments B. adjustments C. traditions D. possibilities
2.A. significance B. inspiration C. enthusiasm D. discovery
3.A. on B. about C. over D. with
4.A. But B. Therefore C. Still D. Moreover
5.A. imagined B. designed C. informed D. interviewed
6.A. fading B. taking C. putting D. giving
7.A. error B. danger C. return D. sight
8.A. happy B. excited C. sad D. fortunate
9.A. returned B. called C. escaped D. knocked
10.A. clearly B. sincerely C. barely D. extremely
11.A. down B. up C. in D. over
12.A. spoke B. said C. told D. talked
13.A. cry B. laugh C. disappoint D. upset
14.A. added up B. built up C. dug up D. showed up
15.A. handwriting B. words C. name D. letters
16.A. impact B. favorite C. ingredient D. option
17.A. outside B. upside C. inside D. downside
18.A. ran B. gathered C. scared D. flew
19.A. many B. lot C. much D. few
20.A. liberty B. hunger C. interest D. dilemma
根据短文内容，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。
What Teenagers Can Do to Earn More Respect?
As teenagers continue to grow and develop into young adults, the transition (过渡) into adulthood has begun. With so many physical and emotional changes going on, certain manners are often forgotten and other adult traits are not yet accepted as a way of life. 1. By doing the following things, you will earn more respect.
Contribute to the household
At the very least, clean up after yourself. As a teenager, you are old enough to clean up after yourself. When you make a mess, clean it up. 2._ All chore (杂活) that you do help to reduce the load of the person who did them before. Now that you’re old enough and capable, why shouldn’t you contribute to the household? 3.
Be responsible
_4. Whether they are basic things, like brushing your teeth or doing your homework, or more involved chores that contribute to the household, simply fulfill your responsibilities on time. When adults know that they can rely on you, their trust and respect for you will increase.
Solve more of your own problem without asking for help
Instead of taking the easy approach and asking for help, make an effort to solve your problems on your own first. The “easy way” is only easy for you, but it is an extra task for the person from whom you are seeking help. Seek help only after you have made an honest effort to solve your own problems. _5._ When you become a good problem solver, you increase your value to the community.
A. Everyone has certain responsibilities.
B. By being aware of these manners and traits, you can manage them sooner.
C. When speaking to a group, speak loud enough.
D. The people doing the chores before will greatly appreciate the help.
E. Depending on the problem, 15 minutes of effort is usually a good guideline.
F. It will make your life more pleasant.
G. This includes, but is not limited to, your dishes and your room.
阅读理解。
“Keep out or I’ll chase you out! This is my property!”
You hear this every spring. It is a long musical sound --- a bird song! Birds use their songs to communicate different messages to one another. People who study bird sounds are learning their meanings.
Usually it is the male that sings. Early in spring he sings to say that he has picked out a piece of property. He sings to attract a female of his same kind. Together they will raise a family in his territory (领地). He sings to tell all other birds of his kind to keep out.
Each kind of bird has its own type of song. Cardinals sing something that sounds a little like “What cheer, cheer, cheer.” Towhees sing, “Drink your tea.”
Most of the time, birds pay attention only to the songs of birds of their own kind. Cardinals answer cardinals, and song sparrows answer song sparrows. A cardinal knows that a song sparrow will not try to steal its mate. So you can see one reason why a cardinal may chase away another cardinal but will not bother a song sparrow.
Most different kinds of birds eat different things. To find enough to eat, a bird needs a big piece of land to search in. Many kinds of birds have some ways of dividing up the land into territories. Song sparrows, cardinals ovenbirds, and white-throated sparrows are some of the birds that have territorial systems.
Especially in early spring, birds work out the boundaries between their territories by singing “keep out” threats and by chasing and fighting each other. The birds continue singing to tell females that they have set up territories. Neighboring birds seem to agree that there are make believe fences between their pieces of property. Then they do not have to waste energy chasing each other instead of taking care of their young.
Scientists guessed that some birds could recognize their neighbors by small differences in their songs. Two scientists who studied white-throated sparrows found that these birds can even tell the difference between songs of individual birds of their own kind. White-throated sparrows have songs that seem to say “I’m your neighbor” or “I’m a stranger” or “I’m your neighbor to the west.” Other kinds of birds could tell neighbors from strangers by their songs, too.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. How birds build up their territories.
B. How birds sing to communicate.
C. How male birds chase after females.
D. How scientists recognize birds’ songs.
2.A cardinal may not keep a song sparrow out of its territory because ________.
A. they sing different songs
B. they have separate territories
C. it feels no threat from a song sparrow
D. song sparrows are friendly to other birds
3.Some birds have their own territorial systems so that ________.
A. they don’t need to fight or chase each other
B. they often work together against threats
C. they build up fences to protect their property
D. they find a big piece of land to search for food
4.What can we conclude from the article?
A. Male birds use their songs to communicate more than females.
B. Scientists have learned the meanings of all white-throated sparrows sing.
C Not all birds can recognize their neighbors by small differences in their songs.
D. White-throated sparrows are the smartest birds the scientists ever found.
阅读理解。
Parents often think that time spent with their kids will gradually decrease in adolescence. But a new study suggests that while teens try to avoid spending a lot of time together with their parents, private parent-child meetings may actually increase in their early adolescent years. And that may raise a teenager’s self-esteem (自尊) and social confidence, especially if it is the time that spent with Dad, the researchers added. The researchers created a long-term study in which they invited families in 16 school districts in central Pennsylvania to participate. In each family, a teenager, a younger sibling (兄弟姐妹), their mother and their father were interviewed at home and then asked about their activities and self-worth five times over a period of seven years.
The study authors were surprised to discover that when fathers spent more time alone with their teenagers, the kids reported they felt better about themselves. Something about the father’s role in the family seemed to improve self-esteem among the teenagers in the study, said study co-author Susan McHale, a professor of human development at Pennsylvania State University.
“Time with Dad often involves joking, teasing, and other playful interactions. Fathers, compared to mothers, were more involved in leisure activities and had more peer-like interactions with their children, which is crucial for youth social development,” the study showed. But Marta Flaum, a psychologist in Chappaqua, New York, said, “How these findings reflect the real world is a real question. The sample in the study is so small and so unrepresentative of most families in the country today that I’m not sure how much we can generalize from it. In my community in Westchester County, I don’t see parents and teenagers spend much time together at all. Parents are often working so hard and have less time to be together with their kids.”
However, Flaum encourages parents to make time for their kids no matter how much work they have to do. “Research like this reminds us of how important it is. The time we have with them is so short,” she said.
1.According to the study, when teenagers spend more time alone with their fathers, _________.
A. their social skills will be improved
B. their fathers will better understand them
C. they will be willing to help their siblings
D. their family members will spend more time together
2.What is Flaum’ attitude towards the findings of the study?
A. Unconcerned B. Favorable.
C. Doubtful. D. Puzzled.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. The research by Susan McHale.
B. The work to be done.
C. Parents’ encouragement.
D. The time parents spending together with their kids.
4.Where is the passage most likely to be taken from?
A. Science magazine. B. A news report.
C. A research plan. D. An advertisement.
阅读理解。
Developing healthy eating habits starts from childhood, therefore it is important for parents to teach and provide children with a healthy diet. DPHSS administrator of the Bureau of Nutrition Services, Charlie Morris told KUAM News, “A healthy diet for a child consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables in the diet limiting the amount of simple sugars in the diet and high fat food and highly processed food.”
This means staying away as much as possible from food such as chips, cookies, candies and sugary drinks, as all children need to have meals which involve a well-balanced diet. Community nutritionist Thelma Romoso said, “The fruit, the vegetable, the grain, the protein, and also the milk, the diary product, so for the fruits it’s easy for a mother to go into the two plus three concept of fruits and vegetables or five a day.”
This concept means that there are at least two servings of fruits a day, three servings of vegetables a day which can be served for lunch and dinner. As for protein parents can make a variety of dishes from chicken, beef, fish or even dried beans to pledge the child gets three servings a day.
Morris said that the child’s hunger level controls how much is eaten and the parent controls what and when the meal is offered, saying, “Mom needs to ensure that the food offered is good food for the child to eat and throughout the day depending on how active they are, snacks are not a bad thing, so the mom should offer good kinds of snacks.”
When it comes to preparing your child’s lunch and snacks for school, make sure to keep in mind that the food you provide should not only be a source of energy but also be nutritionally beneficial such as fresh fruits, and whole grain bread. But parents must be sure to remember that a good nutritional diet must be balanced with physical activity, namely it is important that children get outside and run around and play and get activity in addition to eating a good diet.
1.What does the author intend to tell us in the passage?
A. Choose healthy food and snacks for your child.
B. Fruits and vegetables are good for your child.
C. Take steps to provide a good lunch for your child.
D. Make various and delicious dishes for your child.
2.According to Charlie Morris we can know that_________.
A. mothers should prepare delicious food by themselves
B. highly processed food should be reduced in daily life
C. sugars and high fat exist in few kinds of food
D. active children prefer more and more snacks
3.It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A. fresh fruits are often ignored by children
B. a good nutritional diet may cost too much
C. choosing healthy food is linked with income
D. parents play a very important role in children’s healthy diet
阅读理解。
As I walked along the Edgware Road, I felt as though the world was closing in on me. All the sounds I take for granted, had gone. I had entered a world of silence. This unsettling experience occurred a few weeks ago when I agreed to go deaf for the day to support the work of the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, for which I am an ambassador.
When I managed to take a cab to the office of my manager, Gavin, I couldn’t hear what the taxi driver was saying to me. Conversation was impossible. Then, when I reached the office, I had to ring the intercom five times as I couldn’t hear a response.
Everybody said I was shouting at them--- I simply wasn’t aware of how loudly I was speaking as I couldn’t hear my own voice. Gavin kept telling me my phone was ringing, but I didn’t realize. I was too busy trying to concentrate on reading his lips. And when he tried to tell me a code to put into my phone, I had to keep asking him to repeat it, more slowly. Eventually he lost his patience and snapped at me: “Just give me the phone!” I was shocked.
People couldn’t be bothered to repeat themselves, so they kept trying to do things for me that I was perfectly capable of doing myself. I felt I’d lost control.
Being deaf for the day was extraordinarily tiring. I had to work so hard to “listen” with my eyes, get people’s attention and use my other senses to make up for my lack of hearing. It was a huge, exhausting effort.
Until that experience I didn’t realize how much I took my own hearing for granted, or the sorts of emotions and experiences deaf people go through. If a deaf person asks you to repeat something, never think: “It doesn’t matter.” It does matter.
1.Why did the author focus on reading Gavin’s lips?
A. By doing this he could understand what Gavin was saying.
B. He wanted to be aware of what the code was.
C. He attempted to get the code into the phone by himself.
D. He didn’t want to bother Gavin to repeat what he was saying.
2.What advice does the author give in the passage?
A. Speak at the top of your voice if you can’t hear others speaking.
B. Repeat things as slowly as possible for the deaf.
C. Take your own hearing for granted.
D. Do as many things as possible for the deaf.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. It’s boring to live in a world of silence.
B. The author has to use gestures to communicate with his friends.
C. There are many other ways to help the deaf understand others.
D. Many ordinary people just take hearing for granted until they lose it.
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Helping the Deaf with More Patience
B. Don’t Take Your Hearing for Granted
C. Listening with Eyes
D. The Importance of Reading Lips
