In America, in 1988, Samuel sent his son, Armand, to school. Samuel hugged the boy and looked him in the ______，“Have a good day, and remember, I’ll always be there for you.”
Hours later, a ______ earthquake happened. Samuel tried to discover what ______ to his son, but he couldn’t get any ______, Samuel then headed for the ______. When he reached the area, what he saw brought ______ to his eyes. Armand’s school was a pile of debris (残骸). Other parents were standing around ______.
Samuel found where Armand’s classroom ______ to be and began pulling a broken rock off the pile and put it to the side, and then grabbed another one.
One of the parents looking ______ asked, “What are you doing?”
“Digging for my son,” Samuel answered. The man then said, “You will make things ______! The building is unstable.” He tried to stop Samuel.
Samuel just kept ______. As time went on, one by one, the other parents left.
All through the night and into the next day, Samuel ______ digging. Parents placed flowers and pictures of their children on the ruins, ______ Samuel just kept doing. Suddenly, he ______ a faint cry. “Help! Help!” Samuel listened but didn’t hear anything again. Then he heard a muffled (闷声的) voice, “Papa?”
Samuel began to dig ______. At last, he could see his ______. “Come on out, son!” he said with ______.
“No,” Armand said. “Let the other kids ______ first because I know you’ll get me.”
All 14 children were alive. Samuel took his son in his arms and Armand said, “I told the other kids not to ______ because you told me that you’d ______ be there for me.”
1.A. eye B. ear C. nose D. mouth
2.A. weak B. rich C. common D. powerful
3.A. led B. devoted C. referred D. happened
4.A. car B. information C. coat D. trouble
5.A. bar B. home C. market D. schoolyard
6.A. tears B. smile C. coffee D. hands
7.A. crying B. promising C. talking D. drinking
8.A. seen B. used C. wanted D. responded
9.A. at B. on C. after D. down
10.A. better B. bigger C. worse D. more
11.A. speaking B. running C. working D. writing
12.A. stopped B. taught C. sang D. continued
13.A. so B. and C. but D. though
14.A. dug B. took C. heard D. robbed
15.A. sadly B. freely C. happily D. crazily
16.A. son B. mother C. father D. friend
17.A. belief B. relief C. anger D. excitement
18.A. put out B. get out C. take out D. pick out
19.A. pay B. waste C. worry D. glare
20.A. always B. never C. seldom D. sometimes
Why do people travel? There are many reasons one can think of when asked questions like this.
To travel far enough to meet yourself
Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. 1. You find out your abilities. When you are offered a different lifestyle, you can find out what you are made of. The farther you go from your home, the nearer you come to your true self.
2.
If you look back at all the amazing memories of your life, you will realize that most of them were out of your comfort zone. Travelling is dangerous, full of life threatening possibilities and will not always be comfortable, but at the same time, it gives irreplaceable memories.
To slow down and relax
A wise man once said that never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. Money is worth nothing if you cannot spend it on a little adventure. While we are deeply involved in making money, we forget that time is going through our fingers. 3. The feeling of being away from your workplace is pure happiness. The feeling of not having to worry about the never ending piles of files is pure joy. 4.
To celebrate life
Life is short and the world is wide. One day you might wake up and realize that you don’t have time to do everything that you have always wanted to do, anymore. Once in a while, make time to appreciate the fact that you are alive, young, free and healthy. 5.
A. To become a storyteller
B. Travelling lets you discover yourself
C. To break through your comfort zone.
D. So, go travelling to celebrate life itself.
E. You can relate to the world and connect to others.
F. And the feeling of being away from your boss for a few days is pure pleasure.
G. Escape life for a little while because experience is far more valuable than money.
Icelanders have a beautiful tradition of giving books to each other on Christmas Eve and then spending the night reading. This custom is so deeply rooted in the culture that it is the reason for Christmas Book Flood, when the majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in preparation for Christmas giving.
“Books get attention here.” Says Baldur Bjarnason, a researcher who has written about the Icelandic book industry.
The small Nordic island, with a population of only 329,000 people, is extraordinarily literary (文学的). They love to read and write. According to a BBC article, “The country has more writers, more books published and more books read, per head, than anywhere else in the world… One in 10 Icelanders will publish a book.”
It seems there is more value placed on physical, paper books than in North America, where e-books have grown in popularity. One bookstore manager said, “The book in Iceland is such an enormous gift-you give a physical book. You don’t give e-books here.” The book industry is driven by the majority of people buying several books each year, rather than the North American pattern of a few people buying lots of books.
It sounds like a wonderful tradition, perfect for a winter evening. It is something that I would love to incorporate (吸收) into my own family’s celebration of Christmas.
1.What do Icelanders do on Christmas Eve?
A. They give books to each other and read books.
B. They buy a lot of books to read.
C. They check the mailboxes and send cards to friends.
D. They get together and sing Christmas songs together.
2.How many people in Iceland can be described as writers?
A. 329,000 B. 32,900
C. 3,290 D. 3,290,000
3.What is the difference between Icelanders and North Americas on buying books?
A. People in Iceland never buy e-books.
B. People in North America never buy physical books.
C. A few people buy a large number of books in North America.
D. In Iceland, everyone buys a large number of books each year.
You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn it. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind. First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.
Let’s start with the wind blowing from behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle (角度) the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.
If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45° angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn’t flap (摆动). It shouldn’t look like a flag on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.
Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can’t go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking. When you are tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.
1.What should you consider first while sailing?
A. Wave levels. B. Size of sails.
C. Sailors’ strength. D. Wind directions.
2.What does the word “It” underlined in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The boat. B. The wind.
C. The sail. D. The angle.
3.What do you have to do when sailing against the wind?
A. Tack the boat. B. Lower the sail.
C. Move in a straight line. D. Allow the sail to flap.
4.Where can you probably find the text?
A. In a physics textbook. B. In a tourist guidebook.
C. In a popular magazine. D. In an official report.
According to the latest survey by the Asian Development Bank, Asian parents are spending billions of dollars on private tutors (家庭教师) for their children and the practice is growing despite doubts about its effectiveness.
“Shadow education” is an expanding business not only in wealthy countries, but also in some of the region’s poorer nations as parents try to give their children the best start in life, the study saiD. Nearly nine out of 10 South Korean elementary pupils receive private tutoring, while the figure for primary school children in India’s West Bengal state stands at six out of 10.
The study estimated that the costs of private tutoring in South Korea were equivalent (相等的) to 80 percent of government spending on public education. Japan spent $ 12 billion on extra teaching in 2011, while the figure for Singapore stood at US $ 680 million in 2009.
Extra academic work aims to help slow learners and support high achievers. Many Asian parents view it as a constructive way for adolescents (青少年) to spend their spare time. However, it can also reduce the students’ time for sports and other activities important for their overall development as well as cause social tensions as richer families are able to pay for better-quality tutoring, the study said.
The study calls for a review of educational systems to make such extra teaching less attractive.
1.Why is “Shadow education” an expanding business?
A. Because parents want to spend their money.
B. Because children don’t want to go to school.
C. Because parents want their children to stay with teachers.
D. Because parents want to give their children the best start in life.
2.According to the article, what is the purpose of extra academic work?
A. To aid slow learners and support high achievers.
B. To prepare children for all kinds of academic contests.
C. To gain the most knowledge students can’t get in class.
D. To increase children’s hobbies and interests in many fields.
3.Which disadvantage of extra academic work is NOT mentioned?
A. Causing social tensions.
B. Spending more extra money.
C. Lacking the chance to communicate with others.
D. Reducing the students’ time for sports and other activities.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. The government policy on educational systems.
B. How to provide the best education for children.
C. The importance for children’s overall development.
D. The reasons for the popularity of private tutors for children.
I wandered into the small store where I usually buy milk, when the store owner received a call from a customer. The customer and his wife had shopped there several months earlier. He noticed that his wife really liked one thing in the store, so he wanted to buy it as a surprise.
But the customer was in Tennessee, far away from the store which was in Maine. What’s more, he had been to the store several months earlier, and it was difficult to believe that the store owner would remember him, or what he was looking for.
The store owner took a few close-up photos with her camera, and e-mailed them to the customer on the computer. The customer looked at the photos, decided which one he wanted. They talked and discussed a price over the phone. She took care of the credit card transaction (交易) online, and promised the gift would be shipped out that afternoon.
The store owner was really smart. She was willing to push herself to find new ways to make the transaction actually happen. And it did work. However, it was the first time she had ever done it.
I was amazed that the store owner discovered a creative solution that could lead to a new way of doing business. I was impressed by what she did—so easily, but how difficult it is for many of us to make that leap(飞跃，跳跃). I’m not just talking about technology, but about learning how to adapt to change. Most people hate or fear change unless they get to know exactly what change needs to be made. However, we should realize that challenge and opportunity go hand in hand.
1.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A. The gift was sent out by train that afternoon.
B. The customer had ever been to the store before.
C. The owner often did business by using her camera.
D. The owner and the customer discussed the price on the computer.
2.The author was impressed by the store owner because .
A. she was always ready to help others
B. she told the writer how to run a store
C. she was a successful businesswoman
D. she managed to find a new way when facing change
3.What’s the correct order of the store owner’s solution?
a. taking a few close-up photos with her camera
b. taking care of the credit card transaction online
c. talking about the price of the gift with the customer
d. e-mailing the photos to the customer on the computer
A. abcd B. adcb
C. bcda D. bacd
4.Which of the following words can best describe the store owner?
A. Honest. B. Creative.
C. Confident. D. Humorous.
