Dropping into hopelessness completely, Jack wandered on the streets, knowing he came to the end of life. In his mid-fifties, Jack had never been ____ , experienced the joy of having children or spent holidays with his family. On this miserable rainy night, he felt as if there was _____in the entire world who cared whether he lived or died.
Meanwhile, I was sitting in my room watching the rain _____ my window. When I heard the doorbell ring, I ____ from my chair and raced out. But my mother was already at the door. Opening it, she found herself face-to-face with a very dirty-looking man with tears streaming down his face. My mother, overcome by _____ , invited the man inside, and he sat with my parents in our living room.
____ , I walked secretly downstairs so that I could get a better look. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but the sight of the man, _____ his head in his hands and crying, made my chest ache. I raced back upstairs to my room and ____ my hand into my money jar. Pulling out my only half-dollar coin, I ran back downstairs.
When I reached the door of the living room, I walked right in. The three ______ looked at me in _____as I quickly made my way over the stranger. I put the half-dollar in his hand and told him that I wanted him to have it. Then I gave him a ____ , turned and ran as fast as I could out of the room and back upstairs. I felt excited but happy.
Downstairs, Jack sat quietly with his head ______.Tears streamed down his face as he ______held that coin. Finally looking up at my parents, he said, “It’s just that I thought nobody cared. For the last twenty years, I have been so ____. That is the first hug I have ever got. It’s hard to believe that somebody ___ .”
Jack's life changed that night. When he left our house, he was ____ to live instead of die. Although we never saw Jack again, we received letters from him ____ , letting us know that he was doing fine.
My life changed that night, too, as I ____ the huge healing power of giving, even if it’s only a gift of fifty cents. Before Jack left, my parents asked him why he had knocked on our door. Jack said that ______he was walking along the streets that rainy night, ____ and ready to die, he noticed a sticker on the car. It read: SOMEBODY LOVES YOU.
1.A. married B. employed C. managed D. understood
2.A. somebody B. everybody C. nobody D. anybody
3.A. break B. cover C. approach D. beat
4.A. looked B. settled C. jumped D. ran
5.A. pity B. anxiety C. guilty D. fear
6.A. Annoyed B. Curious C. Worried D. Excited
7.A. holding B. nodding C. shaking D. resting
8.A. presented B. adjusted C. pushed D. reached
9.A. strangers B. adults C. neighbors D. visitors
10.A. anger B. delight C. fun D. surprise
11.A. hug B. smile C. kiss D. handshake
12.A. raised B. bowed C. ignored D. turned
13.A. calmly B. privately C. tightly D. impatiently
14.A. anxious B. lonely C. stressed D. bored
15.A. makes B. deserves C. cares D. figures
16.A. disappointed B. flexible C. likely D. ready
17.A. hardly B. immediately C. occasionally D. never
18.A. saw B. informed C. hid D. assisted
19.A. before B. until C. unless D. when
20.A. weak B. hopeless C. ashamed D. regretful
How to improve your vocabulary
Vocabulary is a key part of learning a new language. 1. Maybe you can’t learn a hundred new words a day, but you can learn one or two a day, totaling thousands of new words over the years. Here are some tips for building up your vocabulary.
Make a plan to learn new words. If you want to improve your vocabulary more quickly, you have to make at least a small promise. 2.
Make you vocabulary practical. 3.For example, learn more of your trade language---- the words that are commonly used in your business or hobby or vocation(职业). Find better, fresher, clearer words to express what your friends are talking about.
4. As you read, if you come across a new word that you don’t understand. Don’t miss it. Take the time to look it up in a dictionary. Write it down and use it later.
When you learn a word, use it immediately and frequently. Put your new word into conversation with as many different people as you can. 5. Use it in sentences. Write it on a card and practice it while waiting for red lights.
A. Repeat it to yourself.
B. They’re highly reusable.
C. Start learning where you are.
D. Decide to learn one new word every day or two.
E. When you’re writing something, use a dictionary frequently.
F. Start by learning the words that can express what’s most important to you.
G. The more you read, the more words you’ll see, and the more you’ll understand.
Is beauty something always positive? Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive(主管的) circle, beauty can become a disadvantage.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the manly qualities required.
This is true even in politics. “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 college students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
1.In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness ________.
A. makes women look more honest and capable B. strengthens the manly qualities required
C. is of no importance to women D. often enables women to succeed quickly
2.Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ________.
A. affects men and women alike B. has as little effect on men as on women
C. is more of a disadvantage to women D. turns out to be a disadvantage to men
3.According to the passage, people’s views on beauty are often ________.
A. practical B. one-sided C. old-fashioned D. supportive
4.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. the disadvantages of being attractive B. the advantages of being attractive
C. equal rights for women D. the importance of appearance
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their writings are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being used more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I’m writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei, the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one’s thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.
1.Which of the following can BEST serve as the title of the passage?
A. The Importance of Handwriting and Typing
B. To Type or To Hand Write
C. Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand
D. Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters
2.The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because .
A. they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays
B. computers have become a trend and fashion in China
C. they find it not easy to remember how to write a character
D. they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently
3.The underlined expression “taking stock in” in the fourth paragraph probably means .
A. becoming crazy about B. getting bored with
C. getting dependent on D. looking forward to
4.We can draw the conclusion from the passage that .
A. more and more students will give up writing on a computer
B. writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day
C. more and more students will pay attention to handwriting
D. the typed article better expresses one’s emotion and quality
When I was in seventh grade, I was a candy striper (护士助手) at a local hospital in my town. I volunteered about 30 to 40 hours a week during the summer.
Most of the time I spent there was with Mr. Gillespie. He never has any visitors, and nobody seemed to care about his condition. I spent many days there holding his hand and talking to him, helping with anything that needed to be done. He became a close friend of mine, even though he responded with only an occasional hold of my hand. Mr. Gillespie was in a coma (昏迷).
I left for a week for a vacation with my parents, and when I came back, Mr. Gillespie was gone. I didn’t have the courage to ask any of the nurses where he was, for fear they might tell me he had died. So with many questions unanswered, I continued to volunteer there through my eighth-grade year.
Several years later, when I was a junior in high school, I was at the gas station when I noticed a familiar face. When I realized who it was, my eyes were filled with tears. He was alive! I got up the nerve to ask him if he was Mr. Gillespie, and if he had been in a coma about five years ago. With an uncertain look on his face, he replied yes. I explained how I knew him, and that I had spent many hours talking to him in the hospital. His eyes welled up with tears, and he gave me the warmest hug I had ever received.
He began to tell me how, as he lay there comatose (昏睡的), he could hear me talking to him and could feel me holding his hand the whole time. He thought it was an angel, who was there with him. Mr. Gillespie firmly believed that it was my voice and touch that had kept him alive. Then he told me about his life. We exchanged a hug, said our good-byes and went our separate ways.
Although I haven’t seen him since, he fills my heart with joy every day. I know that I made a difference between his life and his death. As importantly, he has made a great difference in my life. I will never forget him and what he did for me: He made me an angel.
1.When the author volunteered at a local hospital, she .
A. mainly helped the nurses with their paper work
B. made up her mind to become a nurse herself one day
C. spent most of her time taking care of a man in a coma
D. became friends with Mr. Gillespie’s visitors
2.The author didn’t ask where Mr. Gillespie had gone because .
A. she feared that he might have died
B. she knew for sure that he had recovered
C. she forgot all about him when she returned to the hospital
D. she had been concerned that he might stay in coma forever
3.Judging from the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The author met Mr. Gillespie at a gas station several years later.
B. Mr. Gillespie recognized the author’s voice the moment he met her.
C. The author continued her volunteer work in the hospital until eighth-grade.
D. No one in the hospital believed that Mr. Gillespie would recover from his coma.
4.Which of the following statements best summarizes the point of the story?
A. Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.
B. Those with faith in themselves will succeed.
C. Respect people and they will try hard to improve.
D. If you spread happiness you will be happy yourself.
Welcome to the North Pole Adventure
The North Pole Adventure is a one-of-a-kind interactive Christmas attraction for the entire family. Unlike other Christmas attractions, it is open from November 25 until Christmas Eve. It is not a guided tour. While elves (小精灵) are throughout the adventure to interact with your children, your kids can spend as much time in each area as they wish. The adventure features a replica (复制品) of the North Pole including everything you imagine at Santa’s North Pole.
Santa’s House
Kids will experience what it’s like at the North Pole and see first-hand what it takes for Santa and his elves to get ready for Christmas each year. The memories your children will take away from Santa’s House will be ones they will remember for a life time.
Post Office
All kids will be assisted by Santa’s elves in writing a letter to Santa and then depositing it in Santa’s magical mailbox. A few days before Christmas, they will receive letters at their own homes from Santa.
Elf University
Elf University is the place where elves go to school. It’s also the place where kids enjoy making Christmas presents, coloring Christmas pictures, and even filling out applications to become elves one day.
Admission
Buy your tickets online to avoid waiting in line. If the tickets sell out when you buy them online, there will still be tickets available at the ticket office.
1.The North Pole Adventure________.
A. provides visitors with tour guide service
B. is open to visitors for nearly one month
C. is modeled on other Christmas attractions
D. arranges elves to entertain kids in some areas
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Kids can have fun in Santa’s House by dressing up like Santa
B. Elf University offers kids opportunities for becoming elves
C. Kids who visited Post Office would receive letters on Christmas Eve
D. Tickets to the adventure can be bought online if they sell out at the ticket office
3.Where can you probably see the article?
A. a tourist booklet B. a science fiction C. a newspaper D. a story book
