I grew up in a small town in Alabama. I had to eat last at school ______ I was a welfare kid. I began to work at 8. But I didn’t ______. I felt safer working than being at home.
At 12, I came across Macy of Charm School. She said, “My, you are ______ for your age. Come to my school and I will train you.” ______ Mama didn’t approve. When Miss Macy told her I could come to her school ______, Mama let me go. Miss Macy would teach me how to ______ like a lady. She encouraged me to enter every beauty competition that came to Alabama.
One day, I got an opportunity to go to a modeling ______ in New York City! The trip was _______, but I had a year, so I started working three jobs. With the help of the town — money, a miniskirt, boots, a new ______ — we got to New York.
But when the competition started, I thought I didn’t ______ there, with my strange hair and boots. And I didn’t see one girl walk the way Miss Macy had taught me. I pretended to be ______, but I was really scared. Finally I didn’t ______ anything.
To my surprise, the next day Miss Macy told the governor of Alabama on the phone I had been signed with the world’s most famous model agency and that we were putting Alabama on the ______.
“Miss Macy, that isn’t ______.” I said. But Miss Macy just ______ my disagreement, because she had a better ______ of how poor my life was in Alabama.
Afterwards we found Wilhelmina, the top model agent, in her office. Miss Macy just told her I was becoming a model with her agency. I didn’t know whether Wilhelmina would burst out laughing or, ______ Miss Macy. Unexpectedly, Wilhelmina simply asked, “So tell me, what’s so ______ about you?”
I didn’t know the right thing to say, but one word popped into my head. “______, madam.” “Well, I’d like to see what you can do with that determination,” she said and handed me a ______, “But first, we have to do something about your hair.”
1.A.though B.unless C.because D.once
2.A.compromise B.mind C.struggle D.adapt
3.A.tall B.mature C.smart D.thin
4.A.Therefore B.Unfortunately C.Instead D.Thankfully
5.A.alone B.fairly C.anyway D.free
6.A.speak B.sit C.walk D.eat
7.A.organization B.training C.competition D.ceremony
8.A.meaningful B.expensive C.stressful D.impressive
9.A.suitcase B.necklace C.overcoat D.hairstyle
10.A.belong B.shine C.relate D.qualify
11.A.patient B.confident C.interested D.serious
12.A.deserve B.remember C.learn D.win
13.A.rise B.wall C.run D.map
14.A.clear B.modest C.true D.accurate
15.A.accepted B.ignored C.interrupted D.justified
16.A.understanding B.sense C.record D.command
17.A.encourage B.question C.applaud D.comfort
18.A.enthusiastic B.tough C.crazy D.special
19.A.Determination B.Ambition C.Motivation D.Affection
20.A.contract B.gift C.certificate D.tissue
1. Moving from high school into college can be especially difficult because of the freedom students experience in college along with a new set of expectations.
In high school, students usually live at home, and their parents take care of all their physical needs such as food and housing. 2. Parents are also there to offer help and make sure that the students' homework is done. During the school day, students rarely have free time. They go directly from one class to another. Teachers are always around to tell the students what to do. 3. So students can often complete their homework and reading in a short time.
4. They may be responsible for shopping, paying bills, and laundry. They also may have to cook their own meals. Their parents are not around to help with homework or even to check if it has been done. Contrary to students in high school, students in college may have a lot of free time between classes, but must discipline themselves to use this time productively for homework and other assignments. 5.
A．High school students have to bury themselves in piles of papers.
B．Finally, the work itself is not so challenging.
C．By contrast, in college, students often live away from home in dorms or apartments.
D．In college, students may apply to a bank loan and others will try to find parttime jobs.
E．Each new level of education brings new challenges and demands to students.
F．Most importantly, college requires a higher level of thinking and a lot more work than high school.
G．Students do not usually have to shop for their food, take time to pay bills, or even do their own laundry.
LEGO began as one man’s small business. But today, it is the second largest toy company in the world. The LEGO company sells small, brightly colored plastic bricks (积木). People can buy LEGO bricks in over 90 countries.
Ole Kirk Kristiansen from Denmark began his own business in 1932. He made products (产品) from wood including colorful wooden toys. Kristiansen’s young son, Godtfred, worked with him. Their business helped them make a lot of money.
By 1934, the Kristiansens named their company LEGO, which came from two Danish words, “leg” and “godt”， meaning “play well”. The LEGO company grew slowly. But it continued to create excellent wooden toys.
By 1947, the LEGO company began using a new material (材料) to make their toys — plastic. One of the toys they sold was called the Automatic Binding Brick. A person could put the bricks together to build something. But the bricks did not hold together easily. Still, they were a popular toy.
A few years later, in 1954, Godtfred Kirk Kristiansen had a big idea. He wanted all of the LEGO bricks to fit together. Finally, four years later, in 1958, the LEGO company found their answer. They invented the first modern style LEGO brick, which was similar to the Automatic Binding Brick but each piece would fit with any other piece.
Since that time, any toy that the LEGO company created would fit with any other toy they created. Today, LEGO is not only the second largest toy maker in the world, but also making its products a great way for children to learn creative building skills.
1.When the LEGO company was set up, it ________.
A.had a rapid growth B.failed to attract children
C.invited children to work with it D.was small but successful
2.What do we know about the Automatic Binding Brick?
A.It was liked by few people. B.It was the best of its kind.
C.It was a building toy. D.It was made of wood.
3.The first modern style LEGO brick________.
A.fit together perfectly
B.was created by Godtfred and his father
C.was invented in the early 1950s
D.differed greatly from the Automatic Binding Brick
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A.LEGO: Educational Toys
B.LEGO: Play Well
C.Toy Companies: From Small to Big
D.Toy Companies: Never Too Late to Create
As the world's resources become rarer because of continuing land development and the growing human population, the natural habitats of wild animals have continued to decrease. As a result, the survival of some species of wildlife is threatened. To help protect wildlife, a lot of practices should be carried out by environmentalist as well as the general public.
Create homes for species that are endangered because of losing their own natural habitats. Wildlife shelters should be developed, and habitats should be created in existing(现存的) national parks. Efforts(努力) should also be made to protect existing habits, such as providing food and water sources and limiting hunting. Breed(培育) endangered species in places such as zoos. Once the young animals grow up, they can be set free into the wild where they can continue to increase the population.
The general public may not realize that a species is endangered until it's too late. Educational programs making use of TV advertising and instructional meetings at national parks can be used to make the public know the situation.
The general public can help protect the wildlife by not hunting wild animals for sport or for a source of food. They should also stop supporting those who earn money from the illegal hunting of wild animals, such as hunters who kill animals for the only purpose of harvesting their body parts and selling them for money.
The public should avoid(避免) keeping wild animals as pets. This will limit the number of animals being tracked, trapped, sold and removed from their natural habitat.
1.Which of the following is not the measure of protecting animal habitats?
A.Developing wildlife shelters.
B.Creating new habitats.
C.Setting young animals free in the wild.
D.Protecting the existing habitats.
2.The underlined words "the situation" in Paragraph3 probably refer to the fact that ______.
A.the general public may not know species are endangered.
B.many endangered species are facing the danger of extinction.
C.people can do much to protect the endangered species.
D.human activities can affect the existence of species.
3.We can learn from the passage that _______.
A.some people hunt animals and sell them as pets
B.hunters get little money from hunting animals
C.general public do nothing about protecting the wildlife now
D.animal population becomes larger in the zoo
4.In which column(栏) of a newspaper can we read the passage?
A.Environment. B.Sports.
C.Technology. D.Education.
Shortly after the war，my brother and I were invited to spend a few days with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He had rented a cottage in the country，although he rarely spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival: the cottage had no comfortable furniture（家具）in it；many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked（渗漏），making the whole house terrible.
On our first evening，we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories which our uncle had to tell of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed；but I could not stand missing any of my uncle's exciting stories.
He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above，the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
"It sounds as if the roof has fallen in！"cried out my uncle，with a loud laugh.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door，we could see nothing at first because of the thick clouds of dust which filled the room. When the dust began to clear，a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen down，falling right onto the pillow（枕头）on my bed.
I was glad that I had stayed up late to listen to my uncle's stories，otherwise I should certainly have been seriously injured，perhaps killed.
That night we all slept on the floor in the sitting room downstairs，not wishing to risk our lives by sleeping under a roof which might at any moment fall down on our heads. We left for London the very next morning and my uncle gave up his cottage in the country. This was not the kind of adventure he cared for either！
1.Why did the uncle seldom spend much time in the country cottage？
A.Because the roof of the cottage had fallen.
B.Because the cottage was in bad condition.
C.Because he was used to living abroad.
D.Because the rooms were too small to live in.
2.When the author and his brother opened the bedroom door，they could see nothing at first because.
A.it was completely dark inside
B.there was too much dust in the air
C.something strange stopped them
D.it was a mess inside
3.The author felt glad that he had stayed up late because.
A.he did not miss the exciting stories
B.he spent more time with his uncle
C.he had a lucky escape
D.he saw a strange sight
4.Which of the following can best describe the writer's uncle？
A.Adventurous and good at storytelling.
B.Humorous and good at making jokes.
C.Dependable and generous with money.
D.Thoughtful and sensitive to danger.
Famous resorts(度假胜地) on the earth
Maldives
Maldives is famed as the last paradise(乐园) on the earth. It's made up of more than 1,800 coral islands, spreading over a sea area of about 90 thousand square kilometers on the Indian Ocean. People in Maldives believe in Islam. They must observe the religious rules strictly. However, tourists don’t need to follow these customs inside hotels, but they must do as the locals when they enter the community of the local people.
Jeju Island
Jeju Island, also known as the ＂Islands of the Gods＂, is the biggest island of South Korea. It is a volcanic island with a pleasant climate. Its yearly average temperature is 16℃, which makes it the most attractive vacation stop in Northeast Asia. It has gained fame as a shopping paradise. Here all the luxury(奢侈品) brands are free of duty. Every summer thousands of tourists come here to look for the gods, enjoy the coolness of the gentle sea breeze and buy cheap luxuries.
Phuket Island
Phuket Island, the biggest island of Thailand, is called a pearl on the Indian Ocean. It is world-famous for its beautiful beaches. Some are quiet and tourist-friendly, and some are as luxurious as personal vacation beaches. Some are famous for sea sports, and some are attractive to lovers of evening entertainments. Therefore, you’ll have a good time here whether you’re single or accompanied by your friends.
Hayman Island
Hayman Island, a secret vacation island, is one of the coral islands that make up the Great Barrier Reef. Every year thousands of tourists come here to admire the beauty of the tropic sea and the charming scene of the Great Barrier Reef. However, they seldom see any waiters and waitresses around as they work in and travel through a special tunnel(通道). This is why it's called the most secret resort.
1.Tourists should _____________ in Maldives when getting out of the hotels.
A.follow the local rules B.watch out for sharks
C.stay in secret tunnels D.stay away from the local people
2.If you intend to do some shopping besides sightseeing, _____________ maybe is your best choice.
A.Maldives B.Phuket Island
C.Jeju Island D.Hayman Island
3.Tourists think Hayman Island is secret because _____________.
A.they are strictly limited within the hotel
B.they aren’t allowed to swim in the sea
C.they are forbidden to bargain in the market
D.they can’ t meet servants around them
