For years I wanted a flower garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.
I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on - and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.
I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes - every time.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!By saying “Do you see a money tree outside .….,” the mother actually means “ ”
| A．Observation is the best teacher. |
| B．Seeing is believing. |
| C．The outsider sees the most of the game. |
| D．It is not easy to gain money |
The best title for the passage would probably be .
| A．My flower garden | B．Marvin helps to realize my dream |
| C．Love in Michigan | D．Money grows on trees |
The underlined word “no - frills” in the fifth paragraphs is similar in meaning to .
| A．wasteful | B．tight | C．absurd | D．helpful |
From the last but the third paragraph we can infer that the mother is .
| A．divorced when she was young | B．not caring for her kids any longer |
| C．alone but not at all lonely | D．prouder with her garden than with her kids. |
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light，I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call “books”．
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed？”I asked myself. I didn't answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear！”I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed！”We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate (绝望的) now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________.
| A．asleep | B．working in bed |
| C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn't help him because ________.
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn't keep them open |
| D．he hadn't studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author?
| A．He went to a church to pray again. |
| B．He passed the exam by sheer luck. |
| C．He failed in the exam. |
D．He was p unished by his teacher. |
The best title for the passage would be ________.
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
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。
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality （个性）, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of a lift operator or the uniform of a five-star general（将军）．
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian （百姓的） clothes．People expect higher quality from a man who wears a uniform． Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform．What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a hairdresser, or a waiter to lose professional identity （职业身份） than to step out of uniform?
They are often more comfortable and more lasting than civilian clothes．
Among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them．Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement．
Though they are long-lasting, often their initial（最初的） expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes．Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes．
| A．Americans think highly of uniforms ． |
| B．Why are uniforms so popular in the United States? |
| C．When people wear the same uniforms, they are likely to think, speak, and act similarly on the job at least． |
| D．Uniforms also have many practical good points |
E．Some practical problems with uniforms arise．
F．The television repairman who wears a uniform is likely to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes．
G．People's identity can be recognized more easily by their uniforms
A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world．They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed．So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal (处理) in the sky! When the star begins to die ______.
| A．there is no fuel left in it | B．its outer layer goes into space first |
| C．a huge explosion will happen | D．it doesn’t give off light any longer |
Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
| A．The gravity inside the star is very strong. |
| B．The light can’t go out of the star. |
| C．The star becomes smaller and smaller |
| D．The dying star shines very brightly. |
The black hole ______.
| A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time |
| B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole |
| C．can pull in everything we know of in the world |
| D．will appear at another place at a different time |
The author mainly intended to tell us _____.
| A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes |
| B．How Black Holes Came Into Being |
| C．What Black Holes Are |
| D．Travel Through A Black Hole |
While drunken driving may be on the decline, traffic safety experts remain puzzled over how to deal with another alcohol related danger: drunken pedestrians.
Pedestrians struck and killed by cars often are extremely drunk. In fact, they are intoxicated(喝醉的) more frequently and with higher blood alcohol levels than drunken drivers who are killed in accidents, various studies have shown. Forty percent of adult pedestrians involved in fatal crashes have a blood alcohol level of at least 0.10 which by law in most states signifies intoxication compared to only 25 percent of drivers in deadly accidents, according to recent federal data.
Some types of pedestrian accidents have been declining nationally, especially those involving children, but the number of adult pedestrians who are drunk when killed in traffic has remained relatively steady at 2500 a year. The total number of pedestrians killed annually in U.S. traffic accidents is at least 7000, or one of every seven highway accidents resulting in death.
“We’re dealing here, we think, with a very severe drinking problem that leads to a severe highway safety problem,” said Richard Bloomberg, president of Dunlap and Associates Inc, in Norwalk, Coon.
Bloomberg, whose consulting company found a very high rate of alcohol involvement in a controlled study of pedestrian accidents in New Orleans, was among several researchers who spoke on the topic at the annual meeting of the Research council’s Transportation Research Board(TRB) in Washington in January.
Pedestrian accidents have not received enough attention in the past, according to Kay Colpitts, who chairs the board’s committee on pedestrians. Few methods exist to monitor walking habits, she said, and researchers have been mystified（迷惑不解） about how to prevent disasters.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Traffic Safety. | B．Drunken Drivers. |
| C．Drunken Pedestrian Accidents. | D．A Severe Highway Safety problem. |
Among the causes of walkers’ accidents, the most serious problem is .
| A．long delays in traffic signals that may make people cross streets without paying attention to traffic rules |
| B．alcohol |
| C．a lack of adult keeping eyes on many children involved in accidents |
| D．former drunken drivers whose licenses are not allowed to use for a time |
According to recent federal data, drunken drivers with an over 0.10 blood alcohol level in deadly accidents .
| A．are 15 percent less than drunken adult walkers with the same level |
| B．are 2500 a year |
| C．are at least 7000 in US traffic accidents |
| D．make up one seventh of highway accidents |
According to the passage, what is Bloomberg?
| A．A researcher. | B．A specialist in traffic safety. |
| C．A clerk of a consulting company. | D．A government official |
Doctors say anger can be an extremely damaging emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that anger can lead to heart disease, stomach problems, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Other burst with anger, and scream and yell(咆哮).But other people keep their anger inside. They can not or will not express it. This is called repressing anger.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person's health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones(荷尔蒙).They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood, etc. In general the person feels excited and ready to act.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution(解决办法) is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, “Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably.”
Doctors say that a good way to deal with anger is to find humor in the situation that has made you angry. They said that laughter is much healthier than anger.“Damaging emotion” means that _________.
| A．the emotion is harmless |
| B．the emotion is harmful |
| C．the feeling is very strong |
| D．the feeling is hard |
Expressing anger violently _________ repressing it according to some scientists.
| A．is just the same as |
| B．is more harmful than |
| C．is no better than |
| D．is much better than |
According to the author, you'd better _________.
| A．never be angry |
| B．cool it down before you express it |
| C．laugh and laugh when you get angry |
| D．admit you are wrong when you are angry |
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