When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I would make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have the three-day holiday posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas Eve when I arrived home, and a little snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments (饰品) shining against the green of a pine.
"Where did it come from?" I asked.
"I asked the Gates boy to cut it," my mother said. "I wouldn't have had one just for myself, but when in great need... such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon."
The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the Tree Top Crystal（水晶） Star was in its place. A few green branches reached out a little awkwardly（难看） at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas.
"It's not like the one you used to find," my mother went on. "Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn't know where to look for a better one. But I couldn't be fussy(挑剔的)."
"Don't worry," I told her. "It's perfect."
It wasn't, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: All Christmas trees are perfect. What did his mother's Christmas tree look like?
From the passage we can infer (推断) that______.
| A．all the soldiers had the three-day holiday |
| B．the writer could not go home for Christmas |
| C．the writer spent his first Christmas during the war |
| D．not all the soldiers went home for Christmas during the war |
From the passage, we can conclude that ______ .
| A．his mother didn't like Christmas trees |
| B．the writer didn't like the tree cut by someone else |
| C．the writer used to cut very beautiful Christmas trees |
| D．his mother didn't want to have a Christmas tree during wartime |
The best title for this passage would be ______.
| A．The Perfect Christmas Tree |
| B．How to Choose a Christmas Tree |
| C．How Soldiers Spent Their Christmas |
| D．A Christmas with an Ugly Christmas Tree |
What does the writer mean by saying “All Christmas trees are perfect”?
| A．Nothing is as perfect as Christmas. |
| B．Once at home, everything is so nice. |
| C．During the war, trees are hard to find. |
| D．All Christmas trees are the most beautiful. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
When people think of Hollywood, they think of the city where dreams come true．This did not apply to F．Scott Fitzgerald, a screenwriter who had his share of ups and downs in this land． Fitzgerald was not a successful Hollywood writer because he was not good at the career path he chose．He was an amazing novelist, but his efforts of turning them into screenplays ended in disappointment and confusion．It was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous．
Growing up as a boy, Fitzgerald went to movies a lot．He wanted to write stories that would eventually turn into movies．The problem was: just because Fitzgerald wanted to do something didn’t necessarily mean that he was good at it．He made his attempts, but most of these efforts ended in disappointment because he thought about the change from script（剧本）to screen too much．His plot was too detailed and complicated; his tone was too serious or his dialogue too sentimental（感伤的）．
Fitzgerald’s quick rise to fame also led to his fall．In life, things are not meant to happen all at once, all that the same time but it did for Fitzgerald． At his best time, three of his early stories were made into short films, including The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited． As the twenties approached, he was gradually forgotten by the reading public． He became drunk and constantly took pills both to sleep and wake up．His marriage was destroyed and his wife broke down mentally．He seemed unsure about his life．
Fitzgerald had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, including revisions of Emlyn William’s play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan．However, these were all put aside and he was right back where he started, left behind and called a “ruined man”．Fitzgerald simply wanted too much in his life．He wanted “to be both a great novelist and a Hollywood success, to write songs like Cole Porter and poetry like John Keats”．His addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer．Which is a reason that Fitzgerald failed in screenwriting?
| A．He was not talented in screenwriting． |
| B．He had a miserable family life． |
| C．He spent too much time watching movies． |
| D．He was greedy for money in his life． |
Fitzgerald’s screenwriting was _____．
| A．disappointing in ending |
| B．complex in plot |
| C．playful in tone |
| D．simple in dialogue |
Which of the following was NOT written by Fitzgerald?
| A．The Great Gatsby | B．Babylon Revisited |
| C．The Light of Heart | D．Cosmopolitan |
When Fitzgerald had another chance at success, he ______．
| A．took full advantage of it |
| B．went back home to start business |
| C．refused to make changes |
| D．started to write songs and poems |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Fallen for Fame Addiction: F．Scott Fitzgerald |
| B．An Inch into Fame: F．Scott Fitzgerald |
| C．F．Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Novelist |
| D．F．Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Screenwriter |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
I was going to Paris, which I’d always wanted to see．But now I was frightened to travel alone．I arrived at the train station in Paris．I hadn’t spoken my college French for twenty years．On my first metro ride, I came across an incompetent（不胜任的）thief．I just stared at him, and he stopped his hand from my purse and disappeared into the crowd． Somewhere in this confusing city was my hotel hidden, but the directions suddenly weren’t easy to find． When I finally found the hotel, my heart was beating heavily, and I was sweating like a basketball player．I couldn’t stay．Could I? The wallpaper looked like it had been through a fire．The bathroom was downstairs, and the window looked out onto the brick wall of another building．Welcome to Paris．I sincerely wanted to die．I missed my friends．I was entering my third week away from home and my kids, and I had arrived in the most romantic city in the world, alone, lonely and frightened．
The most important thing I did in Paris happened at that moment．I knew that if I didn’t go out, right then, and find a place to have dinner, I would hide in this small room my entire time in Paris．I might never learn to enjoy the world as a single individual．So I went out．Evening in Paris was light and pleasant．I walked along a path, listening to birds sing, watching children float toy boats in a huge fountain．No one seemed to be in a hurry．Paris was beautiful．And I was here alone and suddenly not lonely．My sense of accomplishment overcoming my fear and weakness had left me feeling free．I wore out two pairs of shoes during my week’s stay in Paris．I did everything there was to do, and it was the greatest week of my European vacation．I returned home, becoming a believer in the power of traveling alone．Now when I meet difficulties I just say to myself, “If I can go to Paris, I can go anywhere．”What happened on my first metro ride?
| A．I came across a skillful thief． |
| B．I bravely caught a thief trying to steal |
| C．The thief successfully stole my purse |
| D．I scared away a thief trying to steal |
The room in the hotel where I lived ______．
| A．had just gone through a big fire |
| B．was in very poor conditions |
| C．had a good sight through the window |
| D．was very small and untidy |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．I was not lonely when I got to Paris． |
| B．I felt frightened travelling alone in Paris at first． |
| C．I then felt not lonely for the people around me in Paris． |
| D．I had a lot of walking during my stay in Paris． |
The lifestyle of French people can be considered as ________．
| A．hasty | B．relaxed | C．anxious | D．aggressive |
As to the writer, the power of traveling alone is _______．
| A．the power of being independent |
| B．the power of feeling free |
| C．the power of becoming optimistic |
| D．the power of overcoming difficulties |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
I am a single working mother and going to college for a better life for my three-year-old child and myself． I am taking a nurse course called “Urban Community（社区）”．We were asked to do a major project on problems in urban communities．I chose the topic “Homeless”．
Each day I would walk down the streets of the homeless and offer them something to drink and to eat． I know it’s tough to survive on the streets．Last night I ran into a group of 30 kids who were living on the streets in New York．My heart went out to them and I just wanted to cry． But I had to be strong．
I asked about their families and if they contacted them to let them know they were alive． Most of them said, “NO!” They all looked like a happy family and they took care of one another． I tried to persuade them to get help and to contact their families but they did not want to． I did not want to make them to do it as they had their own reasons．
All these kids were very respectful． None of them was high on drugs nor were they drinking．Some of them enjoyed reading and writing．Some of them enjoyed skateboarding, dancing and playing music．
One girl asked me if I could give her a hug and I did so．She started to cry and said, “Thank you for not treating us as freaks（怪人）like everyone else does．People don’t realize that we all have our own problems and some are worse than others．” She told me that her stepfather （继父） was extremely mean to her and her mother did not believe her．She ran away．Her street name was Little Mary．
They were good kids just trying to make ends meet．I told them that I didn’t have much to offer because I was a single mother just making ends meet．I had offered them sandwiches and drinks．They were so happy to have something to eat and told me that I couldn’t change the world but at least there was someone who really cared．
The author is _______．
| A．a homeless mother with a three-year-old kid |
| B．a single mother who attends college in New York |
| C．a teacher who teaches the “Urban Community” course |
| D．a full-time housewife with a three-year-old kid |
What does “My heart went out to them” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．My heart was taken away by them． |
| B．I wanted to hug them |
| C．I felt sympathy for them |
| D．I fell in love with them |
What kind of feeling did the author show when she failed to persuade the children to contact their families?
| A．Sorrow | B．Anxiety |
| C．Anger | D．Understanding |
Little Mary left home and became a wanderer because ________．
| A．her stepfather didn’t want to live with her |
| B．her stepfather treated her so badly that she was injured |
| C．her mother treated her so badly that she felt hurt |
| D．her mother didn’t believe her and her stepfather treated her badly． |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A Story of a Single Mother |
| B．Care for the Homeless Kids |
| C．An Urban Community |
| D．How to Survive on the Streets |
Engineers should embrace（接受） the arts，Sir John O'Reilly，a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology，argued in a lecture．
About 59% of engineering companies in the IET's 2014 survey feared skill shortages could threaten（威胁） business．
"There is nothing as creative as engineering," Sir John told the reporter．He says science，technology，engineering and mathematics - often known as "Stem" subjects，are vital for a modern knowledge economy．But there is a massive shortfall in the number of recruits（招聘） - with a recent study by the Royal Academy of Engineering saying the UK needs to increase by as much as 50% the number of Stem graduates it produces．
Delivering this year's Mountbatten Lecture at the Royal Institution，Sir John argued that engineers should recognise the role of the arts in their work - among other benefits; this could attract more people into the profession．The lecture，Full Steam Ahead for Growth，advocated a wider adoption -- Steam，or science，technology，engineering，arts and maths．Engineers should embrace the arts as being key to creativity and an important component of innovation（创新），crucial to creating new products and boosting future competitiveness，he argueD． "Engineering and technology is an increasingly diverse and creative field," said Sir John．
Some university engineering departments already cooperated with art schools to develop understanding，he told the reporter．In particular he mentioned Cranfield University's Centre for Creative Competitive Design and Imperial College's work with the Royal College of Art．The two sets of people could work well together and more emphasis on the creative side of engineering could improve the success of products，he said．
"Aesthetics(美学) is part of it," he told the reporter，adding that Apple's iPod was not the first digital media player，nor the only one that worked - but it came to dominate the market "because it was nice to have"．
Sir John said he was not suggesting universities started requiring A-level art from engineering applicants - the key subjects for admission would continue to be maths and the sciences．But an emphasis on creative skills would help "broaden the pool and attract more people in"．
According to a recent study by the Royal Academy _______ ．
| A．skill shortages could threaten business |
| B．engineering graduates are not as creative as expected |
| C．there are not enough arts graduates produced in the UK． |
| D．the UK needs more graduates in science，technology，engineering and mathematics |
According to the lecture Full Steam Ahead for Growth，_______ ．
| A．engineers should cooperate with arts majors |
| B．Accepting the arts could attract more people into engineering |
| C．engineers should realize arts play the most important part in their work |
| D．engineering and technology is as diverse and creative as before |
By giving the example of Apple's iPod，Sir John intends to _______ ．
| A．stress the importance of arts |
| B．stress the importance of marketing |
| C．stress the importance of communication |
| D．stress the importance of science and technology |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．More university students should study arts instead of engineering． |
| B．Engineering and technology is increasingly different and unrelated fields． |
| C．The IET's skills survey raised concerns about the number of recruits to engineering． |
| D．Students from some university engineering departments have already transferred to art schools |
What is the passage mainly about?
A． Lack of creativity makes it difficult for the engineering major to find a satisfactory joB．
B． The key subjects for engineering majors remain to be maths and the sciences rather than arts．
C． University engineering departments should cooperate with art schools to improve the success of products．
D． Engineering needs to emphasize its creative side to encourage more young people to choose it as a career．
Cooking programs and classes for children seem to positively influence children's food preferences and behaviors，according to a recent review．And，although the review didn't look at long-term effects of such programs，the findings suggest that such programs might help children develop long-lasting healthy habits．
This research comes at a time when childhood obesity（肥胖） rates have been rising rapidly．More than one-third of adolescents in the United States were obese in 2012，according to the U．S．Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)．This trend has been caused，at least in part，by a significant decrease in the amount of meals that people consume at home since the 1980s，according to background information in the study．
Cooking education programs，such as Food Explorers，teach children about new healthy foods and how to prepare them．They also stress the importance of eating five fruits and vegetables every day．a volunteer parent explains a new food to the group，and the kids make something based on the lesson，such as fruit or vegetable salad． Depending on the program，kids may be sent home with information about healthy foods to bring to their parents，the review explained．
The study team reviewed eight other studies that tested different types of cooking education programs．Children in these classes were between 5 and 12 years old，according to the review．The goal of the study team was to learn more about developing an efficient program to encourage healthy food choices that last a lifetime．The study found that it is particularly important to expose kids to healthy foods on a number of occasions．This makes them feel comfortable with the new foods，which helps them build healthy habits．
The study stressed the importance of getting parents involved in（参与） their children's eating habits．Parents who are unable to enroll their kids in a cooking class can achieve similar benefits by having their kids help them while they prepare meals at home．Children are more comfortable at home，which makes them more receptive to new foods because they will make the connection to a positive experience．
What can we infer from the second paragraph?
| A．Eating out frequently causes obesity． |
| B．Childhood obesity is totally caused by eating habit． |
| C．Childhood obesity rates have been rising rapidly since 2012 |
| D．Food consumption has decreased significantly since the 1980s． |
On cooking education programs，________．
| A．children learn how to prepare foods from their parents |
| B．children will learn how to cook in the company of their parents |
| C．children may learn information unknown to their parents |
| D．children focus more on cooking skills than on information about healthy foods |
Which of the following is true according to the study?
| A．Parents should let their kids cook independently at home． |
| B．A greater willingness to try new foods helps building healthy habits． |
| C．Children who participate in cooking programs are less likely to become obese． |
| D．Children who take cooking courses are more likely to choose fruits and vegetables as adults． |
Which of the following categories does this passage belong to?
| A．Education Systems |
| B．Science and Technology |
| C．Parent-child Relationship |
| D．Public Health Research |
The purpose of the passage is _________．
| A．to inform the reader |
| B．to entertain the reader |
| C．to discuss with the reader |
| D．to warn the reader |
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