I found a website that has changed my life. The website is wishuponahero.com and it is all about people helping others, not expecting anything in return.
I am a single mom with a son. My son’s 12th birthday was on October 29th, 2007. Knowing that I didn’t have money to buy him a birthday gift had broken my heart. So, I decided to post a wish on wishuponahero.com for people to send my son birthday cards.
Many cards just started coming in and my little son was very excited and this went on for about three weeks. The smile on his face and the sparkle (闪光) in his eyes brought me to tears.
Then, at the end of November, he started thinking about Christmas and he already knew that there would not be a tree for him because we didn’t have enough money. However it didn’t matter to him. All he talked about was how much he wanted to make other children smile. So he decided to earn money to buy Christmas cards and send them to other children from poor families. My son went out daily and raked leaves and walked some dogs to make money. Not only did he buy cards, but he also made enough money to buy all the stamps and lollipops to send with the cards. He sent out about 100 cards. Doing this brought him the same smile and sparkle in his eyes as the birthday cards that he received did.
60. The single mother posted a wish on wishuponahero.com because ______.
A. she wanted to send her son a card on the website
B. she liked the website very much
C. she was too poor to buy her son a birthday present
D. she thought her son would like the website very much
61. What did the son do for other poor children on Christmas?
A. He sent them his own Christmas tree.
B. He earned money to send them cards with candy.
C. He raked leaves and walked dogs for them.
D. He made some lollipops to make them smile.
62. Why was there sparkle in the son’s eyes at the end of the story?
A. He thought of his birthday cards and other good people.
B. He earned a lot of money by himself.
C. He thought of what his mother had done for him.
D. He was glad and excited to help other poor children.
63. What can we conclude from the story?
A. Surfing the Internet is of great use.
B. One should take care of his or her children.
C. People can ask for help from wishuponahero.com.
D. Learning to give makes one’s life more meaningful.
Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 percent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 percent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the color of a dark-striped zebra-fish（斑马鱼） to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebra-fish skin color is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanin (黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanin per pigment cell determine skin color.
It appears that, like the golden zebra-fish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanin production. This results in less pigmented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebra-fish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun (太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．people can not change their skin color without any pain |
| B．the new discovery could lead to research into ways to change skin color safely |
| C．pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin color as he liked |
| D．scientists have found out that people’s skin color is determined by the gene |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.
| A．nowadays people who want to change their skin color have to suffer a lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment |
| B．Europeans and Africans have the same gene |
| C．the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer |
| D．there are two kinds of genes |
Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebra-fish in order to _____________.
| A．find the different genes of humans’ |
| B．prove the humans’ skin color is determined by the pigment gene |
| C．find out the reason why the Africans’ skin color is dark |
| D．find out the ways of changing people’s skin color |
The reason why Europeans are light-skinned is probably that _____________.
| A．they are born light-skinned people |
| B．light-skinned Europeans have mutation in the gene for melanin production |
| C．they have fewer activities outside |
| D．they pay much attention to protecting their skin |
The writer’s attitude towards the discovery is ______________.
| A．neutral | B．negative |
| C．positive | D．unconcerned |
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He stopped by the fence in front of the house where he lived with his aunt Polly. He looked at it, and all joy left him. The fence was long and high. He put the brush into the whitewash and moved it along the top of the fence. He repeated the operation. He felt he could not continue and sat down.
He knew that his friends would arrive soon with all kinds of interesting plans for the day. They would walk past him and laugh. They would make jokes about his having to work on a beautiful summer Saturday. The thought burned him like fire.
He put his hand into his pockets and took out all that he owned. Perhaps he could find some way to pay someone to do the whitewashing for him. But there was nothing of value in his pockets —nothing that could buy even half an hour of freedom. So he put the bits of toys back into his pockets and gave up the idea
At this dark and hopeless moment, a wonderful idea came to him. It filled his mind with a great, bright light. Calmly he picked up the brush and started again to whitewash.
While Tom was working, Ben Rogers appeared. Ben was eating an apple as he walked along the street. As he walked along, he was making noises like the sound of a riverboat. First he shouted loudly, like a boat captain. Then he said “Ding-Dong-Dong”, “Ding-Dong-Dong” again and again, like the bell of a riverboat. And he made other strange noises. When he came close to Tom, he stopped.
Tom went on whitewashing. He did not look at Ben. Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hello! I’m going swimming, but you can’t go, can you?”
No answer. Tom moved his brush carefully along the fence and looked at the result with the eye of an artist. Ben came nearer. Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he kept on working.
Ben said, “Hello, old fellow, you’ve got to work, hey?”
Tom turned suddenly and said, “Why, it’s you, Ben! I wasn’t noticing.”
“Say —I’m going swimming. Don’t you wish you could? But of course you’d rather work — wouldn’t you? Of course you would.”
Tom looked at the boy a bit, and said “What do you call work?”
“Why, isn’t that work?” Tom went back to his whitewashing, and answered carelessly.
“Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. All I know is, it suits Tom Sawyer.”
“Oh come, now, you don’t mean to say that you like it?” The brush continued to move.
“Like it? Well, I don’t see why I shouldn’t like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?”
Ben stopped eating his apple. Tom moved his brush back and forth, stepped back to look at the result, added a touch here and there, and stepped back again. Ben watched every move and got more and more interested. Soon he said,
“Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”
Tom thought for a moment, was about to agree; but he changed his mind.
“No —no —it won’t do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly wants this fence to be perfect. It has got to be done very carefully. I don’t think there is one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it well enough.”
“No —is that so? Oh come, now —let me just try. Only just a little.” “Ben, I’d like to, but if it isn’t done right, I’m afraid Aunt Polly … ”
“Oh, I’ll be careful. Now let me try. Say —I’ll give you the core of my apple.”
“Well, here —No, Ben, now don’t. I’m afraid …”
“I’ll give you all of it.”
Tom gave up the brush with unwillingness on his face, but joy in his heart. And while Ben worked at the fence in the hot sun, Tom sat under a tree, eating the apple, and planning how to get more help. There were enough boys. Each one came to laugh, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was tired, Tom sold the next chance to Billy for a kite; and when Billy was tired, Johnny bought in for a dead rat —and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, Tom had won many treasures.
And he had not worked. He had had a nice idle time all the time, with plenty of company －and the fence had been whitewashed three times. If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, Tom would have owned everything belonging to his friends.
He had discovered a great law of human action, namely, that in order to make a man or a boy want a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to get.Why did Tom take all his bits of toys out of his pockets?
| A．Because he is tired and wanted to play with his toys. |
| B．Because he wanted to throw his toys away. |
| C．Because he wanted to give his toys to his friends. |
| D．Because he wanted to know if he could buy help with his toys. |
Tom was about to agree to let Ben whitewash when he changed his mind because ____________.
| A．Tom wanted to do the whitewashing by himself |
| B．Tom planned to make Ben give up his apple first |
| C．Tom was unwilling to let Ben do the whitewashing |
| D．Tom was afraid Ben would do the whitewashing better. |
What made Ben Rogers eagerly gave up his apple and offer to brush the fence for Tom?
| A．His warm heart and kindness to friends. |
| B．His curiosity about Tom’s brushing job. |
| C．Tom’s threat. |
| D．Aunt Polly’s idea. |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．The Happy Whitewasher |
| B．Tom And His Fellows |
| C．Whitewashing A Fence |
| D．How To Make The Things Difficult To Get |
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A
| BDU www.chinadaily.com.cn/bdu C H I N A D A I L Y L A U N C H E S B D U BUSINESS DAILY UPDATE Want to keep abreast of (了解…的最新情况) the dynamic pulse (有力的脉搏) of China’s economy? Get a glimpse of the most important business activities taking place here every day through Business Daily Update, a service offered by China Daily information via the World Wide Web. Placed under 10 categories, over 25 news items appear each day with the top three events highlighted all in English. Business Daily Update is just a few mouse clicks away. Subscribe to BDU for an annual fee of US $240. Email and fax services are also Available upon request. For more information, please contact Business Daily Update: Tel: (010)64941107, (010) 64924488 ext. 2000; Fax: +86-10-64941125 Email: bdu@chinadaily. com. cn;URL:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bdu |
If you get into BDU, you can _____________.
| A．know more than what you expect in China |
| B．get the most important business information in the world |
| C．get the information of the latest business activities taking place in China |
| D．get all the information in China Daily |
This ad will be very helpful to ___________.
| A．foreign business people | B．foreign travelers |
| C．Chinese people | D．China Daily reporters |
To get the information from BDU every day, you must ____________.
| A．understand Chinese | B．know something about the mouse |
| C．know how to operate a computer | D．how to use a fax machine |
Traveling abroad for leisure is becoming more and more popular for Chinese. The UK is high up in the list of places that the Chinese want to visit. There is a sense of mystery about the UKL: it’s often the images of England’s green parks, countryside and Victorian houses that people point to as an alternative to polluted, overcrowded cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou.
The capital is viewed as modern and dynamic, while being fived deep with history. When asked what other images are thought of by the UK, the reply is often “the Queen, tea and Oxbridge”. So what’s stopping them actually coming? Sebastian Wood, the British ambassador in Beijing, has described the UK as a “fortress”, and while this is perhaps an exaggeration (夸张). Britain does have a reputation as a country that is harder to access.
The main problem for Chinese tourists is obvious. Although visa applications are now completed online, visitors are still required to visit one of 12 UK centers across the country for a face-to –face interview and fingerprinting If you don’t live near one of these centers already, you’d have to travel some distance to get there.
Another problem is also to be mentioned. If travelers from China visit the UK, they also want to cover as much ground as possible. But the UK is not included in the Schengen visa, which allows access to a host of 26European countries such as France and Germany. So it makes the former seem a less worth it.
There is also the issue of cost:￡47 for a Schengen visa, ￡82 for the UK. On top of this, the UK is viewed as stricter in its handling of visas compared with the rest of Europe, fed by urban legends of rejected applications. In the end, the decision comes down to one question: Is Britain worth a visit?The underlined word “fortress” in Paragraph 2 is something similar to .
| A．temple | B．apartment |
| C．castle | D．market |
Which of the following statements is NOT true for the UK visa?
| A．One can apply for a visa online. |
| B．One must have a face-to –face interview. |
| C．No one can get a visa without a fingerprinting. |
| D．No one needs to travel a long distance to get to a center. |
What can a visitor do if the he gets a Schengen visa?
| A．He can only visit the UK． |
| B．He can only visit 26 European countries． |
| C．He can visit the UK and France． |
| D．He can travel to any country he likes． |
What is the author’s attitude towards visiting the UK?
| A．He really supports Chinese people to visit the UK． |
| B．He suggests Chinese people visit London strongly． |
| C．He thinks it is troublesome to visit the UK． |
| D．He believes everyone should go to see the Queen and Oxbridge． |
Welcome to the entrepreneur’s Club. Don’t hesitate to contact any of the entrepreneurs (企业家) if you are interested in.
Recycled-Bath Bole Workshop
Bath Bike Workshop is a recycling social enterprise initiative, unique to Bath and aims to rake action about environmental issues by getting mire people cycling. It makes cycling as green as possible by recycling used bikes for re-use and selling them at competitive prices. It also provides affordable bike repair and servicing. All our reeycled . repaired and serviced bikes are certified safe by a qualified bike mechanic before they leave the shop. Email: info@ bath-bike-workshop, org ok.
Old Bank Antiques Centre
Antiques are the very last word in rccyeling, and at Old Bank Antiques Centre, on the London Road in Bath, we do it with style. Among out fifteen dealers is Norman kemp, who not only restores furniture but gives abandoned timber a whole new lease of life. Norman has worked as a restorer specializing in painting effects for more than thirty years, and examples of his work have been exported to many parts of the globe. 14-17 Walecot Buildings. London Road. Bath Bal 6AD. Email: alexatontague@ aol.com
Heyokah Photos
My personal photography projects are concerned with the beauty in the ordinary. I like to celebrate real people and the way they interact with their surroundings and material possession. I also etcate images for businesses and performers in a documentary style, trying to get beneath the hype (新闻炒作)and show something about who they really are. These photos are part of my recent project: Boater on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Contact: www.ehyokah.co.uk
Hannah Bartlett
The garments are a mix of tailored wools and leather. I trained as the UCA as a creative pattern cutter so I like my work to be cut in a creative way. It is important for me not to waste too much fabric so I like to make some garments out of leftovers. Email: hannanh-bartlett@botmail.co.ukIf a person is interested in clothes design, he will probably contact email .
| A．info@ bath-bike-workshop. Org.uk |
| B．alexatontaguc@ aol.com |
| C．www.ehyokah.co.uk |
| D．hannanh-bartlett@botmail.co.uk |
can both receive emails and letters from the customers.
| A．Bath Bike Workshop | B．Old Bank Antiques Centre |
| C．Heyokah Photos | D．Hannah Bartlett |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A science textbook. | B．A tourist map. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A news report. |
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