Two elderly women in my community died "full of years,"which means both died from the normal wearing out of the body after a long and full life. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid visits to the two families.
The son of one of the deceased(已故的) women said to me,"If only I had sent my mother to Florida and got her out of this cold ,she would be alive today. "The son of the other deceased woman said, "If only I hadn't insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. "
When things don't turn out as we would like them to, it is very likely for us to think that if we had done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty.
There seem to be two elements in our readiness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense and that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to try to find the patterns and connections.
The second element is the notion(观念)that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. Psychologists trace this feeling back to our childhood. A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. The world works for him. When he cries, someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow the notion that our wishes cause things to happen.
69.What is said about the two deceased elderly women?
A. They lived long and died after a natural life.
B. They died due to lack of care by family members.
C. They died of the tiredness after the long plane ride.
D. They weren't quite used to the change in weather.
70.People feel guilty for the deaths of their beloved ones because_______.
A. they believe that they were responsible
B. they do not know the natural course of events
C. they couldn't find a better way to express their grief
D. they didn't know things often turn out in the opposite direction
71.The underlined sentence "the world makes sense" probably means that_______.
A. we have to be sensible so as to understand the world
B. everything in the world is pre-determined
C. there's an explanation for everything in the world
D. the world can be interpreted in different ways
72.People have been made to believe since babyhood that_______.
A. every story should have a happy ending
B. their wishes are the cause of everything that happens
C. life and death is an unsolved mystery
D. everybody should obey their wills without question
I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a passage from the Bible about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that medical checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?” It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.” From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.
| A．all by himself | B．with Evelyn |
| C．with his family | D．with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________.
| A．he was willing to be a good husband |
| B．he could afford time to care for her |
| C．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| D．she was seriously ill |
The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?
| A．He praised her sweater, which puzzled her. |
| B．He was so good to her that she thought she would be dying. |
| C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D．She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.
| A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| B．he is beginning to regret what he did to his wife before |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
About seven years ago, whenever I notice someone looked nice, I started telling them they looked nice. Shortly afterwards, I came up with an observation: If you tell five people during the day that they look nice, at the end of the day, six people feel great. Here are some fruitful experiences I have with this.
One day, I was riding with a friend when we rolled to a stop at the traffic light. As we waited for the light to turn green, a man walked across the crosswalk. He looked very together, so I called out, “Hey, you look sharp today!” Pointing towards a building, he said, “Thanks, but I was sharper there.” His comment puzzled me. But before I could ask about it, the light turned green, and we drove on. I asked my friend what he meant. My friend informed me that we were at the corner of a radio station and the man was the voice on the radio. Then I understood. But no matter who he was the biggest thing for me was that he was smiling when he accepted my compliment (赞扬).
Later that day, there was a woman standing on the corner where we were turning, and I yelled (大喊) the compliment again, “You look nice!” She was just taking a sip of a bottle of water and started to laugh. I felt good to get a laugh.
Another day, while seated in a restaurant, there was a lady sitting near me. I really did not care for her skirt, but she did look nice in it, so I told her, “You look nice today.” She looked at me and rolled her eyes a little. Well, her friend sitting next to her told her, “He just gave you a compliment. Say thank you.” I don’t remember whether she said “thank you” or not, but what I did notice was that her friend was smiling at my “You look nice today” compliment.The underlined word “sharp” in Paragraph 2 probably means_________.
| A．attractive | B．sudden |
| C．strict | D．mild |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The first man the author praised accepted his compliment. |
| B．The first man the author praised worked at a radio station. |
| C．The woman standing on the corner didn’t like the compliment |
| D．The friend of the lady in the restaurant felt happy about the compliment. |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Fruitful Experiences |
| B．Help Others, Help Yourself |
| C．Learn to compliment. |
| D．“You Look Nice Today” |
Does your child struggle in school? Is he or she afraid of reading out loud, writing an essay, or working out a math problem? While every kid has trouble with homework from time to time, if a certain area of learning keeps going wrong, it might show a learning disorder. Learning disorders, or learning disabilities, are a general term for a wide variety of learning problems.
A learning disability is not a problem with IQ or motivation (动机). Kids with learning disabilities aren’t lazy or slow. In fact, most are just as smart as everyone else. Their brains are just wired (装电线) differently. Simply put, children and adults with learning disabilities see, hear, and understand things differently. This difference affects how they receive and process (处理) information. This can lead to trouble in learning new information and skills, and putting them to use.
It can be tough to face the possibility that your child has a learning disorder. No parents want to see their children suffer. You may wonder what it could mean for your child’s future, or worry about how your kid will make it through school. But the important thing to remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. They just need to be taught in ways that suit their unique learning styles.
It’s not always easy to tell whether a child has learning disabilities, for learning disabilities look very different from one child to another. One child may struggle with reading and spelling, while another loves books but can’t understand math. Still another child may have difficulty understanding what others are saying or communicating loud. However, some warning signs are more common than others at different ages. If you’re aware of what they are, you’ll be able to catch a learning disorder early and quickly and take steps to help your child as quickly as possible.From the passage, we can infer that_______.
| A．students with learning disabilities look quite different from normal students |
| B．students with learning disabilities can’t do well in their studies |
| C．only few students with learning disabilities are as clever as normal students |
| D．it is quite possible for a students with learning disabilities to succeed in their studies |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Learning about learning disabilities. |
| B．How to prevent learning disabilities. |
| C．Ways to identify learning disabilities. |
| D．Different learning disabilities. |
What will be most probably discussed following the Paragraph 4?
| A．Some ways which help parents teach their children with learning disabilities better. |
| B．Some suggestions on how to get along with their children with learning disabilities. |
| C．Some parents may have difficulties in helping their children with learning disabilities. |
| D．Some warning signs which show that a child may have learning disabilities. |
They are the sort of friends who are so close they trust each other with their lives. If one falls, the other is there to catch him.
They are Wellman, whose legs were permanently injured nine years ago in a rock-climbing accident, and Corbett, an experienced rock climber. Together, they climbed up Half Dome, the famous 2,000-foot rock in the Yosemite National Park, through one of the most difficult routes(路线).
During the climb, Corbett took the lead, hit in the metal spikes（尖状物）that guided the ropes and climbed up. Then, after Wellman pulled himself up the rope, Corbett went down to remove the spikes and climbed up again. This process was repeated time and again, inch by inch, for 13 days. Wellman’s job was not easy either. He got himself up the rope through upper body strength alone. In all, Wellman figured that he had done 5,000 pull-ups up the rope on the climb.
However, when the two men first met, they never talked about climbing. “He knew that was how I got injured.” Wellman said. Until one day Wellman decided that he wanted to climb again and they started training.
Their climb of Half Dome was not all smooth. At one point, pieces of rock gave way, and Corbett dropped down quickly. Wellman locked their rope in place, stopping the fall at 20 feet. His quick action probably saved his friend’s life.
“Your partner can save your life — you can save your partner’s life,” Wellman said as the pair received congratulations from friends. “There are real close ties.”Why did the two men never talk about climbing when they first met?
| A．Corbett was poorly trained. |
| B．Wellman had lost interest in climbing. |
| C．Corbett didn’t want to hurt Wellman. |
| D．Wellman hadn’t decided whether to climb again. |
What do we know about Wellman?
| A．He climbed Half Dome by himself. |
| B．He was disabled in a traffic accident. |
| C．He stopped rock-climbing for some time. |
| D．He was saved by Corbett during the climb. |
Which of the following was a challenge for Corbett in climbing Half Dome?
| A．To climb up to remove the spikes. |
| B．To climb it again after falling down |
| C．To do 5,000 pull-ups up the rope. |
| D．To lock the rope in place. |
The main idea of the text is that _______ .
| A．two heads are better than one |
| B．friendship is precious in life |
| C．the disabled should never give up |
| D．a man can be destroyed but cannot be defeated |
A study of English learning problems was carried out among a total of 106 foreign students. It shows that most students considered understanding spoken English to be their biggest problem on arrival. This was followed by speaking. Writing increased as a problem as students discovered difficulties in writing papers that they were now expected to hand in. Reading remained as a significant problem.
Information gained helped us in determining where special attention should be paid in our course. Although many students have chosen to join the course with a reasonable motivation, we considered it important to note what seemed to encourage interest. Nearly all the students have experienced some kind of grammar-based English teaching in their own country. To use the same method would be self-defeating because it might reduce motivation, especially if it has failed in the past. Therefore a different method may help because it is different.
Variety of activity was also seen as a way of maintaining or increasing motivation. Several years ago we had one timetable that operated throughout, but we soon found that both the students and the teachers lost interest about halfway through the ten weeks. This led us to a major re-think, so in the end we brought it into line with the expressed language needs of the students.What is the test mainly about?
| A．Foreign students have more problems. |
| B．There are many ways to improve English. |
| C．Teaching should meet students’ needs. |
| D．English learning problems should be studied again. |
Writing became a bigger problem when foreign students __________.
| A．had to write their papers |
| B．became better at speaking |
| C．became less interested in reading |
| D．had fewer problems with listening |
We may infer from the last two paragraphs that_________.
| A．different teaching methods should be used |
| B．grammar-based teaching seems to be encouraging |
| C．English courses are necessary for foreign students |
| D．teaching content should be changed halfway |
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