Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen（婴儿圈栏）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit
every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. "Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...." The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________.
| A．it was too cold and quiet |
| B．she could only sing one song in the small farm |
| C．there was nothing more that could make her excited |
| D．The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.
| A．passed away four years ago |
| B．left the small farm with Lord |
| C．left for Lord to live her own way |
| D．preferred to be with Lord |
The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.
| A．recalled | B．comforted | C．shouted | D．sighed |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.
| A．The writer was able to sing before she could speak. |
| B．The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city. |
| C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower". |
| D．The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse. |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______
| A．Cherish life | B．My happy childhood |
| C．Our small farmhouse | D．Mom’s music |
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The manager expects to meet and talk with successful applicants in Paris in June and July..
. What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To introduce a language school in Japan. |
B．To hire language teachers to work in Japan. |
| C．To describe working conditions in Japan. |
D．To make cl ear the requirements for Japanese teachers. |
.
We know from the text that those who are going to Japan will _______.
| A．teach English only in Osaka | B．receive a degree from a university |
| C．have free accommodation | D．get trained for the job |
.
Before going to Japan, you need _______.
| A．to see the manager of NOVA France | B．to take some computer courses |
| C．to write a letter to Japan | D．to find a place to live |
.
If you want to work in Japan you should _______.
| A．have some working experience | B．know how to use computers |
| C．present good teaching plans | D．speak several languages |
A teacher of English as a second language is the 2004 Teacher of the Year in the United States .Kathy Mellor of Rhode Island will spend the next year as an international spokeswoman for education. President Bush and his wife, Laura ,honored her during a ceremony（仪式）at the White House last week.
For the past nineteen years ,Kathy Mellor has taught English as a second language at Davisville Middle School in North Kingstown, Rhode Island ,in the northeastern United States .She redesigned the program for E.S.L students at her school to provide each student with one to three periods per day in classes for English learners .How much instruction the students get depends on their level of skill in listening ,speaking ,reading and writing. The amount of time they spend in these classes in reduced as their level of English increases.
A teacher describes this as the most successful E.S.L. program in North Kingstown. She also praises Kathy Mellor for providing help to students and their families by forming a local parents group for speakers of other languages .This improved their ability to help their children.
Kathy Mellor earned a master’s degree in education from Rhode Island College. She studied teaching English as a second language.
She was chosen for the national honor of Teacher of the Year from among top teachers in each of the fifty states .As Teacher of the Year ,Kathy Mellor will travel aroun
d the United States and to other countries .She will talk about the importance of education and the work of teachers..This passage is mainly about________.
| A．Teacher of the Year 2004 in the United States |
| B．Ms Mellor’s English teaching instruction |
| C．Ms Mellor’s teaching skills of learning English |
| D．praises to Ms Mellor from other teachers |
.What does “E.S.L.” in the passage stand for?
| A．English study learners. | B．English speaking and listening. |
| C．English special learners. | D．English as a second language. |
.From this passage we can learn that ________.
| A．middle school teachers from each state are honored Teachers of the Year |
| B．middle school teachers in the USA have to get master’s degrees |
| C．Ms Mellor’s students have no problems in learning English |
| D．the American government pays much attention to education |
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated (估计) worth of more than $40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat (功绩) for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportu
nity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the population, he says, has proven to be an essential (实质的) method in helping poor countries to be financially successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates: “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency (紧迫),” Gates said. “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”.. Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to ___.
| A．improve the health of population in America alone |
| B．improve the health of population all over the world |
| C．avoid leaving his children too much money |
| D．spare the American government the burden of health care |
.. Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is ___.
| A．to set up more foundations for them | B．to aid them with natural resources |
| C．to put more effort into the health issues in them | D．to help them take a more global view |
. It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks ___.
| A．Americans should care about people in other countries |
| B．Americans should treat fellow citizens well |
| C．Americans should devote themselves to certain projects |
D． Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune |
.. Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of ___.
| A．his weakening health condition | B．his parents’ suggestions |
C．his great s uccess in business |
D．his concern for suffering people |
. The underlined word “channel” probably has a similar meaning as it is used in sentence “___”.
| A．Try to channel your abilities into something useful | |
| B．We ought to channel this street so that water can flow away easily | |
| C．Ships must follow the channel into the port | D．Which cha nnel will you be broadcasting tonight |
The days of elderly women doing nothing but cooking huge meals on holidays are gone. Enter the Red Hat Society—a group holding the belief that old ladies should have fun.
“My grandmother didn’t do anything but keep house and serve everybody. They were programmed to do that,” said Em
ily Cornette, head of a chapter of the 7-year-old Red Hat Society.
While men have long spent their time fishing and playing golf, women have sometimes seemed to become unnoticed as they age. But the generation now turning 50 is the baby boomers (生育高峰期出生的人), and the same people who refused their pare
nts’ way of being young are now trying a new way of growing old.
If you take into consideration feminism (女权主义), a bit of spare money, and better health for most elderly, the Red Hat Society looks almost inevitable (必然的). In this society, women over 50 wear red hats and purple (紫色的) clothes, while the women under 50 wear pink hats and light purple clothing.
“The organization took the idea from a poem by Jenny Joseph that begins: “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple. With a red hat which doesn’t go,” said Ellen Cooper, who founded the Red Hat Society in 1998. When the ladies started to wear the red hats, they attracted lots of attention.
“The point of this is that we need a rest from always doing something for someone else,” Cooper said. “Women feel so ashamed and sorry when they do something for themselves.” This is why chapters are discou
raged from raising money or doing anything useful. “We’re a ladies’ play group. It couldn’t be more simple,” added Cooper’s assistant Joe Heywood.. The unlined word “chapter” in Paragraph 2 means ___.
| A．one branch of an organization | B．a written agreement of a club |
| C．one part of a collection of poems | D．a period in a society’s history |
. From the text, we know that the “baby boomers” are a group of people who ___.
| A．have gradually become more noticeable | B．are worried about getting old too quickly |
| C．are enjoying a good life with plenty of money to spend | |
| D．tried living a different life from their parents when they were young |
. It could be inferred from the text that members of the Red Hat Society are ___.
| A．interested in raising money for social work | B．programmers who can plan well for their future |
| C．believers in equality between men and women | D．good at cooking big meals and taking care of others |
.. Who set up the Red Hat Society?
| A．Emily Cornette | B．Ellen Cooper | C．Jenny Joseph | D．Joe Heywood |
.. Women join the Red Hat Society because ___.
| A．they want to stay young | B．they would like to appear more attractive |
| C．they would like to have fun and live for themselves | D．they want to be more like their parents |
The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the 
quiet. He dreamt of the cav
e last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches—but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight. Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill wa
s quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sand hills still breathed heat from yes
terday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves. The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way.... What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
| A．He left the house quietly. | B．He had breakfast at home |
| C．He left a note on the freezer. | D．He put a sweater in his schoolbag. |
. “He settled for some biscuits” in paragraph 3 means that Tim ___.
| A．had to leave the biscuits on the table | B．liked biscuits better than sandwiches |
| C．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches | D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen |
. What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
| A．The height of the first rocks | B．The ups and downs of the waves |
| C．The change in the position of the sun. | D．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach |
. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
| A．The sea looked like a piece of gold. | B．Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived. |
| C．Tim was the only person on the beach. | D．The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave. |
.. In the story, Tim’s mood changed from ___.
| A．loneliness to craziness | B．anxiousness to excitement |
| C．helplessness to happiness | D．eagerness to nervousness |
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