Shay asked, “Do you think they’ll let me play?” Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son, mentally and physically disabled, were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence.
Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play, not expecting much. The boy looked around and said, “We’re losing by six runs (分) and the game is in the eighth inning (局).I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the final inning.
Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and put on a team shirt with a broad smile and his father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the final inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously joyful just to be in the game and on the field. In the bottom of the final inning, Shay’s team scored again. Now, Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. Would they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was almost impossible. The first pitch (投) came and Shay missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to throw the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The pitcher could have easily thrown he ball to the first baseman and Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game .Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the head of the first baseman, beyond the reach of all teammates, The audience and the players from both teams started screaming, “Shay, run to first! ” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far but made it to first base, wide-eyed and shocked..
Everyone should, “Run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the smallest guy on their team, who had a chance to be the hero for his team for the first time, could have thrown the ball to the second baseman, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head.
All were screaming，“Shay，Shay，Shay，all the way Shay.” Shay reached third base when one opposing player ran to help him and shouted, “Shay, run to third.” As Shay rounded third, all were on their feet, crying,“Shay, run home！”Shay ran to home, stepped on the home base and was cheered as the hero who the who won the game for his team.
That day, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece true love and humanity into this world. Shay didn’t make it to another summer and died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully hug her little hero of the day!Not expecting much, Shay’s father still asked the boy if Shay could play, mainly because the father _________.
| A．noticed some of the boys on the field were heisting |
| B．guessed his presence would affect the boy’s decision |
| C．learned some of the boys on the field knew Shay well |
| D．understood Shay did need a feeling of being accepted |
In the bottom of the final inning Shay was given the bat because the boys _________.
| A．believed they were sure to win the game |
| B．would like to help Shay enjoy the game |
| C．found Shay was so eager to be a winner |
| D．fell forced to give Shay another chance |
The smallest boy threw the ball high and far over the third baseman’s head, probably because that boy ________.
| A．was obviously aware of the pitcher’s purpose |
| B．looked forward to winning the game for his team |
| C．failed to throw the ball to the second baseman |
| D．saw that Shay already reached second base |
Which of the following has nothing to do with Shay’s becoming the hero for his team?
| A．The pitcher did not throw the ball to the first baseman. |
| B．The audience and the players from both teams cheered for him. |
| C．The opposing players failed to stop his running to home. |
| D．One of the opposing players ran to help him. |
What to you think is the theme of the story?
| A．True human nature could be realized in the way we treat each other. |
| B．Everyone has his own strength even if mentally or physically disabled. |
| C．Everyone can develop his team spirit in sports and please his parents. |
| D．The results of the game should not be the only concern of the players. |
John, a famous musician, took his priceless antique violin and played it in the crowded subway station. The music from the violin was delicately streaming throughout the whole station. However, during the one-hour play, only six or seven people were truly appreciating the charming music. A three-year-old kid was so fascinated by the music that he forgot everything around. John only got 52 dollars for his work that day.
However, in normal days, when John is about to hold a concert, one ticket can be sold at more than 100 dollars and it is extremely hard to buy a ticket even at such a high price. Therefore, later, many passers-by in the station that day felt deeply regretful for not recognizing the famous musician and missing such a valuable but cheap music feast.
I have a very busy friend who had totally changed after knowing that his wife came down with incurable illness. He cooked by himself for the family and took a walk with his wife every day. Nonetheless, his wife still did not manage to conquer the illness and passed away after three months. After that, he often sighed miserably that due to his past busy life, he had missed a lot of beautiful time with his wife. But now, it is impossible to make up for it.
It is no use crying over spilt milk. We have missed a lot of precious things in our life without knowing to cherish them.
Actually, I also missed something precious before. The reason why we would have missed those precious things is less than simple: we had thought that we could still own them tomorrow.
Nevertheless, tomorrow is actually by no means reliable. There was a famous Buddhist monk saying that in many people’s lives, they have only done two things: waiting and regretting. The result is that they were always too late to cherish what they had before they lost it. We would often claim to do something when we grow up, or when we have money or when we become old, etc. However, when we reach the condition we have expected, we could no longer realize our wish, because we have lost it by then.The reason why people often regret may be that _______.
| A．they are too busy to notice the beautiful things |
| B．they are too careless to cherish precious things |
| C．they are lazy to observe the surroundings |
| D．they think that it’s none of their business |
The idea the author would like to get across to us seems that _______.
| A．actions speak louder than words |
| B．a bad beginning makes a bad ending |
| C．the lost will never come back |
| D．each day brings its own bread |
What method does the author employ to support his opinion？
| A．By listing data. | B．By comparing the details . |
| C．By explaining the procedures . | D．By taking examples. |
How do we understand the underlined parts “waiting and regretting”?
| A．Many people will not cherish what they have until they lost them. |
| B．Many people cannot do well until they get older. |
| C．Many people know what they are doing. |
| D．Many people regret for what they don’t possess. |
“I don’t think I can do this any more.” “Yes, you can. You only have five more radiation treatments to go. ” I held my wife Becky close.
Ever since the breast cancer diagnosis (诊断), she had tried hard to be strong for the kids and for me. When her diagnosis came, my first thought was there was no way I could lose my wife. The doctors assured us the cancer was discovered early so we were feeling positive.
Becky had received an operation and was recovering from it. After six weeks of radiation therapy(治疗), she was facing her final five treatments. She was weak and tired, in low spirits. Seeing her suffering, I felt so helpless and powerless.
As soon as I was outside, long-held frustration and anger erupted in me like a volcano. I took a hammer and suddenly was swinging as hard as I could, beating heavily on the front porch(门廊). While doing so, I imagined I was beating my wife’s cancer. With all my strength, I destroyed the porch.
During the treatment, my wife had been very brave. She said she had it easy, but I don’t think it was easy for her.
Seeing the porch gone, Becky shook her head at the window. I came into the room, not knowing how she would react to what I had done.
“Becky, are you mad at me?” She looked at me in surprise. “For what?” I pointed at the gate. “For tearing down the porch.” She laughed. “Look how sunny this room is now. I love that it’s bright in here.”
“You comforted me in my darker hour, Vince. You’ve found a way to deal with your own frustration. By destroying the porch, you let the sunshine in.”
As I looked around the brightened room, I realized the light that filled the space was the light of hope that shone so bright after the darkness. We never did re-build the porch.When the diagnosis came out, _______.
| A．the author had little hope that his wife would survive |
| B．the author was determined to save his wife’s life |
| C．the author’s wife refused to receive radiation treatments |
| D．the author felt lucky that his wife’s disease was not serious |
The author went outside to destroy the porch because _______.
| A．he wanted to release his frustration |
| B．he was disappointed with his wife |
| C．he intended to let sunshine in |
| D．his wife didn’t like it at all |
How did the author’s wife feel about him seeing the porch gone?
| A．Sympathetic | B．Angry |
| C．Understanding | D．Happy |
What lesson can we learn from the passage?
| A．Tragedy cannot separate loving couple |
| B．A day without sunshine is like night |
| C．True love is based on understanding |
| D．Nothing is impossible for a willing heart |
The news that China bans time-travel TV dramas and movies got a lot of attention on the internet. Yet, time travel in China is a bit different from time travel in common sense．It is anything but science fiction and always goes backwards in time．There is minimum imagination involved--no ever-ending circles that mess up present and future, no advanced technology, no new social orders or new human forms from the twenty--whatever century, everything is a known historical fact when you travel through in China．
It is not even called time travel; rather the Chinese people refer it as time crossover．Time crossover has been an extremely popular theme for online novels for years(in fact , it is an indispensible part of China’s online culture), and didn’t get picked up by TV and the big screen until recent two years．Most of time-travel dramas and movies are adapted from popular online novels and like in other cases adaptations are never better than the original books．
The main plot of time-travel novels or TV dramas can be very well summarized in one sentence: from nobody to somebody．Time travel in China is more about escaping from the reality than about realizing wild dreams．
In China , there is no need of time machine either．People travel backwards in time via the possession of antiques presence at historical places of interest encounter of life-threatening accidents or simple a look into the mirror．Some time-travel novels even start with “I wanted to go back to history so much that one morning when I opened my eyes I was back．” Technology is not relevant at all．
Though China is not short of histories to go back to, people have their own preferences and it is pretty much a gender （性别）thing．If the main character is male then he usually goes back to special times in history when he is able to help build up or tear up a dynasty．A typical example is A Step Into the Past(寻秦记), the first time-travel TV drama in China, which tells the story of how a SWAT member helps to unite China and build up Qin Dynasty ．
On the other hand , female characters primarily go back to Qing Dynasty partly because Qing Dynasty has the most number of princes to fall in love with．Yongzheng Emperor is the favorite．As can be seen in Startling by Each Step（步步惊心）, a Qing time crossover classic, a girl goes back to Qing Dynasty and falls in love with Yongzheng Emperor and his brothers．As for time travel in China, which of the following ideas does the writer agree to ?
| A．it is complicated and can be classified into science fiction. |
| B．it is often based on the familiar story in history. |
| C．it sometimes messes up the times and social orders. |
| D．it always occurs in any times but the time before. |
The writing purpose of this passage is to .
| A．analyze why the time -travel TV dramas are banned in China |
| B．introduce the characteristics of the time-travel TV dramas in China |
| C．show the difference between time travel in China and in other cultures |
| D．advise people to watch the time-travel TV dramas in China |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．China now has banned any forms of productions about time travel |
| B．adapted from online novels, time-travel TV and movie productions enjoy more praise |
| C．the main character always follows a set pattern in the time-travel TV dramas in China |
| D．all the time-travel productions are about heroes and their success |
The news mentioned in the very beginning is intended to .
| A．prove author’s view | B．introduce the topic |
| C．give an example | D．work as a topic sentence |
Loren Gladstone of Toronto is 58, but thinking over how to bequeath (遗赠) his digital property(财产). Doing the paperwork after his parents' death was a challenge. “When my time comes, I wonder if my children will even know what paper is，” he says. As a software developer, his virtual property is both valuable and vital to his business. That reflects a problem. Online lives have increasing economic and emotional value. But testamentary (遗嘱) laws offer confusing and incomplete ways of bequeathing and inheriting (继承) them.
Digital property may include software, websites, downloaded content, online gaming identities, social-media accounts and even e-mails. In Britain alone holdings of digital music may be worth over ￡9 billion ($14 billion). A fifth of respondents to a Chinese local-newspaper survey said they had over 5，000 yuan($790) of digital property. And value does not lie only in money.“Anyone with kids under 14 years old probably has two prints of them and the rest are in online galleries，”says Nathan Lustig of Entrustet, a company that helps people manage digital property.
Service providers have different rules—and few state them clearly in their terms and conditions. Many give users a personal right to use an account, but nobody else, even after death. Facebook allows relatives to close an account or turn it into a memorial page. Gmail (run by Google) will provide copies of e-mails to an executor (遗嘱执行人). Music downloaded via iTunes is held under a license which can be abolished on death. Apple declined to comment on the record on this or other policies. All e-mail and data on its iCloud service are deleted on the death of the owner.
This has led to cases to court in America. In 2004 the family of Justin Ellsworth, an army man killed in Iraq, took Yahoo! to court in Michigan to get copies of his e-mails. This year, a court in Oregon ruled that another American mother whose son had died could use her dead son's password to enter his Facebook account for a short period. Now five American states have made laws giving executors control over the social-networking accounts of dead users.
But this raises the subject of privacy. Passing music on is one thing; not everyone may want their relatives to read their e-mails. Colin Pearson, a London-based lawyer, says access should come only with a clear provision in a will.
But laws, wills and password safes may be contrary to the providers' terms of service, especially when the executor is in one country and the data in another. Headaches for the living and lots of lovely work for lawyers.Why does Loren begin to think over how to bequeath his digital property at the age of 58?
| A．Because he is afraid his children don't know what paper is. |
| B．Because there's no complete law dealing with digital property. |
| C．Because his digital property is of great value and importance. |
| D．Because he is worried his children will be taken to court. |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Digital property is assessed in terms of nothing except money. |
| B．No laws in America have been made to deal with digital property. |
| C．The relatives may read the e－mail of the dead without permission. |
| D．Lawyers can make money through cases about digital property. |
Facebook, Google and Apple have a similar rule that ________．
| A．users are offered accounts used by nobody else except users themselves |
| B．relatives of the dead may close an account or use it at their own will |
| C．the executor may enter the e－mail and read it by themselves at any time |
| D．the data downloaded by the dead will be copied and then deleted from net |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Digital Information | B．Testamentary Laws |
| C．Deathless Data | D．Vital Property |
Spring is the time to go out and enjoy the weather and scenery. Here are some events to attend in March of 2012 in Oregon!
Oregon Country Fair (OCF), 9 am to 7 pm on March 8-10
OCF first started in 1969, and it’s blossomed into an outstanding example of what a non-profit should be. OCF is an event of shopping & atmosphere, and food ranging from Indian & Afghani cuisine to Italian & France cuisine. Wonderful craft & music never stop. From the time you get there until the time you leave, everyone has a smile on their faces, and they wave and say hello. For tickets, go and visit www. Oregoncountryfair.org.
30th Annual Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament, 8 am to 6 pm on March 12-14
The Annual Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament is an amateur tournament that draws amateur volleyball players to the small town of seaside, as well as AVP Team players who are the best volleyball players. In the past years, it has drawn more than 700 teams playing on over 80 volleyball courts. Just go west, and you can’t miss it. It is about 20 miles south of Astoria. To learn more about it, visit the website www. Seasideor.com.
Hood to Coast Relay, 3:30 am to 6:45 pm on March 26-27
The Hood to Coast Relay is a 200-mile-long relay that consists of 15 000 runners and 4 100 volunteers. It’s the largest relay in the world, which goes from Mt. Hood to Pacific Ocean in Seaside, Oregon. People of the Oregon coast fear Hood to Coast, because local towns and streets are flooded. There are audiences cheering riders on, and many people set up stations to give riders water. If you would like to get the race route maps, visit the website www. Hoodtocoast.com.
Other event information
To learn about other events, visit the website www. aadfv. blogspot.com.OCF covers the following EXCEPT _____.
| A．music | B．dishes | C．dance | D．artworks |
When was the first Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament held in Oregon?
| A．In 1982. | B．In 1986. | C．In 1988. | D．In 1992. |
If Lisa wants to learn more about an outing in Oregon, she may visit _____.
| A．www. Seasideor.com. | B．www. Hoodtocoast.com. |
| C．www. aadfv.blogspot.com. | D．www. Oregoncountryfair.org. |
Locals of the Oregon coast are afraid of the relay because ______.
| A．the relay will last a long period |
| B．they have to offer food and water |
| C．the weather is bad during the relay. |
| D．too many people will go there. |
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