Everybody has had at least one experience from which he knows the meaning of life. This time, which took place several years ago, but seems as if it just happened.
On an afternoon several years ago, my brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s dress and picked out a beautiful skirt. “ Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.” he said．I guess this was the occasion: it was the funeral of my sister, after her unexpected death.
He took the shirt and put it on bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the funeral. Then he closed the drawer and turned to me, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”
I’m thinking about his words, and they’ve changed the way I live my life. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a kind of experience to enjoy, not to suffer. “Someday ”and “one of these days ”are losing their importance on my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.
Ever since that day, I have been trying very hard not to put off, hold back or save anything that would add laughter and color to our lives. Every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, every breath, truly is a gift. So cherish every day and find the true meaning of your life.Why did Jan buy the beautiful skirt but didn’t wear it?
| A．She waited for a special occasion to wear it on. |
| B．She wanted to keep it for someone else. |
| C．She saved it till she grew up. |
| D．She would give it to herself as a gift some day. |
What does the underlined word “cherish” mean?
| A．Treasure. | B．Waste. | C．Own. | D．Save |
From his experience, the author learns that_______.
| A．everybody can have a happy life through efforts |
| B．every day in our lives is worth cherishing |
| C．enjoying ourselves is the most important thing in our lives |
| D．everybody will have some things left to do after his death |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Every Day IS a Gift |
| B．My Sister Jan |
| C．What Is the Meaningful Life like |
| D．The Most Important Time in Your Life |
Memory， they say，is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a conscious（有意识的）effort，then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful，there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.
Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week，for example，I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night，yet I clearly remembered locking it carefully the night before.
Memory “tricks” work the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something and then find out that you did. One day last month，for example，I was sitting in a barbershop（理发店）waiting for my turn to get a haircut，and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barbershop across the street from my office.
We always seem to find something funny and interesting in incidents（事件）caused by people’s forgetfulness or absent-mindedness. Stories about absent-minded professors have been told for years. Unfortunately，however，absent-mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “tricks”of our memory can cause us great trouble.If you want to have a good memory， _____.
| A．you should ask someone else to help you to remember things |
| B．you should make a conscious effort to practice and exercise |
| C．you should never stop learning |
| D．you should try hard to remember things |
In the passage，the writer seems to tell us _____.
| A．forgetting things is serious and dangerous |
| B．always forgetting things is understandable |
| C．forgetting things at times is natural |
| D．the ways to protect yourself from memory “tricks” |
The best title for this passage is“_____”.
| A．How to Get a Good Memory |
| B．Tricks of Memory |
| C．The Danger of Forgetfulness and Absent-mindedness |
| D．Get Rid of Absent-mindedness |
The Norwegian government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline, production limits have been laid down, and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the government will be able to hold things back for long.
Ever since the war, the government has been carrying out a program of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this program has had a great deal of success. Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose most of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to _____.
| A．provide more jobs for foreign workers |
| B．slow down the rate of its development |
| C．sell the oil it is producing abroad |
| D．develop more quickly than at present |
The Norwegian Government has tried to ____.
| A．encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources |
| B．prevent oil companies employing people from Northern Norway |
| C．help the oil companies solve many of their problems |
| D．keep the oil industry to something near its present size |
According to the text, the oil industry might lead in Northern Norway to ____.
| A．the development of industry |
| B．a growth in population |
| C．the failure of the development program |
| D．the development of new towns |
In the south, one effect of the development of the oil industry might be _____.
| A．a large reduction in unemployment |
| B．a growth in the tourist industry |
| C．a reduction in the number of existing industries |
| D．the development of a number of service industry. |
CHINA
Coal mines claim (使…失踪) more lives
A COAL mine blast (爆炸) in Jixi, Helongjiang, left more than 100 miners dead on Thursday .Ten mines in Jixi were ordered to stop production. The government has tried to shut down thousands of small, illegal (非法的) mines in the country that do not meet safety standards.
MIDDLE EAST
Bombers continues to kill
PALESTINIANS killed 32 Israelis in three major attacks between Tuesday and Thursday. There were two suicide bombing (自杀性爆炸) and a militant (武装的) attack on Jewish settlement . They yielded one of the highest Israeli death tolls ( 死亡人数) in such a short period over the last two years.
CHINA
Young people stand tall
THE average height of Chinese young people has risen by 6 centimeters compared to that of 20 years ago. This year far exceeds (超过) the word’s average growth speed. A survey on health conducted by a panel(调研组) of Chinese students found the results. According to the world average level, youths get taller by 1 cm every 10 years.
CANADA
Talking about world issue (援助)
The Group of Eight (G8)—the US, Japan , Germany, Britain, France, Italy , Canada and Russia ---- will hold a summit on June26 and 27 in Kananaskis , Canada. The G8 are the richest and most powerful countries in the world. G8 leaders and some African presidents will discuss strengthening global economic growth and helping Africa. Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General, will also attend.Thousands of mines have been shut because ______.
| A．they have blast |
| B．they produced less coal |
| C．they are very small and illegal |
| D．they don’t meet the safety standards |
How many Israelis died in the three major attacks by Palestinians?
| A．23 | B．32 |
| C．100 | D．We don’t know. |
In the last 20 years, the average growth speed of Chinese youths exceeds the world’s average level by__.
| A．1 cm | B．4 cm | C．5 cm | D．6 cm |
What’s the purpose of the Summit ?
| A．to strengthen the global economic growth and helping some poor African countries. |
| B．To make these eight countries much more powerful. |
| C．To help some African president to strengthen their economic growth. |
| D．Kofi Annan will have an important speech on world issues. |
This passage may probably taken from _______.
| A．a story book | B．a text book |
| C．a newspaper | D．a novel |
While shell-like roofs, unlike anything else in the world, make the Sydney Opera House an image of timeless beauty. It is famous for being a symbol, not only of a city, but a whole country and condition too.
Its creator, Danish architect Jorn Utzon , turned 85 last Wednesday. And he was awarded the Prizker Prize, known as the Nobel Prize of Architecture, on April 6. But Utzon has never seen his Opera House.
The story began in 1957 when Utzon won an international competition to design an opera house in Sydney.
But not everyone was enthusiastic (热心的 ) . Utzon left his Opera project in 1966 after an argument with the local government and a storm of public criticism over the building’s design. It was not completed until seven years later and Utzon has never returned to Australia to see the result of his work.
“Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, and he persevered (坚持) through criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country,” said Frank Gehry, a Pritzer Architecture Prize judge.
Although the Sydney Opera House was Utzon’s masterpiece, it damaged his career. Upon his return to Denmark, he found work hard to come by , so he become a teacher at a university in Hawaii.
Utzon said he once saw posters of the Opera House. The interiors were different from his design. But, he said, “There is no regret, for it gave me such a wonderful experience in Australia and towards which I only have love and appreciation .”
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth opened the Opera House in 1973, and it now holds around 3000 events every year. It is recognized as one of the great symbolic buildings of the 20th century.The Sydney Opera House was completed_____.
| A．in 1957 | B．in 1906 |
| C．in 1973 | D．in 1980 |
Utzon has never seen his Opera House because _______.
| A．it has white shell-like roofs, unlike anything else in the world |
| B．its creator is Danish architect, who returned to Denmark |
| C．he was not awarded the Pritzker Prize, known as the Nobel Prize of Architecture |
| D．he argued with the local government and was criticized over his design |
The underlined word “come by” in Paragraph 6 means ______.
| A．find | B．pass |
| C．hire | D．Develop |
Relation between the United States and Columbia suffered for many years because of an incident involving the Republic of Panama. By the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, many Americans felt that an easier and faster way was needed to get ships from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Some people in the United States first believed that a canal across Nicaragua was the answer. However, President Theodore Roosevelt decided that a canal through Panama would be a better choice.
In order to build the canal , the United States had to negotiate （谈判） a treaty with Columbia , which at that time controlled Panama . Roosevelt offered Columbia $ 10 million plus $ 250,000 a year for 99 years for a six-mile-wide strip of land across Panama. Columbia rejected the United States’ offer. This ranged President Roosevelt, and negotiations with Columbia ended.
In 1903, a revolution broke out in Panama. The United States ships were sent by President Roosevelt to protect the Panamanian revolutionaries from Columbian forces. The revolution succeeded, and Panama declared its independence from Columbia. The United States then negotiated with the newly formed government. A treaty was signed, and the United States began building the canal.
As a result of the incident, Columbia and the United States remained on bad terms for many years. Not until 1921, when the United States agreed to pay Columbia some compensation (赔偿) for its territory, did relations between the two countries improve.According to the passage, the United States and Columbia were on bad terms because the United States had ________.
| A．at first wished to build a canal through Nicaragua |
| B．promised to pay Columbia $ 10 million for Panama |
| C．wished to build a canal through Panama |
| D．supported Panamanian revolutionaries in their fight for independence from Columbia. |
From the information in the passage, it can be concluded that the United States ______.
| A．wanted to build a canal because it was considered starting a war |
| B．felt that building a canal through Panama was worth the risk of ruining relations with Columbia |
| C．believed that a canal through Nicaragua would be profitable |
| D．had lost the Spanish-American War |
It can be inferred from the passage that an important reason for the decision of the United States to build a canal was to _______.
| A．develop trade relations with Europe |
| B．improve relations with South American countries |
| C．prevent European ships from reaching the Pacific Ocean |
| D．reduce travel time for its ships in case of war |
The passage mainly gives us________.
| A．advice | B．information |
| C．humor | D．News |
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