I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it. Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be a most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed in action. But as a young girl. I wanted to have heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional (易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface (表面)”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace – it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
But the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside – a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter.
“In any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.”The writer began to love her mother’s desk________.
| A．after Mother died | B．before she became a writer |
| C．when she was a child | D．when Mother gave it to her |
The passage shows that_________.
| A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter |
| B．Mother was too serious about her daughter in words |
| C．Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words |
| D．Mother wrote to her daughter in careless words |
The underlined word “gulf” in the passage means_______.
| A．deep understanding between the old and the young |
| B．different ideas between mother and daughter |
| C．free talks between mother and daughter |
| D．part of the sea going far in land |
What’s best title of the passage?
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and children |
| C．My Mother’s Desk | D．Talks between Mother and me |
Scott Langteau has this message for kids：spend less time playing video games.
It’s a message that many a mom and dad have tried to impress upon many a youngster (and some notsoyoungsters) who spend perhaps a bit too much time with game controllers in hand.
But the 40yearold Langteau isn’t a parent.He’s a veteran (老手) of the video game industry—one who played producer on three “Medal of Honor” games and cofounded his own game development company.
Langteau has just published a children’s books called Sofa Boy，which tells the story of a kid who spends too much time sitting on the couch with controller clutched in hand and the rather terrible consequences that follow.
It’s a fairy tale plucked straight from Langteau’s own experiences as a lad with a fondness for video games and his own bouts with a bit of game addiction.But first，Langteau would like to make one thing clear，“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t play video games.I think video games are great.I think they do great things for kids.”Instead，Langteau says his book is all about a little something called moderation (克制)．
“It’s about being well rounded，” he says.“Just like with anything else，we all need to make sure that there’s a variety in what we do.”
Video gamers can be rather badtempered when it comes to accepting criticism about their favorite entertainment.And understandably so.After all，most people who go around talking about the dangers of playing video games tend to be outsiders—people who don’t play video games and certainly don’t understand that they can be a valuable and healthy form of entertainment.
But Langteau and Sofa Boy seem to be in a unique position to deliver a message of gaming moderation that the young game masses might actually listen to.After all，this is a man who understands what it means to be a kid with a passion for games.His early experience has taught him a lesson.Scott Langteau published Sofa Boy to________.
| A．share his great skills on games |
| B．warn kids against game addiction |
| C．tell about his fairy tale as a kid |
| D．deliver a message for video games |
Which of the following is TRUE about Sofa Boy?
| A．The book implies the writer’s own story. |
| B．The book describes a veteran of games. |
| C．The boy in the book wins a medal in games. |
| D．The boy in the book is not a video game addict. |
We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．Langteau advises the young to play games within limits |
| B．Langteau advises the young not to play games |
| C．playing video games ruins the future of kids |
| D．playing video games doesn’t benefit kids |
By saying “It’s about being well rounded，...” (in Para.6)，Langteau means________.
| A．games do great good to kids |
| B．gamers are usually fat and round |
| C．games should be viewed from all sides |
| D．gamers are to blame for their behaviors |
The triathlon(铁人三项运动) promises to be one of the most popular Olympic sports.Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted by athletes swimming 1,500m，cycling 40km，then running 10km without stopping.But what makes an attractive 17yearold girl give up everything for the doubtful pleasure it offers?
Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those oftenrepeated phrases about personal satisfaction，mental challenge and higher targets that most athletes use when asked similar questions.“You swim for 1,500m，then run out of the water and jump on your bike，still wet.Of course，then you freeze.When the 40km cycle ride is over，you have to run 10km，which is a long way when you’re feeling exhausted.But it’s great fun，and all worth it in the end，” she says.
Melanie entered her first triathlon at 14 and she won the junior section.Full of confidence，she entered the National Championships，and although she had the second fastest swim and the fastest run，she came nowhere.“I was following this man and suddenly we came to the sea.We realised then that we had gone wrong.I ended up cycling 20 kilometres too far.I cried all the way through the running.”
But she did not give up and was determined that she never will.“Sometimes I wish I could stop，because then the pain would be over，but I am afraid that if I let myself stop just once，I would be tempted(诱惑) to do it again.”Such doggedness draws admiration from Steve Trew，the sport’s director of coaching.“I’ve just been testing her fitness，” he says, “and she worked so hard on the running machine that it finally threw her off and into a wall.She had given it everything，and she just kept on.”
Melanie was top junior in this year’s European Triathlon Championships，finishing 13th.“I was almost as good as the top three in swimming and running，but much slower in cycling.That’s why I’m working very hard at it.” She is trying to talk her longsuffering parents，who will carry the ￡1,300 cost of her trip to New Zealand for this year’s world championships，into buying a ￡2,000 bike，so she can try 25km and 100km races later this year.
But there is another price to pay.“I don’t have a social life，”she says.“After two hours’ hard swimming on Friday night，I just want to go to sleep.But I phone and write to the other girls in the team.” What does she talk about？Boys？Clothes？“No，what sort of times they are achieving.”How does Melanie differ from other athletes，according to the writer?
| A．She worries less than they do. |
| B．She expresses herself differently. |
| C．Her family background is not like theirs. |
| D．Her aims are different from theirs. |
What upset Melanie during the National Championships?
| A．She was tricked by another competitor. |
| B．She felt she had let her teammates down. |
| C．She made a mistake during part of the race. |
| D．She realized she couldn’t cycle as fast as she thought. |
What is Melanie trying to persuade her parents to do?
| A．Buy an expensive bike for her. |
| B．Give her half the cost of a bike. |
| C．Let her compete in longer races. |
| D．Pay for her to go to New Zealand. |
What does Melanie say about her relationships with her teammates?
| A．She would like to see them more often. |
| B．She only discusses the triathlon with them. |
| C．She thinks they find her way of life strange. |
| D．She dislikes discussing boys or clothes with them. |
Among professional basketball players，Jeremy Lin’s background is not typical.He graduated from Harvard University，which sends few players to the NBA，and he is the only ChineseAmerican NBA player.But when you watch him on the court，there is no doubt that he belongs there.He moves with speed and grace(魅力) that show years of faithful practice，which is fueled by a love for basketball.
The Family Effect
Lin’s enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan，where his father started watching it.Lin’s father moved to U．S.，and his interest in the sport only grew.He passed on this love of basketball to his son，introducing him to the game at the age of five.The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.After each game，his parents would discuss not only his score but also his conduct toward other players.This taught Lin that character was more important than playing well，a lesson he still remembers.
Rise of a Star
In high school，Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA but did not really expect to do so.When he applied for college，he was not offered a single sports scholarship.However，after his admission to Harvard，he was offered a place on its college basketball team.During Lin’s time at Harvard，his basketball career began to take off.He scored 1,482 points，making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.Eventually，the recognition he received led him to suspect that his NBA dream could come true.
When he first graduated，no professional teams offered Lin a contract(合约)，but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League.He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Life in the NBA
His journey in NBA did not go very well at first.He spent most of his time on the bench during the past two seasons.He constantly compared himself to other players and gave himself no time to rest up.For the first time in his life，he no longer enjoyed playing basketball.After a few very difficult months，he realized that much of his anxiety and stress came from selfcentered desires like wanting to be famous.So he transformed his attitude.He never stopped practicing and never gave up any slim chance.
Now he has become the NBA’s latest phenomenon after leading the New York Knicks to seven straight wins.He stays_humble and thinks that the credit for the winning goes to everyone in his team.Knicks fans developed nicknames for him，such as “Linsanity”，“Lincredible”，and “Linderella”．The Associated Press called Lin “the most surprising story in the NBA”．Which of the following is TRUE of Jeremy Lin?
A．He was born in U．S.
B．He was sure of his NBA dream in high school.
C．He loves playing basketball all the time.
D．He was coldly received when he first came to NBA.The underlined phrase “stays humble” in the last paragraph means ________.
| A．tries his best | B．is modest |
| C．keeps working hard | D．faces the difficulties |
What can we learn from Jeremy Lin?
| A．Hard work brings success. |
| B．We must have a father like Jeremy’s. |
| C．A good university can help us realize our dreams. |
| D．Team honour is more important than our own success. |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．What Is Next for Jeremy Lin? |
| B．Jeremy Lin’s Tips for Success |
| C．Following Dreams and Finding Joy |
| D．Six NBA Teams Eyeing Jeremy Lin |
Nowadays fashion speaks aloud.Then do you choose what you wear or does the ____ choose it for you？I am one of the million Americans who struggle with ____ the new trends.The newspapers and magazines work their hardest in trying to ___ us to buy new things for home，work，and family.Many large ___ spend millions of dollars for a oneminute commercial on one of the ___ stations such as FOX and CBS.Television and magazines ____ carefully not only what to wear and when to wear it but also what others are wearing such as movie stars，____ and music artists.Television，one of the ___ mediums of the media world，talks with us about who is wearing what and what is fashionable for the ____.Television shows give us information on new trends ____ all different types of people and in all different countries.Designers such as Calvin Klein，Levi’s and many others try to ____ us to their cool commercials.Indeed，they get ____ from the commercials after their designs are sold.
Television influences the way we ____.It searches each and every one of our wardrobes(衣橱) with telling us what is ____ and what is not.Teenagers，____，give a lot of their attention to these television programs.They even wish they could ____ like the models immediately.The commercials try to ____ the younger generation because they will have them in the palm of their hands for the ____ of their lives.Also teenagers are ____ influenced by television with the billions of dollars spent on advertisements.These advertisements have them ____ widely—they really know what teenagers like.
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Anger at the practice of demanding dowries，which can lead to violence against brides，has prompted a takeoff of “Angry Birds” called “Angry Brides” that aims to highlight the illegal practice still prevalent in many South Asian countries.
Dowries—such as jewelry，clothes，cars and money—are traditionally given by the bride’s family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago.But it is still widely practiced，with the groom’s family demanding even more money after marriage，leading to mental and physical annoyance that can drive the woman to suicide.
“The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance(陋习) of dowry.” said Ram Bhamidi，senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com，a matrimonial(婚姻的) website with two million members.
According to a 2007 study，there is a dowryrelated death every four hours in India；we condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue.
The name of the app，available on the group’s home page，is a spinoff from the globally popular “Angry Birds” game.Its home page shows a redclad，eightarmed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess.Underneath，there is a caption，“A woman will give you strength，care and all the love you need NOT dowry！”
To play the game，users have to try and hit three dodging grooms—a pilot，a builder and a doctor.There are a variety of weapons to choose from，including a frying pan，broomstick，tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag，starting at 1.5 million rupees($29,165)．Every time the player hits a groom，his value decreases and money is added to the player’s AntiDowry Fund，which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
“Since we launched the game last week，more than 270,000 people have liked the app.Both men and women seem to be playing it，” said Bhamidi.What caused “Angry Brides” to appear online?
| A．Women’s rights being seriously abused. |
| B．Anger at the practice of demanding dowries. |
| C．The bride’s giving a great many dowries. |
| D．The popularity of “Angry Birds” online. |
Which of the following is TRUE about “Dowries”？
| A．The custom of giving dowries has been in practice for five decades. |
| B．Lack of abundant dowries may lead to the bride’s being in violence. |
| C．The illegal practice of dowries is still popular in many African countries. |
| D．More dowries the bride gives mean a high social status of her family. |
The underlined word “spinoff” probably means “________”．
| A．relation | B．connection |
| C．copy | D．fake |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the game “Angry Bride”？
| A．There are a variety of weapons to choose from. |
| B．Ram Bhamidi thinks highly of the game. |
| C．Men players don’t find the game enjoyable. |
| D．The game character looks like a Hindu goddess. |
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