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 la
ughing.
“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．with his family | B．with Evelyn |
| C．all by himself | D．with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.
| A．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| B．he could afford time to care for her |
| C．he was willing to be a good husband |
| 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．She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
| C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D．He was so good to her that she thought she would be dying. |
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 just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D．he is beginning to regret what he did to his wife before |
When the seventeenth-century settlers brought the English language to America, they immediately and necessarily began to adapt (使适应) it to their new environment. These changes were early and criticized by some people on both sides of the Atlantic. However, after the Revolution, Americans began to be proud of their own form of English. Noah Webster was the major early supporter of American meanings and spellings over British ones and published the earliest American dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language. During the years since Webster, language differences have continued to develop, proving (证明) the truth of George Bernard Shaw’s often-repeated words that the two nations are “divided by a common language”.
Like the American language, the earliest American literature (文学) copied English models. However, after the Revolution and the War of 1812, writers began to create a clear American literature. However, in 1820, Sydney Smith asked the famous question “Who reads an American book?”
Answering to this and similar taunts (讽刺) with creative anger, American writers soon produced works that plenty of British people read. Works by Washing-ton Irving, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain had been acclaimed greatly in Britain by the end of the nineteenth century.
Even as American writers got respect in Britain, British writers continued to have great influence in America. Charles Dickens went to America twice, in 1842 and 1867-68. Other major British writers who traveled and lived in the United States include D.H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley. British best works continue to be widely read. The works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen became popular films.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, many books and writers continue to cross the Atlantic in both directions — made possible by the proud heritage (继承) of the shared language.The author of this passage seems to think ______.
| A．British English is better than American English |
| B．American English is better than British English |
| C．the same language has divided the two nations |
| D．the same language has connected the two nations |
From the question asked by Sydney Smith, we can infer ______.
| A．the British looked down upon American books at first |
| B．the British found American books difficult to understand |
| C．the British thought highly of books written by Americans |
| D．the British had to translate American books into English ones |
The underlined word “acclaimed” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
| A．sold | B．discussed |
| C．welcomed | D．refused |
What made it possible for books and writers to cross the Atlantic in both directions?
| A．The War of 1812. |
| B．The American Revolution. |
| C．The language differences. |
| D．The common language. |
In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them, but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman （新生）speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport. Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications （申请）. The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.According to the text, most students feel _______ when entering the high school.
| A．excited | B．nervous |
| C．lonely | D．disappointed |
Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?
| A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs. |
| B．The school clubs in high school only welcome sports fans. |
| C．Summer activities begin before school starts. |
| D．School officers can help new students join school clubs. |
When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?
| A．Before the eighth grade year starts. |
| B．Right after the high school year starts. |
| C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school. |
| D．At the end of their eighth grade year |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To tell the new students how to learn in high school |
| B．To introduce new schools. |
| C．To give the teachers some advice. |
| D．To give advice to new high school students. |
In 1970, my five brothers, my sister and I lived in the housing projects of Toronto with our parents. My father was a factory worker, and my mother stayed at home. Each year my father would dress up as Santa Claus and go through the streets of the projects sharing joy and candies with the children there. He loved it as much as they did!
But around the Christmas in 1970, my father was out of his job and money was tight. In fact, there was no money for Christmas and my parents weren’t sure what they’d provide for us.
That Christmas Eve, however, as usual, my father left the house dressed as Santa Claus. He knew that even though our Christmas would be hard, he could not disappoint the other kids in the neighborhood.
As my father left the house and went down the walkway, Santa Claus was walking up, with a great sack full of gifts for us! He said nothing, only smiled a sweet smile at my father, and wished him a Merry Christmas. The happy man handed Dad the sack and walked away down the block.
We never knew who the man was and who showed us great kindness on a snowy Christmas night. We do know, however, that without him we would have had nothing under the tree. His kindness gave my parents hope and showed us in a very real way the true meaning of Christmas.
Our family has never forgotten this kind stranger. Each year we tell the story of the mysterious Santa Claus and try to repay his gifts by giving gifts to others in need.The author’s father ________.
| A．was once the richest man in his hometown |
| B．was working in a government office |
| C．had to support a family of 9 people |
| D．looked like Santa Claus most |
What happened in 1970?
| A．The author’s mother lost her job. |
| B．They had a little money left for Christmas. |
| C．They had the worst Christmas in their lives. |
| D．The author’s father was out of work. |
The author’s family knew ________.
| A．who the mysterious Santa Claus was |
| B．why the mysterious Santa Claus helped them |
| C．how they could repay the mysterious Santa Claus |
| D．they could find the mysterious Santa Claus one day |
It can be inferred（推断）that ________.
| A．the mysterious Santa Claus was one of their relatives |
| B．the mysterious Santa Claus was a rich man in the area |
| C．the sack from the mysterious Santa Claus was very expensive |
| D．the author’s family were all thankful to the mysterious Santa Claus |
“Tear them apart！” “Kill the fool！” “Murder the referee(裁判)!”
These are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made，they may seem innocent(无辜的，天真无邪的) enough. But let's not kid ourselves．They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real violence. Books have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain meanings may cause us to react in ways quite foreign(陌生的) to what we consider to be our usual behavior. I see the term “opponent” as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term “opponent” is “enemy”, or “one who opposes your interests.” Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to treat that opponent as an enemy. I remember an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player went away to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then screamed, “Are they wet enough now?”
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the effect that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reacting to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which differs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated(提升)the game to the level where it belongs, setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term “opponent” with “associate” could be a good way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term “associate” is “friend” or “companion.” You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term “associate” rather than “opponent”．What did the handball player do when he was not allowed to change his gloves?
| A．He refused to continue the game. |
| B．He angrily hit the referee with a ball. |
| C．He insisted that the referee was unfair. |
| D．He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt. |
According to the passage, players in a game may ______.
| A．throw the ball at the opponent illegally blocking their way |
| B．keep on screaming and shouting throughout the game |
| C．1ie down on the ground as an act of protection |
| D．kick the ball across the court with force |
What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
| A．The player's eagerness to win. |
| B．The player's bad behavior. |
| C．The player's attitudes towards the game. |
| D．The player's totally different behavior on and off the court. |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Players should be educated to respect referees on the court. |
| B．Replacing the present terms on the court can help reduce violence. |
| C．Raising the referee's sense of responsibility can help reduce violence. |
| D．Changing the attitude of players on the sports field can help reduce violence. |
Parents can usually tell if their children are lying to them, and so can teachers. Knowing if someone is lying can be useful. There are a number of behaviors that you can observe to help catch someone in a lie.
Eyes, windows to the soul, can provide information about whether you are hearing the truth or a lie. Here is a simple experiment. Ask a friend or a family member to imagine their mother with green hair. You should notice that their eyes look up to their left while they are imagining their mother. Then ask them to think about what they did this morning and their eyes will probably look up to the right. Basically, eye movement to the left indicates the person is imagining something that is not real or did not happen. When the eyes move up and to the right, the person is remembering something that actually happened. Body language is another way to see if someone is telling tales. A professional poker (扑克) player will probably tell you not to believe someone whose hands touch their face, throat, or mouth. It seems that when we are being less than truthful our hands want to cover our face in some way. It is unlikely that a liar (someone who tells lies) will touch their chest with an open hand.
Paying careful attention to how people talk can also help you catch someone in a lie. If a student is accused of copying homework, and is guilty, they are likely to get defensive. They may deny the copying and ask why the teacher does not like him or her, while an innocent person might be expected to take the offensive, explaining for example, how they got the ideas for the homework and convincing the teacher to talk to someone who saw them do the homework.
You may also find a guilty person speaks more than is natural and adds lots of unnecessary details to their story in an attempt to convince you they are telling the truth. If you suspect this is happening, try changing the subject of your conversation quickly. A liar will happily follow your change of direction and will become more relaxed.
But remember: just because someone is showing one or more of the signs associated with lying does not necessarily make them a liar. Some other forms of stress other than lying may explain their behavior, and some people exhibit these signs as normal behavior. However, if you need to distinguish a lie from the truth, these tips could be a good start.When accused of copying, a student who cheats will try to ______.
| A．prove his innocence by giving a wild story |
| B．convince his teacher by taking offensive action |
| C．figure out whether the teacher considers him guilty |
| D．cover his lies by keeping changing conversation topics |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．What causes people to lie |
| B．How a liar covers his lies |
| C．What tricks a liar uses |
| D．How to detect a lie |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Innocent people will not explain their stories in detail. |
| B．Touching mouth is an effective way to hide dishonesty. |
| C．Eye movement to the left indicates that the person is lying. |
| D．Liars favor a new topic in hope of their lies going undetected. |
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