For about a decade, I knew that I needed to improve my handwriting, but I always put it off. “My typing skills are good, my communication skills are good, and all my other abilities are adequate for the job I do and the life I live. Why would I need to improve my handwriting in such a modern world?” I thought.
I was sort of hit by the fact that my handwriting needed improving quite suddenly in the form of a note from my boss. Obviously one of the notes I had posted on the office message board had been misunderstood because of my handwriting. My boss demanded that I learn to write in a neat way, something I couldn’t ignore any longer.
I tried a lot of different methods to improve my handwriting. Nowadays, there are more resources than before. You don’t even have to go to the store and can buy handwriting training materials online. I tried out a lot of these, and my handwriting did improve somewhat. Now I make sure I form every letter correctly. This is inconvenient and time-consuming, but it is better than having my comments misread.
People come up to me and tell me how nice my handwriting is. I have never thought of that, but this is exactly what has happened. It really is a pleasure, but it isn’t enough. In the long run, I actually have to go to a handwriting coach to improve my handwriting. It seems like I have years and years of bad habits that I have to break, and this isn’t something I could handle on my own. I need someone to teach me how to write clearly from the ground up.The underlined word “adequate” in the first paragraph probably means “ ”.
Aclear enough B. common enough C. good enough D. special enoughThe writer made the decision to improve his handwriting because .
| A．he had planned for that for a long time |
| B．he was shocked by his boss’ good handwriting |
| C．he was often misunderstood because of his handwriting |
| D．his boss asked him to work on his handwriting |
How did the writer try to improve his handwriting?
| A．He practiced writing mainly on his own. |
| B．He practiced writing and typing at the same time. |
| C．He joined a handwriting training class. |
| D．He employed a coach to teach him online. |
What does the writer think of his handwriting at present?
| A．Unacceptable. | B．Perfect. | C．Worse. | D．Better. |
After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work. He was frail and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, "Drink your juice." Such a gesturere, I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love. In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom "Why doesn't Dad love me?" Mom frowned, "Who said he doesn't love you?" "Well, he never tells me," I complained. "He never tells me either," she said, smiling. "But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house. That's how your father tells us he loves us."
I nodded slowly. I understood in my head, but not in my heart. I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me. Dad owned and operated a small scrap (片) metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked. Dad hand fed scrap steel into a device that chopped as cleanly as a butcher chops a rack of ribs. The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors. with blades thicker than my father's body. If he didn't feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury. "Why don't you hire someone to do that for you?" Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment. "Why don't you hire a cook?" Dad asked, giving her one of his rare smiles.
Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said, "I love you, Dad." From then on I did this every morning. My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them.The author's father always prepared a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for him because ____.
| A．that was the author's favorite |
| B．he was sure the author would be thirsty |
| C．the author was always complaining |
| D．that was a gesture of love |
The author's father didn't hire a helper because ____.
| A．his job was too dangerous |
| B．his job required high skills |
| C．he wanted to save money |
| D．he was not good at communicating with others |
We may infer from the passage that ____.
| A．the author's father lacked a sense of humor |
| B．the author quite understood his father as time went on |
| C．the author's father didn't love him very much |
| D．the author's father was too strict with him |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．I just couldn't understand my father |
| B．My father never loved me |
| C．Silent fatherly love |
| D．My hard-working father |
Homesick is a compound word made up of HOME and SICK．You know what each word means on its own, of course．But think about what the words mean when they are used together．Homesick means SICK FOR HOME．
Now think for a minute about SEASICK．If you change the word home in the definition(释义)to the word sea, would the definition fit SEASICK? Seasick means SICK BY THE MOVEMENT ON THE SEA． When you are homesick ,the only place you want to be is at home．When you are seasick, the last place you want to be is at seA．
Have you ever heard of a person being heartsick? Heartsick doesn’t mean that something is wrong with a person’s heart．people are heartsick when they are hurt deep inside and when they feel as if their hearts are broken．
But, on the other hand, we have such compound words as handshake, handstand, and handbag．Perhaps you may write definitions for them．
The word SEASICK means“______”．
| A．to be eager to go to the sea |
| B．what has nothing to do with the sea |
| C．to be sick because of the sea |
| D．that the sea is terrible |
When we say a person is heartsick, we mean that________．
| A．his heart is sick |
| B．his heart needs testing |
| C．he’s sorry at heart |
| D．he’s terribly disappointed and sad、 |
“The last place you want to be” is_________．
| A．where you want to be most |
| B．where you want to be least |
| C．where you go the last |
| D．the last place you go to |
The definitions of handshake, handstand and handbag are_______．
| A．easy to know |
| B．difficult to know |
| C．impossible to learn |
| D．unnecessary to learn |
Whatever your level is, choosing to take French lessons in France is the best way to learn French．Place yourself in the local culture and practice your newly found skills in your free time．
You will be taught by native (本地的) French speakers who have a love for teaching and use excellent teaching techniques．Lessons are interesting and you will speak French on the first day both inside and outside the classroom．
Learners
●Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced (高级的)
● Over 18 years old
Class Schedule (课表)
● Classes start on Mondays and run throughout the summer．
● Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am on your first day for a short level test．It will help to place you in the right class．
● Classes run from Monday to Friday each week．
● Classes start at 8:45 am each day depending on your level．
● You will have 3 classes per day lasting 55 minutes each．
● You will have a short break between classes．
Free Time and Tours
● The school offers a lot of cultural activities throughout the week．These activities can include cooking lessons, wine and cheese tasting, visits to Paris, cycling, movies and much more．
● You will have plenty of free time to explore (探索) the local area and practice your newly found language skills or just relax on this learning holiday with a difference．
Other Information
● You should bring a small dictionary, pens and paper with you．
Get more from your holiday, have fun, meet new people and take home a new language skill that will stay with you forever．What is special about the French courses?
| A．They are taught in small groups． |
| B．The teachers are young French speakers． |
| C．People learn French in and out of class． |
| D．They will offer a wine tasting license． |
On the first day, the students should ______．
| A．take a language test |
| B．pay for their study |
| C．do a survey |
| D．introduce themselves to the class |
How many lessons are there in a week?
| A．21 |
| B．30 |
| C．15 |
| D．12 |
Friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us they are in a hurry and looking at their watches．It isn’t that our friends are all very busy, it is just that When we haven’t got a television．People think that we are very strange．“But what do you do in the evening?”，they are always asking．The answer is very simple．Both my wife and I have hobbies．We certainly don’t spend our evenings staring at the walls．My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages．This is particularly useful as we often go abroad for our holidays．I collect stamps and I’m always busy with my collection．Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together．
Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house．This does not worry us, we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before．Our friends, however, are lost---no television!---So they don’t know what to do．On such evenings our house is very full ---they all come to us．They all have a good time．Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games．
The couple have not got a television, because ．
| A．they are not rich enough |
| B．they are strange people |
| C．they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways |
| D．they don’t know what to do when there are power cuts |
Both of the couple are interested in ．
| A．learning languages |
| B．traveling |
| C．staying home alone |
| D．watching people play games |
At night when there is no electricity, the couple ．
| A．have to stare at the walls |
| B．can do nothing but sit in silence |
| C．will have many visitors |
| D．have to go out for candles |
The writer tries to tell us that ____．
| A．the television is useful |
| B．electricity is important |
| C．life is enjoyable without television |
| D．life is impossible without a television |
One day a lawyer’s wife fell ill, and he went to get a doctor．The doctor willingly came to see the woman and to do what he could for her, but before he went into the house, he made a short stop．He knew that the lawyer was famous for not paying his bills, even if they were due(正当的)．He therefore said to the man．“But if I save your wife, I am afraid you may not pay me．”
“Sir,”replied the lawyer．“Here I have＄500,,whether you cure my wife or you kill her．I'll give you all this．”
The doctor was reassured and went into the house．When he reached the woman's bedside, it soon became clear to him that he could do little．She was seriously ill, and though he prescribed(开药方) her medicine, she soon dieD．
He told the lawyer he was very sorry, and then asked for the money which he had promiseD． “Did you kill my wife?”asked the lawyer．“Of course I didn't,” said the doctor．“Well! Did you cure my wife?” asked the man．“I'm afraid that was impossible,” replied the doctor．“Well, then since you neither killed my wife nor cured her, I have nothing to pay you．”Before entering the lawyer’s house the doctor stopped for a while, because_____ ．
| A．the doctor wanted to ask something about his wife's illness |
| B．the doctor thought it impossible to save the woman |
| C．the doctor was afraid that the lawyer would refuse to pay him |
| D．the lawyer was too poor to pay his bills |
Because the lawyer’s wife was seriously ill, the doctor_____ ．
| A．couldn’ t do much and didn't save her life |
| B．tried his best and saved her at last |
| C．had to do everything he could for her |
| D．had to spend a lot of time to cure her |
The word “reassured” in the passage means __________．
| A．he was told again and again |
| B．he was paid some money first |
| C．he was quite sure that he would be paid |
| D．he was quite sure that he could cure the woman |
Which of the following is the best title (标题)for the passage?
| A．The Lawyer and His Wife |
| B．The Lawyer's Trick |
| C．A Good Doctor and a Poor Lawye |
| D．A Serious Illness |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号