Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.
When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed and almost nobody worked. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.
The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for and hour of devotion, and opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.
Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association.① In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visit someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to Do this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such and answer would feel strange, an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants（剩余部分）of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.②The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when_________.
| A．everyone would pay a visit to some relative far away |
| B．everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure |
| C．Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house |
| D．nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
| A．People nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday |
| B．People in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday |
| C．Such answers are rarely heard in our modern society |
| D．Visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time |
From the last paragraph we may infer that people in Maine____________.
| A．suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment |
| B．have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life |
| C．have tense relationships with each other |
| D．always help each other when they are in need |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?
| A．Unsatisfied | B．confused | C．Respectful | D．Thankful |
A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his own language by remembering what he hears when he is a small child, and some children, like boys and girls who live abroad with their parents, seem to learn two languages almost as easily as one. In school it is not easy to learn a second language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too.
A man’s mind is rather like a camera, but it takes photos not only of what we see but of what we feel, hear, smell and taste. When we take a real photo with a camera, there is much to do before the photo is finished and ready to show to our friends. In the same way there is much work to be done before we can keep a picture forever in our mind.
Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.We usually begin to learn our own language by ________ it.
| A．speaking | B．hearing |
| C．saying | D．teaching |
If you have a good ________ , you’ll have less difficulty in learning something.
| A．teacher | B．camera |
| C．memory | D．family |
The children who live abroad with their parents can learn two languages more easily, because ______.
| A．they are very clever |
| B．they have good teachers |
| C．they have more chances to use these languages |
| D．they have a better life |
Memory is ________ that we write in our mind and carry about.
| A．the best diary | B．the best camera |
| C．a great help | D．a beautiful picture |
Now came great news! It came from a neighboring state, where the family’s only surviving relative lived. It was Sally’s relative — a distant relative by the name of Tilbury Foster, seventy and single. Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave him thirty thousand dollars, cash; not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its evil work. The bequest would be found in his will, and would be officially handed over provided that Sally should be able to prove to the executors (遗嘱执行人).
As soon as Aleck had partially recovered from the strong emotions created by the letter, she sent someone to the relative’s home and subscribed for the local paper.
For the rest of the day Sally made confusion with his books, and Aleck could not keep her mind on her affairs, not even take up a flower-pot or book or a stick of wood without forgetting what she had intended to do with it. For both were dreaming.
“Thirty thousand dollars!”
All day long Aleck was absorbed in planning how to invest it, Sally in planning how to spend it.
There was no romance-reading that night. The children took themselves away early, for their parents were silent, disturbed, and strangely unentertaining. Two pencils had been busy during that hour — note-making; in the way of plans. It was Sally who broke the stillness at last. He said, with excitement, “Ah, it’ll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand we’ll have a horse and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter.”
Aleck responded with decision and calmness.
“You can spend a part of it. But the whole of the capital must be put right to work.
“Why, yes. Yes, of course. Have you got it invested yet?”
“No, there’s no hurry about that; I must look around first, and think, er…, I’ve turned it over twice; once in oil and once in wheat.”
“Why, Aleck, it’s splendid! What does it amount to?”
“I think — well, to be on the safe side, about a hundred and eighty thousand clear, though it will probably be more.”
“My! Isn’t it wonderful? Good heaven! Luck has come our way at last, Aleck!”
Then they went up to bed, but they left the candle burning in the sitting room. They did not remember until they were undressed; then Sally was for letting it burn; he said they could afford it, if it was a thousand. But Aleck went down and put it out.
A good job, too; for on her way back she hit on a scheme that would turn the hundred and eighty thousand into half a million before it had had time to get cold.Why would Tilbury like to give all his money to Sally?
| A．Because Sally was Tilbury’s only relative alive. |
| B．Because Tilbury loved Sally and his family deeply. |
| C．Because Tilbury wanted his money to continue its function. |
| D．Because Sally and his wife are good at investing. |
The underlined word “bequest” in Paragraph 1 probably means ___________.
| A．a gift of personal property |
| B．a proof of a person’s identity |
| C．a method of getting money |
| D．a reason for giving money |
What do we know about Sally and his wife after receiving the letter?
| A．They were in deep sorrow and stayed up all night. |
| B．They cared little about the bequest and lived their life as usual. |
| C．They paid a visit to Tilbury to confirm the truth of the letter. |
| D．They had a big ambition to invest the money and make huge profits. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Thrilling News | B．Sally’s Distant Relative |
| C．The $30,000 Bequest | D．A Smart Investment |
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are free, but without tutoring, and are open to anyone, anywhere in the world. The courses are flexible – normally three to five hours of study a week – done at any time, short (5 to 10 weeks) and video-rich. They are also heavily dependent on crowd sourcing: you can discuss a course with fellow students through online forums, discussion boards and peer review. Students don't have to finish the courses, pass assessments or do assignments, but, if they do, they get a certification of participation.
The Open University launched FutureLearn, the UK's answer to US platforms such as Coursera, EdX and Udacity, which have been offering MOOCs from top US universities for the past two years. The response has been incredible, with more than three million people registering worldwide. Meanwhile, in 2012, Edinburgh University became the first non-US institution to join Coursera's partnership, comprising 13 universities. “We already run 50 online master's degrees, so this was a logical expansion,” says Professor Jeff Haywood, Edinburgh's vice-principal. “It's an investment in teaching methods research. How am I going to teach introductory philosophy to 100,000 people? That's what I call educational R&D.” He adds “If you look ahead 10 years, you'd expect all students graduating to have taken some online courses, so you've got to research that. Our MOOCs are no more in competition with our degrees than a lifelong learning course because they don't carry credits.”
Cooperation is key, Haywood stresses. It is far better to offer 20-30 courses in your own areas of expertise (专门技能) and let other institutions do likewise. Professor Mike Sharples, FutureLearn's academic lead, goes further: “We've tied the elements available before into a package of courses offered by leading universities worldwide on a new software platform, with a new way of promoting it and also a new social-learning teaching method. You won't just receive an exam, but be able to discuss and mark each other's assignments.”
Bath University, one of more than 20 universities working with FutureLearn, launches its first course, Inside Cancer, next January, and regards MOOCs as a way of breaking down age barriers. "There's no reason why someone doing GCSEs should not look at our MOOCs and get quite a way through them, or someone at PhD level and beyond," says Professor Bernie Morley, expert for learning and teaching.
MOOCs have these features EXCEPT that ___________.
| A．MOOCs are free of charge for anyone |
| B．MOOCs can be adjusted according to people’s learning pace |
| C．MOOCs provide teachers’ instructions if you have some difficulty |
| D．MOOCs have a platform for learners to share their learning experience |
The response to FutureLearn has been thought to be unbelievable mainly because ___________.
| A．all the courses on the platform are available to anyone in the world |
| B．Edinburgh University became the first non-US institution to join it |
| C．the number of people registering in the platform is beyond expectation |
| D．students can get a certification of participation without passing assessments |
What can be inferred from Professor Bernie Morley in the last paragraph?
| A．People with various learning levels will probably show interest in MOOCs. |
| B．People at PhD level have already known everything about MOOCs. |
| C．Inside Cancer will be the most popular course for someone doing GCSEs. |
| D．MOOCs are not so competitive as lifelong learning courses due to the problems of credits. |
The passage mainly deals with ___________.
| A．the various opinions on FutureLearn |
| B．the advantages of online teaching methods |
| C．the popularity of no-credit courses |
| D．the appearance of a new learning platform |
One day, Soapy Smith and I visited a shelter for badly-treated women located in a deserted section of the city. No one smiled a greeting, and they appeared uninterested in Soapy. One little girl in particular moved like a wisp (纤弱的小东西) in the background. The staff informed me that she had been there for over a month and had not spoken the entire time. Her mother said she had talked at one time but not in recent memory. I didn't want to imagine what could have happened to rob this little girl of the natural curiosity and enthusiasm so natural to childhood.
Spreading a blanket on the floor, I sat down and put Soapy on the blanket. As the silent child circled past me, I told the group that Soapy would come to talk to them if they sat on his blanket. Several children did this, including the silent girl. She sat rigidly at the edge of the blanket, legs held stiffly out straight in front of her. She was staring hard at Soapy. It appeared that he kept making eye contact with her. She didn't reach out to him or encourage him in any way. Rather she sat tensely, just staring.
Finally Soapy came to a stop about two inches from her. He quietly reached out and laid his chin on her knee. I was astonished. While a common behavior for dogs, this is not a behavior exhibited by rabbits, especially not by this rabbit.
The child did not reach out to touch Soapy. Instead, she slowly leaned toward him. When her face was within inches of his, she carefully reached out and circled him with her arms. So softly that no one in the room could hear, she began to talk. Folded around the rabbit, she pillowed her head on his back and whispered to him. Soapy remained motionless.
I looked up and noticed that the shelter workers had stopped talking. Every adult in the room froze in place. Time seemed to have stopped.
The little girl reappeared when I was preparing to leave. She reached her hands out and looked me directly in the eye. I held Soapy out to her. She wrapped him in a big hug and pressed her face against him. Suspended (悬挂) from my hands as he was, I was concerned that he would begin to struggle. Instead he reached out his head again and laid it on the child's shoulder. His breathing slowed and he closed his eyes. As quickly as it happened, the little girl released her hug and stepped back. As she turned away, I thought I saw the beginnings of a faint smile.
The rabbit in his cloud of soft, warm fur had touched something deep in the child — something that had died from too much hard experience. Soapy's innocence and trust appeared to arouse those very same qualities in the little girl. It seems the language of the heart is simple after all.The little girl didn't speak any word because ___________.
| A．she liked staying silent and still |
| B．she had no friends to talk with |
| C．she had too much hard experience |
| D．the people in the shelter all kept silent |
What is the correct order of the following events?
a. The little girl gave a faint smile.
b. Soapy reached out and laid his chin on her knee.
c. The little girl carefully reached out and circled him with her arms.
d. Soapy's breathing slowed and he closed his eyes.
e. The little girl began to whisper to Soapy.
| A．c; b; e; d; a | B．b; c; d; e; a |
| C．b; c; e; d; a | D．c; b; d; e; a |
The author's purpose of writing the passage is to tell us ___________.
| A．a moving story about a lonely girl who hasn't talked for years |
| B．to pay more attention to those children who have been deserted by their parents |
| C．a lot of kind people around us are offering help to those in need |
| D．the heart-to-heart communication between animal and human is powerful |
The best title for this passage may be ___________.
| A．Soapy Smith and A Little Girl |
| B．A Great Surprise |
| C．The Language of The Heart |
| D．Human Beings and Animals |
After students come home from a tiring day at school, they tend to worry a lot about their homework.
Whether students are working on English or chemistry homework, they are simply working on the assignment in order to get it done, attempting to memorize the concepts for the time being and do not absorb any of the information afterward. Students are wasting their time on insignificant assignments rather than effectively using that time to achieve other accomplishments. According to www.dailymail.com, many parents are concerned that homework is being assigned rather than being used to integrate what teachers are covering in the classroom. In their eyes, if less homework is assigned, students would have much less stress and could focus more on their passions and hobbies.
Homework gets in the way of participating in community service events as well as opportunities for getting a job or being a part of an extra-curricular activity. These responsibilities are important for teenagers to take on because they prepare the teenagers for the "real world." Without the proper exposure to work that is not school related, students will find themselves lost after they graduate. If homework were no longer given, students would have a lot more time to mature in other fields rather than being educated only on academics.
In spite of the fact that teachers want students to do better on tests and absorb the material that they are teaching, homework is not accomplishing its purpose. Because school is becoming increasingly more competitive and challenging, homework is becoming a setback rather than extra practice. Its removal would benefit the well being of teenagers as well as encourage them to get out in the "real world" and discover themselves instead of staring at a pile of assignments.Students are wasting their time on insignificant homework because___________.
| A．they are working on it carelessly and hurriedly |
| B．they attempt to get only part of the information memorized |
| C．they spend too much time doing it without understanding |
| D．they fail to take in the information after finishing it |
From the third paragraph, we can infer that homework might ___________.
| A．guarantee students more job opportunities |
| B．make students lose the sense of responsibilities |
| C．weaken students' social adaptation ability |
| D．cause students to feel lost after graduation |
The author insists that homework should be ___________.
| A．made simpler and easier |
| B．got rid of |
| C．connected with social activities |
| D．switched over to subject competitions |
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