I was feeling a little blue because my mother had been laid off from her job and she had lots of bills to pay. It left me wondering what was going to happen to us now. But it reassured me some when my mother told me she was relieved to be leaving since her boss wasn't the nicest person to be around.
I got off the college shuttle bus and started walking. That's when I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower so I could find out where it was coming from. Through the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a carriage next to her.
She was singing songs about love, keeping on trying, and not underestimating the power within yourself. The way she was singing comforted me a bit. I stood there watching her play for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take courage to perform on your own in the middle of a crowded New York ferry terminal.
So I stood there listening.
She must have felt my presence because she would occasionally look in my direction. By now I was telling myself that if she could perform in front of hundreds of people she didn't know then I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked over and put some money in her carriage and she said, "Thank you." Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, "I have been going through a rough time lately, but you've made me hopeful again."
"I'm happy that I could help," she replied. "Why are you so sad?"
"Well, my mum told me she had got fired from her job, and that made me sad. I'm not so sure what to do ..."
"You see, here's the problem," she explained. "The way you were walking, your head was down. Don't look defeated, because opportunity comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should smile more ... lift your head up."
I smiled faintly, amazed by how she was encouraging me. So, I asked her, "Why are you playing the piano in the middle of a crowded place? I've seen you do this more than once."
She explained to me that she sees a lot of negative people in the world and she tries to alleviate the pain and bring more positivity by sharing motivational music. She told me that when she wasn't making music she studied psychology. So, that was how she knew some of the things she was telling me.
I smiled a little wider because I knew that she was doing a good thing. So, after that we parted, my heart touched and lightened by a musical soul!We can learn from Paragraph 3 that the young lady sang to _________.
| A．show her love for life |
| B．rid herself of low spirits |
| C．earn money for her schooling |
| D．inspire others to live positively |
Which word may best describe the young lady?
| A．helpful | B．outgoing | C．ambitious | D．humorous |
Which do you think is the best title of the passage?
| A．An Unforgettable Experience |
| B．A Heart Touched By A Musical Soul |
| C．Music Can Do Wonders |
| D．A Good Deed Helped Me Out |
For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas. Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh..
Apples are different in color, size and taste. The color of the skin may be red, green or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart(酸的). Generally, sweet apples are tasted fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce(果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree.It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are_______.
| A．grown in France | B．sold everywhere | C．very big | D．quite sweet |
Cold winter weather is good for________.
| A．the growth of apple trees |
| B．producing large apples |
| C．improving the taste of apples |
| D．the increase of water in apples |
China, France and the United States are considered to_______.
| A．be small producers of apples |
| B．be large producers of applesauce |
| C．have the longest history in apple production |
| D．have the coldest winter among apple production |
The word yielded in the last sentence means________.
| A．improved | B．increased | C．produced | D．sold |
Scientists are trying to make the deserts into good land again．They want to bring water to the deserts，so people can live and grow food．They are learning a lot about the deserts．But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time．Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．
Why is more and more land becoming desert？Scientists think that people make deserts．People are doing bad things to the earth．
Some places on the earth don’t get much rain． But they still don’t become deserts． This is because some green plants are growing there． Small green plants and grass are very important to dry places． Plants don’t let the sun make the earth even drier． Plants do not let the wind blow the dirt away． When a bit of rain falls， the plants hold the water． Without plants， the land can become desert more easily． Deserts ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．never have any plants or animals in them |
| B．can all be turned into good land before long |
| C．are becoming smaller and smaller |
| D．get very little rain |
Small green plants are very important to dry places because ＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．they don’t let the sun make the earth even drier |
| B．they don’t let the wind blow the soil away |
| C．they hold water |
| D．All of the above． |
Land is becoming desert little by little because ＿＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．plants can’t grow there |
| B．there is not enough rain |
| C．people haven’t done what scientists wish them to do |
| D．scientists know little about the deserts |
Why is more and more land becoming desert according to this passage？
| A．Earthquakes make deserts. | B．Wind makes deserts. |
| C． Lack of water makes deserts. | D．People make deserts． |
Going Zero Waste means more than dealing with the rubbish we create. It means reducing it, too. People who go Zero Waste are careful about what they do. They never take more than they need, they reuse plastic bags, and they make good plans not to buy more than necessary before going shopping.
Kamikatsu, a Japanese village, has already gone Zero Waste. The 2,000 villagers recycle everything possible. There are 34 different boxes at the recycling center! The villagers sometimes just feel unhappy about what they have to do, but they also see the good side.
Let’s think about how to enjoy a Zero Waste Christmas. By sending recyclable cards, we can help our friends and family reduce(减少) waste. And wouldn’t it be better to enjoy the spirit of Christmas with a real tree that can be re-planted in spring?
Going Zero Waste requires us to think more about what happens before and after we act. It is not always easy. But just think how good it would be, both for ourselves and for the earth we live on, if we never had to waste anything.The underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refer to __________.
| A．a plastic bag | B．the rubbish | C．a difficult thing | D．going Zero Waste |
Which of the following is a way of going Zero Waste?
| A．Plant trees at Christmas. |
| B．Using plastic bags when shopping. |
| C．Sending recyclable cards for Christmas. |
| D．Buying things when you are very hungry. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To persuade people to reduce waste. |
| B．To teach people how to enjoy Christmas. |
| C．To introduce the life of Japanese villagers. |
| D．To tell people how to deal with difficulties. |
How is the passage developed?
| A．Topic--Examples--Discussion | B．Examples--Argument--Topic |
| C．Topic--explanation--Argument | D．Examples--Explanation--Discussion |
In today’s world, almost everyone knows that air pollution and water pollution are harmful to people’s health. However, not all know that noise is also a kind of pollution, and that is harmful to human, too.
People who work and live under noisy conditions usually become deaf(耳聋的). Today, however, scientists believe that 10% of workers in Britain are deafened by the noise where they work. Many of the workers who print newspapers and books, and who weave cloth become deaf. Quite a few people living near airports also become deaf. Recently it was discovered that many teenagers in America could hear no better than 65-year-old people, for these young people like to listen to “pop” music and most of “pop” music is a kind of noise. Besides, noise produced by jet plane or machines will make people’s life difficult and unpleasant, or even make people ill or even drive them mad. It is said that a continuous noise of over 85 decibels（分贝） can cause deafness.
Nowadays the governments in many countries have made laws to reduce or control noise and make it less than 85 decibels. In China, the people’s government is trying to solve not only air and water pollution problems but also the noise pollution problems.In the world today, not every person knows .
| A．water pollution | B．air pollution | C．harmful pollution | D．noise pollution |
Today scientists believe that .
| A．90% of all the workers in Britain are not suffering from noise |
| B．10% of all the workers in Britain are working in noisy places |
| C．10% of all the workers in Britain are deafened by the noise where they work. |
| D．90% of all the workers are free from any noise |
Those who usually have poorer hearing.
| A．weave cloth | B．sell newspapers |
| C．like listening to music | D．often travel by plane |
According to the passage, a continuous noise can make you deaf.
| A．in working places | B．of less then 85 decibels |
| C．of over 85 decibels | D．of only 85 decibels |
When I was young, my father used to grow carnations — a kind of flower that was red, pink or white. He took care of them with much love and devotion. Every day he came home from work, he would enjoy watching them. And he used to tell us, “No one should touch my flowers.”
One day, my younger sister Clemence, who loved dad very much, wanted to help him. So she cut the carnation from their stems（枝干）one by one and arranged them on the ground. She believed that dad would be very pleased to see them that way.
When mom and I realized what my sister had done, we became completely speechless. However, my sister had no idea why no one showed her any appreciation. When dad arrived, he went as usual straight to watch the flowers. Seeing his flowers lying on the ground like dead animals, he was shocked at first. He looked towards the street to see if it was any of the neighbors’ children who could have done it. Then he looked at mom in silence. Finally mom, who always taught us to tell the truth no matter what, said, “No bad neighbors did this great job, only your lovely daughter Clemence.”
Dad’s face changed into a smile and then he said, “Do I have better flower than my lovely daughter?” My younger sister smiled and hugged（拥抱）dad strongly.How did Clemence feel when she had the carnations cut?
| A．Lucky. | B．Helpful. | C．Upset. | D．Worried. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．No one knew what my sister had done with the carnations. |
| B．My younger sister told my father the truth about the carnations. |
| C．Dad had thought one outsider had cut the flowers from the stems. |
| D．Dad asked my sister to help arrange the carnations on the ground. |
What caused my younger sister to smile and hug dad strongly?
| A．Mom’s help. | B．Mom’s words. | C．Dad’s silence. | D．Dad’s love. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Neighbors | B．Telling the truth | C．Growing Carnations | D．Dad’s Best Flower |
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