Once upon a time in a land far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything：animals, spiders, insects．
One day while walking through the woods, the nice old man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly．He took it home．A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole．Then it seemed to stop making any progress．It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther．Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon．
The butterfly then appeared easily．
But it had a swollen body and small, fragile wings．The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would be smaller in time．Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling （慢慢爬行）around with a swollen body and fragile wings．
It never was able to fly．
What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the limited cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon．
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life．If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles and difficulties, it would disable us．We would not be as strong as what we could have been．And we could never fly．The butterfly could never fly because _______________．
| A．it was too fat and strong． |
| B．it loved crawling around． |
| C．it got out of the cocoon easily． |
| D．it didn’t get through the cocoon． |
The text is most likely to be found in a book about_______________．
| A．popular science | B．humorous stories． |
| C．successful people | D．philosophyevents |
What is the implied meaning of the passage?
| A．Life without any obstacles and difficulties is perfect． |
| B．Obstacles and difficulties contribute to success． |
| C．Never help a butterfly to get out of the cocoon． |
| D．A butterfly can never fly without going through the cocoon |
Maybe you don’t think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have．But the truth is that some of them have instincts，and besides this，I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot．A personal experience showed me this．
Some years ago，I had a dog named Howard．From the time when he was a puppy，he was timid，so we named him Howard，sounding like “coward”！He was especially afraid of thunderstorms．At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder，he would run whining into his house and hide under a table．
I often went for a walk with Howard．Once，as we were walking along a road，it began to rain．I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter．The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles．Soon after I had got there，Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away．At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior．But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home．
When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter，there came a flash of lightning and soon after，there was thunder which nearly deafened me．Howard stopped walking and began whining．Thinking he was afraid，I bent to pick him up．As I straightened up，I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left．I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground，broken．The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning！The author named his dog Howard mainly because of_______．
| A．his timid characteristic |
| B．one of the author’s friends Howard |
| C．his loud sound |
| D．his strange behaviors |
The reason why the author was puzzled and angry with the dog was that_______．
| A．Howard had a strange behavior |
| B．Howard should be afraid of the metal poles |
| C．Howard should know the approaching of the terrible lightning |
| D．Howard bit his trousers in his teeth |
Which of the following is true according to the passage？
| A．Dogs are cleverer and better than men． |
| B．Dogs are usually afraid of thunderstorms． |
| C．Some animals can feel certain things humans cannot． |
| D．Dogs are naturally born heroes． |
What can be inferred about the bus shelter from the passage？
| A．It was about 200 meters from the author’s home． |
| B．It was destroyed in a rainy day． |
| C．Its roof was supported by wood poles． |
| D．It could produce blinding flash of lightning． |
Man still has a lot to learn about the most powerful and complex part of his body — the brain.
It may be surprising to learn that it isn’t age that makes you lose your memory. The reason could be that you have a "lazy" memory, not an old one. Like your body your memory improves with exercise. Once given plenty of exercise, the brain keeps its power. Before discussing how to improve the memory, let’s look at how the brain works. There are two sides to the brain, the left and the right. The right side deals with the senses (what we see, hear, feel and smell). It's the creative and imaginative side. The left side is concerned with logic. It analyzes information and puts it in order.
Some recent research suggests that we remember everything that happens to us. The problem most of us has is recalling events. Most forgetting takes place immediately after learning. An hour after learning something new, more than 50% has been forgotten. After a month, 80% has been forgotten, and so on.
This shows revision is very important. If you revise new material you have learnt, you remember much more. So it's of vital importance to revise newly learned material often, and have frequent breaks. We best remember what we learn at the beginning of a learning period and at the point where we stop. After the break, revise what was learned before the break and then continue learning the new material. These breaks should happen every 20 or 45 minutes.
Other experiments have shown the brain needs time to "digest" what has been learned. The time necessary for this is 5 to 10 minutes. After the break, the memory will have absorbed what it has just learned, and more will be remembered. During this period it is important to exercise the right side of the brain, because the left side is used during the learning period. Therefore you should relax. Listening to music, breathing in fresh air, and looking at a picture are all ways of using the other side of the brain. So when you are studying alone, make a plan which shows when to have breaks and to revise newly learned material immediately before you begin studying again. If you do in this way, your memory will improve.According to the text, you lose your memory by ________.
| A．getting too old | B．hardly using your brain |
| C．working too hard | D．using your brain too much |
To fight forgetting effectively, we're advised to ________.
| A．go back to what was learned regularly |
| B．break down materials into small pieces |
| C．focus on both ends of a learning period |
| D．take breaks to give the brain a good rest |
During the learning process the brain need breaks to ________.
| A．use the right side of the brain |
| B．revise newly learnt materials |
| C．take in what has been learnt |
| D．relax the left side of the brain |
Where is this text most probably taken from?
| A．Science fictions. | B．Students’ literature. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A science report. |
Welcome to Arundel Castle which is situated in West Sussex, England. The castle has a history of nearly 1000 years and has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world. Arundel Castle also plays a starring role in many films.
The Gardens
The White Garden is planted with soft white Iceberg Roses, and Snow White Lilies.
The Rose Garden is newly planted with lovely old-fashioned English roses that are at their very best in June and July.
The Organic Kitchen Garden produces a wide range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, pears, cherries and apples.
The Castle Shop
In the Castle Shop, you will discover a wide and interesting range of gift ideas for everyone. It offers gifts and souvenirs designed to appeal to all tastes and pockets. Foods, china, books, and stationery (文具)are all available. Many are sold in this Castle Shop only.
At Arundel Castle we pride ourselves on supporting local suppliers and actively encourage environmentally friendly products.
The Arundel Festival 2014
Saturday 16th to Monday 25th August
The annual Arundel Festival gets bigger and better every year. It is one of the most amazing, diverse and easily accessible arts festivals in the UK, offering a mix of visual arts, music, theatre and street entertainment.
Parking
Coaches and mini-buses can drop off at the main Castle entrance in Mill Road and park in the main town car park that is opposite the Castle entrance. Please inform us when making your booking of how many parking permits are required.When visiting the castle, you can________.
| A．get old-fashioned English roses as gifts |
| B．buy eco-friendly products in the Castle Shop |
| C．get seasonal fruit and vegetables for free |
| D．see how the local gifts are being made |
How long does the Arundel Festival last this year?
| A．10 days | B．One week | C．16 days | D．One month |
Where can you park the coach?
| A．In Mill Road |
| B．Inside the Castle |
| C．In the main town car park |
| D．At the main Castle entrance |
A recent survey in the United States showed that the average family spent more money on its pets than on its children. Although rather shocking, it should not surprise anyone who has seen the doggy parlors(客厅) where loved pets rest. Are Americans unique in treating their little friends in this way? No, the English, too, pay more attention to their pets.
This can clearly be seen when we look at pet foods, which often contain more vitamins than human food. They certainly cost much. Last year the British public spent two hundred million pounds on pet food alone, to say nothing of veterinary bills or animal furniture. It is difficult not to feel angry about this when considering what the same amount could do for victims of starvation and poverty, so it is not unusual for me to get hot under collar when I read an old man left all his money to his dog instead of his children.
There are a variety of reasons why I find pets-raising alarming. They cause physical problems. An example of this is New York where they have great difficulty getting rid of the mess that dogs leave on the streets. Many people find this funny, but in a number of large cities it is a major problem. Animals can cause disease, too. It is the threat of rabies — a disease with no known cure.
Another problem is the carelessness of pet owners. Most little children want a dog or a cat, and they continually push their mothers and fathers until they get one. It is only when the "sweet little thing" has been brought home that the parents realize how much time and money must be spent on "Rover" or "Bonzo". Then they just abandon it. As a result, they are allowed to run free. English farmers lose hundreds of sheep a year, killed by someone's pet and you must have read of children being hurt by some pets of their own.
Lastly, I would only suggest that we have got our priorities wrong and that something should be done about it. In my view, it's time we stopped being sentimental about pets. I can see no reason why we should get upset when animals are cut up for medical experiments. This will lead us to discovering cures for serious human diseases, then I say, “keep cutting!”The doggy parlors are mentioned in the 1st paragraph to show ________.
| A．where Americans keep their pets |
| B．what costly lives the pets are living |
| C．why children love their pets so much |
| D．how much pets depend on their masters |
In the second paragraph "to get hot under the collar" probably means ________.
| A．getting quite hot | B．feeling overwhelmingly angry |
| C．becoming excited | D．receiving a fashionable shirt |
According to the author, in which field can animals be most useful?
| A．Pet. | B．Food. | C．Medicine. | D．Sports. |
What is author’s attitude towards pets-raising?
| A．Pitiful. | B．Neutral. | C．Opposed. | D．Supportive. |
My family moved from Taiwan to a small town in central Georgia, where my dad got a visa for his family and a job. I had just learned English, and from what little I could gather from my classmates, Santa Claus would come down one’s chimney and put toys in one’s stocking on Christmas Eve! What a great country, I thought. After I looked up “stocking” in my Chinese-English dictionary, I knew what I had to do.
On that fateful night, after everyone went to bed, I took my longest, cleanest knee sock and attached it to a nail already on the mantel(壁炉). Obviously, the previous owners of this house were no strangers to this Santa character.
I woke up before everyone else on Christmas Day and ran to the fireplace. To make a sob story short, I was hit with the reality of an empty sock and the biggest lie ever told. I burst into tears, quickly took down the sock, and stuffed it in the back of a drawer. Santa was dead.
Every December since then, the topic of Christmas memories would unavoidably come up, and I would amuse my friends with my poor-little-me story. I had to make it as funny as possible, or else I would cry.
How could I know that Santa was just late? Nine years ago, on Christmas Eve, an older man with a white beard and a red cap knocked on my front door. He said, “I’ve been looking for you for twenty-five years.” He handed me a bulging red stocking, winked, and left. On top of the stocking was a card. It read: “For Becky—I may have missed you in the second grade, but you’ve always lived in my heart. Santa.”
Through tear-blurred eyes, I recognized the handwriting of Jill, a friend I had met just two months before. I later discovered that the older man was her father. Jill had seen the hurt little girl underneath the thirty-something woman and decided to do something about it.
So now I believe that Santa is real. I don’t mean the twinkle-eyed character of children’s mythology or the creation of American holiday marketers. Those Santas annoy and sadden me. I believe in the Santa Claus that live inside good and thoughtful people. This Santa does not return to the North Pole after a crazy delivery but lives each day purposefully, really listens to friends, and then plans deliberate acts of kindness.What does the underlined part “what I had to do” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．Waiting for Santa Claus. |
| B．Putting a stocking on the mantel. |
| C．Asking for gifts from her parents. |
| D．Looking up “stocking” in the dictionary |
It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s parents ________.
| A．didn’t love their child at all |
| B．didn’t know the previous owners of the house |
| C．didn’t know much about Christmas tradition |
| D．didn’t have enough money to buy the author Christmas presents |
When the author told her friends about the story, she felt ________ in her heart.
| A．proud | B．amusing | C．hate | D．regret |
The author of the passage is probably ________.
| A．a teenager | B．a primary school student |
| C．a middle-aged woman | D．a native American |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号