Two men, Alan and Henry, both seriously ill, shared a hospital room. Alan was allowed to sit up in his bed and his bed was next to the room’s only window. Henry had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours, of their wives, families, their homes and their jobs. And every afternoon when Alan, in the bed next to the window, could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm among flowers. Trees and skyline could be seen in the distance. As he described all this, Henry, on the other side of the room, would close his eyes and imagine the scene.
One warm afternoon Alan described a parade (游行) passing by. Although Henry could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind. Unexpectedly, an alien though: entered his head: why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never got to see anything? It doesn’t seem fair. Henry felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sight, his envy grew and soon let him down. He began to find himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window ---- and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling. Alan began to cough. He was choking. Henry watched in the dim room as the struggling man tried hard to reach for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence ---- deathly silence.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, Henry asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he struggled to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He looked out, but faced a black wall.Judging from the passenger, the meaning of the underlined word “alien” in Paragraph 3 is ______.
| A．disappointing | B．sudden | C．new | D．strange |
What finally happened to Alan?
| A．He was moved to another room. | B．He died. |
| C．He switched his bed with Henry. | D．He was very sick. |
Henry, who had his bed switched, had expected _____.
| A．to see the blank wall |
| B．to feel the joy of seeing the outside world |
| C．to feel the joy of breathing fresh air |
| D．to see more than Alan |
Which of following words could be used to describe Alan?
| A．Kind-hearted and imaginative | B．Well-informed and humorous |
| C．Talkative and funny | D．Cold-hearted and indifferent |
Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers, whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement.
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown(方帽长袍).
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(对美国的忠孝宣誓).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. Then came the core (核心) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.What’s the article mainly about?
| A．An American high school’s graduation ceremony. |
| B．The opening ceremony of a sports meeting. |
| C．A presentation of college diplomas. |
| D．A US college’s farewell party. |
Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?
| A．She was one of the graduates. |
| B．She was a foreign exchange student. |
| C．She was excited to receive her diploma. |
| D．She felt it great to be at the ceremony. |
The right order of the following events is________.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates.
b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played.
d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.
| A．b-c-a-d-e | B．c-d-b-e-a | C．d-b-e-a-c | D．e-d-c-b-a |
From the text, we can conclude that_______.
| A．a diploma ensures a good job |
| B．a diploma guarantees a bright future |
| C．the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life |
| D．everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma |
Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.
Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother’s care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn’t like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi(密西西比河). He was nearly drowned nine times.
After his father’s death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.
In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.
Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.
At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.In his childhood, Mark Twain, ________.
| A．learned a lot at school |
| B．he often went swimming with other boys |
| C．his mother often worried about his safety |
| D．he often played games with other boys |
Which of the following shows the right order about Mark Twain?
a. He became a miner. b. He worked as a printer.
c. He got into debts. d. His father died.
e. He became a full-time writer. F. He joined the army.
| A．a—d—b—c—e—f | B．d—b—f—a—e—c |
| C．d—a—f—e—b—c | D．c—b—d—f—e—a |
In order to make a living, Mark Twain _______.
| A．first worked as a printer |
| B．did many kinds of work |
| C．wrote stories in the beginning |
| D．joined the army after he worked in a mine |
From the passage we can see that Mark Twain _______.
| A．had a happy childhood |
| B．was a good boy and always did what he was asked |
| C．was very naughty when he was young |
| D．lived a pleasant life |
The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is a love story, a sad and beautiful one. If it didn’t exist, we would easily imagine that the story of its construction was simply a fairy tale. Three hundred years ago, there lived an Indian emperor called Shah Jahan. His wife was a beautiful and bright woman whom he loved greatly. Her title was Mumtazl Mahal: its shortened form Taj Mahal, means “pride of the palace”. In the year 1630 this beloved wife of the emperor died. He was so brokenhearted that he thought of giving up his throne. He decided out of his love for his wife, to build her the most beautiful tomb that had ever been seen.
He summoned the best artists and architects from India, Turkey, Persia and Arabia and finally, the design was complete. It took more than twenty thousand men working over a period of 18 years to build the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
The building itself stands on a marble platform 29 meters square and 6-7 meters high. Towers rise from each of the four corners. The Mahal itself soars another 61 meters into the air. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble.
The emperor planned to build an identical tomb of black marble for himself on the other side of the river connected by a silver bridge. However, his son put him into a prison in the palace before he could finish, and for the rest of his life, he could only gaze across the river at the tomb of his beloved wife. The whole passage tells us about ______.
| A．a beautiful fairy tale |
| B．the story of the Taj Mahal |
| C．white and black marble tombs made for two emperors |
| D．the love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Taj Mahal?
| A．It was completed quickly owing to the efforts of the best artists and workers. |
| B．A lot of people took part in the building work. |
| C．It is a magnificent building. |
| D．It is a tomb for the emperor’s beloved wife. |
The emperor’s own tomb was designed to be ____________.
| A．61 meters high | B．eight-sided | C．black-colored | D．white-colored |
The emperor _____________.
| A．died soon after Taj Mahal died |
| B．was killed by his son |
| C．was beloved by his people |
| D．died after 1648 |
Tim Burton attempts to work his gothic magic over one of the best loved stories of all time—Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.
Alice, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate, only to find she is about to be proposed to by a rich suitor（求婚者）in front of hundreds of snooty（傲慢的）society types. She runs off, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland—a place she visited many years before, yet she doesn’t remember. The white rabbit claims to have come back for Alice because she is the only one who can slay（杀死)the Jabberwock, the beast who guards the Red Queen’s empire. Alice remains completely unaware of why she is in Wonderland, and is confused about the fact that she had once visited Wonderland years before.
Now, Wonderland has changed into a dark, scarier place than it used to be. Alice then embarks on an adventure of self discovery, and to save Wonderland from the Red Queen’s reign（统治）of terror with the help of her Wonderland friends.The story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was written by____________.
| A．Tim Burton | B．Lewis Carroll | C．Alice | D．the passage doesn’t tell us |
Alice runs off because maybe___________.
| A．she doesn’t like that party |
| B．she is too snooty |
| C．she doesn’t like the suitor |
| D．she wants to get married |
In the last paragraph, the phrase “embarks on” means _________.
| A．starts to do something |
| B．gets onto a ship |
| C．refuses to do something |
| D．finds something |
This passage would most likely to be found __________.
| A．on a film poster |
| B．in a government document |
| C．in a novel |
| D．in an entertainment magazine |
The World Health Organization (WHO) planned to study the relationship between the eating habits of the people and the disease. Two doctors were chosen to make the study. They flew to Africa south of the Sahara and during the next two months visited ten countries. They found that serious diseases of poor eating, often mistaken for other diseases, existed in all parts of Africa. The diseases were similar and could therefore all be named kwashiorkor. The diseased children are usually from one to four years old. As the illness progresses, the child’s stomach becomes swollen by liquid collecting in the body. The skin changes color and may break out in open sores（疼痛）. The hair changes color and starts to fall out. The patient loses all interest in his surroundings and even in food, and becomes so weak that he wants to lie down all the time. Stomach liquids are no longer produced.
The doctors reasoned that kwashiorkor was found in the young children of this age in many parts of Africa because of lack of milk or meat. Their mothers, after stopping their breastfeeding, gave them foods full of starches（淀粉）instead of greatly needed proteins. They found that the addition of milk to the food of the children suffering from kwashiorkor saved many lives.
The unbelievable thing about kwashiorkor is that the very existence of the disease—which has been killing thousands of children for centuries—was not even recognized in Latin America as recently as ten years ago. The deaths of those children were mistakenly listed as due to other diseases. It was the WHO’s work in Africa that led to the discovery of the problem in Central America.From the passage we learn that kwashiorkor is a disease caused by __________ .
| A．poor living conditions | B．lack of proteins in food |
| C．breastfeeding | D．lack of food |
It is difficult to discover kwashiorkor because ____________________ .
| A．it has no symptoms at all |
| B．it is hard to identify signs of it |
| C．it doesn’t last long enough for careful observation |
| D．it is hardly different from other diseases |
What is mentioned as a simple but reasonable way of curing this disease?
| A．Taking a special medicine. |
| B．Avoiding any food containing starch. |
| C．Having more meat or milk. |
| D．Taking medicine full of proteins. |
What’s the best title for the article?
| A．Milk and Meat Are Daily Necessities |
| B．Kwashiorkor and Improper Eating Habits |
| C．A New Form of Illness in Africa and Latin America |
| D．A Case of Eating Habits |
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