Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her three-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They find out that the new baby is going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sings to his sister in Mommy's tummy.
The pregnancy progresses normally for Karen. But complications arise during delivery. Finally, Michael's little sister is born. But she is in serious condition. With siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushes the infant to the intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital.
The little girl gets worse. The doctor tells the parents, "There is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst." Karen and her husband have fixed up a special room in their home for the new baby — now they plan a funeral.
Michael, keeps begging his parents to let him see his sister, "I want to sing to her," he says. But kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. However, Karen makes up her mind. She will take Michael whether they like it or not. “If he doesn't see his sister now, he may never see her alive.” She dresses him in an oversized scrub suit and marches him into ICU. The head nurse recognizes him as a child and bellows, "Get that kid out of here now! " The mother, the usually mild-mannered lady glares steel-eyed into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!" Karen tows Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazes at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. And he begins to sing.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray”
Instantly the baby girl responds. The pulse rate becomes calm and steady.
"You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away "
The ragged, strained breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr.
Keep on singing, Michael. Tears conquer the face of the bossy head nurse as well as Karen.
Funeral plans are scrapped. The next, day — the very next day — the little girl is well enough to go home!
NEVER GIVE UP THE ONE WE LOVE!How did Michal’s feel when he knew that he was going to have a sister?
| A．indifferent. | B．worried |
| C．expectant. | D．disappointed. |
The doctor recommended the family ___________.
| A．get ready for the worst result. |
| B．wait for the hope in the near future. |
| C．prepare much more money for the infant. |
| D．prepare for another chance in other hospitals. |
Which word can best replace the underlined word in Paragraph 4?
| A．pointed. | B．yelled. | C．whispered. | D．ignored. |
What happened when Michael sang to his little sister?
| A．The little baby responded to his song and woke up immediately. |
| B．The baby heard the song and burst into tears. |
| C．The baby’s physical signs disappeared eventually. |
| D．The baby recovered from the dangerous state of coma gradually. |
What could be the best title of the article?
| A．An unexpected gift. | B．A miracle of love |
| C．A iron-mother. | D．A medical success. |
We all have our ways of marking time. As a photographer, my life is measured from one story to the next. My oldest son was born in the middle of a long story about the Endangered Species Act. My daughter came along with a pack of gray wolves.
Twenty stories later, though, it’s the story in Alaska that I’ll remember best. It was the story about the loss of wilderness—and the story during which my wife Kathy got cancer. That’s the one that made time stand still. I stopped taking pictures on the day when she found that tumor. Cruelly, it was Thanksgiving. By Christmas, she had become very weak. Some days she was so sick she couldn’t watch TV.
Early examination saves time. But ours was not early. By the time you can feel it yourself, it’s often bigger than the doctor want it to be.
Cancer is a thief. It steals time. Our days are already short with worry. Then comes this terrible disease, unfair as storm at harvest time. But cancer also has the power to change us, for good. We learn to simplify, enjoying what we have instead of feeling sorry for what we don’t. Cancer even made me a better father. My work had made me a stranger to my three kids. But now I pay attention to what really matters. This is not a race. This is a new way of life and new way of seeing, all from the cancer.
In the end each of us has so little time. We have less of it than we can possibly imagine. And even thought it turns out that Kathy’s cancer has not spread, and her prognosis(诊断) is good, we try to make it all count now, enjoying every part of every day.
I’ve picked up my camera again. I watch the sky, searching for beautiful light. When winter storms come, Kathy and I gather our children and take the time to catch snowflakes(雪花) on our tongues. After all, this is good. This is we’re living for.As a photographer, the author used to ______.
| A．leave his daughter with a pack of gray wolves. |
| B．express his love for his family in a special way. |
| C．miss a great many important historical moments. |
| D．devote much more to his career than his family. |
Why did the author decide to stop taking pictures?
| A．To cure his own disease. |
| B．To spend more time with his wife. |
| C．To seek a better position. |
| D．To leave the wildness alone. |
What is the biggest change the cancer has brought to the author?
| A．He treasured every bit of time with his family. |
| B．He has become a stranger to his children. |
| C．He takes his work more seriously. |
| D．He focuses more on medical care. |
The author and his family catch snowflakes on their tongues probably because______.
| A．the snowflakes taste very good. |
| B．snowflakes are what they feed on. |
| C．they regard that as a way to enjoy life. |
| D．there is beautiful light in the snowflakes. |
The Singapore Management University （SMU） MBA programme was launched with the aim to develop the next generation of business leaders in Asia．We seek candidates with certain conditions and qualities．
achievements and demonstrated （显示） leadership potential．Participants in current and past classes have an average of 5 -6 years of working experience．We are looking for candidates who can benefit from - and contribute to - our seminar style of teaching and who can successfully lead teams and organizations coming out the programme．The programme has a strict minimum work experience requirement of 2 years （more experience preferred）．Younger applicants can apply but must demonstrate outstanding leadership potential and maturity through their professional and personal experiences．
As our Full-time MBA and Part-time MBA are accelerated and strict, we are looking for candidates with strong academic certificates, as evidenced by their past academic performance．The GMAT is required as it gives us a base to compare candidates from diverse national, educational and professional backgrounds．While we have no minimum GMAT score, we consider candidates who have stronger than average marks in the verbal （语文） , quantitative （数学） and writing sections to be more competitive．We also require TOEFL or IELTS scores from those whose undergraduate or graduate degrees were not taught in English．
Our business school's aim is to train sharp minds who lead organizations and serve society．To this end, we look to build a dynamic and diverse student body who will actively contribute to the learning experience both inside and outside the classroom, and who desire to make a difference in their greater communities．We are also looking for candidates with strong interpersonal skills and an international outlook who can work in diverse groups, a necessary condition for being a leader in today's globalized world．What is the goal of the SMU MBA programme?
A．Training future business leaders．
B．Helping students to pass the GMA．
C．Developing quick-minded students．
D．Seeking students with high qualities．Which of the following is a must for a candidate?
| A．A graduate degree taught in English． |
| B．Demonstrated leadership． |
| C．At least 2 years of working experience． |
| D．Communicative ability． |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．Professional experience． |
| B．Requirement of TOFL scores． |
| C．Academic competence． |
| D．Contribution to the community． |
The purpose of the passage is to _______．
| A．introduce the SMU MBA programme |
| B．attract more qualified students |
| C．explain the process of the application |
| D．present the qualification of the candidates |
Every creature has its own emotion. Our humans need emotions to process information we receive and decide how to respond． Fear is an emotion like others such as happiness，anger，hurt and sadness. Being afraid of fast cars，for example，is something that might protect us from harm. Being afraid of the consequence of a choice may prevent us getting into trouble．
Fears in young children commonly center on certain animals like snakes or big dogs. Fears are caused often because of experiences or ideas expressed by others，and at times，the media. Many normal fears during the early years，like men with beards，or large dogs，disappear with age. Those relating to personal failure and ridicule （嘲笑） remain through adulthood and may need special help to overcome．
Children’s fears are often small，but that doesn’t mean they should be dismissed as trivial （微不足道的）．They need to be recognized and accepted as real for that child. Only when we help children understand their fears can they grow normally in their ability to settle them．
Research shows that as a child grows up，the center of his fears changes a lot. Things like divorce，a teacher who “shouted at me”，people with guns，bullies，big boys，or “making fun of me” top the list of childhood fears.”
We cannot always prevent these experiences from happening，but it is essential that children be allowed to freely express their emotions without judgment. Sympathy and a caring listener will help ease pain of these fears. Read books and stories to your child about children who have experienced similar fears. This helps children talk about their fears and find ways to cope. With all emotions，fears become less of a problem for children as they gain selfconfidence and they find that fear is normal and can be dealt with．According to Paragraph 2，we know that fears in young children________．
| A．only center on frightening animals |
| B．can make sure of their safety |
| C．are not born but learned |
| D．need special help to deal with |
In dealing with children’s fears，the final goal of the parents is to________．
| A．stop unpleasant experiences happening to children |
| B．let children know about the nature of fear |
| C．develop children’s ability to treat their fears on their own |
| D．create an environment where there is nothing to fear |
From the passage we can learn that________．
| A．children with similar fears can communicate easily |
| B．children should avoid the media to reduce their fear |
| C．fears can be judged according to the environment |
| D．some childhood fears may have a lasting influence |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Children’s fears． |
| B．How to overcome children’s fears． |
| C．The kind of children’s fears． |
| D．The bad effects of fears． |
You might not want a holiday in your hometown, but there is probably someone who does. And, in exchange, you could have a cheap vacation anywhere in the world.
Just picture the scene: you’re watching the sunset from the balcony of a Caribbean island house. It’s large. And it’s free as long as you don’t mind the owners living in your home at the same time.
All you need to be a home-swapper is the Internet and a rough idea of when and where you want to go on holiday. When you find someone whose dates match yours, and who wants to visit your area, you’re all set to swap.
The advantages are numerous: you can save a fortune in accommodation cost. You could get to use the owners’ car, boat, bikes, pool or gym. You might even be able to come to an arrangement about looking after each other’s pets!
You also get to live like a local, and you might be invited around to neighbors’ homes for tea, barbecues and tips on the area. People say that these cultural experiences are the memories that last. Plus, instead of one tiny hotel room, you have an entire house where you can make yourself at home. And it’s not cold and impersonal like a hotel room.
Of course, there are disadvantages. A lot of effort and communication are needed before the arrangements are finalized. Nobody wants a stranger living in their house, sleeping in their bed and using their bathroom, so you have to get to know each other well beforehand.
Some people are concerned about theft or property damage, but in reality this is very rare. Most home-exchangers have the view that “If they can trust me with their house, I can trust them with mine.” The worse complaint people have is the difference in standards of cleanness.
If you’re interested in home-exchange for your next holiday, start by contacting a famous agency like homelink.org and intervac,co.uk. These agencies will also have advice about preparing for a home-exchange.What will you most probably remember if you have exchanged your home with another?
| A．The sunset. |
| B．The car or boat of the home owner. |
| C．The pet of the home owner. |
| D．A gathering in his neighborhood. |
If you want to exchange your home with another, you should do all of the following EXCEPT_________.
| A．trying to know each other |
| B．surfing the Internet for information |
| C．inviting your neighbors home for tea |
| D．finding someone who wants to visit your area |
Where can you most probably find the passage?
| A．In a story book. | B．In a guide book. |
| C．In a textbook. | D．In a science book. |
On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to a store to buy some gifts. While looking in the toys section,. I noticed a small boy of about five years old, pressing a doll against his chest．Keeping on touching the hair of the doll, the boy murmured sadly, "I don't have enough money．What can I do?" I walked towards him and asked him curiously who he wanted to give the doll to．
" It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas．She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her．" I told him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all and not to worry．However, he replied sadly, " No, Santa Claus cannot take it to where she is now．I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there．" His eyes looked so sad while saying this． " My sister has gone to be with God．Daddy says that Mommy will also join God very soon so I think that she can take the doll with her to give it to my sister．" My heart nearly stopped．
The boy looked up at me and said, " I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet．I asked him to wait until I come back from the store．" Then, he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing．He told me, " I also want Mommy to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me, I love my Mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me but Daddy says that she has to go and join my little sister．" Then he looked at the doll again quietly with sad eyes．
I quickly reached my hand into my pocket, saying, "What if we checked again, just in case, to see if you have enough money?"We can safely say ________ ．
| A．Santa Claus would bring the doll to the girl |
| B．the story happened in winter |
| C．the boy was with his father at the store |
| D．the author met the boy accidentally |
What can be inferred from the story?
| A．Something serious happened to the boy's mother and sister． |
| B．The boy's mother and sister were dying． |
| C．The boy's parents had to go to accompany his sister． |
| D．The boy's sister had asked him for his photo． |
Which best describes the boy?
| A．Sensitive and casual． | B．Considerate and sad． |
| C．Thankful and optimistic． | D．Determined and guilty． |
What would happen at the end of the story?
| A．The boy would gain sympathy by cheating． |
| B．The boy would persuade his mother not to go． |
| C．The author would give the boy some money． |
| D．The boy's father would express thanks to the author． |
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