For as early as I could remember, my mother had been a bright, cheerful woman deeply interested and involved in the world around her. However, in the last fifteen years of her life, she had to live with senile dementia (老年痴呆). I would go to my home to pay her a visit in California and she would curiously look at me and then ask, “Who are you?” I would answer, “I’m your own son, of course.” “Where do you live?” She would ask. “In Virginia”, I would tell her. “Isn’t that interesting,” she would say, “I have a son in Virginia.”
Mother seemed only forgetful as well as confused at the beginning of that disease, but sometime later she would go through different time of intense anxiety. She would keep walk ing through the house she used to live in most of her life crying uneasily that she would like to go home. Or sometimes she left home and wandered away if she were unattended for a short time.
Hoping to make her happy and put her mind at ease I would take her in my car, visiting sites where she used to live when she was a child. In the yard of the hillside house in Shipman I sat in the car and admired the view of the old oaks and long green lawn(草坪). I pictured my mother there was a little girl playing with the pet lamb she had been so fond of. I looked to her for some response. She shook her head and said, “I want to go home.”
Over the years I have decided that what my mother was calling home was not a place, but a time. I think it was a time when she was much younger, when her children were still underfoot, when her husband was still energetic and attentive.
Watching my mother’s suffering set me wondering where I would have in mind if someday I couldn’t find home and wanted to go there. In this family we tend to be long-lived and we grow fuzzy (糊涂的) minded as the years go by. At eighty I have already noticed some alarming symptoms. My doctor says the forgetfulness is only natural and that it comes with age. Still the fear of senile dementia is haunting there. Someday if and when I become even more cloudy minded than I am now, unable to drive and unable to tell you where "home" is, my dear son, I expect I will ask you to take me home, I know you will do your best to find the place I need to be. I leave these notes for your guidance. What’s the main idea of the first and second paragraphs?
| A．The mother of the author could not find her home. |
| B．The mother of the author could not remember who’s his son. |
| C．The author’s mother suffered with serious senile dementia. |
| D．The author didn’t know how to cure his mother. |
Which of the following is NOT the symptom of the mother of the author?
| A．forgetful | B．confused | C．cheerful | D．uneasy |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “picture”?
| A．photograph | B．describe | C．appear | D．paint |
What can you infer from the third paragraph?
| A．The author cared much about his mother. |
| B．The mother of the author liked pet lambs very much. |
| C．The author found a very little girl who was playing with a pet lamb. |
| D．The mother of the author did not like her usual home. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Where Is Home? | B．A story about a son and a mother. |
| C．Everyone will suffer with senile dementia. | D．Take Mother Home. |
If you don’t use a dictionary. What should you do instead? The first thing you can do is trying to guess what the word means. Often the surrounding context gives a very clear idea of the meaning of the word. Even if you can’t work out the meaning exactly, you may be able to get a vague idea, enough to enable you to continue reading.
Sometimes It is impossible to guess the meaning of a word from the context and then you will have to decide whether the word is important enough to make it worthwhile stopping and looking it up in a dictionary or whether you can just pass it by.
Many times in your reading, you will come across words which you don’t know, but which do not prevent you from understanding all the main points of the text. You can made your dictionary use much more efficient if you only look up the words which are necessary to understand the text. and this means that you must develop the skill to decide whether the words are worth looking up.The passage mainly tells us in our reading what we would do .
| A．without knowledge of English |
| B．when we look up words in a dictionary |
| C．when we are guessing new words |
| D．without using a dictionary |
What does the underlined word “vague” mean?
| A．Mysterious. | B．Not clear. | C．Exact. | D．Important. |
In our reading some words we don’t know .
| A．help us to understand the text well |
| B．don’t prevent us from understanding the main points of the text |
| C．will be remembered forever |
| D．are borrowed from other languages |
In this passage the writer .
| A．advised us to use the dictionary as much as possible |
| B．told us not to be discouraged by the sight of a dictionary |
| C．gave us some advice on how to deal with these unknown words |
| D．introduced some ways to take notes in the course of reading |
I shall never forget the day when the earthquake took place. The time was about 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I was driving along the road to take my daughter from school. Our plan was to go swimming together. I had finished my work at 4 o’clock and then gone to the Post Office. Then I’d stopped off at a shop in order to get some fresh fruit. We like to have some fruit to eat after our swim.
I was driving along a high road on my way to my daughter’s school. Over my road was another road which was built like a bridge for cars coming to the other way. I was hungry so I put the bag of apples in the seat beside me and started to eat one.
Suddenly I saw the cars in front of me start to move from side to side. Then my car started to shake! I didn’t know what was happening. Perhaps something had gone wrong with my car. I drove a little more slowly and then I stopped the car and at the same moment the road fell onto the cars in front of me.
I found myself in the dark. I couldn’t move. The bottom parts of both of my legs and my feet were hurting badly and I couldn’t move them. All around me was quiet. But above me I could hear shouts and a lot of noise. Then I memorized (记起) what had happened. I had been in an earthquake.
For about two hours nobody came. Luckily I could reach the bag of apples, so at least I had plenty to eat. Then I heard people climbing towards me. A team of people had come to see if anyone was under the broken road. I called out. “I’m here!” I heard a shout. Soon a stranger climbed to the side of the road near my car. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“Not too bad,” I said, “but my feet and leg feel as if they’re broken.” “We’ll have you out of there just as soon as we can.” They didn’t get me out until the next morning. I had been in my car for fourteen hours.When the earthquake took place, the writer was ______.
| A．on his way to the Post Office | B．stopping off a shop |
| C．doing some shopping | D．under a road built like a bridge |
The writer’s car began to move from side to side because ________.
| A．there was something wrong with his car |
| B．he ate apples as he drove |
| C．an earthquake began to happen |
| D．he drove too fast |
Which is the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．When the earthquake happened, the writer was with his daughter together. |
| B．The writer’s leg and feet were badly wounded in the earthquake. |
| C．The writer was saved as soon as the stranger climbed up the road. |
| D．The writer was frightened that he forgot everything that happened around. |
In the past, going to a piano teacher was the most popular way to learn how to play the piano. You could get one-to-one teaching and have the opportunity to learn as much as the teacher knew. If you didn’t have private lessons, you could still learn the piano, but you would have to teach yourself. This was easy for some, but very difficult for most. However, with technology developing today, there is at last another way that you can take piano lessons. You can take an online course.
An online course is much cheaper than a private lesson. If a private lesson costs 30-40 dollars per week, just think about how quickly that adds up. You can take a whole online course in piano for just a fraction(小部分) of the money that you would spend on weeks of private lessons. Also, private lessons are usually only one hour per week. So you would have to wait for your next lesson to continue your learning. However, online piano courses are quite different.
With an online piano course, you can work at your own pace. You can also take as many lessons per week as you want, or go back and listen to your last lesson if you have forgotten anything. Most adults who want to learn how to play the piano enjoy being able to go back and listen to the lessons again.
Of course if you need someone to sit beside you and offer you immediate feedback(反馈) as you are playing, you might not get that from an online piano course. However, the lessons online can be viewed（观看） at any time, or as often as you’d like, which means that you can get your own type of feedback from an online piano course.This passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the disadvantages of the traditional ways of learning to play the piano |
| B．the differences between traditional piano courses and online courses |
| C．why people prefer online piano courses to traditional piano courses |
| D．the advantages of learning to play the piano through an online course |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 want to tell us?
| A．That private piano lessons shouldn’t be that expensive. |
| B．That taking private piano lessons really costs a lot. |
| C．That not everyone can afford to take piano lessons. |
| D．That the price for private piano lessons has increased greatly. |
How did the writer make his points clear?
| A．By giving detailed data. | B．By giving many examples |
| C．By writing about his own experiences | D．By comparing with the old ways. |
From Japantown to Union Square in San Francisco, here are four fantastic hotels with atmosphere to spare.
| Sir Francis Drake Hotel Location: Union Square, the city’s tourist-friendly shopping district(区) First impression: Despite some changes, the hotel has kept much of its attraction, and doormen still wear beefeater uniforms（英王卫士制服）. Rooms: Many of the 417 rooms are small, but they have features like curved(弧形的) walls. There includes a pet-friendly floor and yoga kits you can borrow. Plus: The Sunday meal features an exciting show. Info: 450 Powell St, 800/795-7129, sirfrancisdrake.com, from $139 |
| Orchard Garden Hotel Location: Steps from Chinatown and North Beach, a historically Italian area. First impression: Everything is earth-friendly, from the energy-saving bulbs（电灯泡） in the hall ways to the soy ink used to print your bill. Rooms: The 86 rooms are done in greens and yellows. Even the toilet paper is recycled paper. Plus: High-tech amenities(设施) include Wi-Fi, and key cards that turn on the electricity when you enter a room. Info: 466 Bush St, 888/717-28881, theorchardgarden-hotel.com, from$189 |
| Hotel Beresford Location: Near the theater(剧院) district, but bordering the Tenderloin area. First impression: The Beresford is one of the city’s oldest buildings--it was built in 1911--with original woodwork and period furniture, such as a writing desk. Rooms: Several of the 114 rooms were just repainted, adding old style door frames（框架）. Hallways are lined with photos of popular city sights. Plus: The White Horse Bar& Restaurant, known for its steaks, is a favorite with theatergoers. Info: 635 Sutter St, 800/533-6533, baresford.com, from $89 |
| Galleria Park Hotel Location: Where the Financial District meets Union Square. First impression: Renovated(翻修) in March, the hotel’s large lobby（门厅） is a mix of styles with an art fireplace, 1930s’ portraits（画像） in pearly frames, and Victorian crystal skylights（水晶天窗）. Rooms: The 177 rooms feel great, with silk curtains, leather headboards（皮革床头靠背）, and clocks with MP3 players. Minus: The hotel’s restaurant is under construction. Walk one block north to Belden Place instead. Info: 191 Sutter St, 800/792-9639, galleriapark.com, form $149 |
George, an environmentalist, is now at San Francisco to attend a meeting, he would prefer to live in _______
| A．Galleria Park Hotel | B．Hotel Beresford |
| C．Sir Francis Drake Hotel | D．Orchard Garden Hotel |
About Sir Francis Drake Hotel, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The hotel lies in the district where tourist goods are sold. |
| B．The restaurant of the hotel is being built at present. |
| C．On Sunday tourists can have a chance to watch a show . |
| D．The hotel has kept its own attractive style for many years. |
Suppose you are a play lover and will travel to San Francisco in a few days, which number will you call to book a hotel?
| A．800/795-7129 | B．800/533-6533 | C．888/717-2881 | D．800/792-9639 |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To teach us how to choose the best hotel in San Francisco |
| B．To compare the differences of four hotels in San Francisco |
| C．To introduce four hot hotels in San Francisco |
| D．To tell us the advantages of four hotels in San Francisco |
While many people agree that The Sound of Music（音乐之声）is one of the best films of all time, some are at a loss（困惑） to explain why. Well, I’ll tell you why it’s one of the best movies ever. The Sound of Music simply has everything one could want in a movie.
First of all, it has a real romance--one where you can watch the characters slowly fall in love.
Secondly, it has humor, clever and sarcastic（讽刺性的） humor. When Schraeder said, “ Bye, Maria, I’m sure you’ll make a fine nun（修女）.” You just want to slap（掴） her across the face after hearing that.
Thirdly, it’s got adventure. The Nazis are the worst “bad guys” in any movie, so it’s great to see Maria, the Captain and the kids outwit（智取） them.
Fourthly, it’s got great music. The songs of the film are popular all over the world.
Fifthly, it’s got great scenery. The plot（情节） and dialogue are also amazing. I find new things to admire each time I watch.
Finally, is there a greater scene in any movie than the nuns showing the stolen Nazi car parts? In short, the film doesn’t just succeed because it cheers people up with a beautiful love story or songs. It also succeeds because it’s a wonderfully-constructed, wonderfully-written, and wonderfully-acted movie.What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell people what makes a good movie. |
| B．To tell people how to enjoy the humor in The Sound of Music. |
| C．To explain why The Sound of Music is one of the best movies. |
| D．To advise people to watch The Sound of Music |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．in the author’s opinion, The Sound of Music succeeds mainly because of its songs |
| B．the author can find something new to enjoy every time he watches the movie |
| C．Maria just wants to slap Schraeder after hearing what she says to her. |
| D．The Sound of Music is a movie about how Maria outwits the Nazis with the nuns |
About the The Sound of Music, the author mentioned all of the following things EXCEPT___
| A．plot | B．music | C．acting | D．clothing |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “character” ?
| A．特征 | B．性格 | C．人物 | D．汉字 |
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