Yesterday was my stepmother’s birthday. I haven’t been home for a long time, so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.
I have been struggling on a low income so I was afraid that I couldn’t afford the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.
I stopped at a shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she would love it. But when I got to the cashier, my card wasdeclined! I didn’t have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!
So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would have liked as much. So, I got to my smart-phone and transferred some money from my saving account and was able to buy the gift. It took a big part of my savings but I wanted her to have something special.
It turned out that she loved the gift and I felt that even though I had spent almost all my money, my stepmother deserved the best. I was glad I gave her the best I could.
Before I left my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret handshake, he gave me some money. I hadn’t said anything to him about my financial condition, but I guessed my dad just knew it. When I got to the car, I saw the amount he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift!
It goes to show that doing the right thing always comes with great rewards. Why was the writer unwilling to have a long trip?
| A．Because gas was hardly available. |
| B．Because the writer was short of money. |
| C．Because the writer didn’t like driving. |
| D．Because the road was difficult to drive on. |
The underlined word “pondered” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.
| A．thought about | B．tried on | C．depended on | D．got through |
From the passage, we can infer that ________.
| A．the writer loves his stepmother very much |
| B．the gift the writer bought was loved by his father very much |
| C．the writer spend all his savings buying the gift for his stepmother |
| D．the gift the writer bought was the most expensive one in the shop |
Why did the writer’s father shake hands with the writer in secret?
| A．Because he wanted to ask the writer for something special. |
| B．Because he wanted to give the writer some money. |
| C．Because he knew the writer had been struggling financially. |
| D．Because he didn’t want others to copy their handshake. |
Want to improve your writing skills? New Writing South is directing the way!
·Towner Writer Squad (班组）for kids aged 13-17
Led by comedy and TV writer, Marian Kilpatrick, Towner Writer Squad will meet once a month at the contemporary art museum for 11 months, starting 12 October, 2014.
The FREE squad sessions will include introductions to a wide range of writing styles, from poetry to play writing and lyrics (抒情诗）to flash fiction, to support the development of young writers.
Application & Selection
If you would like to apply to be part of the Towner Writer Squad, please send a sample piece of your writing (about 500 words), responding to the title‘LUNCH,’with your name, age, address and e-mail address to: debo@newwritingsouth.com.
Once all applications are in, com you will be invited to an open selection event on 17 September，4-5pm, at the gallery of Towner. This will be an informal opportunity to meet the Squad Leader, Squad Associate and other young people.
You will also have a chance to get to know the fantastic gallery space and get a taste of what’s to come.
Deadline for applications: 8 September, 2014
For further information go to: facebook.com/towner or towner.org.uk or newwritingsouth.com
Any questions 一 feel free to send your e-mail to Towner Writer Squad Associate: whame@towner.gov.uk
﹡ ﹡ ﹡ ﹡ ﹡ ﹡ ﹡ ﹡ ﹡
·Beginner Writing Project for kids aged 10-13
Due to popular demand, a writing project will be started for eager beginners.
Start time: 6 September, 2014
Meet every other Saturday，2-4pm, at the Towner Study Centre.
Study and write at your own pace 一 you do not have to rush 一 as you have a year to go through the project. Practise under the guidance of some experienced writers and teachers who can help you with basic writing skills. Most importantly, build confidence and have fun while writing!
No previous experience or special background is required. Many others have been successful this way. If they can do it, why can’t you?
Fee: £179
For more information go to: newtowner.org.uk or generate.org.uk
Towner Writer Squad will be started _______.
| A．to train comedy and TV writers |
| B．to explore the fantastic gallery space |
| C．to introduce a contemporary art museum |
| D．to promote the development of young writers |
To join the Writer Squad，each applicant should first _______.
| A．provide a piece of their writing |
| B．meet the Writer Squad Leader |
| C．offer their family information |
| D．complete an application form |
Applications for the Writer Squad should be e-mailed no later than _______.
| A．6 September, 2014 |
| B．8 September, 2014 |
| C．17 September, 2014 |
| D．12 October, 2014 |
What is most important for the beginners?
| A．Practising as much as possible. |
| B．Gaining confidence and having fun. |
| C．Studying and writing at their own pace. |
| D．Learning skills from writers and teachers. |
More information about Beginner Writing Project can be found at _______.
| A．facebook.com/towner |
| B．newwritingsouth.com |
| C．newtowner.org.uk |
| D．towner.org.uk |
Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as “Mumbet” or “Mum Bett.”
For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley’s wife tried to strike Mumbet’s sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起诉) for her freedom.
While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution.
Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants(后裔). One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.
Mumbet’s tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: “She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal.” What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1?
| A．She was born a slave |
| B．She was a slaveholder |
| C．She had a famous sister |
| D．She was born into a rich family |
Why did Mumbet run away from the Ashleys?
| A．She found an employer |
| B．She wanted to be a lawyer |
| C．She was hit and got angry |
| D．She had to take care of her sister |
What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new consititution?
| A．She should always obey her owners’ orders |
| B．She should be as free and equal as whites |
| C．How to be a good servant |
| D．How to apply for a job |
What did Mumbet do after the trial?
| A．She chose to work for a lawyer |
| B．She found the NAACP |
| C．She continued to serve the Ashleys |
| D．She went to live with her grandchildren |
What is the test mainly about?
| A．A story of a famous writer and spokesperson |
| B．The friendship between a lawyer and a slave |
| C．The life of a brave African American woman |
| D．A trial that shocked the whole world |
It was one of those terribly hot days in Baltimore. Needless to say, it was too hot to do anything outside. But it was also scorching in our apartment. This was 1962, and I would not live in a place with an air conditioner for another ten years. So my brother and I decided to leave the apartment to find someplace indoors. He suggested we could see a movie. It was a brilliant plan.
Movie theaters were one of the few places you could sit all day and—most important —sit in air conditioning. In those days, you could buy one ticket and sit through two movies. Then, the theater would show the same two movies again. If you wanted to, you could sit through them twice. Most people did not do that, but the manager at our theater. Mr. Bellow did not mind if you did.
That particular day, my brother and I sat through both movies twice, trying to escape the heat. We bought three bags of popcorn and three sodas each. Then, we sat and watched The Music Man followed by The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. We’d already seen the second movie once before. It had been at the theater since January, because Mr. Bellow loved anything with John Wayne in it.
We left the theater around 8, just before the evening shows began. But we returned the next day and saw the same two movies again, twice more. And we did it the next day too. Finally, on the fourth day, the heat wave broke.
Still, to this day I can sing half the songs in The Music Man and recite half of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart’s dialogue from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance! Those memories are some of the few I have of the heat wave of 1962. They’re really memories of the screen, not memories of my life. In which year did the author first live in a place with an air conditioner?
| A．1952 |
| B．1962 |
| C．1972 |
| D．1982 |
What does the underlined word”It” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The heat |
| B．The theater. |
| C．The Music Man |
| D．The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance |
What do we know about Mr. Bellow?
| A．He loved children very much. |
| B．He was a fan of John Wayne. |
| C．He sold air conditioners. |
| D．He was a movie star. |
Why did the author and his/her brother see the same movies several times?
| A．The two movies were really wonderful. |
| B．They wanted to avoid the heat outside. |
| C．The manager of the theater was friendly. |
| D．They liked the popcorn and the soda at the theater. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The author turned out to be a great singer. |
| B．The author enjoyed the heat wave of 1962. |
| C．The author’s life has been changed by the two movies. |
| D．The author considers the experience at the theater unforgettable. |
One morning, Ann’s neighbor Tracy found a lost dog wandering around the local elementary school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on the dog. Ann said that she could watch it only for the day.
Tracy took photos of the dog and printed off 400 FOUND fliers（传单）, and put them in mailboxes. Meanwhile, Ann went to the dollar store and bought some pet supplies, warning her two sons not to fall in love with the dog. At the time, Ann’s son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was recovering from a heart operation, was 21 years old.
Four days later Ann was still looking after the dog, whom they had started to call Riley. When she arrived home from work, the dog threw itself against the screen door and barked madly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley dashed into the boys’ room where Ann found Jack suffering from a heart attack. Riley ran over to Jack, but as soon as Ann bent over to help him the dog went silent.
“If it hadn’t come to get me, the doctor said Jack would have died,” Ann reported to a local newspaper. At this point, no one had called to claim the dog, so Ann decided to keep it.
The next morning Tracy got a call. A man named Peter recognized his lost dog and called the number on the flier. Tracy started crying, and told him, “That dog saved my friend’s son.”
Peter drove to Ann’s house to pick up his dog, and saw Thomas and Jack crying in the window. After a few moments Peter said, “Maybe Odie was supposed to find you, maybe you should keep it.” What did Tracy do after finding the dog?
| A．She looked for its owner |
| B．She gave it to Ann as a gift. |
| C．She sold it to the dollar store. |
| D．She bought some food for it. |
How did the dog help save Jack?
| A．By breaking the door for Ann. |
| B．By leading Ann to Jack’s room. |
| C．By dragging Jack out of the room. |
| D．By attending Jack when Ann was out. |
What was Ann’s attitude to the dog according to Paragraph 4?
| A．Sympathetic |
| B．Doubtful |
| C．Tolerant |
| D．Grateful |
For what purpose did Peter call Tracy?
| A．To help her friend’s son. |
| B．To interview Tracy |
| C．To take back his dog. |
| D．To return the flier to her. |
What can we infer about the dog from the last paragraph?
| A．It would be given to Odie. |
| B．It would be kept by Ann’ family. |
| C．It would be returned to Peter. |
| D．It would be taken away by Tracy. |
Charlotte Whitehead was born in England in 1843, and moved to Montreal, Canada at the age five with her family. While her ill elder sister throughout the years, Charlotte discovered she had a(an) in medicine. At 18 she married and a family. Several years later, Charlotte said she wanted to be a . Her husband supported her decision.
, Canadian medical schools did not women students at the time. Therefore, Charlotte went to the United States to study at the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia. It took her five years to her medical degree. Upon graduation, Charlotte to Montreal and set up a private . Three years later, she moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and there she was once again a doctor. Many of her patients were from the nearby timber and railway camps. Charlotte herself operating on damaged limbs and setting bones, in addition to delivering all the babies in the area.
But Charlotte had been practicing without a license. She had a doctor’s license in both Montreal and Winnipeg, but was . The Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons, an all-male board, wanted her to her studies at a Canadian medical college! Charlotte refused to her patients to spend time studying what she already knew. So in 1887, she appeared to the Manitoba Legislature to a license to her but they, too, refused. Charlotte to practice without a license until 1912. She died four years later at the age of 73.
In 1993, 77 years after her , a medical license was issued to Charlotte. This decision was made by the Manitoba Legislature to honor “this courageous and pioneering woman.”
| A．raising | B．teaching |
| C．nursing | D．missing |
| A．habit | B．interest |
| C．opinion | D．voice |
| A．invented | B．selected |
| C．offered | D．started |
| A．doctor | B．musician |
| C．lawyer | D．physicist |
| A．Besides | B．Unfortunately |
| C．Otherwise | D．Eventually |
| A．hire | B．entertain |
| C．trust | D．accept |
| A．history | B．physics |
| C．medicine | D．law |
| A．improve | B．save |
| C．design | D．earn |
| A．returned | B．escaped |
| C．spread | D．wandered |
| A．school | B．museum |
| C．clinic | D．lab |
| A．busy | B．wealthy |
| C．greedy | D．lucky |
| A．helped | B．found |
| C．troubled | D．imagined |
| A．harmful | B．tired |
| C．broken | D．weak |
| A．put away | B．taken over |
| C．turned in | D．applied for |
| A．punished | B．refused |
| C．blamed | D．fired |
| A．display | B．change |
| C．preview | D．complete |
| A．leave | B．charge |
| C．test | D．cure |
| A．sell | B．donate |
| C．issue | D．show |
| A．continued | B．promised |
| C．pretended | D．dreamed |
| A．birth | B．death |
| C．wedding | D．graduation |
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