When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at hospital.
On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned toast."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He took me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's really tired. And besides – a little burned toast never hurt anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. This good quality is the base of any relationship --- husband-wife or parent-child or friendship! As far as I’m concerned, I’m not the best engineer as expected. However, I have made my efforts. That’s enough.
So learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life. Burnt toast isn’t a deal-breaker! Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket but into your own.When his mother put the burnt biscuit on the table, the author _____.
| A．wanted to see how his father reacted |
| B．pretended not to notice it |
| C．pretended to enjoy the burnt food |
| D．stopped his father eating the burnt toast |
We can infer from the passage that the author’s mother .
| A．She was not good at cooking. |
| B．She hardly had time to cook at home. |
| C．She felt sorry for the burnt food. |
| D．She spent more time on breakfast than dinner. |
How did the author feel when his father said he loved burnt toast?
| A．Moved. | B．Puzzled | C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
According to the text, to get a happy life, one should______ .
| A．give help to people in need | B．try to be a perfect person |
| C．learn from one’s mistakes | D．learn to be understanding |
One day newly wedded Nancy lost her ring while helping to plant potatoes. Friends were called and the field was searched long but in vain. Later, when the potatoes were harvested, Everyone looked out for the ring but it remained lost. Another year came round and all the farmers working in the field kept their eyes open. The following year was the same. And year after year, whoever had business in the field always had Nancy’s ring in his mind.
Then the farm changed hands but it went no farther than to cousins. So the memory of the lost ring remained alive until thirty-eight years had passed. Then came a spring day when a man was ploughing the field behind a pair of horses. Even after thirty-eight years he still looked out for the ring, and knew just which part of the field Nancy had lost it in. At this time, when he came there, he found it .He picked it up, put it carefully into his pocket, left his horse, and ran all the way down to the village and placed it into Nancy’s hand.The underlined word “in vain” in the 1st paragraph most probably means “_______”.
| A．suggested . | B．returned no result | C．insisted | D．decided |
How did Nancy come to lose her ring?
| A．She lost it while helping to harvest tomatoes in the field |
| B．She lost it while watering the plants in the field. |
| C．She lost it while working in the field. |
| D．She lost it while helping to plant potatoes in the field. |
What did the ploughman do after finding the ring?
| A．He picked it up and put it in his pocket. |
| B．He ran back to tell everybody in the village. |
| C．He placed it in a secret spot. |
| D．He returned it to the owner. |
What can you infer from the story?
| A．The ring was invaluable. |
| B．People on the farm were honest and helpful. |
| C．The ring’s mysterious disappearance was the work of supernatural power. |
| D．Nancy no longer expected that her ring would be found again. |
Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic Ocean, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic Ocean is rich in oceanic liveliness all the time. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic Ocean.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic Ocean is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise---it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic Ocean trying to draw breath----perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It imitates nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with co-living existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is __________.
| A．always energetic | B．lacking in liveliness |
| C．shaped like a square | D．favored by ancient poets. |
The writer uses the poem “Storm at Sea” for the purpose of ___________.
| A．describing the movement of the waves |
| B．showing the strength of the storm |
| C．presenting the power of the ocean |
| D．proving the vastness of the sea |
In the last paragraph, the Atlantic Ocean is compared to ___________.
| A．a beautiful and poetic place | B．a person of blood and flesh |
| C．a world of interest and wonder | D．a lovely animal |
Someday a stranger will read your email without your permission or scan the website you have visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it is likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without permission? It might be a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen-----the 21st century is the equal of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy and that it is important to reveal yourself to friends, families and lovers at appropriate time and places. But now few boundaries remain. The information you leave everywhere makes it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. Believe it or not, we live in a world where you simply can’t keep a secret. The key question is: does that matter?
When you ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few refuse to offer personal information like Social Security numbers to get supermarket loyalty cards.
But privacy (隐私) does matter—at least sometimes. It is like health: when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it is gone do you wish you had done more to protect it.What does the underlined sentence in Para 2 mean?
| A．People’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowing it. |
| B．In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets. |
| C．People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age. |
| D．Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology. |
Which of the statements will the psychologists probably agree with?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．The closer they are, the deeper their friendship is. |
In the last paragraph but one, the EZ-Pass system and Social Security numbers are used as evidence to show_________.
| A．Americans talk a lot but do little about privacy protection |
| B．Americans use various loyalty cards for business. |
| C．Americans rely more and more on electronic devices. |
| D．Americans change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?
| A．Privacy and Health | B．Privacy Is Getting Lost. |
| C．Boundary and Friendship | D．Cherish What You Have |
American children are not the only couch potatoes with nearly one third of children globally spending 3 hours a day or more watching TV or on computers, according to the study of over 70,000 teens in 34 nations.
From Argentina to Zambia, Regina Guthold of the World Health Organization in Geneva and her colleagues found most children were not getting enough exercise and that it made no difference whether they live in a rich or a poor country. “With regards to physical levels, we didn’t find much of a difference between rich and poor countries,” Guthold said, “Growing up in a poor country doesn’t necessarily mean kids get more physical activities.”
The researchers defined adequate physical activity as at least an hour of exercise outdoors for at least 5 days a week. Children spending 3 or more hours a day watching TV, playing computer games or chatting with friends were classified as sedentary.
The researchers found only a quarter of the boys and 15 percent of the girls were getting enough exercise by these definitions. A quarter of boys and nearly 30% of girls were sedentary and didn’t get enough exercise with girls less active than boys in every country aside from Zambia.
Girls from India were the most active with 37 percent meeting exercise recommendation, while girls from Egypt were the least active with 4 percent getting enough exercise. Children in Myanmar were the least sedentary while the most sedentary nations were St .Lucia and the Cayman Islands.
People show deep concern for kids’ lack of physical activity in various nations. Why do they have a low level of physical activity? Guthold speculated（认为）that urbanization could be a factor as well as easy access to cars and TVs.If you are sedentary, you ____________.
| A．are a diligent student spending much time doing homework |
| B．have at least an hour of exercise outdoors 5 days a week. |
| C．like watching TV and playing computer games |
| D．spend longer hours sitting or lying without moving |
Which of the following statements is true as to Guthold’s finding?
| A．Most children around the world don’t meet the exercise recommendation. |
| B．Girls in every country are no more active than boys. |
| C．Children in rich countries relatively get less physical activity. |
| D．Only 4% of the girls from Egypt are not active in exercise. |
All the following statements are wrong except _______.
| A．Children in poor countries get more physical activities. |
| B．Girls in Egypt are more active than those in India. |
| C．Couch potatoes are those children addicted to snacks. |
| D．Children in Myanmar are less sedentary than those in St .Lucia. |
What would the writer be most likely to discuss in detail in the paragraph that follows?
| A．The suitable amount of physical activities for students. |
| B．Some of the factors for the popularity of cars and TVs among the kids. |
| C．The reasons behind the lack of physical activities. |
| D．The ways to make the most of cars and TVs. |
It was the first snow of the winter---an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up to now, I had been old enough to dress myself, but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, Ontario, had been through best snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow trousers. But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear the ugly clothes. At least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots.
In her calm, motherly voice she said, “By the end of the winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the time that it was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my feet. Like most children, I expected the adult to do all the work. After much pushing, she managed to get the first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced, “They are on the wrong feet.”
She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again.
“They are my brother’s boots, you know, I hate them.”
Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl. She struggled with me. She asked “now, where are your mittens(手套)?”
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I hid them in the toes of my boots.”The little girl was more satisfied with her __________.
| A．trousers | B．jackets | C．boots | D．hat |
Miss Finlayson had difficulty with the little girl’s boots mainly because________.
| A．the girl got them from her brother |
| B．the girl put something in them |
| C．they were on the wrong feet |
| D．they did not fit the girl well |
Why does the author say Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?
| A．Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes. |
| B．Because it was the most exciting day of the winter. |
| C．Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf. |
| D．Because the little girl played a trick on her. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Miss Finlayson _______________.
| A．was losing confidence in the little girl |
| B．was gradually losing patience with the little girl |
| C．became disappointed with the little girl |
| D．got curious about the little girl |
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