I have forgotten the name of an old lady who was a customer on my paper route when I was a twelve-year-old boy back in 1954. Yet it seems like just yesterday that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I can only hope to pass on to someone else someday.
On a Saturday afternoon, a friend and I were throwing rocks onto the roof of the old lady's house. I found a smooth rock and sent it. The stone headed straight for a small window on the old lady's back door. At the sound of broken glass, we took off from the old lady's yard.
I was too scared about getting caught that first night. However, a few days later when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune.
I decided to save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I thought would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window. Then I put the envelope through the letter slot in her door. My soul felt redeemed (救赎) and I couldn't wait for the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady's eyes.
The next day, I. handed the old lady her paper. She thanked me for the paper and said, "Here, I have something for you. " It was a bag of cookies. I thanked her and ate the cookies as I continued my route.
After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was shocked. Inside was the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I'm proud of you. ”What work did the author do at the age of 12?
| A．Repairing roofs. | B．Collecting old papers. |
| C．Picking rocks. | D．Delivering newspapers. |
Why did the author and his friend escape from the old lady's yard?
| A．They broke the old lady's back door. |
| B．They broke the old lady's window. |
| C．They heard the old lady shouting. |
| D．They were seen by the old lady. |
What did the author do to make up for his mistake?
| A．He gave the old lady papers for free. |
| B．He saved some money to cover the cost. |
| C．He apologized in the old lady's presence. |
| D．He bought cookies for the old lady. |
According to the passage, the old lady was a person who was .
| A．strict | B．patient | C．generous | D．helpful |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Seven dollars | B．Being honest | C．A silly mistake | D．True forgiveness |
TIME is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It was created in 1923 by Briton Hadden and Henry Luce, making it the first weekly news magazine in the US. Hadden was considered carefree, liked to tease Luce and saw TIME as important but also fun. That accounted for its heavy coverage of celebrities(including politicians), the entertainment industry, and pop culture—criticized as too light for serious news.
It tells the news through people, and for many decades, the magazine’s cover depicted a single person. On Hadden’s death in 1929, Luce became the most important man at TIME and a major figure in the history of 20th-century media.
TIME is also known for its signature red border, first introduced in 1927. It has only changed four times since then. The issue released shortly after the September 11 attacks on the United States featured a black border to symbolize mourning. However, this edition was a special “extra” edition published quickly for the breaking news of the event; the next regularly scheduled issue contained the red border. Additionally, the April 28, 2008 Earth Day issue, dedicated to environmental issues, contained a green border. The next change in border was in the September 19, 2011 issue, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a metallic silver border. The most recent change(again with a silver border) was in the December 31, 2012 issue, noting Barack Obama’s selection as Man of the Year.
TIME has a division magazine, TIME FOR KIDS(TFK), which is especially published for children and is mainly distributed in classrooms. TFK contains some national news, a “Cartoon of the Week”, and a variety of articles concerning popular culture that the younger U.S. citizens are interested in. All the stories in TFK are written by young reporters.
In some advertising campaigns, the magazine has suggested that the letters TIME stand for “The International Magazine of Events”.TIME has a history of _______.
| A．about 90 years | B．about 70 years |
| C．about 50 years | D．about 150 years |
Why did some people dislike TIME in the beginning?
| A．It had kept its cover the same since the 1920s. |
| B．It didn’t report important events quickly enough. |
| C．It didn’t have a serious tone for important events. |
| D．Henry Luce was in charge of the magazine for too long. |
Why did TIME change its red border for the first time?
| A．To remember the 10th anniversary of an attack. |
| B．To show great sadness about the deaths. |
| C．To remind readers to protect the environment. |
| D．To call on readers to vote for Obama. |
What do we know about TFK?
| A．It mainly contains popular culture. |
| B．It has a division magazine called TIME. |
| C．It is designed for kids and teachers. |
| D．It has young reporters writing articles. |
Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.
1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.
Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant(警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.
Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.
| A．draw readers’ attention |
| B．introduce the topic |
| C．introduce the author of the book |
| D．advertise the book |
What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?
| A．The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have. |
| B．The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have. |
| C．The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have. |
| D．The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Obesity leads to a big fat crisis. |
| B．Four rules to help you avoid obesity. |
| C．Four misunderstandings of obesity. |
| D．Lacking self-control leads to obesity. |
Both of Jessica’s parents were lawyers and expected her to follow suit. So she went to law school, got a job at a great firm in Washington, DC, and worked as a lawyer for a decade. But her heart was never in it. “I had a big salary but no personal satisfaction,” she says.
Jessica found pleasure in the same thing that had brought her joy since joining the church choir at the age of 12. “Singing always felt like communicating something real at a spiritual and emotional level,” says Jessica. Yet she never considered it a career option. “That seemed like something people did in fairy tales, and I would never let my parents down,” she says.
It was her mom’s diagnosis of brain cancer in 2009 that made Jessica realize she had to write her own happy-ever-after. “Work was busy and my mother was ailing. So I was flying back and forth from Washington, DC to Houston to see her,” Jessica says. “I finally said, ‘Enough!’ and quit.” While caring for her mom, Jessica made a plan. She would spend her savings and study music for a year, and then open a part-time law practice so she could pursue her passion. Before her mother passed away two years later, she encouraged Jessica to follow her dream. Her song Live This Life was inspired by her mom, and her dad came to watch her perform at clubs.
In 2012, Jessica moved to Nashville to try singing and songwriting. A decade of presenting cases in court gave her the confidence to sing for a crowd. “At 20, I would have been too shy to perform,” says Jessica.
“Doing music is so free,” Jessica says. “There’s no pressure to be a star. Success, to me, isn’t a dollar amount or a record deal; it’s doing what I love.”Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Jessica wasn’t satisfied with the pay she got as a lawyer. |
| B．Jessica didn’t know what she truly loved for ten years. |
| C．Jessica didn’t really like working as a lawyer. |
| D．Jessica was grateful for her parents’ arrangement for her. |
What does the underlined word “ailing” in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Crazy. | B．Sick. |
| C．Worried. | D．Unhappy. |
What was Jessica’s mother’s attitude toward her singing?
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Negative. | D．Unknown. |
By telling Jessica’s story, the writer most probably wants to _______.
| A．show that family members’ support is important |
| B．show that singing can be a practical career |
| C．tell us the importance of choosing a right job |
| D．encourage us to pursue our dreams |
Never Talk to Strangers?
“Never talk to strangers.” Many children are taught this simple rule as a precaution against abduction(诱拐). In June, 2005, an 11-year-old boy was lost in the Utah wilderness for four days. During that time, he stayed on the path. He saw people searching for him but deliberately hid from them, afraid someone might “steal” him. Eventually, the unfortunate game of hide-and-seek ended and he was found. According to the Canada Safety Council, this alarming incident shows how unwise it is to instill(灌输) a fear of strangers in children. The “stranger danger” message can prevent children from developing the social skills and judgment needed to deal effectively with real-life situations. In a difficult situation, a stranger could be their lifeline to safety.
To have a child go missing is a parent’s worst nightmare. The threat of abduction by a stranger is minimal when compared with other possible reasons for a disappearance. In 2004, there were 67,266 missing-children cases in Canada. Only 31 involved abduction; in most of those cases the abductor was a relative, friend, or person known to the family. There were 671 cases of children wandering off, and 332 cases of abductions by a parent. Almost 80 percent of all cases were runaways. These statistics cast doubt on the idea that children should never talk to strangers. Wandering off is more common—but a lost children may have to call upon a stranger for help, and must develop the ability to judge what kind of people to approach. The “never talk to strangers” rule does not protect children in the situations they are most likely to face. On top of this, it can be confusing. Adults do not model the behaviour; they often talk to strangers. A child may not know how to tell who is a stranger, and who is not.
For young children, nothing replaces close supervision(监管). Pre-schoolers do not understand risk and tend to act without thinking. Children need to develop habits and sttitudes that will protect them from the real threats and dangers they may face. The Canada Safety Council encourages parents to give their children age-appropriate positive messages about safety, bearing in mind how youngsters may understand their world.Which of the following statements is NOT true about the 11-year-old boy?
| A．He practiced the “never talk to strangers” rule. |
| B．He hid from the rescuers to avoid possible abduction. |
| C．He eventually showed up when his hide-and-seek game ended. |
| D．He stayed where he was, expecting the coming of familiar people. |
Among the possible reasons for the missing-children cases in Canada, which one is the most frequent?
| A．Being abducted by a parent. | B．Wandering off. |
| C．Being abducted by strangers. | D．Running away. |
The “never talk to strangers” rule is confusing to children because ___.
| A．a friendly and attractive person may be dangerous |
| B．adults do not act upon the rule and strangers are hard to tell |
| C．the rule does not protect children in the situation of abducting |
| D．a lost child may have difficulty in communicating with a stranger |
Which would the author agree with about the “never talk to strangers” rule?
| A．It is not well recognized by parents. |
| B．It is not effective in keeping kids safe. |
| C．It is easy enough for children to follow. |
| D．It is practical as a safety tip in daily life. |
It is bad to have food stuck between your teeth for long periods of time. This is because food attracts germs(细菌), germs produce acid, and acid hurts your teeth and gums. Flossing(使用牙线) helps to remove the food that gets stuck between your teeth. This explains why flossing helps to keep your mouth healthy, but some doctors say that flossing can be also good for your heart.
It may seem strange that something your do for your teeth can have any effect on your heart. Doctors have come up with a few ideas about how flossing works to keep your heart healthy. One idea is that the germs that hurt your teeth can leave the mouth and travel into your blood. Germs that get into the blood can then attack your heart. Another idea is based on the fact that when there are too many germs in your mouth, the body tries to fight against these germs. For some reason, the way the body fight these mouth germs may end up weakening the heart over time.
Not every doctor agrees about these ideas. Some doctors think that the link between good flossing habits and good heart health is only a coincidence. The incidence(发生率) of two or more events is completely random, as they do not admit of any reliable cause and effect relationship between them. For example, every time I wash my car, it rains. This does not mean that when I wash my car, I somehow change the weather. This is only a coincidence. Similarly, some doctors think that people who have bad flossing habits just happen to also have heart problems, and people who have good flossing habits just happen to have healthy hearts.
The theory that flossing your teeth helps to keep your heart healthy might not be true. But every doctor agrees that flossing is a great way to keep your teeth healthy. So even if flossing does not help your heart, it is sure to help your teeth. This is enough of a reason for everyone to floss their teeth every day. From the passage, we know that_____
| A．food stuck between your teeth may hurt your teeth |
| B．all of the doctors agree that flossing is good for your heart |
| C．doctors’ judgment about flossing is based on medical research |
| D．not every doctor thinks flossing helps to keep your teeth healthy |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 is to____.
| A．Provide an example |
| B．Make a comparison |
| C．Introduce a new topic |
| D．Develop a previous statement |
Which of the following best states the main idea of the last paragraph?_______.
| A．It is a fact that flossing can help your heart as well as your teeth. |
| B．There is no good reason to believe that flossing will help your heart. |
| C．Because doctors find flossing won’t help your heart, it is useless to floss. |
| D．Even if flossing is only good for your teeth, you should still do it every day. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Flossing by Coincidence |
| B．How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy |
| C．Flossing Habits and Healthy Hearts |
| D．Why Doctors Disagree about Flossing |
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