I moved to Chicago ten years ago. As I was new to the area, I had friends and seldom went out to parties. But a month later, I was invited to a party and there I an elderly couple.
The wife and I for a long time. She told me how she was about her husband who was a heart operation. At that time I was working as a researcher in the same where the husband would be going for his operation, I told her to take down my phone number and me to let me know when he was there.
She phoned a few weeks later as and told me that her husband was admitted to the hospital and
waiting. I told her that I would go and check on him every day while I was at . I thought that if it was my dad, I would do the same, so I decided to give them some .
Weeks turned into months and it just became my to see them and keep track of how things were going before, during and after the heart operation. Sometimes I'd bring a for him to read, or some food that we would share . As time went by, it seemed like I became part of the . Even after the husband returned from the hospital, we still often each other on holidays.
Now, ten years later, I my own family. Since our parents don’t close by, this couple has become my son’s “local” grandparents. My wife and I often feel truly to have this couple as our “local” parents! Sometimes family comes out of the most unexpected place.
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If you want to attend the hottest events of 2014, don’t waste your time looking through dozens of hotel options(选择) or vacation packages. Instead, look to cruise ships（乘船游览） that can ferry you to and from the most expected holiday, sporting, and cultural events of the year.
Heres a look at the some of the most popular:
Australian Open in Melbourne (January 1326, 2014)
Tennis fans worldwide are eager for the tickets to matches at any one of the four annual Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In January 2014, luxury(豪华的) cruise line Silversea will offer fans a three-night pre-cruise package to the 109th Australian Open in Melbourne. Silversea passengers will attend third round singles matches at Rod Laver Arena on January 17 and 18 before taking the 382-passenger Silver Shadow for a special 15-night Melbourne to Bali voyage.
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (February 28March 4, 2014)
Rio de Janeiros Carnival is one of the most popular celebrations of its kind in the world, drawing two million visitors each and every day of the festivities that include parades, street fairs, and costume balls. Holland Americas Maasdam will spend three days in Rio during Carnival as part of its 26-day Amazon & Carnival Explorer journey.
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (June 12July 13, 2014)
If youre a soccer fan that came up empty in the search for a hotel room for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Rio de Janeiro, theres still hope. Book MSC Cruises 18-night Miami to Rio voyage aboard Divina. The ship departs Miami on May 24 and arrives in Rio just in time for the World Cup.
New Years Eve in Hong Kong (December 31, 2014)
Hong Kong is a magical destination and New Years Eve festivities and fireworks pull out all the stops to make a holiday trip to that city even more attractive. Crystal Cruises all-inclusive luxury ship, Symphony, will spend two nights in Hong Kong-- and celebrate New Years Eve Chinese-styleduring its 15-night holiday voyage that leaves Bangkok on December 21. This roundtrip voyage also calls on Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam.According to the passage, which of the following ships will take the longest time of voyage?
| A．Silver Shadow. | B．Maasadam. | C．Divina. | D．Symphony. |
The events that will take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2014 are ___________.
| A．Carnival and FIFA World Cup |
| B．New Years Eve fireworks and Carnival |
| C．the Australian Open and Grand Slam events |
| D．New Year's Eve fireworks and FIFA |
Where does this passage probably come from?
| A．In a sports magazine. | B．In a textbook. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a travel brochure. |
The main purpose of the passage is to ___________.
| A．give information about the hottest events of 2014 |
| B．introduce cruise ships to some big events of 2014 |
| C．describe the most popular tourist destinations in 2014 |
| D．persuade readers to take cruise ships for 2014 holiday |
“I’d be better off dead.” he said, without any hesitation（犹豫）. Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression（压抑）. Sadness was not the only feeling that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was hurt physically and mentally as a young child, causing him to have the thought of killing himself.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. However, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the safety he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words helped him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someones life. Life is not easy for every one, which makes me strongly believe in the necessity of encouragement.According to the first paragraph, hearing his friends words, the author felt______.
| A．puzzled | B．painful |
| C．frightened | D．hopeless |
By saying convenience is not in my vocabulary, the author means ______.
| A．he is always ready to help his friend |
| B．he hardly spares time to help his friend |
| C．he has no good excuse for refusing his friend |
| D．he is not good at communicating with his friend |
The authors friend got into depression mainly because __________.
| A．he lived without his parents |
| B．he had poor health |
| C．he received little care at school |
| D．he had a terrible childhood |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．I enjoy friendship |
| B．My friend and I |
| C．I believe in encouragement |
| D．The story of my friend |
Finland lies in the north of Europe, and has Russia to the east. It is two different places in winter and summer. Summers there are fairly dry and hot, although by August things can already begin to get cold and unpleasant. Of course, winters are cold, but the cold is dry. In most parts snow comes in October and clears by the end of March, but in the northern parts snow can fall as early as September and stay until late May.
The tourist season in southern Finland is from early June to late August. This is when all the tourist attractions and summer programs are open, with steamboats and ferries (渡船) traveling on the lakes and rivers, and festivals become very lively. Finnish holidays are from the summer high season in late June to the end of July. This is the time period of nights with sunlight, when Finland doesnt seem to sleep.
The tourist season in northern Finland is different. Mosquitoes can be annoying in July, but September is lovely with its autumn colors. October, February and March are good times to visit the north of Finland to view the aurora borealis (北极光), and enjoy winter activities such as skiing and dog sledding. The Christmas holiday period is also one of the best times in Finland —after all, this is the "official" home of Santa Claus. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is popular all year round. What do we learn about Finland from the first paragraph?
| A．It is to the east of Russia. |
| B．The weather in winter is wet. |
| C．It is the coldest country in Europe. |
| D．The weather in September can be unpleasant. |
Whats the longest time the snow can last in Finland?
| A．9 months. | B．10 months. |
| C．7 months. | D．6 months. |
In the summer high season, Finland doesnt seem to sleep because ________.
| A．the sun is out at night |
| B．people in Finland work at night |
| C．people would rather go traveling |
| D．lots of lights are on because of the tourist season |
What do we learn about the tourist season in northern Finland?
| A．There are few autumn colors in September. |
| B．Summer is a good time to visit northern Finland. |
| C．Tourists can enjoy the aurora borealis in October. |
| D．Santa Claus comes from Helsinki, the capital of Finland |
The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps 80% of human illness is related to food and 40% of cancer is related to food as well. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep colour in meats and other food additives（添加剂）caused cancer.
Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings（包装）of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to their animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar things are supplied to animals not for their health, but just to make a profit.
The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.According to this passage, we can know .
| A．perhaps most of human illness is caused by what we eat |
| B．perhaps most kinds of cancer are related to what people eat |
| C．cancer was discovered in 1945 |
| D．science has made food unfit to eat |
Things that are used to keep colours in meats are .
| A．harmful | B．useless | C．helpless | D．delicious |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Some wrappings of food are harmful. |
| B．Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals. |
| C．The practice continues means things are still going on like that. |
| D．We needn’t take care of what we eat. |
The Labrador (拉布拉多猎犬) has won the honor of the most popular breed (品种) for the past eighteen years. It has been described as gentle, clever and friendly. Yet not all Labs are the same.
John Grogan discovered this after he and his wife adopted a Labrador that they named Marley. The dog caused Mr. Grogan a lot of trouble, but it also provided many stories for his newspaper articles. Later, he wrote a best-selling book, “Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog.”
Marley was happy and fun-loving. But he was also extremely large and difficult to control. He bit anything that he could find around the house, including plastic, clothing and jewelry. And he had a great fear of loud noises, especially thunderstorms. Unfortunately, the Grogans lived in Florida where many thunderstorms develop. Marley would attack the furniture, walls and doors until his feet bled if he was left alone in the house during a thunderstorm. Marley almost damaged their home several times.
John Grogan said that at first he considered that probably his dog could be trained to be a show champion. But he soon realized that was impossible. Marley didn’t like to learn skills that didn’t belong to dogs, and he was driven out of the dog training school for causing troubles for other dogs. He didn’t want to hide his emotions. He would show his anger and tiredness if he felt them.
Even if that, Marley still had earned a place in the Grogans’. He didn’t know how to dance, and he didn’t know how to walk on its two legs, but he was what he was. He would never be a Lassie or a Benji or an old Yeller for he would never like to take part in a dog show, but the Grogans accepted him and loved him very much.The underlined word “this” in the second paragraph refers to the fact that ____.
| A．not all dogs won the honor of the most popular breed |
| B．not all Labs are gentle, clever and friendly |
| C．Marley caused the Grogans a few troubles |
| D．Marley provided many stories for the newspaper articles |
We can infer when John Grogan wrote the book “Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog.”, he was very ____.
| A．angry | B．disappointed |
| C．happy | D．frightened |
What made Marley attack the furniture when he was left alone in the house during a thunderstorm?
| A．The fear of hearing loud noises. |
| B．The anger of being left alone. |
| C．The unhappiness of having no toys. |
| D．The disappointment of getting nothing to eat. |
Marley was driven out of the dog training school because he ____.
| A．didn’t like to learn skills that didn’t belong to dogs |
| B．made it difficult for other dogs to get trained |
| C．liked to attack the trainers when getting angry |
| D．didn’t know how to hide his emotions |
From the passage we can know ____.
| A．every dog in America attends the dog training school |
| B．a Lassie should be a troublesome dog just like Marley |
| C．Marley often lost his temper and bit other dogs |
| D．Marley led a life full of love in the Grogans’ |
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