Although I didn’t have any interest in being a school bus driver, I became one. Many years later, I was still working on the school bus. There are so many good reasons. Firstly, the talk brought me different kinds of information. I also got to hear all the family secrets of the newcomers. I have a toy bear who was a great comforter(安慰者) for the little ones. The kids got to look after him on the trip to school and he waited patiently for them to get on for the trip home.
Our bus would often pass a place where we could see some alpacas (羊驼) in front of a farm house. Little Michael would cry excitedly from the seat, “Look, Miss! Look at the camels!” He used to put his head out of the bus window. When I warned him that a little insect would come into his nose if he wasn’t careful, he smartly gave up the habit.
I remember a little girl got on the bus one morning 5 years ago and sobbed(抽泣) all the way to school. We arrived at the school gate. As she waited to get down the bus, she threw her arms around my neck and cried that her grandfather had died the night before.
A school bus driver needs to keep one eye on the road and the other on the mirror to watch what the little ones are doing down the back.
Now, it’s important to think how many lives I’ve been responsible(负责的) for, and how many kilometers I’ve driven in order to get my passengers home safely during the 20 years. I’ve enjoyed it, but it’s time to rest and park my school bus.What does the underlined word “them” in the first paragraph refer to (所指)?
| A．toy bears | B．kids |
| C．school buses | D．secrets |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Children didn’t like the driver. |
| B．The driver likes the job all the time. |
| C．The little girl was excited at seeing the camels. |
| D．Children sometimes talked about their family secrets on the bus. |
The writer didn’t give up her job because .
| A．driving was her hobby |
| B．children made her valuable |
| C．drivers were paid well |
| D．children loved her toy bear |
In the opinion of many people, the twoparent family is the correct way to raise children. Traditionally, this has been as the most natural way, but singleparent families have had to face prejudices(偏见) against their lifestyle. However, the singleparent family is the fastest growing type of family. In the United States, a national survey showed that at least 50% of children will be members of a singleparent family. So we think it is important to throw prejudices away and to see the advantages of singleparent families.
When compared to twoparent families, singleparent families are usually at a disadvantage in some ways. They are often in short of money, and children receive less attention. What’s more, single parents can find themselves under too much pressure(压力) of both work and home. Despite(尽管) these disadvantages, it is possible for singleparent families to look for support from friends, schools, communities or other organizations. They need to remember that nobody can do it alone.
Surprisingly, singleparent families also have some advantages over twoparent families. Single parents have greater flexibility(灵活性) in spending time with children, because they don’t have to consider the needs of a husband or wife. So they can develop closer relationships with their children. Another advantage comes from the fact that single parents often work together with their children to solve problems, which makes children feel more needed and valued.
It’s important to remember that singleparent families have, until now suffered prejudices from some people. They think that it’s easier for the children in singleparent families to drop out of school in teens, and to be jobless in their early twenties. But, with the support from friends, schools and communities, singleparent families become more accepted by society, and this situation is certain to improve. In the future we will probably see these prejudices disappear.What does the writer mainly tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. People shouldn’t have prejudices against singleparent families.
B. The singleparent family is not good for raising children.
C. The twoparent family is the correct way to raise children.
D. 50% of children will be members of a singleparent family in the USA.Which disadvantage of singleparent families is NOT mentioned in Paragraph 2?
| A．They are often in short of money. |
| B．Children may receive less attention. |
| C．Children also suffer from the prejudice. |
| D．Parents are under pressure of both work and home. |
How can single parents make their children feel more needed and valued?
| A．Don’t consider the needs of others. |
| B．Pay more attention to their children. |
| C．Develop closer relationships with their children. |
| D．Discuss and solve problems together with their children. |
Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Advantages and Disadvantages |
| B．Changing Views on Singleparent Families |
| C．Best Lifestyle for Children |
| D．Comparing Two Types of Family |
If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.
One of the first sayings taught to school children is, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an “apple polisher”. This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the “apple of our eye”.
Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.
An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert, and made into sweet juice.
In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.
Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is “the biggest apple” of all the American cities. What does the underlined phrase “apple polisher” mean?
| A．Something for cutting apples. |
| B．A person who likes to please others. |
| C．A person who is dealing with fruits. |
| D．A machine for cleaning apples quickly. |
Which of the following is TRUE with apples?
| A．Apples are medicine. |
| B．Apples are the most important food. |
| C．New York is famous for its big apples. |
| D．The Bible says Adam was given an apple. |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．stories about the apple |
| B．apples in American culture |
| C．some famous sayings of the apple |
| D．big cities that is famous for apples |
Comets(彗星) are parts of our solar system. Like the planets, they go around the sun.
But comets are not made of solid rocks like planets. A comet is a ball of dust, stones, and ice. Many people call comets dirty snowballs.
The “snowball” may be only a few miles across. But when the sun heats the “snowball,” much of it is changed to gases. The gases spread out and form the comet’s head, which may be thousands of miles across.
A comet moves fast in its trip around the sun. But when we see it, the comet does not seem to move. That’s because it is so far away. The moon moves fast, but when you look at it, you can’t see any motion(运动). That’s because the moon is far away.
Each year astronomers(天文学家) discover new comets. Some of them are seen only once. They make one trip around the sun and then go away out into space. The sun’s gravity cannot hold them.
Other comets, like Halley, keep returning. They have been captured by the sun. Halley’s earliest visit was probably 3,000 years ago. It may keep returning for another 3,000 years.
But every time a comet goes around the sun, the comet loses part of itself. Gases and dust are pulled out of the comet. That’s why Halley is now dimmer（暗淡的） than it used to be. Next time it visits us, in 2062, it may be even dimmer. Each visit it may get dimmer and dimmer, until it finally disappears.What is this passage mostly about?
| A．Comets and the sun. |
| B．Why comets are like snowballs. |
| C．Who discovered the first comet. |
| D．Facts about comets. |
How does the writer help the reader understand what a comet looks like?
| A．By telling about a famous one. |
| B．By explaining how far away it is. |
| C．By describing how fast it moves. |
| D．By describing it as a dirty snowball. |
What is the most likely reason the writer wrote this passage?
| A．To give information about comets. |
| B．To tell readers about famous comets. |
| C．To explain the importance of comets. |
| D．To encourage readers to look for comets. |
In the mid 1990s, people started doing business on the Internet. At that time, there were two kinds of companies. First, there were traditional companies which sold things in stores. Then, there were Internet companies which didn’t have stores, they sold things only over the Net.
Traditional companies didn’t want to lose any business. Quickly, they created their own websites and began selling things over the Net. These are the so-called “brick and click” companies. Many stores are made of brick, and you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That’s where the name “brick and click” comes from.
By the late 1990s, e-businesses like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and eToys.com were in trouble. Their profits(利润) were not very high, and there was a lot of competition. Many of these businesses lost a lot of money, and in 2000, many e-businesses were out of business.
In the world of e-commerce(电子商务), companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will brick and click companies win the war? Only time will tell. Many traditional companies created their own websites in .
| A．the early l990s | B．the mid l990s |
| C．the late l990s | D．1990s |
Why were Internet companies in a lot of trouble in the late 1990s?
| A．Competition was heavy. |
| B．Their websites were bad. |
| C．They didn’t know what to sell. |
| D．Their profits were high. |
Which would be a brick and click company?
| A．A clothing company with no website. |
| B．A bookseller with five stores and an Internet site. |
| C．A video seller with a big website but no stores. |
| D．A restaurant. |
根据短文内容填空，每空不超过4个单词。
Mr. Clarke joined the army when he was eighteen. Four years later he came back to his hometown and found work in a post office. He worked hard but he liked drinking and it brought him a lot of trouble. One day he drank too much and lost a mailbag and he was soon sent away. He couldn’t find any work in the town and he had to beg(乞讨) in the street. Now his clothes are dirty and broken and sometimes he’s hungry.
One morning he was begging at the station. He saw a woman in beautiful clothes come out by the exit. He went close to her and hoped that she gave him some money. The woman had a look at him and hurried to cover her nose with her hand.
“It seems that you have come from the hell（地狱）.” The woman called out.
Mr. Clarke understood she was such a woman who never helped the poor and said, “You’re right, madam. I’m really from the hell.”
“Why not stay there, then?”
“There is no room for the poor people like me.” said Mr. Clarke. “Only the rich men live there!”When he was 22, Mr. Clarke found a job in a _______________.
Mr. Clarke was sent away because he lost .
Sometimes Mr. Clarke is hungry because he has nothing .
The woman hurried to her nose because she thought Mr. Clarke was dirty.
Mr. Clarke’s words meant that the hell was only for the like the woman.
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