I grew up in Jamaica Plain. My best friend Rose and I used to dream about raising a family of our own someday and living next door to one another.
Our dream remained alive through school and beyond. Rose was my maid of honor when I married Dick. Later, Dick was stationed in Alaska and we moved. Rose was sad to see me leave, but wished me the best of luck. We remained in touch for a few years before we lost track.
I thought of her several times over the years. All of my children now have families of their own, and Dick passed away a few years ago. Basically, a lifetime has passed. Then one day, near my 80th birthday, I received a phone call “Hi Natalie, it’s Rose,” the voice on the other end said, “ I don’t know if you remember me, but we used to be best friends in Jamaica Plain when we were kids.”
We have spent hours on the phone catching up. Even after 52 years of separation our personalities and interests are still extremely similar. We both share a passion for several hobbies that we each picked up independently several years after we lost touch with one another. It almost feels like we are picking up right where we left off.
Her husband died a few years ago as well, but she mailed me several photographs of her family that were taken over the years. It’s so crazy, just looking at the photos and listening to her description of her family reminds me of my own: a reasonably large, healthy family. Part of me feels like we led fairly similar lives.
I don’t think the similarities between our two lives are a coincidence either. I think it shows that we didn’t just call each other best friend; we truly were best friends and even now we can be best friends again. Real friends have two things in common: a compatible(相容的)personality and a strong-willed character. The compatible personality is what starts the connection between two people.
A strong-willed character at both ends is what maintains the connection. If those two ingredients are present in a friendship, the friendship is for real, It can pass the tests of time and long distance between one another and will never disappear.From the passage we may know that the author .
| A．lived next door to Rose in her childhood |
| B．was Rose’s maid of honor when she was married |
| C．lost touch of Rose since she moved to Alaska |
| D．missed her friend although they lost contact |
After 52 years of separation, they .
| A．had a lot to talk on the phone |
| B．sent each other photographs of their family |
| C．they lived the same life |
| D．developed different personalities and hobbies |
The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to .
| A．Rose’s description |
| B．coincidence |
| C．best friend |
| D．the similarities between our two lives |
The author thinks that .
| A．the similarities between their lives are coincident |
| B．although they’re not best friends, they have much in commom. |
| C．they both have a compatible personality and a strong-willed character |
| D．only those who have similar characters can be real friends |
"Beating is a sign of affection, cursing (骂）is a sign of love."
Many may not expect to hear the words of the old Chinese saying in these modern times—with parents wealthier and better educated than they have ever been-but experts say they still ring true.
Today, it seems, Chinese parents are more likely to send their children to pre-college military academies in the United States in the hope that some tough love will pave the way tosuccess.
"Good education doesn't mean letting your child enjoy privileges, especially our boys," said Song Wenming, an entrepreneur(企业家）in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province." They should be raised in tough conditions to know what to fight for in the future."
In August, Song sent his 17-year-old son to Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) in Pennsylvania. And he is far from alone, even though it takes a lot of money - around $48,000 per year —to send a child to a strict military school.
Statistics shows that an increasing number of Chinese students have been registering with such academies.
A few years ago, there were no Chinese students at Valley Forge. Today, there are 28."All of the Chinese students at Valley Forge came from wealthy families, some of them were spoiled," said Jennifer Myers, director of marketing and communications at the school.
Song's only son, Song Siyu, had a rocky start during his first six weeks at the school. The teenager said he went to the school voluntarily but did not expect it to be as difficult.
Now, three months later, he has perfected the art of taking a bath in 35 seconds, finishing a meal without looking at his food, and making his bed with precision. He can even take criticism, no matter how unreasonable.
"The training is hard but I know it is good for self-development of individuals," said Song Siyu.'The endless training and scolding are just ways to build up our character, they are not personal."
But his enthusiasm is not universal. Ten of the 13 Chinese students who joined the academy this year have transferred to other schools.
But for those who stick with it, there is a reward for all the hard work.From the second paragraph, we can know the old Chinese saying _____.
| A．is out of date in modern times. |
| B．is disagreed by rich parents. |
| C．is still worth trusting |
| D．is deeply believed by better educated parent. |
The underlined sentence means that _____
| A．Song sent his only son to military school, so he feels lonely. |
| B．Song is the only one who sends his child t to military school. |
| C．There are other people sending their children to military school besides Song. |
| D．The fee of the military school is so high that only Song can afford it. |
Song Siyu got some achievements in the military school except _____.
| A．taking a bath in a short time |
| B．having his meal with his eyes closed |
| C．taking unreasonable criticism |
| D．improving his character |
How many Chinese students are there at Valley Forge before this year?
| A．10 | B．13 | C．15 | D．25 |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. It's likely that more and more Chinese students will attend VFMA.
B. Most Chinese parents approve of educating their children by beating and cursing nowadays.
C. Song Siyu had no difficulty in adjusting to the life at VFMA.
D. Most Chinese students support the way of education at VFMA.
Seeing a volcano erupt is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶) of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua, giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.
Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.
But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above steaming. Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you are near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥).
Many tours are timed so when you arrive at the cone of the volcano there is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down .What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To attract tourists to Pacaya. |
| B．To describe the beauty of Pacaya. |
| C．To introduce guided tours to Pacaya. |
| D．To explain the power of nature at Pacaya. |
Antigua is a city .
| A．where people can have a close-up view of the volcano |
| B．where the daring Pacaya tour starts |
| C．that lies on the summit of Pacaya |
| D．that is famous for its tour companies |
Climbing to the McKenney Cone, people will .
| A．walk down to the active summit |
| B．hear the continuous loud screams from above |
| C．make greater efforts than to other summits |
| D．see a path lined with remains of earlier eruptions |
Many tours are timed for people to .
| A．get down the mountain in time when night falls |
| B．avoid the smell from the upwind direction of the cone |
| C．enjoy the fantastic eruption against the darkening sky |
| D．appreciate the scenery of the 2560-metre-high mountain |
The short passage probably comes from___________.
| A．a travel journal | B．a popular science magazine |
| C．A novel | D．an advertisement |
It’s true that quite a few most respected scientific authorities have confirmed that the world is becoming hotter and hotter. There’s also strong evidence that humans are contributing to the warming. Countless recent reports have proved the same thing. For instance, a 2010 summary about the climate science by the Royal Society noted that: “The global warming over the last half-century has been caused mainly by human activity.”
You may not believe that humans could change the planet’s climate, but the basic science is well understood. Each year, billions of tons of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere because of human activity. As has been known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible (看不见的) blanket.
Of course, the earth’s climate has always been changing due to “natural” factors such as volcanic eruption or changes in solar, or cycles concerning the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific research, however, the warming observed by now matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.
Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming recorded so far, that would give birth to a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it: “If some newly discovered factor is to blame for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”
The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty. In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.
| A．solar activity | B．volcanic activity |
| C．natural factors | D．human factors |
The text is developed by ________.
| A．giving typical examples |
| B．following the order of space |
| C．analyzing a theory and arguing it |
| D．comparing and finding differences |
The underline word “identical” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
| A．totally different | B．exactly the same |
| C．extremely important | D．partly independent |
Which of the following is not the cause of climate change?
| A．volcanic eruption |
| B．cycles concerning the Earth’s going around the sun |
| C．changes in solar |
| D．floods and droughts |
Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．Are All the Scientists Really Scientific? |
| B．Where Is Global Warming Leading Us to? |
| C．Are Humans Definitely Causing Global Warming? |
| D．What’s the Relation of Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases? |
We have proof that you become what you eat. When you know the effects of different types of food, you can use your knowledge well and eat what you want to become.
Food has an impact on our physical and mental health. Have you ever heard any of the following advice?
Lettuce (莴苣) or milk can make you sleepy.
To stop feeling sleepy you should eat peanuts or dried fish.
Everyone has their own advice to give, which they have read about or have been told by older relatives. Some of these pieces of advice seem to contradict each other.
Eating chocolate makes you fat and gives you spots.
Chocolate contains the essential minerals: iron and magnesium (镁).
What we need to figure out is what type of chocolate to eat to get the benefits and how much of it to eat. We can do this by reading the list of ingredients (原料) on the chocolate bar package. Exactly how much real chocolate is in there? And how much of that do we need to eat to get the benefits of the minerals it contains?
Future restaurants might be named after the physical or mental state they hope to create. Their menus will list the benefits of each dish and drink. Some restaurants have already started this concept, and list the nutritional (营养的) content of their dishes on the menus.
Let’s take the restaurant “Winners” as an example. Their menu would list dishes specifically designed to help you win sports competitions. Or you could choose the Go-faster salad, which is a large bowl of mixed raw vegetables in a light salad dressing, giving you energy without making you gain weight. And what kind of dishes do you think would be on the menu at the “Clever Café”?
So what’s going to happen to hamburgers and biscuits? Will the concept of eating food, because it’s tasty, go out of fashion? Of course not! Junk food is also changing. If ice-cream is not good for children, can’t we give them fat-free, sugar-free tofu ice-cream? Unhealthy food is going out of fashion, so brands are changing. We are told not to drink cola because of the sugar and caffeine content so cola companies are making sugar-free and caffeine-free drinks. We are told dried fruit is a healthier snack than biscuits so some biscuit companies are making biscuits with added vitamins.By saying “you become what you eat”, the writer means that ________.
| A．you will become your own food |
| B．you will know what food is good by its appearance |
| C．food has an effect on your health |
| D．you will know the effects of different types of food |
What does the underlined word “contradict” mean in the text?
| A．Oppose to | B．Help with |
| C．Have influence on | D．Benefit from |
How can we eat chocolate properly, according to the passage?
| A．To eat chocolate containing the essential minerals. |
| B．To read the list of ingredients on the package. |
| C．To get advice from others before eating real chocolate. |
| D．To learn how much chocolate we can consume before eating. |
Which is true about the future restaurants?
| A．The food in “Winners” can ensure you to win sports competitions. |
| B．They might list the nutritional content of their dishes on the menus. |
| C．Hamburgers will disappear in these restaurants. |
| D．The Go-faster salad helps you go faster. |
The concept of eating tasty food will not go out of fashion because ________.
| A．the junk food companies are changing their brand names |
| B．biscuit companies are making dried fruit |
| C．junk food will become healthier than before |
| D．Cola companies are still making cola |
When I was learning calligraphy my teacher told me a story.
A calligrapher taught handwriting. One of his students who often practised handwriting with old sheets of newspapers complained that he made very little progress though he had learned it with the calligrapher for a long time. His teacher said to him, “Try to use the best paper. Maybe you’ll write better. ”
The student did as he was told. It really worked. He made headway not long afterwards and felt curious. He asked his teacher about the reason. The calligrapher answered, “When you used old newspapers to practice handwriting，you would think you were writing a draft（草稿）. It didn’t matter if you wrote badly as old newspapers were plenty in supply. In that case you wouldn’t pay much attention to it. Now you use the best paper you’ll treasure it. Each time you write you feel strongly about the rarity (稀少) of chances and you’ll devote to it with all your heart and soul; you’ll do the handwriting much more attentively than otherwise practising it. Of course you’ve made rapid progress.”
Indeed，we spend our ordinary days just as they are worthless “old newspapers”. We don’t care if we scrawl and waste them, thinking that they will come endlessly --- those “old newspapers” are inexhaustible. In such a mood we may each day pass by opportunities but fail to catch any of them.
Life is not a military exercise but an actual war in which real weapons are used. In everyday life there’s no chance for us to draw a draft. That’s because what we call “draft” actually is the answer sheet we write that cannot be changed. Every day of our life is something new. Let us take every day as a sheet of best paper.The calligrapher in the story told the student to write on the best paper because he thought _______.
| A．the student would practice more carefully on the best paper |
| B．it was comfortable to write on the bet paper |
| C．the student had enough money to buy the best paper. |
| D．the student could write more on the best paper. |
The student didn’t make much progress at first because _________.
| A．he regarded his writing on old newspaper just as a draft |
| B．he was too poor to buy better paper to write |
| C．he didn’t follow his teacher’s advice |
| D．he was not used to the calligrapher’s teaching manner |
We learn from the passage that _________.
| A．the student finally gave up |
| B．the student made rapid progress by persisting more carefully |
| C．the calligrapher was strict with his students |
| D．old newspaper is not useful |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．What teachers say is always true. |
| B．Success calls for attentiveness. |
| C．Handwriting is easy to practice. |
| D．New things are always better than old ones. |
The writer wants to tell us that _________.
| A．there are some good ways to practice handwriting |
| B．life is like old newspaper |
| C．we should learn from the student in the story |
| D．life will not give us a chance to draw a draft |
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