Commander was my parents` cat but I knew him first. In fact, Commander was my college roommate`s cat. My roommate wanted to sell Commander, but no one would buy him. I called my parents to see if they would like to adopt him. My mom had always loved cats but my dad disliked cats very much. As predicted my dad said, “No way. No cats” Fortunately for me, my dad was out of town at a math conference. So I brought Commander home. By the time he returned, both my mom and Commander had decided that Commander was going to stay.
My mom said that Commander was going to live at our house for a “trial period” while we looked for a buyer. As the months went by there was absolutely no effort to sell Commander and it became clear to my dad that Commander was there to stay. Commander started sitting by my dad as he read the newspaper and slowly my dad began to like Commander---just a little bit.
By the time I came home that summer, I was surprised to see my dad carrying Commander around the house. Over the years, my parents` love for Commander grew to the point where they could not imagine life without him.
Once I finished college, my parents built their dream house and they named the floor plan（平面图） The Commander! They worked with the architect to design the house so that it was perfectly suited both for them and for Commander.
Commander died at the age of eighteen. My mom still talks about him often and misses him, and so does my dad, which proves that not even the most determined cat-hating human being in the world can resist the charms(魅力)of a cat once the cat decides he is moving in to your heart.When the author`s dad returned from the conference,_________.
| A．the author had decided to sell Commander. |
| B．the author`s roommate sold commander to someone else |
| C．the author`s mother decided to keep Commander |
| D．the author`s mother started looking for a buyer |
What was the father`s feeling towards Commander when the author came home that summer?
| A．He still hated the cat very much |
| B．He began to like the cat |
| C．He wanted to sell the cat |
| D．He wanted to keep another cat |
What did the author`s parents do when they designed their new house?
| A．They designed a room for Commander. |
| B．They named the floor plan the Commander. |
| C．They opened a door in the wall for Commander. |
| D．They worked with the architect to build a cathouse |
Put the following events into the correct order.
a.The author`s father changed his attitude towards Commander.
b.The author brought Commander home
c.The author finished college.
d.The author`s parents built their dream house.
e.Commander died.
| A．a-e-b-c-d | B．b-a-d-c-e |
| C．d-b-c-a-e | D．b-a-c-d-e |
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 |
Wild
I was 16 when my father finally decided he would send me to wilderness camp for several months. He had threatened to do it many times before, but my mother had always managed to prevent him from doing so. This time he insisted on doing it.
The latest incident was the last straw. Impulsively(冲动地), I hade pushed Mr. Ford, my math teacher, down a flight of steps at school. He broke his arm in two places. Anyway, he had agreed not to accuse me as a favour to my dad, who was in the middle of a tight race for sheriff(执法官) in our town. But my reckless behaviour had my dad’s closest advisor talking.
“John, he’s your son and he’s a kid, but he is dragging you down,” I heard Jake Hutch tell my dad through his closed office door the night after I pushed Mr. Ford. “If you can’t make your son obey the rules, how can you make the law obeyed in this town?”
So, off to Pisgah National Forest I went. I imagined hours of untold abuse at the hands of some strong sergeants(警官). I was determined no to be broken. I was who I was.
Nearly every day for six months, a small group of other troubled teens and I carried our 30-pound backpacks on a difficult journey covering about 10 miles. We hiked in a rough wilderness that seemed untouched by civilization.
Our sergeants were firm but kind, not frightening as I had imagined. We learned how to make a fire without matches and create a shelter with branches and grass. We learned which plants were safe to eat out in the wild. I felt myself change. I was calm and often reflective. My old, impulsive self was gone.
One morning, six months later, my dad came to pick me up. I ran to hug him and saw relief and love in his eyes.
“So what’s it like being sheriff?” I asked on the ride home.
“I lost the race, Danny,” he said.
“I’m sorry, Dad.” I knew my behaviour probably had a lot to do with hid defeat.
Dad squeezed my shoulder and brought me close. “As long as I don’t ever lose you, I’m okay.”The author was finally sent to wilderness because _____.
| A．he could learn how to survive in the wild |
| B．his teacher insisted on giving him a lesson |
| C．he pushed his math teacher down the stairs |
| D．his mother feared that he would be accused |
The underlined word “reckless” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
| A．selfish | B．careless | C．rude | D．reasonable |
What can we learn about the author from the passage?
| A．He changed a lot after the camp. |
| B．He was not satisfied with his life in the camp. |
| C．He was still what he used to be after the camp. |
| D．He made enemies with other troubled teen at the camp. |
How did the author’s father feel at the end of the story?
| A．Grateful. | B．Annoyed. |
| C．Disappointed | D．Relieved |
Applying to Stellinga College
Why Stellinga?
Thank you for your interest in Stellinga International College. As an international student, we are sure you will find our college an exciting place to study, with like-minded and ambitious people.
Preparing and submitting your application
We have tried to make the application process as easy as possible for you, but there are a number of procedures you must follow.
All our courses are taught in English, so first of all you will probably need to submit evidence of your English language ability. We require an IELTS score of 6.5. You will also have to send us your secondary school diploma, so that we can evaluated it.
We will also require a personal statement. This is a text of up to 1,000 words in which you introduce yourself, explain your interest in our college, and why you want to study your chosen course.
If you are from outside the European Union(EU), it is important that you have an entrance visa before you come to study in the Netherlands, but we will apply for this for you.
We now only accept online applications, so please ensure that you have all your documents ready to upload before you begin. Any documents that are not in English originally will also need to be translated and the translation also uploaded.
You will need a passport photograph; a copy of your passport; copies of all your certificates and diplomas; your proof of language ability; and your personal statement in English.
What happens next?
Your application will then be considered. If your initial application is successful, you will be invited for an interview. This will be conducted in English via skype, over the phone or on site. You will talk to two or three members of staff for up to 30 minutes. We aim to inform you of our decision in writing, within 4 weeks. There are several possible outcomes: you may not have been successful; you may be offered a place on the waiting list. You will need to reply to any offers within two weeks, otherwise your place may be offered to somebody else.
Good luck with your application.Which is unnecessary for people inside the EU when submitting applications?
| A．A personal statement. |
| B．An entrance visa. |
| C．Evidence of English ability. |
| D．A secondary school diploma |
If your first application is accepted, what is the next process?
| A．You will have an interview in English. |
| B．You will get the reply over the phone. |
| C．You should make a decision within 4 weeks. |
| D．You should reply to the offer the moment you get it. |
Where can we find the passage?
| A．In an educational magazine. |
| B．On a notice board. |
| C．In an English teaching book. |
| D．On a university’s website. |
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