We were moving to a new state after my husband had been out of work for many months and we had no money. In fact, we had to borrow money to reach our destination town. Anyway, it was my husband, two boys aged four and two, and myself, seven months pregnant (怀孕), in an old Volvo station wagon. We had been driving for two days in the middle of winter (that car’s heater didn’t work), and we had taken a route that was very desolate. There was nothing around for miles－no cars, buildings or signs of civilization. Suddenly, our car started losing power and the gauges(汽油表) went all out of order. We saw a light in the distance and managed to roll to a stop in front of this property that looked like a small simple house. Our cell phones had not gotten reception for many miles, and it was freezing outside, so I didn’t know if we were going to make it out of this situation alive. My husband got out of the car to see if there was something he could do to get us rolling again, but it was not looking good. A short while later, a man came out of the house and spoke with my husband a bit before inviting us all into his home. He and his wife took us in, fed us, and made us feel at home as we struggled to find some way to get to our destination, which was still a few hours’ drive away. We were able to call a friend and get a ride, leaving our broken car behind, but not before the couple gave us food and water for our journey. One week later, this dear sweet couple pulled our car all the way to our place and refused to take anything in return, except for us to pay it forward－and we have, and will continue to do it forever.We can learn from the text that the family________.
| A．had a hopeless future |
| B．was in financial difficulty |
| C．suffered from a company crash |
| D．wanted to turn to their relatives for help |
The underlined word “ desolate” probably mean________.
| A．deserted | B．advanced |
| C．smooth | D．muddy |
Knowing that the wagon had broken down, the author________.
| A．called her friend several miles away for help |
| B．stopped the car in front of a simple service station |
| C．was afraid that they couldn’t overcome the difficulty |
| D．encouraged her husband and children to be confident |
We can learn from the text that the family___________.
| A．got out of their financial difficulty |
| B．met with more troubles after that |
| C．came back to thank the couple who had helped them |
| D．followed the couple’s example in return for their help |
I came to live here where I am now between Wounded Knee Greek and Grass Greek. Others came too, and we made these little grey houses of logs that you see, and they are square, It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square.
You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the respectful circle of the nation, and so long as the circle was unbroken, the people were getting rich. The flowering tree was the living center of the circle, and the circle of the four quarters nursed it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and strong wind gave strength and continuous power. This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our brief. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs are the same as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our places were like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s circle, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to nurse our children.
But the Wasichus (Indian word for “white people”) have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. Where we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age. But now it takes them very much longer to be full - grown.According to the passage, the Indians _______.
| A．don’t have modern instruments in their homes |
| B．refused to move from round places |
| C．lived in round places, but were forced to live in square houses |
| D．lived in round places, but then decided to move into square houses |
Two things being compared in the passage are _______.
| A．the Indians’ past and present living conditions |
| B．the Indians’ past and modern beliefs |
| C．the Indians’ old and new power |
| D．people and nature |
In the second paragraph “the four quarters” refers to _______.
| A．the four rooms of the Indian’s house |
| B．the four kinds of natural power |
| C．the four seasons |
| D．the four directions |
According to the author, once the Indians moved into square houses, _______.
| A．they had to move to other houses |
| B．boys took more time to grow into men |
| C．they forgot the old way of life |
| D．everyone was not happy |
The blue tits(山雀) have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.
Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage(鸟羽) which acts as signal for drawing the female’s attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart(红尾鸲) may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously(先前) checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal(显露) his tail.
If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them. How do the blue tits choose their nest?
| A．They choose their nest together. | B．The male chooses their nest. |
| C．The house-hunter chooses their nest. | D．The female chooses their nest. |
The writer was lucky to see ________.
| A．how the male made his tricks |
| B．how an interested female played with the male happily |
| C．what the male displayed and won the female |
| D．that the male tried his best but failed to attract the female |
You can spot a pair of redstarts in a Walsh wood ________.
| A．at any time | B．regularly | C．in April | D．occasionally |
The writer is probably ________.
| A．a bird expert | B．a bird-hunter | C．a bird raiser | D．a scientist |
Northern Europeans spend a lot of time in their cold and cloudy winters planning their summer holidays. They are proud of their healthy color when they return home after the holiday. But they also know that a certain amount of sunshine is good for their bodies and general health.
In ancient Greece people knew about the healing(治疗) powers of the sun, but this knowledge was lost. At the end of the nineteenth century a Danish doctor, Niels Finsen, began to study the effect of sunlight on certain diseases, especially diseases of the skin. He was interested not only in natural sunlight but also in artificially (人造地) produced rays. Sunlight began to play a more important part in curing sick people.
A Swiss doctor, Auguste Rollier, made full use of the sun in his hospital at Lysine. Lysine is a small village high up in the Alps. The position is important: the rays of the sun with the greatest healing power are the infra-red (红外线的) and ultra-violet (紫外线的) rays; but ultra-violet rays are too easily lost in fog and the polluted air near industrial towns. Dr. Roller found that sunlight, fresh air and good food cure a great many diseases. He was particularly successful in curing certain forms of tuberculosis with his “sun-cure”.
There were a large number of children in Dr. Roller’s hospital. He decided to start a school where sick children could be cured and at the same time continue to learn. It was not long before his school was full.
In winter, wearing only shorts, socks and boots, the children put on their skis after breakfast and left the hospital. They carried small desks and chairs as well as their school books. Their teacher led them over the snow until they reached a slope which faced the sun and was free from cold winds. There they set out their desks and chairs, and school began.
Although they wore hardly any clothes, Roller’s pupils were very seldom cold. That was because their bodies were full of energy which they got from the sun. But the doctor knew that sunshine can also be dangerous. If, for example, tuberculosis is attacking the lungs, unwise sunbathing may do great harm.
Today there is not just one school in the sun. There are several in Switzerland, and since Switzerland is not the only country which has the right conditions, there are similar schools in other places. According to the passage, when did sunlight begin to play a more important part in the treatment of disease?
| A．From ancient times. | B．At the end of the nineteenth century. |
| C．Not until this century. | D．Only very recently. |
Why are a Danish doctor and a Swiss doctor mentioned in the second and third paragraphs?
| A．Because they both made use of sunlight to treat illness. |
| B．Because they were the first people who used sunlight for treatment. |
| C．Because they were both famous European doctors. |
| D．Because they used sunlight in very different ways. |
Dr Roller set up a “sun-cure” school probably for the reason that _______.
| A．most children could stay in his hospital |
| B．children could study while being treated |
| C．the school was expected to be full of pupils |
| D．the school was high up in the mountains |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph of the passage?
| A．“Sun-cure” schools are becoming popular everywhere. |
| B．Switzerland is the only country where “sun-cure” schools are popular. |
| C．Proper conditions are necessary for the running of a “sun-cure” school. |
| D．“Sun-cure” schools are found in countries where there is a lot of sunshine. |
Want to stay away from colds? Put on a happy face.
Compared to unhappy people, those who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds, according to a new study. It's possible that being happy helps the body fight illnesses, say the researchers from New York University.
"It seems that positive feelings may reduce the danger of illness," said the study's chief researcher Sheldon Cohen.
In an earlier study, Cohen found that people who were cheerful and lively caught coughs and colds less often. People who showed feelings were also less likely to tell their doctors that they felt ill.
In this study, Cohen's interviewed 193 adults every day for two weeks. During the interviews, the people were given colds by doctors and had to stay alone in a room for six days.
The results showed that everyone in the study was equally likely to get ill. But for people who said they felt happy during the research period, their illness are less serious and lasted for a shorter time.
Cohen believes that when people experience positive feelings, their body may produce a chemical that helps fight illness and disease. So if you are worried abut your health, look on the bright side more often.Which of the following was NOT a part of the study?
| A．People talked about their feelings every day. |
| B．People were kept alone for six days. |
| C．People were given colds by doctors. |
| D．People were made to feel unhappy. |
What did the study find?
| A．People who felt happy never got ill. |
| B．People's feelings didn't influence their health. |
| C．People with good feelings became ill more easily. |
| D．People with positive feelings had less serious illnesses. |
According to Cohen, which of the following may help fight illness?
| A．Eating. | B．Crying. | C．Laughing. | D．Sleeping. |
This passage is a/an .
| A．advertisement | B．newspaper report | C．story | D．scientist's diary |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Smiles can fight colds | B．Cause of colds found |
| C．The danger of colds | D．How people get sick |
Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大规模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead.
The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted(引发) tsunami warnings（海啸警报）across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960.
In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately（普通的） damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize（使降到最低） the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan.The underline word damage means_____________ in the article.
| A．illness | B．disaster | C．terror | D．danger |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．Thousands of people have been killed in a massive earthquake in Japan. |
| B．Only people in areas that were only moderately damaged are facing a really serious situation in the days. |
| C．The tsunami devastatednot only the coastline in Japan, but also the areas across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. |
| D．The massive earthquake caused the tsunami. |
According to the passage, which earthquake is the largest one since 1990 ?
| A．the one happened in Japan on March 11, 2011 |
| B．the one in Chile in 1960 |
| C．the fifth largest earthquake since 1900 |
| D．We don't know. |
If you're in Tokyo these days, what you can't get from the convenience store?
| A．newspapers and magazines |
| B．some medicine |
| C．paper napkins and toothpastes |
| D．rice balls and bottled water |
The passage can't be in/on __________.
| A．March 10th newspapers | B．TV | C． Internet | D． Radios |
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