Valentine’s Day（情人节） was coming. Helen felt hurt and lonely because this was her first Valentine’s Day after the divorce（离婚）.
Helen’s twelve-year-old son, Jack, looked at his mother, knowing that this was a difficult time for both of them. In order to make his mother happy, he prepared a present, and handed it to her on Valentine’s Day.
It was a beautiful gift package （纸盒）. Helen couldn’t believe what was happening. She opened it and took out a lovely card and a small box.
“Now,” he said, “read the card.” It reads as follows:
“I know that this isn’t easy for you because it has been a hard year for both of us. I know that Valentine’s Day is a special day for people in love. I want you to know that I love you. I know that Valentines are supposed to get chocolate. I went to the store today to buy some for you. Luckily, I got the last piece. I told the clerk it was just perfect.”
Helen stood there for a moment and looked at her son. Her eyes sparkled in the light as tears formed in each corner. Jack knew he had done the right thing. Slowly she opened the small box, careful not to tear the paper. She would never forget the moment. She found a chocolate heart that was broken into pieces along with a note:
“I am so sorry that Dad left us, Mom. And all you were left with was a broken heart. But I just want you to know we still have each other.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Your son,
Jack”Which of the following words can best describe Jack?
| A．Hard-working. | B．Humorous. |
| C．Brave. | D．Caring. |
Why did Jack think it was a difficult time for his mother and him?
| A．Because he hadn’t heard from his father for a long time. |
| B．Because his mother had been out of work for a long time. |
| C．Because his father left them and his mother felt hurt and lonely. |
| D．Because he had no money to buy a gift for his mother |
Which of the following wasn’t in the gift package?
| A．A card | B．A flower |
| C．A small box. | D．A chocolate heart. |
Jack wrote a card to his mother in order to ____.
| A．show his love to her |
| B．explain why he felt lonely |
| C．ask her to give him some money |
| D．express he missed his father |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Helen felt hurt and lonely when Valentine’s Day was coming. |
| B．Jack knows his mother’s feelings and prepared a present on Valentine’s Day. |
| C．Jack’s mother still loves Jack’s father. |
| D．Helen was moved by her son when she received Jack’s gift. |
I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me．I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride，today，Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No ! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning．
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later．I forgot to be mad at them and when I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”．
When I reached the hospital，my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive.“ Your lather told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911，thank God! If he had moved Daddy，there’s no telling what might have happened．A broken rib（肋骨）might have pierced（穿透）a lung….”
My mother may have said more，but I didn’t hear．I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words：Leave me alone．My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more．How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation．I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him．
“Daddy… I am so sorry….”
“It’s okay，sweetheart．I'll be okay．”
“No，”I said，“I mean about what I said to you that day．You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly．He looked at me and said．“Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day， not before，during or after the accident.I remember kissing you goodnight the night before，though．”He managed a weak smile．
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power．They can hurt or they can heal．And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because .
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father． |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning． |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident． |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that .
| A．he had a poor memory | B．he didn’t wanted to comfort his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son | D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly． |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words． |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident． |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things |
When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.
She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.
After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”
Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.
| A．rose from a low social class |
| B．had an unhappy marriage |
| C．lived with a dog alone on a farm |
| D．won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show |
At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.
| A．looked forward to her wonderful performance |
| B．was attracted by her beautiful dress |
| C．looked down upon her |
| D．placed great hope on her |
We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.
| A．the judges | B．the Internet | C．the newspaper | D．the advertisement |
The 4th paragraph intends to tell us ______.
| A．how Susan Boyle achieved her success |
| B．the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher |
| C．Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA |
| D．Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle |
Shopping in the United States changes a lot．About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family．Women went from the bakery to the butcher's to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week．
Then about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born．In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores．
The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall．A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof．Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular．The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping．If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee．Malls are places for teenagers to hang out．Many teens will often just "go to the mall" and spend time with their friends．
The recent change in American shopping was the superstore．Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys "R" Us have been built all across the United States．Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores．
Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close．They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors．
And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States．People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet．Online shopping has lots of advantages．For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day．Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores．While, online shopping also has its disadvantages．People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store．And privacy of personal information may be let out．Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?
①small stores ②superstores ③shopping malls ④shopping online
⑤supermarkets
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．①⑤②③④ |
| C．①⑤③②④ | D．②③④①⑤ |
Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?
| A．Shopping malls． | B． Small stores． |
| C．Supermarkets． | D．Superstores． |
Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?
| A．Because they are built near small towns． |
| B．Because they are across the United States． |
| C．Because they sell all kinds of products people need． |
| D．Because they can buy goods at a reduction in the price． |
What's the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?
| A．Wasting time． | B．Leaking personal information． |
| C．Fixed prices． | D．No chance to do physical activities. |
Learning new words is learning new ideas: High school students can take control of
their learning by always looking up new words and finding out what they mean. They should keep a dictionary and a thesaurus close at hand.
Make clear lists: Students should make a list of everything that they need to get done. They should check off assignments（作业）once completed. They should include clear due dates.
Make a commitment: Active learners will resolve to keep up –to-date from the start. They will avoid procrastinating. They will complete most of their work as early as possible.
Independent work is best: Students will do all assignments independently—they will never copy! Students who copy are passive learners. Passive learners do not give their mind a chance to think on its own.
Organization is key: Students should keep an excellent folder and notebook. All problems should be clearly stated and solutions given. All tests and quizzes should be corrected and used as study guides for exams and finals.
All actions without solutions are dead: Active learners will always show their work needed to solve a problem. Active learners will never turn in a list of answers without giving an explanation or a solution.
Advanced reading: Students should do any required reading for the topic before class. They should write an outline of the section or chapter. They should actively take notes as they read to help them remember.If you want to be successful in exams and finals you should .
| A．give your mind a chance to think on its own |
| B．check off your papers once completed |
| C．keep an excellent folder and notebook |
| D．hand in your homework on time |
What does the underlined word” procrastinating” mean?
| A．be active doing something |
| B．finishing doing something |
| C．delaying doing something |
| D．doing something ahead |
The best title of the passage is “ ”.
| A．How to Be an Effective Reader |
| B．How to Get Good Scores in Tests |
| C．How to Collect Academic Information |
| D．How to Actively Study in High School |
According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days．Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem．
The homeless population represents all of us Americans．It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants．Its members are from all ethnic groups．What they have in common is poverty．
Currently in the U．S．, thirty-nine million people live in poverty．When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice．Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps．
With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative．
Although men constitute the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them．In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U．S．are teenagers and young children．
People may become homeless for numerous reasons．However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common．They include a lack of adequate education and job skills．A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school．
The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor．One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol．While one quarter of the same group uses drugs．
Some members of this population suffer mental health problems．Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”．Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves．
Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes．The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce are also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved．The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads．The writer thinks that the U．S．government’s definition for the homeless reveals ________．
| A．an insincere attitude toward the homeless |
| B．an unbearable attitude toward the homeless |
| C．an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless |
| D．an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless |
The U．S．government helps the homeless by ___________．
| A．giving them homeless allowance |
| B．giving them food stamps |
| C．finding jobs for them |
| D．finding residence for them |
People become homeless for all the following reasons E XCEPT __________．
| A．the lack of adequate education |
| B．the abuse of alcohol and drugs |
| C．the closure of institutions for the mentally ill |
| D．the poor performance of economy |
The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may_____．
| A．lose his or her job in today’s economy |
| B．be unable to look after the kids |
| C．not have enough income |
| D．find residence at a homeless shelter |
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