When I was ten my dad helped me buy my first ten-speed bicycle from Allen. I put up $60 of my grass cutting and snow shoveling (铲) money and my dad put up the other half I would pay him back over the next six months. Although it was not in the latest style, it was my ticket to the adult world.
I spent that summer and autumn riding happily. My sister Liz, a prisoner(囚犯，俘虏) of her five-speed bicycle, never had a chance to keep up. Just before the Christmas deadline to pay my dad back, we were hit with several snowstorms. This allowed me to shovel enough driveways (车道) to pay off my debt. I was now officially a bike owner; it was a feeling unlike any other.
On that Christmas morning, my dad gave me a used portable (便携式的) record player. I was excited. However, my joy was short-lived after my dad called my sister to the kitchen. “We have one more gift for you. ” he said as he opened the door that led to the garage. There, on the steps, stood a new ten-speed bicycle.
“It’s not fair,” I complained. “I worked so hard for my bike. and it’s not even new. Then Liz gets a new bike. She didn’t have to do anything for it. ” My dad smiled. “She didn’t have to do anything for it because it’s not really for her,” he said. What did that mean? I didn’t want her bike.
By spring Liz and I were riding all over town together now that she could keep up. As we grew, Liz and I became true friends.
Still I wasn’t smart enough to figure out what my dad meant until years later. That new bike was not a gift for Liz — it was a gift for me. He’d given me the gift of my sister’s company, the ability to stay together rather than drift apart (逐渐疏远) in the face of my ability to travel. He gave me my best friend.
What do we know about the author’s bike?
| A．It was worth $120. | B．Allen bought it for him. |
| C．It was very fashionable. | D．He didn’t like it actually. |
Why did the author think he was officially a bike owner?
| A．He had paid off his debt. |
| B．He had learned to ride a bike. |
| C．He could also own Liz’s bike. |
| D．He could sell his bike to Liz. |
Why was the author’s Christmas joy short-lived?
| A．His sister got a new record player. |
| B．His father didn’t care about him. |
| C．The record player wasn’t new. |
| D．His sister got a better gift. |
Hearing his father say “it’s not really for her (Paragraph 4)”, the author probably felt ________.
| A．moved | B．satisfied | C．puzzled | D．disappointed |
The author finally realized that ________.
| A．the new bike actually belonged to him |
| B．the new bike wasn’t bought by his father |
| C．his father actually gave him a more valuable gift |
| D．his father loved his sister more as a matter of fact |
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad memories. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a scary events. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body producing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
“Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman.
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories make us different from others. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure whether we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.What does the underlined word “erase” mean?
| A．change | B．forgive | C．add | D．remove |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．a new medical invention | B．a new research on the pill |
| C．the argument about the research on the pill | D．a way of erasing painful memories |
The drug tested on people can _________.
| A．cause the brain to fix memories | B．stop people remembering bad events |
| C．prevent body producing certain chemicals | D．wipe out the bad memories |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Some people doubt if the pills should be used to help people forget bad memories. |
| B．The pill will stop people’s bad memories. |
| C．Taking the pill will do harm to people’s health. |
| D．The pill has been produced in America. |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
| A．Some memories can ruin people’s lives. |
| B．People want to get rid of bad memories. |
| C．The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories. |
| D．Having bad events makes us different from others. |
What is eBay? The simple answer is that it is a global trading platform where nearly anyone can trade practically anything. People can sell and buy all kinds of products and goods, including cars, movies and DVDs, sporting goods, travel tickets, musical instruments, clothes and shoes — the list goes on and on
The idea came from Peter Omidyar, who was born in Paris and moved to Washington when he was still a child. At high school, he became very interested in computer programming and after graduating from Tuft University in 1988, he worked for the next few years as a computer engineer. In his free time he started Bay as a kind of hobby, at first offering the service free by word of mouth. By 1996 there was so much traffic on the website that he had to upgrade (升级) and he began charging a fee to members. Joined by a friend, Peter Skill, and in 1998 by his capable CEO, Meg Whitman, he has never looked back. Even in the great crashes of the late 1990s, ebay has gone from strength to strength. It is now one of the ten most visited online shopping websites on the Internet
Ebay sells connections, not goods, putting buyer and seller into contact with each other. All you have to do is lake an e-photo, write a description, fill out a sales form and you are in business. The world is your market place. Of course for each item, eBay gets a percentage and that is a great deal of money. Every day there are more than sixteen million items listed on eBay and eighty percent of the items are sold.
We learn from the text that eBay provides people with _________.
| A．a way of buying and selling goods |
| B．a place to show their own photos |
| C．a website for them to upgrade |
| D．a chance to buy things at low prices |
Why did Peter create eBay after graduating from university?
| A．For fun | B．To make money |
| C．For gathering the engineers | D．To fulfill a task of his company |
From “he has never looked back” in Paragraph 2 we learn that Peter _________.
| A．did not feel lonely | B．was always hopeful |
| C．did not think about the past | D．became more and more successful |
How does eBay make money from its website?
| A．By bringing sellers together. | B．By charging for each sale |
| C．By listing items online | D．By making e-photos. |
I know what you’re thinking: Pizza? For breakfast? But the truth is that you can have last night’s leftovers with it in the morning, if you want to.
I know lots of women who skip breakfast, and they have a ton of different excuses for doing it. Some say they don’t have time. Others think they’re “saving” calories (卡路里), still others say they just don’t like breakfast food .
But the fact is that eating in the morning is very important when you’re trying to lose weight. “Eating anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all,” says Katherine Brooking, who developed the super-easy eating plan for this year’s “SELF CHALLENGE”. And even pizza can be healthy if it’s loaded with vegetables, as long as you stick to only one small piece.
Breakfast is one meal I never miss, and the same goes for most weight loss success stories. Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from overeating later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that breakfast skippers have a bigger chance of gaining weight than those who regularly have a morning meal.
So eat something in the morning, anything. I know plenty of friends who end up having no breakfast, or they just have coffee or orange juice. I say, try heating up last night’s leftovers. It may sound crazy, but if it works for you, do it! I find if I tell myself, “You can always eat it tomorrow,” I put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it, and you may save yourself some pre-bedtime calories. And you will watch your body gain the fat-burning effects.
The underlined word “leftovers” in Paragraph 1 probably means _________.
| A．food remaining after a meal | B．breakfast |
| C．meals made of vegetables | D．pizza with fruit |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Working women usually have breakfast in a hurry. |
| B．Many people have wrong ideas about breakfast. |
| C．If we have pizza loaded with vegetables, we will certainly not gain weight. |
| D．Eating vegetables helps us to save energy. |
According to the last paragraph, it is important to_________.
| A．eat something for breakfast | B．be careful about what you eat |
| C．heat up food before eating it | D．eat calorie-controlled food |
The text is written mainly for those _________.
| A．who go to work early | B．who want to lose weight |
| C．who stay up late | D．who eat before sleep |
There was a story many years ago of a school teacher — Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn’t play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.
Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother’s perfume (香水)
Teddy said, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to.” After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy’s mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.
Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed: Theodore Stoddard, M.D. (医学博士).
The story doesn’t end there. On his wedding day, Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference.”
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.” What did Mrs. Thompson do on the first day of school?
| A．She made Teddy feel ashamed. |
| B．She asked the children to play with Teddy. |
| C．She changed Teddy’s seat to the front row. |
| D．She told the class something untrue about herself. |
What did Mrs. Thompson find out about Teddy?
| A．He told lies every now and then. |
| B．He was quite good at math. |
| C．He needed care from mother or someone like that. |
| D．He enjoyed playing with others. |
In what way did Mrs. Thompson change after she received the gifts?
| A．She taught fewer school subjects. |
| B．She became stricter with her students. |
| C．She no longer liked her job as a teacher. |
| D．She cared more about educating students. |
Why did Teddy thank Mrs. Thompson at his wedding?
| A．She had kept in touch with him. |
| B．She had given him encouragement. |
| C．She had sent him Christmas presents. |
| D．She had taught him how to judge people. |
Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? Many students say that a lack of concentration is their biggest problem. It has bad effects on their ability to study, so do their test results.
If so, use these tips to help you.
Study Techniques
You should always study in the same place.² You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside it.
Your eyes will² become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees.
Be realistic and don’t try to complete too² much in one study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
Test-taking Skills
All your hard work² will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts a few months.
Exercise is a great way to reduce² pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.
When you arrive in the examination² room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．You should study in a different place every day so that you don’t get bored. |
| B．Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time. |
| C．Check the time during the exam at a certain time. |
| D．Staying up all night is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method. |
What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
| A．Your study desk or table. | B．Your textbook. |
| C．Your dictionary. | D．The equipment you need. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test. |
| B．You’ll have enough energy to deal with and concentrate on your study and exams better by eating healthy diet. |
| C．You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you. |
| D．If you need a break during study, you can walk around for a few minutes. |
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