“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告) in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
| A．Cheap and ugly things. |
| B．Things people no longer use. |
| C．Things out of season. |
| D．Things of great value. |
A white elephant refers to _________.
| A．something that can cause a feeling of pain |
| B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others |
| C．something sold at the lowest prices |
| D．a toy shaped like a fish |
Most people go to yard sales to________.
| A．find valuable paintings |
| B．look for something special |
| C．find a bargain |
| D．kill their time |
We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
| A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale |
| B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income |
| C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot |
| D．most people don’t want to go to yard sales. |
MUMBAI, India —The children in their party clothes on the stage were very excited when they received the award. And the two of them said, "It’s unbelievable!"
Nine-year-old, Rubina Ali, and Azharuddin Ismail, 10, were living a very different life and obviously loving every minute of it. The two, some of the child stars of the Oscar-winning Slum dog Millionaire(《贫民窟的百万富翁》)movie, know the Indian slums very well. That was where they grew up, and it is where they will return at the end of their Hollywood dream trip.
But before going back home, there was an interview with the host, Ryan Seacrest. During the interview they smiled and repeated their disbelief in what was happening to them. To their surprise, their movie won first place in the Oscars. When the two received the award, it was late morning in the children’s home city of Mumbai, where family, friends and many fellow residents of the slums watched the result from Hollywood.
"I don’t really know what the Oscars are," Rubina’s mother said. "I’m just glad my daughter looks happy, though she told me she missed Indian food."
"Our children lead a dog’s life," Rubina’s mother said, pointing out the rubbish everywhere, the open drains (下水道) and the lack of education opportunities.
In a few days they will be back in Mumbai and back in the slums which are their home. Fortunately, according to media reports, the movie’s director, Danny Boyle, has promised to help the children he chose from the slum and make sure they will go to a proper school.
The two don’t need to worry about their daily lives because of the Oscar success of Slum dog Millionaire. But the poverty and lack of opportunity —the central theme of the movie—is always all around. Which of the following is NOT true about the two children?
| A．They were both excited about receiving the award. |
| B．They had been having a difficult life in India. |
| C．They were interviewed before they went back home. |
| D．They were the only two child stars in the movie, Slum dog Millionaire. |
When the children attended the Oscar ceremony in Hollywood, their family and friends were _______.
| A．doing what they did as usual |
| B．watching TV in Mumbai |
| C．seeing the movie Slum dog Millionaire |
| D．having a family party |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．The two children have played in other movies before. |
| B．Rinoms’s mother also went to the Hollywood. |
| C．Rubina may not get used to the American food. |
| D．They will travel to other countries before returning home. |
What will happen to the two children after they return to India?
| A．They will go back to the miserable life. |
| B．They will play in movies as famous actors. |
| C．They will leave school to learn acting. |
| D．They will have a better education. |
A Robot Fish has been developed by National University of Singapore’s researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering．This robot fish has movements which have been inspired by the movements of the carp（鲤鱼）．
There are various purposes that it can be used for．It can help in underwater archaeology （ 考古学 ）．For example, it can enter a sunken city where human divers cannot enter．Just like a fish , it can also look at all the comers of particular wreckage．This robot can also be used for general purposes such as detection of leakages in a pipeline or for laying down communication cables across oceans．It also has possible military uses．
In order to copy carp movements, Mr．Fan studied the movements of the fish for around 3 months．He studied all the different movements of carp using different cameras and then converted these movements mathematically to transfer this data to the robot using many actuators（驱动器）．
Professor Xu commented on the robot that the current models that copy fish movements are capable only of 2D movements which limits their capability as they are not able to dive into water．He said that his model is the first model with 3D movements which allows it to dive as well as float with the help of its fins, just as a normal fish would do．Hence, this fish model robot has much greater movement capability．It would be much harder for enemies to detect as compared to traditional ones when used for military purposes．
The researches want to make their robot fish even smaller, more realistic while adding more sensors such as GPS and video camera to it．This will improve its autonomous 3D movement．They are also planning to test the fish by giving it more difficult tasks such as detecting various objects．The author gave an example in paragraph 2 _____．
| A．to introduce the Robot Fish can help in underwater archaeology |
| B．to show the Robot Fish can be used for general purposes |
| C．to show the Robot Fish can lay down communication cables across oceans |
| D．to tell us the Robot Fish has possible military uses |
Which is NOT true about the 3D Robot Fish?
| A．It is capable of diving into water． |
| B．It cannot dive into water． |
| C．It can float using its fins． |
| D．It is difficult to detect． |
What' s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The researchers will give the robot more difficult tasks． |
| B．The researches want to make their robot smaller． |
| C．The researchers are going to test the robot． |
| D．The researches plan to improve the robot． |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement used widely |
| B．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement treading the ocean |
| C．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement created in Singapore |
| D．First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement's general purposes |
When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pain, no gain". He hardly watered his new trees, an attitude which flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water.
So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some 25 years ago. They were tall and strong.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to encounter hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart.With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often______.
| A．kept watering them every morning |
| B．talked to them to get their attention |
| C．paid little attention to them |
| D．beat them to make them grow deep roots |
What does the underlined word "Adversity" mean in the sixth paragraph?
| A．Difficult living conditions. | B．Lack of moisture. |
| C．Enough care or attention. | D．Bad weather. |
Which prayer does the author wish for his sons?
| A．Have an easy life, without too much to worry about. |
| B．Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives. |
| C．Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life. |
| D．Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future. |
Last week, while visiting my dad with my daughter, we went to a restaurant for dinner. When we were seated, my dad asked the waitress if there were any soldiers eating at the restaurant. Then waitress said there was a soldier having dinner with his friend. My dad told the waitress to tell the soldier and his friend that their dinner was paid for! He also said that he did not want to be known as the benefactor(施主).
Then waitress later commented on my dad’s thoughtful behavior saying that she had never seen anything like this before. At a local college, she had studied opera and so she used this to thank my dad by performing a piece from The Pearl Fisherman. Her voice brought me to tears because it sounded perfect!
After a while, the soldier appeared at our table (I don’t know how he knew my dad paid the bill for him.) and said that he would be sent to the front the next morning and that he could not leave this country without saying “thanks” to my dad. My dad replied that it was he who wanted to say “thanks”. They shook hands as the soldier left.
Before we left, the waitress came by again. She did a magic show as another way to show her “thanks” to my dad. Her show was really great. My dad left her a note with email address asking for her next performance time in addition to a $ 50 tip.
Everyone witnessed something exemplary(可作榜样的) in the human spirit that night. I can only hope to see more of this in the future.What did the soldier do in response to the author’s father’s kindness?
| A．He gave something to author’s dad. |
| B．He gave a big tip to the waitress. |
| C．He said thanks to the author’s dad in person. |
| D．He did a magic show for the author and her father. |
The author considered her father’s action to be ____.
| A．funny | B．understandable |
| C．worthless | D．honorable |
Their passage mainly tells us that we should ____.
| A．learn to be grateful to others |
| B．find ways to thank others |
| C．try to learn from each other |
| D．respect soldiers and waitresses |
Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.
Cowboy was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason. I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.
When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.
One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.
The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena (赛马场). We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted. All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.
My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line. As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!
I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it.The underlined expression "shown the gate" (paragraph 3) most probably means ______.
| A．told how to enter the arena |
| B．shown how to make the horse beautiful |
| C．removed from the competition early |
| D．told to enter the timed-speed events |
When the final race finished, nobody cheered because .
| A．the audience didn’t like Cowboy |
| B．people envied the writer |
| C．the win was unexpected |
| D．the writer bad run out of time |
Why was the writer not confident of victory?
| A．He was an inexperienced rider. |
| B．He had not practiced enough. |
| C．He believed he was unpopular with the crowd. |
| D．He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others. |
What did the writer learn from his experience?
| A．Life can sometimes be unfair. |
| B．Anything is possible if one tries hard enough. |
| C．A positive attitude will bring success. |
| D．One should not make judgments based on appearance. |
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