A mother had two daughters. She loved them very much, but two girls would fight with each other from their earliest years. As they grew older, they became total strangers. They had no contact with each other when they were adults.
This caused the mother great pain. Then, later, she had an idea. She decided to write a letter to them. In this letter, she told them how much she loved them, and how she wanted them to love each other in this way. She also gave them news of herself and some guidance on how to live happier lives.
When the letter was ready, she wrote out one copy for each daughter, but these copies were special. Each copy contained only every second sentence of the original letter: the copy for one daughter had only the even (双数的) sentences, and the other daughter’s copy contained only the odd sentences. Neither contained the fullness of the mother’s message.
When the two daughters received their letters, they were puzzled. To understand the half-letter, they would have to put the two letters together and read them as one, which meant they must approach one another again in love and respect. But they each blamed the other for not helping them when trying to read the half-letter.
For a long time, the mother waited in vain. Then one day, when the mother had almost given up hope, there was a knock at the door. There they stood, together. “We’ve come home,” they said at the same time. “We’ve finally put our letters together, and we’ve come to say how much we love you, Mum.” Then she hugged them both, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, and welcomed them back home.The mother gave her daughters incomplete letters mainly to ______.
| A．win their hearts | B．offer them advice |
| C．tell them her news | D．mend their relations |
Upon receiving their letters, the two daughters ______.
| A．complained about each other as usual |
| B．blamed her mother for the half-letter |
| C．put the letters together and read them |
| D．understood the mother’s purpose at once |
Why did the two daughters visit their mother at last?
| A．They wanted to apologize. |
| B．They missed home very much. |
| C．They had put the letters together. |
| D．They felt grateful for the mother. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．An Unusual Letter | B．A Mother’s Endless Love |
| C．Two Special Daughters | D．A Sincere Apology to Mother |
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. |
| B．People who work in London prefer to live in the country. |
| C．Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. |
| D．Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London. |
One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
| A．getting a small flat with a garden |
| B．having a small flat with a garden |
| C．renting a small flat without a garden |
| D．buying a small flat without a garden |
When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
| A．who live in the country |
| B．who have spent time working in the garden |
| C．who have a garden of their own |
| D．who have been digging, planting and watering |
People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live outside London.
| A．their life was meaningless |
| B．their life was invaluable |
| C．they didn’t deserve a happy life |
| D．they were not worthy of their happy life |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit.
He walked into the station café. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom’s friends, came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked John.
“Oh, there is plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Oh, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said John.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again.
“Good heavens! It’s going back-ward!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.” “You are looking at the clock in the mirror,” said John.
Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then.Tom went into the station café because _______.
| A．John asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．he wanted a drink there |
| C．he would meet a friend of his |
| D．it was early yet and he could find a place to sit |
What time was it in fact when he looked at the clock in the mirror?
| A．Half past twelve. | B．Half past eleven. |
| C．Twenty to twelve. | D．Half past one. |
When we look at a clock in the mirror we’ll see _______.
| A．the right time | B．it is going slower |
| C．it is going backward | D．it is going fast |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Tom missed his bus. |
| B．He liked mirror even before. |
| C．The next bus would leave soon. |
| D．Tom arrived in London on time. |
His first fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted (收养) by the chief of his tribe (部族) and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination ( 种族歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law (种族隔离法), colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition (反对) to the system Mandela was arrested (被捕) and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and become the president of the country after the first elections were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer (拳击手) and fought in the ring when he was young.
“ Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat (撤退),” he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skilful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _____.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he _____.
| A．could easily have been the president of South Africa |
| B．could still have lived a happy life |
| C．could have been in a difficult situation |
| D．would have been an excellent boxer |
It can be inferred that Nelson Mandela _____.
| A．continues to help the black people with the political struggle |
| B．is taking a position in a music group |
| C．is taking on the world’s greatest fight against AIDS |
| D．is preparing for the next election of president |
Which statement can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．Struggle is his life. | B．Sports make his fame. |
| C．Fight for equal rights. | D．Great fighter against government. |
Everyone has got two personalities(性格)—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real . You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior , but when you’re asleep , your sleeping position shows the real you . In a normal night , of course , people frequently change their position . The important position is the one that you go to sleep in .
If you go to sleep in your back , you’re a very open person ,. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas . You don’t like to upset people , so you never express your real feeling .
If you sleep on your stomach , you are a rather secretive person . You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset . You’re very stubborn(顽固的)， but you aren’t very ambitious . You usually live for today not for tomorrow . This means that you enjoy having a good time .
If you sleep curled up (卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person . You have a low opinion of yourself so you’re often defensive . You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own . you’re easily hurt .
If you sleep on your side , you have usually got a well-balanced personality . You know your strengths and weakness . You’re usually careful . You have a confident personality . You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed . You always say what you think even if it makes people angry .According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality only when you .
| A．in a normal night |
| B．go to sleep |
| C．refuse to show yourself to the world |
| D．change sleeping position |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used sleeping on his or her stomach ? He or she .
| A．is always cheerful |
| B．lives for tomorrow |
| C．can’t be successful in business |
| D．worries about nothing |
Maybe you don’t want to make friends with a person who sleeps cured up. Why? He or she____
| A．would rather be alone than communicate with you |
| B．is rarely ready to help |
| C．always makes people angry |
| D．wouldn’t like to |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because he or she___________.
| A．always shows sympathy for people |
| B．is confident, but not stubborn |
| C．is healthier than others |
| D．often thinks of making people angry |
Finding a suitable place to live is not easy for a student who first arrived in a strange place . I was lucky because I had booked a dormitory with the school before I arrived .. I t was a flat with seven independent rooms and a shared bathroom and kitchen . all of my flatmates are all students form Britain . I thought I was lucky to be part of this flat with these energetic young men . However , I found myself unhappy with them only a few days after I stayed there . These young people seemed never to be quiet . Usually they would not come back until late into the night .They even played football in the room whenever they like , whether it was early morning or late night . Worse still , they always had parties . Those loud music and laughter made me sleepless the whole night . Finally , I had no choice but to ask the authority to move me to another flat where most of the students were international students pursuing their master degrees . They were older in age and hold heavier study burden . So they were quieter .
My advice for those who want to study in the UK is to get in touch with the international student accommodation service of your school first and tell them to arrange for you to share a flat with graduates before you come here.What was the trouble while living with the British students?
| A．They loved football too much |
| B．They often held parties . |
| C．They disturbed the writer’s living greatly . |
| D．They went to bed too late and got up too early . |
The measure the writer took to solve the problem was .
| A．asking some older students for help |
| B．giving the British students heavier study burden |
| C．asking the authority to make the British student burden |
| D．changing a place to live |
The advice the writer gave us was .
A. don’t live with young British students
B live with students who have study burden
C. get your housing fixed before your arrival
D. better live in your schoolThe underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to “ ” .
| A． the room | B． football | C．time | D．the night |
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