My mother loves flowers. As soon as warm weather comes around, you will find her planting, watering and weeding over everything .For many years we lived next door to each other, and she spent as much time in my garden as she did her own. After the flowers became plentiful each summer, she would cut colorful bouquets(花束)to enjoy inside the house—both hers and mine . I would often come home from work and find a beautiful arrangement(布置)of fresh flowers on my coffee table.
Shortly before Christmas one year, a local flower shop offered a bouquet-a-month special. It seemed to be a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years.
After the holidays, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month’s bouquet. the small fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase(花瓶).
I was so embarrassed(尴尬的).However, after we returned home, she began to arrange the flowers she had received.“Mom, I’m sorry, ”I told her.“I can’t believe how skimpy that bouquet is.”She looked at me and smiled.“It’s okay,”she said“It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each one.”
Mom’s words helped me to realize something bigger and more important—when we have too many good things, we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one.
Thanks, Mom ,for helping me understand that less is sometimes more.According to paragraph 1 ,which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The author’s mother put fresh flowers on the author’s coffee table. |
| B．The author used to buy some fresh flowers on her way home. |
| C．The author’s mother usually bought flowers for her daughter. |
| D．The author and her mother shared a beautiful garden. |
The author bought her mother flowers to_______.
| A．celebrate the coming Christmas |
| B．express thanks for all her mother’s done |
| C．bring more flowers to her mother’s garden |
| D．arrange her mother’s new house |
The underlined word“skimpy”in Paragraph 4 means_______.
| A．beautiful | B．colorful |
| C．cheap | D．small |
What did the author learn from her mother?
| A．How to grow flowers. |
| B．How to arrange flowers |
| C．Enjoying life if possible |
| D．Considering things in other ways. |
Japanese students work very bard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures(压力) from their parents. Most students are always told by their parents to study harder and better so that they can have a wonderful life in the future. Though this may be a good idea for those very bright students, it can have terrible results for many students who are not gifted(有天赋的) enough. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have their parents lose hope. Such students felt that they are hated by everyone else they meet and they don’t want to go to school any longer. They become dropouts.
It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers’ work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents serif their children to those schools opening in the evenings and on weekends — they only help the students to pass the exams and never teach them any real sense of the world.
Many Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students’ hair to their clothes and things in their school bags. Child psychologists(心理学家) now think that such strict rules are harmful to the feelings of the students. Almost 40% of the students said that no one had taught them how to get on with others, how to tell right from wrong and how to show love and care for others, even for their parents.“Dropouts” are those who _______.
| A．make troubles in and out of schools |
| B．go about or stay home instead of being at school |
| C．try hard but always fails in the exams |
| D．lose hope and give up some of their subjects |
According to the passage, it’s necessary to teach students _______.
| A．how to study well |
| B．how to get on with others |
| C．to show love and care for others |
| D．All above |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．The Trouble in Japanese Schools |
| B．The Problems of Japanese Students |
| C．Education in Japan |
| D．The Pressures on the Students in Japan |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got good friends your parents don’t like?Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.
| A．friends | B．teachers |
| C．brothers and sisters | D．classmates |
When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.
| A．go to their friends |
| B．talk with their parents |
| C．have a discussion with their family |
| D．talk with their friends on the phone |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
| A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy. |
| B．In all families, children can choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better. |
| D．Teenagers can only go to their friends for help. |
The main idea of this passage is that _________.
| A．Teenagers need friends |
| B．Friends can give good advice |
| C．Parents often choose their children’s friends for them |
| D．Good friends can communicate with each other |
Dear Carol,
I wear braces (牙箍) and I know I look just terrible in them. Is there anything I can do to improve my appearance until they come off?
Connie N.
Philadelphia, PA
Dear Connie,
Start by thinking about how good you are going to look when your braces come off. If you are negative（负面的）about your appearance, people will pick that up right away about you. In the meantime there are several things that you can do to lift your spirits:
Change your hairstyle. Be sure to get a good cut so that the shape of your hair will be flattering to your face and also good for your type of hair (fine, thick, straight, curly, etc.) Choose a hairstyle that draws attention away from your face. Hair pulled back into a pony-tail or into a ball on top or slightly off-center can be attractive and practical for this purpose.
Keep skin clean. If you choose to wear makeup(化妆品), it should look natural. Blusher(腮红) and lip gloss(润唇膏) in light tones of peach or pink are best.
Be well-groomed(打扮). Neatness really counts. People see a total look about you before they ever become aware of your braces. And first impressions are lasting ones!Why did Connie write to Carol?
| A．Because she really cared about her clothes. |
| B．Because she cared much about her appearance. |
| C．Because her teeth were not good. |
| D．Because she didn’t know how to make up. |
Carol’s idea about one’s appearance is that _________.
| A．change your hairstyle and you will look beautiful |
| B．keep your skin clean and you will look good |
| C．neatness really counts |
| D．if you yourself don’t think you look smart, neither will people |
Carol tries to let Connie know that __________.
| A．the deepest impressions one leaves on others is the first ones |
| B．spirits are important when we talk about one’s appearance |
| C．there are some practical ways to draw people’s attention away from where you don’t feel good |
| D．all of the above |
The underlined word “count” means “_________” in the last paragraph.
| A．say numbers in order | B．be important |
| C．not include | D．be accepted |
Read the advertisements, and then choose the right answer.
1
Driver Wanted
(1) Clean driving license.
(2) Must be of smart appearance.
(3) Aged over 25.
Apply to: Capes Taxi,17 Palace Road, Boston.
2
Air Hostesses （空姐）for International Flights Wanted
(1)Applicants must be between 20 and 33 years old.
(2) Height 1.6m to 1.75m.
(3)Education to GCSE(General Certificate of Secondary Education)standard.
(4)Two languages. Must be able to swim.
Apply to: Recruitment office, Southern Airline, Heathrow Airport West.HR37KK.
3
Teachers Needed
(1For private language school。.
(2)Teaching experience unnecessary.
Apply to: The Director of Studies. Instant Language Ltd,279 Canal street, Boston.What prevents Jack, an experienced taxi driver, working for Capes Taxis?
| A．Fond of beer and wine. |
| B．Punished（处罚） for speeding and wrong parking. |
| C．Unable to speak a foreign language. |
| D．Not having college education. |
Ben, aged 22, fond of swimming and driving, has just graduated from a college. Which job might be given to him?
| A．Driving for Capes Taxis. |
| B．Working for Southern Airlines. |
| C．Teaching at Instant Language Ltd. |
| D．None of the three. |
What prevents Mary, aged 25, becoming an air hostess?
| A．She once broke a traffic law and was fined. |
| B．She can’t speak Japanese very well. |
| C．She has never worked as an airhostess before. |
| D．She doesn’t feel like working long hours flying abroad. |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the three advertisements?
| A．Marriage（婚姻）. | B．Male or female. |
| C．Education. | D．Working experience. |
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other’s language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist(拳头) and pointed at the Italian’s watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian’s.The Frenchman went to a small Italian town _______.
| A．alone | B．with his wife |
| C．with his friend | D．with an Italian |
One night he went out for _______ alone.
| A．a ride | B．a walk | C．a drink | D．rest |
Suddenly he found his_______ was gone.
| A．watch | B．money | C．book | D．ring |
The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.
| A．he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman. |
| B．he understood what the Frenchman wanted |
| C．he had picked up the watch on his w ay from work |
| D．he was afraid of the Frenchman |
Who was robbed of the watch on earth?
| A．The Frenchman was. | B．The Italian was. |
| C．Both of them was. | D．Neither of them was. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号