The British usually expect one or two snowfalls each year but the amount of snow rarely affects everyday life. However, this week Britain has had the worst snow it has seen in around 18 years. Some places had more than 30cm in a day.
The bad weather caused a lot of trouble. More than 3000 schools had to close as teachers and pupils were unable to get to school. School children weren’t too unhappy about it, though, as they headed out to play in the snow: building snowmen; having snowball fights; and some even snowboarding and skiing.
In London, bus services were withdrawn for a day and tubes and trains were cancelled. Major motorways in the country had to close. Many people were unable to get to work and it is thought the cost of this lost labor is around￡1 billion to businesses and the economy.
Anyone wanting to leave the country had problems too. Runways were closed at all the UK’s major airports because of the snow. Hundreds of flights were cancelled leaving many passengers stranded at airports.
So why is the UK so ill-prepared for snow? The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, explained that there aren’t enough snow-ploughs and other equipment and it doesn’t make sense to buy such equipment when it snows so infrequently.
The south-east of England was the hardest hit at the beginning of the week but the snow is now moving northwards where the chaos continues. More ice and snow is forecast throughout the week and the advice from travel and weather organizations is to stay indoors unless you really need to venture out!The bad weather caused the following troubles except
| A．school children headed out, playing in the snow |
| B．more than 3000 schools had been closed |
| C．bus services were withdrawn in London |
| D．hundreds of flights were cancelled |
The underlined word “stranded” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _____________.
| A．hungry | B．sleepy | C．trapped | D．excited |
We can infer from the passage that ____________________.
| A．few people will travel around in the future days |
| B．heavy snow will hit Britain more frequently in the future |
| C．only school children benefit from the heavy snow |
| D．employees are glad to be free because of the snow |
From what Boris Johnson said we can learn that _________________________.
| A．the UK will always be ill-prepared for heavy snow |
| B．the snow now moving northwards will cause no trouble |
| C．London can’t afford to buy snow-ploughs and other equipments |
| D．London doesn’t have enough snow-ploughs and other equipments |
Which of the following statements can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Hardest snow hit south-east of England. |
| B．Heavy snow caused chaos in Britain. |
| C．Unexpected snowfall, pleasant time for children. |
| D．Great loss to businesses and the economy in Britain. |
In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animal. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, bur sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others often. We try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.The author has discovered that people will feel happy when ______.
| A．they offer their help |
| B．they receive others’ help |
| C．they feel others’ kindness |
| D．they show their weakness |
The author feels sad sometimes because ______.
| A．he has a soft heart |
| B．he relies much on others |
| C．some people pretend to be kind |
| D．some people fail to see the kindness in others |
What did the other drivers do when they saw the flashlights?
| A．They speed up to pass. |
| B．They waited with patience. |
| C．They tried their best to help. |
| D．They put on their flashlights too. |
In this passage, the author advises us to ______.
| A．handle problems by ourselves |
| B．accept help from others |
| C．admit our weakness |
| D．show our bravery |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Wheelchair Experience. |
| B．Weakness and Kindness. |
| C．Weakness and Strength |
| D．A Driving Experience |
Michael was a farmer in Texas. His parents moved to the USA from Ireland in the 1940’s, and they became very rich. Michael decided to go back to Ireland to meet his old grandfather, who was still living on the same farm．
Michael booked his ticket，flew to Shannon airport，hired a car and drove to the small village where his parents had been born. He asked for directions to the Ohagan farm, and in the end he drove up a bumpy path. He was shocked by what he saw: a small field, and in the middle of it was an old house, which looked as if it was falling down. Animals were wandering in and out of the front door, and on the porch an old man was smoking a pipe.
“Are you Mr Ohagan?” asked Michael.
“Yes，”replied the old man．
“I'm your grandson，Michael,” said Michael．
“A—ha,” replied the old man．
“Is this your farm?” asked Michael．“Yes，all the way to the wall over there,” said the old man．
Michael was astonished. “Grandfather,” he said，“I have a farm in Texas．I can get into my car and drive all day and I still haven’t reached the end of the farm.”
“Yes,” said his grandfather. “I used to have a car like that.”Michael’s parents _______．
| A．still lived in Ireland alone |
| B．owned a small farm in Texas |
| C．returned to their birthplace |
| D．were Irish immigrants（移民）in America |
Which of the following shocked Michael?
| A．The farm was small |
| B．The old house looked like his own． |
| C．Living conditions were poor in the fields． |
| D．Animals were free in the fields． |
The old man _______．
| A．owned a small farm，which extended only to the wall not far away |
| B．had so large a farm that he couldn’t cover it in a day |
| C．hadn’t his modern car any longer |
| D．used to have as good a car as his grandson’s |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Michael owned a large farm in Ireland. |
| B．Michael’s car was in such poor condition that it couldn’t reach the end of the farm within a day． |
| C．Michael’s farm was too large for a car to reach its end in a day． |
| D．Michael didn’t know what to say to his grandfather |
From “I used to have a car like that”, we can see that________．
| A．the old man really had a car like that |
| B．the old mall knew his son’s farm in the US was quite large |
| C．the old mall misunderstood what Michael said |
| D．the old man wanted to buy a car like that |
Two weeks before Christmas a nine-year-old girl was walking with her friend down the street, sliding on the ice. They were talking about what they hoped to at Christmas.
They stopped to talk to an old man named Harry, who was his knees pulling weeds from around a large tree. His fingers were with cold.
As Harry responded to the girls, he told them he was getting the yard as a Christmas present to his mother, who had died several years before. His eyes filled with tears as he the tree and said, “ My mother was all I had. She loved her and her trees, so I do this for her at Christmas.” His words the girls and soon they were on their knees helping him to around the trees. It took the three of them the rest of the day to complete the . When they finished, Harry pressed a quarter into each of their hands. “I wish I could you more, but it’s all I’ve got right now,” he said.
As they walked they remembered that the house was , with no flowers, no Christmas tree or other decorations. Just the figure of Harry sitting by his curtainless window. The next day they agreed to put their in a jar marked “Harry’s Christmas Present” and then they began to seek for small jobs to more. Every nickel, dime, and quarter they earned went into the .
Two days before Christmas, they had enough money to buy new and a Christmas card. On Christmas Eve they came to Harry’s singing carols. When he opened the door, they him with the gloves wrapped in pretty paper, the card and a pumpkin pie still from the oven. With trembling hands, he the paper from the gloves, and then to their astonishment, he held them up to his face and wept.
A．prepare B．seek C．get D．arrange
A．off B．at C．with D．on
A．black B．blue C．yellow D．white
A．in shape B．in store C．in style D．in practice
A．patted B．cut C．dug D．climbed
A．family B．yard C．job D．pet
A．confused B．shocked C．touched D．reminded
A．gather B．fertilize C．water D．weed
A．task B．plan C．goal D．harvest
A．love B．pay C．praise D．donate
A．ordinary B．comfortable C．clean D．shabby
A．lovely B．friendly C．lonely D．cowardly
A．quarters B．wishes C．letters D．secrets
A．collect B．earn C．raise D．save
A．jar B．box C．wallet D．drawer
A．shoes B．clothes C．gloves D．socks
A．kitchen B．hall C．garden D．doorstep
A．gave B．presented C．shared D．offered
A．warm B．sweet C．soft D．big
A．touched B．folded C．tore D．pasted
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