I was on the escalator in a market. There was an old man who was about five or six people in the front of me. People behind him were all in a hurry and saw him as a rock. The old man knew these clearly and tried hard to step aside.
I remember…Sometimes when walking or driving behind an older person, I’ve gotten impatient and upset.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me!” said the old man, “I don’t mean to hold you up.” He then tried his best to get off the escalator.
I suddenly saw this in a whole new light. I felt sick to my stomach. The old man was apologizing to everyone, when we should have helped him to calm his fears.
One by one, people went around him quickly. By the time I got to him, I asked, “Sir, can I help you?”
The man thought for a while, then said, “Well, yes, thank you!”
I placed my hand under his left arm and walked away from the rush of people quickly.
“So what are you shopping for, sir?”
“Oh, today is Mother’s Day. I want to buy something for my neighbor. She’s a single mother and she is always so nice to me.” he said, stopping suddenly as he searched his pocket.
“Oh, it’s here! I always carry them with me,” he said. Then he took out some business cards and handed me one which read:
“John Smith.
Friend to all…enemy to no one!
I said a prayer（祈祷）today and you were the answer.
Thank you!”
“That’s for you,” he said. “Thanks for stopping to help an old man.”
“My friend, you helped me. I discovered why I was unhappy with the world. Now I know how to solve the problem. No more with me!”Why did the old man try hard to step aside?
| A．Because he was in a hurry. |
| B．Because he didn’t want to be in other people’s way. |
| C．Because the escalator was very crowded. |
| D．Because he was as heavy as a rock. |
The writer felt sick to his stomach most because .
| A．the old man tried hard to step aside |
| B．the old man was difficult to get off the escalator |
| C．he was impatient and upset for the old man |
| D．the old man was apologizing to everyone |
What did the writer think about the people that passed by?
| A．Cold. | B．Boring. | C．Warm. | D．Friendly. |
The sentence “I said a prayer today and you were the answer” most probably means that .
| A．the old man needed the writer’s help then he came |
| B．the writer was always friendly to other people |
| C．the old man believed everyone could be friends |
| D．the old man had lots of friends and no enemies |
From the passage we can see that .
| A．we should always help old people |
| B．we should share our enjoyment with our friends |
| C．it was valuable to make friends with the old man |
| D．if we are kind to others, we will be happy in our life |
First Frenchman: I once heard someone shout, “Look out,” I put my head out of a window and a basin (盆) of water fell on me. It seems that “Look out” may mean “don’t look out.”
Second Frenchman: Once I was on a ship and heard the captain (船长) shout, “All hands on deck,” I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them.
Third Frenchman: I once visited an English friend early in the morning and the maid who came to the door and said, “He’s not up yet. Come back in half an hour,” When I went again for him, she said, “He’s not down yet.”
“If he’s not up and he’s not down, where is he?” I asked.
She said, “He’s still in bed. When I say ‘He’s not up ’ I mean ‘he has not yet got up’. When I say‘He’s not down ’I mean ‘he has not yet come downstairs.”“Look out”here means “ _______”.
| A．put your head out of the window and look |
| B．Take care |
| C．I’m going to pour the water |
| D．Help me |
“All hands on deck”means “ _______ ”.
| A．All the sailors gather ( 集合 )on deck |
| B．Give your hands to me |
| C．Put your right hand and left hand on deck |
| D．Shake your hands with me |
When the third Frenchman went back, the English friend _______ .
| A．was washing his face |
| B．was having his breakfast |
| C．was still in an upstairs room |
| D．was reading a newspaper |
In the summer of 1978 an English man named Steven was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered something strange. Some of his wheat was lying on the ground. The flattened wheat formed(形成)a circle about six meters across . Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat.
Three years later a farmer who lived nearby discovered almost the same circles in one of his fields. These circles were larger—nearly 15 meters across . That same year , another English farmer discovered three circles of flattened wheat on his land—one large circle between two small circles. During the following years, farmers in England found circles in their fields more and more often.
The circles are called “crop circles” because they usually appear in fields of wheat or corn. The wheat in the circles lies on the ground but is never broken; it keeps on growing, and the farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September. What causes the crop circles?
At first, people thought that some kids were making them as a joke, or that farmers were making them to attract tourists.(In fact, in 1991, two men said they made the circles themselves, but many scientists don’t believe them.) People tried to copy them: They tried to make circles exactly like the ones the farmers had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of wheat without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the wheat without breaking it.
Several times people reported seeing stranger objects near the fields where crop circles later appeared. Many people believe that these crop circles are the messages sent by living things from outer space(外层空间)or the marks left by their spaceships.
Scientists who have studied the crop circles try to find out what causes them. In the summer of 1990 some scientists spent three weeks in the part of England where many circles have appeared. They had all the latest high-tech equipment(最新高科技设备). The equipment—worth 1.8 million dollars—got nothing. But one night, as the scientists were watching a field, crop circles formed in the field behind them, which were quite different from the others. The scientists had neither seen nor heard anything.
When Steven discovered the crop circles on his land in 1978, he said, “It was just like something that had landed in the field from the air and gone back up again. I don’t know what to make of these things.”
Crop circles have appeared in England, Japan, the United States and Russia. Experts from all over the world have studied them, and they say what Steven said: They don’t know what to make of these things.Which picture is probably the one formed in the field behind the scientists?
“Flattened wheat” means ___________.
| A．broken wheat | B．lying wheat |
C．harvested wheat | D．growing wheat |
The passage is mainly about something ___________ .
| A．that is done by living things from outer space |
| B．that cannot be solved but found all around the world |
| C．that cannot be made clear or understood |
| D．that is discovered and copied by the farmers |
Four men who would become fathers were in a hospital waiting room while their wives were in labor (分娩). The nurse arrived and proudly said to the first man, “Congratulations, sir. You’re the father of twins!”
“What a coincidence (巧合)! I work for the Minnesota Twins Baseball teams!”
Later the nurse returned and congratulated the second father on the birth of his triplets (三胞胎).
“Wow! That’s unbelievable! I work for the 3M Company.”
An hour later, the nurse returned to congratulate the third man on the birth of his quadruplets (四胞胎). Surprised, he only could answer, “I don’t believe it! I work for the Four Seasons Hotel!”
After this, everyone turned to the fourth man who had just fainted (晕). The nurse ran fast to his side. As he slowly came to himself, they could hear him speak in a very low voice over and over, “I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven. I should never have taken that job at 7-Eleven.”Why were the fathers there?
| A．They were waiting for their wives. |
| B．They were seeing doctors. |
| C．They were waiting for their babies to be born. |
| D．They were working at men nurses there. |
Which of the following is true about the third man?
| A．He thought the nurse made a mistake. |
| B．He was very surprised at the nurse’s words. |
| C．He didn’t want to have these babies. |
| D．He should never have worked at 7-Eleven. |
Why did the fourth man faint when he heard what the nurse told the third man?
| A．Hew was afraid of having so many babies. |
| B．He was seriously ill. |
| C．He was too excited. |
| D．He was very glad to have 7 babies. |
At least how many babies would be born according to the story?
| A．9. | B．10. | C．11. | D．16. |
Guo Liqin, 24, works as a primary school teacher in a distant area in Yunnan Province. The Internet offers him the latest news and entertainment from the outside world. And many people like him also depends on the online libraries for the free literature(文学) reading.
A survey in China last year found the online literature is the biggest growth area of Internet entertainment.
Reading for free is also popular in other countries. See what solutions other countries are taking.
Public Libraries
In countries such as Germany, Canada, and the UK, governments pay the authors to have their books in public libraries.
The pay is different from country to country. Some pay according to how many times a book has been borrowed; others pay according to whether the library has bought the book or not.
Google Books
Google Books allow users to see some free parts before buying them.
The author can choose to make from 20% to 100% of the book’s content(内容) for free reading . But you can see a full view of books that are out of copyright(版权).
E-magazines
E-magazines are usually about pop culture, and make money through advertisements. The writers are usually paid by the numbers of words they write.
Digital Library
There are many free online libraries of books which are no longer in copyright.
American and European websites offer classic(古典的) literature and non-fiction texts like dictionaries for download in different languages.Guo Liqin depends on for free reading.
| A．online libraries | B．city bookstores | C．school libraries | D．borrowing books |
From the passage we know other countries are taking solutions for reading for free.
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
In some countries, the authors are paid by to have their books in public libraries.
| A．advertisements | B．readers | C．governments | D．the word numbers |
Google Books and Digital Library allow users to read the full books .
| A．which are out of copyright | B．which are in copyright |
| C．which are about pop culture | D．which have some free parts |
The best title of the passage is .
| A．Enjoy Reading | B．Learn How to Read |
| C．The Importance of Reading | D．How to Read for Free |
One afternoon, my son came home from school and asked me, “Are all people the same even if their skin color is different?” I thought for a moment, then I said, “I’ll explain. Let’s go to a fruit store first. I have something interesting to show you.”
At the store, I told him that we needed to buy apples. And we bought some red apples, green apples and yellow apples.
After we got home, I told Adam, “It’s time to answer your question.” I put one of each type of apple on the table: first a red apple, followed by a green apple and then a yellow apple. Then I looked at Adam, who was sitting on the other side of the table.
“Adam, people are just like apples. They come in different colors, shapes and sizes. See, some may not even look as delicious as others.” As I was talking, Adam was examining each one carefully.
Then, I took each of the apples and peeled them, placing them back on the table, but in a different place.
“OK, Adam, tell me which one is the red apple, the green apple and the yellow apple.”
He said, “I can’t tell. They all look the same now.”
“Take a bite(一口) of each one. See if that helps you tell which one is which.”
He took big bites, and then a huge smile came across his face. “People are just like apples! They are all different, but if you take off the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside.”
“Right,” I agreed. “Just like everyone has their own features but they are nearly the same.”
He completely got it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else.
Now, when I eat an apple, it tastes a little sweeter than before. What perfect fruit it is!I took Adam to buy apples for .
| A．supper | B．his question | C．a party | D．a present |
As soon as we got home, I put on the table.
| A．all the apples | B．three apples of different colors |
| C．three red apples | D．three peeled apples |
After Adam took big bites, he found they .
| A．looked the same | B．tasted good | C．tasted the same | D．weren’t delicious |
In the end, Adam understood that .
| A．people are much the same even if their skin color is different |
| B．people are different if their skin color is different |
| C．the apples look the same after they are peeled |
| D．apples of different colors taste different |
I feel that apples taste a little sweeter than before because .
| A．they are delicious enough | B．they are perfect fruit for thinking |
| C．they are safe fruit | D．my son falls in love with them |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号