Amy Pankratz spent a few nights in the hospital with her daughter, Isabella, who caught a bad flu. “Lying in bed beside Isabella, I could hear the cries of children in pain, ”says Amy. “It completely broke my heart. ”
When Isabella was getting well and could leave her room, she wore her prized possession—a “superhero cape(短斗篷)”Amy had sewn to encourage her—and walked into the hallway. The pink cape was an instant hit with the other young patients, who were doing exercise around the nursing station. Then, all the kids were taking turns wearing the cape, giggling, ”Amy says. “These were some of the same children I had heard crying the night before, and here they were playing and having fun—kids just being kids! ”
From that moment on, Amy began making Comfort Capes for little ones battling with serious illnesses. “I felt God presenting an opportunity, ”she says. “I hoped Comfort Capes can help these kids feel brave, to lift some of the fear away. ”
Since then, Amy has made and donated more than 5, 000 capes in the United States. Amy usually pays for materials herself, although she accepts donations.
The capes she makes for kids in treatment are different from those her own children have. Before Amy starts to sew she learns what image or character the little boy or girl connects with. “ I choose the pattern, color and theme specially for each child,” explains Amy.
When she is not sewing, Amy is raising awareness of childhood cancers and looking into ways to get Comfort Capes to more kids who need them, “ If a cape can help a child, even only for a moment, forget his illness, its worth the time spent sewing, she says.What made Amy feel sad when she was staying with her daughter in the hospital?
| A．Her daughters serious illness. |
| B．The cries of children in pain. |
| C．The tiredness from sewing the cape. |
| D．The illness of children in her daughters room. |
What purpose did Amy have when she began making Comfort Capes for sick children?
| A．To make them feel warm. |
| B．To find friends for her daughter. |
| C．To make them happy and fearless. |
| D．To raise the awareness of childrens illness. |
According to the passage, we can get that the authors attitude toward Amys behaviour is ________.
| A．indifferent | B．neutral |
| C．negative | D．supportive |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Turning Sick Kids into Superheroes |
| B．How to Treat the Sick Children |
| C．A Strong Mom Who Helps Others |
| D．Amy: a Considerate Woman |
Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind．How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing．
By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic （逻辑） behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand．Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding．In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”
Try this experiment．Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea how right now．Just start with anything, and create an explanation．For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help．You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain twenty minutes from now．
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember．Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes．You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success．
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it．That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better．Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there．
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand．Often, they write about something because they want to understand it．You can do the same．Writing will help bring you to an understanding．Give it a try.What would be the best title for the text?
| A．A Way on How to Write |
| B．Increase Your Brain Power through Writing |
| C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing |
| D．How to Start Your Writing |
According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.
| A．the increase of your brain power |
| B．the ability to remember |
| C．the development of your interest in study |
| D．the better understanding of a topic |
If a writer writes something, it means that he or she _______.
| A．has understood it very well |
| B．needs to understand it better |
| C．wants to remember it in his or her mind |
| D．is exercising his or her “explain power” |
The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies that ______.
| A．you are already successful |
| B．you still need to work hard |
| C．writing can help you walk half way |
| D．writing is important to solve problems |
What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?
| A．To advise readers to start their writing ． |
| B．To explain the importance of writing. |
| C．To persuade readers to become writers． |
| D．To increase readers’ brain power. |
It was a beautiful day at the beach—blue sky, gentle wind, calm sea．I knew these things because a man sitting five feet from me was shouting them into his mobile phone, like a play-by-play announcer （实况解说员）.
“IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY,” he shouted．“THE SKY IS BLUE, AND THERE’S A GENTLE WIND, AND THE WATER IS CALM, AND…”
Behind me, a woman, her mobile phone pressed to her ear was walking back and forth.
“She DIDN’T,” she was saying．“No．She DIDN’T．She DID? Really? Are you SERIOUS? She did NOT．She DID? No she…”
And so on．This woman had two children, who were playing in the sea．I found myself watching them, because the woman surely was not．A huge squid could have caught and snatched the children, and this woman would not have noticed．Or, if she had noticed, she’d have said, “Listen．I have to go, because a huge squid just……No! She didn’t ! She DID? No! She……”
And next to me, the play-by-play man would have said: “…AND A HUGE SQUID JUST ATE TWO CHILDREN, AND I’M GETTING A LITTLE SUNBURNED, AND …”
It used to be that the major trouble at the beach was the fellow who brought a boom box （便携式录音机） and turned it up so loud that the bass notes caused seagulls to explode．But at least you knew where these fellows were; you never know which beachgoers have mobile phones．You’ll settle next to what appears to be a sleeping sunbather, or even （you hope） a corpse , and you’ll lie happily on your towel, and you’ll get all the way to the second sentence of your 467-page book before you fall asleep to the hypnotic surge of the surf （催人入梦的潮声）, and …
BREEP! BREEP! The corpse sits up, feels urgently for its mobile phone, and shouts “Hello! I’m at the beach! Yes! It’s nice! Very peaceful! What? She did? No, she didn’t! She DID? No, she…”
Loud mobile-phoners never seem to get urgent calls．Just once, I’d like to hear one of them say, “Hello? Yes, this is Dr．Johnson．Oh, Dr．Smith．You’ve opened the abdominal cavity （腹腔）? Good! Now the appendix should be right under the … What? No, that’s the liver．Don’t take THAT out, ha ha! Oh, you did? My God! OK, now listen carefully…”From the passage we can know that the writer of the passage _____.
| A．had a wonderful holiday at the beach |
| B．must have suffered a lot because of the terrible weather |
| C．is only interested in talks by doctors about operation |
| D．experienced an unhappy holiday at the beach |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The writer often spends his holidays at the beach. |
| B．A huge squid ate two children while their mother was not watching. |
| C．Some people used to play boom box while spending their holidays at the beach. |
| D．Some people often make loud mobile phone calls without caring for others. |
The underlined word“ corpse”in this passage has the closest meaning to________.
| A．a dead body | B．a loud mobile phone |
| C．a sound sleeper | D．a sleep lover |
In the past the fellow who brought a boom box_________.
| A．turned it up to make the seagulls happy |
| B．turned it up to cause the seagulls to explode |
| C．might cause less trouble than the beachgoers with mobile phones |
| D．might cause more trouble than the beachgoers with mobile phones |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．the writer is interested in mobile phone. |
| B．the writer hates people using mobile phone |
| C．the writer hates to be disturbed while enjoying holidays on the beach. |
| D．the writer seldom finishes reading a book before going to sleep. |
AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!
Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut（初次登台）.
Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle．Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s profile．
Earphones
These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s．They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in，cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears．
Martian language
They have created their own code-like online language．It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand．This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers．
Self-Portrait
Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is routine for this generation．A little bit of narcissism （自恋） never hurts anyone．It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.
Text-messaging
They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak．This is a generation that respects efficiency．However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.Who are the intended readers of the passage?
| A．Teens | B．Educators | C．Socialists | D．Parents |
According to the passage , if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will ____________ .
| A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths. |
| B．make your presentation and have your own symbols and lifestyle. |
| C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s． |
| D．like music and dance very much. |
According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.
| A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod |
| B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently. |
| C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends. |
| D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line. |
According to this passage, which is FALSE?
| A．Not all teens are cautious about posting photos． |
| B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking. |
| C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life． |
| D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing. |
The main idea of the passage is about________.
| A．the Gen-90s’ happy life |
| B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
| C．the Gen-90s’unique lifestyle and some practical warnings |
| D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
Scott Langteau has this message for kids: Spend less time playing video games.
It’s a message that many a mom and dad has tried to impress upon many a youngster （and some not-so-youngsters） who spends perhaps a bit too much time with game controllers in hand.
But the 40-year-old Langteau isn’t a parent．He’s experienced at video games — one who played producer on three “Medal of Honor” games and co-founded his own game development company.
Langteau has just published a children’s book called “Sofa Boy,” which tells the story of a kid who spends too much time sitting on the couch with controller held in hand and the rather terrible consequences that follow.
It’s a fairy tale plucked straight from Langteau's own experiences as a lad with a fondness for video games and his own bouts with a bit of game addiction．But first, Langteau would like to make one thing clear: “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t play video games．I think video games are great, I think they do great things for kids”．Instead, Langteau says his book is all about a little something called “moderation.（克制）”
“It’s about being well rounded,” he says．“Just like with anything else, we all need to make sure that there’s a variety in what we do.”
Video gamers can be rather bad-tempered when it comes to accepting criticism about their favorite entertainment．And understandably so．After all, most people who go around talking about the dangers of playing video games tend to be outsiders — people who don’t play video games and certainly don’t understand that they can be a valuable and healthy form of entertainment.
But Langteau and “Sofa Boy” seem to be in a unique position to deliver a message of gaming moderation that the young game-savvy（有经验的） masses might actually listen to．After all, this is a man who understands what it means to be a kid with a passion for games．His early experience has taught him a lesson.Scott Langteau published “Sofa Boy” to ．
| A．share his great skills on games |
| B．warn kids against game addiction |
| C．tell about his fairy tale as a kid |
| D．deliver a message for games |
We can learn from the passage that ．
| A．Langteau advises the young to play games within limits |
| B．Langteau advises the young not to play games |
| C．playing video games ruins the future of kids |
| D．playing video games is of no benefit to kids |
Why are the video gamers not accepted by the outsiders?
| A．Because they are bad-tempered. |
| B．Because they are dangerous to others. |
| C．Because they do nothing but play video games. |
| D．Because the value of the video games is not understood. |
By saying “It’s about being well rounded” Langteau thinks ．20090506
| A．games do great things for kids |
| B．gamers are usually fat and round |
| C．games should be viewed from all sides |
| D．gamers are to blame for their behaviors |
What topic will be discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．His idea to create “Sofa Boy”． |
| B．His great achievement in games as a kid． |
| C．His hard times to set up his game company． |
| D．His enthusiasm for games when he was a small boy． |
Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York., in 1852. His family were very poor farmers, and there was never enough to eat. Frank decided he did not want to be farmer. He took a short business course, and went to work as a salesman in a large city.
Woolworth realized he had a natural skill for showing goods to attract people’s interest, but he soon learned something more important. One day his boss told him to sell some odds and ends (小商品) for as much as he could get. Frank put all these things on one table with a sign which said FIVE CENTS EACH. People fought and pushed to buy the things and the table was soon cleared.
Soon afterwards, Woolworth opened his own store, selling goods at five and ten cents. But he had another lesson to learn before he became successful. That is, if you want to make money by selling low-price goods, you have to buy them in large quantities directly form the factories. Once, for example, Woolworth went to Germany and placed an order for knives. The order was so large that the factory had to keep running 24 hours a day for a whole year. In this way, the price of the knives was cut down by half.
By 1919, Woolworth had over 1000 stores in the US and Canada, and opened his first store in London. He made many millions and his name became famous throughout the world. He always run his business according to strict rules, of which the most important was: “ THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.” （词数268）Frank took a short business course in order to ____________.
| A．earn more money for his family | B．learn something from a salesman |
| C．get away from the farm | D．get enough to eat. |
Frank sold the odds and ends quickly because _____________.
| A．he knew how to get people to buy his goods. |
| B．he cut down the price by half |
| C．he had put the goods on a table in a very nice way. |
| D．the sign he put on the table was well designed. |
The price of the knives was cut down by half because ______________.
| A．the factory workers worked 24 hours a day. |
| B．knives were ordered in large quantities directly from the factory. |
| C．the knives were made in Germany, where labor (劳动力) was cheap. |
| D．the knives were produced in one factory. |
_____________make Woolworth a world-famous man.
| A．His business skills and his wealth. |
| B．The low price of the goods he sold. |
| C．His trip to Germany and his huge order of knives. |
| D．His natural skill for showing things. |
The belief that : “ The customer is always right” suggests that _______________.
| A．whenever there is a quarrel between the customer and shop assistant, the customers are always right. |
| B．If you want to succeed, the rule is the only way. |
| C．stores must always follow the customer’s orders if they want to make more money. |
| D．stores should do their best to meet the customer’s needs if they want to be successful. |
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