My trip with my sister and my daughter to Manhattan wedding gown(长袍，长外衣) shop, cannot be understood without further focusing on Marina, my 14-year-old daughter Ive asked to try on dresses.
This was the girl I took to Kleinfeld, the fancy store featured on the television program Say Yes to the Dress. As the trip approached, I asked Marina if she was excited. Sure, Mom. shed say, shrugging. Marina was more excited about getting a tattoo(文身) on her ankle to represent my fight with ALS(肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) than trying on $ 10,000 wedding gowns.
My sister, Stephanie, had arranged for a car with a wheelchair lift to drive us from the hotel to Kleinfeld. The car driver wheeled me in.
At Kleinfeld with flower arrangements ten feet high, I felt like rolling into a dream. “Wow!” I said. I was wearing a new black outfit. Marina wore jean shorts, a sleeveless(无袖的) shirt, and sneakers. She stood with her hands crossed over her chest, like this was the last place on the planet she wanted to be. The kind Kleinfeld ladies pointed out rooms like tour guides, naming the designers one by one on display: Alita Grham, Pnina Tornai… With Marina walking beside me, Stephanie pushed my chair up and down rows and rows of dresses that made Princess Diana’s dress look modest.
Marina didn’t say a word. We turned a corner into the storage room, where hundreds of dresses hung in plastic protector sleeves. Marina and I were overwhelmed.
“Want to try one on ?” I said, touching Marina’s hand.
“OK,” Marina said in her sharp, unsure voice.
“Tell them the style you’d like.”
Marina stood silent. I felt bad for bringing her, for forcing such an adult experience on a child.
Marina picked an A-line dress. Or, more precisely, the ladies of Kleinfeld picked it for her. Marina was too shocked to do more than nod. As she took the gown into the dressing room, I tried not to think of my little girl on her wedding day or of her as a baby in my arms. I tried not to think of her with her own baby in her arms one day.
I tried not to think of Marina right now, embarrassed by her mother’s plans, by things she could not and should not yet understand.
I am leaving money in my will for Marina’s wedding dress. Stephanie has promised to bring her back to Kleinfeld to purchase it.
“No pure white!” I said to Stephanie. “Ivory. Not too much tulle(薄纱). Think lace.”
“Think royalty when picking a dress,” I advised Steph as we waited outside the dressing room. “Think Princes Kate. Elegant. Think long sleeves. They make dresses more formal.”
Marina came out, sleeveless, flared(下摆宽大的). She looked like a 14-year-old girl in the middle of a giant cupcake.
“I don’t like the loose gown.” she said.
That’s my girl!
“How about trying on one with long sleeves?” I asked her.
The ladies brought out a dress with long lace sleeves, an Empire collar, a ruched(有褶饰的) fitted waist, and a long, smooth silk skirt.
Marina disappeared into the dressing room. When the door opened, she looked a foot taller and a decade older. I could clearly see the beautiful woman she will be one day. I simply stared.
What do you do when you glimpse a moment you will not live to see?
I dipped my head. Breathe, I told myself. I looked up. I smiled. Marina smiled back.
I worked my tongue into position to speak. “I like it,” I said.
In that dress, Marina stood straight, shining brightly, and tall.
“You are beautiful,” I whispered, my tongue barely cooperating. I don’t know if she heard me. We took some photos. And moved on. A memory made.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The mother made the payment for the wedding gown for her daughter on the spot. |
| B．The mother was disabled and unable to move around without a wheelchair. |
| C．The daughter well understood why she was asked to try on wedding gowns. |
| D．The mother thought pure white is more suitable for her daughter on the wedding. |
According to the story, we can conclude that Marina ________.
| A．finally picked out her favorite wedding gown herself after careful selection |
| B．amazingly grew taller and older after wearing her new wedding gown |
| C．was a different girl who liked marking pictures on skin to show her uniqueness |
| D．was more concerned about her mother than trying on new wedding gowns |
The underlined sentence in Para.4 means ________.
| A．she was more satisfied with her own clothes than wedding gowns |
| B．she was too excited to say anything seeing so many wedding gowns |
| C．she was quite nervous and uneasy in a place intended for adults |
| D．she was amazed to see so many wedding gowns on display |
By saying “I tried not to think of my little girl on her wedding day or …”, the author probably felt ________.
| A．heartbroken | B．disappointed |
| C．embarrassed | D．ashamed |
What is the main purpose for mother taking her 14-year-old daughter to the wedding dress shop?
| A．To take memorable photos of her daughter who wears the wedding gown. |
| B．To buy her daughter the most beautiful wedding gown for her wedding day. |
| C．To fulfill her desire to see what her daughter will be like in her wedding gown. |
| D．To choose the most suitable wedding gown as the last gift for her daughter. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Mother’s Final Wish |
| B．A Particular Wedding Dress Shop |
| C．An Embarrassing Plan |
| D．Daughter’s Wedding |
完形填空，阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A, B, C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
A young businessman was traveling down a narrow street, driving a bit too fast in his new Benz. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and ________ when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Benz’s side door. He slammed on the brakes and ________ the Benz back to the spot from ________ the brick had been thrown.
He jumped out of the car, ________ some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting “What was that all about and who are you? Just what on earth are you doing?” ________ a head of steam, he went on “That’s a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?” “Please, mister, please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do!” pleaded the youngster.
“It’s my brother,” he said. “He rolled ________ the stairs and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t ________ him up.”
________, the boy asked the businessman, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the ________ swelling lump in his ________ . He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the ________ , checking ________ that everything was going to be okay.
“Thank you, sir. And God bless you,” the ________ child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to his Benz...a long, ________ walk. He never did ________ the side door. He kept the damage to remind him not to ________life so fast that someone has to ________ a brick at you to get your attention.
Life whispers in your soul and ________ to your heart. Sometimes, when you don’t have the time to listen...Life throws a brick at your head.
It’s your choice: Listen to the whispers of your soul ________ wait for the brick!
Do you sometimes ignore loved ones because your life is too fast and busy ________ them to wonder whether you really love them?
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The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been lost, which the conservation group says has placed the health of the planet at risk.
The WWF recently released its 10th Flagship Living Planet Report. The group warns the condition of the world's animals is worse than its earlier reports showed, indicating worldwide action is needed.
The WWF is worried about the loss of and damage to Earth’s environment. The report provides information about more than 10,000 animal populations from 1970 to 2010. These populations are called “vertebrate species,” or animals with backbones — like fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The report shows these populations have dropped by 52 percent in just 40 years. It warns freshwater species have fallen by 76 percent, which is almost twice the loss of land and ocean species. Most of these losses are in the tropics, with the biggest drop in Latin America.
Marco Lambertini, the WWF’s International Director-General said, “This is about losing natural habitats. This is about converting forests, grasslands, and wetlands into agriculture mainly, and it is about unsustainable use of wildlife. Illegal hunting has been actually increasing over the last 10 years, which definitely a driving force for extinction, particularly of large species.”
The report also notes what it calls the world’s “Ecological Footprint”, that is, the effect of human activities on the planet. Mr. Lambertini says there has been an increase in carbon dioxide gases and the pouring of nitrogen into oceans and rivers from fertilizers used in agriculture, which certainly cannot continue.
“We are consuming on average every year about the equivalent of about 1.5, one and a half times the resources available to the planet. That means we are cutting trees more quickly than they can be restored. We are fishing the oceans more quickly than fishing stocks can reproduce, and we are emitting in the atmosphere more CO2 than the natural systems can actually absorb, which is clearly not sustainable.”
Mr. Lambertini warns climate change affects almost everyone on the planet and that whole species may disappear if the world does not reduce the effects of humans on the climate.According to the passage, what kind of species faces the biggest drop in population?
| A．Land and ocean species. |
| B．Animals with backbones. |
| C．Freshwater species in Latin America. |
| D．Freshwater species in the tropics. |
All the following can contribute to the loss of world’s wildlife population EXCEPT ________.
| A．turning wildlife habitats into agriculture land. |
| B．making sustainable use of wildlife. |
| C．hunting illegally. |
| D．emitting CO2 gases and pouring nitrogen. |
Which does the underlined word “converting” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Conserving. | B．Conveying. |
| C．Exchanging. | D．Transforming. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．Marco is much concerned about human’s current behaviors towards wildlife. |
| B．what the planet provides now can satisfy human’s sustainable development. |
| C．more than half of the world’s wildlife population has been lost. |
| D．if humans reduce the effects on the climate, the whole species will not disappear. |
When computer servers operate a complex program, they can get very hot. Cooling the servers can be costly. So researchers asked what would happen if the heat created by the servers could be captured and used?
Data centers of large Internet companies such as Google and Microsoft have thousands of computer servers. As these servers process information, they create large amounts of heat, so they need huge cooling systems, which send the heat into the air.
The Dutch company Nerdalize thinks paying for electricity to operate the servers and then paying again to cool them is a waste of energy. So it developed a device called the e-Radiator, a computer server that also works as a heating source.
Boaz Leupe, the chief executive officer of Nerdalize, says the e-Radiator saves money because companies don’t have to pay to cool their servers. “…The kilowatt hour you are using is used twice — once to heat the home and once to compute the client’s task without the cooling expenses.”
At present five homeowners in the Netherlands are testing the heating device in their homes.
“We compensate the electricity the server uses, and that we can do because of the computer clients on the other side, and, in that way, homeowners actually get heating for free, and computer users don’t have to pay for the expenses of the data center.”
Jan Visser is one of the participants in the year-long experiment. He notices that the amount of heat produced by the e-Radiator depends on the work being done by the computer server. He reveals it cannot be used as the primary source of heat. But he is ready to try it. “If it provides enough warmth, I will be able to use my home’s heating system less, which will save me money.” he added.
Nerdalize says e-Radiators create heat temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius. It’s also said that the devices could save users up to $440 in heating costs a year.What can we learn from this passage?
| A．E-Radiator can save homeowners a big sum of money in cooling the computers. |
| B．Google and Nerdalize developed the heating device, e-Radiator. |
| C．E-Radiator has been put into use in the Netherlands. |
| D．The heating device will benefit computer users as well as homeowners. |
According to the passage, what’s Jan Visser’s attitude towards e-Radiator?
| A．Cautious. | B．Positive. | C．Satisfied. | D．Doubtful. |
Where can we most probably read the passage?
| A．In an economic report. |
| B．In a science magazine. |
| C．In an education newspaper. |
| D．In a computer guide book. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Money-saving heating device. |
| B．E-Radiator, the primary source of heat. |
| C．Hot computers could be used to heat home. |
| D．Nerdalize developed e-Radiator, a heating system. |
The government in China plans to end its one-child per family policy and instead let families have two children.
The plan was announced Thursday after high-level political meetings in Beijing. The official Xinhua news agency says the country’s top legislature must approve the proposal before it becomes law.
A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy. The statement said the change is meant to balance population development. It said the move also attempts to stop a declining birth rate and strengthen the country’s work force.
China, the world's most populous country, launched the one-child policy in 1980. But the government permitted only a small number of couples to have two children. For example, some rural families were given approval to have two children. A total of 19 rural provinces have a partial two-child policy. That policy states if the first-born is a girl, a second child is permitted.
In 2013, the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children. Families could have two if one parent was an only child.
A teacher and population expert, Jiang Quanbao, explained how Chinese families will react to the policy. “Too many young people in the cities are probably no longer interested in having a second child,”he said. “People in rural farming villages may be more interested. But again, some of them are already allowed to have two children.”
At the end of 2014, China had a population of 1.37 billion people. A total of 800 million of them are employed. But that job market population is expected to drop by 2050. With the two-child policy, an increase in births will ease the labor shortage, starting in 20 years.Which of the following is NOT the reason for the two-child policy?
| A．To ease the present labor shortage. |
| B．To balance population development. |
| C．To strengthen the country’s work force. |
| D．To stop a declining birth rate. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．In the 1980s rural families could have two children if the first-born was a girl. |
| B．Due to the boom in population, by 2050 more young people will become unemployed. |
| C．Chinese government changes its population policy to greet the new situation in social development. |
| D．Few young people in the cities show much interest in the new policy because of financial pressure. |
The writer writes this passage ________.
| A．To educate. | B．To inform. |
| C．To advertise. | D．To analyze. |
Wanted, Someone for FM 90.8
We’re looking for a radio announcer to join us on Anhui Transportation Broadcasting FM 90.8. Broadcasting and hosting major is necessary, along with some experience in radio and music. Please apply in writing to Anhui Radio and TV Station.
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday and Sunday from December 11 to December 20 and every day from December 21 to December 25, 14∶30－20∶00.
Excellent pay.
Please contact Yurun Central Square, Changjiang Road.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Social Security Administration Office, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Office, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated in a 211 University we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.
Social Security Administration Office
Software Trainer
If you are aged 22-48 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￥8,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV to Mrs. Huang, Huanghe Computer Training Center.Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?
| A．Yurun Central Square. |
| B．Mrs. Huang, Huanghe Computer Training Center. |
| C．Anhui Radio and TV Station. |
| D．Social Security Administration Office. |
We learn from the ads that Yurun Central Square needs a person who________.
| A．is aged between 22 and 48 |
| B．needs to do some training work |
| C．should deal with general duties |
| D．can work for about a fortnight |
Which position is open to recent school graduates?
| A．Accountants Assistant. | B．Father Christmas. |
| C．Radio announcer. | D．Software Trainer. |
What kind of person would probably apply to Huanghe Computer Training Center?
| A．One graduating from a 211 university. |
| B．One with some office experience. |
| C．One having good computer knowledge. |
| D．One with experience in radio and music. |
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