I fell in love with England because it was quaint(古雅)—all those little houses, looking terribly oldfashioned but nice, like doll's houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I've slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it's an ugly town now.
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play
, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.
I regret that there are few comfortable meeting places. You're forced to live indoors. In Pairs I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.
As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a lot on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 p．m. I used to use it, but now I'm afraid.
The idea of family seems to be more or less nonexistent in England. My family is well united and that's typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.The writer doesn't like London because she________.
| A．is not used to the life there now |
| B．has lived there for seventeen years |
C．prefers to live in an o ldfashioned house |
| D．has to be polite to everyone she meets there |
Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
| A．In a cafe. | B．In a restaurant. |
| C．In a nightclub. | D．In a pub. |
The underlined part “it” (in Para. 4)refers to________.
| A．a taxi | B．In a r estaurant |
| C．a bomb | D．public transport |
The writer took her neighbour to France for Christmas because he________.
| A．felt lonely in England |
| B．had never been to France |
| C．was from a typical French family |
| D．didn't like the British idea of family |
I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in City and landing on my head. Now I am thirty two. I can slightly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is .It would be wonderful to see again , but a calamity (灾难)can do strange things to people .It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn’t been blind . I believe in life now.I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply , otherwise. I don’t mean that would prefer to go without my eyes . I simply mean that Atlantic the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left .
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality. The more readily a person is able to make these adjustments, the more meaningful his own private world becomes. The adjustment is never easy. I was totally confused and afraid. But I was lucky. My parents and my teachers saw something in me--a potential to live, you might call it--which I didn't see, and they made me want to fight it out with blindness.
The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself. That was basic. If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life. When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone. That is part of it. But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate（错综复杂的） pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit.
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance. It had to start with the simplest things. Once a man gave me an indoor baseball. I thought he was making fun of me and I was hurt. "I can't use this." I said. "Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around." The words stuck in my head. "Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went. This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball. At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball. We called it ground ball.
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time. I had to learn my limitations. It was no good trying for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure. I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress.We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _______
| A．the author lost his sight because of a car crash. |
| B．the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen. |
| C．the disaster made the author appreciate what he had. |
| D．the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see. |
What's the most difficult thing for the author?
| A．How to adjust himself to reality. |
| B．Building up assurance that he can find his place in life. |
| C．Learning to manage his life alone. |
| D．How to invent a successful variation of baseball. |
According to the context, “a chair rocker on the front porch” in paragraph 3 means that the author __________
| A．would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his life. |
| B．would be unable to move and stay in a rocking chair. |
| C．would lose his will to struggle against difficulties. |
| D．would sit in a chair and stay at home. |
According to the passage, the baseball and encouragement offered by the man _____
| A．hurt the author's feeling. |
| B．gave the author a deep impression. |
| C．directly led to the invention of ground ball. |
| D．inspired the author. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Miserable Life |
| B．Struggle Against Difficulties |
| C．A Disaster Makes a Strong Person |
| D．An Unforgettable Experience |
We can stay young forever. That is the message Dr. Shen Ziyin wants to give the world. And the Chinese doctor claims that he has found an answer to the problems of aging.
His solution is a herbal medicine to slow the process of aging.
Dr. Shen Ziyin has been trained in Western medicine. At the same time he studied traditional Chinese medicine. And, he has been working for the past forty years to put together the best of both and find a cure for aging. He has
taken a hint from its aging process. It is responsible for the level of activity that the human bodies go through Studies conducted by Dr.Shen show that herbal medicine based on the shen system slow the the ancient Chinese medicine system called “shen”.
According to Shen, it is the kidney（肾脏）which adjusts the functioning of the body as well as aging process, says a report in The Telegraph newspaper.
We notice that when people grow old, they have reduced strength, loss of hair, backache, weakness in general, and wrinkles, among others. This happens because when people grow old, their bodies produce T-cells. These T-cells contain a particular substance called Fas. Fas makes the cells in the body destruct themselves.
So the only way to slow down aging is to slow the production of T-cells in the body. This can happen if people eat low calorie food. Then the body is not active enough to produce extra T-cells. But, is going hungry all the time a good price to pay for staying young?
This is where Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine comes in. But how effective it will be, only time can tell.How did Dr. Shen find the solution to the problem of aging?
| A．By studying Western medicine. |
| B．By learning traditional Chinese medicine. |
| C．By combining both Western and Chinese medicine. |
| D．By doing research on both Western and Chinese people. |
What plays the most important role in keeping people young according to Shen?
| A．Medical treatment. | B．People’s good kidney. |
| C．Level of people’s activity. | D．Positive life attitude. |
The reason why people become old is that _________.
| A．their bodies produce T-cells |
| B．their bodies are unable to fight diseases |
| C．they have reduced strength, loss of hair |
| D．they become weaker and weaker |
We can probably learn from the passage that _________.
| A．producing more low calorie food allows people to keep young |
| B．the more Chinese herbal medicine people drink, the better for health |
| C．people should try to quicken the production of T-cells in the body |
| D．it remains unknown how effective Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine is |
It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Children were upstairs unpacking , and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. My parents lived nearby ,and Dad had visited us several times already. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him .He looked up, smiling. “I’m making you a surprise.” Knowing my father, I thought it could be just about anything. A self-employed jobber, he was always building things out of odds and ends. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us.
Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught ups in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise. Until one gloomy day the following March when I glanced out of the window. Any yet… I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花), throughout the front lawn. Lavender, blue, yellow and my favorite pink ---- little faces moved up and down in the cold wind.
Dad! I smiled, remembering the things he had secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father’s crocuses bloomed each spring for the next four or five seasons, bringing the same assurance every time they arrived: hard times was almost over. Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms. The next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses. I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did.
He died suddenly one October day. My family was in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith. I missed him terribly.
Four years passed, and on a dismal spring afternoon I was driving back when I found myself feeling depressed. “You’ve got the winter depression again and you get them every year.” I told myself.
It was Dad’s birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual --- my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived his faith. Once I saw him give his coat to a homeless man.
Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. And there on the muddy grass and small gray piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years old, one that had not blossomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day. But it built my faith for a lifetime.According to the first three paragraphs, we learn that _________.
| A．the writer was unpacking when her father was making the surprise |
| B．the writer knew what the surprise was because she knew her father |
| C．it was not the first time that the writer’s father had made a surprise |
| D．it kept bothering the writer not knowing what the surprise was |
Which of the following would most probably be the worst time of the year as seen by the writer?
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
| A．The writer’s father planted the crocus to lift her low spirit. |
| B．The crocuses bloomed each spring before the writer’s father died. |
| C．The writer often thought about her father since her father died. |
| D．The writer’s father died some years after he planted the crocus. |
The writer’s father should be best described as_________.
| A．a full-time gardener with skillful hands |
| B．a part-time jobber who loved flowers |
| C．a kind-hearted man who lived with faith |
| D．an ordinary man with doubts in his life |
Crocus was viewed as the symbol of _________ by the writer.
| A．faith | B．family | C．love | D．friendship |
Application Form
Before an applicant can be invited to take part in an assessment, an application form should be returned to the Admissions Office, and the application fee of HK$1,000 cannot be returned. For overseas applicants wishing to pay in currencies other than HK dollars, the fee is US$145. Checks are also good for payment to “Chinese International School”.
The application should include:
※ Applicants’ academic report from the last school year.
※ A recent passport-sized photo (attached to the application form).
※A copy of the applicant’s Hong Kong ID card or a passport showing a valid Hong Kong visa.
※ Only for applicants applying under a Corporate Nomination(提名) Right: A company letter confirming the nomination.
Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. Applicants who would like to re-apply for another academic year are asked to submit a new application and application fee.
Acceptance
Applicants will be informed of their acceptance status in writing by postal mail. Initial(最初的) offers for Reception will be sent out from late March once all assessments have been completed.
Some applicants who have been assessed may be held on a reserve list. Acceptances may also be made on a conditional basis among the applicants on the reserve list.
Applicants who have been assessed but who have not been admitted are welcome to reapply for the next academic year. Please note that such applicants will be asked to submit a new application and application fee.
Confirmation of Acceptance and Enrollment(录取)
Once an applicant has been admitted, the applicant family will be asked to confirm acceptance and hold the student’s place with immediate payment of the required fees for the Nomination Right (HK$ 500), plus the sum of HK$ 7,500 as the first tuition (学费) payment.
In addition, enrollment will not be considered complete until the following have been received, normally one month before the start of the new school year:
※ Physical examination results
※ Tuition (first month) According to the passage, if the applicants reapply for an academic year, .
| A．a new application and application fee are to be required |
| B．applicants on a reserve list needn’t be assessed |
| C．the application fee can be reduced to a half |
| D．the initial application form should be returned to the Admissions Office |
. Which of the following is true?
| A．Once applicants are refused, they can’t apply for it again |
| B．Applicants held on a reserve list will not be admitted |
| C．Applicants don’t have to get a company letter to confirm their application |
| D．The applicants should show either a Hong Kong visa or a Hong Kong ID card |
. According to the Application Process, the first tuition payment is ______.
| A．HK$ 500. | B．HK$7, 500. | C．HK$1, 000. | D．US$ 145. |
. If an applicant has been admitted, the applicant family .
| A．will be asked to submit a new application |
| B．will receive physical Examination results |
| C．will be asked to only pay the first month fee |
| D．will be asked to confirm acceptance and pay the fees |
Homelessness is a huge problem all over the world. It’s said that each day there are about 1 million people living on the streets in the US. It is a serious problem which should be dealt with effectively.
There are two main reasons for people leaving their homes: poverty and less affordable houses due to bad economic conditions. Other reasons include: domestic violence, divorce, and mental illness. Living without a home makes people main targets of violence activities and besides, these homeless people have to face the following difficulties on a daily basis.
They have to move about, carrying their belongings, which makes it difficult for the charity and the government to help them. They have limited access to bathrooms and restrooms and are forced to live in dirty conditions, making them easy to be attacked by diseases. They have limited access to health-care facilities in case of emergency, and almost no access to education as they have no money. They are often ill-treated by society, which makes them unfriendly, often ending up being involved in activities connected with crime like selling drugs or guns.
Homelessness is not something that happened overnight --- it has been in the country for decades. The society usually believes those living on the street to be mentally unstable. This belief is partially true. Most of them are normal people just like you and me.
The federal government is doing all it can to help but it is not enough, so the ordinary citizens have to stand up and try to help whenever it’s possible. There are various organizations, such as charity organizations that are working constantly to make sure that homeless people find a shelter to live in. the united efforts have helped millions of people return to their normal lifestyle. However, there is still a long way to go before a better situation is created for all the homeless.How many reasons are mentioned for people having no home to live in?
| A．Five | B．Four | C．Three | D．Two |
The homeless are usually treated as __________.
| A．a danger to society |
| B．having mental problems |
| C．physically disabled people |
| D．being too lazy to do anything |
Which of the following are mentioned to help solve the problem of the homeless?
① the government ② homeless people ③ charity organizations ④ the ordinary citizens
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Most homeless people died of hunger and cold. |
| B．The homeless should work hard to change their own situation. |
| C．The homeless people have nothing to take when they move about. |
| D．The homeless problem is a serious problem that need solving effectively. |
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