One morning when I was 11, I explored the town’s abandoned round grain barn（谷仓）.I found a chained sliding door that was wide enough for me to pass through.
Inside, there was a heavy smell of dead mice in the dark.After my eyes adjusted, I noticed a shaft (升降机井) that rose all the way to the top of the barn.On one side was a one-man elevator with a long rope and roller.
I stepped onto the platform and gave the rope a drag and the elevator began sliding up the shaft, but stopped halfway.After a brief panic attack, I noticed holes in the wall at regular intervals, forming a ladder.For reasons known only to an 11-year-old, I decided it would be better to go up than down.So, with shaking hands, I began climbing the wall.
After what seemed like forever, I reached the top of the shaft.I stood up, dusted myself off and found absolutely nothing of interest.It was just an empty room with a ladder leading up to the roof.I climbed all the way up here for this? Then I noticed a fire extinguisher（灭火器）, which I’d always wanted to shoot off.So this was the chance of a lifetime.I tried it, and much to my surprise, the thing worked! It shot out a thick cloud of powder that instantly filled the room.I couldn’t breathe.I was going to choke to death, and they’d probably never even find my body.
Luckily, I remembered the ladder to the roof.I climbed up, popped the straw roof and saw a bright blue sky.
I suddenly realized the dust and powder pouring out of the top could draw attention.So when the dust had settled, I climbed down and slipped out of the chained door.I’m not sure if I was more excited about being alive or about not being caught, but I ran all the way back home.When the author got inside the barn, he _______.
| A．noticed a man on the elevator |
| B．opened the chained sliding door |
| C．saw many dead mice in the dark |
| D．found a shaft leading to the top |
After getting out of the chained door, the author might feel _______.
| A．inspired |
| B．relieved |
| C．surprised |
| D．disappointed |
From the passage, we can learn that the author was probably a boy full of _______.
| A．passions |
| B．dreams |
| C．curiosity |
| D．imagination |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. |
| B．He was too proud of himself. |
| C．He did not love his children. |
| D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.
| A．nervous | B．sorry |
| C．tired | D．safe |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．More talkative |
| C．Gentle and friendly. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.
| A．the author’s son |
| B．the author’s father |
| C．the friend of the author’s father |
| D．the café owner |
At Denver there was an crowd of passengers into the coaches（车厢） on the eastbound B. & M. express. In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveler. Among the newcomers were two young men, one of handsome presence with a bold, frank face expression and manner; the other a ruffled, glum-faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. The two were handcuffed（拷上手铐） together.
As they passed down the aisle of the coach the only available seat offered was a reversed one facing the attractive young woman. Here the linked couple seated themselves. The young woman's glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her face and a tender pink tingeing（稍加染色，影响） her rounded cheeks, she held out a little gray-gloved hand. When she spoke her voice, full, sweet, and deliberate, proclaimed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard.
"Well, Mr. Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose I must. Don't you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the West?"
The younger man aroused himself sharply at the sound of her voice, seemed to struggle with a slight embarrassment which he threw off instantly, and then clasped her fingers with his left hand.
"It's Miss Fairchild," he said, with a smile. "I'll ask you to excuse the other hand; "it's otherwise engaged just at present."
He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining "bracelet" to the left one of his companion. The glad look in the girl's eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague（含糊，犹豫）, relaxing distress. Easton, with a little laugh, as if amused, was about to speak again when the other forestalled him. The glum-faced man had been watching the girl's face expression with veiled glances from his keen, shrewd eyes.
"You'll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you're acquainted with（认识，熟悉） the officer here. If you'll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen（围栏，监狱） he'll do it, and it'll make things easier for me there. He's taking me to Leavenworth prison. It's seven years for cheating."
"Oh!" said the girl, with a deep breath and returning color. "So that is what you are doing out here? An officer!"
"My dear Miss Fairchild," said Easton, calmly, "I had to do something. Money has a way of taking wings with itself, and you know it takes money to keep step with our crowd in Washington. I saw this opening（通道） in the West,and___ well, an officer isn't quite as high a position as that of ambassador, but--"
"The ambassador," said the girl, warmly, "doesn't call any more. I needn't ever have done so. You ought to know that. And so now you are one of these brave Western heroes, and you ride and shoot and go into all kinds of dangers. That's different from the Washington life. You have been missed from the old crowd."
The girl's eyes, fascinated, went back, widening a little, to rest upon the glittering handcuffs.
"Don't you worry about them, miss," said the other man. "All officers handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr. Easton knows his business."
"Will we see you again soon in Washington?" asked the girl.
"Not soon, I think," said Easton. "My butterfly days are over, I fear."
"I love the West," said the girl irrelevantly. Her eyes were shining softly. She looked away out the car window. She began to speak truly and simply without the gloss of style and manner: "Mamma and I spent the summer in Denver. She went home a week ago because father was slightly ill. I could live and be happy in the West. I think the air here agrees with me. Money isn't everything. But people always misunderstand things and remain stupid--"
"Say, officer," shouted the glum-faced man. "This isn't quite fair. I'm needing a drink, and haven't had a smoke all day. Haven't you talked long enough? Take me in the smoker now, won't you? I'm half dead for a pipe."
The bound travelers rose to their feet, Easton with the same slow smile on his face.
"I can't deny a require for tobacco," he said, lightly. "It's the one friend of the unfortunate. Good-bye, Miss Fairchild. Duty calls, you know." He held out his hand for a farewell.
"It's too bad you are not going East," she said, reclothing herself with manner and style. "But you must go on to Leavenworth, I suppose?"
"Yes," said Easton, "I must go on to Leavenworth."
The two men sidled down the aisle into the smoker.
The two passengers in a seat near by had heard most of the conversation. Said one of them: "That officer is a good sort of man. Some of these Western fellows are all right."
"Pretty young to hold an office like that, isn't he?" asked the other.
"Young!" exclaimed the first speaker, "why--Oh! Didn't you catch on? Say--did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?"From the first three paragraphs, we know that_________
| A．the two young were seated opposite to the young woman by accident. |
| B．it was not difficult for the woman to find the men were handcuffed |
| C．the young woman found she knew one of the men at the first sight of them. |
| D．the young woman may not be good at communicate |
What would be the possible sentence following the underlined “and –-“
| A．and it is not easy to make such a fortune |
| B．and I do the cheating things to collect money |
| C．and I tried my best to be a good officer |
| D．and the West is bond to be wealthy |
When Easton uttered the underlined sentence "My butterfly days are over, I fear", his real meaning was that__________
| A．he would have to focus on his work |
| B．he would be put in prison |
| C．his chance of being with butterfly is small |
| D．his workload as an officer was heavy |
Why did the glum-faced man urge Easton to the smoker?
| A．Because he needed a drink and tobacco badly. |
| B．Because he was angry that Miss Fairchild did not say any good words for him |
| C．Because he was bored and tired with Miss Fairchild and Easton’s talk. |
| D．Because he was afraid Miss Fairchild would find the truth. |
Which of the following can NOT be inferred from the passage?
| A．Miss Fairchild was an ambassador |
| B．Easton was an officer with his prisoner |
| C．the glum-faced was considerate and careful |
| D．Easton had been trying to make a big fortune in the West |
What was the best title of the passage?
| A．Miss Fairchild’s Trip | B．Hearts and Hands |
| C．The Story of a Handcuff | D．The Meeting of Two Friends |
Common phrases like “ no pains, no gains” give the impression that we ought to be suffering while we study. It’s almost as though the only way to know if we’re putting in enough work is the sense of hardship we bear.
When we haven’t taken the time to come up with another idea, all we know how to do is shut ourselves in a room with a book. It’s no surprise that we find revision boring and difficult. Just as children learn from playing, we can learn from doing, or at least from study techniques that interest us, rather than make us switch off.
Shutting yourself away can make you learn to hate studying. This leads to a situation where instead of being able to concentrate on your work, you are troubled by how unfair it is that you must study.
When you hate your work it’s very difficult to make yourself star, or approach it with any kind of structure or enthusiasm. This can be part of a vicious cycle(恶性循环) that traps you into ineffective revision, your poor progress fuelling further annoyance.
Just being around other people really helps fight against feelings of loneliness and, thankfully, it’s perfectly possible to work in the company of other people. We just need to learn how to deal with distractions(使人分心的事物).
It’s not necessary to avoid all company, just idle(懒散的) company. Studying in the same room as someone who is ironing or working out is perfectly possible. People who are bored and looking to be distracted, however, are terrible to work around. They constantly try to keep others in conversation.
It’s also a good idea to avoid the company of people involved in activities that you would rather be doing than studying. Working while sitting next to someone playing video games is much more likely to end with a new high score than a productive few hours of revision.
If being around others means working in a noisy environment, a pair of headphones and some background music can block out even noisy children. They also act as a psychological barrier, so that people think twice before interrupting you.
When you’re studying for a big exam, it seems like your whole life is taken up with study. Friends and family can lessen feelings of isolation(孤立). And connecting with other people makes us happy, so it’s important not to give that up and to make sure that we take the time to socialize.The author might believe that the phrase “no pains, no gains” ______.
| A．best describes how to study well |
| B．makes people treat study as a habit |
| C．encourages people to learn step by step |
| D．is not a good inspirational phrase for study |
Which saying about study might the author prefer?
| A．There is no royal road to learning. |
| B．It’s better to work behind closed door. |
| C．A positive motivation leads to good study results. |
| D．He who is ashamed of asking is ashamed of learning. |
Which might lead to an effective study based on this text?
| A．A correct goal. | B．A good teacher. |
| C．A favorable interest. | D．A hard task. |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 7 implies that ______.
| A．playing video games is helpful for an effective study |
| B．one shouldn’t let a video player to be his / her company |
| C．one should study from certain activities that he / she is interested in |
| D．the more time one spends in playing games, the higher marks he / she will get |
If you are studying in a noisy environment, you’d better ______.
| A．give indication of not wanting to be interrupted |
| B．give up others’ company at one |
| C．think twice before taking any action |
| D．force yourself to be accustomed to the environment |
In winter Hammerfest is a thirty-hour ride by bus from Oslo, though why anyone would want to go there in winter is a question worth considering. It is on the edge of the world, the northernmost town in Europe, as far from London as London is from Tunis, a place of dark and cruel winters, where the sun sinks into the Arctic Ocean in November and does not rise again for ten weeks.
I wanted to see the Northern Lights. Also, I had long harboured a half-formed urge to
experience what life was like in such a remote and forbidding place. Sitting at home in England with a glass of whisky and a book of maps, this had seemed an excellent idea. But now as I picked my way through the grey, late-December slush（融雪） of Oslo I was beginning to have my doubts.
Things had not started well. I had overslept at the hotel, missing breakfast, and had to leap into my clothes. I couldn't find a cab and had to drag my unreasonably overweighted bag eight blocks through slush to the central bus station. I had had huge difficulty persuading the staff at the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate to cash sufficient traveller's cheques to pay the overcharged 1,200-kroner bus fare-they simply could not be made to grasp that the William McGuire Bryson on my passport and the Bill Bryson on my traveller's cheques were both me-and now here I was arriving at the station two minutes before departure, breathless and steaming from the endless uphill exertion（费力）that is my life, and the girl at the ticket counter was telling me that she had no record of my reservation.
"This isn't happening," I said. "I'm still at home in England enjoying Christmas．Pass me a
drop more port, will you, darling?" Actually, I said, "There must be some mistake. Please look
again."
The girl studied the passenger list. "No, Mr Bryson, your name is not here·”
But I could see it, even upside-down. "There it is, second from the bottom.”
"No," the girl decided, "that says Bemt Bjornson. That's a Norwegian name·”
"It doesn't say Bernt Bjornson. It says Bill Bryson. Look at the loop（圆圈） of the 'y', the two
‘I's. Miss, please." But she wouldn't have it. "If I miss this bus when does the next one go?"
"Next week at the same time．，，
Oh, splendid.
"Miss, believe me, it says Bill Bryson."
"No, it doesn't."
"Miss, look, I've come from England. I'm carrying some medicine that could save a child's
life.”She didn't buy this. "I want to see the manager."
"He's in Stavanger.”
"Listen, I made a reservation by telephone．If I don't get on this bus I’m going to write a letter to your manager that will cast a shadow over your career prospects（前景）for the rest of this century." This clearly did not alarm her. Then it occurred to me. "If this Bemt Bjornson doesn't show up, can I have his seat?"
"Sure.”
Why don't I think of these things in the first place and save myself the suffering? "Thank you," I said, and dragged my bag outside.What words can best describe Hammerfest in winter?
| A．Grey and dirty. | B．Dark and cold. |
| C．Unfriendly and expensive. | D．Wild and forbidden. |
Why did the author mention the Kreditkassen Bank on Karl Johans Gate?
| A．To suggest that people there could be ridiculous and stubborn. |
| B．To introduce the cultural differences in northern Europe and England. |
| C．To give an example of an interesting story during his journey. |
| D．To indicate that the bus fare was very expensive． |
What could be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author booked his bus ticket with a Norwegian name. |
| B．The author paid the bus fare by traveller's cheque. |
| C．The author would hopefully get on the bus． |
| D．The girl at the ticket counter cared about the author's complaints. |
According to the last paragraph, the author probably felt＿at that moment.
| A．embarrassed | B．contented |
| C．regretful | D．grateful |
We can learn from the passage that＿．
| A．the author's journey to the north was not worthwhile |
| B．the Europeans didn't welcome visitors |
| C．the author wrote a letter to the girl's manager |
| D．the author's journey to the north was not smooth |
I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren’t something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief at a Chinese funeral.
My editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy(悼词) and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute, weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. She almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained(克制) by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world.At the funeral, ________.
| A．five individuals made speeches |
| B．the boss’s speech was best thought of |
| C．the writer was astonished by the scene |
| D．everyone was crying out loudly |
According to the writer, people in the West ________.
| A．prefer to control their sadness in public |
| B．cry their eyes out at the public funeral |
| C．are not willing to be sad for the dead |
| D．have better way to express sadness |
It is implied that ________.
| A．Chinese express their sadness quite unlike other peoples |
| B．the English might cry noisily for the dead in Dickens’ time |
| C．victims of terrorist bombings should be greatly honored |
| D．English funeral culture is more civilized than the others |
This passage talks mainly about_______.
| A．an editor’s death | B．funeral customs |
| C．cultural differences | D．western ways of grief |
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