Weekends are normally a time for shopping and last Saturday was no exception. My son Henry and I were shopping in a neighborhood market. Henry was busy weighing each new bag of vegetables I selected. I gave him a bag of potatoes and he walked over to the scale and waited in line. Suddenly, a man rushed over from behind, and stepped before him, hitting him out of the way. Henry looked shocked and scared. Seeing this I left my shopping cart and walked over to Henry, saying loudly, “Are you OK, honey? I saw what that man did to you. That was very, very wrong.”
When the man finished weighing his bag, his sudden turning around made all his onions fall to the ground. The three of us stood there, frozen for a moment. And then I bent down on my hands and knees and started collecting onions. After I handed the onions to the man, he accepted them and put them into his bag. After Henry and I picked up all the onions, the man walked away without saying anything. We didn’t discuss the event until we got back in the car.
On the way back home, Henry said through tears, “Mommy, I’ve a frustrating day. That man cut right in front of me. And we had to help him pick up his onions! Why did we do that? That didn’t make any sense!”
I took a deep breath and said, “Henry, that man seemed to have a very bad mood today. We should forgive him. I was also angry with the man for treating you rudely. I really wanted to kick him. But doing that doesn’t make any sense. If we hadn’t helped him, we might have felt good for a moment, but then I bet we would have felt really sorry for a long time. You and I have a lot of love to share. Maybe that man doesn’t have much. People who behave badly still need love.”
A cheerful smile appeared on Henry’s face. It was a smile of promise kept. It was the best smile I had ever seen. It was a good moment. It may have been my best mommy moment ever.What did the man do?
| A．He cut in the line. |
| B．He hit Henry on the head. |
| C．He hurried away without paying. |
| D．He ran into Henry suddenly. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The author was not angry at all with what the man had done. |
| B．The man was very sorry for what he had done to Henry. |
| C．At last, Henry learned a very valuable life lesson from the event. |
| D．Henry didn’t help the author pick up the onions for the man. |
Which of the following word can best describe the author?
| A．Narrow-minded. | B．Broad-minded. |
| C．Strong-willed. | D．Bad-tempered. |
Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes, which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day.
We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words “bionics”(仿生学) became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives(档案) don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes.
To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore(梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter .
Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic(简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine actually looks like a fish.
Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)-sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that.“Cats”, “monkeys” and “giraffes” mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to show______.
| A．they are highly-evolved species as humans |
| B．animals have skills that humans do not possess |
| C．humans can learn animals’ skills |
| D．they are skillful in different ways |
What happened after the Wright brothers’ success?
| A．People carried out a systematic study on pigeons. |
| B．People studied more animals and plants to develop the airplane. |
| C．People could fly their airplane for fun. |
| D．People kept their airplane at a French gallery. |
Which of the following is true about the research carried out by the US Army?
| A．It has cost a large sum of money. |
| B．It has changed our life. |
| C．It has improved the abilities of tanks |
| D．It has not succeeded yet. |
What does the writer want to tell in the passage?
| A．many inventions get ideas from nature. |
| B．Some animals possess unique skills. |
| C．People should protect nature. |
| D．Bionics is far from perfect |
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. “We’ve been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we’ve been able to record this increasing quantity of atmosphere CO2 into the ocean.”
Scientists expected that as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
“As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid,” Dore explains. “And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic.”
The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
“It’s important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Scientist Researching Seawater |
| B．Sea Life Facing Danger |
| C．Oceans Becoming More Acidic |
| D．Climate Change Affecting Seawater |
With the increase of atmospheric CO2, _______.
| A．more corals will appear in the sea |
| B．the chemical balance of the seawater is affected |
| C．the surface water is becoming warmer |
| D．the pH of the ocean out here has been increasing |
Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2 on sea life?
a. Sea life is endangered.
b. CO2 goes into the surface water.
c. The ocean chemistry is affected.
d. CO2 decreases the pH and makes the seawater more acidic.
e. CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up.
| A．a→b→c→d→e | B．e→b→c→d→a |
| C．a→e→b→c→d | D．e→d→c→b→a |
Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based on_______.
| A．the expectation of other scientists |
| B．some former theory |
| C．his research and analysis |
| D．a major cause of climate change |
You have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. Happiness is a choice.
You can't depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early on in my marriage. I realized that I couldn't rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on me and not my husband's actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within; it can't be forced by outside forces. So how do you choose happiness? The same way you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit. You choose it because that's what you want to experience in your life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feel good. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that you don't like or that don't fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don't make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions ---we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not react automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don't dwell on what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Choose to Be Happy | B．Pretend to Be Happ |
| C．Choose Your Emotions | D．Find Happiness |
The lesson the writer learned in her marriage is ________.
| A．balancing the relationship between the husband and wife is an art |
| B．one can’t rely on someone else to make himself or herself happy |
| C．she can depend on her husband to find happiness |
| D．happiness can be influenced by outside forces |
Why did the writer mention buying shoes?
| A．To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes. |
| B．To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit. |
| C．To help to move to the next paragraph easily. |
| D．To use it as an example to show the importance of choosing to be happy. |
The writer suggests that we should ________.
| A．hold back our feelings properly |
| B．let others control our feelings |
| C．respond immediately to others’ words |
| D．pay more attention to words than actions |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation for example. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had a meeting in New York, So I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. So I took off for home.
The next day my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged一okay, ordered一them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a lot of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in. I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted(小气的) when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．They took a later flight. |
| B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| B．She is very strict with her children. |
| C．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a teacher. |
| B．She's a housewife. |
| C．She's a businesswoman. |
| D．She's a media person. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to spend money wisely. |
| B．How to expose bad tricks. |
| C．How to reserve airline seats. |
| D．How to make a business deal. |
Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the United States today because it is about simple but strong human feelings and events-love, sadness, good times, and bad times. It tells real-life, stories and sounds the way people really talk. As life becomes more complicated(复杂), it is good to hear music about ordinary people.
Country music, sometimes called country-western, comes from two kinds of music. One is the traditional music of the people in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern Unite States. The other is traditional cowboy music from the west. The singers usually play guitars, and in the 1920s they started using electric guitars. At first city people said country music was low class. It was popular mostly in the South. But during World War II, thousands of Southerners went to the Northeast and Midwest to work in the factories. They took their music with them. Soldiers from the rest of the country went to army camps（军营）in the South. They learned country music. Slowly it became popular all over the country.
Today country music is also popular everywhere in the United States and Canada—in small towns and in New York City, among black and white, and among educated and uneducated people. About 1, 200 radio stations broadcast country music twenty-four hours a day. English stars sing it in British English, and people in other countries sing it in their own languages. The music that started with cowboys and poor southerners is now popular all over the world. It can be learned from the passage that country music comes from .
| A．the Northeast and Midwest |
| B．factories and army camps in the South |
| C．real-life stories in small towns |
| D．the Appalachian Mountains and the West |
Before World War II country music was popular mainly in .
| A．the north | B． the south | C．the Midwest | D．the Northeast |
During World War II many Southerners went to the Northeast and the Mid-west because .
| A．they wanted to take music with them |
| B．they wanted to make other people like country music |
| C．they wanted to work in the factories there |
| D．they wanted to make country music popular |
Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the world today because .
| A．city people said it was low class |
| B．people could sing it in many different languages |
| C．it started with cowboys and poor Southerners |
| D．it is loved by different kinds of people in the world |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Country music is about human feelings and events. |
| B．Country music is sung by stars all in English. |
| C．Country music is popular among city people today. |
| D．City people didn’t like country music at first. |
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