At the beginning of the World Series of 1947，I experienced a completely new emotion，when the National Anthem was played． This time，I thought，it is being played for me，as much as for anyone else．This is organized major league baseball，and I am standing here with all the others；and everything that takes place includes me.
About a year later，I went to Atlanta，Georgia，to play in an exhibition game．On the field，for the first time in Atlanta，there were Negroes and whites．Other Negroesbesides me．And I thought: What I have always believed has come to be.
And what is it that I have always believed？ First，that imperfections are human．But that wherever human beings were given room to breathe and time to think，those imperfections would disappear，no matter how slowly．I do not believe that we have found or even approached perfection．That is not necessarily in the scheme of human events．Handicaps，stumbling blocks，prejudices — all of these are imperfect．Yet，they have to be dealt with because they are in the scheme of human events.
Whatever obstacles I found made me fight all the harder．But it would have been impossible for me to fight at all，except that I was sustained by the personal and deep-rooted belief that my fight had a chance．It had a chance because it took place in a free society．Not once was I forced to face and fight an immovable object．Not once was the situation so cast-iron rigid that I had no chance at all．Free minds and human hearts were at work all around me；and so there was the probability of improvement．I look at my children now，and know that I must still prepare them to meet obstacles and prejudices.
But I can tell them，too，that they will never face some of these prejudices because other people have gone before them．And to myself I can say that，because progress is unalterable，many of today's dogmas （教条）will have vanished by the time they grow into adults．I can say to my children: There is a chance for you．No guarantee，but a chance．And this chance has come to be，because there is nothing static with free people．There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from flowing forward． I do not believe that every person，in every walk of life，can succeed in spite of any handicap．That would be perfection．But I do believe — and with every fiber in me — that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us （no matter how slowly） the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today；and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow.
I believe in the human race．I believe in the warm heart．I believe in man's honesty．I believe in the goodness of a free society．And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it — and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist．My fight was against the barriers that kept Negroes out of baseball．This was the area where I found imperfection，and where I was best able to fight．And I fought because I knew it was not doomed to be a losing fight．It couldn't be a losing fight-not when it took place in a free society．And in the largest sense，I believe that what I did was done for me — that it was my faith in God that sustained me in my fight．And that what was done for me must and will be done for others.Why did the author say he had experienced a completely new emotion？
| A．Because he won game. |
| B．Because he was an American. |
| C．Because he could compete in the game and won the game. |
| D．Because the National Game was played for him. |
From the passage，we know that the author is ___________．
| A．an African |
| B．a Chinese |
| C．a white man |
| D．a black man |
The author firmly believed that____________.
| A．humans are imperfect if they all unite together to overcome the difficulties. |
| B．humans needn't approach perfect even if they can. |
| C．humans should face the obstacles and fight for it bravely. |
| D．humans are becoming kind and honest if they have freedom. |
We can infer from the passage that_________.
| A．the fight between Negroes and Whites never ends |
| B．the civil war broke out because the Negroes fought for their freedom |
| C．In the past Negroes were kept out of baseball. |
| D．the fight ended up with a game. |
The underlined word ‘vanished’most probably means __________
| A．disappear |
| B．increase |
| C．appear |
| D．happen |
The best title of this passage may be_________.
| A．Nothing matters except fighting |
| B．Success lies in hard work |
| C．freedom iseverything |
| D．Free Minds and Hearts makes a difference |
Mothers and daughters go through so much—yet when was the last time a mother and daughter sat down to write a book together about it all? Perri Klass and her mother, Sheila Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped (重叠).
Perri notes with amazement how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have full-time careers； both have published books, articles, and stories； each has three children； they both love to read. They also love to travel—in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big differences in circumstance and basic nature.
A child of the Depression (大萧条), Sheila was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered education a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up privileged in the New Jersey suburbs of the 1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is unthinkable while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.
Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheila take turns exploring the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheila describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing research fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.
Looking deep into the lives they have lived separately and together, Perri and Sheila tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written account in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet (二重奏) that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will recognize.Why does Perri think that her own life has mirrored her mother’s?
| A．They both have gone through difficult times. |
| B．They have strong emotional ties with each other. |
| C．They have the same joys and pains, and love and bitterness. |
| D．They both have experiences as daughter, mother and writer. |
The word “luxury” in Paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．something rare but not pleasant |
| B．something that cannot be imagined |
| C．something expensive but not necessary |
| D．something that can only be enjoyed by boys |
What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
| A．The content of the book. | B．The purpose of the book. |
| C．The influence of the book. | D．The writing style of the book. |
How are women’s lives explored in this book?
| A．In a musical form. | B．Through field research. |
| C．With unique writing skills. | D．From different points of view. |
Some years ago, writing in my diary used to be a usual activity. I would return from school and spend the expected half hour recording the day’s events, feelings, and impressions in my little blue diary. I did not really need to express my emotions by way of words, but I gained a certain satisfaction from seeing my experiences forever recorded on paper. After all, isn’t accumulating memories a way of preserving the past?
When I was thirteen years old, I went on a long journey on foot in a great valley, well-equipped with pens, a diary, and a camera. During the trip, I was busy recording every incident, name and place I came across. I felt proud to be spending my time productively, dutifully preserving for future generations a detailed description of my travels. On my last night there, I wandered out of my tent, diary in hand. The sky was clear and lit by the glare of the moon, and the walls of the valley looked threatening behind their screen of shadows. I automatically took out my pen…
At that point, I understood that nothing I wrote could ever match or replace the few seconds I allowed myself to experience the dramatic beauty of the valley. All I remembered of the previous few days were the dull characterizations I had set down in my diary.
Now, I only write in my diary when I need to write down a special thought or feeling. I still love to record ideas and quotations that strike me in books, or observations that are particularly meaningful. I take pictures, but not very often—only of objects I find really beautiful. I’m no longer blindly satisfied with having something to remember when I grow old. I realize that life will simply pass me by if I stay behind the camera, busy preserving the present so as to live it in the future.
I don’t want to wake up one day and have nothing but a pile of pictures and notes. Maybe I won’t have as many exact representations of people and places； maybe I’ll forget certain facts, but at least the experiences will always remain inside me. I don’t live to make memories—I just live, and the memories form themselves.Before the age of thirteen, the author regarded keeping a diary as a way of ______.
| A．observing her school routine | B．expressing her satisfaction |
| C．impressing her classmates | D．preserving her history |
What caused a change in the author’s understanding of keeping a diary?
| A．A dull night on the journey. | B．The beauty of the great valley. |
| C．A striking quotation from a book. | D．Her concerns for future generations. |
What does the author put in her diary now?
| A．Notes and beautiful pictures. | B．Special thoughts and feelings. |
| C．Detailed accounts of daily activities. | D．Descriptions of unforgettable events. |
The author comes to realize that to live a meaningful life is ______.
| A．to experience it | B．to live the present in the future |
| C．to make memories | D．to give accurate representations of it |
About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled(注册) my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son’s teacher asked me to meet him at his office.
In the teacher’s office, and exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: “Is your son mentally retarded(弱智的)？Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?”
Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? NO, no, it can’t be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.
My son could not follow the teacher’s directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was disrupting the class, Didn’t he know my son did not speak English yet?
He was angry; “Why hasn’t your son been taught to speak English? Don’t you speak English at home?”
No, I didn’t speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn't want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer! What kind of person would not speak in English to her son at home and at all time? “Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and send them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?”
Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of “those people.” Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left.
As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual(双语的)。
Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others;it teaches people about other cultures and other places—something very basic and obviously lacking in the “educator” I met in New Jersey.The teacher asked the author to his office__________.
| A．to discuss Scola’s in-class performance |
| B．to get Scola enrolled in kindergarten |
| C．to find a language partner for Scola |
| D．to work out a study plan for Scola |
What does the underlined word “disrupting” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Breaking | B．Following | C．Attending | D．Disturbing |
The author’s attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as__________.
| A．critical | B．casual | C．positive | D．passive |
This text is likely to be selected from a book of _________.
| A．medicine | B．education | C．geography | D．history |
According to sociologists(社会学家), every modern industrial society has some form of social stratification(阶层). Class, power and status are important in deciding people’s rank in society.
Class means a person’s economic position in society. A commonly used classification is lower class, middle class and upper class. While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be exactly defined, they do describe societies like the United States quite well. One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class, 46% the middle class, and 1% the upper class. Interestingly, a surgeon earning ＄500,000 a year and a bus driver earning ＄50,000 a year both regard themselves as the middle class!
Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people. Obviously, people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise(行使)big power, but people who take orders from others have less power. Power and class do not always go hand in hand, however. For example, the governor of a state has great power, but he or she may not belong to a corresponding (相应的)economic class. Generally, however, there is a relationship between power and class.
To our knowledge, there aren’t too many people who aren’t millionaires in the U.S. Senate!
Status is the honor or respect attached to a person’s position in society. It can also be affected by power and class, but not necessarily so. For example, a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others.What can we learn about “the middle class” from Paragraph 2?
| A．People earning ＄50,000 a year belong to the middle class. |
| B．Nearly half Americans belong to the middle class. |
| C．People generally consider bus drivers as the middle class. |
| D．Sociologists have a clear definition of the middle class. |
According to the text, we know that _____.
| A．power and class do not always correspond with each other |
| B．status refers to a person’s economic position in society |
| C．people with high status have a lot of control over others |
| D．class is less important in deciding a person’s social rank |
Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I'd hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn't give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I'd been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, "You haven't changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same." I couldn't remember where I'd met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
| 1． |
The author had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because.
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| 2． |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?.
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| 3． |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that.
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| 4． |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?.
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