| From: Wendy and Jack Brown Date: September 22, 2014 To: 8th and 9th graders at R.L.S. Junior School Subject: Bonjour! Bonjour! (That means hello in French.) We hope you all had a great summer. Ours was a lot of fun. We have seen so many new things and met so many wonderful people. The French gave us a warm welcome and helped us get used to living here soon. We have so many things to share with all of you. We are going to send you more emails, but here are the best parts of our holiday in France so far. We had a fantastic time seeing the Tour de France this summer. It is the most famous bicycle race in the world. The riders travel more than two thousand miles in about a month! We got a quick look at the riders as they sped past! After the race, our family rented bikes, and rode along part of the route that the cyclists used. A few of you asked whether the French really eat snails(蜗牛). The answer is yes. We went out to dinner the other day, and our parents ordered some. We each tried one and it didn’t taste too bad. The snails, called escargots, are served with lots of butter. They feel a little rubbery when you bite into them, but they don’t really have much taste. Mum’s favourite food here is the French pastries. Dad loves the red wine. Our favourite is the fresh bread from the shop down the street. We went to visit the Eiffel Tower a few weeks ago. We went all the way to the top. It was a sunny day, so we could see for miles and miles into the distance. Dad doesn’t like heights, so he stayed at the bottom of the tower and took pictures from the ground. We miss all of you a lot. Write back to us and let us know what is new at home. Au revoir! (Can you guess what that means in French?) Wendy and Jack Brown |
What do the Browns think of French people?
| A．Friendly. | B．Funny. |
| C．Welcome. | D．Popular. |
Jack’s favourite food in France is .
| A．tasty snails | B．French pastries |
| C．fresh bread | D．red wine |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the email?
| A．Wendy and Jack got used to the life in France soon. |
| B．Tour de France is the best-known bicycle race in the world. |
| C．The Browns have seen many wonderful things in France. |
| D．The Browns went to the top of the Eiffel Tower together. |
Wendy and Jack wrote this email to .
| A．tell a story about riding bicycles in France |
| B．tell a story about their experiences in France |
| C．advise the readers to try escargots in France |
| D．advise the readers to visit France in summer |
As we know, all living things have to eat food. For a man, a tiger, a fish, a bird, or even a worm, food is necessary. Generally speaking, all living things are sure to die without food. In every part of the world, many different kinds of animals share living places and live in communities (群落) together. They are connected in a food chain (链).
Within a food chain, some living things are producers and some are consumers (消费者). Plants are producers because they use sunlight, soil and other things to make their own food. Animals are consumers because they have to eat other animals or plants.
There are four different kinds of consumers in the animal kingdom. A carnivore is an animal that only eats other animals. An herbivore is an animal that only eats plants. An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and animals. A scavenger is an animal that eats dead animals.
Look at the picture. It is an example of a food chain. The food chain shows the order that animals eat each other in a community. In the picture, you can see what animal or plant is food for another animal. See? A leaf is food for a grasshopper, which then becomes food for a hungry mouse. The mouse is food for a snake. The snake is eaten by an eagle. In this way, all of these animals are connected.
根据上文内容判断正 ( T ) 误( F )The main idea of the passage is “Four kinds of consumers”.
The underlined word “scavenger” means in Chinese “腐生动物”.
The food for a mouse according to the picture is a grasshopper.
All kinds of animals share their living places with others.
There are some living things which don’t need to eat food.
Teenager Jake Deham was skiing(滑雪) with his family in the USA when he fell over and lost one of his skis. His family didn’t know that he had a problem. They kept on skiing. When they got to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of Jake.
Jake couldn’t find his ski anywhere. In the end, he decided to take off his other ski and walk down the mountain. But he couldn’t work out the right way to go.
It was now getting dark and he was a long way from any place of safety. He knew that he might die that night in the cold temperatures. But Jake kept calm(镇定). At home, Jake watched a lot of programmes about living in difficult situations. He remembered the advice from these programmes and knew that he should build a hole in the snow. He made a hole and pointed it up the hill so the wind couldn’t blow into it. Outside his hole, the temperature fell to a dangerous-15℃ that night, but inside it Jake was safe from the cold.
But he had to get down the mountain. The TV programmes always said,“ If you are lost, you should find someone else’ s tracks(足迹) through the snow and follow them.” “I wanted to live my life.” remembers Jake.“So I got up and I found some ski tracks and I followed those.” He walked and walked and finally he saw lights. Nine hours after he lost his ski, he found a team of worker who came to save him. He was safe!
His mum was very happy when she heard the news. Amazingly, Jake didn’t even have to go to hospital. He got through the terrible experience without any injuries.
So, the next time someone says that watching TV is a waste of time, think of Jake. Sometimes TV can save your life!
Jake’s parents didn’t know that he was missing until .
| A．they reached the foot of the mountain |
| B．they began to ski down the mountain |
| C．a team of workers found Jake |
| D．Jake lost on of his skis |
What was the most important decision Jake made for his safety?
A. To go skiing with his family in the USA.
B. To search for the ski that he had lost in the snow.
C. To take off his other ski and walk down the mountain.
D. To build a hole in the snow to keep himself warm.
How did Jake get down the mountain the next morning?
| A．He followed his parents. |
| B．He followed the workers. |
| C．He followed some ski tracks. |
| D．He followed some light. |
What was the correct order in which these events happened?
a. Jake made a hole in the snow.
b. Jake lost one of his skis.
c. Jake finally saw lights.
d. He followed some lights.
| A．d-b-a-c | B．a-b-c-d |
| C．b-a-d-c | D．c-b-a-d |
Facing the difficulties, Jake Denham was .
| A．polite and hardworking | B．calm and clever |
| C．outgoing and helpful | D．warm and friendly |
Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to make money for my schooling.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt（缝被子）. I silently sat beside her.
“Mum, is there love between you and Dad?” I asked in a very low voice.
With surprise in her eyes, she stopped her work for a while. The she said, “Susan, look at this thread（线）. It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there. It makes the quilt strong. If life is a quilt, love should be a thread. Love is inside.”
I couldn’t understand her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month.
After they were back, may mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road every day. They were so kind to each other and it seemed they were the happiest couple.
After two months my father still couldn’t walk by himself.
“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.
“Susan, don’t worry about me.” he said. “I just like walking with your mum. I like this kind of life.” Reading his eyes, I knew he loves my mother deeply.
Now I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.Why are Susan’s parents busy trying to make money?
| A．To send Susan to school |
| B．To get to see the doctor |
| C．To buy a strong quilt |
| D．To show their love |
Susan’ father stayed in hospital for ______.
| A．one day | B．one month |
| C．two months | D．three months |
Susan came to understand her mother ______.
| A．while her mother was sewing a quilt |
| B．before her father was in hospital |
| C．when she was sitting beside her mother |
| D．after her father was seriously sick |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．Susan’s father is very lazy |
| B．Susan’s mother is a nurse |
| C．Susan’s parents love each other |
| D．Susan doesn’t like her father |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to make a Quilt Strong |
| B．Love is just a Tread |
| C．Walking on the Country Road |
| D．A Seriously Sick Father |
Flow like the river of change
Little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert. “I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,” she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean,”she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a deep voice said, “If a breeze（微风）can cross the desert, so can a river.” It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.”
“That’s because you can’t give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate（蒸发）into the breeze, and it can take you across,” said the desert. “Give up what I am now? No! No!” The little stream could not accept this idea. “The breeze can carry the vapor（蒸汽）across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,” said the desert. “And whether you’re a river or vapor, your nature never changes.” Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life.
The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also change the way you are.he little stream aimed to reach _____.
| A．the forest | B．the ocean |
| C．the desert | D．the river |
he little stream _____ before she got to the desert.
| A．didn’t meet much difficulty |
| B．was worried about herself |
| C．knew well about the desert |
| D．was confident about herself |
At first, the little stream didn’t accept the desert’s advice because _____.
| A．she failed many times |
| B．she was afraid of the breeze |
| C．she wasn’t able to fly |
| D．she wouldn’t give up what she was |
he little stream finally crossed the desert by _____.
| A．evaporating into the breeze | B．forming a river |
| C．disappearing into the sand | D．changing her nature |
What does the story mainly tell us?
| A．The road to success is not always easy and smooth. |
| B．Whatever others say, we should always be ourselves. |
| C．To succeed, we should change the way we are if necessary. |
| D．We may experience difficulty in life just like the little stream. |
This is a tale of two friends --- one is blind, the other has no arms. On their own, the two are “disabled”. But together, they are a powerful team that has changed part of their village in North China’s Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Meet 53-year-old Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi!
Their story began in 2000, when Haixia, who was already blind in his right eye, lost his left one after an illness. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident when he was just three. Neither could find a job, so the two decided to team up. They rented some poor land and began to plant trees. In return, the local officials paid them a small fee. Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would end up creating an environmental paradise. Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. In addition, it saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season. When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. when the sightless Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their worksite. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches from existing trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and with Wenqi’s direction, selects the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and carefully plants it. Finally Wenqi waters the area.
Though hard-working, the men don’t make much money. But as Wenqi puts it, “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter.”
Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. Together, they already have everything they need --- a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!Why did Haixia and Wenqi start working together?
| A．Haixia needed someone to help him. |
| B．They both needed a way to make money. |
| C．They wanted to improve the environment. |
| D．They were required to do so by local offcials. |
Haixia and Wenqi’s forest has helped the village by______ .
| A．stopping floods in the rainy season |
| B．increasing the number of tourists |
| C．making the villagers richer |
| D．providing more farmland |
Why do Haixia and Wenqi plant tree branches?
| A．They are easy to get. |
| B．They do not cost money. |
| C．They can grow very quickly. |
| D．They are preferred by animals. |
In paragraph 5, when Wenqi says “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter”, he means that “______”.
| A．they hope to make the forest even better |
| B．the fruits from their trees are very sweet |
| C．they are proud not to depend on others |
| D．they are able to do any difficult work |
What can we learn from this story?
| A．Never give up and you will succeed. |
| B．We should help the disabled to work. |
| C．Try your best when facing difficulties. |
| D．We can achieve more with teamwork. |
Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don’t act soon.
There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage --- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.
Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.
To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.
First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.
To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, there is now hope!The first paragraph tells us that______.
| A．chocolate is healthier than vegetables |
| B．the world could soon be without chocolate |
| C．people love vegetables more than chocolate |
| D．it’s not necessary to eat so much chocolate |
In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?
| A．Venezuela and Indonesia. |
| B．Ivory Coast and Ghana. |
| C．Indonesia and China. |
| D．China and India. |
Cocoa farmers are choosing to grow rubber and corn because these crops______.
| A．can make them more money |
| B．need less rain to grow |
| C．can be planted more times each year |
| D．are not damaged by plant diseases |
How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?
| A．6 months. | B．12 months. | C．24 months. | D．30 months. |
What is one of the purposes of the Cocoa Control Centre?
| A．To introduce cocoa production to more countries. |
| B．To provide more chocolate for British people. |
| C．To produce stronger types of cocoa plants. |
| D．To make sure that cocoa is healthy to eat. |
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I hardly went to bed before midnight, and I would always get up late the next morning.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity (效率) was always higher. So I set out to become a habitual early riser. But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep. Eventually some sleep research showed that my strategy was wrong.
The most common wrong strategy is this: supposing you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.
There are two main schools (流派) of thought on sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day. The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. However, I have found both are wrong if you care about productivity. If you sleep at fixed hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake.
My solution is to combine both methods. I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time. So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 a.m.), but I go to bed at different times every night.
However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning are my ways. If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own. According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________.
| A．people who stay up until the next morning |
| B．people who get up early in the morning |
| C．people who feel sleepy in the morning |
| D．people whose productivity is the lowest in the morning |
Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?
| A．Because he / she found that the productivity was higher. |
| B．Because he / she wanted to do morning exercise. |
| C．Because he / she wanted to test which school is better. |
| D．Because he / she wanted to have more sleep time. |
The author experienced all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．going to bed after midnight |
| B．asking scholars for advice on sleeping habits |
| C．getting up early occasionally |
| D．pressing off the alarm to go on sleeping |
What’s the author’s sleep pattern?
| A．Going to bed early and getting up early. |
| B．Going to bed late and getting up late. |
| C．Going to bed when sleepy and getting up at a fixed early time. |
| D．Going to bed early and getting up late. |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．main schools of thought on sleep patterns |
| B．how to have a good sleep |
| C．wrong strategies for getting up early |
| D．how to become an early riser |
I moved from Chicago to Brooklyn in July of 2010, just in time to watch my mother die. Our parents were both gone now. I took with me as many things they had left behind as I could.
I was out walking one Saturday later that summer when something caught my eye - a pale green dress. Laid out on the pavement was stuff like earrings, glass candle-holders, books. Hanging on the fence behind were a few pairs of jeans and a green cotton dress.
The woman, the host of the stoop (门廊）sale, looked like she was getting rid of a past she didn’t need or want. A dress that was too big for her. A chest of drawers that took up too much space, space she needed, maybe, to heal , recover, or grow.
I wasn’t planning on buying anything really, but now I needed to show her that I appreciated her things and I would give them a safe home. Then I had my first stoop sale —I paid her 20 dollars for her green cotton dress and her blue candle-holder.
From that day on, I became interested in stoop sales. Some of my favorite things are from someone else’s life. I find no joy in shopping at regular stores any more. I love trying to sniff out a memory from a bud vase or a drawer. It is comforting to know that someone has breathed and laughed inside a sweater before me.
A few weeks ago, I carried my mother’s dresses to a friend’s stoop. These were her best items, which were once worn by the most important person in my life. For many hours, I watched from across the path people advancing the stoop, some leaving with Mom1S dress. I used to think that her stuff was as forever sacred (神圣的）as my memory of her, I know now that once I love a scarf or shirt too dearly, it needs to find a new home. Even that green dress is long gone by now.The author took her mother’s dresses after her death because ______
| A．she valued the things used by her mom |
| B．she didn’t want to throw them, away |
| C．she could sell them later |
| D．they were her mom’s best items |
From the passage, we know that ______.
| A．the things the author bought from the woman are too big |
| B．the author is fond of imagining others’ life experiences |
| C．the author will never shop at regular stores any more |
| D．the author still keeps most of her mom’s things |
In the last paragraph, the author tries to tell us that ______.
| A．her mom is the number one person in her life |
| B．she didn’t really want to sell her mom’s dresses |
| C．she still thinks of her mother quite often |
| D．love doesn’t mean holding on to something tightly |
It can be inferred that the author will ______.
| A．not sell her own things at stoop sales |
| B．keep her mom in her mind in another way |
| C．be sad about all the memory of her mom |
| D．move to another city for a new life |
Hidden in our subconsciousness (潜意识) is a perfect mental picture. We see ourselves on a long trip that goes across the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we think in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle feeding on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, or row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw（拼图玩具） puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles(通道), condemning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry. “When I’m 38.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercdes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through college.” “When I have paid off the loan!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! ”
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish(appreciate) the moment” is a good motto, actually it isn’t the burdens of today that drive man mad. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough.Why does the author describe the mental picture?
| A．To lead us into a perfect world. |
| B．To let people enjoy the scenery. |
| C．To introduce an actual trip of his. |
| D．To compare it to our life’s journey. |
How do people feel when they’re on their trip?
| A．Puzzled. | B．Happy. | C．Relaxed. | D．Impatient. |
What does the author mean by “Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today” in Line 2 Paragraph 5?
| A．Regret and fear are responsible for the loss of today. |
| B．We must be careful of the two thieves: regret and fear. |
| C．regret and fear stop us from enjoying our present life. |
| D．We’re frequently challenged by the two : regret and fear. |
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．To teach us a good lesson. |
| B．To tell us the right attitude to life. |
| C．To advice us to forget our worries. |
| D．To stop us wandering along the aisles. |
The round-the-lock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may be taking a toll on family life, a new
study suggests. The study, which followed more than 1300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone through out the study period were more likely to report negative "spillover" between work and home life---and, in turn, less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover actually means that the line between work and home began to become unclear. Work life may invade home life. For instance, a parent 
is taking job-related calls at home. On the other hand, family issues may start to take up work time. For example, a child may call Mom at work, telling her "the microwave exploded", explained Noelle Chesley, an assistant professor of society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems that they are allowing for ever more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women, the study found. Among men, consistent use of mobile phones seemed not to allow more work issues to creep(潜入) into family time. But for women, the spillover tended to go in both directions---being "connected" means that work cuts into home time, and family issues come into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchange among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover, according to Chesley. “Employers”, she said, “should look at their policies on contacting employees after working hours to make sure their expectations are ‘reasonable’. For their part, employees can decide that cell phones go off during family time.” Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase "taking a toll on" in Paragraph 1?
| A．Explaining | B．Damaging |
| C．Searching | D．Informing |
The example "the microwave exploded" in Paragraph 2 is used to .
| A．indicate family issues affect work hours |
| B．indicate how dependent the child is |
| C．show the microwave is of poor quality |
| D．show work time creeps into family life |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Cell phones offer 24-hour availability. |
| B．Women don't use cell phones in an effective way. |
C．C ell phones get life and work mixed. |
| D．Men are better at dealing with family problems. |
EVERY few hundred years, a sleeping giant in southern Italy awakens with a bang, spewing volcanic ash across the countryside. The volcano, called Mount Vesuvius, formed 25,000 years ago. During its most explosive eruptions, the volcano could blanket nearby cities with hot ash, sometimes also burying them with deadly flows of mud and rocks. One famous eruption occurred nearly 2,000 years ago, in the year AD 79. It lasted 18 hours and destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, killing thousands of people as they tried to escape.
Scientists and city officials had supposed that Naples, one of Italy's most populous cities, was far enough away that it would be safe from the volcano's wrath. New evidence suggests that this might not be the case.
Researchers recently discovered 4000-year-old layers of ash and mud under present-day Naples. Just outside the city, they also uncovered abandoned villages, as well as human and animal skeletons. Most surprising of all, the researchers say, was the discovery of thousands of footprints from the same time period, pressed into layers of wet ash that had rained from the sky. The footprints show that thousands of people were fleeing to the northwest, away from the volcano, as it erupted.
Mount Vesuvius hasn't had a major eruption since 1631, but it's still very active. The discovery of the ancient ash layers, skeletons, and footprints is a warning that modern Naples, a city of 3 million people, isn't safe from the volcano, scientists say. So, when the volcano begins to rumble again, Naples should have an emergency evacuation plan ready - just in case.Which of the following is true with Mount Vesuvius?
| A．It formed 2,500 years ago. |
| B．Its latest eruption occurred 2,000 years ago. |
| C．It is an active, destructive volcano. |
| D．It is where the city Naples is located. |
What does the word underlined possibly mean?
| A．Path. | B．Heat. | C．Fear . | D．Eruption. |
The researchers found the new evidence EXCEPT _________.
| A．ancient layers of ash and mud |
| B．animal footprints |
| C．abandoned villages |
| D．human skeletons |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．City Pompeii has been rebuilt now. |
| B．City Naples isn’t suitable for living. |
| C．Mount Vesuvius will not erupt in a hundred years. |
| D．Mount Vesuvius is a potential danger to Naples. |
The author of the passage intends to ________.
| A．introduce Mount Vesuvius |
| B．describe the city Naples |
| C．present new discoveries by researchers |
| D．propose a plan for escape |
A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.
Men often discover their affinity(亲密) to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:” Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.
A good book is often the best urn（瓮）of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.
Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift(筛) out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.
Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were, in a measure, actors with them in the scenes which they describe.
The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed（加以防腐处理） in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which one still listens.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “immortality”?
| A．difficult to find | B．last for a long time |
| C．very important | D．hard to destroy |
How do we get close to the greatest minds through reading?
| A．by talking to them about what we thought |
| B．by experiencing what they have gone through in life |
| C．by sharing their feeling and reading their minds |
| D．by acting with them on the stage |
What is the best title of this text?
| A．Companionship of books | B．Life without books |
| C．Unforgettable books | D．Sorting out books |
This passage is mainly developed by __________.
| A．analyzing causes |
| B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences |
| D．following the order of importance |
Hey, mom, I want you to stop dropping me off at the airport for some trip that I am about to take and start becoming my seatmate. I want to travel with you---just you.
I want to explore a new place alongside a woman who raised me, who put up with my teenager anxiety and my rebellious (叛逆的) college years. I want to see my favorite cities with the lady who taught me basic life lessons, such as looking both ways before crossing the street, how to use a glue gun, and that the most important thing in the world is to help others.
I always appreciated the vacations you planned for our family. I also remember how you watched me as I read The Great Gatsby on the balcony at midday. I wonder if you felt proud of me. These days, I am sick of traveling to places with wishy-washy(无主见的) friends. I want to travel with a strong woman who can see how capable I am of learning to speak French or hiking on a glacier or eating something as unpleasant-smelling fruit.
Now I want you to see how much I grow up while abroad---I’m a different person, Mom. And I know you’d be different too. I know that someone has shared a similar burst of emotion while diving into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for the first time.
So what do you say, Mom? Will you throw responsibility to the wind? I want to travel with you. Let’s just go---we can go anywhere in the world, just you and I. You can pick the place, and I will do the rest.
Love,
KatkaWhich life lesson does Katka think the most valuable?
| A． Exploring a new place alongside her mother. |
| B． Visiting favorite cities with her mother. |
| C． Looking both ways when crossing the street. |
| D． Offering help to others when it’s possible. |
What do the underlined words in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A． Keep my promise. |
| B． Take care of me. |
| C． Bear much responsibility. |
| D． Have a break from work. |
What’s the daughter’s purpose of writing this letter?
| A． To thank her mother for all she has sacrificed for her. |
| B． To invite her mother to see the world together. |
| C． To recall her childhood with her mother. |
| D． To show her mother how talented she is. |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖) on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Competition helps to set up self-respect. |
| B．Opinions about competition are different among people. |
| C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development. |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition. |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
| A．It pushes society forward. |
| B．It builds up a sense of duty. |
| C．It improves personal abilities. |
| D．It encourages individual efforts. |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?
| A．One's worth lies in his performance compared with others. |
| B．One's success in competition needs great efforts. |
| C．One's achievement is determined by his particular skills. |
| D．One's success is based on how hard he has tried. |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Every effort should be paid back. |
| B．Competition should be encouraged. |
| C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
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