高中英语阅读理解

This is not a typical summer camp. Michelle Pawlaw and eight other teenage girls are participating in the three—day camp offered by the Arlington County Fire Department located just outside Washington. Firefighter Clare Burley is in charge of the program，who said the purpose is to try to get young women interested in considering the fire service as a career.
The free-of-charge，overnight camp is designed to let the girls experience what firefighters do to protect the community. That includes some rigorous activities such as moving a fire victim. “I dindn’t think I could pull that 170 pound body with a friend, but I was actually able to do it.” she said.
They take classes and learn how to climb the ladder on a fire truck, operate emergency tools and rescue an injured person. They also do their share of cleaning the firehouse and the equipment.
“Every week without fail on a Saturday，the job is to wash all the equipment. And we wanted the girls to see this is what we do. This is a typical day in a firehouse，”she said.
Firefighting is still a male-dominated service，but Burley says with 22 women on its force of 320 the Arlington County Fire Department is above the national average of 4.5 percent. She joined the department seven years ago.
“We do everything that the guys do to the same standard. We are tested to the same standard. We are expected to operate at the same standard，”she said.
Most of the girls say they had never thought about becoming a firefighter. but the camp was a great learning experience. ”I think it is definitely not a job that only men can do. Women can do it just as well as men can，”said Michelle Pawlaw.
What’s the purpose of the summer camp?

A．To tell the girls how to put firefighting knowledge into practice.

B．To teach the girls what to do when caught in fire.

C．To provide the girls with a typical summer camp.

D．To attract more girls to take firefighting as a career.

What can we infer from Paragraph 5？

A．Arlington County Fire Department is in the lead in employing women firefighters.

B．Arlington County Fire Department is the first to employ women firefighters.

C．More and more women are ready to join the fire department.

D．No women ever want to perform the firefighting service.

What can we infer from Michelle’s words in the last paragraph?

A．She has determined to join the firefighters in the future.

B．She will persuade her fellow students to join in the camp.

C．She realizes that women can also be good firefighters.

D．She decides that she’ll join in the camp again later.

What can we learn about the summer camp according to the passage?

A．American fire departments often hold such events.

B．It is sponsored by Arlington County Fire Department.

C．The girls spent their night in the summer camp，which lasted 3 days.

D．It is very popular among American girl students.

A few years ago，my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He did not have a rich family. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Instead，my friend was always hard up for cash. He did not have much money. And the money he did earn was chicken feed — very little.
Sometimes Al even had to accept handouts，gifts from his family and friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was not a deadbeat. He was not the kind of person who never paid the money he owed. He simply pinched pennies. He was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact，he was often a cheapskate. He did not like to spend money. The worst times were when he was flat broke and had no money at all.
One day，Al scraped together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never strike it rich or gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery. He hit the jackpot. He won a great deal of money.
Al was so excited. The first thing he did was buy a costly new ear. He splurged on the one thing that he normally would not buy. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. He started to waste it. It was like he had money to burn. He had more money than he needed and it was burning a hole in his pocket so he spent it quickly.
When we got together for a meal at a restaurant，Al paid every time. He would always foot the bill，and pick up the tab. He told me the money made him feel like a million dollars. He was very happy.
But，Al spent too much money. Soon my friend was down and out again. He had no money left. He was back to being strapped for cash. He had spent his bottom dollar, his very last amount. He did not even build up a nest egg. He had not saved any of the money.
I admit I do feel sorry for my friend. He had enough money to live like a king. Instead，he is back to living on a shoestring—a very low budget. Some might say he is penny wise and pound foolish. He is wise about small things，but not about important things.
The underlined word “pinched” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “___________”.

A．took	B．carried
C．squeezed	D．spent

How did Al feel at first after he bought a lottery ticket?

A．He expected to win the lottery.

B．He was excited to wait for the money.

C．He didn’t think he could win the lottery.

D．He regretted spending money for a lottery ticket.

Why did A1 live a poor life again after he won the lottery?

A．Because he lost a lot of money he had won.

B．Because he spent much money freely on unnecessary things.

C．Because his friend borrowed much money from him.

D．Because he gave away a lot of money to others.

What can we learn from the story of Al?

A．Keep on and you will succeed one day.

B．Do not pick up the sesame seeds but overlook the watermelons.

C．It is no use crying over spilt milk.

D．No pains, no gains.

By the time I reached junior high，I was sure I wanted to be a nurse. If you didn’t study Latin，you couldn’t be a nurse，so I enrolled. Many Latin words were familiar to me. The hard part turned out to be the usage and creating sentences with the words that seemed so easy to pronounce. Several weeks into the course my teacher came to me，saying，“I think you should withdraw from this course. It seems to be too hard for you. ”
That was the day I learned I wasn’t smart enough to become a nurse. With shame. I handed in my Latin textbook.
After high school，the years raced by. I married and had children. Then one day my husband John came home. “Carol. Max died this afternoon. ”I looked at my husband with disbelief.
John was touched by this tragedy. Finally one evening he said，“Carol，Jackie has never worked and now she’s alone with four children. I've been thinking — if anything happens to me. I want you to be able to take care of yourself and the children. Why don’t you think about what you’d like to do and get the training you’ll need to do it?”
I signed up for the entrance exam for nursing programs. One day I received a letter from the schoo1. I wanted so badly to open it，but with my lack of confidence，I laid it on the kitchen counter saying，” I'm not in the mood for a rejection letter today. ”
Finally I forced myself to open it. “Dear Carol，”I read. ”We are pleased to inform you that you successfully passed the entrance exam.”
An insensitive teacher once stole my dream. If you have a dream, exhaust every effort to reach it. I’ve worked thirty years now as a nurse and I’ve never been more certain that this is what I was meant to be.
Why did John advise Carol to find a job?

A．To support the family

B．To be able to live independently

C．To live a more colorful life

D．To provide more money for her kids

From the text, we know what the teacher said____________.

A．saved Carol from wasting her time

B．helped Carol find her true interest

C．destroyed Carol’s dream to be a nurse

D．encouraged Carol to be careful in learning

After receiving the letter from the schoo1, Caro1____________.

A．couldn’t wait to open it

B．had no mood to read it then

C．didn’t take it seriously at all

D．was uncertain about the result

What may be the best title for the text？

A．Too stupid to be a nurse

B．A dream too high to achieve

C．Never too late to 1earn

D．A chance too important to miss

A dog’s tail can tell you a lot more than you might think. Is it wagging (摇) to the left or is it wagging to the right?
“The direction of tail wagging does in fact matter，”said Giorgio Vallortigara，a professor at the University of Trento in Italy. Professor Vallortigara finds that the way the tail is wagging can tell you a lot about a dog’s state of mind—whether you’re a human or another dog.
What’s the difference between a left wag and a right wag？Professor Vallortigara and his colleagues have studied 43 dogs of various breeds — German Shepherds，Beagles，Boxers，Border Collies and some mutts. They find that if a dog wags its tail to the left. it’s feeling anxious or nervous. The reason could be an unfamiliar or dangerous situation，an unfamiliar person，or an unfamiliar and possibly threatening dog. But if the tail is wagging to the right，it means the dog is feeling relaxed and approachable.
“The tail is a very important signal，”said Thomas Reimchen，a biologist at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. ”There is a lot of visual information that dogs use when communicating with each other. ”
How did the scientists figure all this information out? They had the dogs in their study watch videotapes of other dogs. When the dog on the tape wagged its tail to the right，they say the other dogs remained calm and cool. But when the dog on the tape wagged its tail to the left，the other dogs got anxious.
The researchers are still not exactly sure if the direction of tail wagging is something the dog does consciously. They suspect that it might be something the dog does without even thinking about it — kind of like when you get goose bumps if something scares or startles you. They plan to do more research to get more information about what dogs are thinking and feeling while they’re wagging. As Reimchen said，“I'm not going to be surprised if we find all sorts of really interesting processes that nobody has ever seen before. ”
Professor Vallortigara’s study focused on the relationship between_________.

A．a dog’s state of mind and its owner's feeling

B．a dog’s state of mind and the direction of its tail wagging

C．a dog’s sense of direction and its state of mind

D．a dog’s intention of tail wagging and its feeling

According to the study，dogs which wag their tails to the left may feel_________.

A．calm

B．happy

C．angry

D．nervous

It is implied in Thomas Reimchen’s words in Paragraph 4 that___________.

A．dogs’ tails play all important role in their growth

B．dogs show their feelings only by wagging their tails

C．dogs get to know others by watching tail wagging

D．dogs can understand each other by repeating tail wagging

How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By asking and analyzing questions

B．By making comparisons

C．By following the order of time

D．By providing examples

The scene in the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow, when global warming could soon turn the global climate into a new ice age, may never occur, according to a new research.
The next ice age could be 15,000 years away, say European scientists who last month announced a continuous record of 740,000 years of climate data obtained from the Antarctic ice.
Scientists from 10 nations have now almost completely drilled through a 3,000-meter depth of ice high in the Antarctic mainland. They figure out that the area, where summer temperatures can fall to – 40℃, has at least 900,000 years of snowfalls, kept as neatly as the growth rings of a tree. And the ice and air caught in each layer(层) have begun to answer questions about the climates in the past..
The results show that there have been eight ice ages in the past 740, 000 years and eight warmer periods. And by comparing the pattern of global conditions today with those of the past, the researchers reported in Nature that the present warm period could last another 15, 000 years.
Research suggests that there is a very close connection between greenhouse gas levels and global average temperatures. It also shows that carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) levels are the highest for at least 440,000 years.
"If people say to you: ‘the greenhouse effect is a good thing because we would go into an ice age otherwise,’ our data say no, a new ice age is not hanging over our heads,” said Eric Wolff from the British Antarctic Survey. "Now we have eight examples of how the climate goes in and out of ice ages… and you can learn what the rules are that go into the climate models that tell us about the future."
Scientists found that whenever temperatures rose in the frozen record, so did carbon dioxide level. "In 440,000 years we have never seen greenhouse gas get as thick as it is today," said Dr Wolff.
In drilling through the ice in Antarctica, scientists have found that______.

A．the lowest temperature there is – 40℃

B．the depth of ice is 3,000 meters

C．the ice has existed for 15,000 years

D．snowfalls are kept in certain patterns

The information of the global climate conditions in the past can be obtained through______.

A．separating carbon dioxide from the air

B．examining the growth rings of trees

C．comparing temperatures in different areas

D．studying the ice and air caught in each layer

We can infer from Eric Wolff's words that_______.

A．there is something wrong with the data

B．greenhouse effect is always a bad thing

C．a new ice age will not come in the near future

D．greenhouse gas will get thick in the future

What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Research over the Antarctic area.

B．Warm period to last about 15, 000 years.

C．Report on the eight ice ages in the past.

D．Hollywood movies and the global climate.

Money is the root of all evil and new study claims there may be some truth behind the saying．Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, US，announced on February 27 that rich people are more likely to do unethical (不道德的) things, such as lie or cheat, than poorer people．
The scientists did a series of eight experiments. They published their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS,《美国国家科学院院刊》)．
They carried out the first two experiments from the sidewalk near Berkeley. They noted that drivers of newer and more expensive cars were more likely to cut in on other cars and pedestrians at crosswalks. Nearly 45 percent of people driving expensive cars ignored a pedestrian compared with only 30 percent of people driving more modest cars．
In another experiment, a group of college students was asked if they would do unethical things in various everyday situations. Examples included taking printer paper from work and not telling a salesperson when he or she gave back more change. Students from higher-class families were more likely to act dishonestly.
According to the scientists, rich people often think money can get them out of trouble. This makes them less afraid to take risks. It also means they care less about other people’s feelings.
Finally，it simply makes them greedier．“Higher wealth status seems to make you want even more，and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest,” said Paul Piff, leading scientist of the study.
Piff pointed out that the findings don’t mean that all rich people are untrustworthy or that all poor people are honest. He said the experiments were to show how people living in different social situations express their instincts and values in different ways.
By saying “money is the root of all evil”，the author wants to ____________．

A．draw readers’ attention to the research

B．1ink wealth with bad behavior

C．show how the saying proves the findings

D．defend rich people who do unethical things

What makes rich people unethical according to the scientists?
a．they become more selfish   b．they have more desires
c．they believe money talks   d．they welcome risks

A．a、b	B．a、b、d
C．b、c	D．a、b、c

Why did the scientists do the experiments?

A．To show how social status affects people's ethics．

B．To show people’s instincts and values in different ways.

C．To test whether the saying “money is the root of all evil” is true．

D．To show the difference between higher-class people and lower-class people．

What does the article really want to show us?

A．Money is the root of all evil．

B．The rich are more likely to act badly．

C．The saying is unreasonable．

D．All rich people are untrustworthy．

Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $ 0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $ 90 million .That was the second largest lottery jackpot （积累奖金）in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80．The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million, but that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were sold at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized gambling. Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(恶习), under the name of social progress. Whether you regard stock lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.
The main idea of the passage is that __________.

A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them

B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market

C．many people buy lottery tickets , but lotteries cause disagreement

D．lotteries are nothing but legalized vice

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra taxes.

B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress.

C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste money on them.

D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market.

In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling_______.

A．$ 1.62 million	B．$ 1.82 million
C．$ 9.6 million	D．$ 87 million

People who are addicted to playing lotteries should __________.

A．join a support group	B．kick the habit
C．win the lottery	D．save every cent

The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.
Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang(团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.
Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.
Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.
According to the passage, music could make students smarter by __________.

A．improving their classroom skills and paying attention

B．improving their classroom skills and imagination

C．improving their attention, direction and imagination

D．learning music, making music and trying out their own ideas

What does the underlined phrase "glued to" in the second paragraph mean?

A．unwilling to turn on	B．always looking
C．unwilling to leave	D．always playing

The third paragraph mainly tells us that music could _______________.

A．give children self-expression and self-confidence

B．bring to children achievement and success

C．give children something to be proud of

D．develop children's self-confidence

What's the best title of this passage？

A．Music is a must as a course at school

B．Music builds children's self-confidence

C．Music makes students much smarter

D．Learning music and making music

The Healthy Habits Survey(调查) shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
·Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
·Advice：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2．How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
·Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.
·Advice：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs(病菌) to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. So use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most importantly, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3．How often do you think about fighting germs?
·Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
·Advice：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.
What is found out about American seniors?

A．Most of them have good habits.

B．Nearly 30% of them bathe three days a week.

C．All of them are fighting germs better than expected.

D．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day.

Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands ________．

A．twice a day	B．three times a day
C．four times a day	D．eight times a day

Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．We should keep from touching our faces.

B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth.

C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet.

D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle.

The text probably comes from ________．

A．a guide book	B．a popular magazine
C．a book review	D．an official document

Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.
The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels (分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety-five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales (鲸).
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.
The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected (被感染的).
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don’t think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.
According to the passage, Which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A．The sound of cars.	B．The sound of voices.
C．Man-made noise pollution.	D．The sound of steps.

According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following except ________.

A．sounds made by animals themselves

B．ocean drilling

C．underwater earthquakes

D．the breaking of ice fields

Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?

A．The same noise level produces a different effect on land and in the ocean.

B．Different places may have different types of noises.

C．The decibel is not a right unit (单位) for measuring underwater noise.

D．Different ocean animals may have different reactions to noises.

What can we learn about the whales from the passage?

A．They won’t be confused by noises.

B．They are deaf to noises.

C．Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by high-level noises.

D．Their hearing will be damaged by high-level noises.

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending（延伸）sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality（好客）easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they treat us warmly, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires much time. But in China ,we are usually generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at an airport even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily plans. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full ,warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
The writer of this passage must be ______.

A．an American	B．a Chinese
C．a professor	D．a student

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives

C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport

B．offered a ride to his home

C．treated hospitably at his home

D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.

A．Friendships between Chinese

B．Friendships between Americans

C．Americans’ hospitality

D．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships

Walt Disney
As one of the most famous film production companies in the history of the business，Walt Disney now holds 15.3 percent of the US and Canadian market share. With highly successful movies like Pirates of the Caribbean，National Treasure，Meet the Robinsons and Enchanted，there’s no doubt that Disney will continue to play a key role in the industry for years to come.
Paramount Pictures
With 15.5 percent of the US and Canadian market share，Paramount Pictures continues to be one of the most successful film production companies in the world. Star Trek，War of the Worlds，Mission：Impossible，Transformers and Tropic Thunder are just a few of the popular films produced by Paramount Pictures.
20th Century Fox
Also known as “Twentieth Century Fox”，this highly successful movie production company makes up 11.9 percent of the US and Canadian market share. Some of the biggest and most successful movies from this empire include the X-Men series，Mr and Mrs Smith and Fantastic Four.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Including about 19.7 percent of the US and Canadian market share，Warner Bros. Pictures is the biggest player in the film industry. Owning the rights to major films like Harry Potter，Superman，Batman，The Matrix and Star Wars has made Warner Bros. Pictures the No.1 name in the business.
Universal Studios
12.2 percent of the US and Canadian market share belongs to Universal Studios，which continues to make millions for the film industry. With major hits like the Bourne series，the American Pie series，Knocked Up，American Gangster and The Incredible Hulk，it’s very clear that Universal Studios knows what it takes to make money in this industry.
Columbia Pictures
Making up 12.9 percent of the US and Canadian market share，Columbia Pictures remains a big player in the business. Some of this company’s recent successes include Casino Royale，The Da Vinci Code，the Spider Man series and Step Brothers.
This passage mainly tells us______.

A．some beautiful pictures of the US

B．some American popular movies

C．some famous Canadian companies

D．some film production companies

Which of the following movie production companies is the most successful in the US and Canadian markets?

A．Universal Studios.	B．Paramount Pictures.
C．Columbia Pictures.	D．Walt Disney.

Warner Bros. Pictures is very famous for its film named ______.

A．Harry Potter	B．Pirates of the Caribbean
C．The Incredible Hulk	D．Tropic Thunder

The underlined word “hits” (in Paragraph 5) refers to ______.

A．articles	B．Novels
C．movies	D．Struggles

“Mom, I can’t do this.” My teenage son Bret stood in front of me with his hands full of papers.
“Can’t do what?” I asked while preparing supper.
“All these!” he waved his hands up and down. “There’s no way I can do everything my teachers are asking me to do.”
I stopped what I was doing and turned to face him. I had never seen him so upset. He was my jovial son. He made good grades in school and nothing ever seemed to bother him. As I studied his face, I could see his eyes filled with tears.
Walking over to the kitchen table, I sat down and asked him to join me.
“Show me what you have to do .”
Bret sat down in a chair and dropped the papers in front of him.
“Mr. Jones, my chemistry teacher, wants me to make a project for the Science Fair.”
“Okay , And what else?”
“I have an algebra test next week, and that will be one-third of our grade this school term!”
“And I have to write an English essay. And midterms are the next week! I need to study for them and I have to get help with Spanish. There’s no way I can do everything!”
His hands shook as he picked up each assignment. It broke my heart to see him so stressed out. I wanted to help him, yet I couldn’t do the work for him. I looked at Bret and said. “You don’t have to do everything at once. You can do one at a time. Let’s make a list of what you need to do.”
So, one by one, we listed each item. Then we put the due date next to the item. Next we separated the items into parts. For instance, the chemistry project needed supplies. So we put a deadline on getting the supplies. He had a friend who could help him with Spanish, so we had to put that time in. During the process, I saw my son visibly relax. When we finished with the list, I asked, “Do you think you can do this now?”
He smiled and I saw his confidence return . “Sure! Thanks, Mom!”
There is a saying that asks, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.”
Why was Bret so upset?

A．He had quarreled with his chemistry teacher.

B．He was poor in many of his school subjects.

C．The algebra test would be too difficult for him.

D．He felt helpless with the huge amount of school work.

How did the writer feel at the sight of Bret’s shaking hands?

A．Annoyed	B．Puzzled
C．Frightened	D．Heartbroken.

What did the writer help Bret do?

A．She bought some articles for Bret’s chemistry project..

B．She arranged the tasks according to levels of urgency.

C．She found a friend to teach Bret Spanish at once.

D．She prepared the material for Bret’s English composition.

It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6 pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?

A．The writer’s studies.

B．The writer’s future job

C．Dinner plans

D．Wars around the world

We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ____________.

A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English

B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor

C．gets along very well with the writer

D．doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea

The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____________.

A．agrees	B．shouts
C．complains	D．smiles

Which of following statements is probable TRUE about the writer?

A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.

B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future.

C．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.

D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future.

Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn’t mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be wil1ing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things.   Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life.  Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier.  Sometimes subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here’s some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions(中断); have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
The main purpose of the article is______

A．to prove that learning is not difficult

B．to make the readers be interested in study

C．to tell the importance of self teaching

D．to tell the students how to study well

We learn things because______

A．our parents want us to learn

B．every student learns at school

C．we may use these things in the future

D．we like the subjects

Which of the following is NOT the advice given in the article?

A．To put a pen, paper and books beside you before study.

B．To study at any possible time and place.

C．To review and preview.

D．To pay attention to the most important things.