The highlight of my journey was to be Paris,the city I'd always longed to see.But now I was frightened to travel without a companion.I steeled myself and went anyway.I arrived at the train station in Paris panicked.Pulling my red suitcase behind me,I was pushed by sweaty travelers . On my first Metro ride, I encountered a clumsy pickpocket.I melted him with a look,and he eased his hand from my purse to fade into the crowded car. At my stop,I carried my heavy suitcase up the steep stairs and froze in confusion.Somewhere in this confusing city my hotel was hidden,but suddenly I couldn’t read my own directions.I stopped two people.Both greeted me with that Parisian face that said:"Yes, I speak English,but you'll have to struggle with your French if you want to talk to me."

When I finally found the hotel,my heart was pounding. Then when I saw my room.I couldn't stay.Could I? The wallpaper looked like it had been through a fire.The bathroom was down the hall,and the window looked out onto the brick wall of another building.Welcome to Paris.It was my third week away from home and my kids,and I had arrived in the most romantic city in the world, alone, lonely and very scared.

The most important thing I did in Paris happened at that moment.I knew that if I didn't go out,right then,and find a place to have dinner,I would hide in this place my entire time in Paris. I might never learn to enjoy the world as a single individual.So I went out.Evening in Paris was light and warm.I strolled along a winding path,listening to birds sing,watching children float toy sailboats in a huge fountain.Paris was beautiful.And I was here alone but suddenly not lonely.My sense of accomplishment at overcoming my fear had left me feeling free,not abandoned.

During my week's stay in Paris.I did everything there was to do,and it was the greatest week of my European vacation.I returned home a believer in the healing power of solitary travel.Traveling alone makes up for its problems by demanding self-reliance and building the kind of confidence that serves the single life well.Certainly Paris became my metaphor(比喻说法)for addressing life's challenges on my own.Now when I meet an obstacle I just say to myself: If I can go to Paris,I can go anywhere.

1.How did the two Parisians respond when the author turned to them?

A. They warmly offered her help.

B. They asked her to speak French.

C. They thought she should struggle to learn French.

D. They showed they were only willing to communicate in French.

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true ?

A. Her purse was stolen on her first Metro ride.

B. She had great trouble finding the hotel she had booked.

C. She might have felt abandoned before she decided to explore alone.

D. Her stay in Paris was the most memorable part of her journey.

3.The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means_________

A. make up for B. deal with

C. come across D. believe in

4.What did the author learn from her solitary trip in Paris?

A. Solitary travel can heal people’s wounds.

B. Traveling alone brings about many problems.

C. Traveling alone helps people become independent and confident.

D. Solitary travel in Paris makes it not a challenge to go anywhere.

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阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(限填1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

In my living room, there is a plaque that advises me to “bloom 1. you are planted”. It reminds me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s, when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program. The job 2. (responsible) required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program. Dorothy stands out in my memory as one 3. bloomed in her remote area.

Dorothy taught in a remote school near Harlan. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road 4. (wind) around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of 5. (catch) by the same train five times. Rather than feeling excited by this drive through mountains, I found it depressing. The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of 6. (hope).

From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all my gloom disappeared. Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom, I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children 7. (prepare) to show me their 8. (late) projects. Dorothy told me with a smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread they made themselves for dinner.

Lonely 9. she was far away from the modern civilization and convenience, she never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students. Her enthusiasm never cooled down. She passed all the tests 10. (excellent) and I found that Dorothy was really blooming where life had planted her.

Like most July days, it was hot. I stepped into a tiny ice-cream shop to cool off with a chocolate ice-cream. It was an old-time store with little round tables and chairs.

As I entered, I found a very old woman bent over a table near the door. Her back was so badly twisted by some sadness that her face nearly touched the table top. I sat down facing her several tables away.

“Poor woman,” I thought. “What does she get out of life? Why God let people live so long past their prime?”

As I thought, another aged lady entered the shop and sat down with her. Soon the two of them were talking about childhood days. They talked of how little the shop had changed in 70 years… In minutes, the two of them were trembling with laughter.

I looked again at the first woman, then in the mirror on a nearby wall, catching a picture of myself.

I was wearing a dirty shirt. She was well dressed in white, her hands shining with gold rings.

I was gloomy(愁闷的). She was laughing, smiling.

I was putting the pieces of my life together. She had millions of wonderful memories to recall.

I sat alone. She was sharing the day with a good friend.

I was secretly worried about getting old. She was old, but it wasn’t hurting her.

As I left the shop, I thought of my foolish question about God letting people live past their prime. Why, that woman was more alive, more sensitive to life than I was. Age has not bent her spirit.

1.The word “prime” in paragraph 3 means ______.

A. old age B. middle

C. childhood D. greatest period of life

2.Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

A. To tell us the life of old people.

B. To show the difference between the old and the young.

C. To show that old age does not mean going short of spirit.

D. To make the reader have a pity on the old people.

3.Which of the following is the conclusion the writer made about the old lady?

A. She was to be pitied for her old age.

B. She considered the young man pitiable.

C. She was more alive and sensitive to life than the writer.

D. People should not be allowed to live when they are too old.

Chinese female scientist Tu Youyou won the 2015 Nobel Prize in medicine on October 5 for her discoveries concerning a novel treatment against Malaria(疟疾). This is the first Nobel Prize given to a Chinese scientist for work carried out within China.

Tu shared the prize with Irish-born William Campbell and Satoshi Omura of Japan, who were honored for their revolutionary anti-roundworm treatment. 84-year-old Tu is awarded this prize for her contribution to cutting the death rate of malaria, reducing patients’ suffering and promoting mankind’s health. Although she received several medical awards in the past, the 2015 Nobel Prize is definitely the most privilege reward that recognizes Tu’s dedication and perseverance in discovering artemisinin(青蒿素), the key drug that battles malaria-friendly parasites(寄生虫).

However, her route to the honor has been anything but traditional. She won the Nobel Prize for medicine, but she doesn’t have a medical degree or a PhD. In China, she is even being called the “three-noes” winner: no medical degree, no doctorate, and she’s never worked overseas. No wonder her success has stirred China’s national pride and helped promote confidence of native Chinese scientists.

The fact that Tu has none of these three backgrounds reminds us that science should be more accessible to all. One shall be able to become a scientist no matter what kind of background he or she comes from, as long as one dives into scientific research. There have been discussions on people who really love science but are never able to achieve much during their whole life. Their contributions can never be ignored. They work so hard to prove the wrong way so that the future researchers will be closer to the right one.

As the first Chinese mainland Nobel Prize Winner of natural science award, Tu’s record-breaking winning also serves as a reminder to those who are too eager for instant success. Science is never about instant success. Tu spent decades on scientific research before its value is officially acknowledged. There is no way to measure how much one devotes to science and compare it with how much reward he or she may get.

1.It can be concluded from the text that __________.

A. Tu worked home and abroad to conduct her research

B. Tu got the Nobel Prize for her anti-roundworm treatment

C. The Nobel Prize is the first award to recognize her work

D. Her discovery of artemisinin has helped to cut Malaria death rate

2.The author seems to agree that a person who is more likely to become a scientist is the one with__________.

A. a sense of national pride

B. relevant academic knowledge

C. enthusiasm for scientific research

D. a desire to achieve success

3.In writing the passage, the author intends to ___________.

A. remind readers of the principles of scientific research

B. discourage the pursuit of instant success in science

C. inform readers of the news and make comments

D. praise the award winner and encourage scientific research

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