I work as a volunteer (志愿者) for an organization that helps the poor in Haiti. Recently I took my son Barrett there for a week, hoping to   16   him.

    Before setting out, I told Barrett this trip would be tiring and   17  . For the first two days, he said almost nothing. I worried the trip was too   18   for a 17-year-old. Then, on day three, as we were   19   over high rocky mountains, he turned to me and grinned (咧嘴笑),“Pretty hard.”

    After that there was no turning back. A five-year-old girl, wearing a dress several sizes   20   large and broken shoes, followed Barrett around, mesmerized (着迷). He couldn’t stop   21  . Later he said   22  , “I wish I could speak French.” I was   23   — this from a boy who hated and   24   French classes throughout school.

    Usually silent, he   25   Gaby, our host, and kept asking questions about the country and its people. He blossomed (活泼起来).

      26  , the moment that really took   27   breath away occurred in a village deep in the mountains. I was   28   a woman villager for an article. 135 centimeters tall, she was small in figure but strong in   29  . Through determination, she had learned to read and write, and   30   to become part of the leadership of the   31   .

   Learning her story, Barrett was as   32   as I by this tiny woman’s achievements. His eyes were wet and there was a   33   of love and respect on his face. He had finally understood the importance of my work .

   When leaving for home, Barrett even offered to stay   34   as a volunteer. My insides suddenly felt struck. This   35   achieved all I’d expected. Soon he will celebrate his 18th birthday. He’ll be a man.

16. A. comfort             B. please               C. attract              D. educate

17. A. rough                       B. dangerous        C. troublesome     D. violent

18. A. little                 B. much               C. fast                         D. slow

19. A. moving              B. running            C. climbing           D. looking

20. A. too                           B. very                 C. even                 D. so

21. A. joking                       B. crying              C. shouting           D. smiling

22. A. patiently            B. regretfully        C. lightly              D. cheerfully

23. A. ashamed             B. disappointed            C. determined      D. surprised

24. A. took up              B. went in for      C. fought against  D. called off

25. A. befriended          B. disregarded      C. avoided            D. recognized

26. A. Thus                         B. Even                C. Meanwhile       D. However

27. A. my                           B. his                   C. our                         D. her

28. A. asking                       B. interviewing            C. arranging          D. describing

29. A. brain                        B. wish                 C. will                         D. health

30. A. appeared            B. struggled          C. hesitated           D. failed

31. A. village                      B. city                  C. organization      D. state

32. A. pleased              B. bored               C. puzzled            D. touched

33. A. combination       B. composition      C. connection        D. satisfaction

34. A. in                     B. behind              C. out                          D. away

35. A. interview           B. flight               C. article                     D. trip

As a boy ,Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents . He used to play practical jokes on all his friends and neighbors .The nature of his jokes often led to violence. He hated to go to school, and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi .He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious island and the passing boats. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and unusual people who rode up and down it . He never forgot those scenes and those people .He later made them part of the history of America in the books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain received his genius (天才)from his mother . Obviously he didn’t get it from his father . He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father’s face .On the other hand, his mother had the rare ability to say humorous things. The same ability made Mark Twain an extremely humorous public speaker.

Because of the nature of his jokes when he was a child , Mark Twain would           

A. ran away from school

B. cause his parents to quarrel with others

C. get into trouble with his friends and neighbors

D. like to sit on the bank of the Mississippi River

It can be learned from the text that          

A. Mark Twain’s father was a cruel man

B. Mark Twain never attended school on time

C. Mark Twain often went boating in the nearby river

D. Mark Twain’s mother was something of a humorist

In his books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain wrote much about          

A. the Mississippi and the people riding on it     B. his friends and neighbors

C. his school life                            D. his parents

It is implied that what affected Mark Twain’s character mostly was          

A. his practical jokes            B. his father’s seriousness

C. the history of the Mississippi   D. his mother’s genius for humor

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead."

  Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt-- a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.

 There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

 Myth the Number One: It's best to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident.

  Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to "throw you clear" is able going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃)or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are "thrown clear".

 Myth Number Two: Safety-bets "trap" people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

    Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious (昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.

 Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour (mph).

 Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.

Why did Elizabeth say to her father, "But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead"?

 A. He was driving at great speed.

B. He was running across the street.

C. He didn't have his safety belt on.

 D. He didn't take his medicine on time.

The reason father was in a hurry to get home was that he __________.

A. wasn't feeling very well     B. hated to drive in the dark

C. wanted to take some exercise  D. didn't want to be caught by the people

According to the text, to be "thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous because you ________.

A. may be knocked down by other cars.

B. may get serious hurt thrown out of the car

C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat

 D. may get caught in the car door

Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe _______.

A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident

B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident

C. they will be caught when help comes

 D. cars catch fire easily

What is the advice given in the test?

A. Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.

B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.

C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.

 D. Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt.

I made a pledge(发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. 

   The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical (圣经的) passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

   And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”

   “Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.

After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew the kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression. “What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom, ” she said in a voice filled with sadness, “do you know something I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…..that checkup(体检) I had several weeks ago….. our doctor ….. did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me….. am I dying ?”

It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just start to live.”

1.The writer thought he was a _______ husband in the past.

A. lovely   B. loyal      C. strict               D. selfish

2. From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage _______.

A. with his family     B. with Evelyn C. alone    D. with his children

3. The underlined words “one thing” in the text refer to the fact that _______.

A. he praised her sweater, which puzzled her

B. she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated

C. he knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her

D. he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying

 

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. On arriving at the beach cottage, I kissed Evelyn meeting me at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.?

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

1.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.

A.with his family      B.with Evelyn        C.alone             D.with his children

2.During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.

A.he was determined to be a good husband

B.he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C.she looked lovely in her new clothes

D.the doctor said his wife was seriously ill

3.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?

A.He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B.She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C.He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D.He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网