My grandfather spent most of his life in a turbulent (动乱的) India. After settling in New York, he took up his true passion: gardening.

Grandfather’s garden was where I took refuge (避难) from a world of adults and schoolwork. My grandfather cultivated squash (南瓜) and tomatoes — it was not rare to find me somewhere in the garden, either secretly eating a tomato, or just sitting and admiring my grandfather’s hard work. However, as time went by, I did not have the chance to visit his house as often as I used to.

On my eleventh birthday, I received a gift bag wrapped in pretty paper from my grandfather. Excited to see what he had given to me for my birthday, I tore apart the paper only to find a yellow squash. I was very angry. What a stupid present!

But gradually, I realized that in my developing a relationship with his garden, I had unknowingly grown very close to my grandfather himself, something he wished to remind me of through his gift. His commitment towards doing things definitely influenced me. It could bring him a sense of accomplishment. Because of him, I try to model the idea of approaching everything with both drive and passion.

My grandfather passed away five years ago, but his influence on me could not be bigger than it is today. As I prepare to enter college and move on from my relatively sheltered high school life toward achieving complete independence, allowing my passions to find their way into whatever I may be doing will be very necessary. I still look up to my grandfather very much to this day, and I hope that one day I will be able to sow in my own garden, and give someone else a squash on his or her birthday — it was the most meaningful gift I have ever received.

1.When the author was young, she often visited the garden mainly to ______.

A. have a taste of her favorite vegetables

B. help her grandfather cultivate the garden

C. escape from the adults and schoolwork

D. admire her grandfather’s hard work

2.When the author saw the squash gift from her grandfather, she was ______.

A. excited B. confused

C. curious D. upset

3.Why did the grandfather send the author a squash?

A. Squash was the author’s favorite vegetable.

B. Squash was the greatest achievement of him.

C. He wanted to remind the author that they had been close.

D. He wanted the author to follow his career.

4.What’s the best title for the text?

A. A Special Gift — Yellow Squash

B. Grandfather and India

C. Life with Grandfather

D. Gardening and Life

With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dump, makes me feel good and warms my heart.

How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friends, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy(礼貌)to speak to others that are around you.

I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say.

Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?

Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to ignore the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.

1.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that _________.

A. it makes people more confident

B. it can pick up people’s spirits

C. it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world

D. it can help people get on well with others

2.From the second paragraph, we can know that __________.

A. the writer is funny and polite

B. family members should play tricks on each other

C. the writer’s grandma is humorous

D. we should relieve stress in any situation

3.The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by _______.

A. explaining carefully B. speaking loud

C. keeping silent D. laughing hard

4.In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to _______.

A. encourage people to be humorous in daily life

B. talk about his own understanding of humor

C. introduce a practical way to get through daily life

D. convince people of the power of being optimistic about life

5.What is the author’s attitude towards the present world?

A. Critical B. Positive

C. Satisfied D. Indifferent

Our world is full of tourist traps and crowds of people. What if you could get out ahead of the crowded people and visit a place before it started swarming with crowds of people?

José lgnacio, Uruguay

Only about 300 people actually live here, but in winter, Latin famous stars like Shakira gather here. A new luxury hotel named Bahia Vik is in the process of opening, and JoséIgnacio is preparing to host an international art festival. You can enjoy art atmosphere here and eat steaks at La Huella restaurant.

Koh Rong, Cambodia

Visiting this Cambodian island is like stepping into a screen saver. With only a few houses and some fishing villages, many people say it’s like Thailand 20 years ago when tourists landed the untouched beaches. Ferries started regularly shuttling tourists to Koh Rong only a few years ago, but things are still pretty quiet until someone plans to build an airport.

Riga, Latvia

Latvia is Europe’s best kept secret, but all has changed now since Riga was named the European Capital of Culture in 2014. The city also ranked as Europe’s cheapest destination for backpackers this year, with an average cost of just $33 per day for food, lodging, transportation and entertainment. Hurry up and peruse (研读) Old Riga and St. Peter’s tower, and get fancy at the Latvian National Opera.

Puglia, Italy

With food travel on the rise, Puglia is becoming a household name. Under the Italian cultural influences, the Mediterranean diet takes one of its purest and most delicious forms: food is locally purchased and restaurants are quaint (精致的) and are of high quality, which have good reputations.

1.The first paragraph is used to .

A. complain about tourist traps

B. introduce the topic of the text

C. warn readers to avoid crowded people

D. show how tired travelers feel after holidays

2.When visiting Koh Rong, you can .

A. take a boat to get there

B. eat steaks at La Huella restaurant

C. find there is a large beautiful airport

D. find it’s as developed as Thailand

3.Which of the following will cost travelers least in Europe?

A. José Ignacio, Uruguay.

B. Koh Rong, Cambodia.

C. Riga, Latvia.

D. Puglia, Italy.

4.What can we know about Puglia?

A. Its diet enjoys wide popularity.

B. Its food price is rising rapidly.

C. It has the most delicious food in Italy.

D. It has a luxury hotel named Bahia Vik.

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