A middle-aged stranger visited us late on a dark rainy night when my father was working the night shift (a job for a period during the night). The stranger asked if he could wait under the eaves of our roof for the rain to stop. Then he disappeared, and we started hearing footsteps and creaking boards in the attic(the space or room at the top of a building, under the roof, often used for storing things). Was the stranger inside our house? My whole body couldn’t help but stiffen. In my mind’s eye, I could imagine the stranger pushing through the attic door and approaching us.

    We immediately called Jerry, our neighbor, for help. He searched everywhere, but the visitor was nowhere to be found. As Jerry looked in the garage, he found the stranger lying underneath the car. Jerry exclaimed with fright, “You are not allowed to enter the house. Get off the property right now.”

    We were determined to leave the house immediately. As we drove away, we saw the man blocking our way on the road and staring at us. We had to swerve to miss him. After that, I never saw the stranger again.

The text is mainly about                 .

    A.the neighbor Jerry       B.a strange dream

    C.a strange visitor        D.footsteps in the attic

Based on the text, which of the following statements is true?

    A.The family h it the stranger with their car.

    B.The stranger pushed through the family’s door.

    C.Jerry was hurrying back from the night shift.

    D.The author’s father wasn’t at home that night.

Why did the family leave their house on a late, dark night?

    A.It was raining hard and the eaves of their roof were broken.

    B.There was a ghost wandering around the house.

    C.They did not feel safe in their house.

    D.The stranger was still somewhere inside the house.

The text was written in order of             .

    A.time B.space    C.importance   D.age of the family

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune , largely to the cause of global health , during the course of his lifetime . With an estimated(估计)worth of more than $ 40 billion , according to Forbes , the project will be no small feat (功绩)for Gates . Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues , Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest ? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world . Improving the health of the populations , he says , has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful . “National borders allow inequalities ,” said Gates : “We all need to take a more global view , rather than just saying my country is doing well . We have to step up these health issues , knowing how few resources are going into them .”
Gates said that both his parents set an example for him as a child . His father , William H. Gates , was the head of the local Planned Parenthood , and his mother , Mary , volunteered for the United Way . As he gathered his fortune , Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well , but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However , Gates , 47 , began to question his ability to wait that long . “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said . “I started to think , How many lives could I save before then ?”
【小题1】Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is          .

A.to set up more foundations for them
B.to aid them with natural resources
C.to put more effort into the health issues in them
D.to help them take a more global view
【小题2】It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks          .
A.Americans should care about people in other countries
B.Americans should treat fellow citizens well
C.Americans should devote themselves to certain projects
D.Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune
【小题3】Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of          .
A.his weakening health condition B.his parents’ suggestions
C.his great success in business D.his concerns for suffering people

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once.   Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. essential                   B. endangered              C. going                          D. performance           E. crises

F. supposed                   G. consequence           H. material                    I. exposed                     J. involves

As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the   1.   from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is   2.   for a healthy mind and body.

Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing as is often   3.   to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor   4.  and ill health.

The amount of stress a person can stand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime   5.   for managerial responsibilities; others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When   6.   to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between “flight or fight” and in more primitive (远古的) days the choices made the difference between life or death. The   7.   we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it   8.   the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes   9.  . Since we can’t remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it. 

 

Section B:  Vocabulary

Directions: Complete the passage by choosing the proper words in the box.

Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.hurriedly

B.anxiety

C.professionals

D.typical E. really

F. simple        G. bought      H. ending         I. design       J. wonderful

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something __41__but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertisers hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly __42__. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, __43__in the costomer giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods __44__ in almost every family are not __45__ needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the __46__, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in __47__ and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The __48__ example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. So gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing: no choice, no __49__.

 

My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game from the time they met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word “shmily” in a surprise place for the other to find.

“Shmily” was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, my grandmother even opened an entire roll of toilet paper to leave “shmily” on the very last sheet. Little notes with “shmily” scribbled (潦草地写) hurriedly were found on dashboards (仪表板) and car seats, or taped to steering wheels.

It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents’ game. Skepticism (怀疑态度) had kept me from believing in true love — one that is pure and lasting. However, I never doubted my grandparents’ relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious (爱调戏的) little games; it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on devotion and passionate love.

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other’s sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble. My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew “how to pick ‘em.”

But there came a dark cloud into my grandparents’ life: when my grandmother got breast cancer. Gradually it took over the whole of her body. One day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.

“Shmily.” It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother’s funeral bouquet (花束). The family came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time. Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother’s casket (棺) and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and sadness, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby (催眠曲,). Shaking with my own sorrow, I would never forget that moment.

S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You.

1.The point of the article is to ________.

A. give advice on how to keep love fresh  

B. explain to readers the meaning of “shmily”

C. show the true love between the writer’s grandparents

D. express how much the writer loved her grandparents

2.What is the function of the second paragraph?

A. To support the first paragraph.                  B. To introduce the next paragraph.

C. To give the main idea of the article.     D. To make the article more interesting.

3.The author’s grandmother ________.

A. used to kiss her grandfather in secret

B. died from breast cancer, which spread all over

C. played crossword puzzle daily with her grandfather

D. considered her grandfather old and careless

4.What is the author’s attitude toward her grandparents’ love?

A. She doubts whether it was true love.

B. She finds their way of expressing love strange.

C. She admires their romantic and passionate love.

D. She thinks she will never be able to love like that.

 

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