One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood, I quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers.

   When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me, “Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!” I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.

   The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head. I had been shocked!

   After I returned home and told my mother what had happened, she quickly called the power company. Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale.

“You should have been killed,” he said.

So why am I still alive? It was my boots that saved my life.

Within two hours, the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.

Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was well serious with me. After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.

Through this experience, I learned that it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective(观点). Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock of my life”.

The underlined word “disregard ” in the second paragraph means “________”.

  A. pay no attention to     B. take notice of       C. consider    D. follow

In spite of Bruce’s warning, the author still cut the tree because ________.

  A. he was sure there would be nothing to happen

  B. he wasn’t sure whether Bruce was right and was anxious to go home

  C. he didn’t hear his friend’s warning at all because of the blowing wind

  D. he was angry with his friend and didn’t want to listen to him

The author wrote the passage mainly to _______.

  A. give an account of one of his terrible experiences

  B. make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective (观点) through his experience

 C. tell us not to cut trees down any more

  D. remind us to be careful while working

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

  A. But for his boots, the writer would have died.

  B. The writer regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning.

  C. The writer knew nothing about electricity.

  D. When the tree was cut down, the writer realized his friend was right

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? ____. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. ____. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

____. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. ____ . A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area — until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

____. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A. On the other hand, black is depressing.

B. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up — we are born with our preference.

C. The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.

D. If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.

F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.

G. Colors do influence our moods---there is no doubt about it

Some years ago, a Miami woman walking through an office building noticed two men standing together.Several minutes after her leaving, the men murdered a person working in the building.The police determined that the woman was the only witness and could possibly describe them.However, her memory of the men proved disappointingly unclear.Several days later, psychologist Ronald Fisher was brought in to obtain a more complete account from the woman.His interview produced a breakthrough—the woman reported a clear picture of one of the suspects.The important information enabled the police to arrest the suspect and close the case.
The police asked Fisher for help because of his rich knowledge in cognitive(认知) interview, a kind of memory - rebuilding process.Memory researchers have found that people trying to remember a past event often only recall part of the relevant information.Human memory is selective and it is often distorted by stress.But a person's accurate recall of an event or understanding of a question can be improved using specific interviewing techniques.The "cognitive interview" was developed in the late 1990s.It encourages the witness to take an active role in recalling information rather than giving answers only to someone else's questions.The witness first describes what happened in his or her own words, with no interviewer interruptions.The interviewer then goes further with specific techniques, such as having the witness tell the details of what happened from different perspectives (角度) .
The cognitive interview focuses on guiding witnesses through four general recalling techniques: thinking about physical surroundings and personal feelings that existed at the time of past events; reporting everything that connects to mind about those events, no matter how broken it is retelling events in a variety of time orders, such as from beginning to end, end to beginning, forward or backward; and adopting different perspectives while recalling events.
Experiments with police detectives trained in this demanding interview method find that they obtain nearly 50% more information from witnesses than before training, while error rates remain about the same.It is proved that cognitive interviews are quite important tools in improving the accuracy and completeness of witness testimony (证词).
【小题1】The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A.give an account of a murder case.
B.introduce an idea of cognitive interview.
C.prove Fisher was an expert in cognitive interview.
D.help a witness to recall information in a cognitive interview.
【小题2】What is required to recall in a cognitive interview for a witness?
A.The exact time at which a murder took place.
B.The information about the event in the time order.
C.The important things that come to his or her mind.
D.The surroundings and feelings at the time of the event.
【小题3】The key point in a cognitive interview is that     .
A.the witness is encouraged to take part in recalling information.
B.the interviewer should interrupt the witness from time to time.
C.the interview should take place outside the police station.
D.the witness should recall details at the scene of the event.
【小题4】The underlined word "distorted" in the passage probably means " ____
A.arranged B.balancedC.changed D.examined

A three-year independent investigation into the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon has yielded new eyewitness evidence which, according to the Southern California-based researchers who conducted the investigation conclusively (and unfortunately), establishes as a historical fact that the violence which took place in Arlington that day was not the result of a surprise attack by suicide hijackers, but rather a military black operation involving a carefully planned and skillfully executed deception."
A CNN Reporter at the scene states that there is no evidence that a 757 hit the Pentagon.
   What hit the Pentagon? A Boeing 757 loaded with passengers and fuel right? Who was on Flight 757? According to the Flight Information there were No Arabs on it. That makes me wonder if Flight 757 actually existed at all.
  From the pictures and the videos, people can find that there are several doubtful points that need to be taken into consideration, for example the marker line on the grass in the satellite and ground pictures, the different colors of the smoke, the hole which the plane impacted, and the standing pylons (架线塔).
  Also, from the comparison of the different pictures, people can find some other strange points. For example, the gear (齿轮) is not the matching one. The wreckage of the plane is not the one from the American Airlines. The glass on the pavement of the pole is another doubtful point. The last thing that need considering is about the collapse. One of the gif video shows the plane impacting the Pentagon. The only problem with this video footage is that it has been altered (改变) and can not be fully trusted.
  These crash photos and videos shown here clearly have been doctored (篡改) and don't even match the physics of what happened. So where is the real video? It leaves me many questions. Is this a missile? It is a real enigma.
【小题1】Where can you possibly read this article?

A.In a newspaper.B.In a book.C.On a website.D.In a magazine.
【小题2】What the word “yielded” mean in the first sentence?
A.given inB.surrenderedC.given awayD.produced
【小题3】Which of the following doubtful points is not mentioned in the passage?
A.the colors of the smokeB.the model of the plane
C.the standing pylonsD.the marker line on the grass
【小题4】What is the author’s attitude towards the 911 investigation?
A.Positive.B.Neutral.C.Skeptical.D.Negative.

“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?”The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.

     The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people. but here’s the true answer:

     The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8,1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.

     While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

     For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.

     As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.

     When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.

     For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.

     My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”

     For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.

     It’s the most important thing I have ever done.

     The experience taught me two lessons.

     First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.

     Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.

     From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when youre just somebodys friend.

1.When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author __________.

A felt it was not an interesting question           

B. thought for a while and spoke his mind

C. gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view   

D. didn’t give the real answer

2.When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _________.

A. He had to stay with his family             B. His friend did not need his help.

C. He would not be of much help                 D. the baby would be in the doctor’s care

3.What can we infer from the author’s description of the scene at the hospital?

A. He found out that he was in the way.             

B. He would have felt guilty if he had not been there.

C. He regretted that he went too later.

D. His friend would have felt better if he had not been there.

4.Which of the following is conveyed in this story?

A.Family and relatives can not take the place of friends.

B.More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble.

C.It is best to be here when someone needs you.

D.You can certainly help a friend if you want to.

5.The author learned from his own experience that_______.

A.what is taught in school is usually of no use.

B.a lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms

C.a lawyer should know people’s feeling first

D.he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically

6.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that the author_______.

A.is fond of writing poems

B.is going to coach the kid’s team

C.is determined to make friends with everybody

D.is fully aware of the importance of being helpful to those in need

 

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