题目内容

We lived in a technological society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor. Because of this, most people think that craft(手艺) no longer exists.

One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability(持久性). “Homes in those days were well-built,” they say. No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship.

Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price. For example, more people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes. Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter to build the stairway. Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways. And not only would these carpenters know how to build them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old.

One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools. Such tools as laser beams and power planes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts on the wood. Also, it is not uncommon any more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs.

The problems of modern quality, then, really  boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material.

1. Compared to the carpenters in the past, modern carpenters are _______.

A.more successful

B.more learned

C.more imaginative

D.more hardworking

2. What does the underlined word “they” (paragraph 2) refer to?

carpenters who are fond of oak stairways.

carpenters who have college degrees.

people who think highly of carpenters of old.

people who think that modern material is of low quality.

3. What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?

People in the past preferred to use oak to build stairways.

It is now expensive to employ a carpenter.

Modern houses last as long as the old one.

Good carpenters still exist in modern times.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

Is Craft Dead?

Craft, Back to life?

History of craftsmanship

Carpenters Today and Yesterday

 

【答案】

 B

 C

 B

 D

【解析】略

 

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    When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a small farm and it was very difficult for us to know what was happening outside the small farm, especially in the winter when we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its own problems, too.

    One big disadvantage is money. It costs so much to go out, not to mention basic needs like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from a disease that makes breathing very difficult and the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside as I like, even in the summer. Then there is the problem of traveling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.

    Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever you taste in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety (多样性) of goods is very surprising—and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.

Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.

56. What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?

   A. Staying on the farm.

   B. Moving to the countryside.

   C. Leaving home for the city.

   D. Running away from the school.

57. What can we learn from the text?

   A. The writer is very old now.                    B. The writer is in good health.

   C. The write prefers driving a car.                  D. The writer lives in the city now.

58. In the passage, the writer tries to __________.

   A. express his opinions about way of life      

   B. describe his life in the countryside

   C. show an interest in the outside world

   D. persuade the reader to live in the city

59. How is the passage mainly developed?

   A. By questioning.                                             B. By comparing.

   C. By listing examples.                                       D. By giving explanations.

There is much more to growing up in a bilingual(双语的) family than learning two languages, and the cultural influences from both cultures are just as important.
In July we had a curious incident that shows the slight differences between cultures. My son has already changed a few of his baby teeth and since we lived in Italy we decided to go with the Italian version(版本) of the Tooth Fairy, which is not a fairy(仙女) but a little mouse. So last year when he lost his first tooth we had a visit from the little mouse who took the tooth away and left a rather good amount of coins --- when he lost the second tooth a few days later, however, the amount was significantly less! That in itself caused quite a few questions, but the real questions started when in July during a visit to the UK another tooth left my son’s mouth in Tooth Fairy land! The grandparents made a real problem out of it --- it was their first grandson’s tooth they got to say Goodbye to, so it was Tooth Fairy and rather generous, too!
The Qs & As
Son: Mum, how is the little mouse going to smell my tooth all this way? (as the story goes the little mouse smells a milk tooth and comes to collect it)
Me: No dear, it won’t! We are in England now so the Tooth Fairy will come.
Son: Oh, is she stronger than the little mouse? (I knew where this was going)
Me: She is very strong, and she is magic.
Son: What does the Tooth Fairy bring? (straight to the point)
Me: I am not sure. We’ll find out maybe a nice message.
Son: So is the little mouse coming too?
Me: No, it won’t make it all the way from Italy.
Son: But why don’t they have little mice in England?
Me: Because here the Tooth Fairy collects all baby teeth and she’s too fast, so the little mouse would always get there late.
Son: Oh!?
【小题1】Italian kids are supposed to believe ________ will come and collect the milk teeth.

A.a little mouse
B.Tooth Fairy
C.their parents
D.the grandparents
【小题2】The author thought Tooth Fairy would be rather generous because ________.
A.Italian parents often give much money for their kids’ lost baby teeth[
B.she knew Tooth Fairy was more generous than the little mouse
C.she knew the grandparents would give her son a big gift
D.English people are usually more generous than Italians
【小题3】Hearing “Oh, is she stronger than the little mouse?”, the author knew her son was actually worried about ________.
A.the tooth fairy’s health
B.the little mouse’s coming
C.the amount of coins he could get
D.the story his grandparents know
【小题4】By telling this story, the author intends to say it’s important to _________ in a bilingual family.
A.make kids know the folk stories
B.help kids choose one of the cultures
C.teach kids two languages
D.keep the balance of both cultures

We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenager daughter Holly practice her driving.

??? At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said, “Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won’t last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won’t last.”

??? After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted, “Dad! Dad, Holly crashed your truck.”

??? My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was involved? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say, “Here is a chance to show Holly what you really love. She’ll never forget it.”

??? The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van (搬运车). In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes and the gas pedal. Holly was unhurt physically, but when I reached her, she was crying and saying, “Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I know how much you love this truck.” I held her in my arms as she cried.

??? Later that week a friend stopped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the story. Her eyes moistened(湿润) and she said, “That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad’s car and ran into a log that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home my Dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me.” Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of that night. It was a deep wound on her soul.

I remember how sad Holly was the night and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times more than any piece of property. I repaired the van, but the dent (凹痕) in my truck is still there today. Every day it reminds me of what really matters in my life.

1.Why did the father permit his daughter to drive his truck? (No more than 5 words) (2 marks)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

2.How did the accident happen????????????????????? (No more than 11 words) (3 marks)??????????????????????????????????????????????

 

3.What happened to the author’s friend after she ruined her dad’s car?

??????????????????????????????????????????????? (No more than 11 words) (2 marks)?

 

4.What does the writer try to tell us according to the passage? (No more than 10 words) (3 marks)

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

 “BANG!” the door caused a reverberation (回声).It was just standing there, with Father standing on one side, and I on the other side.

We were both in great anger.“Never set foot in this house again!” stormed Father.With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.

The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的).I wandered aimlessly.

A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me.I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious.

But now… I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old.We differ in our ways of thinking.He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me.Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it.We are just like two people coming from two different worlds.It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.

I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind.My heart was frozen on this hot summer night.As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company.When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on.

In fact, it was nothing.Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps.Perhaps he thought they were useless.I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps.I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的) words: “ I can throw you away, let alone these old papers.”

All the lights were off except father’s.

Dad was always like this.Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself.After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret.After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.

This was how he always was.He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.

The light was still on.“Am I wrong?” I whispered, maybe… With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been.At last, I decided to open the door.As soon as I opened the door, tears ran down my cheeks.I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all.Love – is second to none.

1.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.

a.I opened the door and entered the house.

b.Sadly I ran out into the street.

c.I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.

d.I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.

e.I walked about in the street without any aim.

A.b, e, d, c, a                 B.b, e, c, d, a                 C.b, e, a, c, d                 D.b, e, c, a, d

2.What made the writer think of his childhood?

A.The sight of the desolate street lights.

B.The sight of the empty street.

C.The sight of a father with a child in his arms.

D.The sight of light in his own house.

3.Why do you think the father often shouts at his son?

A.Perhaps the father is getting older and older.

B.Perhaps the son has already grown up.

C.Perhaps they never agree with each other.

D.Perhaps the father has got used to doing that.

4.What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage?

A.The father is actually kind to his son.

B.The father treats his son in an unfair way.

C.The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son.

D.The father is always finding fault with his son.

 

Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers (慢跑者) jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not.

But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived (丧失). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.

The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD (多动症). Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.

A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies.

Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy (等级) based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity.

Most bullying (恃强凌弱) is found in schools where there is a tarmac (柏油碎石) playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are encouraged to explore. This reminds me unpleasantly of Sunnyhill School, with its hard tarmac, where I used to hang about in corners dreaming about wildlife.

But children are frequently discouraged from involvement with natural spaces, for health and safety reasons, for fear that they might get dirty or that they might cause damage. So, instead, the damage is done to the children themselves: not to their bodies but to their souls.

One of the great problems of modern childhood is ADHD, now increasingly and expensively treated with drugs. Yet one study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.

The life of old people is much better when they have access to nature. The most important for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.

In wider and more difficult areas of life, there is evidence to indicate that natural surroundings improve all kinds of things. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.

Dr William Bird, researcher from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, states in his study, “A natural environment can reduce violent behaviour because its process helps reduce anger and behavior that people might regret later.” Wild places need encouraging for this reason, no matter how small their contribution.

We tend to think human beings are doing nature some kind of favor when we are protecting nature. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is damaging.

Human beings are a species of animals. For seven million years we lived on the planet as part of nature. So we miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a glass of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that.

We need the wild world. It is necessary to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without other living things around us we are less than human.

1.What is the author’s firm belief?

  A. People seek nature in different ways.

  B. People should spend most of their lives in the wild.

  C. People have quite different ideas of nature.

  D. People must make more efforts to study nature.

2.What does the author say people prefer for their children nowadays?

  A. Personal freedom.              B. Things that are natural.

  C. Urban surroundings.            D. Things that are purchased.

3.What does a study in Sweden show?

  A. The natural environment can help children learn better.

  B. More access to nature makes children less likely to fall ill.

  C. A good playground helps kids develop their physical abilities.

  D. Natural views can prevent children from developing ADHD.

4.Children who have chances to explore natural areas ________.

   A. tend to develop a strong love for science     

B. are more likely to dream about wildlife

   C. tend to be physically tougher in adulthood    

D. are less likely to be involved in bullying

5.What does the author suggest we do to help children with ADHD?

  A. Find more effective drugs for them.     

B. Provide more green spaces for them.

  C. Place them under more personal care.  

D. Engage them in more meaningful activities

6. In what way do elderly people benefit from their contact with nature?

  A. They look on life optimistically.      B. They enjoy a life of better quality.

C. They are able to live longer.            D. They become good-humored

 

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