A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer's hair.The golden red sun was setting.She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery(火红的)ball.She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow.She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere relaxed her.After all she had been through, this was what she needed.“It's getting late,”she thought,“I must go home.My parents will be wondering where I am.”
She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing.She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday.The road was deserted.She walked slowly and silently.Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now.The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too.She wished she had her favorite sweater on:it kept her really warm.She imagined having it with her.This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door.It seemed different.Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days.She was shocked:her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now…It all seemed deserted.She couldn't understand what was going on.
She entered the house.First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father.It said:“Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready.I went looking.”Ellen was her mother but-where was she?On the right side of the hallway was her parents'room.She went in.Then she saw her.Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping.Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn't slept for days.She was really pale.Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired.So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her.When Jennifer woke up, something was different...she wasn't in her mother's room and she wasn't wearing the old clothes she ran away in.She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas(睡衣).
It felt so good being back home.Suddenly she heard a voice,“Are you feeling better now, dear?You know you got us very, very scared.”
(1)
Three days later Jennifer came back home ________.
[ ]
A.
at sunrise
B.
at sunset
C.
at night
D.
at midday
(2)
What does the underlined phrase“This thought”most probably mean?
[ ]
A.
The idea of going back home.
B.
Her anxiety about her parents.
C.
The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.
D.
The feeling of getting back home safely.
(3)
Her father didn't take care of the garden because ________.
[ ]
A.
he was busy looking for her
B.
he had to look after his wife
C.
he was not strict with his job
D.
he no longer enjoyed working in the garden
(4)
What can we infer from this passage?
[ ]
A.
In fact Jennifer's mother had been sick for days.
B.
As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.
C.
When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.
D.
Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.
Increasing fluid intake(摄入量)by about a liter per day appears to have no negative effects on healthy older men.Dutch researchers report.
Dr.Mark G.Spigt of Maastricht University and his colleagues note that older people are often dehydrated(脱水),partly because their sensation of thirst may be slow.On the other hand, the elderly can easily become overly hydrated, because their kidneys(肾)tend to work less efficiently.Keeping extra water reduce the level of sodium(钠)in the body, which can have serious consequences.
To investigate the general effects of increased fluid intake, the researchers examined data from a study involving 141 healthy men aged between 55 and 75.In random(随意的)order they were either advised to increase their water intake by a liter and a half per day, or were given a spoonful of syrup(糖浆)per day.
After 6 months, the men urged to drink more water had managed to boost their daily fluid intake by an average of about a liter per day.There were no significant differences between the two groups in blood pressure or sodium level.
The researchers thus concluded that the advice to increase fluid intake had no negative effects.
Summing up, Spigt added,“It seems unreasonable to worry about the harmful effects of drinking extra water, he warned,”This does not mean that one can drink too much.Extreme intakes of water-more than 10 liters–can be harmful.
(1)
The first paragraph is written to ________.
[ ]
A.
attract readers’ attention
B.
introduce some researchers to us
C.
introduce the topic of the passage
D.
tell us the result of a research
(2)
According to Spigt and his colleagues, the elderly are often dehydrated ________.
[ ]
A.
because their kidneys can’t work properly
B.
because water can reduce the level of sodium in the body.
C.
because they need less water than before.
D.
partly because their feeling of thirst may be slow.
(3)
Which of the following can explain the underlined word“boost”(in Paragraph 4)?
[ ]
A.
Increase
B.
Reduce
C.
Complete
D.
Require
(4)
The main purpose of this passage is to tell people ________.
[ ]
A.
elderly men like to drink more water
B.
elderly men should drink more water
C.
drinking extra water does no harm to elderly men
D.
drinking too much water does harm to people
阅读理解
Last year in my high school child-development class, each student had to take the“Think-It-Over”baby home for a night to get a taste of parenthood.
It was a Friday night when my turn came to take the 10-pound plastic doll home.The doll really did look like a live baby from a distance.It even had a pleasant baby powdder smell.I took the baby home and named him Tyler.
My frieads and I went out for supper that night.As it was rather cold, I decided to wrap Tyler in a blanket and carry him in that way.When I walked into the restaurant, I noticed some very strange looks and quite a few raised eyebrows.My friends and I decided to make a game out of the whole situation.I stood in the Gorner pretending to rock Tyler to while my friends kept looking into the blanket and said,“Oh, how lovely.”I could not but laugh.And although it was funny to my friends and nme, some of the people did think it was so funy that I had a baby.I overheard one couple say,“Why would she she g a baby here?”These people were giving me rude looks and forming judgments about because they thought I was a teenage mom.Others just smiled at me pathetically(同情地)and felt sorry for me because I was only a child with a chiId.ing our meal, my friends and I received strange looks from the others in the restaurant.S so glad to finally go home.
I learned a lot through my experience with the“Think-It-Over”baby.The doll ly strengthened my thinking I was not ready to be a parent, but it also made me e aware of the larger picture.It opened my eyes to the judgments people make about rs.People do not realize that some things are not the way they seem.I was only ying it around for a class project.The people in the restaurant were so quick to judge because they thought I was a teenage mom.I sometimes catch myself judging people I not know, just because of the first impression they give.In reality, I have no idea about real stories.We should all be slower to judge others, and realize that some things are as they seem.
(1)
The child-development class is meant for students ________.
[ ]
A.
to take a doll home for fun
B.
to gain experience as a parent
C.
to learn to be a good baby-sitter
D.
to learn to better care for others
(2)
What did the writer mainly learn from her class project?
[ ]
A.
She should look after homeless babies.
B.
She should take the class project seriously.
C.
She should help those teenage moms at her best.
D.
She should judge people after understanding them better.
(3)
The last paragraph of the passage is ________.
[ ]
A.
a description of the class
B.
a conclusion of the project
C.
a comment on the writer's experience
D.
an argument against teenage moms
阅读理解
People can be addicted to different things, e.g.alcohol, drugs, certain foods, or even television.People who have such an addiction are compulsive(难以抑制的); i.e., they have a very powerful psychological need that they feel they must satisfy.According to psychologists, many people are compulsive spenders; they feel that they must spend money.This compulsion, like most others, is irrational-impossible to explain reasonably.For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, charge accounts are even more exciting than money.In other words, compulsive spenders feel that with credit, they can do anything.Their pleasure in spending enormous amounts is actually greater than the pleasures than they get from the things they buy.
There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting.To save money, of course, most people look for sales, low prices, and discounts.Compulsive bargain hunters, however, often buy things that they don't need just because they are cheap.They want to believe that they are helping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game:when they can buy something for less than other people, they feel that they are winning.Most people, experts claim, have two reasons for their behavior:a good reason for the things that they do and the real reason.
It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, but also business people.Stores, companies and advertisers use psychology to increase business:they consider people's need for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs and opinions, and so on in their advertising and sales methods.
Psychologists often use a method called “behavior therapy” to help individuals solve their personal problems.In the same way, they can help people who feel that they have problems with money.
(1)
According to psychologists, a compulsive spender is one who spends large amounts of money ________.
[ ]
A.
and takes great pleasure from what he or she buys
B.
in order to satisfy his or her basic needs in life
C.
just to meet his or her strong psychological need
D.
entirely with an irrational eagerness
(2)
According to the writer, compulsive bargain hunters are in constant search of the lowest possible prices ________.
[ ]
A.
because they want to save money to help their budgets
B.
because they can have the feeling of winning others in getting things for less money
C.
and will not have money problems if they can keep to their budget
D.
but they often admit they feel dissatisfied if they can get things for less money than others
(3)
The passage is mainly concerned with ________.
[ ]
A.
the psychology of money-spending habits
B.
the purchasing habits of compulsive spenders
C.
a special psychology of bargain hunting
D.
the use of the psychology of spending habits in business
(4)
Which of the following statements is true?
[ ]
A.
All people spend money for exactly the same reason they need to buy things.
B.
Business people and advertisers can use the psychology of money to increase sales.
C.
Business people understand the psychology of compulsive buying better than scientists do.
D.
Compulsive bargain hunters do not have problems with money.
(5)
From the passage we may safely concluded that compulsive spenders or compulsive bargain hunters________.
[ ]
A.
are really unreasonable
B.
need special treatment
C.
are really beyond treatment
D.
can never get any help to solve their problems with money
阅读理解
News that Microsoft was making a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo was greeted with heated discussion by many Internet users on Friday.Here are some responses:
Mark Galeassi of Kansas City, Missouri
This is the best move for both parties.Yahoo has the ideas and Microsoft has the money to finally market these ideas correctly.Microsoft and Yahoo are a perfect fit and the deal will be good for consumers.
Scott G of New Jersey
I was a Yahoo user for years along with Hotmail from Microsoft.Then Google came along:Google Earth, Google Toolbar and Gmail.Google is so innovative(创新的)with everything they do.Yahoo and Microsoft…same old story…I don’t think the merger(合并)will do anything for either company except improve the Yahoo shareholders’ bank accounts.
Michael Glosser of Estero, Florida
Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users.Microsoft seeks nothing but profit.Undoubtedly, they’ll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo’s formerly non-priced features.Microsoft’s greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is.
Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California
Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet!
Antonio Simmons of Parkville, Maryland
Microsoft purchasing Yahoo would be nothing more than an attempt from Microsoft to further impose upon the users their poor-quality software and obtain more wealth for the company.In my opinion, they will never be able to compete with Google because Yahoo and Microsoft’s current search engines are too inferior(差的)to compete.Even if combined, they still lack.
(1)
Who is in favor of the merger of Microsoft and Yahoo?
[ ]
A.
Antonio Simmons.
B.
Michael Grosser.
C.
Scott G.
D.
Mark Galeassi.
(2)
In the opinion of Scott G, ________.
[ ]
A.
the merger will contribute to Microsoft
B.
Yahoo and Microsoft are lacking in innovation
C.
Google is getting short of management experience
D.
the merger will allow Microsoft to overtake Google
(3)
Michael Grosser is afraid that ________.
[ ]
A.
the merger will cost Yahoo’s free features
B.
the merger will lead to Microsoft’s defeating Yahoo
C.
the increased competition will force Google out of the game
D.
Internet users will have to buy Microsoft’s expensive software