题目内容
—Did the door-keeper let you in？
—No. ________ I tried to tell him that I was your uncle, he just wouldn't listen to me.
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When someone says, “Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music,” it doesn’t mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you did not do this or that. Terrible music, indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us has had to “face the music”, especially as children. We can remember father’s angry voice: “I want to talk to you!” And only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “face the music” is known to every American, old and young. It is at least one hundred years old. Where did the expression come from?
The first explanation came from the American novelist James Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings (舞台的两侧) to go on stage. After they got their clue(暗示) to go on , they often said, “It’s time to go to face the music. ” And that is exactly what they did face the orchestra (乐队) which was just below the stage.
An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience(观众) that might be friendly, or perhaps unfriendly, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So “face the music” came to mean: having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.
【小题1】The expression “face the music” means ______.
A． plan to go to a concert |
| B．get one’s clue to do something |
| C．have to go through something far less pleasant |
| D．disobey what one's father says |
| A．children | B．novelists | C．actors | D．audience |
| A．老板 | B．同事 | C．角色 | D．台词 |
Catherine and I were on our way to our nephew’s birthday party one rainy Saturday morning, driving along what some people call moose(驼鹿) alley. It was early, there were few other cars on the road and we were looking forward to a good day with the family. Suddenly, a moose rushed across our path. Fortunately, a quick swerve(突然转向) to the other lane prevented a full impact, with only a small collision on the right side of our car ripping off the mirror and knocking the moose to the pavement.
By the time I stopped and looked back in my rear view mirror, the moose was getting up. It ran into the bush. Shaken but unharmed, we both looked at each other shocked by what had happened. We knew that moose accidents had claimed many lives throughout the years, and that we had been very fortunate to escape with no personal injury or worse. After a quick check of our vehicle, we drove off.
Even though the moose accident lasted just a few seconds, we still remember it to this day. Why?
We had often talked about the frailty of life, the here today and gone tomorrow potential we all face, but it had never felt so real. And it wasn’t that we hadn’t had friends, relatives and colleagues die before, it was that this experience was much more personal. In a matter of seconds, lives can easily change.
The effect of that one near miss with death has been positive, and made us appreciate life. Each one of us has only a limited time on this Earth; no one can predict when your time will end. We should give thanks for each day, to see the sun rise again, and to know that you can accomplish and assist others to appreciate their life if they are caught in the “poor-me” syndrome（综合症状）.
【小题1】What can we learn about the accident form the first two paragraphs?
| A．Fortunately, they didn’t hit the moose. |
| B．They themselves were slightly injured. |
| C．Many people have died from similar accidents. |
| D．The author should be blamed for the accident. |
| A．Being open to unexpected turns in life is important. |
| B．Life is long if you know how to use it. |
| C．Life is measured by thoughts and actions, not by time. |
| D．Life is unpredictable, so we should treasure every moment. |
a. being thankful and helpful
b. appreciating the natural beauty of the world
c. being confident
d. making every effort to succeed
| A．ab | B．bc | C．abc | D．bcd |
Several years ago, a student working on a research project in my laboratory approached me with concern.“I’m doing something wrong,”she exclaimed. I had seen her research results and knew she was making good progress, so I was surprised to hear that she was having a problem. Over the next several days we went through her experiment; yet I could not find a problem. Finally, I asked her,“Why do you think you’re doing something wrong?” “Because I’m not getting what you said I should get,”she replied with some confusion.
Her response shocked me. I had not told her what she“should get”, but we had discussed some published hypotheses(假说) several weeks earlier. On seeing the research data that did not fit these predictions, I recognized that she had a new finding and came to change my hypotheses. But she was interpreting her results as a mistake. With almost four years of a college science major behind her, this student still had the common misunderstanding that science is a boring exercise in proving something we already know to be true.
But how can this happen? Throughout school, science is often described in textbooks as a series of“known”facts and figures; for example, DNA is a double helix; earthquakes occur at plate boundaries, etc. Unfortunately, the process by which these discoveries were made and how they fit into scientific progress are often ignored in the classroom. These details help show the nature of scientific discoveries and the tails help show the nature of scientific discoveries and the skepticism(质疑) that goes with new discoveries before they are accepted.
Understanding science is more than memorizing that DNA is a double helix. It is to have the ability to take in new information on diet, exercise, or disease and apply it to our own lives. Understanding the process of science and scientific problem-solving can help us make better decisions every day.
【小题1】The student thought her research project had gone wrong because .
| A．she was not making progress |
| B．her teacher told her so |
| C．she couldn’t get enough data |
| D．she had some unexpected findings |
| A．Confused. | B．Surprised. | C．Excited. | D．Pleased. |
| A．Her own carelessness. |
| B．Her teacher’s lack of experience. |
| C．The method of science education. |
| D．The publication of some wrong hypotheses. |
| A．The meaning of understanding science. |
| B．How to use known facts. |
| C．The best way to make scientific discoveries. |
| D．How to use scientific knowledge in daily life. |
Five years ago, I was sent to a better middle school. For me, everything there was new and strange. After I had been there for two months, there was an important test in the middle of the term. It covered all my courses. In that test, I didn’t get a good grade, but most of my classmates got an A or A’.
It made me upset for a long time. I felt everything in the world was changing. I thought my classmates were all better than me. During those days I was very unhappy.
One day, my aunt, after talking with my teachers, talked to me. She told me to think about what I had done in the past and what I should do in the future. I was shocked by her words. I thought about what I had done during the past months, and I found I had done nothing to improve my grades. I thought I should work harder.
After that, I paid more attention to the teachers’ talking in the classes, and I asked my teachers or my classmates when I didn’t understand something. I stud
ied very late at night when I met with difficult problems. Most of all, I came to understand the importance of taking notes in class. As a result, I did better in some tests.
About three months later, the most important test came at the end of the term. This time, I stood out not only in my class but also in the grade. From then on, I have tried to do my best when I do something because I know if I want something, I should work hard for it.
【小题1】Why did the writer fall behind in the new middle school?
| A．Because the teachers didn’t treat him well enough. |
| B．Because the subjects were becoming more difficult. |
| C．Because he hated the life in the new school. |
| D．Because he didn’t put his heart into study. |
| A．She punished him for not working hard. |
| B．She helped him find out the reasons for his poor performance. |
| C．She forced him to work harder. |
| D．She asked his teachers to talk with him about his problems. |
| A．Asking teachers for help when in difficulty. | B．Working deep into the night every day. |
| C．Making notes in class. | D．Listening to every word his teachers said. |
| A．The writer failed again in the exam. | B．The writer did very well in the exam. |
| C．The writer became the cleverest in the class. | D．The writer was very proud of his progress. |
I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice.
“Mom, come here! There’s this lady here my size!”
The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize.
I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then I talked to the boy, “Hi, Mickey, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?”
He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?”
“Yes, I have a son,” I answered.
“Why are you so little?” he asked.
“It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids laughed at me.. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have---a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.
【小题1】Why did the mother apologize to the author?
| A．Because the boy ran into the author. |
| B．Because the boy laughed at the author. |
| C．Because the boy said the author was fatter than him. |
| D．Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author. |
| A．When she grew up. |
| B．When she was 47 years old. |
| C．When she began to go to school. |
| D．When she met the boy in the supermarket. |
| A．Angry. | B．Calm. | C．Painful. | D．Discouraged. |