John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew,but whose face he didn’t,the girl with the rose.Thirteen months ago,in a Florida library he took a book off the shell and found himself interested in the notes in the margin(页边).The soft handwriting showed a thoughtful soul and insightful(有洞察力的)mind.

In front of the book,he discovered the name,Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he got her address.He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to keep in touch.

During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail.A romance started.John requested a photograph,but she refused.She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.Later they agreed on their first meeting—7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York.

“You’ll recognize me,” she wrote,“by the red rose I’ll be wearing my coat.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for the girl with the red rose.

A girl in a green suit was coming toward him,her figure long and slim and her eyes were blue as flowers.Almost uncontrollably came to her,and just at this moment he saw Hollis Maynell—a woman well past 40.The girl was walking quickly away.

He did not hesitate(犹豫),saying,“I’m John,and you must be Miss Maynell.I am so glad you could meet me. May I take you to dinner?”

The woman smiled, “I don’t know what this is about,son,” she answered,“but the young lady in the green suit begged me to wear this rose on my coat.And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner,I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the restaurant across the street.She said it was some kind of test!”

It’s not difficult to admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.

1.John was attracted by Miss Hollis Maynell because ________.

A.John believed her one of her old friends

B.she took good notes with a soft handwriting

C.John thought her a considerate and thinking lady

D.she was beautiful with a slim figure and blue eyes

2.Why did John uncontrollably go up to the young girl in the green suit?

A.Because he knew it was Miss Hollis Maynell.

B.Because she was the very lady he was waiting for.

C.Because he was drawn to her beautiful appearance.

D.Because John didn’t want to meet Miss Hollis Maynell

3.We can find John was a person who ________.

A.was easy to change his mind

B.was casual and independent

C.judged a person by his looks

D.valued a person’s inner spirit

4.What’s the theme of the story?

A.The wisdom is shown in one’s action.

B.Love can be met by chance if you like.

C.You should never judge a book by its cover.

D.A noble heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.

It is easy to lose patience with science today. The questions are pressing: How dangerous is air pollution? What about low-level radiation? When will that horrible earthquake strike California? And why can't we predict weather better? But the evidence is often described as "uncertain", forcing scientists to base their points of view almost as much on intuition(直觉)as on science.

When historians and philosophers of science listen to these questions, some conclude that science may not be able to solve all these problems any time soon. The unknowns can grow into riddles that are impossible to solve. Because of the unstable and changing state of the earth's atmosphere, for example, scientists have struggled for centuries to predict the weather with precision(精确) but failed.

The case is different for scientists of astronomy. For example, they think that the gravitational force of a nearby space vehicle, though tiny, is able to change the path of a much larger planet if the vehicle spends enough time close to it. With the aid of Newton's laws of gravitational attraction, ground controllers can predict the path of a planetary probe (探测仪)-or satellite-with incredible accuracy. They do this by calculating the gravitational force from each of the passing planets until the probe speeds beyond the edge of the solar system.A much more difficult task is to calculate what happens when two or three times of such force pull on the probe at the same time. Such procedures can, of course, be very difficult, but for experiments, they are effective.

This range of questions-from simple problems to those impossibly complex-has resulted in nicknames for various fields of study: "soft" sciences and " hard " sciences.“Soft” sciences admit a great degree of uncertainty. Academicians tend to judge fields such as sociology, psychology, and political science as “soft” because they are assumed to be understandable, of unnecessary mathematical accuracy, and concerned with everyday affairs such as interpersonal relationships. However, "hard" sciences, such as astronomy and chemistry, are said to offer precise answers. Precise definitions for "hard" sciences vary, but the characteristics of "hard" sciences include: producing testable predictions; performing controlled experiments; relying on quantifiable data and mathematical models; a high degree of accuracy and objectivity; and generally applying a pure form of the scientific method

1.We can learn from the passage that

A.a large planet is able to change the size of a tiny planet

B.ground controllers can affect the gravitational force of planets

C.calculating the probe speeds beyond the solar system is possible

D.predicting the weather is more difficult than predicting the path of a satellite

2.According to the author, "soft" sciences

A.allow for certain inaccuracy

B.focus on personal relationships

C.are based on controlled experiments

D.are rooted in data and mathematical models

3.What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Science, a Long History?

C. Science, Accurate or Not?

B. Science and Its Functions

D. Science and Its Application

4.What is the author's attitude towards science in this passage?

A. Objective. B. Sceptical.

C. Disapproval. D. Optimistic

I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention.Finally,the driver,a man about 60,looked up from behind the wheel and apologized,“I’m sorry,but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.

Since I was in no hurry,I told him to finish his letter.He shook his head,explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart.Curious,I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild.“This isn’t family,”he replied.“though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family.Old Ed and I grew up together.”

They were always friends.But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago,it’d generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them.A couple of weeks ago,Ed died.“I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this,more to himself than to me.To comfort him,I said sometimes we just didn’t seem to find the time.“But we used to find the time,” he said.“Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.

The first sentence “I’ve been meaning to write for some time,but I’ve always delayed it.” reminded me of myself.It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together.When I read the part where it said “Your friendship really means a lot to me,more than I can say because I’m not good at saying things like that”,I found myself nodding in agreement.

We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph: “So I thought you’d like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”

“I thought your friend’s name was Ed,” I said.

“I’m Tom,” he explained. “It’s a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he’d died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

When I got to my hotel room I didn’t unpack right away.I had to write a letter and post it.

1.Who wrote the letter?

A.Tom

B.Old Ed.

C.The author.

D.The driver’s grandchild.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted_____.

A.missing Ed’s funeral

B.moving away from his neighborhood

C.forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards

D.not being able to keep in touch with Ed

3.From Paragraph 4,we learn that the author _______.

A.often fails to write to his friends

B.has no intention to write to his friends

C.had many great moments with his friends

D.was good at expressing his feelings to friends

4.What message does the passage probably try to convey?

A.Comfort your friends when they are feeling down.

B.Life is unpredictable so live each day as if it were your last.

C.Remember to always mail your letters after expressing your words.

D.Always make time to value and experience your lasting friendships.

Tour A--Bath & Stonehenge including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge--£37until 26 March and £39 thereafter.

Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum. Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.

Tour B--Oxford & Stratford including entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway's house一£32 until 12 March and £36 thereafter.

Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires(尖顶)”form St Mary’s Church Tower. Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.

Tour C—Windsor Castle & Hampton Court including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace--£34 until 11 March and £37 thereafter.

Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, HenryⅧ’s favourite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included). With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫)where it is easy to get lost!

Tour D--Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great--£33 until 18 March and £37 thereafter.

Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.[来

1.Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?

A. Tour A B. Tour B C. Tour C D. Tour D

2.Which of the following tours charges the lowest fee on 17 March?

A. Windsor Castle & Hampton Court.

B. Oxford & Stratford

C. Bath &Stonehenge.

D. Cambridge.

3.Why is Hampton Court a major tourist attraction?

A. It used to be the home of royal families.

B.It used to be a well-known maze

C.It is the oldest palace in Britain

D. It is a world-famous castle.

D

Dear Guys,

I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.

One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly (勉强地) agreed.

Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request.

However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, and threw it as hard as I could.

It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.

Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, and then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.

The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.

This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.

Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.

Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.

“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.

“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.

And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”

I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.

Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.

It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.

I surprised myself—and I’m sure you as well—by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery.

Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”

Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period were just enough blows for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”

And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.

Sincerely, Jen Cordery

1.The writer agreed to throw the ball because ______.

A. she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries

B. she wanted to refresh her childhood memories

C. she could not refuse the polite request from the young man

D. she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight

2.Which of the following is closet in meaning to the underlined word “game”?

A. anxious B. brave C. afraid D. curious

3.Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?

A. To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back.

B. To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills.

C. To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were.

D. To express her dislike towards softball.

4.What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer ________.

A. inspired B. encouraged C. awkward D. depressed

5.What happened to the ball at last?

A. The writer managed to throw the ball back.

B. The boy got the ball back by himself.

C. The writer threw the ball away out of anger.

D. The boys got angry and left without the ball.

6.What’s the writer’s purpose in writing this open letter?

A. To express her regret over what she did the day before.

B. To announce that she would never play all games again.

C. To joke on her inability to throw the ball over the fence.

D. To criticize the young men for their cruelty to her dignity.

阅读理解

It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.

“Any old papers, lady?” asked one of them.

I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.

“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”

They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.

The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”

“Am I rich? Pity, no!”

I looked at my worn?out slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.

Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.

I tasted the potatoes and stirred(搅动)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.

I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.

1.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A.Lady, are you rich?

B.A story of Thanksgiving Day

C.Don't forget how rich you are

D.Does cups and saucers match well?

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

A.The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy.

B.The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive.

C.If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap.

D.After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was.

3.The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.

A.show that she was a kind?hearted lady

B.remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was

C.leave room for readers to think about what being rich is

D.prove that she had understood what meant being rich

4.It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on________.

A.how much money you have made

B.what attitude you have had towards life

C.the way you help others

D.your social relationship

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