题目内容

In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses, and carts got stuck. An old joke that was popular at the time went something like this: A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street. Asked if he needs help, he replies, "No, thanks. I've got a good horse under me."

The city planner decided to build an underground drainage (排水) system, but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level. The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city.

An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt. This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12 feet.

This of course created a new problem: dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago. Building owners were faced with a choice: either change the first floors of their buildings into basements, and the second stories into main floors, or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level. Small wood-frame buildings could be lifted fairly easily. But what about large, heavy structures like Tremont Hotel, which was a six-story brick building?

That's where George Pullman came in. He had developed some house-moving skills successfully. To lift a big structure like the Tremont Hotel, Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews (螺旋千斤顶) beneath the building's foundation. One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10 jackscrews. At Pullman's sign each man turned his jackscrew the same amount at the same time, thereby raising the building slowly and evenly. Astonishingly, the Tremont Hotel stay open during the entire operation, and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening. Some people like to say that every problem has a solution. But in Chicago's early history, every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem. Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River, the city's next step was to clean the polluted river.

1.The author mentions the joke to show ________.

A. horses were fairly useful in Chicago

B. Chicago's streets were extremely muddy

C. Chicago was very dangerous in the spring

D. the Chicago people were particularly humorous

2.The city planners were convinced by Ellis Chesbrough to ________.

A. get rid of the street dirt

B. lower the Chicago River

C. fight against heavy floods

D. build the pipes above ground

3.What can we conclude about the moving operation of the Tremont Hotel?

A. It went on smoothly as intended.

B. It interrupted the business of the hotel.

C. It involved Pullman turning ten jackscrews.

D. It separated the building from its foundation.

4.The passage is mainly about the early Chicago's ________.

A. popular life styles and their influences

B. environmental disasters and their causes

C. engineering problems and their solutions

D. successful businessmen and their achievements

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It was many years ago. I was a young dad sitting on the couch reading a fairy tale to my little girl. She sat next to me with her head on my arm as I told the _______. When it came to the _______ I finished with those famous words:“And they lived happily ever after.” _______ I looked over to her with her wavy, brown hair and big, innocent eyes, I could see the _______ on her face and I never wanted it to end. It _______ me then that the ending of the book was what I wanted for her. I wanted her to “live happily ever after."

_______, deep in my heart I knew that this couldn’t always be so. I knew that there would be times when her heart was _______. I knew there would be times when she cried in grief and I couldn’t _______ her. I knew there would be times when all she felt was _______, sadness, sorrow, and despair. As I stroked her hair and smiled at her I hoped that those times would be ________ and that she would have joy in her life more often than not. Living happily ever after, though ________ out of the question.

It took me a lot of years to ________ that it is possible to live happily ever after. You just have to do it "one day at a time." Happiness you see isn’t some ________ that you get at the end of your ________. Happiness isn't something dependent on ________life hands you. Happiness is ________ you create in your life choice by choice and day by day.

The ________ is that happiness comes when you love. Love is a(n) ________ from God. It is love that ________ broken hearts. It is love that heals grief. It is love that gives us joy. ________ to “live happily ever after, one day at a time.”

1.A. tale B. words C. times D. book

2.A. beginning B. middle C. end D. bottom

3.A. Until B. Though C. As D. Unless

4.A. tear B. smile C. worry D. sadness

5.A. dawned on B. took in C. caught on D. made out

6.A. Therefore B. However C. But D. So

7.A. hurt B. injured C. harmed D. broken

8.A. persuade B. entertain C. comfort D. satisfy

9.A. desire B. eagerness C. stress D. fear

10.A. quick B. fast C. brief D. soon

11.A. remained B. stayed C. kept D. seemed

12.A. recognize B. realize C. know D. accept

13.A. prize B. award C. reward D. value

14.A. journey B. trip C. travel D. tour

15.A. how B. when C. what D. which

16.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing

17.A. reality B. truth C. faith D. belief

18.A. fate B. fortune C. offer D. gift

19.A. improves B. recovers C. mends D. calm

20.A. Choose B. Accept C. Prefer D. Remember

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.

My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”

At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!

When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.

Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.

Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.

You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.

1.What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was ______.

A. caring B. moving

C. encouraging D. interesting

2.According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?

A. Doctors. B. Nurses.

C. Friends. D. Mom.

3.What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?

A. His terrible experience in the hotel.

B. His previous business success of various levels.

C. His mom’s support.

D. His wife’s suggestion.

4.Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?

A. Modest, helpful, and hard-working.

B. Loving, supportive and strong-willed.

C. Careful, helpful and beautiful.

D. Strict, sensitive and supportive.

One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. "One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states." said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.

In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions(规定) was the 1994 "Toubon law" in France, and the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often considered as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.

It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the "purity" of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but that has not been a barrier to acquiring superiority and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of the state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academic Francaise in France.

The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon-------especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new ways of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend.

1.Neville Alexander believes that __________.

A. mother-tongue education is not practiced in all African countries

B. globalization has resulted in the economic failure of Africa

C. globalization has led to the rise of multi-language trend

D. lack of mother-tongue education can lead to economic failure

2.The underlined word "futile" (in paragraph 2) most probably means " ___________".

A. workable B. practical

C. useless D. unnecessary

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. English has taken over fields like public communication and education.

B. Many aspects of national culture are threatened by the spread of English.

C. Most language experts believe it is important to promote a national language.

D. Europeans have long realized the need to protect a national language.

4.The best title for the passage is __________.

A. Fighting against the rule of English

B. Protecting local languages and identities

C. Globalization and multi-language trend

D. To maintain the purity of language by law

It was a rainy morning and the children, mainly boys with various learning difficulties, refused to settle for the start of the lesson. As an inexperienced teacher, I tried every means to get them to be______, but in vain. My panic was rising and I could feel my heart beating wildly. This was the______of my job as a music teacher, I thought -- teaching was not for me. Then I had an idea. Hoping that no one would notice that I was______inside, I threw my voice as far as it would reach: "Put your heads on the desks and close your______ ! We are going on a journey."

____ , the children fell silent. "Now what should I do?" I thought to myself. Reaching over to my collection of CDs, I blindly ______ , put it in the machine and played it.

Obediently (顺从地), my class lay their heads on their desk, closed their eyes and ______. When the music started, the room as filled with the most beautiful tones and musical colors I could have ever imagined. All the children were ______ . When the music finished, I asked them all to raise their ______slowly so that we could share our musical journey.

At this point, when all the children were willing to share their experiences, I began to learn how to ______ . The music allow me to learn that teaching is about sharing and respect, tears and smiles, the knowing and the _____ and most of all, an understanding of each other. This was the power that ______in the classroom could have.

1.A. glad B. safe C. kind D. quiet

2.A. end B. aim C. rule D. plan

3.A. guessing B. shaking C. responding D. laughing

4.A. eyes B. mouths C. books D. doors

5.A. Punctually B. Importantly C. Amazingly D. Obviously

6.A. passed one on B. gave one back C. turned one in D. took one out

7.A. slept B. nodded C. waited D. continued

8.A. talking B. singing C. dancing D. listening

9.A. legs B. heads C. arms D. shoulders

10.A. teach B. imagine C. play D. understand

11.A. unprepared B. unspoken C. unknown D. unforgotten

12.A. games B. music C. tears D. knowledge

The 87th Academy Award nominations(提名)were announced on Jan 15,and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year's top Hollywood films.

The Imitation Game

This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War Ⅱ, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode(解码)the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch's portrayal(扮演)of Turing's personality, a mixture of decency(正派)and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.

Birdman

This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson's, plays the leading role.

Selma

A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.'s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King's(David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.

The Theory of Everything

We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist's (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.

Boyhood

American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for l2 years to record a boy's growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college.

1.How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?

A. Five. B. Six.

C. Eight. D. Nine.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A. Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman.

B. Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game.

C. Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.'s fight for voting rights for African-Americans.

D. The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories.

3.What is the main purpose of the text?

A. To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards.

B. To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees.

C. To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards' history.

D. To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics.

The Come-back Coffeehouse

The sign in the window read "Carl's Coffee Shoppe," spelled the old-fashioned way. Hallie shook her head and wondered how many times she had suggested an alternative. She entered the shop and saw only one person.

"I could help with the books, Dad",Hallie offered, "There's not much you could do." Her father signed. "How about if you clean the counters instead?" His statement made her feel like a little girl instead of a senior in high school. Hallie sprayed some cleanser and ran a cloth over the worn countertops, After she had washed a few of the old eggshell-colored cups, she began her homework. At closing time, Hallie's parents sat beside her. "You know the shop has not been profitable lately," Mr. Rhodes began. "We need to decide if it is even worth keeping it open." "We're going to visit Uncle Harold over spring vacation." Mrs, Rhodes continued. "He can look over the books and tell us what our options are. You and Aunt Tess will run the shop for the week."

By spring vacation Hallie was ready for an adventure. Hllie's parents gave some instructions, and said good-bye. Hallie stared absently out the window at the passersby: young people on their way to work, and kids on their school vacation. They were not the same people that her grandpa Carl had served. Suddenly Hallie had an idea. She confided in Aunt Tess, who approved. The two eagerly set to work.

At the end of the week, Hallie was coming out from the kitchen when she saw her parents standing in the shop, confused. She smiled as her parents staredat the teens around the counter and the young families seated at the tables.

"Welcome back!" Hallie swept her arms to present the restaurant'scheerful new decoration. Bright, attractive coverings spread over the tables, and modern posters hung on the walls, while, colorful mismatched dishes contributed to the pleasant atmosphere."

I brought board games from home," Hallie added excitedly, "and the bookstore down the street donated the posters. When we talked to our friends about what we were doing, they were happy to give us some dishes." Hallieheld her breath as she waited for her parents' reaction.

"Everyone certainly seems to like the changes," noted Mrs. Rhodes.

"Speaking of changes," Mr. Rhodes said, "I see our name has changed, too."

"Do you mind? I changed our name to 'Come-Back Coffeehouse' to make the shop sound welcoming, as in 'Please come back again'..."

A smile spread across her father's face. “The new name is fitting.” Thanks to you, this place certainly has made a comeback!"

1.What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?

A. Hallie trusted Aunt Tess very much.

B. Hallie took charge of the books for her parents.

C. Hallie's parents didn't take her opinions seriously.

D. Hallie's parents didn't count on the shop for a living.

2.What do we learn about "Carl's Coffee Shoppe"?

A. It is behind the times.

B. It has regular customers.

C. It is located on a quiet street.

D. It follows family traditions well.

3.What did Hallie do after her parents left?

A. She advertised for the shop.

B. She made the shop more attractive.

C. She invited her friends to the shop.

D. She turned the shop into an activity center.

4.What kind of girl in Hallie?

A. Smart and helpful. B. Modest and out-going.

C. Optimistic and generous. D. Faithful and hardworking.

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