My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症)last summer. Suddenly, it was difficult for me to accept that the roles were now reversed---my mother became my child, and I became her mother. I became impatient, argued with her, once I even yelled at her. Gradually, I was used to this kind of life. Now I am able to deal with her and the situation better. I have learned a lot of life lessons from the experience. 

    My mother reacts very sensitively to my feelings. That is typical of Alzheimer’s patients. When I visit her, feeling busy and tense, she reacts immediately, takes on my mood, and becomes nervous and negative. But when I appear cheerful and attentive, she is happy. This has taught me to pay more attention to my own feelings when I am with other people. 

    I always thought I was very tolerant, but in reality, my tolerance ran out as soon as someone turned away from what I considered “right”. With my mother I can now really be tolerant. Through her illness she has developed a childlike tactlessness(不得体). Eating out in restaurants, for example, is a bit embarrassing when she shouts at the waiter that the food is so bad or talks about people at the next table in a loud voice. Of course I make sure that my mother doesn’t offend(冒犯)anyone, but I’ve stopped complaining about others and have become more tolerant. 

    I have also learned that everything has special value. When my mother got sick I didn’t want to burden my two daughters with it. They are young and have enough going on with their education, and starting their careers. I felt that it was simply my job as my mother’s daughter. The most wonderful discovery I’ve made through my mother’s disease may be that my children not only offer to help me when they sense that I’m feeling overwhelmed(难以承受), but that they take care of my mother on their own initiative(主动地). They visit her often, play cards with her, and look at photo albums together with her. It shows me that it’s all worth it.

1.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A. How I Cared for My Sick Mother

B. How I Became More Tolerant

C. What I Have Learned from Alzheimer’s

D. Why I Am Feeling Overwhelmed

2.Which of the following is common behavior of Alzheimer patients?

A. Being curious about everything

B. Being sensitive to others’ moods

C. Being afraid of strange people

D. Being particular about clothes

3.We can infer that the writer’s daughters are ________.

A. naughty B. selfish C. traditional D. considerate

阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。

The event that stands out in Tom’s memory happened one morning when Tom was only ten years old. He was at home with his elder sister Jane. Tom was doing his homework when he heard raised voices. At first he thought nothing of it since customers in the motorcycle shop directly below their flat often became loud, but he soon realized this time it was different.

“Quick! Quick! Remove the motorcycles from the shop.” someone yelled.

Then a thick burning smell filled the air. When Tom opened the front door of their flat to investigate, a thick cloud of smoke greeted him. The motorcycle shop had caught fire and people were running and crying.

Jane, who had been playing the violin in her room, hurried to the living room. They rushed out of the door and along the corridor(走廊) through the smoke.

They were heading towards the stairway at the far end of the corridor when Jane stopped in her track. She turned around and headed back the way they came. Tom had no idea what she was doing, but he followed her.

Jane had suddenly remembered the lady in her 70s who lived next door to them, who they called Makcik, Malay for auntie. Jane began banging on Makcik’s door, but got no answer. As the smoke thickened around them, Tom could see many of their neighbors—some still in their pyjamas(睡衣;宽长裤)—running for safety. The thought of fear crossed his mind.

“She might have run for safety like everyone else!” Tom cried. However, Jane refused to give up. “I know Makcik’s still inside.” She said she was familiar with Makcik’s daily routine and was certain she would still be sleeping. She pounded the door. “Go downstairs. Go now! Go!”

注意:

1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;

2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语;

3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;

4. 续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph1:

Tom noticed the flame was reaching up. _______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:

Luckily, some neighbors passing by stopped and offered help.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As a five-year-old, I didn’t know how poor we were. My father would not be home that Christmas Eve. He was in the Army serving overseas. My mother and I worked all afternoon making tree decorations. The kitchen table was crowded with stars made of shiny paper. We were going to get the Christmas tree in the evening, when the prices for them usually dropped.

After sunset, we walked four blocks to a parking lot where they sold Christmas trees. “How much is your cheapest tree?” My mother asked the man standing at the entrance. He held his gloved hands over the fire. “Thirty dollars, miss.”

Her smile disappeared, “Nothing for less?” The man picked up a small tree branch and dropped it into the fire. “I just work here. I can’t change the price.”

The sudden melancholy(忧郁)in my mother’s face made me sad. The man looked down at me for what felt like a long time; it probably was only moments. He pointed at a pile of branches in the corner. “Behind it is a tree that we can’t sell. You can have it for free.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said.

There it was, a thing just a little taller than me. It had few branches—almost a ghost(幽灵)of a tree. My mother asked, “Can we take some of these branches?” He waved his arm. “Take it all if you want to, miss.”

We headed back home. We set the tree in the living room. I couldn’t imagine how we could hang many decorations on such a tree. She was smiling again, “Go to sleep now, son. Santa will decorate the tree for us.”

I woke at dawn and rushed into the living room. To my amazement, the tree had a beautiful natural shape. The decorations shone in the morning light. My mother had somehow fixed branches to the tree trunk. A few weeks later, my father returned. When I told him about the tree, tears filled the eyes of that strong soldier.

Since then, I have seen many wonderful holidays. That Christmas remains as my favorite.

1.Why did the mother decide to get the tree in the evening?

A. She wanted to buy it at a lower price.

B. She was fully occupied during the day.

C. She was waiting for the father to pick it up.

D. She had made an appointment with the seller.

2.How did the son feel when he spotted the tree behind the branches?

A. Disappointed. B. Delighted. C. Frightened. D. Relieved.

3.What brought the father to tears?

A. The pain of his war wound. B. The efforts his wife put into the tree.

C. The reunion with his family. D. The decorations his son made for the tree.

This brief book is aimed at high school students, but speaks to anyone learning at any stage of life.
Its formal, serious style closely matches its content, a school-masterly book on schooling. The author, W. H. Armstrong, starts with the basics: reading and writing. In his opinion, reading doesn’t just mean recognizing each word on the page; it means taking in the information, digesting it and incorporating it into oneself just as one digests a sandwich and makes it a part of him. The goal is to bring the information back to life, not just to treat it as dead facts on paper from dead trees. Reading and writing cannot be completely separated from each other; in fact, the aim of reading is to express the information you have got from the text. I’ve seen it again and again :Someone who can’t express an idea after reading a text is just as ineffective as someone who hasn’t read it at all.
Only a third of the book remains after that discussion, which Armstrong devotes to specific tips for studying languages, math, science and history. He generally handles these topics thoroughly and equally, except for some weakness in the science and math sections and a bit too much passion(激情)regarding history to his students, that was a hundred times more than my history teachers ever got across. To my disappointment, in this part of the book he ignores the arts. As a matter of fact, they demand all the concentration and study that math and science do, though the study differs slightly in kind. Although it’s commonly believed that the arts can only be naturally acquired, actually, learning the arts is no more natural than learning French or mathematics.
My other comment is that the text aged. The first edition apparently dates to the 1960s—none of the references(参考文献)seem newer than the late 1950s. As a result, the discussion misses the entire computer age.
These are small points, though, and don’t affect the main discussion. I recommend it to any student and any teacher, including the self-taught student.

1.According to Armstrong, what is the goal of reading?

A. gain knowledge and expand one’s view

B. express ideas based on what one has read

C. understand the meaning between the lines

D. gets information and keeps it alive in memory

2.The author of the passage insists that learning the arts_________.

A. is as natural as learning a language B. demands real passion C. is less natural than learning maths

D. requires great efforts

3.What can this passage be classified as?A. an advertisement B. a book review C. a feature story D. a news report

2015 was an extremely dangerous year for journalists. 69 media representatives lost their lives around the world. 28 of them were killed by Islamic terrorist groups close to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. 8 journalists were killed in January, when the office of the magazine Charlie Hebdo was attacked in Paris.

The Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ) has reported that Syria was the most dangerous place for journalists in 2015. 13 reporters were killed in a state that has been suffering from civil war. Sudan, Bangladesh and Brazil are among other countries in which journalists were killed. Many of them were sent to cover civil wars, corruption and human rights issues.

In addition, several journalists were kidnapped(绑架) and are still being held in prison. The most typical is a Washington Post journalist who has been imprisoned in Iran for over one and a half years On Wednesday he will spend his 527th day in prison, taken away not only freedom but also justice. At the end of 2015, 199 journalists were held in prison in 28 countries around the world, including Egypt and Turkey.

Media experts believe that criminals and militant(激进的) organizations are becoming more and more threatening towards journalists. In the past vehicles that were marked with a PRESS sign got more protection and were not targeted. Although western countries are strongly against it when something happens to journalists, there is often nothing they can do about it. Warring sides sometimes use kidnapped journalists to get media attention.

1.How many journalists died during the attack on Charlie Hebdo?

A. 8. B. 13. C. 69. D. 119.

2.Which of the following is True according to the text?

A. Most journalists were killed in Sudan.

B. A committee has been found to protect journalists.

C. The Washington Post journalist was kidnapped three years ago.

D. Western countries work well in protecting journalists.

3.Why did people mark a PRESS sign on their cars?

A. To be better protected. B. To draw media attention.

C. To show their anger. D. To call for help.

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

A. Fighting for Terrorist Groups B. Keeping off the Killings

C. A Dangerous Year for Journalists D. Dangerous Places for Journalists

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