They crossed in front of me as I was driving out of the store parking lot. My first reaction was anger at being delayed for a whole ten seconds. I quickly became patient when I realised that this was an elderly couple.
The man leaned on his wife who walked in front of him. He not only used her for support but it was obvious that he was blind. The two of them worked as one---each needing the other to function in this fast-changing world.
That little example of true strength changed my whole personal perception(理解) of life that day. Suddenly I wasn’t so mad about having to work a few extra hours on Saturdays. I had my strength, and I was still relatively young.
That picture of those two elderly people walking with dignity and strength stayed with me the entire week. My life wasn’t so bad after all. I had my health and a good job. I had a wonderful, supportive wife. I started to think---not only was I lucky to have it all, but so was that wonderful old couple, who, despite the trials and sufferings of a long life, still had the love and support of each other to carry them through this world.
There are so many people out there just like that couple. My wife and I sometimes picture ourselves in our old age, walking arm-in-arm into the sunset. That image always gives us a warm feeling of comfort. Just remember, none of us would be here if it wasn’t for our elders. We should all have a little extra time and patience when it comes to helping our elder friends.
【小题1】When the author was about to drive away, the couple __________________.

A.got in his wayB.hit his carC. entered the storeD.asked him for help
【小题2】 After he saw the couple, the author would _________________.
A.drive at a high speedB.seldom think of his wife
C.be impolite to the blindD.spend less time complaining
【小题3】 What did the author think of the couple?
A.They lived a happier life than he.
B.They didn’t live a life without hardships.
C.They were admirable for their lasting love.
D.They won respect by walking together.
【小题4】 From the passage, we learn _______________________.
A.the author hated working on Saturdays
B.the author was happy with his wife
C.old couples were advised to walk in the sunset
D.many people like that couple are blind


He was a hero that saved two children from the jaws of a cougar(美洲狮). Standing barely 1.7 meters, the 22-year-old with black-frame glasses might pass more for a Chinese Harry Potter. Yet Shen Huigang is now getting recognition for his bravery in fighting off a cougar on Vancouver Island, Canada, during a family outing. Shen, also known as Ian, was then an exchange student. With him was a friend, Myles Hagar, and Hagar’s two grandchildren. Silently and suddenly a cougar appeared out of nowhere. By the time they spotted the cat, it already had the head of 18-month-old Julien in its mouth.
“At first, my brain was nothing but blank,” Shen recalled. “But I believed I could get the child back.” He gestured as if he were ready for a fight, and tried to scare the beast off with his bag. Hearing the noise Shen made, the animal dropped the baby and Hagar rushed to grab his grandson. But the animal didn’t run, instead turned toward 3-year-old Iris standing beside Shen. “Had Ian not been there, shouting at the cougar, remaining calm and standing firm, it would certainly have attacked Iris.” Hagar recalled.
They chased the animal back into the woods. “We moved slowly to our vehicle as we waved our fists and bags, pretending to wrestle it,” Shen said. “The vehicle wasn’t far away but it felt like it took us a century to travel the short journey.” As Hagar drove for help, Shen held the heavily-bleeding boy in the passenger seat and calmly kept him awake by hugging and kissing him in case he would go into a coma(昏迷). The boy was flown to a hospital nearby. Doctors later said his little skull had been punctured(刺穿) through to his brain in two places. Luckily, Julien made a full recovery.
“Any hesitation, even a second delay, would have resulted in certain death for Julien, but Ian was there…” Hagar said. Following the incident, the story appeared on Canadian TV networks in every city, and in many small town newspapers---plus many US Internet news sites. The Royal Canadian Humane Association planned to give Shen a Canada Bravery Award, but it couldn’t reach him because he had returned to China.
【小题1】Why did the cougar drop the baby?

A.Because it was scared by the noise made by Ian’s shouting.
B.Because Hagar rushed to grab the baby from its jaws.
C.Because it wanted to attack Iris and took her away.
D.Because Hagar and Ian were chasing it back into the woods.
【小题2】Which of the following statements about Shen Huigang is TRUE?
A.He was called Chinese Harry Potter because he was very brave.
B.His deed was spread both in Canada and the US.
C.He was better at fighting and wrestling compared with Hagar.
D.He was too shocked to move to the vehicle in the incident.
【小题3】What did Ian do in the car to keep the baby awake?
A.He held, hugged and kissed the baby in the passenger seat.
B.He drove the car as quickly as possible to find a hospital.
C.He encouraged the baby telling him to be awake.
D.He held the heavily- bleeding wound of the baby.
【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
A.Saving Lives From the Jaws of Death
B.Experiencing a Family Outing
C.Taking Care of Two Children
D.Interviewing a Clever Young Student

NBA commissioner David Stern was in Orlando on Thursday night, getting ready for Sunday’s All-Star Game. Of course, all he could talk about was the only player anyone wants to talk about these days: New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin.
Hours before Lin took the court against the Heat, a few hundred miles South down I-95 in Miami, Stern told reporters that Lin’s instant popularity hasn’t ever been matched in sports history, not even by Sunday’s biggest names, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.
The Associated Press had the details.
“I haven’t done a calculation, but it’s fair to say that no player has created the interest and the craze in this short period of time, in any sport, that I’m aware of like Jeremy Lin has,” Stern said Thursday.
Lin, an undrafted(未选秀的)guard from Harvard, has become the NBA’s biggest story since coming off the Knicks’ bench earlier this month to lead them to nine wins in 11 games heading into their matchup with Miami on Thursday night.
With Lin’s popularity in Asia as the league’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, and with the religious community because of his strong Christian faith, Stern says he’s “never quite seen anything like” the attention on Lin.
“It’s fascinating,” Stern said after the All-Star Jam Session opening ceremonies.
The top five videos on NBA.com since Feb. 4, when Lin joined the circulation, are all Lin or Knicks related. Lin went from 190,000 followers on Sina, China’s version of Twitter, on Feb. 2 to more than 1 million as of Feb. 16.
Indeed, Lin’s popularity is so out of this world that the NBA made a late list switch to ensure his participation in the Rising Stars Challenge on All-Star Saturday, a game that includes the NBA’s best rookies(新秀球员)and sophomores. Lin is in such high demand that all of the game’s other participants will meet with the media following a team practice on Friday while Lin will have his own, separate press conference later in the night. 
This is Jeremy’s world, folks. We’re all just living in it. Even David Stern and the rest of the league’s All-Stars, at least for the moment. 
【小题1】The following statements about Jeremy Lin’s instant popularity are true EXCEPT that ______.

A.Jeremy Lin led New York Knicks to win all the recent games this month
B.David Stern said Lin was the only instant popular player in NBA’s history
C.Lin has become the NBA’s greatest story though he was an undrafted guard
D.no player has created the interest and the enthusiasm in such a short period of time
【小题2】Why did Jeremy Lin have so many followers in Asia on Sina, China’s version of Twitter?
A. Because Jeremy Lin was born in Taiwan with strong Christian faith.
B. Maybe because he is the first player born in America but has Chinese descent.
C. Because Sina has a large group of surfing people, maybe more than 10 million.
D. Because the top five videos on NBA. com since Feb. 4 are all Lin or Knicks related.
【小题3】The underlined phrase “out of this world” in Paragraph 9 may probably be replaced by ______.
A.impossibleB.importantC.exceptionalD.excellent
【小题4】What can we learn from the above passage about Jeremy Lin’s instant popularity?
A.Knowledge starts with practice.B.Failure is the mother of success.
C.Every dog has its day.D.No pains, no gains.

As a boy, Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play practical jokes on all his friends and neighbors. The nature of his jokes often led to violence (暴力). He hated to go to school and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious island and the passing boats. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and unusual people. He later made them part of the history of America in the book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain received his genius (天才) from his mother. Obviously he didn’t get it from his father. He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father’s face. On the other hand, his mother had the ability to say humorous things. The same ability made Mark Twain an extremely humorous public speaker.
【小题1】According to the passage, Mark Twain was a _______ boy.

A.shyB.braveC.naughty(调皮的)D.poor
【小题2】Because of the nature of his jokes when he was a child, Mark Twain would _______.
A.ran away form school
B.cause his parents to quarrel with others
C.get into trouble with his friends and neighbors
D.like to sit on the bank of the Mississippi River
【小题3】It can be learned form the passage that      ______.
A.Mark Twain’s father was a cruel man
B.Mark Twain never attended school on time
C.Mark Twain often went boating in the nearby river
D.Mark Twain’s mother was something of a humorist
【小题4】In his book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain wrote much about _______.
A.the Mississippi and the people living on it
B.his friends and neighbors
C.his school life
D.his parents
【小题5】It is inferred that what affected Mark Twain’s character mostly was _______ .
A.his practical jokes
B.his father’s seriousness
C.the history of the Mississippi
D.his mother’s genius for humor


Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across America’s farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.
Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No. 1 on a list of “useless” college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.
“There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect,” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”
In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.
“I truly believe we’re at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture.”
The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.
Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21-year-old Best hopes his message—that this is a new time in agriculture—will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. “Never before have we had the innovations (创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in.”
【小题1】What is the new challenge to American agriculture?

A.Fewer and older farmers.B.Higher fuel prices.
C.More natural disasters.D.Lower agricultural output.
【小题2】Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?
A.To draw federal agriculture officials’ attention.
B.To select qualified agriculture graduates.
C.To clarify a recent blog posting.
D.To talk more students into farming careers.
【小题3】According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people
because__________..
A.the government will cover production costs
B.global food supplies will be even lower
C.investment in agriculture will be profitable
D.America will increase its food export
【小题4】What do the underlined words “to turn around the statistics” in the last paragraph mean?
A.To re-analyze the result of the national census.
B.To increase agricultural production.
C.To bring down the average age of farmers.
D.To invest more in agriculture.

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