题目内容
In the eighteenth century young ladies in Italy were taught reading, writing, music and arithmetic．But their knowledge of history and geography was very poor．
Once the French ambassador in Rome was giving a ball to which many important people were invited．The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs came very late．A young lady, who knew him very well, saw him enter the ball -room and asked why he was so late．
"You see," said the Minister, "there has been a little, accident at the King's palace．"
The curious young lady asked the Minister to tell her what had happened at the King's palace．
"Oh, nothing important," answered the Minister．"The ambassador of Brazil, who was to be presented to the King, forgot to take his credentials(国书) with him and was forced to go back to his hotel to bring them．If he had left them in Brazil we should have had to wait at least six months for them．"
"Is Brazil so far from Rome?" asked the lady, who knew little geography．
"It is in the New World," said the Minister．
"In the New World," repeated the lady in great surprise．
"Yes, in the New World," answered the Minister in a sarcastic (讽刺的) tone, "which was discovered by Christopher Columbus．"
When the young lady heard this, she rushed in to the middle of the ball-room and shouted as loud as she could:
"Ladies and gentlemen, have you heard the latest news? A new world has just been discovered by a certain Christopher Columbus．"
1．The Italian foreign minister came to the hall very late because ．
A．he had had something to do at home
B．he was delayed by a little accident
C．someone was hurt in the King's palace
D．he was unhappy to come to the ball
2．What happened at the King's palace?
A．The ambassador left his credentials in Brazil．
B．For some reason the ambassador had to go back to Brazil．
C．The King was late and the Brazilian ambassador had to wait．
D．The Brazilian ambassador forgot to take his credentials with him．
3．Where did the ambassador leave his credentials?
A．In Brazil． B．In Rome． C．In the hotel． D．In his office．
4．The reason why the young lady shouted her announcement was that ．
A．she was the hostess of the ball
B．she knew the Minister very well
C．she had ever heard about Columbus
D．she wanted to broadcast the surprising news
5．Her announcement showed she was ．
A．ignorant(.无知的) B．clever C．thoughtful D．knowledgeable
BDCDA
In my living room, there is a plaque (匾) that advises me to “Bloom (开花) where you are planted.” It reminds me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s, when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program. Dorothy stands out in my memory as one who “bloomed” in her remote area.
Dorothy taught in a school In Harlan County, Kentucky, Appalachian Mountain area. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road winding around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of getting caught by the same train five times. Rather than feeling excited by this drive through the mountains, I found it depressing. The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of hopelessness.
From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all gloom (忧郁) disappeared. Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom. I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects. Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread for “dinner” (lunch). In case you don’t know, poke greens are a weed-type plant that grows wild, especially on poor ground.
Dorothy never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students. Her enthusiasm never cooled down. When it came time to sit for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification, Dorothy was ready. She came to the assessment and passed in all areas. Afterward, she invited me to the one-and-only steak house in the area to celebrate her victory, as if she had received her Ph. D. degree. After the meal, she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand. She said it was a family heirloom (传家宝), but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be matched with things. (360 words)
【小题1】“Early Childhood Development” in Paragraph 1 refers to __________.
| A．a program directed by Dorothy |
| B．a course given by the author |
| C．an activity held by the students |
| D．an organization sponsored by Union college |
| A．the long track | B．the poor houses |
| C．the same train | D．the winding road |
| A．a warm welcome | B．the sight of poke greens |
| C．Dorothy’s latest projects | D．a big dinner made for her |
A. She was invited to a celebration at a restaurant.
B. She got a pen as a gift from the author.
C. She passed the required assessment.
D. She received her Ph. D. degree.
【小题5】What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．Whatever you do, you must do it carefully. |
| B．Whoever you are, you deserve equal treatment. |
| C．However poor you are, you have the right to education, |
| D．Wherever you are, you can accomplish your achievement. |
Washington, November 1, 2012 (CNN) -- After years of planning and months of campaigning（竞选）, the most expensive presidential race in history comes down to a final five-day whirlwind of speeches and television ads in the eight states still up for grabs.
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney plan to hold virtually nonstop events between now and the Tuesday election considered too close to call.
The focus is on battleground states worth 95 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Both sides are trying to close the deal with a decreasing number of uncommitted(未表态的) voters, while making sure supporters actually cast ballots.
That means a game of campaign chess that started Thursday, with appearances by the candidates (候选人)and their assistants as well as advertising dollars allocated to the places considered most vital to success.
Concluding a race expected to cost more than $6 billion overall, Obama and Romney and their running mates will hit all the battleground states -- Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin. The campaigns also are unloading a blast of television ads and mailings that threaten to overwhelm voters already saturated with politicking. Perhaps no one said it better than 4-year-old Abigael Evans of Fort Collins, Colorado, who -- according to NPR -- cried after listening to more election coverage on the radio and told her mother, ‘I'm tired of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.’
【小题1】The underlined phrase “too close to call” probably means .
| A．a game that one side is clearly winning. |
| B．a tie in which neither side seems likely to win |
| C．so close that you need not use a telephone |
| D．a visit close to one’s home state |
| A．To make sure that their supporters understand their policies. |
| B．To collect enough money for campaign ads. |
| C．To paint their rival as black as possible. |
| D．To win over the voters who have not decide which candidate to vote for. |
| A．excited | B．disappointed | C．annoyed | D．relieved |