（A）新概念

Across the Channel

Debbie Hart is going to swim 1._____________ the English Channel tomorrow. She is going to 2._____________ from the French coast at five o'clock in the morning. Debbie is only fourteen years old and she hopes lo 3.______________a new world record. She is a strong 4._____________and many people feel that she is sure to5._____________. Debbie's father will set out with her in a small boat. Mr. Hart has trained his daughter for years. Tomorrow he will be watching her 6._____________ as she swims the long 7._____________ to England. Debbie 8.______________to take short rests every two hours. She will have something to drink but she will not eat any 9.______________food.

Most of Debbie's school friends will be waiting for her on the English coast. 10.______________ them will be Erna's mother, who swam the Channel herself when she was a girl.

Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”

In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers… Be a good citizen… People will take advantage of you… Treat others as you wish to be treated…I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”

She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.

Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?

I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.

She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.

“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty again.

“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”

“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”

I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless?  She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?

Anyway, I wish her the best, and hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life.

1. From the second paragraph we know that the writer ___________.

   A. debated with the girl over moral issues 

B. hated having to make a quick decision

   C. hesitated before she decided to reach out    

D. fell in love with the girl at first sight

2.The writer felt guilty for a moment because _________.

   A. she was particular about food and also wasted so much

   B. she was a strict vegetarian who ate very little

   C. she didn’t order enough food for the girl

   D. she urged the girl to take her share of food

3. Why did Joyce end up unemployed and homeless?

   A. She was a victim of high education. 

B. She actually had some kind of mental disorder.

   C. She graduated with average grades. 

D. The reason is not yet given.

4. The passage is intended to _________.

   A. arouse readers' curiosity       

B. explore social problems

   C. teach readers a lesson         

D. share a personal story

Ms Lo could hardly bear her sorrow when she received the call that her husband had died in a car accident. Her pain quickly turn to shock---- the car involved in the accident was driven by a friend. That friend, Henry Lee, had chosen to remain silent on the accident details in court. Her shock soon turned to extreme anger when Lee decided not to let out what had happened.

Her husband, Mr. Tan, was 21 when he died after an accident outside Las Vegas KTV at Havelock Road. That night, he was discussing supper plans with a group of friends, which included Lee. Later, Mr. Tan was found unconscious on the ground, next to the car driven by Lee. Mr. Tan died in the hospital a few hours later. Due to drinking driving, Lee was fined $3,000 and banned from driving for two years last month.

Lee, Ms Lo and her husband were colleagues at Asia Pacific-Breweries(APB).

She only heard of the accident and her husband’s death the next morning after the accident as she had switched off her band-phone that night. She told The New Paper, “Receiving the call, I thought it was a joke. I thought he had got his friend to call me to ask me out.” Ms Lo had moved out to live alone for three weeks because of a disagreement with her husband. “The next time I saw him was at the mortuary.(太平间)” She said that Lee went to visit her some days ago but didn’t apologize to her. “He looked sorry but he didn’t speak to me. I wanted to forgive him, but now I have no chance to tell him.” she said.

Ms Lo, who was a human resource manager in APB, left the company after the accident. She is now working in a photo studio.

1.Why Ms Lo was made pretty angry?

A. Her husband was knocked down by his friend

B. Henry Lee drove their car in the car accident

C. She was informed only after the accident occurred

D. The person involved did not tell the truth in court

2.Ms Lo hadn’t seen her husband for three weeks because______.

A. they did not sign a contract

B.she began working in a photo studio

C.there was a quarrel between them

D.she was busy writing a paper

3.Why did Ms Lo leave APB for another job?

   A. To escape the pain caused by the accident.

   B. To find out facts related to the accident.

   C. To force Henry Lee to let out the truth.

   D. To avoid meeting the dishonest man.

  When I was thirteen, my family moved from Boston to Tucson, Arizona.  36  the move, my father  37  us in the living-room on a freezing January night. My sisters and I sat around the fire, not   38  that the universe would suddenly change its course. "In May, we're  39  to Arizona."

     The words, so small, didn't seem  40  enough to hold my new life. But the world changed and I awoke on a tram moving across the country. I watched the  41_  change from green trees to flat dusty plains to high mountains as I saw strange new plants that  42  mysteries(奥秘) yet to come. Finally, we arrived and  43  into own new home.

     44  my older sisters were sad at the loss of friends, I   45   explored(探索) our

new surroundings.

     One afternoon, I was out exploring  46  and saw a new kind of cactus(仙人掌). I crouched (蹲) down for a closer look. "You'd better not  47  that."

     I turned around to see an old woman

     "Are you new lo this neighborhood?" I explained that I was,  48 , new to the entire state.

     "My name is Ina Thorne. Have you got used to life in the  49 ? It must be quite a   _50  after living in Boston."

     How could I explain how I  51  the desert? I couldn't seem to find the right words.

     "It's vastness," she offered. “That vastness  52  you stand on the mountains overlooking the desert -- you can  53  how little you are in comparison with the world.  _54 , you feel that the possibilities are limitless.”

     That was it. That was the feeling I'd bad ever since I'd first seen the mountains of my new home. Again, my  55  would change with just a few simple words.

     "Would you like to come to my home tomorrow? Someone should teach you which plant you should and shouldn't touch."

Sitting across from his teacher, Edgar Martinez repeated the word he couldn't quite pronounce: "situation"．The teacher, LisaMojsin, hired to help Martinez reduce his accent, said the word slowly; "Sit-chew-a-shun．" "I wish he had taught me this 20 years ago．" said Martinez, 37, who comes from Mexico and lives in Los Angeles．In private tutoring classes throughout the nation, immigrants are focused on sounding more American．

    Accent reduction classes have been around for years, but experts say．"As our workforce becomes more and more global, these classes are becoming more and more popular．" Private tutors said they answer calls almost daily from students, when just a few years ago the phones rang only occasionally．Author Amy Gillett said that sales of her book and CD set, "Speak English Like an American", have increased three times in the last few years．Judy Ravin, President of the Accent Reduction Institute, said she has hundreds of students who follow her program, "Lose Your Accent in 28 Days"．

    Though there is a general tolerance for diversity, experts said, reality has made some immigrants who sound different feel unwelcome．If someone speaks with an accent associated with an Asian language, they may work as engineers or computer scientists．If someone speaks with certain Spanish accents, people may think they are recent immigrants working in landscaping or the hospitality industry （招待性行业）．A French accent gives images of romance．An Australian accent brings to mind adventure and fun．

    Accent reduction students said they are aware of how they sound and whether their accents limit their job opportunities or spoil their social lives．Jennie Lo, aged 43, said her accent has been an embarrassment．Sometimes people couldn't even understand her when she said her name．While in college in Oklahoma, Lo said she didn't make many friends, tearing that no one could make out her words．Lo is now taking accent reduction classes and hopes to apply for a manager position at work．"I just want to feel good about myself," she said．"If I really work hard, if I practice every day, I can't be perfect．But I can be better．"

1.In the whole passage, the first paragraph serves as a（n） _____．

    A．introduction                         B．comment          

    C．explanation                          D．background

2.What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?

    A．The effect that popular accent reduction classes have．

    B．The fact that accent reduction classes become popular．

    C．The steps how accent reduction classes become popular．

    D．The reasons why accent reduction classes become popular．

3.If someone speaks with certain Asian accents, people may think _____．

    A．they are romantic                    B．they are hospitality workers

    C．they are computer scientists         D．they love adventure and fun

4.What is Jennie Lo's attitude towards her taking accent reduction classes?

    A．Confident．          B．Helpless．         

    C．Proud．              D．Anxious．