A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language. The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be our understanding of love. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.
Let’s analyze this remarkably simple metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is impressive in its beauty, its petals（花瓣）are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on perfection, each petal seemingly equal in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be？A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect.
However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns. The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky. So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns, “Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering.” This is the poet’s understanding of love—an admonition (劝诫). What is the point？Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.
【小题1】According to the passage, a metaphor is a ________.

When I was a child, I was shocked at the idea that my sisters could be my best friends. Now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. At the time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food, attention, what to watch on television—— you name it, we quarreled about it at some point. How could my sisters be my best friends? They weren’t the same age as I. We all had our own friends in school.

My mother never let the three of us forget that sisters are lifelong friends. Her wish like most parents’ was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for siblings. When she gave birth to three daughters, the fulfillment of her dream had only just begun. She had given each of us a gift and she wanted to make sure we did not take that gift for granted. She would frequently tell us how lucky we were. But there were other, more subtle ways that she encouraged us to grow closer. She never showed favoritism to one daughter over the other, as not to cause jealousy or bitterness between sisters. She never showed favoritism to one daughter, skating, shopping and swimming, so that we developed common interests. And when we were teenagers, Mom always punished us equally, giving us yet another bonding experience.

We didn't always get along beautifully and fought just like any other siblings. But somewhere in between Mom's lectures, the family vacations and the shared memories, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together, side by side, even holding hands when we crossed the finish line. When my sister Karen got married, I was her maid of honor. Cindy and I traveled through Europe together and even shared an apartment for two years. The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.

       It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn't have to. She already knows.

1．As a child, the author was shocked at her mother’s idea because          .

       A．her sisters seemed strange to her

       B．her sisters didn’t like to be her friends

       C．none of the girls had their own friends

       D．she and her sisters shared little in common

2．The underlined word“siblings”in the passage probably means           .

       A．sisters                 B．parents                C．daughters            D．friends

3．How did the author’s mother encourage her three daughters to grow closer?

       A．She punished her daughter differently.

       B．She showed equal love to her daughters.

       C．She encouraged her daughters to do sports.

       D．She often took her daughters to many places.

4．The best title of the passage could be              .

       A．The Greatest Gift                                 B．Mother’s Love

       C．Growing Experiences                           D．Unforgettable Memories

Parkinson’s is a disease of the central nervous system. It is a progressive disorder, meaning it gets worse over time. The disease affects a small area of cells in the middle of the brain. This area is called the substantial nigra(黑质). The cells slowly lose their ability to produce a chemical called dopamine（多巴胺）. The decrease in the amonnt of dopamine can result in one or more general signs of Parkinson’s disease. These include shaking of the hands, arms and lege. They also include difficulty moving or keeping balanced while waslking or standing. Also, there may be emotional changes, like feeling depressed or worried. The symptoms（症状）of Parkinson’s differ from person to person. They also differ in their intensity（剧烈强度）.

The disease is named after James Parkinson. He was a British doctor who first described this condition in 1817. During the 1960s, researchers discovered changes in the brains of people with the disease These discoveries led to mediums to treat the effects of the disease. There is no cure for Parkinson’s and no way to prevent it. And doctors still are not sure what causes Parkinson’s.

The United States National Institute of Health says at least 500,000 people in the country are believed to have Parkinson’s disease. About 50,000 new eases are reported each year. That number is expected to grow as the average age of the population increases.

Parkinson’s appears most often in people over the age of fifty. Some researchers believe that almost every one would develop Parkinson’s eventually if they lived long enough. Most patients have what is called idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Idiopathic（先天）means the cause is unknown. People who develop the disease often want to link it to something they can identify. This might be a medieval operation or extreme emotional tension.

Yet many doctors reject this idea of a direct link to Parkinson’s. They point to people who have similar experiences and do not develop the disease.

47．If anyone has got the disease, he may have some trouble in　　　　　 .

　　　 A．common rolling　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．physical actions

　　　 C．formal communicating　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．daily eating

48．The disease, Parkinson usually takes place in　　　　 .

　　　 A．nerve system　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．the bone

　　　 C．blood system　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．the skin

49．From the passage, we could know that it is possible to develop Parkinson’s for .

　　　 A．a teenager　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．a young person

　　　 C．an aged person　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．a kid

50．The passage tells us that the disease　　　　　 .

　　　 A．usually has the similar symptom　　　　　 B．was first discovered by an Asian

　　　 C．is really easy to infect　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．is really hard to cure at present

Have you ever been at a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away? You probably felt sorry and made up your mind to pay attention and always have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time. 
“On the contrary,” says L. Giambra, an expert in psychology, “daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn’t get done all the thinking it has to do during a normal day. You can’t possibly do all your thinking with a conscious（有意识）mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one way that the unconscious and conscious states of mind have silent dialogues.”
Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the importance of daydreams or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illnesses. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinger says, “We know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures. Daydreams really are a window on the things we fear and the things we long for in life.”
Daydreams are usually very simple and direct, quite unlike sleep dreams, which may be hard to understand. It’s easier to gain a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you recognize the difficult situations in your life and find out a possible way of dealing with them.
Daydreams cannot be predicated（预料）. They move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.
72．The writer of this passage considers daydreams         .
A．hard to understand B．important and helpful
C．harmful and unimportant D．the same as sleep dreams
73．The writer quoted（引用）L. Giambra and Eric Klinger to         .
A．point out the wrong ideas of early experts   B．list two different ideas
C．support his own idea                    D．report the latest research on daydreams
74．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．An unconscious mind can work all the problems out.
B．Daydreaming can give artists and scientists ideas for creation.
C．Professor Eric Klinger has a better idea than L. Giambra.
D．Early experts fully understood what daydreams were.
75．What is the main difference between daydreams and sleep dreams?
A．People have daydreams and sleep dreams at different times.
B．Daydreams are the result of unconscious mind while sleep dreams are that of conscious
mind.
C．Daydreams are more harmful.  D．Daydreams are more helpful in solving problems.

Have you ever been at a meeting while someone was making a speech and realized suddenly that your mind was a million miles away? You probably felt sorry and made up your mind to pay attention and always have been told that daydreaming is a waste of time. 

“On the contrary,” says L. Giambra, an expert in psychology, “daydreaming is quite necessary. Without it, the mind couldn’t get done all the thinking it has to do during a normal day. You can’t possibly do all your thinking with a conscious（有意识）mind. Instead, your unconscious mind is working out problems all the time. Daydreaming then may be one way that the unconscious and conscious states of mind have silent dialogues.”

Early experts in psychology paid no attention to the importance of daydreams or even considered them harmful. At one time daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illnesses. They did not have a better understanding of daydreams until the late 1980s. Eric Klinger, a professor of psychology, is the writer of the book Daydreaming. Klinger says, “We know now that daydreaming is one of the main ways that we organize our lives, learn from our experiences, and plan for our futures. Daydreams really are a window on the things we fear and the things we long for in life.”

Daydreams are usually very simple and direct, quite unlike sleep dreams, which may be hard to understand. It’s easier to gain a deep understanding of your life by paying close attention to your daydreams than by trying to examine your sleep dreams carefully. Daydreams help you recognize the difficult situations in your life and find out a possible way of dealing with them.

Daydreams cannot be predicated（预料）. They move off in unexpected directions which may be creative and full of ideas. For many famous artists and scientists, daydreams were and are a main source of creative energy.

1.The writer of this passage considers daydreams         .

    A．hard to understand               B．important and helpful

    C．harmful and unimportant          D．the same as sleep dreams

2.The writer quoted（引用）L. Giambra and Eric Klinger to         .

    A．point out the wrong ideas of early experts   B．list two different ideas

    C．support his own idea                    D．report the latest research on daydreams

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

    A．An unconscious mind can work all the problems out.

    B．Daydreaming can give artists and scientists ideas for creation.

    C．Professor Eric Klinger has a better idea than L. Giambra.

    D．Early experts fully understood what daydreams were.

4.What is the main difference between daydreams and sleep dreams?

    A．People have daydreams and sleep dreams at different times.

    B．Daydreams are the result of unconscious mind while sleep dreams are that of conscious

 mind.

    C．Daydreams are more harmful.  D．Daydreams are more helpful in solving problems.