题目内容
I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during break. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone.
One day I asked her why she practiced so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her school team to victory.
One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply, “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team—much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she truly wanted a scholarship and that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude.
The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was offered a scholarship and on the college team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of.
The author was probably the girl’s .
A．neighbor B．friend C．mother D．teacher
Why was the girl heartbroken?
A．She was considered too short to be a top player.
B．Her coach stopped her training because of her height.
C．She couldn’t be on a college basketball team.
D．She wouldn’t be admitted by an ideal college.
We can learn from the passage that .
A．her family wouldn’t like to pay her college fee
B．her father forced her to play basketball in collage
C．being a top basketball player can win you a scholarship for college
D．she wouldn’t like to turn to his father for help when in difficulty
Which word can best describe her father?
A．Encouraging. B．Optimistic. C．Stubborn. D．Cruel.
Which proverb best matches the story?
A．Practice makes perfect. B．Rome was not built in a day.
C．Where there is a will, there is a way. D．Pride comes before a fall.
My mind seems always to return to the day when I met Carl. The city bus stopped at a corner to pick up the daily commuters (someone who travels regularly to and from work), a group in which I was included. Boarding the bus, I looked for a place to sit. At last, I found a place near the back.
The man in the seat next to the one I was going for was an older man in a grey suit, well-worn dress shoes, and a black hat like I always pictured reporters wearing, but without the little press card. Seated, I began to read the book I had been carrying, which was Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The man in the seat next to me introduced himself by asking if I had read any other book like the one I was holding. When I told him I had, he seemed to become interested, and so did I. He introduced himself as Carl and asked if I liked jazz, and I told him that I didn’t really listen to it, and that I liked rock and roll. Waiting for Carl to tell me that I should listen to real music, I was shocked when he just smiled and nodded. He said, "You remind me of myself when I was your age. I remember how my parents hated jazz and how they couldn’t see how I could listen to that awful noise. I bet your parents say the same thing, don’t they?" Now it was my turn to smile, amused with how right he was.
As the bus carried us from one side of the city to the other, Carl and I talked about a lot of different things. The more we talked, the more amazed I became at how much the two of us really had in common, despite the age difference. I haven’t seen him since we parted, but the thought of our connection that day rarely leaves my mind.
Carl really made me think about how much we can learn from each other if we just break through the blocks between us we’ve got. I mean, I would have never thought before that day that I could have anything in common with someone so much older than I. But Carl taught me that no matter what we are, we are all just people, and that we should make an extra effort to try and get to know our neighbors and people we see every day, regardless of age, race, religion, sex, or anything else. If we all take the time to attempt to understand each other, I think that the world would be a much better place that we could share together, as humans.
1.From the first paragraph we know that the author _____________.
A. did not mind whether there was a seat or not
B. hoped to have a seat when getting on the bus
C. thought the bus was overcrowded
D. looked for a seat but failed
2.The author usually imagined a reporter as one who _____________.
A. liked jazz music
B. enjoyed talking with others
C. liked reading Jack Kerouac’s works
D. usually wore a black hat and press card
3. After talking with Carl, the author realized that _____________.
A. older people were nice to talk to
B. he should have known Carl earlier
C. his parents were so different from Carl in listening to music
D. age was not necessarily a problem in heart-to-heart communication
4.It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A. the author hasn’t seen the old man since then
B. jazz music used to be more popular than rock and roll
C. the author was not satisfied with human relationships in the world
D. Carl made the author realize we humans live in peace and brotherhood
A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex (反应), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility (谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 — I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．
1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that_____________________．
A．the author regretted his act of prejudice
B．the blind woman needed the money badly
C．the author was as poor as the blind woman
D．the author was a native American
2.According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably_______．
A．rather hurt B．very excited C．deeply moved D．greatly inspired
3.According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should_________．
A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled
B．try to experience different kinds of life
C．treat others equally with love and respect
D．think about one’s past as often as possible
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A．Learn from Your Past B．How My Dream Comes True
C．A Belief That Will Never Change D．A Priceless Lesson in the Street
Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me ￡12,” She said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office. “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12. ”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” she answered shyly, “The beach was lovely. And I can swim, too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry.
“My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly, “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother, “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Er, well---” the woman looked at the child, “I mean…she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs…let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine… ”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.
1.Harry was worried because ________.
A．the woman was angry with him
B．he had not done his work properly
C．the Jersey timetable was wrong
D．the little girl didn’t have a return ticket
2.Harry started talking to the little girl ________.
A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do
B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl
C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice
D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl
3.When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…” he means that ________.
A．they must follow it without other choice, even though the fault was his
B．he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn’t want to
C．the woman had to pay him ￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel
D．she should pay ￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying
4.How did the woman feel when she left the office?
A．angry B．peaceful C．embarrassed D．nervous
第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分50分）
第一节 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
In the dining room of my grandfather's house stood a giant grandfather clock．Meals in that dining room were a time for four generations to become one．The table was always spread with food containing love as the main ingredient．And that grandfather clock stood like an old family friend, watching over the laughter that was a part of our lives.
As a child, the old clock fascinated me．I watched and listened to it during meals．Even more wonderful to me was my grandfather's routine．He wound (上发条) that clock with a special key carefully each day．That key was magic to me．It kept our family's magnificent clock ticking and chiming．I remember watching as my grandfather took the key from his pocket and opened the hidden door in the clock．He inserted the key and wound — not too much, nor too little．He never let that clock wind down and stop．He showed us grandchildren how to open the door and let us each take turns winding the key．I remember the first time I did it I was so excited to be part of this family routine．
After my grandfather died, it was days after the funeral before I remembered the clock!
"Mama! The clock! We've let it wind down."
The tears flowed freely when I entered the dining room．The clock stood there quiet．It even seemed smaller without my grandfather's special touch.
Some time later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key．The old house was quiet．No laughter over the dinner table, no ticking or chiming of the clock — all was still．I took the key in my shaking hand and opened the clock door．All of a sudden, I was a child again, watching my grandfather with his silver-white hair and blue eyes．He was there, winking at me, at the secret of the clock's magic, at the key that held so much power.
I stood, lost in the moment for a long time．Then slowly and carefully I inserted the key and wound the clock．It came back to life．Tick-tock, tick-tock, life and chimes were breathed into the dining room, into the house and into my heart．In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather lived again.
1．Why does the writer say the table was always spreading with food containing love as the main ingredient?
A．The food was delicious and tasty.
B．The meal was made by his dear grandparents
C．The whole family talked about the love of each other over meals.
D．Four generations lived joyfully and harmoniously to become one.
2．By describing Grandfather’s routine in detail in the 2nd paragraph, the writer expresses___________.
A．It’s troublesome to make the clock work.
B．It’s a fantastic thing to play with the clock.
C．He greatly misses his late grandfather
D．His grandfather had a preference for the clock.
3．What kinds of mood are shown in the essay?
A．Sad and hopeful B．desperate and hopeful
C．Heart-broken and hopeless D．cheerful and hopeful
