It is the season of weddings for Hindu families. Also, because the demand is so great, it is likely that several weddings take place in the same temple. So perfect timing is stuck to there is no confusion; but , as I found out, there is.

When I Kalyani's invitation to her wedding, I made a note of it in my diary. She had been my schoolmate and we had got along well, so I was happy to attend her wedding. l decided to for it and borrowed an Indian style shirt. On the day of the wedding, I arrived at the temple in good time and started to anyone I knew. I saw no one and went to sit cross-legged quietly in a corner, waiting. Kalyani was escorted (簇拥) in. From where I was sitting, I could not see but I thought she had a little since she left school. She looked a little fat now and wore glasses. I my head. Anyway I down to wait for the long ritual. As soon as the wedding was over, a line formed to the couple and I joined in. When I arrived and handed her the , she looked up and a beautiful smile and only then did I realize that the was entirely mine: it was not Kalyani at all. I had just attended the wedding. To my shock, I smiled broadly. , I was treated like a guest: the couple each have thought I was the other's guest.

Then I went to look for the correct wedding party in the area. Sure enough there stood Kalyani. As I was walking up to her, I realized I was in deep : I had just given the present meant for her to a complete stranger.

1.A. in caseB. even ifC. so thatD. as if

2.A. fortunatelyB. frequentlyC. impossiblyD. hardly

3.A. keptB. tookC. expectedD. received

4.A. finally B. immediatelyC. suddenlyD. naturally

5.A. payB. callC. dressD. wait

6.A. talk toB. look forC. say hello toD. shake hands with

7.A. carefullyB. clearlyC. completelyD. easily

8.A. experiencedB. learnedC. sufferedD. changed

9.A. shookB. noddedC. bentD. covered

10.A. slowedB. lookedC. calmedD. settled

11.A. watchB. meetC. welcomeD. congratulate

12.A. noteB. invitationC. presentD. diary

13.A. flashedB. forcedC. woreD. pretended

14.A. regretB. HappinessC. pleasureD. surprise

15.A. noisyB. wrongC. strangeD. splendid

16.A. getB. hideC. proveD. stop

17.A. OtherwiseB. MoreoverC. ThereforeD. Anyway

18.A. shouldB. mustC. couldD. need

19.A. waitingB. standingC. openD. quiet

20.A. thoughtB. troubleC. sorrowD. doubt

 

This afternoon, I spoke with Governor Daniel Malloy and FBI Director Mueller. I offered Governor Malloy my condolences(哀悼) on behalf of the nation, and made it clear he will have every single resource that he needs to investigate this horrible crime, care for the victims and their families.

The majority of those who died today were children—beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them—birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers—men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.

So our hearts are broken today—for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain.

As a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago—these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.

This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we’ll tell them that we love them, and we’ll remind each other how deeply we love one another. But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do that tonight. And they need all of us right now. In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans. And I will do everything in my power to help.

Because while nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need—to remind them that we are there for them, that we are praying for them, that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their memories but also in ours.

1.Who is the speaker likely to be?

A. A victim parent.

B. The US president.

C. A US police officer.

D. The Connecticut governor.

2.How many gun shootings has the speaker mentioned?

A. Two.B. Three.C. Four.D. Five.

3.What can we learn from this passage?

A. The survivors may also suffer from the shooting tragedy.

B. Nothing has been done to prevent gun shooting in America.

C. The victims of this gun shooting are all kids aged from 5 to 10.

D. Gun shooting is more likely to happen in American school campus.

4.The speaker wants the audience _______.

A. to help those in needB. to protect themselves

C. to investigate the crimeD. to trust the US government

 

Oprah Winfrey, born in 1954, is an American talk show host, best known for her multi-award-winning talk show. She is also, according to some assessments, the most influential woman in the world. It's no surprise that her endorsement(认可)can bring overnight sales fortune that defeats most, if not all, marketing campaigns. The star features about 20 products each year on her “Favorite Things” show. There’s even a term for it: the Oprah Effect.

Her television career began unexpectedly. When she was 16 year old, she had the idea of being a journalist to tell other people’s stories in a way that made a difference in their lives and the world. She was on television by the time she was 19 years old. And in 1986 she started her own television show with a continuous determination to succeed at first.

TIME magazine wrote, “People would have doubted Oprah Winfrey’s swift rise to host of the most popular talk show on TV. In a field dominated by white males, she is a black female of big size. As interviewers go, she is no match for Phil Donahue. What she lacks in journalistic toughness, she makes up for in plainspoken curiosity, rich humor and, above all understanding. Guests with sad stories to tell tend to bring out a tear in Oprah’s eye. They, in turn, often find themselves exposing things they would not imagine telling anyone, much less a national TV audience.”

“I was nervous about the competition and then I became my own competition raising the bar every year, pushing, pushing, pushing myself as hard as I knew. It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to fall if you’re constantly doing what we do, raising the bar. If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher the law of averages, you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to know this, remember this: there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction” as Oprah addressed graduates at Harvard on May 30, 2013.

1.The Oprah Effect refers to _______.

A. the effect on a business

B. the power of Oprah’s opinions

C. the impact on talkshows

D. the assessment of Oprah’s talk show

2.What can be inferred about Oprah’s television career?

A. She once gave up on her choice

B. Her swift success has been expected.

C. It lives up to her parents’ expectation.

D. She must have been challenged by white males.

3.The message from Oprah to graduates at Harvard is that _______.

A. failure is nothing to fear

B. success comes after failure

C. there is no need to set goals too high

D. pushing physical limits makes no sense

4.Which of the following best describes Oprah Winfrey?

A. Dull and pushy. B. Honest but tough.

C. Curious but weak. D. Caring and determined.

 

The term “multitasking” originally referred to a computer’s ability to carry out several tasks at one time. For many people, multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success. In fact, some excellent mental aerobic exercises involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time. Although checking e-mail while talking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people, many times multitasking can make us less productive, rather than more. And studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased stress, anxiety and memory loss.

In order to multitask, the brain uses an area known as the prefrontal cortex (前额叶脑皮层). Brain scans of volunteers performing multiple tasks together show that as they shift from task to task, this front part of the brain actually takes a moment of rest between tasks. You may have experienced a prefrontal cortex “moment of rest” yourself if you’ve ever dialed a phone number and suddenly forgotten who you dialed when the line is answered. What probably occurred is that between the dialing and the answering, your mind shifted to anther thought or task, and then took that “moment” to come back. Research has also shown that for many volunteers, job efficiency declines while multitasking, as compared to when they perform only one task at a time.

Multitasking is easiest when at least one of the tasks is habitual, or requires little thought. Most people don’t find it difficult to eat and read the newspaper at the same time. However, when two or more attention-requiring tasks are attempted at one time, people sometimes make mistakes.

We often don’t remember things as well when we’re trying to manage several details at the same time. Without mental focus, we may not pay enough attention to new information coming in, so it never makes it into our memory stores. That is one of the main reasons we forget people’s names—even sometimes right after they have introduced themselves. Multitasking can also affect our relationships. If someone checks their e-mail while on the phone with a friend, they may come off as absent-minded or disinterested. It can also cause that person to miss or overlook key information being passed on to them.

1.Why are some mental aerobic exercises designed to engage people in multitasking?

A. To make them more productive.

B. To reduce their stress and anxiety.

C. To develop their communication skills.

D. To help them perform daily tasks more easily.

2.According to Paragraph 2, why may a person suddenly forget who he has called?

A. He is probably interrupted by another task.

B. He may need a rest between dialing and speaking.

C. He may leave his prefrontal cortex temporarily damaged.

D. He is probably not very familiar with the person he has called.

3.People tend to make mistakes when _______.

A. the tasks require little thought

B. their relationships with others are affected

C. new messages are processed one after another

D. they perform several challenging tasks at a time

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Multitasking has become a way of life.

B. Multitasking exercises need to be improved.

C. Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline.

D. Multitasking enables people to remember things better.

 

Hurricane Sandy was a hurricane that destroyed parts of the Caribbean and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States during late October 2012, with minor impacts in the Southeastern and Midwestern states and Eastern Canada. Sandy, classified as the eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, was a Category 2 storm at its peak intensity. While it was a Category 1 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record. Previous estimates of losses due to damage and business interruption are estimated at $65.6 billion, which would make it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane, behind only Hurricane Katrina. At least 253 people were killed along the path of the storm in eight countries.

Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened, and was upgraded to Tropical Storm six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually becoming stronger. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, a few hours later, entered into the Caribbean Sea again and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba, and then weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas. On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy turned from north to northwest and then moved ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey, as a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds.

In the United States, Hurricane Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and west across the Appalachian Mountains to Michigan and Wisconsin, with particularly severe damage in New Jersey and New York. Its storm hit New York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines and cutting power in and around the city. Damage in the US is estimated at over $63 billion.

1.According to the passage, which of the following wind forms is the strongest?

A. Tropical wave. B. Tropical storm.

C. Category 1 hurricane. D. Category 2 hurricane.

2.We can learn from the passage that_______.

A. Sandy caused 253 deaths totally in the USA.

B. Sandy reached its strongest in the Caribbean Sea.

C. Sandy resulted in great loss in most states in the USA.

D. Sandy is the second largest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.

3.Which of the following graph shows the development of Sandy?

A. B. C. D.

4.What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To tell us how terrible Sandy is.

B. To teach us what to do in face of hurricanes.

C. To inform readers of Sandy and its damage.

D. To warn readers of the dangers caused by hurricanes.

 

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer(自动换币器) fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note—“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” —and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery. Mr Basille always said, “delivering milk is hard if you want to do it well but I love my job.”

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch(门廊). Often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1.Why did Mr Basille give the boy a quarter out of his coin changer? (within 9 words)

_______________________________________________________

2.How could the author’s mother change their order? (within 10 words)

_______________________________________________________

3.Why did the author’s family put the box indoors? (within 6 words)

_______________________________________________________

4.What made it difficult for milkmen to compete with big companies? (within 6 words)

_______________________________________________________

5.What did Mr Basille think of his job? (within 7 words)

________________________________________________________

 

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