It was my first year teaching in a special class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My         had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy (脑瘫).

Mark was one with the latter. Restricted to a      , he had to fight his spasms (抽搐) just to control his movements.     , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile. His classmates       him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at   ­­       . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, unrestricted by the limitation of his      , and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with      .

When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas placed well in their sports events, and gave the calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines,         them on. The final event of the day was the 400-meter race.       was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the       length of the track.

When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they       and turned to look behind them. At the       of the crowd on the track, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had      him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to        . Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a silent       passed between them. Slowly, they jogged       towards their friend, cheering him on       he had done for them moments before.

The progress was      , but in the end the three star runners and Mark       the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face and hands upraised, I came to understand what       the Special Olympics.

       Years later, I’m still cheering them on.

1.A. students     B. friends             C. partners       D. classmates

2.A. bed             B. machine               C. desk      D. wheelchair

3.A. Thus          B. However     C. Otherwise  D. Besides

4.A. protected      B. satisfied      C. loved      D. cared

5.A. expression            B. practice       C. studies    D. sports

6.A. interests              B. habits         C. body      D. mind

7.A. trust         B. admiration     C. fear D. worry

8.A. bringing      B. cheering       C. holding   D. moving

9.A. Someone      B. Everyone      C. Anybody   D. Nobody

10.A. average      B. different       C. entire     D. extra

11.A. fell         B. rested          C . hurried   D. paused

12.A. end       B. front          C. center     D. top

13.A. left        B. ignored        C. passed     D. helped

14.A. run        B. jog            C. cover     D. walk

15.A. demand          B. relief          C. action     D. thought

16.A. back     B. along         C. again      D. on

17.A. while            B. although       C. since      D. as

18.A. slow               B. great          C. boring      D. relaxing

19.A. crossed    B. arrived         C. rushed     D. got

20.A. left     B. made  C. kept      D. found

 

Harry Houdini was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.

    Of course, his secret was not magic or supernatural power. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.

    Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in clubs in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.

    It was the publicity (宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape from ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks. She passed it quickly from her mouth to his.

    Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? Worldwide fame and a name remembered today.

1.According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ______.

A. his special tricks and supernatural powers

B. his unusual ability and skeleton key

C. his magic tricks and supernatural powers

D. his wisdom and magic tricks

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous ______ .

A. in 1894          B. before he married

C. at the age of 17     D. when he was 24

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?                          

A. Houdini was a famous American magician.  

B. Houdini was first recognized in Chicago.   

C. Houdini first entered the entertainment world together with his wife.   

D. Houdini was popular with people from Europe and America.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. A Skeleton Key      B. A Secret Prisoner

C. Worldwide Fame   D. Great Escapes

 

For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span(寿命) means that the nation’s elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change brings many problems for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions,  and in law and business as well. “In addition to the doctors, we’re going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers,” says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学).www.zxxk.com

   Lawyers can specialize in “elder law” which covers everything from trusts(信托) and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination. Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees(退休者) in human history. “Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money,” one professor says.

   Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria.” So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it. She says, “I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying.”

1..“…Old is suddenly in” (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means “_____”.

A. America has suddenly become a nation of old people

B. more elderly professors are found on American campuses

C. gerontology has suddenly become popular

D. American colleges have realized the need of getting older students

2.Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?

A. The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power

B. They can employ more gerontologists

C. Retirees are more generous in spending money

D. There are more elderly people working than before

3.Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage?

A. Retirees who are business-minded

B. The volunteer workers in retirement homes

C. Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology

D. College graduates with an MBA or law degree

4..It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America’s elderly population ______.

A. will provide good job opportunities in many areas

B. will cause a heavy burden on society

C. may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination

D. will create new fields of study in universities

 

Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big. All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags,bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.www.zxxk.com

The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert,with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slowly that garbage from all over the world collects there.

In recent years,there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste,resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full,lessening their desire to eat or drink.

The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste,and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.www.zxxk.com

Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier,another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

In August,2009,a team from the University of California,San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.

1.How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?

A. By giving an example.       B. By listing the facts.

C. By telling a story.           D. By giving a comparison.

2.What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. It is made up of various kinds of plastic products.

B. It is a solid mass of floating waste materials.

C. It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California.

D. It is described as a kind of oceanic land.

3.Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water.

B. Because the polluted plastic products will affect the food chain.

C. Because it maybe form an island in the pacific.

D. Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste.

 

Bright red post boxes, the Queen and queuing—what do they all have in common? They are all important parts of British life. At least I thought so.

     However, the ability to queue for long periods of time, once believed to be a traditional characteristic of the British, is no longer tolerated by people in the UK, according to a survey done for British bank Barclays.

     Once upon a time, queuing was seen as normal. During World WarⅡ, everyone had to queue up to receive their daily supply of foods. In fact, if you didn't stand up and wait in line with all the others, it was seen as uncivilized.

     The famous English double-decker buses, with only one entrance, might also help explain why queuing was seen as a part of British life. Almost always, there is queue to get on. www.zxxk.com

     But perhaps the British are tired of being pushed past by the Spanish, the Italians or the French as they queue up to get a table at a restaurant. The people of these other European countries have more than one entrance to their buses, which explains their more relaxed attitude to the queue.

     Two minutes is now the longest time most British people are prepared to stand and wait. But could it be that the Internet, which allows us to carry out tasks quickly, is the main reason why British people are no longer prepared to queue?

     "Used to buying without delay, customers are even giving up purchases rather than wait their turn," says Stuart Neal of Barclaycard. "Shoppers are also less likely to queue for long if the item they are buying is of low value."

     Perhaps I will have to replace "queuing" with "impatience" in my list of things I relate to the British. 

1. What can we learn about the tradition of queuing in Britain? 

A. It was considered a symbol of a civilized behavior.

B. It was a long time tradition as old as the Queen.

C. It was a product of the slow pace of life.

D. It has made the Britain different from other Europeans. 

2. According to the passage, the British gradually stopped queuing because ______.

A. they prefer shopping online

B. the Internet has changed their way of life

C. what they are buying is of low value

D. they follow the example of foreigners

3. It can be learned from the text that ______. 

A. the British used to buy without delay

B. the British have to queue to receive food

C. the British get impatient with queuing for long

D. the British prefer to take double-decker buses 

4.The author's main purpose of writing the passage is _______.

A. to tell us the influence of the Internet on the British ways of life

B. to compare the cultural difference between Britain and other countries

C. to report his research on the British ways of life

D. to talk about the changes in the attitude to queuing in Britain 

 

_1.___There were few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited. Today things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals _2.__.

Everyone realizes today if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow in the land. Yet , we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees. __3.__ However, in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this. We know, too , that if the population of the world continues to rise, in a few years, there will not be enough food.www.zxxk.com

_4._ If we eat more vegetables and less meat, there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops feeds five times more people than land where animals are kept. __5._ the world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control. Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and cleaner planet in the future.

A. What can we do to solve these problems?

B. So we should try our best to protect the environment.

C. In the past, man didn’t have to think about the protection of his environment.

D. We realize that if the rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die.

E. Why do some people do so foolish things?

F. If we continue to do this, human life won’t survive in the future.

G. Out natural resources will last longer if we learn to recycle them.

 

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