, there has been an obvious trend, especially among the growing group of college students, toward early marriage．Many youths begin dating in the first stage of adolescence,“go steady”through high school, and marry before their formal education has been completed．In some quarters, there is much shaking of graying heads over the unacceptable ways of youth．However, emotional(情感的)maturity does not grow with age; it does not arrive automatically at twenty-one or twenty-five．Some achieve it surprisingly early, while others never do, even in three-score years and ten．
Many students are marrying as an escape, not only from an unsatisfying home life, but also from their own personal problems of loneliness．However, any marriage' entered into as an escape cannot prove entirely successful．The sad fact is that marriage seldom solves one's problems; more often
, it merely worsens them．What's more, it is doubtful whether the home is able to carry all that the young are seeking; they might abandon one idol(幻像)only to have another．Young people correctly understand that their parents are wrong in believing that success is the most important in life, but they themselves are wrong in believing that they have found the true center of life's meaning．Their expectations of marriage are basically unrealistic and therefore can not be met．They want too much, and tragic disillusionment(幻想破灭)is often likely to follow．
Shall we, then, join the chorus of those against early marriages?One cannot generalize：all early marriages are bad and all later ones are good．Satisfactory marriages are determined not by how old one is, but by the emotional maturity of the partners．Therefore, each case must be judged on its own benefits．If the early marriage is not an escape, if it is entered into with relatively few false expectations
, and if it is economically workable, why not?Good marriages can be made from sixteen to sixty, and so can bad ones．
(1)
The underlined phrase' shaking of graying heads
, refers to ________．
[ ]
A．
the anger of parents
B．
the disapproval of elderly people
C．
the improper behaviors of the young
D．
the emotional expectations of young lovers
(2)
The author thinks the idea of marriage as an escape is ________．
[ ]
A．
acceptable
B．
controversial
C．
immature
D．
unreasonable
(3)
The author argues that ________．
[ ]
A．
young people can benefit little from early marriage marriages
B．
elderly people are wrong about early marriages
C．
early marriages are not always unsuccessful
D．
early marriages should not be encouraged
(4)
What's the main idea of the passage?
[ ]
A．
Young people's failure in marriage results from disillusionment．
B．
Young people shouldn't have many expectations for marriage．
C．
Successful marriages depend on emotional maturity．
D．
Home is the place where you get rid of loneliness．
Everyone knows that a long bus ride can make even the most exciting field trip seem oring．When the bus is traveling a long distance to reach the cool field trip destination
, it can eem like forever．What about when you are in the backseat waiting to reach Grandma's ouse?The road stretches like a rubber band for miles and miles．Here's a way to beat the oad at its own game．Use what you have around you to play games with your family and riends．You can have fun while you travel!
(1)
When you play“Make Them LOOK!”you need to ________．
[ ]
A．
prepare a piece of paper with the alphabet on it
B．
focus on the license plates of the running cars
C．
know the traffic rules in Alaska and Hawaii
D．
remember the alphabet you've seen
(2)
If a question in“Straight Face”is successful, the person“it”will feel ________．
[ ]
A．
funny
B．
happy
C．
confused
D．
hopeful
(3)
Who is the passage written for?
[ ]
A．
Students taking long trips．
B．
Businessmen travelling often．
C．
Drivers going to other states．
D．
People learning to be humorous．
阅读理解
In this age of cell phones, text messages and computer keyboards, one Scottish school has returned to basics．It's teaching I children the ignored art of writing with a fountain pen．There is no clicking of keyboards in most classrooms at the Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School
, although there is a full range of facilities(设施)for computer lessons and technology isn't being ignored．The school's headmaster believes the old-fashioned pens have helped strengthen the academic performance and self-respect of his 1, 200 pupils．
“The pens improve the quality of work because they force the children to take care, and better work improves self-respect”, headmaster Bryan Lewis said．“Proper handwriting is as relevant today as it ever has been．”Students as young as 7 have been instructed to give up their ballpoint pens and begin to deal with its more artful predecessor．By the time they reach grade five, at age 9
, they are expected to write mainly with fountain pens．Lewis said the school's 7-and 8-year-olds use fountain pens for 80-90 percent of their work, returning to pencils for such subjects as math．“I don't see fountain pens as old-fashioned or out of date．Modern fountain pens are beautiful to use．It's not like in the old days of broken metal points and dirtying writing paper,”Lewis said“We have a particular writing style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that allows left-and right-handed people to write without dirtying paper．”
Some people argue that handwriting is becoming less important because of the growing use of cell phone text messaging and typing on computers, but the school disagrees．“We talk of the paperless office and the paperless world, but this is not true,”Lewis said．“You still need to have proper handwriting skills．”
(1)
The Scottish school in the passage ________．
[ ]
A．
does not think highly of modern technology
B．
values fountain pens more than anything else
C．
pays special attention to the use of fountain pens
D．
takes an action which is considered stupid by many people
(2)
The underlined word“predecessor”in Paragraph 2 refers to ________．
[ ]
A．
the pencil
B．
the keyboard
C．
the ballpoint pen
D．
the fountain pen
(3)
The headmaster Bryan Lewis holds the view that ________．
[ ]
A．
children should be required to use fountain pens when they are five
B．
handwriting skills are more important than typing skills nowadays
C．
using fountain pens may slow down students' speed of writing
D．
fountain pens have helped to build up students' self-respect
(4)
Which is the best title for this passage?
[ ]
A．
Handwriting Not Useless Now
B．
Old-fashioned Pen Coming Back
C．
Stay Away from Tech and Teach Fountain Pen
D．
Fountain Pen Strengthens Academic Performance
阅读理解
June 27, 2010, is the 130th anniversary of the birth of Helen Keller, and each year the week in which her birthday falls is recognized as Deaf-Blind Awareness Week(
海伦凯勒周)．In honor of Helen Keller－and other members of the deaf-blind community, this week is devoted to the deaf-blind．
Every year the last week of June is devoted to one thing – recognition of the deaf-blind people in our midst．While the purpose of Deaf-Blind Awareness Week is to show respect for Helen Keller, the deaf-blind woman who was born that week, the week focuses on increasing public awareness and understanding of deaf-blindness．
According to the Helen Keller National Center(HKNC), about 70,000 people have hearing and vision loss．More than ten years ago, Deaf-Blind Awareness
Week became an event officially recognized by the Federal government．
The story of Helen Keller is well known．Born on June 27, 1880, the healthy baby was developing normally．But at the age of 19 months, an illness left her deaf and blind．When Helen was six, her equally famous teacher, Anne Sullivan, was able to teach her to communicate．Helen Keller went on to do well in all aspects of her life：graduating from college with honors and writing, lecturing, and inspiring people worldwide．
(1)
Which of the following is NOT the purpose of Deaf-Blind Awareness Week according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
To show respect for Helen Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan．
B．
To show respect for Helen Keller．
C．
To increase public awareness of deaf-blindness．
D．
To increase public understanding of deaf-blindness．
(2)
When is Deaf-Blind Awareness Week?
[ ]
A．
June 27, 2007．
B．
The last week of June ten years ago．
C．
June 27, 1880．
D．
The last week of June every year．
(3)
According to the passage, Helen Keller ________．
[ ]
A．
was born deaf and blind
B．
did not do very well in college
C．
was taught to communicate at the age of 16
D．
inspired people all over the world with her books and lectures
(4)
What might be the best title for the passage?
[ ]
A．
Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
B．
Helen Keller
C．
The Helen Keller National Center
D．
Anne Sullivan
阅读理解
My six-year-old granddaughter, Caitlyn, and I stopped at a Tim Horton's shop for a blueberry cake．As we were going out of the door, a young teenage boy was coming in．
This young man had no hair on sides of his head with a set of blue spiked(
竖起的)hair on top of it．One of his nostrils(鼻孔)was pierced(扎、穿), and a ring ran through the hole and a chain went across his face and was attached to a ring he was wearing in his ear．He held a skateboard under one arm and a basketball under the other．
Caitlyn, who was walking ahead of me, stopped at once when she saw the teenager, I thought he'd scared her and she'd frozen on the spot．
I was wrong．
My granddaughter backed up against the door and opened it as wide as it would go．Now I was face to face with the young man．I stepped aside and let him pass．His response was a polite“Thank you very much”．
On our way to the car, I praised Caitlyn for her manners in holding open the door for the young man．She didn't seem to be troubled by his appearance, but I wanted to make sure．If a grandmother's talk about freedom of self-expression and allowing people their differences was in order, I wanted to be ready．
As it turned out, the person who needed the talk was me．
The only thing Caitlyn noticed about the teenager was the fact that his arms were full．“He would have a hard time to open the door．”
I saw the partially shaved head, the set of spiked hair, the piercing and the chain．She saw a person carrying something under each arm and heading toward a closed door．
In the future, I hope to get down on her level and raise my sights．
(1)
What did the author think of the young man?
[ ]
A．
Polite．
B．
Uncommon．
C．
Frightening．
D．
Funny．
(2)
Caitlyn helped the young man because ________．
[ ]
A．
she was scared
B．
she didn't notice his look
C．
she wanted to avoid him
D．
it would be difficult for him to open the door
(3)
The underlined sentence suggests that ________．
[ ]
A．
the author was ashamed of herself
B．
the author didn't know how to give a talk on freedom
C．
a talk on freedom was useless for the granddaughter
D．
people should have more freedom to express themselves
(4)
The author intends to tell us that ________．
[ ]
A．
we shouldn't judge a person by his look
B．
we should allow people more freedom to dress differently
C．
we should be more helpful and tolerant(
宽容的)to people
D．
we shouldn't be too particular about people in life
阅读理解
A popular saying goes,“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me．”However, that's not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn't matter if the words come from someone's else or ourselves－the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．
We all talk to ourselves sometimes．We're usually too embarrassed to admit it, though．In fact, we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．
This“self-talk”helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though, that as much as 77％ of self-talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back．The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying“Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others．For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange．And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner．Or harsh(
刻薄的)and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．
Words possess power because of their lasting effect．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us!Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves：Is it loving?Is it needed?If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid．
Words possess power：both positive and negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope, build self-esteem(
自尊)and motivate others to do their best．Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal?The choice is ours．
(1)
The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________．
[ ]
A．
words have a lasting effect on us
B．
inspiring words give us confidence
C．
negative words may let us down
D．
not sticks and stones but words will hurt us
(2)
There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because ________．
[ ]
A．
almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves
B．
talking to ourselves always gives us courage
C．
we can benefit from talking to ourselves
D．
it does no harm to have“self-talk”when we are alone
(3)
The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely ________．
[ ]
A．
remind ourselves
B．
praise ourselves
C．
make ourselves relaxed
D．
give ourselves amusement
(4)
The author would probably hold the view that ________．
[ ]
A．
encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers
B．
negative words may stimulate us to make more progress
C．
people tend to remember friendly words
D．
it is better to think twice before talking to others
阅读理解
I was walking along Orchard Road when I realized a tall young man wearing a jacket and tie was following me．I noticed him because not many people wear a jacket and tie in the middle of a hot summer day, and I had already seen this man four times that afternoon．
To make sure he was following me, I walked on quickly, turned right into a shopping center and then stopped to look in a shop window．Soon the man appeared and stopped at another shop window．I walked on and stopped several times．When I stopped, he stopped too．
I began to be rather worried and decided to try to lose this strange man．When I saw a taxi coming, I jumped into it．As I was telling the taxi driver where to go, I found the man get into another taxi, which then followed mine．As the two taxies slowly made their way along Orchard Road, I looked back at the taxi behind, and saw the stranger was looking out at me．At MRT station, I told the taxi driver to stop and I got out．As I was paying my fare, I saw the man was getting out of his taxi．
By now I got angry, so I turned and walked straight to him．I asked him why he was following me．At first he said he was not following me at all, but when I threatened(
威胁)to call the police, he admitted he was．He then told me that he was a journalist(news reporter)and that he was writing an article on how elderly people in Singapore spend their time．He said he was observing me to gather materials for his article．
(1)
What was strange about the man who followed the author?
[ ]
A．
He seemed to be wearing too much．
B．
He was out on such a hot day．
C．
He walked quickly behind．
D．
He was a tall young man．
(2)
Why did the author get into a taxi?
[ ]
A．
To test the young man．
B．
To lose the young man．
C．
To call the police．
D．
To get home earlier．
(3)
The stranger admitted he was following because the author ________．
[ ]
A．
threatened to call the police
B．
called the police
C．
talked to the police
D．
took him to the police
阅读理解
In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc．in almost every family．These are their pets．People love these pets and have them as their good friends．Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射)so that they won't carry disease．They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store．Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food．
When you visit people's houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them．You will also find that almost every family has a feeding place for birds in their garden．All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal．They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada．They have a law against killing wild animals．If you killed an animal, you would be punished．If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it．
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals．One of them might be that their family ties are not as close as ours．When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life．Then the old will feel lonely, but pets can solve this problem．They can be good friends and never leave them alone．
(1)
The passage mainly talks about ________．
[ ]
A．
how to keep disease from pets
B．
pets in Canada
C．
how to take good care of pets
D．
life of the old in Canada
(2)
They give their pets injections before keeping them at their houses because ________．
[ ]
A．
the pets are sick
B．
the pets are wild
C．
they want to stop them from getting sick
D．
they want them to sleep on the way home
(3)
In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because ________．
[ ]
A．
they don't love their parents any more
B．
they can only find jobs far from their parents
C．
their parents houses are too small
D．
they wouldn't depend on their parents any more
(4)
Which of the following is TRUE?
[ ]
A．
People buy animal food only at the animal food stores．
B．
Pets eat better than people．
C．
Almost every family has a birdcage in his house．
D．
Any bird can come to the feeding place to eat．
阅读理解
Having Breakfast Or Not
Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast?A short time ago, a test was given in the United States．People of different ages, from 12 to 83, were asked to have a test．During the test, these people were given all kinds of breakfast, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all．Scientists wanted to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten different kinds of breakfast．
The results show that if a person eats a right breakfast, he or she will work better than if he or she has no breakfast．If a student has fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he or she will learn more quickly and listen more carefully in class．The result is opposite to what some people think．Having no breakfast will not help you lose weight．This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch．They will gain weight instead of losing it．You will lose more weight if you reduce your other meals．
(1)
During the test, the people were given ________．
[ ]
A．
no breakfast at all
B．
very rich breakfast
C．
different foods or sometimes none
D．
little food for breakfast
(2)
The results show that ________．
[ ]
A．
breakfast has little to do with a person's work
B．
breakfast has a great effect on work and studies
C．
a person will work better if he only has fruit and milk
D．
girl students should have less for breakfast
(3)
Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
It is bad for your health to have no breakfast．
B．
Too little for breakfast and too much for lunch may make you fatter．
C．
If you don't eat much for lunch and supper, you may lose weight．
D．
The more breakfast you have, the more quickly you'll learn in class．
阅读理解
From the earliest times, man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris, France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort(炮台)．In 1190, it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat(护城河)to keep out his enemies．
Over the years, the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350, the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace, new treasures were brought in．During days of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515, he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo Da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's‘Mona Lisa’is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．
(1)
On the whole, this passage is mainly about ________．
[ ]
A．
an art museum called the Louvre
B．
an Italian artist named Leonardo Da Vinci
C．
a king of France named Francis I
D．
the best known painting in Louvre
(2)
Which of the following is not true?
[ ]
A．
The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago．
B．
French kings and queens once lived in it．
C．
The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190．
D．
Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years．
(3)
Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums?
[ ]
A．
It helps people remember who the King of France is．
B．
It keeps people out of the palaces．
C．
It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art．
D．
It helps people to know who is the greatest artist．
(4)
From the passage we know that ________．
[ ]
A．
it is not possible for treasures to be stolen
B．
old forts always make the best museums
C．
great art should be shared with all the people
D．
king Francis I of France brought in(引进，带来)artists from an old fort
