It is two in the morning. The wind is getting stronger and there is a chance that it will rain. Though the weather is bad, Al Gehrke sits 110 floors above the ground, 442 meters above the earth. You may be wondering what he is doing so far off the ground. If you asked him, he would say, “I am just doing my job!”
Al Gehrke has a very special job that not many people would want to have. He manages one of the tallest buildings in the world — the Wills Tower in Chicago. His team washes and changes the windows. The Wills Tower has 16, 000 windows and each window weighs over 90 kilos. Gehrke and his team work from seven in the evening until four in the morning. They clean 18 windows each night. Each window takes almost 30 minutes. Al Gehrke is not afraid of high places and he is a good man for the job.
Mary Ann also has an unusual job. Instead of hanging high above the earth washing windows, she works under the water. She trains dolphins for shows and also helps people to swim with the dolphins. She loves the dolphins. “We never tell a dolphin what to do. We ask them respectfully. They decide to do that for us because of the relationship we have,” she said.
Besides washing windows high above the earth or swimming with big fish under the water, there are other unusual jobs that you have probably never thought of people having. Here is another strange example: karaoke singers! A karaoke singer is someone who sings the songs of famous singers. The singer is able to follow the words of the songs because they appear on a computer in front of them. In Cyprus, karaoke singers are very popular. They sing to the people on holiday. As the visitors travel around the island they can listen to the music of the karaoke singers.
1.By saying “I am just doing my job” in Paragraph 1, Al Gehrke is most likely to tell us .
A. his job is difficult to do B. he is brave and strong
C. he can make much money D. his job is nothing special
2.According to the third paragraph, Mary Ann .
A. considers herself unusual B. teaches people how to swim
C. has a great love for dolphins D. works long hours every day
3.The writer is trying to introduce some unusual jobs by .
A. holding some activities B. offering some examples
C. comparing several ones D. telling some funny stories
Almost everyone knows the story of Cinderella — a servant (仆人) girl who wears a glass slipper (玻璃鞋) and wins the heart of a prince. Disney has remade the classic fairy tale into a new movie.
We are first introduced to a beautiful girl named Ella.1. Ella then welcomes her stepmother (继母) and her daughters. But when Ella’s father unexpectedly dies too, she finds herself living with a horrible new family. Her stepmother and stepsisters make her into a servant girl. They even rename her Cinderella because she is often covered in cinders (煤灰) because of sleeping by the fireplace.
Most people might become disappointed (沮丧的) and angry in such a situation. But Ella doesn’t. She tells herself to stay strong and be kind.
One day, Ella meets a charming stranger in the woods. She doesn’t know he is a prince.
Soon an invitation to a palace ball comes. Ella might see the young man again.2. As in all good fairy tales, a beggar (乞丐) appears. She uses her magic to help Ella and changes her life forever.
Kenneth Branagh, director of the movie, believes people love Cinderella because they connect with the story on a deep level.
“Cinderella is certainly placed in a hard situation, but she chooses not to be the girl in distress (痛苦) and we see her make strong, positive choices in that situation,” he told Glamour magazine. “3. ”
A.She is the master of her own destiny (命运).
B.However, her stepmother won’t let her go.
C.Whatever she wishes, she will see her dream come true.
D.Her mother dies and her father remarries.
It was a cold morning, just right to relax in the sun.
“Madam!” There was a strange shout. I hurried to ______ what was happening and Ramu, my housekeeper, pointed to a(n) ____ wild pig that was eating corns in my field.
“You _______ the door,” he said to me. “I’ll bag it.”
So I stood bravely, hoping that I could stop this wild pig from running away. In one quick move the wild pig was trapped by Ramu. I really wanted to kill this ugly animal.
____, Ramu didn’t have the same thought. He caught the wild pig’s body and used a rope to tie it up, like putting a leash (牵狗绳) on a dog. ____ must have shown on my face. “I cannot kill the pig, madam. I’ll leave it in the woods.”
_____ I could say anything, he had freed the pig. Then he walked it out of the field. “Wait!” I screamed, “It’s just going to come back.”
Ramu turned back to me. “If the pig comes back, we’ll catch it again, madam.”
I watched, _______ to think clearly. It was a sight I’d never seen, a pig ______ following a man. It was funny, wasn’t it?
When I calmed down, I watched over the fence to make sure they were really going to the woods. Suddenly, Ramu stopped and talked to a boy on a bicycle. The two nodded and exchanged smiles. Then, to my surprise, Ramu handed over the ______ to the boy. I was even more surprised to see the pig began to keep up with the boy on the bike as they ______ into the woods.
When I retell this story, I often think of Ramu. He, more than many of us, I believe, truly understood the value of life.
1.A.compare B.check C.discuss D.imagine
2.A.friendly B.excellent C.lazy D.ugly
3.A.guard B.paint C.open D.repair
4.A.Anyway B.However C.Moreover D.Otherwise
5.A.Everything B.Nothing C.Anything D.Something
6.A.After B.Unless C.Before D.Till
7.A.unable B.able C.unlucky D.lucky
8.A.properly B.peacefully C.wildly D.wonderfully
9.A.bag B.leaf C.rope D.bell
10.A.changed B.jumped C.continued D.walked
-Good cooks are all men
- ___________. In my family, my mother cooks better than my father.
A.That's true B.That's all right C.That's not the case D.That's it
-Dad, do you know ___________ return from Beijing? I miss her very much.
-Maybe next Sunday
A.how will Mum B.when will Mum. C.how Mum will D.when Mum will
Mr. White tells us the calls meeting will be cancelled if no agreement _________ tomorrow.
A. is reached B. will be reached
C. is going to be reached D. has been reached
