One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, California, to New Orleans. In the middle of the desert, I came upon a young man standing by the roadside. He had his thumb out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time in the country when you’d be considered a stupid person if you passed by somebody in need. Now you are a fool for helping. With gangs, drug addicts, murderers, thieves everywhere, “I don’t want to get involved” has become a national motto.
Several states later I was still thinking about the hitch-hiker(免费搭车的人). Leaving him standing in the desert did not bother me so much. What bothered me was how easily I had reached the decision. I never even lifted my foot off the accelerator(加速器).
Does anyone stop any more? I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois’s family line: “I have always depended on the kindness of the strangers”. Could anyone rely on the kindness of the strangers these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey from coast to coast without any money, relying only on the good will of his fellow Americans. What kind of Americans would he find? Who would feed him, shelter him, and carry him down the road?
The idea interested me.
So I decided to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. It would be a cashless journey through the land of the almighty dollar. I would only accept offers of rides, food and a place to rest my head. My final destination would be Cape Fear in North Carolina, a symbol of all the fears I’d have to conquer during the trip.
I rose early on September 6, 1994, and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge with a 50-pound pack on my back and a sign displaying my destination to passing vehicles: “America”.
For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. As I traveled, folks were always warning me about someplace else. In Montana they told me to watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming; in Nebraska they said people would not be as nice as in Iowa. Yet I was amazed by people’s readiness to help a stranger, even when it seemed against their own best interests.
1.Why did the author drive past the young man in the desert without stopping?
A. Because he failed to notice this man.
B. Because he was driving too fast.
C. Because he was afraid of being cheated.
D. Because he thought the young man didn’t need help.
2.What was it that made the author upset?
A. Making the decision of not offering help so easily.
B. Leaving the young man alone in the desert.
C. Being considered a fool.
D. Keeping thinking about the young man.
3.What is the structure of the text?
A. ①—②③④—⑤—⑥⑦
B. ①②—③④—⑤⑥⑦
C. ①②—③④⑤⑥—⑦
D. ①②③—④—⑤⑥⑦
4.The author decided to travel without a penny in order to ___________.
A. find out how long he could survive without help
B. figure out how strangers thought of his plan
C. go through the great difficulty in surviving unexpected environment
D. find out whether strangers would offer help to him
5.The following part might probably___________.
A. describe how the author fooled the strangers
B. describe how strangers went out their way to help the author
C. explain why people refused to help strangers
D. explain how the author overcame his difficulties on the way
When scientists accidentally killed what turned out to be the world’s oldest living creature, it was bad enough. Now, their mistake has been worsened after further research found it was even older – at 507 years.
The ocean quahog, a type of deep-sea clam, was dredged (捕捞) alive from the bottom of the North Atlantic near Iceland in 2006 by researchers. They then put it in a fridge-freezer, as is normal practice, unaware of its age. It was only when it was taken to a laboratory that scientists from Bangor University studied it and concluded it was 400 years old.
The discovery made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. However, by this time, it was too late for Ming the Mollusc(软体动物), named after the Chinese dynasty when its life began. Unfortunately researchers who calculated Ming’s age killed it instantly by opening its shell.
The researchers opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside. But the rings were so close together that scientists ended up having to count the rings on the outside to be accurate, leading CBS journalists to point out that if scientists had just started there, Ming could have lived on. Now, after examining the quahog more closely, using more advanced methods, the researchers have found the animal was actually 100 years older than they first thought.
Dr Paul Butler, from the University’s School of Ocean Sciences, said: “We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we’ve got the right age now.” The mollusc was born in 1499 – just seven years after Columbus discovered America and before Henry VIII had even married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon in 1509.
A quahog’s shell grows by a layer every year, in the summer when the water is warmer and food is plentiful. It means that when its shell is cut in half, scientists can count the lines in a similar way that trees can be dated by rings in their trunks.
Jan Heinemeier, associate professor at the University of Denmark, who helped date Ming, told Science Nordic: “The fact that we got our hands on a 507-year-old animal is incredibly fascinating, but the really exciting thing is of course everything we can learn from studying the mollusk.”
1.At first, the scientists found that _____________.
A. The ocean quahog got a deadly disease
B. The growth rings inside were so close together
C. it was accurate to count the growth rings outside
D. The ocean quahog was 400 years old
2.Why did the scientists open the ancient clam up?
A. To count the growth rings outside of the clam.
B. To study how old the clam was.
C. To see the structure of it.
D. To give an immediate operation on it.
3.The sixth paragraph is mainly about_____________.
A. How to calculate the age of a tree
B. Why a quahog’s shell grows by a layer each year
C. How to calculate the age of a quahog
D. Why a quahog likes it when the water is warmer
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The researchers have got the right age of the ocean quahog.
B. The mollusc was born after Columbus discovered America.
C. The ocean quahog was named after the Chinese dynasty.
D. A quahog’s shell grows by a layer every season.
5.Where does the text probably come from?
A. A magazine of marine life. B. A travel brochure.
C. A biography. D. A science fiction.
One sunny afternoon, a seven-year-old girl went for a walk. She crossed a large area of grassland into the woods she realized that she was lost.
Sitting on a rock and what to do, she began crying. After a while, she to walk along a wide path lined with tall trees and thick bushes. it was getting dark, she saw a small, dark wooden house. She opened the door and stepped in. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise, and she ran out the door and back to the . Cold and tired, she fell asleep near a .
The girl’s parents were out and her dog, Laddy, was at home. Laddy that his mistress(女主人) was in danger. He jumped a window, breaking the glass. He looked in the fields, but he couldn't find his mistress anywhere. However, from the ground came a scent(气味)as he lowered his head. He the scent and walked across the grassland. Barking into the air, the dog
through the woods until he found the . But the girl was not there, so he headed back to the woods. Much to his , he saw his mistress' blue shirt in the distance. He over some bushes and saw the little stream, where the girl was .
When she opened her eyes and her dog standing beside her, the girl said, “You me, Laddy.” and she kissed him several times. Seeing their daughter and dog coming back, the parents burst into tears of .That night Laddy had a hero’s supper: a huge meal of steak.
1.A. before B. since C. while D. as
2.A. wondering B. forgetting C. remembering D. regretting
3.A. preferred B. expected C. failed D. decided
4.A. When B. Until C. If D. Because
5.A. carelessly B. cautiously C. hopelessly D. unwillingly
6.A. trees B. bushes C. woods D. grasses
7.A. stream B. rock C. tree D. house
8.A. found B. sensed C. heard D. smelt
9.A. at B. through C. in D. onto
10.A. terrible B. strange C. pleasant D. familiar
11.A. missed B. discovered C. followed D. ignored
12.A. calmly B. loudly C. merrily D. gently
13.A. searched B. wandered C. looked D. travelled
14.A. window B. girl C. house D. hero
15.A. satisfaction B. disappointment C. embarrassment D. delight
16.A. jumped B. climbed C. walked D. flew
17.A. awake B. abandoned C. available D. asleep
18.A. spotted B. watched C. observed D. saw
19.A. disturbed B. comforted C. rescued D. scared
20.A. pain B. shock C. sorrow D. relief
After the snowstorm broke out, what should be immediately done is to provide ________ for those people who lost their homes.
A. occupation B. equipment C. furniture D. accommodation
Meeting President Xi was a precious moment for the villagers, ________they will treasure forever.
A. one B. it C. that D. this
As the report said, the shopping center was a ________ failure and soon closed.
A. financial B. typical C. physical D. mental
