My doorbell rings. On the step, I find the elderly Chinese lady, small and slight, holding the hand of a little boy. In her other hand, she holds a paper carrier bag.
I know this lady. It is not her first visit. She is the boy’s grandmother, and her daughter bought the house next door last October.
Her daughter, Nicole, speaks fluent English. But she is now in Shanghai, and her parents are here with the little boy. Nicole has obviously told her mother that I am having heart surgery soon, so her mother has decided I need more nutrients.
I know what is inside the bag—a thermos with hot soup and a stainless-steel container with rice, vegetables and either chicken, meat or shrimp, sometimes with a kind of pancake. This has become an almost-daily practice.
Communication between us is somewhat affected by the fact that she doesn’t speak English and all I can say in Chinese is hello. Once, she brought an iPad as well as the food. She pointed to the screen, which displayed a message from her daughter telling me that her mother wanted to know if the food was all right and whether it was too salty. I am not used to iPads, so she indicated I should go with her to her house. Then, she handed the iPad to her husband and almost immediately I found myself looking at Nicole in Shanghai and discussing her mother’s cooking and salt intake. Instantly, tears welled in my eyes.
“Your mother just can’t be bringing me meals like this all the time,” I insisted. “I can hardly do dishes in return.”
“Oh, no, Lucy.” Nicole said. “Mum doesn’t like western food. Don’t worry about it; she has to cook for the three of them anyway, and she wants to do it.”
The doorbell keeps ringing and there is the familiar brown paper carrier bag, handed smilingly to me.
I am now working on some more Chinese words—it’s the least I can do after such display of kindness.
“Thank you” is, of course, the first one. Somehow, it seems inadequate.
1.The elderly Chinese lady visits Lucy regularly because ________.
A. Lucy pays her to deliver food
B. Lucy likes cooking Chinese food
C. she cares about Lucy’s state of health
D. she wants to make friends with Lucy
2.Nicole’s mum took an iPad to Lucy’s home for ________.
A. displayingB. communicating
C. cookingD. chatting
3.In this passage Lucy mainly expresses her ________.
A. preference for the Chinese food
B. gratitude to the Chinese family
C. love of the advanced technology
D. affection for the Chinese language
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was the fool at school, regarded as a special needs student. I was termed as such. Obviously, because I was not interested in school and did not care for my ________.
Over time, I started to believe in my stupidity. I ________ the fact that I was in special needs classes and poured it out as anger and depression. But one activity ________ this view of myself: chess.
I started to play chess with my father after school simply because I wanted to ________ him at something. My father was a ________ man, fond of physics, writing, religion, ..., almost every ________. He was called a walking dictionary. So, winning in chess against my father would be a ________ that I had intellectual power. On the small chessboard, I had a chance to ________ my so-called inability.
Game after game, I wanted to beat my father even more. I started to study chess books and play against a chess computer to ________ my skills. One weekend, I finally checkmated(将杀) my father on a ferry ride, which made me feel ________.
Two years later, I became the second board on my school chess team, with our top board being the best high school player in the state. But before the tournament season, our top player ________ to come. There came my chance to play as top board against the best players in other states.
I was determined to show who I had become: a(n) ________ person able to win with calculation, logic and will. My most ________ game came in the final round. Our team was facing a high school which only excellent students attended. It was ________ a match between a special needs student and a smart soul. My opponent(对手) was playing well and kept ________ while I kept defending to keep my king safe. He spent long trying to break down my defenses, but could not find the final push. I ________ with more defensive moves, trying to make it as difficult for him as possible. With little ________ left, he started to make rapid moves. ________ he could make the final decision, he ran out of time. Honestly, as his clock flag fell, I jumped up out of my seat and kissed the floor out of excitement. Of course it was not the most sportsmen-like ________, but I could not control my emotions.
While holding my winner’s cup, I knew I was not ________. The inferiority complex(自卑感) had melted away, and I realized that underneath our thoughts, each person is a genius.
1.A. habitsB. gradesC. plansD. benefits
2.A. noticedB. explainedC. acceptedD. ignored
3.A. changedB. supportedC. questionedD. showed
4.A. pleaseB. comfortC. beatD. disturb
5.A. smartB. strictC. quietD. strong
6.A. methodB. topicC. eventD. field
7.A. dreamB. lessonC. theoryD. sign
8.A. proveB. exposeC. overcomeD. promote
9.A. teachB. sharpenC. chooseD. invent
10.A. overjoyedB. disappointedC. puzzledD. interested
11.A. promisedB. managedC. happenedD. failed
12.A. braveB. luckyC. activeD. intelligent
13.A. terribleB. memorableC. dangerousD. popular
14.A. normallyB. possiblyC. actuallyD. partly
15.A. attackingB. smilingC. pausingD. escaping
16.A. returnedB. quitC. wonD. exchanged
17.A. patienceB. timeC. energyD. wisdom
18.A. OnceB. UntilC. BeforeD. Unless
19.A. spiritB. thoughtC. commentD. behavior
20.A. proudB. stupidC. brightD. lazy
If there were no cellphones, life ________ quite different because we depend too much on them.
A. will beB. would beC. isD. were
A long road tests a horse’s strength and a long-term task ________ a man’s heart.
A. provesB. will proveC. is provingD. has proved
If you want to be on the school football team, you ________ train harder.
A．canB．wouldC．mightD．must
Jenny was practicing her speech in the hall when she heard her name ________.
A. callingB. calledC. to callD. having called
