It was a cold winter morning.Half asleep at the train station, I stared into the distance, ______ for the train to take me to my ______ in Boston.The world was quiet.The very few people on the street kept to themselves, ______ their steaming cups of coffee.
Reaching into my pocket as the ______ was approaching, my numb hand searched for the $ 20 bill to pay my fare.The pocket was ______！ I searched through my bag and then I felt ______. Unless the money dropped from the sky, I’d be ______ here.
“What’s the matter？” A short, elderly man stood before me.
“Oh, nothing ...Well, I ______ my money and now I can’t pay for the ticket.I’m going to ______ my math class and the train is leaving.”
“Here, use this.”
The man held a $20 bill.I looked up, ______.People just didn’t do that any more.Everyone worried about their own ______， rarely stopping to think about others, especially teenage strangers.
“Thank you.But no, I can’t.”
“______ it — go！” The man pushed me ______ the train.I bought a roundtrip ticket, and he refused the change I ______ to give him back.I did not know what to say — a million thoughts raced through my mind, yet I stood ______.
For the train ride I was silent.I began to see the world through ______ eyes.That man made a difference with such a simple ______.
A week later I was at the train station again, with an extra $20 ______ I saw the man.And there he was.
“Excuse me, sir.I believe I owe you this.” I ______ the money into his hand.
Failing to refuse, he said，“Just remember to do the same for someone in your shoes someday.” I smiled, content.
The elderly man is my hero.For many, heroes are famous, but my hero is a(n) ______ who taught me a lesson in life.I will never forget his kindness.
1.A. waiting B. looking C. reaching D. arranging
2.A. home B. class C. office D. factory
3.A. serving B. moving C. minding D. making
4.A. chance B. crowd C. driver D. train
5.A. deep B. empty C. messy D. tight
6.A. hopeless B. useless C. relieved D. dissatisfied
7.A. blocked B. drawn C. stuck D. tied
8.A. wasted B. counted C. spent D. lost
9.A. miss B. skip C. fail D. stop
10.A. frightened B. disturbed C. surprised D. concerned
11.A. problems B. complaints C. positions D. challenges
12.A. Seize B. Make C. Watch D. Take
13.A. in B. beyond C. toward D. on
14.A. forgot B. managed C. happened D. attempted
15.A. unconsciously B. silently C. seriously D. uncomfortably
16.A. curious B. changed C. dull D. widened
17.A. task B. act C. example D. performance
18.A. so that B. even if C. now that D. in case
19.A. dropped B. pushed C. pressed D. pulled
20.A. stranger B. acquaintance C. friend D. enemy
1.Being angry doesn’t really solve much, but what people do when they feel angry is important. The goal is to calm down and try to solve what is bothering you. This is hard for some kids and adults, too. Instead of calming down, some kids might keep getting more and more upset until they explode like a volcano!
2.Their anger might be so strong that they lose control of their temper. They may act in ways unacceptable and hurtful. People may say that someone has trouble controlling their temper. 3.
Some kids might get so angry that they scream at their parents, break something, or even worse, hit their brothers or sisters. 4.However, it’s not OK for a kid to do any of those things .Kids don’t want to act in this way, but sometimes angry feelings can be hard to manage. So what to do?
Well, the good news is that kids don’t just have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. 5.. Imagine your temper as a puppy inside you that needs some training. The puppy is not bad — it will probably turn out a great dog. It just needs to learn some rules because, right now, that puppy is causing some problems to you.
A．You can train your temper.
B．You don’t want to cause trouble.
C．Kids should be allowed to express their feelings, even angry ones.
D．Everybody gets angry sometimes.
E．In fact, they usually mean that a kid behaves badly when feeling angry.
F．Instead of thinking of the person you’re angry with, think of something else.
G．Some kids get angry more often or more easily than some other kids.
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to_no_avail. It was only when I turned to meditation (沉思) for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing I’m singing in the rain, a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirits and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.
1.The underlined part “to no avail” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”．
A. unsuccessful B. unrelated
C. uninteresting D. unexpected
2.In the author’s opinion, ________.
A. a bath can make people relaxed
B. depression is usually caused by hard work
C. walking in a busy city centre harms people’s health
D. it’s good for adults to wake up their inner children when they are in low spirits
3.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) ________.
A. explanation B. suggestion
C. introduction D. reminder
Larry Ritsema was out for an early morning jog around his neighborhood on one weekend.On a quiet street, he began to feel weak.Suddenly, everything went black.Larry fell to the ground.
Less than a minute later, Tom Alguire passed by on his bicycle.He caught sight of a man lying on the roadside, so he jumped off his bike and ran over.He recognized Larry immediately, because he had been Larry’s doctor for nearly 20 years.
Dr Tom felt for a pulse at first.Finding none, he began to give Larry first aid.It wouldn’t restart Larry’s heart, but it would keep the blood flowing until someone else arrived.Tom could only hope someone would come by soon, around six o’clock in the morning on a holiday weekend.Tom couldn’t stop pressing Larry’s chest to run for help — Larry’s brain cells would die without the blood.And Tom didn’t have a mobile phone with him.
Soon, a car did drive by.But the driver ignored Tom’s appeal for help.What was he going to do? Tom was very worried.Finally, another car came down the road, driven by Michael Saliot, a US Coast Guard Officer.Michael wasn’t one to pass up a chance to help a person in need.He quickly dialed 911.
Doctors then found that Larry had suffered a heart attack and there were severe blockages in two of Larry’s major arteries (动脉)．Only the timely arrival of Dr Tom saved his life.
How did Dr Tom happen to be bicycling that morning down that quiet street? It turned out that as Tom rode, his bike chain fell off.He spent about eight minutes fitting it back; otherwise, he would have seen nothing of Larry’s problem.
1.Doctor Tom gave Larry first aid in order to ________.
A. wake up Larry
B. restart Larry’s pulse
C. keep Larry’s blood flowing
D. stop Larry from bleeding
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Michael Saliot was a man always ready to help others.
B. Tom Alguire saw Larry when Larry fell to the ground.
C. Larry Ritsema went to work early on foot that morning.
D. Tom fitted his bike chain back after Larry was sent to hospital.
3.We can infer that ________.
A. Larry took Tom as his doctor twenty years ago
B. it’s not good to run in the early morning
C. Larry’s neighbors were selfish
D. only Tom can save Larry
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. A kindhearted doctor
B. Saved by the coincidence
C. How to save a patient?
D. A lucky runner
The dramatic expansion of industrial agriculture has made it increasingly difficult for small family farmers in the US to stay in business.Instead, the food industry has become dominated by a handful of giant corporations which benefit from government policies that favor largescale production.
Family farmers are being forced out of business at an alarming rate.According to Farm Aid, every week 330 farmers leave their land.As established family farms are shut down, they are not being replaced by new farms and young farmers.Once a family farm is forced out of business, the farmland is often sold for development, and the quality land for farming is lost.
________________
In addition to producing fresh, highquality foods, small family farms provide a wealth of benefits for their local communities and regions.Perhaps most importantly, family farmers serve as responsible stewards (管理人) of the land.Unlike industrial agriculture operations, which pollute communities with chemical pesticides, smoke and manure (肥料), small family farmers live on or near their farms and try to protect the surrounding environment for future generations.
Independent family farms also play a vital role in rural economies.In addition to providing jobs for local people, family farmers also help support small businesses by purchasing goods and services within their communities.Meanwhile, industrial agriculture operations employ as few workers as possible and typically purchase supplies, equipment, and building materials from outside the local community.Rural areas are then left with high rates of unemployment and very little opportunity for economic growth.
What can you do?
Purchase food directly from your local family farmers at a farmers’ market, or through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) system.
Ask the manager of your grocery store to supply foods produced at local family farms.
Donate money to Farm Aid.Since 1985, this nonprofit organization has worked to support America’s family farmers.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.
A. American agriculture is facing a downturn
B. the American government is limiting industrial agriculture
C. the American food industry has difficulty meeting customers’ needs
D. American family farmers are facing serious problems
2.What would be the best title to be put in the blank?
A. Why are family farms important?
B. What does industrial agriculture bring?
C. How are family farms run?
D. What supports rural economies?
3.According to the passage, industrial agriculture has all the following disadvantages EXCEPT ________.
A. polluting the environment
B. taking up too much land
C. employing fewer people
D. harming local economy
4.The passage was written mainly to call for people to ________.
A. make a donation to Farm Aid
B. protect the environment
C. protest against industrial agriculture
D. protect family farms
At one time, the Iroquois Indians lived along the lakes and rivers of the northern part of New York.The five tribes (部落) — the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca — fought with each other for years.
In the late 1500s, a wise Iroquois man named Dekanawida had a dream.In his dream, he saw the end of the Indian wars.An Onondaga chief named Hiawatha agreed to help Dekanawida bring peace to the area.Hiawatha traveled from tribe to tribe, trying to persuade the tribal leaders to unite in peace.The leaders realized that if they stopped fighting, they could become a powerful force in the Northeast area.
The leaders of the five tribes set up a league, called the Iroquois League, which brought all five tribes together.They set up a kind of democratic (民主的) government in which each tribe had an equal voice.A Great Council was formed.Fortynine chiefs from every tribe were appointed to the Council.The members were all men, but they were chosen by the elder women of the tribes.The Council worked together to solve big issues for the league, while each tribe remained selfgoverning.
In 1722, the Iroquois League increased from five to six tribes when the Tuscarora tribe joined them.The Iroquois League controlled the fur trade in the area.They controlled land from Canada to Kentucky.The Iroquois League remained powerful for over 200 years.
Then during the War of Independence, most of the Iroquois League sided with the British.After the Americans defeated the British, many Iroquois villages were destroyed.The Iroquois were forced to move and live on reservations (印第安人居留地)．This caused the Iroquois League to become less powerful.
History shows that the writers of the United States Constitution used some of the same ideas as the Iroquois League.One section of the Iroquois Constitution is entitled “Rights of the People” and might be compared to the “Bill of Rights”．The Iroquois League’s constitution is often called America’s first democracy.
1.The underlined word “voice” in Paragraph 3 could probably be replaced by“________”．
A. sound B. power
C. saying D. speech
2.According to the text, the Iroquois League ________.
A. consisted of six tribes in the 17th century
B. became weak after the War of Independence
C. helped the Americans defeat the British
D. was greatly supported by the Americans
3.The political system of the Iroquois League ________.
A. was ignored by American history experts
B. had nothing to do with the “Bill of Rights”
C. influenced the United States Constitution
D. was entitled “Rights of the People”
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. The Iroquois League
B. The American Indians
C. The culture of the Iroquois
D. The United States Constitution
