Dear Maya Shaoming,
To me, June 6, 1990 is a special day. My longawaited dream came true the minute your father cried, “A girl!” You, little daughter, are the link to our female line, the legacy of another woman's pain and sacrifice 31 years ago.
Let me tell you about your Chinese grandmother. Somewhere in Hong Kong, in the late fifties, a young waitress found herself pregnant(怀孕) by a cook. She carried the baby to term, suffered to give it birth, and kept the little girl for the first three months of her life. I like to think that my mother—your grandmother—loved me and fought to raise me on her own, but the daily struggle was too hard. Worn down by the demands of the new baby and perhaps the constant threat of starvation, she made the painful decision to give away her girl so that both of us might have a chance for a better life.
Having a baby in her unmarried state would have brought shame on the family in China, so she probably kept my existence a secret. Once I was out of her life, it was as if I had never been born. And so you and your brother and I are the missing leaves on a family tree.
Do they ever wonder if we exist?
Before I was two, I was adopted by an Anglo couple. I grew like a wild weed and grasped all the opportunities they had to offer—books, music, education, church life and community activities. In a family of blueeyed blonds, though, I stood out like a sore thumb. Moody and impatient, burdened by fears that none of us realized resulted from my early years of need, I was not an easy child to love. My mother and I conflicted countless times over the years, but gradually came to see one another as real human beings with faults and talents. Lacking a mirror image in the mother who raised me, I had to seek my identity as a woman on my own. The Asian American community has helped me regain my double identity.
But part of me will always be missing: my beginnings, my personal history, all the delicate details that give a person her origin. Nevertheless, someone gave me a lucky name “Siu Wai”. “Siu” means “little”, and “Wai” means “clever”. Therefore, my baby name was “Clever little one”. Who chose those words? Who cared enough to note my arrival in the world?
I lost my Chinese name for 18 years. It was Americanized for convenience to “Sue”. But like an illfitting coat, it made me uncomfortable. I hated the name. But even more, I hated being Chinese. It took many years to become proud of my Asian origin and work up the courage to take back my birth name. That, plus a little knowledge of classroom Cantonese, is all the Chinese culture I have to offer you. Not white, certainly, but not really Asian, I try to pave the way between the two worlds and bridge the gap for you. Your name, “Shaoming”,is very much like mine—“Shao” means “little”. And “ming” is “bright”,as in a shining sun or moon. Whose lives will you brighten little Maya? Your past is more complete than mine and each day I cradle you in your babyhood, generously giving you the loving care I lacked for my first two years. Sweet Maya, it doesn't matter what you “become” later on. You have already fulfilled my wildest dreams.
I love you,
Mummy
1.Why is June 6, 1990 a special day for Mommy?
A. Her dream of being a mother came true.
B. She found her origin from her Chinese mother.
C. She wrote the letter to her daughter.
D. Her female line was well linked.
2.How does Mommy feel about her being given away?
A. It is bitter and disappointing.
B. It is painful but understandable.
C. She feels sorry but sympathetic.
D. She feels hurt and angry.
3.What does "I stood out like a sore thumb." in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. I walked clumsily out of pains.
B. I was not easy to love due to jealousy.
C. I was impatient out of fear.
D. I looked different from others.
4.What can be inferred from Mommy’s Anglo family life?
A. She used to experience an identity crisis.
B. She fought against her American identity.
C. She forgot the pains of her early years.
D. She kept her love for Asia from childhood.
5.Why did Mommy name her daughter "Shao-ming"?
A. To match her own birth-name.
B. To brighten the lives of the family.
C. To identify her with Chinese origin.
D. To justify her pride in Chinese culture.
6.By "Your past is more complete than mine", Mommy means ________.
A. her past was completed earlier than Shao-ming’s
B. Shao-ming has got motherly care and a sense of roots
C. her mother didn’t comfort her the way she did Shao-ming
D. her past was spent brokenly, first in Asia, then in the US
Since finishing my studies at Harvard and Oxford, I’ve watched one friend after another land high-ranking, high-paying Wall Street jobs. As executives (高级管理人员) with banks, consulting firms, established law firms, and major corporations, many are now ____ on their way to impressive careers. By society’s ____, they seem to have it made.
On the surface, these people seem to be very lucky in life. As they left student life behind, many had a ____ drink at their cheap but friendly local bar, shook hands with longtime roommates, and ____ out of small apartments into high buildings. They made reservations at restaurants where the cost of a bottle of wine ____ a college year’s monthly rent. They replaced their beloved old cars with expensive new sports cars.
The thing is, a number of them have ____ that despite their success, they aren’t happy. Some ____ of unfriendly coworkers and feel sad for eight-hour workweeks devoted to tasks they ____. Some do not respect the companies they work for and talk of feeling tired and ____. However, instead of devoting themselves to their work, they find themselves working to support the ____ to which they have so quickly become ____.
People often speak of trying a more satisfying path, and ____ in the end the idea of leaving their jobs to work for something they ____ or finding a position that would give them more time with their families almost always leads them to the same conclusion: it’s ____. They have loans, bills, a mortgage (抵押贷款) to ____, retirement to save for. They recognize there’s something ____ in their lives, but it’s ____ to step off the track.
In a society that tends to ____ everything in terms of dollars and cents, we learn from a young age to consider the costs of our ____ in financial terms. But what about the personal and social costs ____ in pursuing money over meaning? These are exactly the kinds of costs many of us tend to ignore — and the very ones we need to consider most.
1.A. much B. never C. seldom D. well
2.A. policies B. standards C. experiments D. regulations
3.A. last B. least C. second D. best
4.A. cycled B. moved C. slid D. looked
5.A. shared B. paid C. equaled D. collected
6.A. advertised B. witnessed C. admitted D. demanded
7.A. complain B. dream C. hear D. approve
8.A. distribute B. hate C. applaud D. neglect
9.A. calm B. guilty C. warm D. empty
10.A. family B. government C. lifestyle D. project
11.A. accustomed B. appointed C. unique D. available
12.A. yet B. also C. instead D. rather
13.A. let out B. turn in C. give up D. believe in
14.A. fundamental B. practical C. impossible D. unforgettable
15.A. take off B. drop off C. put off D. pay off
16.A. missing B. inspiring C. sinking D. shining
17.A. harmful B. hard C. useful D. normal
18.A. measure B. suffer C. digest D. deliver
19.A. disasters B. motivations C. campaigns D. decisions
20.A. assessed B. involved C. covered D. reduced
假如你叫王玲,今年参加了某大学自主招生。这所大学要求考生用英语写一封申请信,请按下面提示写一封英语申请信。内容包括:
1.个人情况 2. 个人条件 3. 申请此大学原因
注意:1.词数100左右,开头语已为你写好,不计入总数。
2.可以增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear Dean,
My name is Wang Ling. I’ve learned that your university will admit students in advance.
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下列短文中共有10处语言错误,找出并改正。每句中最多有两处错。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Fang Tong is 34 years old, an actor, director and teacher of Beijing Opera Theatre. Most of his students are from other part of China and have come to Beijing at a very young age of sixteen or seventeen. He hopes create an environment for his students that it is much more relaxing than the one he used to study in. He thought that an actor should relax himself when performing. Yet his students deep respect him and he never needs to raise his voice in order to be hearing. For his opinion, actors should go on even when they feel they have made mistake in their performances because the moment is already gone but people can never be back to it. So art is always changing and developing.
阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式(不多于3个单词)。
Plovdiv is situated in south-central Bulgaria on the two banks of the Maritsa River. The city has historically developed on seven hills, some of 1. are 250m (820.21 ft) high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is 2.(typical) referred to in Bulgaria as “The city of the Seven Hills”. Plovdiv’s history 3.(date) back to 6000 BC. Though originally it was 4.Thracian city, Plovidiv has been ruled by many empires over centuries. Later it 5.(conquer) by the Romans. Only in 1885 did the city become part of Bulgaria. Nowadays it’s the second 6.(large) city in Bulgaria and it’s a significant economic, educational and cultural center.
Plovdiv remains a popular 7.(choose) for vacation travel. I have been obsessed with the city 8.years. Last summer I was lucky 9.(spend) a couple of days in this city and I just fell in love with its narrow paved streets and neat beautiful house! The Old Town is definitely worthy 10.(see). It is overwhelmed with restaurants, workshops and museums that were previously famous houses.
It was raining. I went into a café and asked for a coffee. ________ I was waiting for my drink, I realized that there were other people in the place, but I sensed _______. I saw their bodies, but I couldn't feel their souls ________ their souls belonged to the _________.
I stood up and walked between the tables. When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man ________ in front of it. "I'm Steve", he finally answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was. "I can't talk with you. I'm ________", he said. He was chatting online with somebody--probably someone he didn't know--and, at the same time, he was playing a computer game--a war game. I was surprised. He was chatting online and, ________ , he was playing a computer game—a war game. I was_________.
Why didn't Steve want to talk with me? I tried ________ to speak to that computer geek (怪人), ______ not a word came out of his mouth. I touched his shoulder, but no reaction. I was ________. I put my hand in front of the monitor, and he started to shout, " _________!" I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people in the café were looking at me. I ________, and saw nobody showed any interest.
_____ , I realized that the people there were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people. They were more _________ having a relationship with the ________, particularly Steve. I wouldn't want to _________ the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines __________ with people.
I was worried and I sank in my thoughts. I didn't even _______ that the coffee was bad, ________ Steve didn't notice there was a person next to him.
1.A. Before B. Since C. Although D. While
2.A. pain B. loneliness C. sadness D. fear
3.A. because B. when C. until D. unless
4.A. home B. world C. Net D. Cafe
5.A. sleeping B. laughing C. sitting D. learning
6.A. busy B. thirsty C. tired D. sick
7.A. first of all B. just then C. at the same time D. by that time
8.A. surprised B. delighted C. moved D. frightened
9.A. once B. again C. first D. even
10.A. but B. so C. if D. or
11.A. excited B. respected C. afraid D. unhappy
12.A. Shut up B. Enjoy yourself C. Leave me alone D. Help me out
13.A. walked about B. walked out C. raised my hand D. raised my head
14.A. From then on B. At that moment C. In all D. Above all
15.A. interested in B. tired of C. careful about D. troubled by
16.A. computer B. soul C. shop D. geek
17.A. tell B. plan C. imagine D. design
18.A. other than B. instead of C. except for D. as well as
19.A. pretend B. understand C. insist D. realize
20.A. as if B. just as C. just after D. even though