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It was Mother’s Day morning last year and I was doing my shopping at our local supermarket with my five-year-old son, Tenyson. As we were leaving, we found that only minutes earlier an elderly woman had fallen over at the entrance and had hit her head on the concrete. Her husband was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed and clearly in shock.
Walking towards the scene, Tenyson became very upset about what had happened to the couple. He said to me, “Mum, it’s not much fun falling over in front of everyone.”
At the front of the supermarket a charity(慈善) group had set up a stand selling cooked sausages and flowers to raise funds. Tenyson suggested that we should buy the lady a flower. “It will make her feel better,” he said. I was amazed that he’d come up with such a sweet idea. So we went over to the flower seller and asked her if we could buy a flower for the lady to cheer her up. “Just take it,” she replied. “I can’t take your money for such a wonderful gesture.”
By now paramedics（救援人员）had arrived, and were attending the injured woman. As we walked up to her, my son became intimidated by all the blood and medical equipment. He said he was just too scared to go up to her.
Instead I gave the flower to the woman’s husband and told him, “ My son was very upset for your wife and wanted to give her this flower to make her feel better.”
At that, the old man started crying and said, “Thank you so much, you have a wonderful son. Happy Mother’s Day to you.”
The man then bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. Though badly hurt and shaken, the old lady looked up at Tenyson with love in her eyes and gave him a little smile.
1.What dose the author intend to tell us?
A. One can never be too careful.
B. Actions speak louder than words.
C. Love begins with a little smile.
D. A small act of kindness brings a great joy.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The elderly woman was knocked down by Tenyson.
B. Tenyson’s idea of buying a flower gained his father’s support.
C. Tenyson’s care for the elderly woman puzzled the flower seller.
D. The elderly woman was moved to tears by Tenyson’s gesture.
3.The underlined word “intimidated” in the fourth paragraph probably means “___________”.
A. astonished B. struck C. frightened D. excited
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Flower Power
B. Mother’s Day
C. An Accidental Injury
D. An Embarrassing Moment
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Walt Disney is credited for creating such wonderful things as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. However, he cannot take the credit for creating other well-loved characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White. They are almost automatically associated with Disney because Disney turned old fables(寓言) into cartoon movies.
The original Cinderella varies very much from the Disney version we know today. It started off with the girl mourning her mother’s death and going to her tomb three times a day. In addition, there were only birds that helped Cinderella; there was no such thing as a fairy godmother or helpful mice, nor was there mention of a horse and carriage.
The stepsisters were cruel: they always threw Cinderella’s food into the ashes of the fire and made her sleep on the ashes on the floor, hence（因此）her name.
In the original story, the king’s ball actually lasted for three days. With the help of the birds, the girl, beautifully dressed, danced with the prince on all three nights and the prince fell in love with her. However, she broke away from him to rush back home each night. On the last night, the prince placed soothing sticky on the stairs; as Cinderella made her escape, a shoe got stuck on it.
Here now is where the story becomes unpleasant: when the prince went to the house looking for the girl whose foot fit the shoe, the wicked(邪恶的) stepmother told one of her two daughters to cut off her big toe to fit into the shoe. The daughter did as told. So the prince took her away to be his bride. But when they passed the tomb of Cinderella’s mother, the birds called out to the prince,
“Turn and peep, there’s blood in the shoe;
the shoe is too small, the true bride waits for you.”
Realizing he had been tricked, the prince returned the daughter to her mother. The other then had to cut off part of her heel in order to fit into the shoe, with the same result. Only Cinderella’s foot fit perfectly and so the prince chose to marry her. The story ends with the wedding day: as Cinderella’s two stepsisters followed her, pretending to be devoted to her so that they could enjoy the king’s riches, two birds flew by and plucked(啄) out their eyes. Because of their wickedness and falsehood, they had to spend the rest of their days blind.
The original Cinderella is so different from the Disney version. Thank goodness Disney made such changes; it indeed was a wise move.
1.What dose the underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refer to?
A. Such wonderful things.
B. Other well-loved characters.
C. Old fables.
D. Cartoon movies.
2.How did Cinderella get her name?
A. The Birds came up with it.
B. It was given by Disney.
C. It came from the word “ash”.
D. She got it from her mother.
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the original story?
A. Helpful mice got Cinderella a beautiful dress.
B. The ball was held to celebrate the prince’s wedding.
C. Cinderella left her shoe on the stairs on purpose.
D. The birds told the prince that he had been cheated.
4.The moral of the original story is that ____________.
A. a wicked person cannot escape punishment.
B. a devoted person certainly deserves respect.
C. a well-behaved child earns a great reward.
D. a dishonest child cannot get mother love.
5.What does the author think of the Disney version?
A. Excellent. B. Ordinary C. Dull. D. Ridiculous.
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BLOOD DRIVE ＆ MARROW（骨髓）REGISTRATION
“These patients deserve a chance at a normal, happy future and they rely on the kindness of the strangers to make that happen.
— Daisy, Isabelle’s Mother
Isabelle is the daughter of Daisy and Saman Mirzaei. In January 2008 Isabelle was diagnosed（诊断）with a genetic blood disorder，beta thalassemia. Isabelle’s body
is unable to produce healthy red blood cells. As a result, Isabelle has been receiving blood transfusions (输血) every 4-6weeks since she was 11 months old. A lifetime of regular transfusions can lead to serious medical problems. Her only chance at a normal, healthy life is to have a marrow transplant. Isabelle is an only child, so doctors have started a search for an unrelated marrow donor through The Match Registry. The Mirzaei family asks that you consider helping patients like Isabelle by registering to be a marrow donor and give the gift of life, the gift of blood.
Held at Wiley Hall
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Behind Heathman Dormitory/Butterfield Rd.
12:00 PM - 6 :00 PM
Don’t forget to bring your driver’s license or another form of identification when you donate.
Visit www.ribc.org to make an appointment, Sponsor Code 3390.
FREE Kingston Pizza ! ! !
Marrow Donors: BE THE MATCH
bethematch.org
·be 18 to 44 years old
·in good health
·give a swab(化验标本)of your cheek cells for marrow typing
·FREE—sponsored（赞助）by Michael’s Fund
WWW. ribc. org 800-283-8385
The Rhode Island Blood Center distributes blood products to hospitals
in Rhode Island and Southern New England.
1.We can learn from the passage that__________.
A. the blood drive is organized by Isabelle's mother
B. Isabelle receives blood transfusions regularly
C. Isabelle has been ill for 11 months
D. doctors will sponsor Isabelle's family
2.To be a marrow donor, you must_____________.
A. be a relative of the patient B. carry a driver's license
C. be at least 18 years old D. apply to Michael's Fund
3.Those who want to help patients like Isabelle can ___________.
A. come to Wiley Hall every Wednesday
B. visit www. ribc. org for an appointment
C. contact their parents at 800-283-8385
D. call at hospitals in Rhode Island
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Perhaps you think you could easily add to your happiness with more money. Strange as it may seem, if you're unsatisfied, the issue is not a lack of means to meet your desires but a lack of desires—not that you cannot satisfy your tastes but that you don't have enough tastes.
Real riches consist of well-developed and hearty capacities (能力) to enjoy life. Most people are already swamped(淹没) with things. They eat, wear, go and talk too much. They live in too big a house with too many rooms, yet their house of life is a hut.
Your house of life ought to be a mansion (豪宅) , a royal palace. Every new taste, every additional interest, every fresh enthusiasm adds a room. Here are several rooms your house of life should have.
Art should be a desire for you to develop simply because the world is full of beautiful things. If you only understood how to enjoy them and feed your spirit on them, they would make you as happy as to find plenty of ham and eggs when you're hungry.
Literature, classic literature, is a beautiful, richly furnished room where you might find many an hour of rest and refreshment. To gain that love would go toward making you a rich person, for a rich person is not someone who has a library but who likes a library.
Music like Mozart's and Bach's shouldn't be absent. Real riches are of the spirit. And when you've brought that spirit up to where classical music feeds it and makes you a little drunk, you have increased your thrills and bettered them. And life is a matter of thrills.
Sports, without which you remain poor, mean a lot in life. No matter who you are, you would be more human, and your house of life would be better supported against the had days, if you could, and did, play a bit.
Whatever rooms you might add to your house of life, the secret of enjoying life is to keep adding.
1.The author intends to tell us that____________.
A. true happiness lies in achieving wealth by fair means
B. big houses are people's most valued possessions
C. big houses can in a sense bring richness of life
D. true happiness comes from spiritual riches
2.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph probably implies that__________.
A. however materially rich, they never seem to be satisfied
B. however materially rich, they remain spiritually poor
C. though their house is big, they prefer a simple life
D. though their house is big, it seems to be a cage
3.It can be learned from the passage that __________.
A. more money brings more happiness
B. art is needed to make your house beautiful
C. literature can enrich your spiritual life
D. sports contribute mainly to your physical fitness
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. House of Life B. Secret of Wealth
C. Rest and Refreshment D. Interest and Enthusiasm
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As has been all too apparent in recent days at Balcombe, few issues cause greater concern than energy policy. Many village communities feel their countryside is being ruined by the power-producing machines of wind farms; yet they never take "direct action", even though the planning laws put them at a severe disadvantage. And the generous subsidies (财政补贴) , which encourage the expansion of wind power, are not favorable to the village communities and set landowners in conflict with other residents (居民) .
Those who disagree with the rapid expansion of wind farms state that the damage they cause is out of proportion(比例) to the benefits they bring, because their energy output cannot match that of the carbon-based power stations they are supposed to replace. Supporters insist that wind must be part of a mix of renewables, nuclear and carbon, and that the country is committed to meeting EU ( European Union) targets for non-carbon energy generation.
Against this background, the fact that there is an argument within the Government over whether to publish an official report on wind farms' impact on the countryside becomes even more extraordinary. The two parties in the coalition (联合) government are in disagreement over what it should say.
We have some advice for the two parties: publish the report, and let the country be the judge. Even if it contains evidence that wind farms are harmful, it will hardly be a pleasant surprise to people who do not like them. Equally, supporters must argue their case by acknowledging the concerns and explaining why they are either misplaced or worthy of much attention.
The suggestion that further negotiations are to take place to produce an "acceptable" report suggests that the politics of coalition government are doing the country harm in a certain way. Given the sensitivities involved, all the information should be available so that people can reach their own conclusions, rather than being left with the suspicion（猜疑）that facts are being replaced by political beliefs.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that__________.
A. energy policy catches much attention of the public
B. the residents are in favor of the expansion of wind farms
C. many village communities are satisfied with the subsidies
D. the planning laws offer great benefits to the residents
2.Supporters think that the expansion of wind power____.
A. is more rapid than that of carbon-based power
B. guarantees an increase in energy output
C. is expected to be much better than that of nuclear power
D. agrees with EU targets for non-carbon energy generation
3.It can be inferred from the passage that____.
A. an official report will settle the energy problem
B. the two parties are divided over the issue of wind farms
C. the two parties have agreed on a further negotiation
D. political beliefs concerning energy issue go against facts
4.Which of the following reflects the author's opinion?
A. Increase political impact on energy policy.
B. Release a statement of supporters on wind farms.
C. Let the nation judge the facts about wind power.
D. Leave the two parties to reach their own conclusions.
