I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head．Now I am thirty two．I can slightly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is．It would be wonderful to see again, but a calamity（灾难） can do strange things to people．It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind．I believe in life now．I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, otherwise．I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes．I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left．
Life, I believe, asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality. The more readily a person is able to make these adjustments, the more meaningful his own private world becomes. The adjustment is never easy. I was totally confused and afraid. But I was luck. My parents and my teachers saw something in me--a potential to live, you might call it --which I didn’t see, made me want to fight it out with blindness.
The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself．That was basic．If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life．When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone．That is part of it．But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate（错综复杂的） pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit．
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance．It had to start with the simplest things．Once a man gave me an indoor baseball．I thought he was making fun of me and I was hurt．"I can't use this．" I said．"Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around．" The words stuck in my head．"Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went．This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball．At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball．We called it ground ball．
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time．I had to learn my limitations．It was no good trying for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure．I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress．
1.We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _______
A. the author lost his sight because of a car crash．
B. the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen．
C. the disaster made the author appreciate what he had．
D. the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see．
2.What's the most difficult thing for the author?
A. How to adjust himself to reality．
B. Building up assurance that he can find his place in life．
C. Learning to manage his life alone．
D. How to invent a successful variation of baseball．
3.According to the context, “a chair rocker on the front porch” in paragraph 3 means that the author __________
A. would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his life．
B. would be unable to move and stay in a rocking chair．
C. would lose his will to struggle against difficulties．
D. would sit in a chair and stay at home．
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. A Miserable Life B. Struggle Against Difficulties
C. A Disaster Makes a Strong Person D. An Unforgettable Experience
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格). It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人) and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother' s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting ! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.
1.The aim of the mother' s plan was to _________.
A. take them to visit the museum B. introduce them to the world of art
C. ask them to read about artists D. show them different painting styles
2.What was the writer' s experience in the museum before the last visit?
A. She came to feel her mother' s love. B. She liked many paintings.
C. She hardly enjoyed herself. D. She could understand the pictures of fat babies.
3.What made the writer go through a change that summer?
A. One of Mary's paintings. B. A strange way of painting.
C. Artists in the Middle Ages. D. Her mother' s instruction.
4.From the text, we can see _________.
A. the importance of curiosity B. the effect of art
C. the value of learning D. the power of family education
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
For those who study the development of intelligence（智力）in the animal world, self-awareness is an important measurement. An animal that is aware（意识）of itself has a high
level of intelligence.
Awareness can be tested by studying whether the animal recognizes itself in the mirror, that is, its own reflected image（反射出的影像）．Many animals fail this exercise bitterly, paying very little attention to the reflected image. Only humans, and some intelligent animals like apes and dolphins, have been shown to recognize that the image in the mirror is of themselves.
Now another animal has joined the club. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that an Asian elephant has passed the mirror self-reflection test. "We thought that elephants were the next important animal," said Diana Reiss of the Wildlife Conservation Society, an author of the study with Joshua M. Plotnik and Fans B．M. de Waal of Emory University. With their large brains, Reiss said, elephants "seemed like cousins to apes and
dolphins."
The researchers tested Happy, Maxine and Patty, three elephants at the Bronx Zoo. They put
an 8-foot-square mirror on a wall of the animals' play area (out of the sight of zoo visitors) and recorded what happened with cameras, including one built in the mirror.
The elephants used their long noses to find what was behind it, and to examine parts of their bodies.
Of the three, Happy then passed the test, in which a clear mark was painted on one side of her face. She could tell the mark was there by looking in the mirror, and she used the mirror to touch the mark with her long nose.
Diana Reiss said, "We knew elephants were intelligent, but now we can talk about their intelligence in a better way."
1.What can mirror tests tell us about animals?
A. Whether they have large brains.
B. Whether they have self-awareness.
C. Whether they enjoy outdoor exercises.
D. Whether they enjoy playing with mirrors.
2.Why does the author mention apes and dolphins in the text?
A. They are most familiar to readers.
B. They are big favorites with zoo visitors.
C. They are included in the study by Reiss.
D. They are already known to be intelligent.
3.What made Happy different from Maxine and Patty?
A. She used her nose to search behind the mirror.
B. She recognized her own image in the mirror.
C. She painted a mark on her own face.
D. She found the hidden camera.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red?1.. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.2.. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
3.. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.4.. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area — until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
5.. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.
| A．On the other hand, black is depressing. |
| B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up — we are born with our preference. |
| C．The rooms are painted in different colors as you like. |
| D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. |
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods---there is no doubt about it
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
The tale of a heroic pet
Luke has always been my closest companion these past five years. In fact he is very obedient to me _______ when I take care of other furry friends in our shelter.
As you already know there have been a lot of forest fires during the _______ season. Many forests are badly _______ by fire each year. Not far from our shelter a forest caught fire during this hot summer and a heat wave has been going on for three days.
Luke rushed towards the forest where flames gave out a fierce heat. There's no longer any _______ at the moment to wait for Luke to come back to the shelter. _______， I was waiting for the fireman to _______ me his death in the forest. Suddenly a fireman burst into my office and _______ me that my dog Luke succeeded in saving four kittens that were _______ by the flames. According to the fireman Luke seized the kittens one by one moving them to a(n) _______ place.
I ________ accompanied the firemen to the forest to pick up the rescued kittens. Once on the ________ of the incident Luke was not there. Then we heard the sound of a dog came from the forest barking furiously. I ________ the sound of my dog Luke. The firemen followed the tracks of the dog ________ they found him barking loudly by the side of a(n) ________ fireman who was lying on the ground and desperately waiting for ________.
Thanks to Luke four kittens and a fireman were saved. That day I was very proud of Luke for his heroic ________. Luke showed much compassion for both animals like him and for a man trying to put out the fire with his ________. Honestly my happiness is great and immeasurable.
I visited the fireman in his house accompanied with Luke. What a ________ scene when the fireman hugged Luke ________ to his chest! “One thousand thanks Luke for saving my life，” the fireman said.
This true story of love and compassion shows us that pets are loving and caring. We should love and protect them for little animals can make enormous things for ________.
1.A. specially B. especially C. obviously D. simply
2.A. spring B. summer C. winter D. autumn
3.A. damaged B. disappeared C. harmed D. injured
4.A. sign B. point C. use D. hope
5.A. As usual B. At last C. In fact D. In general
6.A. call B. tell C. persuade D. visit
7.A. suggested B. comforted C. informed D. encouraged
8.A. struck B. burnt C. discovered D. trapped
9.A. ideal B. safe C. unusual D. homely
10.A. immediately B. politely C. closely D. suddenly
11.A. scenery B. view C. sight D. scene
12.A. recognized B. found C. caught D. focused
13.A. before B. unless C. until D. when
14.A. brave B. excited C. calm D. injured
15.A. dogs B. firemen C. rescue D. passersby
16.A. tales B. actions C. responses D. events
17.A. tools B. devices C. colleagues D. friends
18.A. memorable B. terrible C. lovely D. threatening
19.A. tightly B. carefully C. slowly D. slightly
20.A. firemen B. dogs C. kittens D. humans
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容（不多余三个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式
Janet: Tony, can I ask you a 1.(person) question?
Tony: About what?
Janet: Well, I was 2. (wonder) about how you are received here in China.
Tony: What do you mean?
Janet; Well, since you are Chinese-Canadian and only speak English and 3.( France) well ， how do native Chinese treat you?
Tony： Oh, well, sometimes it can get pretty difficult. When people find out that I'm a Canadian citizen4.can't speak Chinese well, they usually call me 5. banana. You know ， yellow on the outside and white on the inside.
Janet; 6. does that make you feel?
Tony: Well, I first feel mad. Then I feel sad, for I7.(see) as someone who has forgotten his roots. All this is because my parents left to find a 8.(good) life, and I decided to return in order 9. (find) something I lost. Sometimes I'm not sure if I like 10. I've found.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中
有10处错误，要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写上该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。
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11处起)不计分
I’ve learned from the newspaper that your company is looking for receptionist. I’m very interesting in the job and I’d like to apply to the position.
First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I had just graduated from high school and taken the University Entrance Examination. I want to find out a part-time job in the summer. I’m 18 year old and have a good command of English, especial in terms or speaking and listening. In fact, I once won the rust prize in die English speech competition hold in our school. Besides, I’m quite easy-going but therefore very popular among my classmates.
I sincerely hope you can give us a chance. I’m looking forward to your early reply.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析