One morning, my husband Jerry went back to the kitchen as he just finished loading his car. “I guess filling my thermos(保温瓶) is all that I have left to do, and then I’m off.” Down the drain went the hot water that had been warming his thermos.
With a nostalgic(怀旧的) look on his face, he softly said: “Anytime I fill my thermos I think of your mom.” The tone in his voice was so tender as he spoke of my mother, who is sadly no longer with us.
“Oh honey, I know she’s watching and listening right now with a big smile on her face,” I responded, tears in my eyes.
One morning years ago when we were leaving, mother watched as Jerry was to fill his thermos. Mom then casually said, ‘Jerry, if you filled your thermos with hot water and let it sit a while, your coffee would stay hot for longer then.” With her simple suggestion, his face showed that he was shocked by his own lack of common sense. Well, of course it would!
He poured out the small amount of coffee already in the thermos and refilled it with boiling hot water. Then he poured the water and refilled it with hot coffee. Mom smiled as Jerry did so.
Words of wisdom from a loving mother-in-law made an impact that will never be forgotten. She never dreamed her words would be a treasured and everlasting memory in the heart of her son-in-law.
The lasting memories don’t necessarily come from major moments in life. Memories are often made during those small, ordinary times. Life is about small moments we share with friends and loved ones.
1.Which word best describes the author’s feeling in Paragraph 3? ____
A. Confused B. Concerned
C. Touched D. Interested
2.The underlined part “don’t necessarily” is similar in meaning to ________.
A. out of the question
B. without any doubt
C. certainly and absolutely
D. possibly but uncertainly
3. The message that the story intends to convey is ______.
A. how valuable a mother’s advice is to her children.
B. that lasting memories come from small things
C. what a wise woman the mother is to her son-in-law
D. why we should respect our parents and listen to them.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The Collections of Chinese Ancient Cultural Relics Abroad: Volume Victoria and Albert Museum has just been published, the fruit of ten years' efforts by Chinese experts.
The book is the first of an upcoming series that centers on ancient cultural heritage(文化遗产) collections in different museums around the world. The book details 195 out of 18,000 items now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in England.
More than 1.64 million ancient Chinese artifacts have been transported out of China because of different reasons such as wars and smuggling(走私) since the mid 19th century. More than 200 museums in 47 countries hold such collections, according to a report from UNESCO.
"The information we now have about these pieces is still very patchy(不全面的)," said Lu Zhangshen, curator(馆长) of the National Museum of China. "In order to have a clearer picture about these items, National Museum of China decided to start the Chinese Ancient Cultural Relics Abroad book project in 2005. But after we began, we found it really difficult to collect information for every piece from each museum. That’s why the first volume took us ten years."
"The pieces in the book include 102 porcelains(瓷器), 31 bronzes(铜器), 22 lacquer(漆器), 10 enamel vessels(搪瓷器皿) and so on," Liu Mingqian from Victoria and Albert Museum said.
According to the National Museum of China, the volume of the Japanese museum Sen-oku Hakuko Kan is coming out soon and the museum will seek more cooperation from museums worldwide to accelerate(加速) the project.
1.Which of the following best describes Lu Zhangshen’s attitudes towards the Chinese Ancient Cultural Relics Abroad book project?
A. worthwhile but expensive
B. reasonable but worthless
C. meaningless but hard
D. meaningful but difficult
2.Which of the following statements is NOT True According to the text?
A. So far, Volumes Victoria, Albert Museum and the Japanese museum have been published.
B. A great many ancient Chinese artifacts have been distributed(分散) worldwide due mainly to wars and smuggling.
C. It is nearly ten years since the Chinese Ancient Cultural Relics Abroad book project was set up.
D. At present, collecting information for every piece from each museum is to some degree tough.
3.The main purpose of the passage is to ________.
A. compare and evaluate
B. inform and explain
C. argue and discuss
D. examine and explain
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Comfort is comforting, but it might narrow our experience at work — and beyond.
In our modern world, discomfort is considered a terrible thing. If not terrible, it’s at least a thing of the past. Dishwashers, washing machines, computers, remote controls—yes, they add convenience, but also a level of comfort our forefathers did not enjoy.
As pain of any kind discourages happiness, we tend to reason anything that prevents us to feel good must be bad. And that’s also particularly true for our careers. Success makes us feel great, not terrible. Such a view, however, is a matter of personal opinion. And it may blind us to hidden opportunities.
Artists throughout history have tried to experience suffering, instinctively(本能地) if not consciously(有意识地), to produce works that explore the darker hidden sides of the human condition. This was done, in part, because pain is a reality of life for everybody in some form at some time. Pain is something everybody can relate to. And pain makes a person very real. For such artists, to deny pain would be to block the creative thinking, which drives them to explore and express. In fact, Germans have a term(术语) for this, “Weltschmerz”, which means “suffering from the world.” Writers, from Lord Byron to Kurt Vonnegut, have used the term to describe the psychological pain along life’s roller-coaster journey. It was not to be avoided; it was to be understood and employed.
So I believe that discomfort is good for us. Or, put another way, it tells us that something needs to be attended to. It develops us by forcing us to view our circumstances(环境) through a wholly different view. Because we’re attracted by safety and security, we do our best to create pleasant comfort zones for ourselves and our loved ones through the cars we drive, the houses we live in, and the places we work. But by resisting discomfort, we deny ourselves an important opportunity: the chance to shake ourselves out of our predictable perspectives(视角) and allow ourselves to make knowledgeable observations that we could not possibly have made before. Discomfort gives us fresh eyes.
1.Which of the following is NOT a reason why artists throughout history have been exploring sufferings?
A. Pain is a mirror that can reflect the life of everybody.
B. Pain is something that no one can escape from.
C. Pain can strengthen the feeling of existence of a person.
D. Pain can help them to avoid the creative thinking.
2.The term “Weltschmerz” couldn’t be used to describe something like __________.
A. social inequality
B. great achievements
C. racial discrimination(歧视)
D. mass killings
3.The author believes that by challenging discomfort, one may _________.
A. lose an important chance to make a big fortune
B. feel upset and fail to think calmly
C. control the situation properly when things go wrong
D. judge and think about the world in a new particular way
4. By writing this passage, the author tries to __________.
A. explain why discomfort is good for us
B. criticize(批评) a world full of comfort
C. persuade people to lead a life full of discomfort
D. blame those who enjoy an easy life
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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。选项中的两项为多途选项。
There is an old Spanish saying which states, "Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week." How many times have we put off our dreams until tomorrow? 1. We have to go for them now!
·Tomorrow is not promised.
Nobody likes to talk about death, but everybody is going to die at one point. None of us know the day or the hour. 2. Don't go to your tomb with unrealized dreams. Make the decision to go after every dream, big or small right now.
·3.
One of the biggest dream killers is fear. Many people could have achieved amazing things if only they weren't afraid. Just think about all the things you've wanted to do, but allowed fear to convince you that you weren't capable, or good enough. Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Choose not to let fear stop you from achieving your dreams.
·Take action to realize your dream.
You can dream about writing a great play but it's never going to happen unless you actually put pen to paper. You can dream about finding a cure for cancer, but it will never happen unless you actually become equipped with the necessary tools to find that cure. 4.
·Possibilities are waiting on you.
There are so many amazing opportunities and people waiting on you. How do you get to them? Simple! Follow your dream. 5. You'll never see those doors if you sit around waiting on a dream to happen, instead of actually working to make it happen.
A. Don't let fear win.
B. In other words, dreams don't work unless you do.
C. Our dreams should not, and cannot wait.
D. Therefore, today is all we have.
E. You'll be much happier if you go for it.
F. You were born into the world with a unique gift, which nobody can copy.
G. Doors that you couldn't imagine open up when you go after what you want.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
I went online to check if my pay was in my bank ________ . To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a ________ I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money ________ to the right person. Easier said than ________ .
The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank ________ . The human resources department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough ________ . I rang the bank again. ________ , I had a sympathetic call operator who gave me a(n) ________ , so I again rang the company “Daniel” worked for.
I expected the bank would ________ me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard ________ for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, ________ he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their________ . He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably ________ this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would ________ it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel ________ but he left me a lovely bottle of wine ________ what was rightfully his. I never had any ________ of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape(繁琐手续) made ________ difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to (归结为) ________ people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do---- ________ a mistake has occurred and fix it.
1.A. account B. card C. balance D. draft
2.A. plant B. farm C. factory D. company
3.A. away B. out C. back D. from
4.A. supposed B. done C. imagined D. guessed
5.A. problem B. trouble C. matter D. business
6.A. details B. instructions C. facts D. arguments
7.A. Thankfully B. Hopefully C. Considerately D. Pitifully
8.A. address B. name C. phone number D. e-mail
9.A. approach B. demand C. send D. contact
10.A. anything B. everything C. nothing D. something
11.A. complaining B. explaining C. screaming D. crying
12.A. error B. responsibilityC. duty D. blame
13.A. analyze B. abandon C. raise D. fix
14.A. took B. made C. gave D. pick
15.A. accidentally B. personally C. unfortunately D. purposely
16.A. in place of B. with regard toC. in exchange for D. by means of
17.A. ideal B. hope C. aim D. intention
18.A. me B. one C. it D. that
19.A. four B. two C. three D. one
20.A. admit B. make C. accept D. refuse
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
单词拼写
1.New Year’s Day is drawing near. The trees on both sides of the roads are beautifully ________________(装饰).
2.We all believe that a team as good as ours should be able to beat all the other ________________ (竞争者) .
3.Every day, almost everywhere, we can see all kinds of products _______________(广告).
4.She has made such great contributions to the protection of rare animals. She really ______________(值得) a reward for her efforts.
5.I would a_____________ it if you could help me with this task. It’s really a bit too hard for me.
6.I worried so much about the result of my maths exam. Much to my r_______________, I passed it.
7.The Winter and Summer Olympics are both held every four years on a r_________________ basis.
8.E______________ devices, such as computers and cell phones, have made our life so much more convenient.
9.Charles Babbage is generally c_______________ to have invented the first computer.
10.We are advised by the doctor to take more fruits like apples and oranges, which c___________ much vitamin C.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
在下列个句中的空白处填入一个适当的词，或用括号中所给词的正确形式填空：
1.The teacher, together with some of her students, ___(be) preparing for their performance now.
2.It is dangerous to carelessly throw about ____(light) cigarettes like this.
3.He made every effort to seek a position __ he could get a higher salary and a quick promotion.
4.The doctor left hurriedly without a word and came back after __ seemed to be half an hour.
5.It made us overjoyed to hear that he is __(admit) into Beijing University.
6.Do you see the sign over there? They don’t allow ___(take) photos here.
7.Great achievements ____ (make) in the field of medicine in the past ten years, and people are enjoying better medical care now.
8.It is widely accepted that honesty is the best policy. At __ time should we cheat in exams.
9.You shouldn’t expect too much from them. ___________ all, they are just beginners.
10.The building that ___(build) there is for us teachers, so though there is much noise all the time, we still feel happy.
11.Little Johnny has gone hiking with three of his friends and his mother was ___(terrible) concerned about his safety.
12.Great attention should be paid to ___(protection) the endangered animals because when we lose some species, we will put ourselves in danger.
13.Human facial expressions differ from those of animals in the degree___ which they can be controlled on purpose.
14.Jenny ____ have been there at that time because she was here with me all day yesterday.
15.With all his attention ___(fix) on what he was reading, he didn’t notice them slip into the room.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
All my former classmates like our old classroom because three side of the classroom were made from glass. I enjoyed sit close to the windows and looking at the view. On the left-hand side of the class, I could easy see the football field. In the mornings, it was full of students exercising. The view from the back of the classroom is also splendid. Close to the school there was a beautiful park with many trees around them. Farther in the distance, I could not enjoy the view of snowy mountains. On the right side of the class was the road. I was always interested to see the drivers in hurry in the morning. The position of the classroom with its view made me felt like I was dreaming. If I was only a child when I studied in that classroom, I will never forget it.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
兰州市近来实行了公共环保自行车出行行动，受到了市民的欢迎。假设你是李华，请你写一篇词数100词的小短文，介绍兰州公共自行车。主要内容包括：
1.使用方法：凭身份证办卡，60分钟内免费使用；自行车点遍布全市，全市范围内通租通还；
2.骑自行车的益处：可以节约道路资源、减少环境污染、帮助锻炼身体；
3．希望更多人骑车出行。
参考词汇：bicycle stops；energy-saving; identification card
难度: 中等查看答案及解析