Last year, I lived in Chile for half a year. I lived with a Chilean family and had the responsibilities of any Chilean teenager. I had good days and bad days I didn’t understand.
Chuquicamata, my host community, is a mining camp. When I arrived there, I was scared. It was so different from what I was used to. There were lots of dogs on the streets, and there was no downtown, few smoothly paved streets, and little to do for entertainment. Rain was not seen very often, earthquakes and windstorms were frequent.
I had studied Spanish for two and a half years and was always one of the best students in my class. But in my first week in Chile I was only able to communicate and needed one person to whom I could explain my shock. I couldn’t speak the thoughts in my head and there were so many.
Most exchange students experience this like me. Culture shock presents itself in everything from increased aggression (敌对心理) towards the people to lack of appetite. I was required to overcome all difficulties.
As time passed, everything changed. I began to forget words in English and to dream in Spanish and love Chilean food. I got used to not depending on expensive things for fun. Fun in Chuquicamata was being with people. And I took math, physics, chemistry, biology, Spanish, art, and philosophy.
But the sacrifices were nothing compared to the gain. I learned how to accept and to succeed in another culture. I now have a deeper understanding of both myself and others.
小题1:The author came to Chile last year with the purpose of ________.| A．paying a visit to Chile as a tourist | | B．experiencing Chilean life as a teacher | | C．studying Chilean culture as a college student | | D．studying knowledge as an exchange student |
小题2:On arriving in Chile, why did the author feel frightened?| A．Because he did not know how to get along with the local people. | | B．Because it was full of dangers like earthquakes and windstorms. | | C．Because its living conditions were worse than what he was used to. | | D．Because it was not convenient for him to shop there. |
小题3: In the first week in Chile the author ________.| A．was not used to eating Chilean food | | B．had some friends to have a chat with | | C．couldn’t communicate with people | | D．couldn’t express his thoughts in English |
小题4: What did the author most probably think of his life in Chile?| A．Wonderful and worthwhile | B．Difficult but meaningful | | C．Difficult and meaningless | D．Boring and disappointing |
小题5:According to the passage, which of the following statements about Chile is TRUE?| A．its official language is Spanish and English. | | B．It is a developing country without foreign students. | | C．It seldom rains and natural disasters often happen. | | D．Most Chileans are not friendly to foreigners. |
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小题1:D
小题1:C
小题1:A
小题1:B
小题1:C |
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核心考点
试题【Last year, I lived in Chile for half a year. I lived with a Chilean family and h】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
This was an unforgettable and wonderful experience．It happened about three years ago and it has had a 26 effect on me．I would like to show respect here for the two men I do not know 27 but whose actions gave a new 28 to the words — kind and generous．
I was walking down a busy street on a cold, windy day in early 29 , A homeless man, probably about 60 and without wearing any shoes, was 30 for change on a street corner．
A BMW car 31 on the other side of the street and an executive（主管）who was perfectly dressed stepped out of the car．He was probably about 32 years old．He was wearing a blue business suit with a deep red silk tie．He walked33across the street and over to the homeless man．Without saying anything, he first gave him a lot of 34 and then he sat down and took off his leather gloves（手套）, beautiful black leather shoes and his black dress socks．Then he 35 them to th e homeless man．The homeless man took them and stared with a/an 36 mouth．
As he drove off, I couldn’t 37 thinking that it was probably the first time he had 38 the pedal（ 踏板）of that top-brand BMW car with a 39 foot! I stood there and the looks of 40 appeared on my face and the homeless man’s．
Two men of about the same age 41 very different lives had met and the one who was42 in materials had offered 43 than his shoes．He had left this BMW car and 44 down from his high position．He lifted up the other man when he offered respect, 45 and real generosity．
| 小题1: | | A．strong | B．bad | C．light | D．slow |
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| 小题2: | | A．officially | B．Personally | C．similarly | D．generally |
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| 小题3: | | A．benefit | B．attitude | C．meaning | D．award |
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| 小题4: | | A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
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| 小题5: | | A．searching | B．making | C．blaming | D．begging |
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| 小题6: | | A．called up | B．broke up | C．pulled up | D．sped up |
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| 小题8: | | A．directly | B．usually | C．unwillingly | D．fluently |
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小题9:A．money B．water C．sand D ．oil
| 小题10: | | A．posted | B．handed | C．kicked | D．threw |
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| 小题11: | | A．closed | B．full | C．open | D．empty |
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| 小题12: | | A．stand | B．delay | C．forget | D．help |
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| 小题13: | | A．bended | B．cut | C．repaired | D．pressed |
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| 小题14: | | A．relaxed | B．large | C．bare | D．single |
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| 小题15: | | A．excitement | B．astonishment | C．sadness | D．pride |
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| 小题17: | | A．successful | B．careful | C．useful | D．helpful |
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| 小题18: | | A．rather | B．more | C．other | D．better |
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| 小题19: | | A．broken | B．fell | C．stepped | D．rolled |
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| 小题20: | | A．surprise | B．disappointment | C．anxiety | D．kindness |
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Obama Still Smokes in Secret
US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers．He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．
At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday．
Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit．Every now and then he still smokes in secret．
“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time．Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No．” Obama said at a news conference．
“I don" t do it in front of my lads．I don "t do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said．
"Once you go down this path, it" s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important．The new law is not about me, it" s about the next generation of kids coming up．What we don " t want is kids going down that path," he said．
Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．
小题1:The new law makes life difficult for ．| A．Obama | B．tobacco industry | | C．White House | D．US Food and Drug Administration |
小题2:What do we know about Obama?| A．He no longer smokes． | | B．He still smokes as usual． | | C．He began to smoke at eighteen． | | D．He is trying hard to give up smoking． |
小题3:According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about ．| A．children | B．officials | C．his family | D．businessmen |
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Thanks a Million, Dad
I was born disabled．A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck．By my first birthday, I couldn"t stand or walk．
When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy （脑瘫）．A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body．
But no son of my dad" s was going to be disabled．Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg．The muscles were shrunk and twisted together．Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape．
But my dad" s exercise of passion didn"t stop there．For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party．When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves．We put them on．My dad kept on beating me mercilessly．Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw．I "begged him to stop．He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world．
That same year, I was the only kid in my neighbourhood that wasn"t picked for Little League．Two weeks later．Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played．Dad coached us and made me a pitcher （棒球投手）．
The power of my dad" s love guaranteed I walked and more．In high school, I became a football star．
In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn’t t have cerebral palsy after all．He explained how and where the doctor" s forceps （镊子） at birth had damaged my brain．
My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago．But all that counts is the bottom line．After all his madness, on this Father" s Day, like every Father" s Day, I" m no longer disabled．
小题1:What caused the author" s disability?| A．A failed operation． | B．The doctor"s forceps． | | C．An accident in a game． | D．Shrunken and twisted muscles． |
小题2:What do we learn from the passage?| A．The author has a talent for boxing． | | B．The author achieved a lot thanks to his father" s love． | | C．The author became a baseball star with the help of his father． | | D．The author doesn"t think his father should be so strict with him． |
小题3:Paragraph 3 suggests that the author" s father____．| A．wouldn"t give up hope easily | | B．believed his son was a normal child | | C．blamed the doctors for his son" s disability | | D．couldn"t accept the truth that his son was disabled |
小题4:The author wrote the passage to ____．| A．remember his father | | B．encourage disabled children | | C．show the difficulty the disabled face | | D．give advice to the parents of disabled children |
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I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year - round sun．You may think People , such an attractive, fun - filled place are happier than others．If so you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness．
Many intelligent people still think fun equals happiness．The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common．Fun is what we experience during an act．Happiness is what we experience after an act．It is a deep, long-lasting emotion．
Going to an amusement park or a ball game, watching a movie or television are fun activities that help us relax, temporally forget our problems and maybe even laugh．But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends．
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun．They have constant access to exciting parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells "happiness" But in memoir（回忆录） after memoir, they expose Ac unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages and loneliness．
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying．If he is honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment．For commitment is in fact quite painful．The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement．Man-iage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features．
Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness．They can dine out whenever they want and sleep as late as they want．Couples with babies are lucky to get a whole night" s sleep．I don"t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children．
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to．It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can truly increase our happiness．It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless．And it frees us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and famous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all．
小题1:What is the passage mainly about?| A．Fun and happiness． | B．Success and satisfaction． | | C．Marriage and commitment． | D．Entertainment and responsibility． |
小题2:The author probably agrees that ____．| A．fun creates long - lasting satisfaction | | B．long - standing fun may lead to happiness | | C．fun is short-lived while happiness is long-lasting | | D．fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness |
小题3:What does the author think of marriage?| A．It ends in pain． | B．It means commitment． | | C．It affords greater fun． | D．It leads to raising children． |
小题4:If one gets the real meaning of happiness, he ____．
A．will start a business B won" t place too much value on money
C．will seek for freedom D．won"t devote himself to his family |
Time and how we experience it have always puzzled us．Physicists have created fascinating theories, but their time is measured by a pendulum （钟摆） and is not psychological time, which leaps with little regard to the clock or calendar．As some-one who understood the distinction observed, "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours it seems like a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove, a minute seems like two hours．"
Psychologists have long noticed that larger units of time, such as months and years, fly on swifter wings as we age．They also note that the more time is structured with schedules and appointments, the more rapidly it seems to pass．For example, a day at the office flies compared with a day at the beach．Since most of us spend fewer days at the beach and more at the office as we age, an increase in structured tune could well be to blame for why time seems to speed up as we grow older．
Expectation and familiarity also make time seem to flow more rapidly．Almost all of us have had the experience of driving somewhere we’ve never been before．Surrounded by unfamiliar scenery, with no real idea of when we’ll arrive, we experience the trip as lasting a long time．But the return trip, although exactly as long, seems to take far less time．The novelty of the outward journey has become routine．Thus taking a different route on occasions can often help slow the clock．
When was become as identical as identical as beads（小珠子）on a string, they mix together, and even months become a single day．To counter this, try to find ways to interrupt the structure of your day—to stop time, so to speak．
Learning something new is one of the ways to slow the passage of time．One of the reasons the days of our youth seems so full and long is that these are the days of learning and discovery．For many of us, learning ends when we leave school, but this doesn’t have to be．
小题1:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is used to show ．| A．psychological time is quite puzzling | | B．time should not be measured by a pendulum | | C．physical time is different from psychological time | | D．physical theory has nothing to do with the true sense of time |
小题2:Why do units of time fly faster as we grow older?| A．Our sense of time changes | | B．We spend less time at the beach． | | C．More time is structured and scheduled． | | D．Time is structured with too many appointments． |
小题3:In Paragraph 3 “novelty” probably means ．| A．excitement | B．unfamiliarity | C．imagination | D．amusement |
小题4:The purpose of the passage is to ．| A．give various explanations about time | | B．describe how we experience time psychologically | | C．show the different ideas of physicists and psychologists on time | | D．explain why time flies and how to slow it down psychologically |
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