notepad (记事本)and a hole for a pencil.
I"m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother.
Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current
paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can"t be the same pencil? The pad is more
modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
"I"m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years." I
say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. "You still use a pencil.
Can"t you afford a pen?"
My mother replies a little sharply. "It works perfectly well. I"ve always kept the stand in the kitchen.
I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in those days."
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one
hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, "One day I was
cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the
children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the
back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on."
This story-which happened before I was born-reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is,
as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to
wor k. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards.
Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics.
Those symbols have travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden
breadboard, invisible (看不到的) exhibits at every meal.
1. Why has the author"s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?
A. To leave messages.
B. To list her everyday tasks.
C. To note down maths problems.
D. To write down a flash of inspiration.
2. What is the author"s original opinion about the wooden stand?
A. It has great value for the family.
B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.
C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.
D. It should be passed on to the next generation.
3. The author feels embarrassed for .
A. blaming her mother wrongly
B. giving her mother a lot of trouble
C. not making good use of time as her mother did
D. not making any breakthrough in her field
4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. The mother is successful in her career.
B. The family members like travelling.
C. The author had little time to play when young.
D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.
5. In the author"s mind, her mother is .
A. strange in behaviour
B. keen on her research
C. fond of collecting old things
D. careless about her appearance(B)
100 bill. Then he said to the three hundred students, "Who would like this ¥100 bill?" The students
began to put up their hands at once.
Then he said, "I am going to give this ¥100 to one of you, but first, let me do this." He then made the
bill into a ball. Then he said, "Who wants it now?" The hands went back into the air.
" Well," he said, "What if I do this?" and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He picked up
the dirty, crumpled bill and said, "Who still wants it?" Hands went back into the air.
"My friends," he said, "you have learned a valuable lesson today. No matter what I did to the money,
you still wanted it because it did not go down in value. It was still worth ¥ l00!"
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the
things that happen to us. We feel as if we are worth nothing. But remember, no matter what has happened to you, you will never lose your value: you are always valuable to those people who love you. Your value
doesn"t come from what you do or whom you know, but WHO YOU ARE.
You are special and valuable. Don"t ever forget it!
1. Even though it was dirty, the money _______.
A. still went up in value
B. was worth nothing
C. didn"t go down in value
D. was still ours
2. We are always valuable to the people _______.
A. who pay us
B. who call us
C. who hate us
D. who love us
3. Your value doesn"t come from what you do but _______.
A. who you know
B. who made you
C. who you remember
D. who you are
4. The sentence "Hands went back into the air" means "_______".
A. the students put up their hands again
B. the students put down their hands
C. the students put their hands behind their backs again
D. the students put their hands in front of them
5. Why did the famous teacher use a ¥100 bill at his lesson?
A. Because he wanted to make the bill into a ball.
B. Because he used to drop a bill on the floor and stepped on it.
C. Because he was going to give the bill to one of his students.
D. Because he wanted to make the students know what value was.
Michelle and Barney Wanstall rode off into the Lake District sunshine yesterday with no trouble at all.
They were the first customers to try a new electric bicycle hire service aimed at tourists who want the
fun of cycling without pain. "We wanted to go on a boat when we first got here," explained Mr. Wanstall,
a student. "But we saw these bikes and decided to hire them instead."
Brian Eaton, owner of Easyriders, which has a dozen bicycles for hire by the side of the lake near
Coniston village, smiled as Michelle looked anxiously at Coniston Old Man, the mountain that towers over the village.
"We do quite a lot of cycling at home," said Michelle. "But with mountains everywhere, it"ll be easier if we _______________________. And it"s only ?18 each for a day"s easy riding and the chance to enjoy some of the finest countryside in Britain!"
The motorized bicycles helped the couple as soon as they began to pedal; they would have needed to
use twice as much energy with a normal bicycle. The bicycles are very safe; they cannot go faster than 15 mph and the special tyres cannot be punctured. "It"s easy riding," said Mr. Eaton. "There are a lot of
people fancy cycling, but are not as fit as they used to be!"
Riders are provided with helmets, maps, routes and suggestions for picnics and places to stay. Most
electric bicycles are sold in Japan. However, Mr. Eaton thought they would be popular with tourists in the Lake District. "As far as I know, these are the only motorized bicycles for hire in the country," he said.
"If the idea is successful, I"ll set up other hire centres around Britain."
1. This passage is mainly about ______________________________________. (within 10 words)
2. What are the two ways of going on a tour in the Lake District according to the passage? (within 8
words)
①___________________ ②___________________
3. Finish the following sentence according to the passage. (within 8 words together)
With an electric bicycle, they needed only _____________________________ with a normal bicycle.
4. What do the underlined words "the mountain" refer to? (within 5 words)
____________________________________________________
5. Fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph. (within 7 words)
_____________________________________________________
When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled for fashion photographers. It
was years later that I finally understood what role modelling 1 in your life. Little did I know you were 2
every penny you earned to go to 3 school.
I cannot thank you enough for 4 you told me one autumn afternoon when I was nine. After finishing
my homework, I went into the dining room where you were buried 5 piles of law books. I was 6 .Why
were you doing what I do-memorizing textbooks and studying for 7 ? When you said you were in law
school, I was more puzzled. I didn"t know. Moms could be lawyers too. You smiled and said, "In life, you
can do anything you want to do."
As young as I was, that statement kept 8 in my ears. I watched as you faced the 9 of completing
your studies, starting companies with Dad, while still being a 10 and a Mom with five kids. I was
exhausted just watching you in action. With your words of wisdom in my youthful mind, I suddenly felt
unlimited freedom to dream. My whole world 11 . I set out to live my life filled with 12 , seeing endless
possibilities for personal and professional achievements.
Your words became my motto. I constantly found myself in the unique position of being either the first
(woman doctor in Maryland Rotary) or one of the few women (chief medical reporters) in my field. I
gained strength every time I said , "Yes, I"ll try that."
Encouraged by your 13 , I have forged ahead (毅然前行) with my life"s journey, less afraid to make
mistakes, and 14 meeting each challenge. You did it, and now I"m 15 it. So, get to run. So much to do,
so many dreams to live.
( )1. A. found ( )2. A. saving ( )3. A. business ( )4. A. what ( )5. A. at ( )6. A. amused ( )7. A. role ( )8. A. ringing ( )9. A. choices ( )10. A. professor ( )11. A. came back ( )12. A. hope ( )13. A. description ( )14. A. secretly ( )15. A. doing | B. played B. making B. fashion B. that B. to B. worried B. tests B. blowing B. chances B. doctor B. closed down B. hardship B. statement B. curiously B. considering | C. kept C. donating C. law C. which C. upon C. puzzled C. positions C. falling C. challenges C. reporter C. went by C. harmony C. praise C. carelessly C. correcting | D. provided D. receiving D. medical D. where D. in D. disappointed D. shows D. beating D. changes D. model D. opened up D. sadness D. introduction D. eagerly D. reading |
阅读理解 | |||
Since 1984, Philadelphia has been cleaning up its act. One by one, graffiti(涂鸦)-covered walls are | |||
完形填空 | |||
Wings of Angel I used to hate myself because I wasn"t "normal". Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not 1 . I had a severe spinal cord disorder (脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much 2 than others. I hated going to school and I hated people 3 at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing straight and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the 4 and seeing an ugly hunchback (驼背). My friends found me 5 because I didn"t let others get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life 6 Angela appeared. That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school - a spot where no one would 7 me. That"s when I first heard her voice. "Hi. Can I sit down?" I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face. "What are you looking at?" she asked. "Ants." "What are they doing?" "No idea." "I bet they"re playing games and making friends. Don"t you think so?" That was how our 8 started and it didn"t stop. We talked about everything under the sun-the ants, the clouds, my little niche (处境) - until it was sunset. Then suddenly, she saw my 9 . She just stared. My heart sank. What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would 10 me now. She stood up, pointed at my back and said, "I know 11 your back is hunched." I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be sentenced. I begged in my heart for her to 12 , but she just kept on going. "I know what you"ve got in there. Do you?" "No," I answered 13 . She bent and whispered in my ears. "Your back is hunched because you"ve got a pair of wings from the angels." I was 14 . I looked into her eyes and her kindness touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to 15 myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend. | |||