A Gift of God
One fine summer morning-it was the beginning of harvest, I remember-Mr. Earnshaw came
down stairs, dressed for a journey; after he had told Joseph what was to be done during the day,
he turned to Hindley and Cathy, and me-for I sat eating my porridge with them-and speaking to
his son, he said:
"Now, I"m going to Liverpool today. What shall I bring you? You may choose what you like;
only small things, for I shall walk there and back; sixty miles each way, that is a long time!"
Hindley named a fiddle (a kind of violin), and then he asked Miss Cathy. She was hardly six
years old, but she could ride any horse in the stable. She chose a whip(鞭子).He did not forget
me; for he had a kind heart, though he was rather serious sometimes. He promised to bring me
a pocketful of apples and pears. Then he kissed his children good-bye and set off.
The three days of his absence seemed a long while to us all. Mrs. Earnshaw expected him by
supper-time on the third evening. She put off the meal hour after hour. There were no signs of his
coming, however. About eleven o"clock the door opened and in stepped the master. He threw
himself into a chair, laughing and groaning, and told them all to stand off, for he was nearly killed.
He would never again have another such walk for whatever reasons.
Opening his great coat, which he held bundled up in his arms, he said: "See here, wife. I was
never so beaten with anything in my life. But you must take it as a gift of God though it"s as dark
almost as if it came from the devil."
We crowded round him. And over Miss Cathy"s head, I had a look at a dirty, ragged, black-haired
child-big enough both to walk and talk-yet, when it was set on its feet, it only stared round, and
repeated over and over again some strange words that nobody could understand. I was frightened,
and Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to throw it out of doors. She did get angry, asking why he should have
brought that gipsy child into the house when they had their own kids to feed and look after? What he
meant to do with it?
The master tried to explain the matter though he was really half dead with tiredness. All that I could
make out, among her scolding, was a story of his seeing it starving, and homeless, and almost dumb
(哑的) in the streets of Liverpool where he picked it up and inquired for its owner. But not a person
knew to whom it belonged. He said that as both his money and time was limited, he thought it better
to take it home with him at once than run into vain expenses there. Anyway he was determined he
would not leave it as he found it.
Well, finally Mrs. Earnshaw calmed down, and Mr. Earnshaw told me to wash it, give it clean things,
and let it sleep with the children.
Hindley and Cathy then began searching their father"s pockets for the presents he had promised
them. But when Hindley drew out what had been a fiddle, crushed (压坏) to pieces in the great coat,
he cried loudly. And Cathy, when she learned her father had lost her whip in attending on the stranger,
showed her feeling by spitting at the gipsy child, earning herself a sound blow from Mr. Earnshaw to
teach her cleaner manners.
(Adapted from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte)
B. An hour after the meal time.
C. When it was getting dark.
D. Not until it was nearly midnight.
B. he found that the starving child was a dumb boy.
C. he couldn"t afford to stay longer to look for the child"s parents.
D. he couldn"t leave the starving child without anyone caring for it.
B. Cathy was very disappointed and she turned her anger at her father.
C. Mrs. Earnshaw agreed to keep the gipsy child in spite of everything.
D. Hindley was good-humoured even if he didn"t get his present.
was going on in their 2 . I remember a girl who started 3 there a few months after me. We seldom
talked but we always 4 each other and smiled.
She always smiled in a really happy way 5 one day when we got to work in the 6 department.
She smiled as if she was the 7 girl in the world. I went up to her and asked, "What"s wrong with
you?" She answered, "Why?" I said, "I could feel you"re very 8 , but you"re always trying to 9 it."
Her mouth just dropped as if I had 10 her deepest secret, so we started talking. She told me 11 she was feeling unhappy and why she was trying to 12 that nothing was wrong. Time went by and we
became good friends. She"d always tell me I had 13 her life in so many ways.
Today that girl is one of my best 14 . I really don"t know what I would do 15 her. She has been
there for me in every 16 way a friend could be.
What I"m trying to say is that you never know 17 you"re helping yourself. I helped this girl never
knowing that at the same time I was helping myself by finding a __18 _ friend.
So the next time you see a 19 and he needs someone who will 20 to him, wait and let him say
what he wants to say. You never know, you might just end up helping yourself.
( )2. A. lives
( )3. A. shopping
( )4. A. assisted
( )5. A. though
( )6. A. similar
( )7. A. quietest
( )8. A. sad
( )9. A. keep
( )10. A. caught
( )11. A. when
( )12. A. pretend
( )13. A. protected
( )14. A. customers
( )15. A. without
( )16. A. simple
( )17. A. before
( )18. A. truthful
( )19. A. stranger
( )20. A. belong
B. jobs
B. talking
B. looked at
B. since
B. nearby
B. happiest
B. angry
B. stop
B. discovered
B. how
B. become
B. recovered
B. friends
B. for
B. possible
B. since
B. useful
B. worker
B. refer
C. studies
C. going
C. realized
C. until
C. same
C. busiest
C. happy
C. hide
C. controlled
C. why
C. make
C. supported
C. neighbors
C. upon
C. strange
C. because
C. hopeful
C. passenger
C. listen
D. marriages
D. working
D. stared at
D. unless
D. different
D. luckiest
D. surprised
D. show
D. checked
D. what
D. admit
D. changed
D. classmates
D. with
D. perfect
D. when
D. careful
D. visitor
D. turn
limping (跛行).
"What"s wrong?" I said. "Oh, it"s my knee. They want me to really appreciate the operation I"m about to have, so they delayed it another month, so I would suffer more," he replied.
It was then for the first time I actually showed my scar to someone. "Look, I had an operation on my
arm." My wife has been telling me that it really didn"t look bad. It healed very nicely. When I showed it to
the doctor and his assistant, they said, "That"s terrible!"
That"s when I discovered something.
"Doctor, when I was a kid, I fell. I remember showing the scar to all my friends because I thought it
was "cool". Having a scar at that age was like having a battle injury."
"Then I went into the young adulthood and vanity (虚荣心) took over. I was in a band and never
wanted anything to scar my beautiful face. Now, at 59, I just joined that group of older folks who are
proud to compare operations, aches and pains," I said struggling to get it out without laughing.
The winner is the one who is in the worst shape, I guess. Then there are those at any age, who use their scars as an excuse. The kind of excuse holds them back, limits them and provides a crutch for why they
aren"t happy. "Too short"... "too fat"... "my family"... "ever since we had children" and so on.
All scars never heal because we keep picking at (扯拉) them. I promised I"d never do that, yet today I didn"t even hesitate to show the doctor my scar. It"s okay. I see it as returning to my childhood. What
scars do you have?
B. his operation was put off
C. he was proud to suffer from it
D. he was too busy to receive the operation
B. a teenager
C. a young adult
D. a middle-aged man
B. was proud to wear a scar
C. often fought with other kids
D. had an operation on his forehead
B. injury
C. experience
D. chance
B. fight against our scars
C. be optimistic about our scars
D. show off our scars to others
snap(断裂声), and the _1 could be heard throughout the auditorium (礼堂). The audience _2 knew that
a string(弦) had broken. They all _3 the concert to stop for a short time _4 another instrument was brought
to the musician.
But instead, the _5 calmed herself down and then signaled the conductor to start again. The orchestra
continued where they had _6 and the musician played the music on three strings. In her mind she _7 new
fingering to make up for the missing string. A work that few people could play _8 on four strings, the
violinist played on three.
When she _9 and bowed(鞠躬) to the audience, there was a silence in the hall. And then the crowd rose
to their feet and cheered wildly. The violinist 10 and wiped sweat from her forehead. When 11 returned
to the hall, she explained 12 she had continued to play although there was a 13 string. "You know," she
said, "sometimes it is the artist"s 14 to find out how much music they can still 15 with what has been
left."
Maybe we"ve _16 most of our lives and we have only a little time left. Maybe disease has robbed(夺走)
us of our capacity to work. Or perhaps a financial loss has left us very 17 . Can we still make "music"?
There will come a time when we all 18 loss. Can we find the courage to discover how much "music" we
can still make with what has been left, just like the violinist? And if it takes extra courage to make the
"music", others will applaud (拍手称赞)your _19_. Some people have lost more than others, 20 they
are brave enough to face it. They inspire the rest of us to reach greater heights.
( )1. A. voice ( )2. A. immediately ( )3. A. forced ( )4. A. while ( )5. A. audience ( )6. A. gone ( )7. A. put on ( )8. A. fast ( )9. A. started ( )10. A. worried ( )11. A. thought ( )12. A. if ( )13. A. broken ( )14. A. dream ( )15. A. take ( )16. A. supported ( )17. A. poor ( )18. A. appreciate ( )19. A. wisdom ( )20. A. and | B. sound B. gradually B. advised B. until B. conductor B. stopped B. carried out B. badly B. performed B. smiled B. surprise B. that B. lost B. plan B. get B. lived B. brave B. ignore B. effort B. but | C. music C. finally C. allowed C. after C. violinist C. remained C. depended on C. well C. finished C. apologized C. pleasure C. why C. bad C. idea C. make C. starved C. nervous C. experience C. talent C. or | D. scream D. lately D. expected D. since D. director D. arrived D. worked out D. gently D. rested D. agreed D. silence D. when D. difficult D. task D. enjoy D. longed D. angry D. improve D. ability D. so |
阅读理解。 | |||
During my elementary school years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany"s mom. Tiffany"s mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really admired Tiffany. My mom didn"t give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself. I was annoyed with her. Whenever I didn"t get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany"s mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom. Every time, my mom would calmly say "Poor Tiffany". I couldn"t understand her. "She shouldn"t be feeling sorry for Tiffany!" I thought, "She should be feeling sorry for me." One day, I couldn"t help saying to Mom, "Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?" I burst into tears. My mom sat down next to me and said softly, "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught." I looked up at her, "What are you talking about?" Mom said with care, "One day she will really want something. Maybe she"ll find out that she can"t have it. Her mother won"t always be around to give her money, and what"s more, money can"t buy everything." She continued, "I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want. You"ll know how to look for bargains and save money, but she won"t. You"ll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won"t. When Tiffany is a grown woman, she"ll wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you"ve got. Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food." It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom"s words. Now I am a happy and successful woman. | |||
1. During the author"s elementary school years, she __________. | |||
A. wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany"s B. went to school with Tiffany every day C. usually compared her lesson with Tiffany"s D. sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany | |||
2. Why did the author"s mom always say "Poor Tiffany"? | |||
A. She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor. B. She wanted to tell a lie to comfort the author. C. She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother. D. She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany. | |||
3. What do we learn about the author"s mother? | |||
A. She was strict and taught the author to be independent. B. She cared for other people"s children more than her own. C. She thought that life lessons were as important as money. D. She was so poor that she couldn"t give the author much money. | |||
4. What can we infer from the passage? | |||
A. The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past. B. The author"s mother felt sorry for Tiffany. C. Tiffany"s mother took the author"s mother"s advice. D. The author is thankful to her mother now. | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
After a disabled woman"s cat started a house fire, her specially trained dog came to the rescue and then died when trying to help the cat still in the house, Jamie Hanson said the 13-year-old dog named Jesse, brought the phone so she could call 911 and also brought her artificial leg. "She got me outside and then she heard the cat upstairs and went up there to get the cat out but she wouldn"t come back to me," Hanson, 49, said at a news conference at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center where she was being treated for her injuries. "She received third-degree burns on an arm in the fire at her home," the Sheboygan County Sheriff"s Department said, adding that both pets died in the fire. Hanson, who lost a leg in a car accident three years ago, said she was on the couch watching television when the cat ran over the back of the couch. "And he jumped onto a table that had a candle on it and tipped it over and finally set the artificial plants on fire," she said. Hanson said she fell off the couch and was unable to get her artificial leg from the table. "So my dog got my leg for me and went to get the phone and brought it to me, so I could call 911." She said she tried to put the prosthetic leg on, but it was too hot, and the dog, a German shepherd, came to her aid again before going back inside for the cat. When rescuers arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames, the Sheriff"s Department said. Hanson was in the doorway and was assisted by a deputy (警官). | |||
1.What was the cause of the fire? | |||
A. The disabled woman fell off the cough. B. The cat ran down the lighted candle on the table. C. The woman"s artificial leg caught fire. D. The dog ran after the cat. | |||
2.Which of the following is RIGHT? | |||
A. As soon as it brought Hanson her leg, the dog went to save the cat. B. The dog went to save the cat after it helped Hanson put on the leg. C. Hanson fell off the couch when the cat jumped over the couch. D. The dog went to save the cat after it helped Hanson call 911. | |||
3.When the story was reported, Hanson most probably _____. | |||
A. at her own home B. at a news conference C. was being treated in a medical center D. was looking for her dog and cat | |||
4.We can infer from the passage that _____. | |||
A. the German shepherd dog was 13 years old B. it was too late for the rescuers to save the pets C. Hanson lost her leg in a car accident D. there were three people in Hanson"s family | |||
5.What would be the best title of the text? | |||
A. The difference between a dog and a cat. B. A dog saves her owner but kills a cat. C. The importance of keeping a pet dog. D. A dog saves her owner, dies trying to save a cat. |