My six-year-old granddaughter stared at me as if she were seeing me for the first time.”Grandma, you are an antique(古董),”she said. "You are old. Antiques are old. You are my antique."

I was not satisfied to let the matter rest there. I took out the Webster's Dictionary and read the definition(定义)to Jenny.I explained, "An antique is not only old, it's an object existing since or belonging to earlier times...a work of art... piece of furniture. Antiques are treasured,"I told Jenny as I put away the dictionary. "They have to be handled carefully because they sometimes are very valuable. In order to qualify as an antique, the object has to be at least 100 years old."

"I'm only 67,"I renunded Jenny.

We looked around the house for other antiques, besides me. There was a desk that was handed down from rone aunt to another and finally to our family. "It's very old,"I told Jenny.“I try to keep it polished and I show it off whenever I can. You do that with antiques."

There was a picture on the wall purchased at a garage sale. It was dated 1867. "Now  that's an antique," I boasted. "Over 100 years old." Of course it was marked up and scratched and not in very good condition. "Sometimes age does that," I told Jenny. "But the marks are good marks. They show living, being around. That's something to display with pride. In fact, sometimes, the more an object shows age, the more valuable it can become." It was important that I believed this for my own self-esteem.

Our tour of antiques continued. There was a vase on the floor. It had been in my house for a long time. I was not certain where it came from but I didn't buy it new. One thing about antiques, I explained to Jenny, was that they usually had a story. They'd been in one home and then another, handed down from one family to another, traveling all over the place. They'd lasted through years and years. They could have been tossed away, or ignored. or destroyed, or lost. But instead, they survived.

For a moment, Jenny looked thoughtful. “l don't have any antiques but you," she said. Then her face brightened. "Could I take you to school for show and tell?"

"Only if I fit into your backpack," I answered. And then Jenny's antique lifted her up and embraced her in a hug that would last through the years.

1.Grandma read the definition of "antique" to Jenny in order to         .

A．list all the important characteristics of antiques

B．tell Jenny the importance of protecting antiques

C．change Jenny's shallow understanding of antiques

D．express her disappointment at being called "antique"

2.Which of the following information did grandma convey to Jenny?

A．The desk reminded her of her dear relatives.

B．The marks on the picture showed its age and value.

C．There was usually a sad story behind each antique.

D．She planned to buy a new vase to replace the old one.

3.By saying "I don't have any antiques but you" (Paragraph 7), Jenny meant         .

A．grandma was a treasure to her

B．antiques were rare and valuable

C．she had nothing but a few possessions

D．grandma and antiques had a lot in common

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Grandma was too old to lift Jenny up.

B．Jenny had a strong desire for grandma's love.

C．Jenny was too young to know grandma's humor.

D．Grandma had a deep long-lasting love for Jenny.

5.What can be the best title for the passage? 

A．Jenny's Antique                        B．A Story of Antiques

C．A Tour of Antiques                      D．Grandma's Antique

 

Our senses aren't just delivering a strict view of what’s going on in the world; they're affected by what’s going on in our heads. A new study finds that hungry people see food-related words more clearly than people who've just eaten.

Psychologists have known for decades that what's going on inside our head affects our senses. For example, poorer children think coins are larger than they are, and hungry people think pictures of food are brighter. Rémi Radel of University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France, wanted to investigate how this happens.

Does it happen right away as the brain receives signals from the eyes or a little later as the brain’s high-1evel thinking processes get involved. Radel recruited 42 students with a normal body mass index. On the day of his or her test, each student was told to arrive at the lab at noon after three or four hours of not eating. Then they were told there was a delay. Some were told to come back in 10 minutes; others were given an hour to get lunch first. So half the students were hungry when they did the experiment and the other half had just eaten.

For the experiment, the participant looked at a computer screen. One by one, 80 words flashed on the screen for about l/300th of a second each. They flashed at so small a size that the students could only consciously perceive. A quarter of the words were food-related. After each word, each person was asked how bright the word was and asked to choose which of two words they’d seen-a food-related word like cake or a neutral word like boat. Each word appeared too briefly for the participant to really read it.

Hungry people saw the food-related words as brighter and were better at identifying food- related words. Because the word appeared too quickly for them to be reliably seen, this means that the difference is in perception, not in thinking processes, Radel says. "This is something great to me. Humans can really perceive what they need or what they strive for. From the experiment, I know that our brain can really be at the disposal of our motives and needs. "Radel says.

1.Why was there a delay on the day of the experiment?

A. Because hungry people needed time to fill their stomach.

B. Because Radel wanted to create two groups of testers, hungry and non-hungry.

C. Because noon was not the right time for any experiment.

D. Because Radel needed time to select participants in terms of body mass index.

2.What does the writer want to tell us?

A. Human’s senses aren’t just delivering a strict view of what’s going on in the world.

B. What’s perceived by our senses affects our way of thinking.

C. Human brains can really be at the disposal of our motives and needs.

D. Thinking processes guarantee the normal functions of our senses.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A. 42 participants are too small a number for a serious investigation.

B. An experiment with hungry and non-hungry participants is not reliable.

C. Our thinking processes are independent of our senses.

D. Humans can perceive what they need without involving high-level thinking processes

 

Kids Fishing Photo Contest

    Welcome to catch the excitement of your child on film while fishing and enter his or her picture in the yearly Kids Fishing Photo Contest! The contest is sponsored（主办，赞助） by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in celebration of National Fishing Week!

    The winning pictures are those that best catch the theme （主题）“kids enjoying fishing”. Winners will receive different fishing-related prizes. Winning pictures will also be posted on the VDGIF website and may be used in all kinds of VDGIF publications. There is no need to be a professional photographer. Any photo will do.

    Contest Rules

l   Children in the photographs must fall into one of the following age groups when the picture is taken: 1---5, 6---10.

l   Photos must not be more than 1 year old.

l   Photos must be taken in Virginia.

l   Children in a boat must be wearing a life jacket.

l   Only one photo submission（提交） per child.

l   Submit photo on photograph quality paper, no CD’s accepted.

l   Photos must not be bigger than “4*6” size.

l   Please stick a piece of paper to the back of the photo including: name, age, address, phone number and location where the photograph was taken.

l   Photos must be postmarked on or before June 19, 2011.

l   Judging will take place in July and winners will be posted on the VDGIF website.

l   Prizes will be sent directly to the winning children.

l   This contest isn’t open to immediate family of VDGIF employees and sponsors. Immediate family members refer to children, relatives or others living in the same household with a VDGIF employee or sponsor.

To Enter:

  Send your photo, with the child’s name, age, phone number and address to:

  2011 Kids Fishing Photo Contest

  Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

  P.O. Box 11104

  Richmond, VA 23230 – 1104

1.The purpose of the contest is to ______.

  A encourage people to take more pictures

  B help people realize the importance of fishing

  C celebrate a national fishing-related activity

  D encourage people to go fishing with kids

2.Which of the following photos can enter the contest?

  A A photo which was taken in Boston in 2009.

  B A large photo which was postmarked on July 11, 2011.

  C A photo which was taken in Virginia on Sept. 23, 2010.

  D A photo on which there is a 12-year-old girl.

3.What can be known about the prize of the contest?

  A Winners will get a great deal of money.

  B Winners will be allowed to travel in Virginia for free.

  C Winners’ works will be seen on any website.

  D Winners’ works may appear on the covers of VDGIF publications.

4.According to the contest rules, ______.

  A the result of the contest will be unknown before July, 2011

  B all Americans have the right to take part in the contest

  C photos can be sent to the sponsors in the form of email

  D the Smiths with only one child can enter the contest with two photos

 

In Washington D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a very special address. It is the address of the White House, the home of the president of the United States.

Originally the White House was gray and was called the presidential Palace. It was built from 1792 to 1800. At this time, the city of Washington itself was being built. It was to be the nation’s new capital city. George Washington, the first president, and Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a French engineer, chose the place for the new city. L'Enfant then planned the city. The president's home was an important part of the plan.

A contest was held to pick a design for the president's home. An architect named James Hoban won. He designed a large three-story house of gray stone.

President Washington never lived in the Presidential Palace. The first president to live there was John Adams, the second president of the United States, and his wife Mrs.Adams did not really like her new house. In her letters, she often complained about the cold. Fifty fireplaces were not enough to keep the house warm.

In 1812 the United States and Britain went to war. In 1814 the British invaded Washington. They burned many buildings, including the Presidential Palace.

After the war James Hoban, the original architect, partially rebuilt the president’s home. To cover the marks of the fire, the building was painted white. Before long it became known as the White House.

The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Every year more than 1.5 million visitors go through the five rooms that are open to the public.

The White House was built in Washington_____.

A. because a French engineer was invited to design it

B. because President George Washington liked to live in it

C. because the British invaders lived in it in1812-1814

D. because it was to be the nation’s capital city

The president’s home and the city of Washington were______.

A. built by the American army              B. built by the British troops

C. planed by George Washington           D. planned by the French

The original home of the president needed to be rebuilt______.

A. because John Adams’ wife did not like it

B. because it was cold in winter even with 50 fireplace

C. because it had been burned down during the war

D. because George Washington was not willing to live in it

The new presidential home was painted white to ______.

A. cover the marks of fire                  B. attract tourist from France

D. to please Mrs. John Adams             D. keep it warm in winter

第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每小题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

　　Pete Rose was a great baseball player. Though I have never met him, he taught me something 　31 that changed my life.

　　Pete was being 　32 in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record. Suddenly one reporter asked him, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to reach your nearest 　33 . How many at-bats（击球）do you think it’ll take you to get the 78 hits？” Without hesitation, Pete just 　34 at the reporter and said,“78.” The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on, Pete, you don’t think you’ll get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you？”

　　Mr. Rose calmly 　35 his philosophy with the reporters who were 　36 waiting for his reply to the claim.“Every time I 　37 up to the plate（击球区），I 　38 to get a hit! 　39 I have it in mind，I have no right to step into the batter’s（击球手）box! It is 40 expectation that has enabled me to get all of the hits in the first place.”

　　When I thought about Pete Rose’s 　41 and how it applied to everyday 　42 ，I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person，I was hoping to increase my 　43 . As a father，l was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man，I was hoping to be a good husband. The truth was that I was a fairly good salesperson，I was not so 44 a father，and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not 　45 ! I wanted to be a great salesperson，a great father and a great husband. I 　46 my attitude to a positive one，and the results were 47 .I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips，I won Coach of the Year in my 48 baseball league，and I share a loving relationship with my wife，Karen，with whom I am 49 to enjoy the rest of my life!

　50 ，Mr. Rose!

31．A．reliable 　　　　B．enjoyable 　　　　　　C．valuable　　　　　 D．unbelievable

32．A．admired 　　　　 B．interviewed 　　　　　C．watched 　　　　　 D．trained

33．A．decision 　　　　B．record 　　　　　　　 C．level 　　　　　　 D．goal

34．A．stared 　　　　　B．shouted 　　　　　　　C．glared 　　　　　　D．pointed

35．A．enjoyed 　　　　 B．shared 　　　　　　　 C．discussed 　　　　 D．reviewed

36．A．anxiously 　　　 B．nervously 　　　　　　C．cheerfully 　　　　D．impatiently

37．A．climb 　　　　　 B．jump 　　　　　　　　 C．drive 　　　　　　 D．step

38．A．seem 　　　　　　B．fail 　　　　　　　　 C．expect 　　　　　　D．compete

39．A．Though 　　　　　B．Unless 　　　　　　　 C．Because 　　　　　 D．When

40．A．abrupt 　　　　　B．simple　　　　　　　 C．positive 　　　　　D．considerate

41．A．plan 　　　　　　B．idea 　　　　　　　　 C．ability 　　　　　 D．behaviour

42．A．agenda 　　　　　B．exercise 　　　　　　 C．work 　　　　　　　D．lire

43．A．sales 　　　　　 B．skills 　　　　　　　 C．experiences 　　　 D．experiments

44．A．wise 　　　　　　B．kind 　　　　　　　　 C．mean 　　　　　　　D．bad

45．A．explicit 　　　　B．helpful 　　　　　　　C．enough 　　　　　　D．practical

46．A．changed 　　　　 B．added 　　　　　　　　C．devoted 　　　　　 D．contributed

47．A．hopeful 　　　　 B．amazing 　　　　　　　C．funny 　　　　　　 D．disappointing

48．A．son’s 　　　　　B．wife’s 　　　　　　　C．friend’s 　　　　 D．customer’s

49．A．supposed 　　　　B．expected 　　　　　　 C．encouraged 　　　　D．determined

50．A．Good luck 　　　 B．Best regards 　　　　　C．Thanks 　　　　　 D．Congratulations