Last year, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, DC. I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?”

When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended. Immediately, I pulled out all of my change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her. But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money. I just need help finding the post office.”

In an instant, I realized what I had done. I acted with prejudice—I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be. I hated what I saw in myself.

The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in the US at the age of 15. I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister. Through the years, I have been a doorkeeper, cashier and pizza delivery driver among many other humble (卑微的) jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer.

In my own life, I have experienced prejudice. I remember a time—at the age of 17 —when I was a busboy, I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me.

But now, living in my American middle—class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am, where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going. That blind woman on the streets cured me of my blindness. She reminded me of my belief in humility (谦虚). By the way, I helped that lady to the post office. I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson.

1.How did the writer give the blind woman money?

A．In a modest way.    B．In a polite way.      C．In an impatient way.  D．In a painful way.

2.According to the text, the writer________.

A. still lives a poor life                 B. was busy with his work

C. was born in Honduras               D. was a native of Washington D.C.

3.According to the text, the author most probably agrees that one should_________.

A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled       B．try to experience different kinds of cultures

C．treat others equally with love and respect     D．think about one’s past as often as possible

4.What would be the best title of the text?

A．A priceless lesson                       B．An act of prejudice

C．A sightseeing trip                       D．A humble moment

 

Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”

In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers… Be a good citizen… People will take advantage of you… Treat others as you wish to be treated…I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”

She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.

Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?

I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.

She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.

“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty again.

“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”

“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”

I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless?  She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the future. How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?

Anyway, I wish her the best, and hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life.

1. From the second paragraph we know that the writer ___________.

   A. debated with the girl over moral issues 

B. hated having to make a quick decision

   C. hesitated before she decided to reach out    

D. fell in love with the girl at first sight

2.The writer felt guilty for a moment because _________.

   A. she was particular about food and also wasted so much

   B. she was a strict vegetarian who ate very little

   C. she didn’t order enough food for the girl

   D. she urged the girl to take her share of food

3. Why did Joyce end up unemployed and homeless?

   A. She was a victim of high education. 

B. She actually had some kind of mental disorder.

   C. She graduated with average grades. 

D. The reason is not yet given.

4. The passage is intended to _________.

   A. arouse readers' curiosity       

B. explore social problems

   C. teach readers a lesson         

D. share a personal story

 

 

—Well, Dick, I’m sorry but I have to leave.

—______. I hope to hear from you soon.

A. Enjoy yourself  B. Keep in touch  C. Don’t be so sad   D. So am I

对话填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

阅读下面对话，掌握其大意，并根据所给字母的提示，在标有题号的右边横线上写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式，使对话通顺。

A: Excuse me. Is this the check-in desk for（76）F____ 830 to Los Angeles?

B: I hope so. That’s （77）w_____ I’m going. I am going to study at a high school there.

A: Me, too. I’m very （78）w_____. I’ve never been away from home for more than a couple of weeks before. Have you（79）a______ somewhere to stay?

B: Yeah. I was able to find a host family（80）t______ some friends of my neighbors. How about you?

A: I’ve only got somewhere for the first few days. It’s one more thing to worry about

（81）a____ with studying, eating different food and speaking English all the time.

B: But that’s why we’re going, isn’t it?

A: You’re right. And that will help us to（82）a_____ for jobs or universities back at home.

B: I have already decided to be a conductor. I hope to（83）a______ a top American music

school next year. What are you plans?

A: I think I’ll see what this year is like before I make a（84）d_____. I think I’ll miss rice and beans too much. I can’t eat at McDonald’s every day.

B: I’m sure there’s other food in the US. Look, the line’s moving. Shall we get seats together on the plane?

A: Great. You can help me keep mind（85）o____ feeling homesick.

 

My six-year-old granddaughter, Caitlyn, and I stopped at a Tim Horton’s shop for a blueberry cake. As we were going out of the door, a young teenage boy was coming in.

This young man had no hair on sides of his head with a set of blue spiked（竖起的）hair on top of it. One of his nostrils(鼻孔) was pierced （扎、穿）, and a ring ran through the hole and a chain went across his face and was attached to a ring he was wearing in his ear. He held a skateboard under one arm and a basketball under the other.

Caitlyn, who was walking ahead of me, stopped at once when she saw the teenager, I thought he’d scared her and she’d frozen on the spot.

 I was wrong.

 My granddaughter backed up against the door and opened it as wide as it would go. Now I was face to face with the young man. I stepped aside and let him pass. His response was a polite “Thank you very much”.

On our way to the car, I praised Caitlyn for her manners in holding open the door for the young man. She didn’t seem to be troubled by his appearance, but I wanted to make sure. If a grandmother’s talk about freedom of self-expression and allowing people their differences was in order, I wanted to be ready.

 As it turned out, the person who needed the talk was me.

 The only thing Caitlyn noticed about the teenager was the fact that his arms were full. “He would have a hard time to open the door. ”

I saw the partially shaved head, the set of spiked hair, the piercing and the chain. She saw a person carrying something under each arm and heading toward a closed door.

In the future, I hope to get down on her level and raise my sights.

1.What did the author think of the young man?

A. Polite.    B. Uncommon.   C. Frightening. D. Funny.

2. Caitlyn helped the young man because______ .

A. she was scared         B. she didn’t notice his look

C. she wanted to avoid him  D. it would be difficult for him to open the door

3. The underlined sentence suggests that_______ .

A. the author was ashamed of herself

B. the author didn’t know how to give a talk on freedom

C. a talk on freedom was useless for the granddaughter

D. people should have more freedom to express themselves

4. The author intends to tell us that_______ .

A. we shouldn’t judge a person by his look

B. we should allow people more freedom to dress differently

C. we should be more helpful and tolerant(宽容的)to people

D. we shouldn’t be too particular about people in life