For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts and rejections with it.
Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We fantasize about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self-worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us strive hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “everything” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．All the problems.	B．All the properties.
C．The whole world.	D．The absolute truth.

【小题2】What can be inferred about the author?

A．The author is a Samoan.

B．The author succeeded losing weight.

C．The author has been troubled by her weight.

D．The author probably got wounded in an accident.

【小题3】According to the text, those who have lost weight first and gained it back later feel _______.

A．angry about the regained weight

B．indifferent to the regained weight

C．optimistic about future plans on weight control

D．they should give up their future plans on weight control

【小题4】The text tries to stress the importance of ____________.

A．body size	B．attitudes toward life
C．culture difference	D．different beauty standards

For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size. I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts, and rejections with it.
Many weight – conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cherished. We fantasize（梦想）about what it will be like when we reach the long – awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness, self–worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Beauty standards vary with culture. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us work hard to change our body, but in vain. We have to find a way to live comfortable inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves. When we change our attitudes toward ourselves, the whole world changes.
【小题1】The passage tries to tell us the importance of          .

A．body size	B．attitudes
C．culture difference	D．different beauty standards

【小题2】 What does the word “everything” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．All the problems.	B．All the properties
C．The whole world	D．The absolute truth

【小题3】 What can be inferred about the author?

A．The author is a Samoan

B．The author succeeded in losing weight

C．The author has been troubled by her/his weight.

D．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents.

【小题4】. According to the author, what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later?

A．They feel angry about the regained weight

B．They are indifferent to the regained weight

C．They feel optimistic about future plans on weight control.

D．They think they should give up their future plans on weight control.

Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We cannot even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
【小题1】
What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

A．Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past.

B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.

C．Many people feel it hard to understand history.

D．Many people have no interest in studying history.

【小题2】
In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because ___________.

A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly

B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events

C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are

D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live

【小题3】
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．How to teach history effectively.

B．Some negative reasons for studying history.

C．How to get more people to study history.

D．Some bad historical figures.

【小题4】
The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.

A．inspire the parents to teach their children history

B．show the importance of history in politics

C．explain the reasons why children study history

D．introduce the writer’s own way of teaching history

Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask．But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history．Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history．

    The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past．I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures．However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history". Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this．

    A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context．We can’t even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less （更不必说） try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be．

    I teach my children history, for one more reason．I purchased a set of historical audio （录音机） tapes for our children．My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over．It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself．I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr．if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished．I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for．

1.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?

    A．Many people aren't clever enough to learn well from the past．

    B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes．

    C．Many people feel it hard to understand history．

    D．Many people have no interest in studying history．

2.In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________．

    A．It makes the current political situation go smoothly

    B．It helps us realize the importance of historical events

    C．It helps us understand why things are the way they are

    D．It helps people accept the present situation where they live

3.Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________．

    A．People can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil

    B．People may also learn from bad historical figures

    C．More celebrations should be held to honor their achievements

    D．Today’s people can also achieve what they achieved

4.What would be talked about in the following paragraph?

    A．How to teach history effectively．

    B．Some negative reasons for studying history．

    C．How to get more people to study history．

    D．Some bad historical figures．

5.The main purpose of this passage is to ____________．

    A．inspire the parents to teach their children history

    B．show the importance of history in politics

    C．explain the reasons why children study history

    D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history

 

I am a person who does not like to wait．I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms．
However, I realize that my agony(痛苦） will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing—more waiting．
Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends．In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books"．
These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of．Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket．
The other day I went to the supermarket．Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers．Every checkout was open—and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work．
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library．Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts．I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books．
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people．The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about．"Just be patient," she said to me．
No problem．I quietly opened my dictionary of prose （散文） and poetical quotations． Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul．But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson．
【小题1】According to the passage, the world ______．

A．needs to produce many materials to use	B．is becoming more and more crowded
C．loses tracks of story line increasingly	D．is crowded with shoppers everywhere

【小题2】How did the author overcome his agony of waiting?

A．By reading books designed to be read in shortened words．

B．By arriving early for an appointment．

C．By taking measures to produce some books for readers．

D．By keeping most people away from the supermarket for some reasons．

【小题3】Which of the following can't be carried in the author's pocket?

A．One Hundred Things Every American Should Know

B．The Poetry of Robert Frost

C．Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers

D．Homer and Ben Johnson

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The author succeeded in changing his agony into fun．

B．The author was a bookish and lonely soul.

C．Six or seven employees in the store were busy in rushing about．

D．There were fewer customers in the supermarket on rainy days．