A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.

We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.

We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.

Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.

With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”

“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.

Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!”

The writer starts the text by describing________.

A. the beautiful scene of the morning  

B. his or her preparations for a jogging

C. a lively dog named Nika

D. the growth of crops at the farm

The writer mentioned the newspaper and coffee to suggest that he or she _______.

A. liked reading newspapers while drinking coffee

B. had an intention to give up running

C. would treat himself or herself to coffee after running

D. might appear on the newspaper for the long running

The writer decided to continue running _______.

A. after he or she found the dog was still energetic

B. because they came near the top of the hill

C. when he or she noticed the tired dog

D. before they arrived at the bottom of the hill

What does the writer expect to show by telling the story?

A. Words are powerful than deeds.

B. Beasts in life aren’t easily to conquer.

C. Dogs are the best friend of humans.

D. Try it one more time before giving up.

A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.
We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.
We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.
Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.
With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”
“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.
Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!”
【小题1】 The writer starts the text by describing________.

A microscope is a useful instrument for observing small objects. By producing a bigger image, the microscope reveals details that are undetectable to the naked eye(裸眼).
Before using the microscope, please read the instructions below.
CAUTION: Microscopes are both delicate and expensive and must be handled with care.
1. Always carry the microscope with two hands — one supporting the base and the other on the arm.
2. Avoid stretching the wire of the lamp across a walkway.
3. Keep the stage clean and always use a glass slide for specimens(样本).
4. To avoid crushing the glass slide when focusing, begin with the lens close to the specimen and gradually back off to focus.
5. Keep the microscope covered to prevent the dust while it is being stored.
HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE:
1. Plug(接通电源) in the lamp.
2. Place a sample of what you wish to observe on a slide.
3. Adjust the mirror so it reflects light from the room up into the objective lens. When the mirror is correctly adjusted, a complete circle of light iwll appear when you look through the eyepiece.
4. Place your slide with the specimen directly over the center of the glass circle on teh stage. If it is a wet slide, be sure the bottom of the slide is dry.
5. With the LOW POWER objective leans placed over the slide, use the coarse focus knob to lower the lens to the lowest point.
6. Look through the eyepiece with one eye while closing the other eye. Slowly raise the lens until teh focus is relatively clear.
7. Use the fine focus knob to fine -tune(微调)the focus.
8. Without changing the focus knobs, switch to the HIGH POWER objective lens. Once you have switched to HIGH POWER, use only the fine focus knob to make the image sharper.
【小题1】Which of the following is the correct way to use a microscope according to the text?

B
Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whirr,” she said weakly.
“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.
Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”
It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.
44．When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?
A. She wanted to tell her sons her will.
B. She wanted to have something to eat before she died.
C. She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.
D. She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.
45. Which of the following statements is NOT right?
A.    Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.
B.    Mom was always making her teaching fun.
C.    Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.
D.    Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.
46. What does the writer think of his mother?
A.    He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching at home.
B.    His mother should forget her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.
C.    His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.
D.    His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.
47. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A. Once a teacher, always…  B. Mom’s will  C. A teacher’s life  D. A teacher’s devotion

A microscope is a useful instrument for observing small objects. By producing a bigger image, the microscope reveals details that are undetectable to the naked eye(裸眼).

Before using the microscope, please read the instructions below.

CAUTION: Microscopes are both delicate and expensive and must be handled with care.

1. Always carry the microscope with two hands — one supporting the base and the other on the arm.

2. Avoid stretching the wire of the lamp across a walkway.

3. Keep the stage clean and always use a glass slide for specimens(样本).

4. To avoid crushing the glass slide when focusing, begin with the lens close to the specimen and gradually back off to focus.

5. Keep the microscope covered to prevent the dust while it is being stored.

HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE:

1. Plug(接通电源) in the lamp.

2. Place a sample of what you wish to observe on a slide.

3. Adjust the mirror so it reflects light from the room up into the objective lens. When the mirror is correctly adjusted, a complete circle of light iwll appear when you look through the eyepiece.

4. Place your slide with the specimen directly over the center of the glass circle on teh stage. If it is a wet slide, be sure the bottom of the slide is dry.

5. With the LOW POWER objective leans placed over the slide, use the coarse focus knob to lower the lens to the lowest point.

6. Look through the eyepiece with one eye while closing the other eye. Slowly raise the lens until teh focus is relatively clear.

7. Use the fine focus knob to fine -tune(微调)the focus.

8. Without changing the focus knobs, switch to the HIGH POWER objective lens. Once you have switched to HIGH POWER, use only the fine focus knob to make the image sharper.

1.Which of the following is the correct way to use a microscope according to the text?

A．Use one hand to carry the microscope

B．Place a sample directly on the clean stage

C．When stored, the microscope should be adjusted.

D．Look through the eyepiece with one eye.

2.If you want to observe a thin piece of hair, which of the following should you do first.?

A．Switch to objective lens.                  B．Adjust the mirror.

C．Look through the eyepiece.               D．Place the hair on a glass slide.

3.According to the text, you could see a complete circle of light _____.

A．after correctly adjusting the mirror

B．while looking at the specimen on a glass slide

C．after slowly raising the objective lens

D．before positioning the mirror correctly