Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918，Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI， a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.
As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI，today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed，and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.
They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.
That’s why we wear the red poppy (罂粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you” ; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.
Yet this message is fading away, year after year.
Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.
Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.
It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.
It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history，no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice.
Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.
Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?

Since the end of World War I(WWI) in 1918, Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifice our soldiers have made in different ways, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI, a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide. As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI, today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution. They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.

  That’s why we wear the red poppy(罂粟花)；that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you”; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request. Yet this message is fading away, year after year. Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school. Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.

   It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem in Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid. It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history, no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice. Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.

   Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.

1.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?

A. Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead.

B. Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.

C. Wearing a red poppy to show respect.

D. Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. War history is too violent for school children

B. The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army

C. Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

D. More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.

3. The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to_______.

A. the death of so many soldiers in wars

B. the fact that there were so many wars after WWI.

C. people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have.

D. removing children from Remembrance Day events.

4.The writer believes that ______.

A. the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered.

B. Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers.

C. school no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary.

D. people should be forced to learn about the realities of war.

Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918，Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI， a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide.

As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI，today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed，and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution.

They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.

That’s why we wear the red poppy (罂粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you” ; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request.

Yet this message is fading away, year after year.

Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school.

Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.

It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid.

It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history，no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice.

Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.

Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.

1.Which of the following is true about Remembrance Day?

A． It’s only held in Canada.

B．Its ceremony lasts 11 hours.

C．It falls on November 11^th each year.

D．It’s to celebrate the country’s independence.

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?

A．Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead.

B．Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.

C．Wearing a red poppy to show respect.

D．Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．War history is too violent for school children.

B．The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army.

C．Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

D．More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.

4.The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to _____

A．the death of so many soldiers in wars

B．the fact that there were so many wars after WWI

C．people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have

D．removing children from Remembrance Day events

5.The writer believes that_____

A．the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered

B．Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers

C．schools - no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary

D．people should be forced to learn about the realities of war

An old man decided to write a letter to God:

Dear God,

I am nearing the end of my life. The doctors tell me I am dying of cancer and have a few months to live. In fact, as You know, throughout my entire life I’ve had nothing but bad luck. But no matter what You have inflicted (施加) on me, I have never lost my faith in You.

In return for this loyalty (忠诚), I ask just one thing of you. Please prove Your existence to me by sending me $100 in cash, and I will die a happy man.

                                                        Yours insignificantly,

                                                           An Old Man

The letter arrived at the local post office where the employees noticed it was addressed To God: Heaven. They all knew the old man and, after reading the letter with tears in their eyes, took pity on him, ninety dollars was raised and posted to him. The old man was overjoyed and immediately wrote a “thank you” letter to God. The post office received the letter and all gathered around to read it.

Dear God,

I thank You with all my heart for taking time from Your busy schedule and answering my request…I am now a happy man.

                                                Yours (in the very near future),

                                                       An Old Man

P.S.  I only received $90 of the $100 I asked for. I bet those thieving bastards down at the post office pinched (偷取) the rest.

41. The old man believed that ______.

  A. God sent him $100 in cash.

  B. the post office employees sent him $100 in cash

  C. he would not die with getting $100

  D. the post office employees kept $90

42. What’s the meaning of the underlined word?

  A. joyless      B. extremely pleased        C. sad           D. uneasy

43. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

  A. The old man believed in God piously (虔诚地).

  B. The post office employees were moved by the first letter of the old man.

  C. The post office employees didn’t feel joyful after reading the “thank you” letter.

  D. The old man needed $100 very much.

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。

It was 4 o’clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.

“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just   1   in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We’ve called for a (n)   2   and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.”

Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was   3  .

The doctor described the accident, which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers. When they   4   the charcoal (木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed (喷洒) too much gasoline (petrol). The flames   5   my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to his head.

  6  , one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped my son, and rolled him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in   7   to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars (伤疤). So, he had to return to college with scars.

When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch, very   8   scar on her arm. “Ann, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It doesn’t mean they won’t   9   it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”

I   10   this wisdom (智慧) on to my son. He took my advice to   11   and returned to school with his head held high — glad he was alive.

By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not matter, so he made the   12   to give up any plastic surgery (外科手术).

We all have “scars” that   13   people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better.

But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same   14   standards(标准). Put your imperfections out of your   15   and concentrate (集中) on what you value within yourself, and your beauty will shine through.

A．brought                B．given                      C．turned                    D．shown

A．doctor                  B．hospital                  C．helicopter               D．ambulance

A．serious                 B．terrible                   C．dangerous               D．important

A．got                      B．lit                          C．burned                    D．moved

A．took                    B．held                       C．caught                    D．attracted

A．Personally            B．Technically             C．Sadly                            D．Fortunately

A．shape                   B．place                      C．fact                        D．time

A．nervous                B．formal                    C．obvious                  D．amusing

A．admit                   B．notice                     C．hate                        D．hide

A．passed                  B．kept                       C．handed                   D．sent

A．life                      B．heart                      C．consideration           D．practice

A．mistake                B．survey                    C．decision                  D．instruction

A．invite                   B．cause                      C．allow                      D．impress

A．false                    B．strict                      C．similar                    D．amusing

A．head                    B．heart                      C．sight                       D．mind