Last Sunday, I waked into the house in the afternoon to find my brother rushing around in a hurry. As soon as I took my coat off, my little brother placed a bunch of papers in my hands and asked me to fold them up so they could fit into an envelope as quickly as possible. He said it needed to get done quickly before it turned dark.

I was a little surprised that something could be so urgent on a Sunday. It wasn’t until I was halfway through that I actually looked at what I was folding. After I read it, it put the biggest smile on my face. It was a lovely letter to all the residents （居民）in my neighborhood. My brother was asking everyone to let him know if anyone needed help. He left his contact information and said that anyone that needed help should get in touch with him and he would figure something out. He also asked people to get in touch if they were able to help out.

London received an unusual amount of snow last week, and the city was completely under- prepared for it. So it was quite difficult to get anywhere. Only the major roads had been cleared, and smaller roads and pavements could be quite treacherous. There are a good number of old people in our little community. So my brother thought that the snow may have posed （造成）some difficulty for some of them, particularly because we live on a hill.

A few elderly people got in touch with him asking for help for things they needed. One of them was especially grateful because his caregiver couldn’t make it. To our surprise, he got more responses from people offering to help. Then he received help from people who wanted to help. Everyone was really touched and wrote to my brother wonderful email. One of our neighbors wrote email saying that although she wasn’t able to help, she was “very proud of having a neighbor like him who puts other people’s interests first.”

1.The author’s brother wrote the letter to _______.

A．ask for help from his neighbors

B．give a hand to those in need of help

C．require his neighbors to clear the snow

D．raise money for the old people in his community

2.What can we learn from the text?

A．Few people were willing to help out.

B．The snow was unexpectedly heavy.

C．Most residents in the community are elderly people.

D．The community was completely cut off from the outside world.

3.The underlined word “treacherous” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_______”.

A．dirty

B．dangerous

C．safe

D．crowded

4. One of their neighbors sent email to the author’s brother to ________.

A．express thanks	B．lend a hand
C．show appreciation	D．ask for help

 

Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy．They feel heavy pressures from their parents to do well in school．Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life．Though this may be good ideas for those very bright students，it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning．

Unfortunately，a number of students killed themselves．Others are after comfort in using drugs．Some do bad things with trouble-makers and turn to crime．Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have disappointed their parents．Such students feel that they are less important and leave school before they have finished their study．

It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way．Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children．To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to special school called juku-cram schools．These schools are open during the evening and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams, they do not try to educate students in any real sense of the real world. It thus comes as a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior or high school population attend these cram schools．　 　　　

Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bag．Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society．They regard the rules as being harmful to the development of each student．They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are given neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens．

1.A lot of Japanese students are unhappy at school because               　　

A．they work very hard          B．they find they can't do well at school

C．they feel unimportant        D．they are under too much pressure　 　　　

2.Because of their failure at school, some students take drugs to          

A．kill themselves             B．seek comfort

C．disappoint their parents      D．make trouble　 　　

3.What should be the best title of the passage?

A．Students' Pressure   

B．Students' Problems　 　　　

C．The Negative Impact(影响) of Japanese Education　 　　　

D．The Trouble in Japanese Schools

4.In juku-cram schools students               ．

A．are taken good care of by the teachers     B．feel no pressure

C．are trained to pass exams               D．can learn a lot of useful things

5.In ordinary Japanese schools，        ．

A．there are strict rules                 B．students feel safe　 　　　

C．students can do anything               D．learning is not important

 

Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing?

Try the new Patricia Cornwell book, Scarpetta （Putnam）. She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic（法庭的） intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering—this isn't for the faint of heart, let's say.

If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book, Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World （Riverhead）. Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer （as she has done, in her book years back, Reviving Ophelia）, you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.

What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel, Oh, Johnny （Random House）, about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest （March, on stands now）, by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.

Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere, Wishful Drinking （Simon & Schuster）. Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives.

61. What does the writer want to tell us by the underlined sentence?

A. The world is complex and hard.          B. Scarpetta is a thriller.

C. The fiction is hard to understand.     D. Society is hard to fit into.

62. Which of the following is true of Mary Pipher?

A. She is an adventurous writer.   B. She doesn’t care about fortune.

C. Her books normally sell well.   D. She can help you achieve writing skills. 

63. To get further information about Jim Lehrer, you may________.

A. go to Reader’s Digest issued in March     B. go to Random House

C. analyze the characters in Oh, Johnny    D. read the novel Oh, Johnny

64. Which book isn’t directly based on the writer’s own life?__________________

A. Seeking Peace.            B. Reviving Ophelia.

C. Wishful Drinking.         D. Oh, Johnny.

 

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

         "A parcel arrived for you today," my father told me, as we were driving home from work．"It's quite big．" "Oh, really?" I wondered out loud．"Have you   36   anything? Maybe from Amazon or eBay or something…?" my father continued．"No, Dad．I'm  37  only one thing, but that should arrive in a（n）   38  ．"

         On Sunday, I will participate in a（n）   39   activity with some friends,' and．I had asked Bluebell if she could send me some of her homemade smile cards to  40   on the day．Since smile cards would have fit into an envelope,'! couldn't imagine what else could be in the  41  I became increasingly  42  as we continued to drive home．As soon as we arrived, I  43  to open the package．It had a neat, hand-written label （标签）on it．"There might be something easy to  44  inside," my father said, as he handed me some scissors．"Be careful when you open it．"

         The package was filled with all sorts of kindness   45  I First, some beautiful colorful posters with kindness ideas and   46   fell onto the floor．There were also loads of wrist bands （护腕）, which I will   47   at our kindness activity．   48   , there were three envelopes in the package——two of them had the most cleanly and neatly   49   smile cards, and the third had a wonderful card inside, which   50  , "Thank you very much for your kindness．．．loads of love, Bluebell．"

         "This is really   51 ," my father said．My mother and sister enjoyed the package as well．Bluebell put ．the biggest  52   on all of our faces! When I had asked her for some of her homemade smile cards to   53   some kindness during our activity, I never expected to 54   such a wonderful package filled with all sorts of kindness and inspiration!

         You have  55   made my day．Bluebell!

1.A．ordered        B．searched         C．desired                             D．paid

2.A．preferring      B．wanting          C．preventing  D．expecting

3.A．poster         B．parcel'           C．envelope    D．e-mail

4.A．sports         B．afterschool        C．kindness    D．business

5.A．make up       B．write down        C．hand in                             D．give out

6.A．package       B．card              C．letter       D．envelope

7.A．curious        B．surprised          C．hopeful     D．terrible

8.A．wanted        B．walked           C．rushed       D．stopped                       

9.A．lose          B．break             C．use          D．pick

10.A．talents       B．gifts              C．books        D．activities

11.A．articles      B．music                                           C．poets         D．poems

12.A．get rid of     B．make good use of    C．keep out of     D．take possession of

13.A．In conclusion B．In addition         C．In short        D．In fact

14.A．machinemade B．manmade          C．homemade     D．shopmade

15.A．told        ,B．spoke                                            C．wrote                 D．read

16.A．amazing     B．funny                                            C．crazy         D．accidental

17.A．card        B.  tear               C．spot          D．smile

18.A．raise        B．spread                                                C．collects       D．teach      

19.A．find                                       B．discover                           C．receive       D．accept

20.A．completely   B．partly              C．hardly        D．nearly

 

When it comes to eating out, we can't help thinking of big meals in the restaurants, which usually contain much more fat and less fibers. Whether it is a business meeting over lunch or a fast food meal with the kids, eating out is a part of our lives. We eat out to save a lot of time, like grabbing a bite at fast food restaurants, or we take dining out as a favorite way to relax and socialize with friends.

    Eating out can be fun but many people still like eating at home more because it is healthier. When my dear wife does not prepare foods for me, I would rather cook some instant noodles and eat at home! However, we go out to eat once in a while for holidays or on special occasions.

    More and more people want to make healthy food choices nowadays. Some are watching calories, while others want to keep their cholesterol(胆固醇)under control or eat less fat. Plan ahead and choose wisely, you will find foods that fit into your meal plan and make eating out both healthy and enjoyable.

    Here are some pointers to remember that can help you make wise choices when eating out: go for balance, watch portion sizes and drink water or low-fat milk. Keep the ground rules of good nutrition in mind. Eat a variety of foods in moderate(适中的)amounts, limit the amount of fat you eat, and watch the amount of salt in food. If you develop the skills to make healthy choices now, your body will thank you later.

    Eating out can be one of life's great pleasures. Make the right choices, ask for what you need, and balance your meals out with healthy meals at home. You can enjoy yourself and take good care of yourself at the same time.

From the passage, we can infer that often eating out______________ .

    A. contributes to healthy bodies            B. maintains good relations with friends

    C. is of disadvantage to health         D. saves time from cooking

On the author's wedding anniversary, _______________________.

    A. he prefers to cook some instant noodles for his wife

    B. he would like to have a party at home

    C. he must make an important choice

    D. he is likely to take his wife to eat out

The third paragraph doesn't say but implies that________________.

    A. people's awareness of health has improved

    B. most people are worried about their cholesterol

    C. calories have caused people's attention

    D. it is important to choose your food every day

If you had been watching for your diet, _____________________ .

A. you wouldn't have suffered any disease

B. you would be in good health now

C. you might have had much experience in life

D. you could have cured your illnesses