Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings,

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Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores(杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering. I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast fo

r my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letter

s to friends. On the second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper… On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition(过渡), that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough. But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all. My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to wor

k one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with

students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment(责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war. Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
小题1:
What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

A．To write some great books.

B．To stay away from busy schedules.

C．To teach his grandchildren.

D．To plan for his future.

小题2:
Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

A．He wasn’t satisfied with his retired life.

B．He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.

C．He was concerned about

the people there.

D．He missed his students in that country.

小题3:
The underlined part “the tables have turned” (Paragraph 5) most probably means that the writer ______.

A．improved the situation in his school

B．felt happy to work with students again

C．c

hanged his attitude toward his retirement

D．became a learner rather than a teacher

小题4:
What does the writer think of his retired life now?

A．Meaningful.	B．Troublesome.
C．Relaxing.	D．Disappointing.

答案

小题1:B
小题1:A
小题1:D
小题1:A

解析

略

举一反三

A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.
“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.
Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’ s Liberation(解放)”.
“I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says, “and I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work

, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there ... or engineers or scientists?”
小题1:What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．60% women in West Germany wish that they were born men.

B．Most women in Western European countries wish that their babies were all boys.

C．60% Western European women wish that they were born men.

D．60% Western European women who wish that they were born men are from West Germany.

小题2:“It is still men’s world.” means “______.”

A．There’re more men than women in the world

B．There’re more men scientists or engineers than women scientists or engineers in the world

C．Women have not been given the same chance as men

D．Women cannot live without men

小题3:Anne Harper considers that women should ______.

A．live a better life than men	B．be really liberated
C．be well paid	D．get better jobs than men

小题4:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Usually the best jobs are not open to women.

B．Women are less paid than men for the same job.

C．There’re more men pilots, engineers and scientists than women ones.

D．Women are looked down upon because they’re the second-class citizens

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia. The old man’s beard was 11 by winter’s frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. Then he heard the weak sound of hooves(马蹄) advancing along the frozen path. 12 , he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by, then another. As the last rider drew near where the old man sat, the old man 13 the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side of the river?” Reining(勒住) his horse, the rider replied, “Sure thing.” Seeing the old man unable to 14 his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman helped the old man onto the horse and took him to his 15 . On the way, the horseman said: “Sir, I notice that you let several other riders pass by. I"m 16 why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider.”The old man looked at the rider and replied, “I know people pretty good. When I 17 the eyes of the other riders, I immediately saw there was no 18 for my situation. But when I looked into yours, kindness and compassion(同情) were obvious. I knew that your gentle spirit would give me help in my time of 19 .”Those heart-warming comments 20 the horseman deeply. “I"m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”

小题1:

A．marked

B．covered

C．equipped

D．filled

小题2:.

A．Happily

B．Anxiously

C．Appreciatively

D．Confidently

小题3:.

A．stared

B．looked

C．caught

D．attracted

小题4:.

A．lift

B．carry

C．rise

D．jump

小题5:

A．home

B．company

C．destination

D．office

小题6:

A．afraid

B．excited

C．delighted

D．curious

小题7:

A．got into

B．ran into

C．looked into

D．broke into

小题8:.

A．concern

B．worry

C．envy

D．doubt

小题9:

A．trouble

B．need

C．danger

D．difficulty

小题10:

A．amazed

B．promoted

C．touched

D．benefited

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

As one comes to some crossroads, he or she sees a sign which says that drivers have to stop when they come to the main road ahead. At other crossroads, drivers have to go slow, but they do not actually have to stop unless, of course, there is something coming along the main road; and at still others, they do not have either to stop or to go slow, because they are themselves on the main road.
Mr. Williams, who was always a very careful driver, was driving home from work one evening when he came to a crossroad. It had a “SLOW” sign. He slowed down when he came to the main road, looked both ways to see that nothing was coming, and then drove across without stopping completely.
At once he heard a police whistle, so he pulled into the side of the road and stopped. A policeman walked over to him with a notebook and a pen in his hand and said, “You didn’t stop at that crossing.”
“But the sign there doesn"t say ‘STOP’.” answered Mr. Williams, “It just says ‘SLOW’, and I did go slow.”
The policeman looked around him, and a look of surprise came over his face. Then he put his notebook and pen away, scratched his head and said, “Well, I’m in the wrong street!”
小题1:
Mr. Williams was driving ________ one evening.

A．to a party	B．to his office
C．home after work	D．to work from home

小题2:
When he was stopped by a policeman, he ____.

A．was driving at a high speed	B．was driving onto the main road
C．was going to stop his car	D．was pulled into the crossroad

小题3:
Though slowly, Mr. Williams continued driving at the crossing because________ .

A．he saw a “STOP” sign in the opposite street

B．he paid no attention to the traffic rules

C．he didn"t have to stop

D．he was eager to get home

小题4:
Looking round Mr. Williams, the policeman was surprised because__________ .

A．he met a mad man

B．he realized that he himself was mistaken

C．Mr. Williams dared to speak to him like that

D．Mr. Williams would not apologize to him

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A very old tree had been growing quite slowly for many years. It was nearly the   1 tree in the forest, and it raised its head high above the   2   trees towards the sky like a king of trees.
One spring day, the wind brought a little seed and dropped it   3  the roots of the tree. Soon it grew into a plant. “I’ll climb to the top of the tree,” said   4   little plant. “They’ll see how quickly I can grow.” So it held tightly to the tree, climbed and climbed 5  it climbed up to the top branch. It said to the tree, “You have grown for a great many years, and I only began this summer – see   6   high I have got!”
But the old tree just said nothing at all. Later, a great storm came, bringing snow and heavy winds. The old tree did n’t mind the cold at all, but the poor little plant had grown so fast   7   it had forgotten to grow well.   8   that cold night it fell onto the ground. And that was the end of the little plant.

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“There’s going to be one less boy in the room!” The words rang in my ears as the criminal(罪犯) pointed his gun against my head. The floodgates opened and tears ran down my face. No one in the courtroom(法庭) moved. Everyone was held silent with fear. A few seconds passed and the criminal put down his gun, turning his back on me.
“Cut!” the director shouted with joy. One take! We had done the scene in just one take. Then all the people who acted in the film went off for lunch.
I got my food and joined them, and the criminal, who had moments before been so scary, took his seat beside me and told us many funny jokes. A table of adults surrounded me, but I was never uncomfortable talking with strangers. I worked with these people and they worked with me. We talked, we laughed, we got to know each other and sometimes we became friends. At the end of the day we all went our separate ways, but we had been drawn close by working together to make this play.
After the show was broadcast, my friends asked if I had been scared of the criminal. At first this sounded funny. He was, after all, a kind and intelligent man. Then I realized that they didn’t see that side of him. Television and films are about creating an alternate(交替的) life that appears real even if for a while. We had been successful in doing that. Even my friends, who knew the real me, were drawn in the make-believe world of our story.
Acting has helped me to feel comfortable in my own skin and in communicating with others. I feel relaxed during interviews and when leadership opportunities come. Change is not threatening(威胁) to me, and I am grateful for the chance to learn and to grow in knowledge and experience in my life.
小题1:
In the film, what was the manner of the author’s character when facing the criminal?

A．Brave and calm.	B．Anxious and terrified.
C．Shy and quiet.	D．Heroic and fearless.

小题2:
We know from the passage that the author .

A．is a kind person	B．has realized his dream to be an actor
C．has a gift for film acting	D．has no experience in film acting

小题3:
When they had lunch, the author .

A．was too afraid to sit beside the criminal

B．was unwilling to talk with the others

C．was laughing to tears by the criminal’s jokes

D．was comfortable communicating with others

小题4:
Why could the author understand his friends’ questions?

A．He had a close relationship with his friends.

B．The actors performed so well that the audience accepted the story as true.

C．He thought it was normal for the audience to question the actors.

D．He thought they didn’t understand the process of film acting.

小题5:
It can be inferred from the passage that .

A．the author felt lucky to play in the film

B．it wasn’t the first time that the author had acted in films

C．the author’s friends encouraged him to act in films

D．the author had a successful career because of this film

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