“Mom, can I bake some bread?” We were 15, my best friend, Hanna, and I, determin

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“Mom, can I bake some bread?” We were 15, my best friend, Hanna, and I, determined to try our hands at creating some beautiful bread.
“It’s not worth the trouble,” my mother said. “It takes lots of time and makes a big mess. Our bakery bread is delicious without all that effort.”
Begging was useless. Mom’s “no” meant “No!”
But several weeks later, opportunity knocked: My parents were going out for the evening. I immediately invited Hanna to be my partner in bread-baking crime.
We studied the recipe. That was easy. “Mix oil into flour then beat in four of the eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt.”
We were not good at breaking eggs. I tried to learn from my mother.
“Gradually add eight cups of flour. When dough (面团) holds together, squeeze it.”
We took turns working like that. “Is the dough ‘holding together’?” we asked each other.
I remembered my neighbor’s instructions: “If it’s too sticky, add some flour; if too dry, add water.”
We added water. Then more flour. Then more water. By then, the mass of our dough had grown very much.
“Place dough on floured surface and squeeze till smooth,” the recipe instructed.
We took turns burying our hands in the damp dough, pinching, squeezing, and feeling it leak between fingers.
“Clean and oil bowl, then return dough to bowl. Cover and let dough rise in warm place for 1 hour.”
This was good news --- we’d have a break. On dirtied kitchen chairs, we dreamed about our beautiful bread. “See?” we would tell my mom. “Isn’t it worth the work?”
Hanna and I couldn’t help glancing at the rising process every few minutes. But nothing was happening.
“Maybe something will happen in the hot oven,” I said.
Unfortunately, when we removed the loaves from the oven, they were like hard stones.
Mom was right; it takes time and effort. It sometimes makes a mess. But still it feels good, somehow, to be part of that long, ongoing chain of bread bakers. Since that night, both Hanna and I have learned to do it right.
小题1:To the writer, what her mother said was __________.

A．law

B．rubbish

C．advice

D．warning

小题2:Which of the following can best describe the children’s feelings while making their first bread?

A．Confident; hopeful; disappointed.	B．Curious; hopeful; disappointed.
C．Interested; excited; satisfied.	D．Worried; satisfied; proud.

小题3:Which of the following did the writer do without instructions?

A．Placed dough on floured surface.	B．Added eight cups of flour to eggs.
C．Returned dough to a cleaned bowl.	D．Placed the dough into the hot oven.

小题4:The passage mainly tells us ______________.

A．the process of making bread	B．the conflict between mother and daughter
C．the first experience of making bread	D．the way of doing housework

答案

小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:C

解析

略

举一反三

Most, if not all, Chinese have become richer thanks to 28 years of reform and opening up. But are we any happier?
　　Various surveys attempt to answer this question. Though experts have presented varying percentages based on different standards, their answers tend to find we are generally happier, and the number of optimists rises each year. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ 2006 Blue Book on social progress says 70 per cent of rural and urban citizens surveyed in 2005 reported a feeling of happiness and were optimistic about their futures.
　　But each survey shows a worrisome fact that 10 per cent, at the lowest, of citizens were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future. We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy.
　　Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury（奢望）for many of our countrymen because of poverty, we agree wealth is not the only factor of happiness. For most of us, except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists, there simply are too many variables (可变物) that may kill the feeling of happiness. These include, but are not limited to, rising housing prices, tight and instable job market, back-breaking schooling expenses and medical bills.
The most common one, however, is a low sense of security (安全). Some experts pointed that in the low-and-middle income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment, income, housing, medical situations, and education. How can you feel happy when you always have to prepare yourself for the unexpected?
It may be beyond the government’s reach, not to mention duty, to guarantee (保证) higher income for every citizen. But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security.
小题1:From the second paragraph we learn _____________________.

A．70 % of Chinese people feel happy and optimistic about their future

B．the data and the conclusions of the surveys are the same

C．the surveys about the sense of happiness were carried out in 2006

D．the purpose of the surveys is to find out the percentage of rich people

小题2:The following factors of happiness are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT _________.

A．security

B．environment

C．wealth

D．employment

小题3:The underlined word “countrymen” in Paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

A．people from the countryside	B．people from cities
C．people from all countries	D．Chinese citizens

小题4: According to the passage, the author tends to hold the view that _________.

A．the wealthier we get, the happier we become

B．though we get wealthier, we do not feel happier

C．it is the government’s duty to raise every citizen’s income

D．the government should make sure all citizens feel a good level of security

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test.
Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon（现象）. Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment（评价） to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way. First one looks at a test. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught.
The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition（习得）of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught.
Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can’t see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary.
小题1: The author mentions Erica’s performance in her study in order to show_________.

A．her cleverness in test taking	B．the good way to take tests
C．the improper way of teaching	D．the best way to read textbooks

小题2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The teachers are curious about teaching to the test.

B．Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students.

C．Ability to read and write has nothing to do with ability to do well in tests.

D．Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill.

小题3: In the author’s opinion, __________.

A．some good methods of assessment should take the place of tests

B．more attention should be paid to the nature and quality of what is taught

C．students should not be concerned with grades but do more reading and thinking

D．students needn’t learn grammar skills because they are useless for understanding

小题4:By “crisis of comprehension” (in Paragraph 4) the author means many students ______.

A．are too much concerned with grades

B．fail to understand the real goal of education

C．lack proper practice in grammar drills

D．do well on tests but can’t understand what they read

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

A passenger told an air hostess that he

needed a cup of water to take his medicine when the plane just took off．She told him that she would bring him the water in ten minutes．
Thirty minutes later, when the passenger"s ring for service sounded, the air hostess flew in a flurry．She was kept so busy that she forgot to deliver him the water．As a result, the passenger was held up to take his medicine．She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he refused it．
In the following hours on the flight, each time the stewardess passed by the passenger she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger never paid any attention to her.
When he was going to get off the plane, the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet (意见簿). She was very sad. She knew that he would write down sharp words, which might result in the loss of her job. But with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane, she opened the booklet, and cracked a smile, for the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me whether I need help or not for twelve times in all. How can I refuse your sincere smiles?”
That’s right! Who can refuse your twelve sincere smiles from a person?
小题1:What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．The air hostess forgot the passenger’s need on purpose.

B．The air hostess suddenly realized that trouble was coming.

C．The passenger wasn’t angry at being ignored.

D．The passenger was refused to be served.

小题2:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The passenger refused to take his medicine.

B．The passenger set down his anger in the booklet.

C．The words in the booklet would never affect the air hostess.

D．The hostess finally moved the passenger with her smile.

小题3:What kind of person do you think the passenger is?

A．Forgiving.

B．Curious.

C．Sharp.

D．Enthusiastic.

小题4:As a result, the air hostess would .

A．get fired by her company	B．be hired by the passenger
C．keep her job	D．get a promotion

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Everyone would like to be a millionaire , a person with a lot of money, but can you imagine having over $30 million and only being 20 years old? Britney Spears from Kentwood, a small town in Louisiana, is only 20 years old. She is a world famous film star with not only $30 million but also a $2 million house in LA. At her young age, she can look after her family financially (经济上) all her life. This year is a big year for Britney. She is now on a 31-day tour of the US and every concert is a sell-out. That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 people every time. It’s a tiring schedule but brings her a lot. When touring, she goes to bed around 1 a.m. and then has a lie-in until 1 p.m. the next day. Her philosophy (人生观) is to take care of the body and relax but always make sure you work hard and have fun.
Spears is not pleased with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records so she decided to step into the movie business and try a bit of acting. She made an appearance in “Austin Power 3” this year and she is filming a teenage light play that will come out in March 2003. In this movie, she has a starring role.
For Britney, acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic (热心的) about it all. If her movies are successful, her money in the bank is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she does it for the love, not the money, as she herself tells the reporters .
小题1: We can infer (推断) from the text that most millionaires are __________.

A．older than 20

B．around 20

C．in their 30s

D．in their 40s

小题2: The underlined word “you” in the first paragraph refers to __________.

A．a person in general	B．a special person
C．Britney Spears	D．a person interested in money

小题3: Which of the following is not true according to the text?

A．Though young, Britney can support her family now.

B．While touring, Britney sleeps about 12 hours a day.

C．The teenage comedy movie was based on Britney’s own story.

D．Britney will be even richer with her movies successful.

小题4:According to Britney Spears, she works __________.

A．to be a great actress

B．for the enjoyment

C．for money

D．to be more famous

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

While reading a book in English, every few lines of text, you run across a word or two that you don’t know. You look up every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does slow you down. Even electric or CD –ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the “map” each time you take a step, you’ll get nowhere fast.
On your English learning “journey”, a dictionary can be a helpful “travel companion ”--if it is not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise, you will always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head.
A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. It can help you verify (test and check) spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentence and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources (资源) .
Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols (符号). Understand what the abbreviations (缩写字) mean. Try to master the important grammar rules. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You will discover how helpful it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”
小题1:Why do we need a good English-to-English dictionary?

A．Because it is a good friend.

B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost.

C．Without it we’ll always depend on our native language and end up translating in our head.

D．Because it can help us to start thinking in English and in Chinese.

小题2:The underlined word “that ” in the last paragraph refers to __________.

A．pronunciation symbols and grammar rules

B．abbreviations and usage for grammar rules

C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage

D．charts, diagrams and lists

小题3:According to the passage , which statement can lead you to believe?

A．The more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article.

B．The more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read.

C．The more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more you can benefit (受益) from it.

D．The better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案