I arrived late one night on a business trip, so I decided to have dinner in the hotel. As I was finishing
my meal, an elderly couple came in to dine. They were holding hands and had lovely smiles on their
faces. They sat three tables from me. I was amazed at the love they showed for each other. It seemed
to strike home all the more, because it was shortly after ending a 20-year marriage and I still had pain
in my heart.
My waiter was also their waiter. As I paid my bill, I inquired as to what their bill was. He informed
me, and I gave him $40 to pay their bill. He asked if I knew them and I told him "No, I just wanted to
repay them for the love that they were showing to each other," and then I departed.
The next day I entered the restaurant to dine before my departure. After I had been seated, the
waiter who served me the night before told me that the strangest thing happened after I left the
restaurant.
When the elderly couple went to pay for their meal, they were informed that it had been paid. When
they inquired who had done this, the hostess told them they had no idea who I was, just retelling what I
said.
The couple were amazed. They looked around, asked for the bill of two young couples who were
seated together, paid their bill and departed, saying "Love begets Love" to the amazement of the hostess
and waiter.
I smiled and said "That"s nice," and proceeded to order my meal.
About 45 minutes later, I finished my meal and was about to head out, but my waiter was nowhere to
be found. I waited and waited and finally walked over to the hostess stand and explained that I needed to pay for my meal and hurry to the airport. She smiled and explained that I would not have to pay for my
meal, because both the waiter and she felt compelled to pay my bill due to the joy that was brought to
the faces of the elderly couple and the amazement of the young couples.
When I told her that they didn"t have to do that, she said with a smile "Love begets Love."
Last Saturday, our school organized a talent show to raise money for charity. It was a great success.
Students took an active part in it and we raised 20,000 yuan in all.
After the show I interviewed three students. First, I talked with Liu Li. In the talent show, she danced
the ballet(芭蕾舞). "How long have you been dancing the ballet?" I asked. "For about six years." she
answered. "Why do you learn it?" "I think it"s beautiful and I want to be a professional dancer when I
grow up."
Next I had a talk with Zhao Qiang. He played a piece of Mozart"s music. He played wonderfully. I
asked, "When did you start playing the piano?" "Um, I"m twelve now and I have been doing it since I
was five." he said. "Are you going to play the piano after you finish high school?" "Sure. My dream is to
be a pianist."
Finally, I asked Chen Yun, an 11-year-old girl. She sang us some folk songs(民歌). Her voice is
very sweet. "Why are you interested in folk music?" I asked. "I admire Song Zuying and I want to be
a singer like her. I have been singing folk songs since five years ago. I hope I can hold a singing concert
in the future." she said.
根据短文内容,完成表格。
Talent | How many years | Dream | |
Liu Li | 1. ________ | six | 2. ________ |
Zhao Qiang | 3. ________ | 4. ________ | to be a pianist |
Chen YunSinging | folk songssince | five years ago | 5.________ |
阅读理解。 根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能够填入空白处的最佳选项.选项中有两项为多余选项。 | |||
About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn"t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the twoman asked, "So, how have you been?" And the boy - 1_____- replied. "Frankly, I"ve been feeling a little depressed lately." This incident stuck in my mind 2_____. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn"t find out we were "depressed", that is, in low spirits, until we were in high school. 3_____. Children don"t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to. Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why? Human development is depended not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social positions. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, 4_____. In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes. 5_____. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation (诱惑) , many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures. Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials. | |||
A. we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders B. who could not have been more than seven or eight years old C. It is called television D. Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years E. because it confirmed (确认) my growing belief that children are changing. F. everyone has his own secret in his heart G. some people are interested in knowing other people"s age | |||
阅读理解。 | |||
It was a warm April day when a big fat envelope came in the mail from the only college I had ever imagined attending. I tore open the packet. My eyes were fixed on the word "congratulations". I don"t remember ever smiling so wide. Then I looked at my rinancial package. The cost of Dream School"s tuition, room and board was around $ 40,OOO-an impossible sum ! How could I afford to attend? What good reasons did I have to go there when three other fine colleges were offering me free tuition? My other choices were good, solid schools even if they weren"t as famous as my first choice. In my mind, attending my dream university would be the only way to realize my dream of becoming a world-class writer. My parents understood how l felt. They told me that even though it would be a financial problem, I could go wherever I would be happiest. But as I was always careful with money, l wasn"t sure what to do. One of the schools that offered me a full ride had an informational dinner one night in the spring. Considering my parents" financial difficulties, l decided to drive the 45 minutes and attend. At first, all I had planned to do was smile politely, eat free food, listen quietly. But I surprised myself. At dinner the president of the university talked about the wonderful activities on campus including guest lectures and social gatherings. He also made it perfectly clear that free food would be offered at all future events. He continued with explanations of professors, class sizes, activities, and sporting events on campus. As he spoke, I began to realize that this school, though not as good as my first choice, might be the best one for me. It seemed small yet with many great programs. It seemed challenging yet caring. As the president ended his speech, we clapped politely and pushed back our chain. As I walked out of that door, a feeling of comfort washed over me. Looking at the campus that night, l realized that I would be spending the next four years fighting there. In all honesty, my university is not as well-known as my " dream" university. However, it turned out to be the right choice of schools for me. | |||
1. How did the author feel when he started to read the letter? | |||
A. He was full of joy. B. He was lost in his dream. C. He was worried about the money. D. He was uncertain which school to go to. | |||
2. We can learn from the passage that the parents were _____. | |||
A. honest B. strict C. supportive D. decisive | |||
3. In Paragraph 5, " offered me a full ride" can be replaced by " _____". | |||
A. would pay for transport to the school B. would show me around the campus C. would offer free meals at all events D. would charge me nothing for tuition | |||
4. What does the author mainly want to say? | |||
A. Your second-choice college may actually be your best fit. B. You should consider comfort in your choice of schools. C. You should try your best to attend your dream school. D. Your choice of schools should be based on their fame. | |||
完形填空. | |||
Laughter and tears are parts of living. But do you find enough time for laughter? I am not asking if you 1 lots of good times. 2 we should laugh during the happy times. But do you also laugh during the 3 times? Erma Bombeck 4 her humorous books, but she wrote one that 5 a more serious topic: cancerin children. Erma talks with many children with cancer and learns 6 life lessons from them. She learns,for instance, that cancer survivors know 7 to laugh. She 8 the experience of 15-year-old Jessica from Burlington. Jessica"s leg was cut off at the knee because of cancer. She was learning to 9 a prosthesis (假肢). Jessica tells about playing 10 . She kicked the ball 11 and it flew off in one 12 while her artificial leg flew another way. She fell on the 13 and laughed. Jessica may not have laughed about her cancer, but she laughed about handling the 14 of it. And her laughter helped her deal. There is the story of 17-year-old Betsy. She 15 her way to the radiation room for her regular radiation therapy. As 16 , she dropped her hospital gown and, wore only her birthday suit, 17 onto the table and waited. The extra people in the room were not the medical students she had thought, but 18 painters giving an estimate on painting! Betsy laughs heartily about the incident. And like Jessica, her 19 to laugh helped her to deal with one of the most difficult things a young person can endure- cancer. Do you find plenty of 20 for laughter? You can ... if you also find reasons to laugh during the especially difficult times. Survivors know how to laugh. If you can laugh even when the going is rough, you"ll make it. And you"ll smile at the end. | |||
( )1. A. lose ( )2. A. Of course ( )3. A. sad ( )4. A. is famous as ( )5. A. connected ( )6. A. serious ( )7. A. when ( )8. A. describes ( )9. A. put ( )10. A. basketball ( )11. A. gently ( )12. A. way ( )13. A. ground ( )14. A. cause ( )15. A. tried ( )16. A. common ( )17. A. climbed ( )18. A. also ( )19. A. strength ( )20. A. times | B. miss B. In addition B. difficult B. was famous as B. reported B. important B. why B. learns B. have B. badminton B. hard B. method B. table B. result B. took B. often B. lay B. rather B. courage B. places | C. experience C. At first C. pleasant C. is known for C. called C. careful C. how C. keeps C. wear C. volleyball C. slightly C. direction C. chair C. process C. made C. be fore C. jumped C. already C. ability C. days | D. enjoy D. First of all D. usual D. was known for D. covered D. thoughtful D. what D. imagines D. make D. soccer D. straightly D. point D. bed D. end D. carried D. usual D. sat D. almost D. confidence D. moments |