The word “death” is a word many Chinese friends tell me I should not say aloud.

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The word “death” is a word many Chinese friends tell me I should not say aloud. They advise me to avoid the word because only speaking of it may bring ill fortune. I deeply believe, however, that to know how to live, we must also know how to die. The problem is how we talk about death.
Like everyone in Taiwan this week, I have had “Tomb Sweeping Day”. I am proud to be part of a people whose culture sends millions of families to cemeteries on this special day to share memories and endless love.
Today, eight days after the death of Pope John Paul II, millions of people of all backgrounds still grieve(悲痛) his passing away. He was a deeply human person who knew how to laugh and show emotions, a writer with a gift for words a leader who appealed to us by the sheer light of his love for life.
On the same day and only hours before the Holy Father left us, a friend of mine named Veronica McBride died of cancer in a small Wisconsin city. My friend Veronica was 52 years old. She was an attractive, humorous young woman who, as the saying goes, “never married”. She published several humor books with her mother, Mary McBride. She enjoyed traveling, and for years sent Christmas card photos of herself standing beside monuments or odd animals. She fought cancer for five years. She joked about her treatment keeping her pretty because it kept her thin, and told me she didn’t mind losing her hair because of chemo therapy. “I get to wear nice wigs!”
The last time I saw Veronica was when I visited her family on a sunny day in August in 2003. When she burst into the front door later and saw me in the living room, she ignored me completely in her hurry to hug her newest baby nephew, leaving me shaking my head in laughter at her.
As we look to the significance of the Holy Father and his life, surely we must also keep our eyes open to see the wonder and goodness in ordinary people who show us how to live and how to die.
小题1:The purpose of the article is ___________.

A．to memorize his friend Veronica

B．to talk about the significance of life and death

C．to teach us how to face life and death

D．to compare his friend and the Holy Father Pope John Paul II

小题2:The underlined phrase “chemo therapy” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.

A．a medical treatment	B．a kind of cancer
C．a kind of medicine	D．the newest machine

小题3:Why does the writer compare the Holly Father with his friend?

A．Because they are both the persons he admires.

B．Because they have a lot in common.

C．Because he wants to show that ordinary people can be great as well.

D．Because he wants to memorize them both.

小题4:From the phrase “burst into”, we can see that Veronica is ____________.

A．brave

B．sportive

C．humorous

D．energetic

答案

小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:C
小题4:D

解析

本文的目的就是告诉我们如何来面对生活与死亡。
小题1:C 细节题。根据文章主题段第一段第三行I deeply believe, however, that to know how to live, we must also know how to die.说明本文的目的就是告诉我们如何来面对生活与死亡。故C正确。
小题2:A 猜测词义题。根据and told me she didn’t mind losing her hair because of chemo therapy.说明她脱发是因为chemo therapy.那么这应该是治疗癌症的一种方法，故A正确。
小题3:C 推理题、根据文章第4,5两段说明我的朋友这个普通人对待生于死也有很乐观的看法，故C的说法与之相符。故C正确。
小题4:D 推理题。根据倒数第二段第三行she burst into the front door说明她是冲出来的，显示她精力充沛。

举一反三

As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows，there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist(社会心理学家)Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co－workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control(控制)the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question－asking the parents do，the higher the children’s IQ scores.”
Lewis says，“And the more children there are，the less question－asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹)．Lewis found that in families with three or four children，dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child，who has the most to talk about，and the youngest，who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible(看不见的)，”says Lewis.“ When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are it’s the middle child.” There is，however，one thing that stops all conversations and prevents anyone from having attention：“When the TV is on，” Lewis says，“ dinner is a non－event.”
小题1:The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ________.

A．show the relationship between parents and children

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．report on the findings of a study

D．give information about family problems

小题2:Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ________.

A．they are busy serving food to their children

B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table

C．they have to pay more attention to younger children

D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family

小题3:By saying “Middle children are invisible” in Paragraph 3，Lewis means that middle children ________.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．are often kept away from the dinner table

D．find it hard to keep up with other children

小题4:Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．It is important to have the right food for children.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．Parents should talk to each of their children often.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

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Coolest Hotels in the World
Artau Aragon Towers
The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel lets you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan Suite which is large enough for a big family. You"ll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.
Prices: starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way up to $3000 for the Tarzan Suite.
For more information, visit the website: http://Hwww.ariautowers.com
The Ice Hotel
Every winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, a special kind of hotel called the lce Hotel is built. Each year, world-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You"ll have your choice between hot or cold rooms but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.
Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one. For more information, visit the website: http:Hwww.icehotel.com
Propeller Island
Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German artist. Each room provides you with the possibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furniture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You"ll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.
Prices: starting at just $91 a night, and an additional (另外) person for only 20 extra dollars. For more information, visit the website: http://www.propeller-island.com
For information about other cool hotels In the world, visit the website: http://www.bahamabeachclub.com
小题1:What is special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?

A．You can sleep in the tree house.	B．You can choose any of the towers.
C．It is designed for big families.	D．Every room has a walkway.

小题2:For more persons spending a night in one of these hotels, they have to pay at least
A $111 B. $182 C. $600 D. $636
小题3:Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel under the sea?

A． http://www.icehotel.com	B． http：//www.ariantowers.com
C．http://www.propeller-island.com	D．htlp://www.bahamabeachclub.com

小题4:Which hotel would invite artists to come to work every year?

A．Propeller Bland City Lodge.	B．Arian Amazon Towers.
C．The Ice Hotel.	D．Bahama Beach Club.

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A mum saved her daughter’s life with her newly learned first aid skills. Sonya Hall, 33, of Denny Avenue, Lancaster, had only just attended one first aid class the day before when she found herself needing to use the skills on her three year old daughter Tilly.
Sonya, who also has son Emmen, six, attended the first aid course at Lune Park Children’s Centre in Lancaster. Then she was faced with every parent’s worst nightmare when Tilly went blue in the face and stopped breathing. But thanks to her newly acquired skills, Sonya saved Tilly’s life.
Sonya said: “Tilly was playing with her brother and they were fighting over a toy. Emmen won the fight. Tilly fell backwards and her head was hit. She was face down and shaking and at first I thought she was upset. But then I saw she was blue in the face and had stopped breathing. I reacted without thinking and immediately started using the first aid skills I had learned the day before which were so fresh in my mind. I began doing mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions (胸外按压). It probably took about a minute before Tilly started breathing again, but to me it felt like a lifetime.”
After getting Tilly breathing again, Sonya called an ambulance and the doctors came. Since then, Tilly has been diagnosed (诊断) with Reflex Anoxic Seizure (反射缺氧发作). Sonya said: “The seizure can happen when there’s any unexpected pain, fear or fright. It is just so lucky that the day before it happened, I had been practising first aid.”
The Empowering Parents First Aid course is run by Lancashire Adult Learning. Sonya said: “I am just so glad I did the course and learnt the first aid skills. I always feared I would not know what to do in a crisis situation, but luckily I had the knowledge and skills to deal with it.”
小题1:What happened to Tilly?

A．She was knocked down by her brother.

B．She fell on the floor and hit her head.

C．She was hit by a toy on the head and felt upset.

D．She was hit by her brother and stopped breathing.

小题2:When Sonya found Tilly’s shaking, she thought her daughter must ______.

A．be crying	B．be very angry
C．pretend to be hurt	D．recognize her failure

小题3:When Sonya goes to the first aid class next time, she will feel ______.

A．enjoyable	B．excited
C．grateful	D．confident

小题4:What would be the best title for the text?

A．The importance of first aid

B．How to practise first aid

C．Mum saves girl with first aid

D．Mums should attend first aid courses

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People often use gestures to express our feelings, but the problem is that the gestures can be understood in different ways.
It is true that a smile means the same thing in any language. So does laughter or crying. Fear is another emotion(情感) that is shown in much the same way all over the world. In Chinese and in English literature, a phrase like “he went pale and began to tremble” suggests that the man is either very afraid or he has just got a very big shock.
However, “he opened his eyes wide” is used to suggest anger in Chinese whereas in English it means surprise. In Chinese, surprise can be described in a phrase like “they stretched out their tongues!” “Stretching out your tongue” in English is an insulting(侮辱的, 无礼的)gesture or expresses strong dislike.
Even in the same culture, people differ in their ability to understand and express feelings. Experiments in America have shown that women are usually better than men at recognizing fear, anger, love and happiness on people’s faces. Other studies show that older people usually find it easier to understand body language than younger people do.
小题1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．We can easily understand what people’s gestures mean.

B．It is difficult to tell what people’s gestures really mean sometimes.

C．Gestures can be understood by most people but words are not.

D．Words can be better understood by older people.

小题2:People’s facial expressions may be misunderstood in different cultures because ______ .

A．people from different cultures have different meanings about some facial expressions

B．people speaking different languages have different facial expressions

C．people of different ages may have different interpretations (解释)

D．people of different sexes may understand a gesture differently

小题3:From the passage, we can conclude(得出结论) that ______ .

A．words are often more difficult to understand than gestures

B．gestures can be more effectively used than words to express feelings

C．gestures can be used to express feelings

D．gestures are used as frequently as words to express feelings

小题4:The best title for this passage can be ______ .

A．Gestures	B．Feelings
C．Culture and Understanding	D．Gestures and Feelings

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One warm May day, two eighteen – year – old students from San Francisco State College decided to cool off with a swim at Bakers’ Beach． The two students were named Robert Kogler and Shirley O’Neill． They headed out to sea for a distance of 50 metres． Robert was in front．
“Suddenly, I heard him scream,” Shirley recalls． “I looked round and saw this great grey thing going up in the air． The water seemed to be alive．”Robert screamed again． “It’s a shark! Get out of here!”
An eye – witness, Army Sergeant Leo P． Day was on guard at the nearby army post． He saw exactly what happened next． “I could see this boy struggling with the shark in the water,” he said． “The sea was red with blood． He was shouting and signalling someone to go back, go back． Then I saw the girl． She was swimming towards him． She completely ignored his warning．”Shirley reached Robert, and tried to take his hand．“When I pulled, all I could see was his arm, handing by a thread,” she said．
So she put her arm about Robert’s back, and started to swim towards the shore． She kept praying “Don"t’ let it attack again!” That journey to the shore seemed to last for hours． At last, as they neared the shore, a fisherman threw them a line, and pulled them both the rest of the way．The young man had lost a lot of blood, and died two and a half hours later, From the teeth marks, experts identified the attacker as a Great White Shark．For what Sergeant Day called “the greatest exhibition of bravery I have ever seen,” the President of the US gave Shirley a medal for bravery．
小题1:When Albert was attacked by a shark Shirley ．

A．was swimming in the sea

B．was watching him on the shore

C．was on guard at the nearby army post

D．was shouting and struggling with a shark, too

小题2:Choose the right time order of the following events in the story．
a． Army Sergeant saw the girl swimming to the boy．
b． Shirley saw a great grey thing．
c． They headed out to sea．
d． Robert died．
e． A fisherman threw them a line．
f． He saw a boy struggling with a shark．

A．b,c,e,d,f,a

B．c,a,f,d,e,b

C．b,c,f,a,d,e

D．c,b,f,a,e, d

小题3:We can learn from the passage that ．

A．the two students were brave and considerate

B．the fisherman was adventurous and helpful

C．the experts didn’t do much research on sharks

D．the Sergeant cared too much about his own life

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