differences of opinion.
In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the association between two people. But the supporting and understanding of each other that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a powerful bond, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class, or race.
1. What is True according to the first paragraph? A. A person can only have a few real friends.
B. We should put things such as age, race, economic conditions, social positions, and intelligence in the first place when making friends.
C. People whom we can get along well with are our friends. D. A student has six friends at most. Correct answer: A
2. In Paragraph 3, \ A. talking as fast as others
B. having the same topic as others
C. having attitudes and interests in common D. having the same experiences and emotions Correct answer: C
3. The word \ A. far away B. closely C. well
D. in distance Correct answer: B
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A. Even friends may have difference of opinion. B. Friends never argue with each other. C. It takes time to become good friends.
D. Shared experiences can make for a strong friendship. Correct answer: B
5. To strengthen friendly relationships, people______. A. should have the same age, class, and race B. should get rid of the annoying habits C. should support and understand each other D. should hold friendship ceremonies Correct answer: C
Passage 14
Ms. Ebert kept a little bakery (面包房) on the corner. Two or three times a week, she had a customer in whom she began to take an interest. He was a middle-aged man with glasses and a brown beard. He spoke English with a strong German accent. His clothes were worn and wrinkled (有皱褶的), but he looked neat and had very good manners. He always bought two
loaves of stale (不新鲜的) bread. He never asked for anything but stale bread; it cost a lot less than fresh bread.
Once Ms. Ebert noticed a red and brown stain (污点) on his fingers. She was sure that he was an artist and very poor. No doubt he lived in an attic, where he painted pictures and ate stale bread and thought of the good things to eat in the bakery.
Often when Ms. Ebert sat down to her evening meal, she would sigh (叹气) and wish the artist might share her food instead of eating his dry bread.
One day the customer came in as usual and asked for his stale bread. As the sudden noise of a fire engine (消防车) made him hurry to the door, Ms. Ebert seized her opportunity. She cut each of the loaves with a knife, put in some butter and, when the customer turned round, she had already put them into a paper bag. When the customer left the store, she felt somewhat comforted.
1. What can we know about the man from the first paragraph? A. He was neatly dressed. B. He was an Englishman. C. He had good manners. D. He liked stale bread. Correct answer: C
2. Ms. Ebert ________ that the man was a painter. A. assumed B. hoped C. told others D. was told
Correct answer: A
3. It was assumed that the customer never asked for anything but stale bread because ________.
A. it was special to him
B. it was cheaper than fresh bread C. it tasted better than fresh bread D. it saved him much time Correct answer: B
4. \this way?
A. She was happy she had a new customer.
B. She felt good that he could see the fire engine. C. She felt good that he could be eating well. D. She was happy because he was easily tricked. Correct answer: C
5. From the passage, we know that Miss Ebert was _________. A. kind B. curious
C. careful D. strange
Correct answer: A
Passage 15
Once upon a time there was a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance on the beach. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, \
The young man paused, looking up and replied, \海星) in the ocean.\
\
\
\it. You can't possibly make a difference!\
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked another starfish and threw it into the ocean, past the breaking waves and said, \
There is something very special in each and every one of us. All of us have a natural ability to make a difference. If we can become aware of that ability, we will have the power to shape the future.
All of us must find our starfish. If we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be wonderful.
1. Before he began writing, the wise man would ________. A. take a walk along the shore B. go swimming in the ocean
C. have a walk and pick up starfish on the beach D. look down the beach and enjoy the scene Correct answer: A
2. One day, the wise man saw a young man ________.
A. dancing along the beach B. walking along the beach C. picking up starfish for sale
D. trying to save as many starfish as possible Correct answer: D
3. Near the end of the passage, \ A. the ability to make decisions B. natural abilities
C. starfish that the young man threw back to the ocean D. our ability to have an effect on the future Correct answer: D
4. Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?
A. The wise man and the young man shared the same opinion on the subject of starfish. B. The young man disagreed with the wise man on the subject of starfish.
C. The wise man thought it impossible to save any of the starfish on the beach. D. The young man was unaware of his ability to make a difference for starfish. Correct answer: B
5. The writer told this story in order to tell us that ________. A. every one of us is clever
B. all of us can help to shape our future C. wise men are sometimes stupid
D. young people are actually wiser than old people Correct answer: B
Passage 16
For years, it's been assumed that the inside environment limits the variety of plants that people are subjected to. Lately, however, plants that are usually only grown outdoors have found their way into inside spaces. There are a few simple reasons why this is.
The modern inside environment can be a good place for a wide variety of outdoor plants. Plants that ordinarily cannot grow in colder outdoor weather can be protected by the inside spaces, where temperatures are easily controlled. Plants that used to be found only outside, such as trees, have become more and more popular as decorations inside houses. Orchids (兰花), which were once only found in hot places, have begun to grow well in inside places. A large number of smaller plants have also found their way into homes.
One reason that the modern home has made exotic (引进的) outdoor plants more practical is the modern use of windows. In the past windows were used less often in buildings than they are today. It is partly because of the ability of large windows to admit a large quantity of light from the sun and to keep the heat in at the same time, that many outdoor plants have been able to make their move inside.
It is true that most of the plants that have been successful in moving inside have been small. Some of the best-suited varieties are the vines (藤本植物). Many vines that grow in natural locations make excellent decorations where other plants prove difficult to grow. Although some trees can be grown inside, it is not likely the larger varieties can be used. Unfortunately, most homes just don't have the space to grow a monkey tree.
