1. Why was Mr. Ezenwa taken to the prison for a night? A. He was too weak to move.
B. He couldn‘t find his way back home. D. He was suspected of possessing drugs.
C. He then had nowhere else to go.
2. When Mr. Ezenwa was to leave the prison, ___________. A. his thumb print was taken immediately B. the policeman was confused about what he had C. a social worker was assigned to drive him back home D. the policeman was so kind as not to damage his belongings 3. What words can be used to describe Mr. Ezenwa? A. Hopeless and sensitive.
B. Mysterious and troublesome. D. Energetic and sympathetic.
C. Affectionate and determined.
4. What would be the best title for the passage? A. Hard life of the Old Man. C. Out of Prison.
B. The Perfect Pepper Soup. D. An Unfair Judgement. Passage 6
A long time ago, there lived a skillful scientist whose name was Aylmer. He had so totally given himself to scientific studies that he could not be weakened by a second love. His love for his young wife could only be the stronger of the two if it could link itself with his love of science.
One day, Aylmer looked at his wife with a troubled expression.
―Georgiana,‖ he said, ―have you ever considered that the mark upon your cheek might be removed‖?
―No,‖ she said smiling. But seeing the seriousness of his question, she said, ―The mark has so often been called a charm that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so.‖
―On another face it might,‖ answered her husband, ―but not on yours. Nature made you so perfectly that this small defect shocks me as being a sign of earthly imperfection.‖
―Shocks you!‖ cried Georgiana, deeply hurt.
We must explain that in the center of Georgiana's left cheek there was a mark, deep in her skin. The mark was shaped like a very small human hand.
Had Georgiana been less beautiful, he might have felt his love increased by the prettiness of that little hand.
But because she was otherwise so perfect, he found the mark had become unbearable.
―Aylmer,‖ said Georgiana, ―I do not know what the cost would be to both of us to remove this birthmark. Removing it could deform my face or damage my health.‖
―Dearest Georgiana, I have spent much thought on the subject,‖ said Aylmer. ―I am sure it can be removed.‖
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―Then let the attempt be made at any risk,‖ said Georgiana. ―Life is not worth living while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror. Remove this little mark for the sake of your peace and my own.‖
―Dearest wife,‖ cried Aylmer. ―Do not doubt my power. I am ready to make this cheek as perfect as its pair.‖ The next day the couple went to Aylmer's laboratory where he had made all his famous discoveries. He led her to her room where she waited. Hours later, Aylmer returned carrying a crystal glass with a colorless liquid. Georgiana drank the liquid and immediately fell asleep.
Aylmer sat next to his wife, observing her and taking notes. He noted everything -- her breathing, the movement of an eyelid. He stared at the birthmark. And slowly, with every breath that came and went, it lost some of its brightness.
―By Heaven! It is nearly gone,‖ said Aylmer. ―Success! Success!‖
He opened the window coverings to see her face in daylight. She was so pale. Georgiana opened her eyes and looked into the mirror her husband held. She tried to smile as she saw the hardly observable mark.
―My poor Aylmer,‖ she said gently. \the best the Earth could offer. I am dying, dearest.‖ It was true. The hand on her face had been her link to life. As the last trace of color disappeared from her cheek, she gave her last breath.
1. The first paragraph tells us that __________. A. Aylmer‘s passion for science is increasing. B. Aylmer doesn‘t love his wife at all. C. Aylmer loves science more than anything.
D. His wife‘s charm of to Aylmer is stronger than science.
2. From what Georgiana says, how does she feel about the situation during the passage? A. Heartbroken
B. Delighted C. Hopeful D. Optimistic
3. The underlined part ―the best the earth could offer‖ in the passage refer to ―_________‖. A. Georgiana‘s face B. Georgiana herself C. the birthmark D. science 4. We can conclude from the passage that _________.
A. we may lose something more important when blinded by a meaningless imperfection. B. science isn‘t worth too much devotion, so we should throw it away.
C. a skillful scientist can overcome any difficulty, only if he sticks to his love for science. D. people should make efforts to be as perfect as possible no matter what happens.
Passage 7
They waited all day, but still the boy did not wake up. A young woman from the lab knocked and entered the room. She wore white slacks and a white blouse and carried a little tray of things which she put on the stand beside the bed. Without a word to them, she took blood from the boy‘s arm. Howard closed his eyes as the woman found the right place on the boy‘s arm and pushed the needle in.
―I don‘t understand this, ‖ Ann said to the woman.
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―Doctor‘s orders, ‖ the young woman said. ―I do what I‘m told. They say draw that one, I draw. What‘s wrong with him, anyway?‖ she said. ―He‘s a sweetie.‖
―He was hit by a car, ‖ Howard said. ―A hit-and-run.‖
The young woman shook her head and looked again at the boy. Then she took her tray and left the room. ―Why won‘t he wake up?‖ Ann said. ―Howard? I want some answers from these people.‖
Howard didn‘t say anything. He sat down again in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. He rubbed his face. He looked at his son and then he settled back in the chair, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Ann walked to the window and looked out at the parking lot. It was night, and cars were driving into and out of the parking lot with their lights on. She stood at the window with her hands gripping the windowsill, and knew in her heart that they were into something now, something hard. Her teeth began to chatter until she tightened her jaws. She saw a big car stop in front of the hospital and someone, a woman in a long coat, get into the car. She wished she were that woman and somebody, anybody, was driving her away from here to somewhere else, a place where she would find Scotty waiting for her when she stepped out of the car, ready to say Mom and let her gather him in her arms.
In a little while, Howard woke up. He looked at the boy again. Then he got up from the chair, stretched, and went over to stand beside her at the window. They both stared out at the parking lot. They didn‘t say anything. But they seemed to feel each other‘s insides now, as though the worry had made them transparent(透明) in a perfectly natural way.
The door opened and Dr. Francis came in. He was wearing a different suit and tie this time. His gray hair was combed along the sides of his head, and he looked as if he had just shaved. He went straight to the bed and examined the boy. ―He ought to have come around by now. There‘s just no good reason for this, ‖ he said. ―But I can tell you we‘re all convinced he‘s out of any danger. We‘ll just feel better when he wakes up. There‘s no reason, absolutely none, why he shouldn‘t come around. Very soon. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that all of his signs are fine. They‘re as normal as can be. The tests are negative, nothing showed up at all, and just as soon as he wakes up he‘ll be over the hill.‖
1. What do we know about the boy?
A. He was in hospital accompanied by his parents and a few relatives. B. He was badly hurt in a car accident in the parking lot.
C. The boy was hit by a driver who failed to run away after the accident. D. The boy should have woken up earlier but he didn‘t. 2. What does the underlined sentence in the passage imply? A. The bloody scene in the parking lot made her scared. B. Ann‘s teeth gave her much pain and she tried to ease the pain. C. A feeling of fear attacked Ann and she tried to get it over. D. Ann was feeling cold and she tried to overcome the coldness.
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3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A. The doctor didn‘t care much about his appearance.
B. Howard kept a tense relationship with his wife as they didn‘t speak to each other. C. The worry inside the couple made them transparent in a perfectly natural way. D. The result of the boy‘s blood test could not explain why the boy didn‘t wake up. 4. Which of the following best describes Ann? A. angry and aggressive C. sad but insincere
Passage 8
It was a weeknight. We were a half dozen guys in our late teens, hanging around as usual but soon grew tiresome. We wanted action.
We got in a car, big enough for all of us to crowd into — and off we went, in search of adventure. We soon found ourselves at Blue Gum Corner, a place named after the huge old blue gum tree that stood by there, a well-known local landmark. We parked beneath the huge old tree and discussed what we might do. All of a sudden we hit upon an idea — a hanging! I was chosen as ―hangee‖.
The plan was quite simple. As I stood upon the roof of the car, the rope(绳子) was threaded down my jacket through my collar and down one leg of my jeans. I put my foot through the loop at the bottom. There I hung, still. The boys rolled about laughing until, a car, I hear a car! Before they ran to hide in the nearby field, they gave me a good push so that ―the body‖ would swing as the car drove by.
To our disappointment, the car simply turned off for town without even slowing. Then we heard another car, but still without any obvious reaction. We played the game about five or six times, but as no one seemed to notice, we abandoned the trick.
What we did not know was that every car that had passed had unquestionably seen ―the body‖ and each one, too scared to stop, had driven directly to the local Police Station. Now at that time of the night, the local policeman was sound asleep in his bed, so the first person sent to the scene was the traffic officer that happened to be on duty that particular night. He had been informed that some person had been killed, by hanging, at Blue Gum Corner. When he arrived, the body was gone! And he was hearing ―unnatural sounds‖ from the surrounding area. As far as he knew, some fierce animal was hiding in the field before him, possibly dragging a body behind him — and we thought we were scared!
He went to his radio and made a call that really began to worry us. I lay so close that I could hear every word. He called for the ―armed police‖ and a ―dog team, better make it two‖ and he had a ―serious situation‖ at Blue Gum Corner. Then the police officer arrived. After a briefing from the traffic officer he decided not to go into the field until armed police and dog teams arrived. Now two spotlights were on the field and none of us could move.
As luck would have it, police cars cannot leave their spotlights on all night without charging their batteries.
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B. concerned and caring
D. desperate but brave
So, after a time, the two officers began lightening the field by turns, allowing us the opportunity to move on our fours for freedom. One by one, we all managed to steal away and make our way home. Behind us we left what must have looked like a small city of lights, police cars, roadblocks, barking dogs, armed officers and an old rope hanging from a tree.
When I think back to that night, I am reminded of a simple truth — our eyes see darkness and light, color and movement, our ears hear only vibrations (振动) in the air. It is how we explain these vivid pictures that shapes our ―reality‖.
1. The boys made the ―hanging‖ plan in order to _________. A. make a fool of the police C. seek fun and excitement
B. draw public attention D. practise acting skills
2. Seeing that no car passing by stopped, the boys must have felt _________. A. discouraged
B. proud
C. annoyed
D. confident
3. Why was the traffic officer sent to the scene of ―hanging‖? A. Because a fierce animal kept the traffic in disorder.
B. Because the local policeman was not available at that time. C. Because some naughty kids ware playing a terrifying game. D. Because many scared drivers turned directly to him for help. 4. The boys managed to escape from the field when _________. A. the two police cars were being charged B. the police officer was taking over the duty C. the traffic officer was making a call for help D. the two spotlights were not working together 5. What is conveyed in the passage? A. Actions speak louder than words. C. Experience is the best teacher.
B. The truth lies beneath the surface. D. To see is to believe. Passage 9
When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I did discover a beautiful part of the country called Stanislau. By the time I arrived, the charming paradise had been deserted because miners‘ good luck didn‘t last.
Then, I realized I was not alone after all.
A man was smiling at me in the front yard full of blue and yellow flowers.
Still smiling, the man invited me inside. I saw a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home. The man read my thoughts. ―All her work,‖ he said affectionately, ―Nothing here hasn‘t felt the touch of her hand.‖
One picture on the wall was not hanging straight. He went to fix it. He stepped back several times to make sure the picture was straight. Then he gave it a gentle touch. ―She always does that,‖ he explained.
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