This year I decided to do something to regain my good name as a kindly uncle. My  36    Tony,had never forgiven me for the dictionary I had bought him as a birthday present last year. His  37  had no reason to be thankful to me either,because the year before, I had   38   their dear son with a pot of paste(漿糊) and some funny pictures. Instead of   39    them into a book, Tony had naturally covered every wall in the house with them. This year,   40  , I decided to let him  41   for himself.

  We went into a big shop,but Tony was very particular about   42   . Although I tried to show him toy after toy,he was not to be   43  . Then I saw he suddenly became  44  ; he had discovered something he really liked: a large tin dram. I was quite happy too   45     I thought what Tony’s mother would say when she saw it. Nobody would get any    46    for weeks! I led Tony away   47  , saying that the dram was too expensive.

   Tony asked for permission to go off    48     and I made the most of my chance to sit down end    49    my aching feet. Fifteen minutes passed but there was still no sign of Tony. I began to get   50    and got up to look for him. I asked a young lady if she had seen a little boy in a grey suit. She looked    51    her helplessly and pointed out that there were so many   52

in grey suits. I was just going to call the police for help,when I saw a strange   53   dressed in strange orange clothes. He was wearing a false beard and had a caveman’s axe(斧子)in one hand,and a space gun in the other. It was, of course,Tony, who informed me  54    that he was the first   55   to fly into space.

 

1.A. cousin         B. daughter          C. grandson          D. nephew

2.A. friends       B. parents           C. classmates       D. brothers

3.A. presented      B. annoyed          C. confused         D. occupied

4.A. entering       B. dividing         C. sticking          D. drawing

5. A. anyhow       B. though          C. again             D. therefore

6.A. guess        B. choose           C. pay             D. see

7.A. sweets        B. toys           C. clothes          D. books

8. A. pleased   B. disturbed        C. accepted         D. disappointed

9. A. surprised     B. hopeful          C. patient          D. excited

10. A. after            B. until            C. unless           D. since

11.A. shock           B. trouble          C. peace           D. time

12.A. happily         B. eagerly        C. cautiously       D. quickly

13.A. on his own   B. in his way      C. now and then      D. more or less

14.A. drag           B. rest.           C. lay              D. step

15. A. 8shamed        B. angry           C. worried          D. doubtful

16.A. about           B. to             C. at               D. across

17.A. young ladies  B. new customers   C. loving parents     D. small boys

18.A. figure          B. actor           C. man            D. doll

19.A. on time        B. at once          C. just now         D. once again

20.A. policeman       B. spaceman        C. caveman       D. postman

 

Scientists are not sure how the brain follows the tracks of time．One theory holds that it has a group of cells specialized to record the intervals （間隔）of time, while another theory holds that some neural processes （神經(jīng)突）act as an inside clock．

       Whichever theory it may be, studies find, the cells have a poor grasp of longer interval．Time does seem to slow during an empty afternoon and race when the brain focuses on challenging work．Stimulants （興奮劑）, including caffeine, tend to make people feel as if．time is passing faster; complex jobs, like doing taxes, can seem to drag on longer than they actually do．And  emotional  events — a breakup, a promotion, a transformative trip abroad —tend to be sensed as more recent than they actually are, by months or even years．In short, some psychologists say, the findings support the philosopher Martin Heidegger' s observation that time "persists merely as a consequence of the events taking place in it．"

       Now researchers are finding that the opposite thing may also be true: if very few events come to mind, then the sense of time does not persist; the brain shortens the interval that has passed．

       In one classic experiment, a French explorer named Michel Siffre lived in a cave for two months, cut off from the rhythms of night and day and man-made clocks．He appeared then, convinced that he had been isolated for only 25 days．Left to its own devices, the brain tends to shorten time．

       In earlier work, researchers found  that a similar case at work in people’s judgment of intervals that last only moments．Relatively infrequent stimuli, like flashes or tones, tend to increase the speed of the brain' s internal pacemaker．

       On an obvious level, these kinds of findings offer an explanation for why other people' s children seem to grow up so much faster than one's own．Involved parents are all too well aware of first step in their own children; however, seeing a cousin's child once every few years, without bothering memories, shortens the time．

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

       A．Scientists have agreed about how the brain records time．

       B．Scientists all think that some cells record the intervals of time．

       C．Scientists haven't agreed on how the brain records time．

       D. Scientists all hold the theory that neural processes are an inside clock．

2.According．to Paragraph 3, if we have few things to do, the brain will____．

       A．make the intervals of time long

       B．make the intervals of time short

       C．keep a state of rest

       D．stop working

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

       A．Michel Siffre didn' t think he had stayed in the cave for as long as two months．

       B．Parents tend to think their own children grow faster than others．

       C．Michel Diffre actually stayed in the cave for twenty-five days．

       D．Children usually bring bad memories to their parents．

4.In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?

       A．Social news                               B．Community activities

       C．．Science                               D．Children s life

 

Willy, a merchant, returned home to his own country from a faraway continent, where he had succeeded making a small fortune by hard work. He found on arriving at the port that all his relatives were having a large party.
He was in such a happy mood and in the joy of the moment, he did not even bother changing his grey flannel（法蘭絨）suit which had become a little worn during the trip home.
When he entered the brilliantly lit room, his relatives and friends gave him a rather cold welcome because they had noticed his modest suit and immediately imagined that he had come back a poor man.
A young man who happened to be accompanying him was quite irritated at this and said to Willy, “What a wonderful reception you have received from these people. They have not even the intention of shaking your hand after all these years that you have been away from home.”
“Just wait and see!” whispered Willy, “They will soon change their looks!” Saying this he slipped a precious ring on his finger. All of a sudden the faces of all those present lit up and immediately Willy was surrounded by so many people that he didn’t know what to do. A man shook his hand, a cousin threw his arms around him, and he had so many invitations from the people present that he thought he would be unable to make any other appointments for several years.
“Has this beautiful, precious ring of yours the power of magic people?” asked the young man.
“Oh, no!” replied Willy, “They see in this glittering diamond ring something that makes them think I am rich, and, unfortunately, they place wealth above everything else.”
"What blind people!" exclaimed the young man. “It is not the ring that has drawn them to you but their desire for riches. Is it possible to appreciate more a piece of yellow metal surrounded by little stones than the goodness of my Lord? And indeed how foolish are people who place their trust in riches rather than in virtues（美德）!”
【小題1】 In what way did Willy go to attend the party held by his relatives and friends?

A．In such a modest mood.	B．In travel-soiled clothes.
C．Wearing a precious jewel.	D．Without being accompanied.

【小題2】 The word “irritated” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to “______”.

A．excited

B．pleased

C．a(chǎn)ngry

D．envious

【小題3】 According to the young man, people should ______.

A．give up all the physical wealth	B．a(chǎn)ppreciate more jewelry than goodness
C．observe carefully when judging a person	D．a(chǎn)void being blinded by the desire for wealth

【小題4】Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．The Diamond Ring	B．The Welcome Party
C．The Modest Clothes	D．The Joyful Crowd

Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

One day, while talking with her friend Maria, she mentioned how discouraged she was. Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

During the interview, Mr. Petri said, “You’re just the kind of person we need here. You’re being wasted in your other job. Give me a call in a day or two. I’m sure we can find a place for you in our organization.” Martha was so happy she almost danced out of the building.

That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, “Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?”

This was the last straw. She could not take another insult. Besides, Mr. Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.

“Look,” she said angrily, “if you don’t like the way I work, I don’t need to stay here. I’ll go where I’m appreciated! Good-bye!” She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria, “What do you think?”

“Well,” said Maria carefully, “are you sure about the other job?”

“Well, not exactly, but…”

Maria continued, “Will you be able to get a recommendation from Mrs. Kenny if you need one?”

“A recommendation?…from Mrs. Kenny?” hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.

“Martha, I hope you didn’t burn your bridges.” Maria said. “I think I would have handled it differently.”

1.Martha is unhappy in her job because _____.

A．she has not advanced

B．the work is not significant

C．her supervisor is younger than she

D．there is too much work with little payment

2.Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A．At her supervisor’s criticism, Martha lost her temper.

B．Mr. Petri felt Martha was not valued in her present job.

C．Martha’s interview with the director was on her lunch hour.

D．Martha got the name of the director through her cousin.

3.The phrase “the last straw” probably refers to _____.

A．the last opportunity

B．the straw that saves Martha’s life

C．the last reminder

D．the final unpleasant thing

4.What does Maria think of Martha’s decision?

A．Martha has handled the matter properly.

B．Martha shouldn’t have set the bridge on fire.

C．Martha should have found a new job before leaving.

D．Martha shouldn’t have lost her temper with her supervisor

 

Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years,but she was not happy there.Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases.Martha felt that her supervisor,a younger and less experienced person than she,did not like her.In fact,the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

One day,while talking with her friend Maria,she mentioned how discouraged she was .Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company.Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

During the interview,Mr Petri said,“You're just the kind of person we need here.You've being wasted in your other job.Give me a call in a day or two.I'm sure we can find a place for you in our organization."Martha was so happy that she almost danced out of the building.

That afternoon,Ruth Kenny,her supervisor,saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said ,“Oh,so you finally decided to come back to work today?"

This was the last straw.She could not take another insult.Besides,Mr Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.

“Look," she said angrily，“if you don't like the way I work,I don't need to stay here.I'll go where I'm appreciated!Goodbye!"She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria.“What do you think?"

“Well,"said Maria carefully,“are you sure about the other job?"

“Well,not exactly,but..."

Maria continued ,“Will you be able to get a recommendation from Ms Kenny if you need one?"

“A recommendation?…from Ms Kenny?"hesitated Martha,in a worried tone.

“Martha,I hope you didn't burn your bridges,”Maria said.“I think I would have handled it differently."

1.Martha is unhappy in her job because_________.

A.she has not advanced

B.the work is not significant

C.her supervisor is younger than she

D.there is too much work with little payment 

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A.At her supervisor's criticism,Martha lost her temper.

B.Mr Petri felt Martha was not valued in her present job.

C.Martha's interview with the director was on her lunch hour. 

D.Martha got the name of the director through her cousin. 

3.The phrase “the last straw"in the middle of the passage probably refers to _________.

A.the last opportunity

B.the straw that saves Martha's life

C.the last reminder

D.the final unpleasant thing 

4.What does Maria think of Martha's decision?

A.Martha has handled the matter properly.

B.Martha shouldn't have set the bridge on fire.

C.Martha should have found a new job before leaving.

D.Martha shouldn't have lost her temper with her supervisor.