选择知识点

In the animal kingdom， weakness can bring about aggression（侵略） in other animals． This sometimes happens with humans also． But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people． I see it every day when people hold doors for me， pour cream into my coffee， or help me to put on my coat． And I have discovered that it makes them happy．
From my wheelchair experience， I see the best in people， but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent（独立的） miss the kindness I see daily． They don't get to see this soft side of others． Often， we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness， which includes a lot of pretending（伪装）． But only when we stop pretending we're brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that's in them．
Last month， when I was driving home on a busy highway， I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual． People behind me began to get impatient and angry， with some speeding up alongside me， horning （按喇叭） or even shouting at me． At that moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving． I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed．
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights， I was saying to other drivers， "I have a problem here． I am weak and doing the best I can．" And everyone understood． Several times， I saw drivers who wanted to pass． They couldn't get around me because of the stream of passing traffic． But instead of getting impatient and angry， they waited， knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak．
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don't feel that way． But those are few and far between． More often， it would be better if we don't pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared．



The author feels sad sometimes because ______ ．

A. he has a soft heart
B. some people fail to see the kindness in others
C. some people pretend to be kind
D. he relies much on others

What did the other drivers do when they saw the flashlights？ ______

A. They waited with patience．
B. They speeded up to pass．
C. They tried their best to help．
D. They put on their flashlights too．

Which of the following is the best title of this passage？ ______

A. A Wheelchair Experience．
B. A Driving Experience
C. Weakness and Strength
D. Weakness and Kindness．

In the past， many people depended on horses for transportation， farming and other kinds of work． A lot of people still like to ride horses for sport． Horse racing and betting on horse racing are also popular． So， it is not surprising that Americans use a lot of expressions about horses．
Long ago， people who were rich or important rode horses that were very tall．Today， if someone acts better than everyone else， you might tell him to "get off your high horse．"
And if someone is pushing you to do something， you can say， "Hold your horses!" This is a very informal way to tell someone to calm down and wait． You would not use it with your boss but you could use it with children．
Something else you could say to children if they are playing too rough or hitting each other is to stop horsing around! When kids horse around， they could get hurt． However， kids who live in a one-horse town might have nothing to do but horse around． A one-horse town is a small town with not too much going on．
So， if you live in a one-horse town， you might like to watch a lot of television． Imagine that you are watching your favorite show when your phone rings． You do not answer it． Wild horses could not drag you away from the television． Nothing could stop you from doing what you want to do．
When you get news directly from the best source， you get it straight from the horse's mouth． If your teacher， for example， tells you there is going to be a test tomorrow， you got that information straight from the horse's mouth．
Sometimes a person keeps arguing a question that has already been settled． They are beating a dead horse． A dead horse is quite different from a dark horse． A dark horse is a person who surprises others by doing better than unexpected． In politics， a dark-horse candidate is someone who is not likely to win …but then does．



What is the passage meant to tell us？ ______

A. Reasons why expressions about horsesare used
B. Some expressions about horses used by Americans．
C. The popularity of horse riding in American society．
D. Different situations where horses are made use of．

What will a mother probably say when tired of her boy hurrying her to buy a toy car？ ______

A. Get off you high horse．
B. Stop horsing around．
C. Hold your horses．
D. Beat a dead horse．

Your classmate unexpectedly wins the championship in a competition； he is a ______ ．

A. dark horse
B. dead horse
C. wild horse
D. high horse

Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it． It is not the amazing complexity of television， nor the impressive technology of transport． The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise without mouths， and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds．①This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is．
②Obviously， the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals． Of course， some animals have powers just as amazing． Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year． In Nature's talent show， humans are a species of animals that have developed their own special act． If we reduce it to basic terms， it's an ability for communicating information to others， by varying sounds we make as we breathe out．
③Not that we don't have other powers of communication． Our facial expressions convey our emotions， such as anger， or joy， or disappointment． The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad． This is so-called "body language"． Bristling （直立的） fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals． Similarly， the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering．
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals， including human beings， instinctively（本能地）acquire and display．④If so， how did human beings acquire this amazing skills？ Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function， but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history．



According to the passage， the wonder we take for granted is ______ ．

A. the amazing power of technology
B. our ability to use language
C. the unforgettable miracle of nature
D. our ability to make noises with mouth

Which is the most suitable place for "Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct？" ______

A. ④
B. ③
C. ②
D. ①

This passage is mainly about ______ ．

A. the development of body language
B. the special role humans play in nature
C. the power to convey information to others
D. the difference between humans and animals

These days having a best friend seems so important to girls． However I have learned that having one best friend is not the way to go． It's so much better to have many great friends．
As I was coming into Middle School， I was really excited because my friend Jennifer was going to be in the same Middle School! At first things were great， she introduced me to her friend Amy and we had lots of fun together． Then things started to change． Jennifer was very controlling： I couldn't make new friends， and pretty soon being Jennifer's friend was a struggle．
Jennifer wanted to be the "leader" of our little group． Amy and I were never partners with each other in class projects or gym； it was always， "Who gets the privilege（特权） of being Jennifer's partner．" Amy and I both wanted to be Jennifer's number one．
I always waited for Jennifer and Amy after classes． They chatted by Jennifer's desk as Jennifer packed her books up and I waited by the door． Sometimes when they left， they'd walk right past me． No "Thanks for waiting．" No "Sorry we took so long．" It was as if they couldn't even see me．
After months of living through school this way， I had really changed． I was moody， depressed， lonely． I spent lots of days trying not to cry， I felt so left out．
Finally， near the very end of the school year， I was so incredibly sick of having to battle for friendship． I stopped sitting with Jennifer at lunch and stopped waiting for her after class．
It was tough at first， but now， I have tons of friends． We have fun and happy times together and I love them all to bits． It amazes me how easy our friendship is． There's no struggling to be on top． I wish Jennifer could understand． Maybe one day she'll look back at what happened and she'll change， but even though I lost a friend， I am a happier person．



What is the purpose of the writer writing this passage？ ______

A. To describe her school life
B. To talk about the way Jennifer treated her friends
C. To advise girls to make many friends instead of one
D. To show her regret towards losing a friend．

What does the sentence Things started to change（paragraph 2）refer to？ ______

A. The writer lost interest in study．
B. Being Jennifer's friend became a struggle．
C. Lessons became more and more difficult．
D. The writer gave up the friendship with Jennifer．

What can be implied from the last paragraph？ ______

A. All of the writer's new friends are equal．
B. The writer regretted a lot about losing a friend．
C. Jennifer has changed herself．
D. The school life is always difficult for the writer．

Grey squirrels are abundant （丰富的） in many parts of the United States． They have babies twice a year-in early spring and late summer． Grey squirrels typically have three to four babies in each litter （一窝）． By four weeks of age， the babies" eyes open and by six weeks， the young are making their way out of the nest． By the time they reach eight or nine weeks of age， baby squirrels are no longer nursing and are generally able to survive on their own in the wild．
What should you do if you find a baby squirrel in need of help？ For starters， you should assess whether or not the squirrel is injured． Is it bleeding or does it appear to have broken bones？ Was the squirrel being attacked by a cat？ If you answered "yes" to any of these questions， contact your local wildlife emergency center as soon as possible． If you're not sure whom to call， start with your local animal shelter or police station． They should have contact information for your nearest wildlife hospital or rehabilitation （恢复） center． If the squirrel is not injured， and it looks like it weighs around half a pound or so， it may just be old enough to survive on its own． A good rule of thumb is that if the squirrel is old enough to run from you， it is old enough to take care of itself．
According to the Wildlife Center of Virginia， if the squirrel's tail is fluffed out （抖松） and it weighs more than 6.5 ounces， it does not need human help in order to survive． If not， the squirrel may still need to nurse and be cared for by its mother． If you can locate the nest， place the baby in a box with an open lid at the base of the tree where the nest is located． If it is cold out， add a bag of warmed rice or hand warmers to the box to keep the baby warm while it waits for its mother． Check back frequently to see if the mother has found and relocated her baby． If not， call your local wildlife center to reassess the situation．
Whatever you do， do not attempt to bring the baby squirrel home and raise it as a pet． While they may seem cute as babies， squirrels are wild animals and it won't take long before they need to get back into the wild． But too much time around humans could make it more difficult for a squirrel to survive on its own．



Which of the following is true about grey squirrels？ ______

A. They are commonly seen all over America．
B. They give birth to the young every two years．
C. A grey squirrel can at most have three or four babies all its life．
D. Baby squirrels are independent of their mothers when they are 8or 9weeks old．

When you come across a baby squirrel needing help， the first thing you should do is that ______ ．

A. answer some questions raised by your local wildlife emergency center
B. call your local wildlife emergency center as soon as possible
C. check whether it is suffering from any form of injury
D. take it to your nearest wildlife hospital

It is suggested that when finding a baby squirrel needing nursing， you should ______ ．

A. build a nest for it
B. take it home if its mother can't be found
C. let nature take its course after putting it in a box
D. make sure it goes back to its mother

The last paragraph tries to tell us ______ ．

A. why we shouldn't take a baby squirrel home as a pet
B. how long it will be before a baby squirrel lives on its own
C. squirrels should grow in its natural habitat
D. humans and squirrels should get along well with each other

When John was growing up， other kids felt sorry for him． His parents always had him weeding the garden， carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers． But when John reached adulthood， he was better off than his childhood playmates． He had more job satisfaction， a better marriage and was healthier． Most of all， he was happier． Far happier．
These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456teenage boys from Boston． The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not． "Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence （能力） and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society，" said George Vaillant， the psychologist （心理学家） who made the discovery． "And because they felt good about themselves， others felt good about them．"
Vaillant's study followed these males in great detail． Interviews were repeated at ages 25， 31 and 47． Under Vaillant， the researchers compared the men's mental-health scores with their boyhood-activity scores． Points were awarded for part-time jobs， housework， effort in school， and ability to deal with problems．
The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp． Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people， five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed． The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out． Working--at any age--is important． Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility， independence， confidence and competence--the underpinnings （基础） of emotional health． They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals． The most competent adults are those who know how to do this． Yet work isn't everything． As Tolstoy once said， "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love， to work for the person one loves and to love one's work．"



Vaillant's words in Paragraph 2serve as ______ ．

A. a description of personal values and social values
B. an analysis of how work was related to competence
C. an example for parents" expectations of their children
D. an explanation why some boys grew into happy men

Vaillant's team obtained their findings by ______ ．

A. recording the boys" effort in school
B. assessing the men's mental health
C. comparing different sets of scores
D. measuring the men's problem solving ability

What does the underlined word "sharp" probably mean in Paragraph 4？ ______

A. Quick to react
B. Having a thin edge
C. Clear and definite
D. sudden and rapid

What can be inferred from the last paragraph？ ______

A. competent adults know more about love than work．
B. Emotional health is essential to a wonderful adult life．
C. Love brings more joy to people than work does．
D. Independence is the key to one's success．

Housework is a frequent source of disputes （争论） between lazy husbands and their hard-working wives， but women have been warned not to expect men to pull their weight any time soon．
A study from Oxford University has found that men are unlikely to be doing an equal share of housework before 2050． Mothers， the researchers warned， will continue to shoulder the burden of childcare and housework for the next four decades， largely because housework such as cleaning and cooking is still regarded as "women's work"．
The gap between the amount of time men and women spend on housework has narrowed slowly over the past 40 years． But it will take another four decades before true housework equality is achieved， the study concluded．
The research found that in the Nordic countries， the burden of housework is shared more equally between men and women． In the UK， women spend an average of four hours and forty minutes each day on housework， compared with two hours and twenty-eight minutes for men． This is an improvement from the 1960s， when British women typically spent six hours a day on housework， while men spent just 90 minutes every day．
But progress towards housework equality appears to be slowing in some countries． Dr． Oriel Sullivan， a research reader from Oxford's Department of Sociology， said， "We've looked at what is affecting the equality in the home， and we have found that certain tasks seem to be given according to whether they are viewed as ‘men's work" or ‘women's work"．"
Dr． Sullivan said cultural attitudes taught at school may be responsible for the views of housework． " At school it is much easier for a girl to be a tomboy， but it is much more difficult for a boy to enjoy baking and dancing，" she said．



The underlined part "pull their weight" in Paragraph 1 probably refers to " ______ "．

A. lose weight B. be lazy C. earn money D. do equal housework

Women will continue to do more housework before 2050 mainly because ______ ．

A. men are too busy to help
B. they would like to do so
C. they can do better in housework
D. housework will still be considered as women's work

From Paragraph 4 we know that in the UK ______ ．

A. men now spend just 90 minutes a day on housework on average
B. women now are too busy with their work to do housework
C. women now spend less time on housework than before
D. housework is shared equally between men and women

In Dr． Sullivan's opinion， what is to blame for the housework inequality？ ______

A. Cultural attitudes towards housework．
B. Policies made by the government．
C. The time spent on work．
D. The type of housework．

It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams， the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life， but manners on the road are becoming horrible． Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel． It is all right to have a tiger in a cage， but to have one in the driver's seat is another matter．
Road politeness is not only good manners， but good sense． It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving． On the other hand， a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting． A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions． But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough． Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it．
However， misplaced politeness can also be dangerous． Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time． The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．
An experienced driver， whose manners are faultless， told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages（堵塞） that give rise to unpleasant feelings． Unfortunately， modern drivers can't even learn to drive， let alone master the roadmanship （公路驾车技能）． Years ago， experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users． It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart．



According to the passage， troubles on the road are often caused by ______ ．

A. the great speed of modern life
B. traffic jams
C. terrible road conditions
D. the behavior of the drivers

In the writer's opinion， a good driver should ______ ．

A. beat back when forced to face rude driving
B. show road politeness properly
C. join in traffic stream quickly however other people feel
D. encourage old ladies to cross the roads whenever they want to

The underlined word "give-and-take" in the passage means ______ ．

A. politeness and impoliteness
B. willingness to give in to each other's wishes
C. offering help to others as much as possible
D. good manners and bad manners

What is the best title of the passage？ ______

A. Road politeness
B. Traffic problems
C. Good manners
D. Modern drivers

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition． Some value it highly， believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity． Others say that competition is bad； that it sets one person against another； that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people．
I have taught many children who held the belief that their selfworth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills． For them， playing well and winning are often lifeanddeath affairs． In their singleminded pursuit of success， the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten．
However， while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed， others take an opposite attitude． In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players， they strongly blame competition． Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society． Teaching these young people， I often observe in them a desire to fail． They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success． By not trying， they always have an excuse： "I may have lost， but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try．" What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost， that would mean a lot． Such a loss would be a measure of their worth． Clearly， this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves． Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's selfrespect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others． Both are afraid of not being valued． Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition．



What does this passage mainly talk about？ ______

A. Competition helps to set up selfrespect．
B. Opinions about competition are different among people．
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development．
D. Failures are necessary experiences in competition．

The underlined phrase "the most vocal" in Paragraph 3 means ______ ．

A. those who try their best to win
B. those who value competition most highly
C. those who are against competition most strongly
D. those who rely on others most for success

What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a "desire to fail"？ ______

A. One's worth lies in his performance compared with others"．
B. One's success in competition needs great efforts．
C. One's achievement is determined by his particular skills．
D. One's success is based on how hard he has tried．

Which point of view may the author agree to？ ______

A. Every effort should be paid back．
B. Competition should be encouraged．
C. Winning should be a lifeanddeath matter．
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition．

A common argument for expanding renewable energy sources is that technologies such as solar panels （太阳板）release far less carbon dioxide than power plants（发电厂） that burn oil．
Only about 3 percent of the Earth's water is freshwater， most of which is frozen-That means only 0.8 percent of the planet's water can be served for human use． Water is a necessary， but limited product． And nearly 1 billion people worldwide lack of fresh water． In the U．S．， 45.3 percent of the freshwater is used to cool off thermoelectric （热电）power plants： nuclear reactors and plants that burn oil．
To provide electricity for an average home， a nuclear power plant requires 615 gallons of cooling water a day， a coal-fired plant， 199 gallons per day， and a natural gas power plant， 114 gallons per day． Let's look at how much water each power source takes to make one megawatt（兆瓦）-hour of electricity．
Nuclear reactors are the highest， at 13，000 gallons． Then comes coal， natural gas． The water needed by solar panels is lower． These numbers only reflect operations to make electricity； they do not include water used to get the fuel or make the power． For example， fracking （水力压裂）can use hundreds of thousands of gallons each time to make a rock cracked to release natural gas． Large quantities of water becomes vapor． The rest is sent back to the environment， but some of that is fixed with chemicals， and most of it is hot， which can kill fish and other living things．
Natural gas， coal and nuclear power plants ranked one， two and three in 2016， according to the total amount of U．S． electricity made in a year． And natural gas is projected to become even more important through 2050．
To protect fresh water， it seems clear that the country should change toward renewables． This would make more freshwater for food production and human use．



Which uses the most water to make electricity？ ______

A. Coal-fired plant．
B. A natural gas power plant．
C. Solar panels．
D. A nuclear power plant．

For what purpose does the author provide so many numbers？ ______

A. To provide proof to scientists．
B. To state the fact of making electricity．
C. To tell readers to treasure freshwater．
D. To prove that non-renewable energy uses much more water．

What suggestion does the author make in the passage？ ______

A. Fresh water should be protected．
B. Renewable energy should be put into use．
C. Non-renewable energy should use less water．
D. People should save fresh water．

What is the main idea of the text？ ______

A. Non-renewable energy pollutes environment．
B. Renewable energy saves water．
C. Electricity needs much water to make．
D. Ways are listed to make electricity．