选择知识点

My husband Dave and I unloaded our car after a fun-filled day trip to Wellington．As soon as I walked in the front door，I noticed a flashing light on our answering machine．I pressed the button．"Hi，Dave and Sharon．You don't know me．My name is Janet．I have your camera．"
What？I rummaged（仔细搜寻） through my bag-sure enough，my camera was nowhere to be found．How did this stranger have it？How did she know it was mine？
The photos on this camera were priceless．Almost all from our recent vacation to Wyoming to visit our youngest son and his wife were on it．Our oldest son joined us and it was the first time we'd all been together in over a year．I'd cleared the memory card beforehand-just some old photos that I'd already downloaded-so I would have plenty of room to capture every precious moment．
Dave and I had one day after our trip to Wyoming before we had to return to work，so we mapped out a bike ride in Wellington．Upon our arrival，I took a few photos while Dave took our bikes out of our car．Now I realized that was the last time I'd seen my camera．
I hadn't downloaded our Wyoming pictures．They could have been lost forever．There was no name or address on the camera．Who was this Janet？Some detective？
I called her back．"How did you find it？"I asked．"How did you find me？"
"I recognized your church in a few photos，"she said．"Another photo had a young man wearing a name badge（姓名牌）．I phoned the church secretary to connect the dots．"Janet described old photos I thought I'd deleted．But how could she have recognized our church？
"Where are you？"I asked．"Where can I meet you to get the camera？"
I didn't have to travel far．Janet lived just fifteen minutes away-she attended our sister church the next town over．



Hearing the message on the answering machine，the author was ______ ．

A. very excited
B. deeply grateful
C. pretty annoyed
D. greatly surprised

What is Paragraph 3 mainly about？ ______

A. The advantages of the camera．
B. Why the photos were important．
C. The author's love for photographing．
D. How much the author missed her sons．

It turned out that Janet ______ ．

A. was the church secretary
B. also attended the author's church
C. knew the young man in the photo
D. was familiar with the author's church

What does the underlined part"connect the dots"in Paragraph 7 mean？ ______

A. To form a good relationship．
B. To feel a sense of agreement．
C. To make connections in one's mind．
D. To have the dots on a paper connected．

With the development of the economy，loose change （零钱） is often ignored by most of us．We have forgotten how those little，round metal pieces can add up．However，if you were a kid that had to clean the house for extra money，you'll understand how important it is．
When I was a kid，I knew my parents could afford whatever I wanted，but Dad made me work for things that were"wants"．I knew Dad always carried a lot of change in his pockets．He had taught me that enough pennies （便士） would still get me what I wanted in the end．
Dad had his favorite reclining chair （躺椅） in his room where he would go after a long day at work． When he reclined in the chair，the change would fall from his pockets onto the floor under the chair，which was really a good chance for me to collect pennies．I'm sure he realized he had empty pockets when he took his clothes off，but he never said anything and never stopped sitting in the chair．
My kids learned early that change worked just as well as dollars and they also knew their dad saw no value in change．In fact，he saw it as a pain-in-the-neck so instead of asking him for money，they always asked if they could have his change．
Whenever I see a penny on a floor，I always pick it up．They've come in handy over the years，like at the check stand when someone needs a penny to check out，or my children are twelve cents short of their bus fare-little things，but important things．



Why is loose change ignored at present according to the author？ ______

A. Because people find it is of no use．
B. Because people's lives have improved a lot．
C. Because loose change is often noisy．
D. Because loose change isn't easy to carry．

Why did the author's father ask her to work for her own"wants"？ ______

A. To help her earn a lot of money．
B. To tell her that pennies add up．
C. To save enough money for future use．
D. To let her know it was hard to earn money．

We can infer from Paragraph 3 that the author's father ______ ．

A. taught the author a good lesson
B. didn't care about loose change
C. was really a hard-working person
D. was too tired to look after his child

The underlined word"pain-in-the-neck"means that the author's husband ______ ．

A. paid little attention to change
B. was really rich
C. was very generous
D. had a problem with his neck

The morning had been a disaster．My tooth was aching，and I'd been in an argument with a friend．Her words still hurt："The trouble with you is that you won't put yourself in my place．Can't you see things from my point of view？"I shook my head stubbornly-and felt the ache in my tooth．I'd thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday，but the pain was really unbearable．I started calling the dentists in the phone book，but no one could see me immediately．Finally，at about lunchtime，I got lucky．
"If you come by right now，"the receptionist said，"the dentist will fit you in．"
I look at my purse and keys and rushed to my car．But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist．What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice？Why wasn't he as busy as the others？
In the dentist's office，I sat down and looked around．I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried．The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one．
When I told her my fears，she laughed and said，"Don't worry．The dentist is very good．"
"How long do I have to wait for him？"I asked impatiently．
"Come on，he is coming．Just lie down and relax．And enjoy the artwork，"the assistant said．
"The artwork？"I was puzzled．
The chair went back，suddenly I smiled．There was a beautiful picture，right where I could enjoy it：on the ceiling．How considerate the dentist was！At that moment，I began to understand what my friend meant by her words．
What a relief！



Which of the following best describes the author's feeling that morning？ ______

A. Cheerful．
B. Nervous．
C. Satisfied．
D. Upset．

What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist？ ______

A. The dentist's agreeing to treat her at very short notice．
B. The dentist's being as busy as the other dentists．
C. The surroundings of the dentist's office．
D. The laughing assistant of the dentist．

Why did the author suddenly smile？ ______

A. Because the dentist came at last．
B. Because she saw a picture on the ceiling．
C. Because she could relax in the chair．
D. Because the assistant kept comforting her．

What did the author learn from her experience most probably？ ______

A. Strike while the iron is hot．
B. Have a good word for one's friend
C. Put oneself in other's shoes
D. A friend in need is a friend indeed．

As a youngster， there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather's farm in western Pennsylvania． Surrounded （环绕） by miles of winding stone walls， the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me． I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper， "Not to be touched!"
I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old． Since my first visit to the farm， I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses． My parents would never approve． The walls were old； some stones were missing， others loose and falling． Still， my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally， one spring afternoon， I had all my courage to enter the living room， where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner．
"I， uh-I want to climb the stone walls，" I said． Everyone looked up． "Can I climb the stone walls？ "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room． "Heavens， no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed； the response was just as I'd expected． But before I could leave the room， I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice． "Now hold on just a minute，" I heard him say． "Let the boy climb the stone walls． He has to learn to do things for himself．"
"Go，" he said to me， "and come and see me when you get back．" For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls-and had the time of my life． Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures． I'll never forget what he said． "Fred，" he said， smiling， "You made this day a special day just by being yourself． Always remember， there's only one person in this whole world like you， and I like you exactly as you are．"
Many years have passed since then， and today I host the television program Mister Rogers" Neighborhood， seen by millions of children throughout America． There have been changes over the years， but one thing remains the same： You must remember， "There's only one person in this whole world like you， and people can like you exactly as you are．"



When the writer was small， he lived ______ ．

A. away from his parents
B. on the farm
C. with his grandparents
D. in the city

The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because ______ ．

A. there were old stone walls
B. it was an exciting place for him
C. he liked his grandfather
D. the living room there was clean

The underlined word "approve" in paragraph 2 means ______ ．

A. allow
B. guess
C. improve
D. mind

We can learn from the passage that the writer was ______ ．

A. funny
B. adventurous
C. smart
D. talkative （健谈的）

When I lived in Spain， some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car． Before they left， they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation （住所）． I suggested that they should stay at ‘bed and breakfast" houses， because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family． My friends listened to my advice， but they came back with some funny stories．
"We didn't stay at bed and breakfast houses，" they said， "because we found that most families were away on holiday．"
I thought this was strange． Finally I understood what had happened． My friends spoke little English， and they thought ‘VACANCIES" meant ‘holidays"， because the Spanish word for ‘holidays" is ‘vacaciones"． So they did not go to house where the sign outside said ‘VACANCLES"， which in English means there are free rooms． Then my friends went to house where the sign said ‘NO VACANCLES"， because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday． But they found that these houses were all full． As a result， they stayed at hotels!
We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs． In Spanish， the word ‘DIVERSION" means fun． In English， it means that workmen are repairing the road， and that you must take a different road． When my friends saw the word ‘DIVERSION" on a road sign， they thought they were going to have fun． Instead， the road ended in a large hold．
English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages． Once in Paris． when someone offered me some more． coffee， I said ‘Thank you" in French． I meant that I would like some more， However ， to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that ‘Thank you" in French means ‘No， thank you．"



My Spanish friends wanted advice about ______ ．

A. learning English
B. finding places to stay in England
C. driving their car on English roads
D. going to England by car

"NO VACANCIES" in English means ______ ．

A. no free rooms
B. free rooms
C. not away on holiday
D. holidays

If you see a road sign that says ‘Diversion"， you will ______ ．

A. fall into a hole
B. have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself
C. find that the road is blocked by crowds of people
D. have to take a different road

When someone offered me more coffee and I said ‘Thank you" in French， I ______ ．

A. didn't really want any more coffee
B. wanted them to take the coffee pot away
C. really wanted some more coffee
D. wanted to express my politeness

Children have their own rules in playing games． They seldom need a referee （裁判） and rarely trouble to keep scores． They don't care much about who wins or loses， and it doesn't seem to worry them if the game is not finished． Yet， they like games that depend a lot on luck， so that their personal abilities cannot be directly compared． They also enjoyed games that move in stages， in which each stage， the choosing of leaders， the picking-up of sides， or the determining of which side shall start， is almost a game in itself．
Grown-ups can hardly find children's game exciting， and they often feel puzzled at why their kids play such simple game again and again． However， it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons． He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person， and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinary afraid． He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn． He can be confident， too， in particular games， that it is his place to give orders， to pretend to be dead， to throw a ball actually at someone， or to kiss someone he has caught．
It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control． Everyone knows the rules， and more importantly， everyone plays according to the rules． Those rules may be childish， but they make sure that every child has a chance to win．



What is true about children when they play games？ ______

A. They can stop playing any time they like．
B. They can test their personal abilities．
C. They want to pick a better team．
D. They don't need rules．

To become a leader in a game the child has to ______ ．

A. be a useful partner
B. wait for his turn
C. be confident in himself
D. be popular among his playmates

Why does a child like playing games？ ______

A. Because he can be someone other than himself．
B. Because he can become popular among friends．
C. Because he finds he is always lucky in games．
D. Because he likes the place where he plays a game．

Music has a great effect on everyone． But does music affect plants， too？ People have been experimenting with music for almost three decades． From school-level projects to higher-level scientific experiments， the effect of music on plants has been a confusing and debatable topic．
We know music is sound and sound is nothing more than a wave． Plant growth is a result of the cell division that takes place within the cells． But why is music associated with plant growth？ In humans， music has a strong effect on our health and mood， and over the years， people have claimed that the same effect has been observed on plants， too． Plants are sensitive by nature， and many people claim that they have feelings just as humans do． There are stories about plants shedding tears． Although scientists do not support these as facts， these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants．
Various studies have proved that plants respond to acoustic （音响的） energy． It increases their rate of growth and their size， and influences their overall health． Dan Carlson， after a thorough study over many years， has reached a conclusion that music helps plants absorb nutrients （养分） more efficiently．
It took Dan about fifteen years to develop a foliage spray （叶面喷剂） that is used beneficially with the sound frequencies． Carlson calls this spray "Sonic Bloom"． His findings have proved to be beneficial for countless farmers and have resulted in-according to Guinness Book of World Records-the largest indoor plant on record． The Purple Passion was treated with the Sonic Bloom process． It grew to be 1，300 feet tall and was alive even after 25 years． Its normal lifespan （寿命）， however， is 18 months and it grows not more than 18 feet tall． The book， Secret of the Soil， writes about Sonic Bloom and its results． Sonic Bloom is also sold in the market．



What inspired scientists to experiment with plants？ ______

A. The effects of music on humans．
B. Plants are sensitive by nature．
C. The cell division taking place within the cells．
D. People's debatable opinion of the effect music has on plants．

What is the main idea of Para.3？ ______

A. Nutrients are important to plants．
B. Music can have some good effects on plants．
C. How the rate of growth of plants can be improved．
D. What kinds of music can contribute to the growth of plants．

What did Dan Carlson develop？ ______

A. A spray called "Sonic Bloom"．
B. A method to grow larger plants．
C. A special plant that grows very fast．
D. Acoustic energy that plants respond to．

Why is the Purple Passion included in Guinness Book of World Records？ ______

A. It is the oldest indoor plant．
B. It is the largest indoor plant．
C. It gives off the most pleasant smell．
D. It can grow in the toughest conditions．

Famous writer Edgar Allan Poe wrote 70 poems and 66 short stories during his life， but published only one novel． That book， The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket， is fiction，focusing on Pym's bad luck on a whaling ship．
The novel， published in 1838， involves an attempted rebellion of the whaling ship． Pym and two others drive back the rebels， killing or throwing overboard all but one． The spared rebel， named Richard Parker， is kept aboard in order to help operate the ship． But as the ship overturns， it has no adequate food． Parker suggests that cannibalism（食人）is the only way out， and they draw straws to determine the victim． Parker loses and becomes dinner．
But in 1846 a real-life Richard Parker died in a shipwreck （船滩）． He and 20 others were on board the doomed Francis Spaight， which sank， killing all on board． It was a mere coincidence， as it involved neither rebellion nor cannibalism．
In 1884， the coincidence became extremely horrible． A boat named the Mignonette sank， and four people went into a lifeboat． And just like in Pym's tale， the four found themselves lacking food and were desperate． They did not draw straws； however， two of the remaining three simply killed the youngest， a cabin boy who had fallen unconscious． All three then dined on the now-dead 17-year-old． The cabin boy's name， of course， was Richard Parker．
As for rebellion， one needs to travel back to 1797， before Poe penned his novel --- although there is little evidence that Poe had known about this Richard Parker or intentionally chose his name for the Pym novel． That year， another man named Richard Parker led a rebellion of the British Naval base at Nore， taking over a number of ships． But as food was running out， Parker ordered "his" fleet to head toward France． The ship he was on followed this order but none of the other ships did， and Parker was arrested then was hanged as punishment．
This series of coincidences has not gone entirely unnoticed． In 2001， author Yann Martel published The Life of Pi， which was made into a movie for release in November of 2012． It tells the story of a man who finds himself trapped on a lifeboat with a few animals， including a Bengal tiger．
Martel showed respect for the shipwrecked men spoken about above by naming the tiger Richard Parker． And while there is probably nothing to this strange occurrence， if your name is Richard Parker， you may want to stay away from boats．



The underlined part "draw straws" （Para． 2）suggests someone will be chosen to ______ ．

A. deal with straws
B. enjoy a good opportunity
C. make a clever decision
D. do something unpleasant

What made the coincidence in 1884 extremely terrible？ ______

A. Cannibalism without drawing straws．
B. Shipwreck and rebellion．
C. Rebellion and cannibalism．
D. Hanging and cannibalism．

What can be learnt about the name Richard Parker？ ______

A. It was chosen on purpose by Allan Poe．
B. It seemed connected with strange coincidences．
C. It was popular both in fiction and in reality．
D. It was originally a name for a Bengal tiger．

To those Richard Parkers who wish to sail on the sea， this passage makes for ______ ．

A. a complete nonsense
B. an accurate prediction
C. an interesting warning
D. an impressive joke

Many of us know about Russia's Lake Baikal from our textbooks， or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian's hit song， Lake Baikal． But over the past decade， the world's deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport．
Each March since 2005， about 150 people from around the world sign up for the Baikal Ice Marathon． They come to explore the lake's breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions．
The 26-mile （41． 84-kilometers） journey starts on the lake's eastern shore． In March， the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard． Runners cross this frozen surface， finishing on the western side of the lake．
Known as the "blue eye of Siberia"， Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters． This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent． "Seen from above， a runner on the ice looks as if he or she is jogging through space，" The New York Times noted．
The landscape might be beautiful， but it's also harsh． Strong winds blast （侵袭） across the lake and frostbite （冻伤） can occur within half an hour． Runners say the cold climate is what draws them． They want to test their limits．
"When you are in such an environment， you don't have cars around you， you don't have the noise around． I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature，" Alicja Barahona， a 64-year-old runner from the US， told ABC News．
The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon． The finish line is visible from the start． But the endless white offers no progress markers． The race also ends with little fanfare （喧闹）． Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to snapping series （自拍） and just ignore the runners．
For some runners， the absence of spectators makes the race more challenging， because it's lonely． They must fight with themselves． "You are alone on Baikal． It is your race． You are alone with yourself． All you need to do is to defeat yourself，" Veronique Messina， a French runner， told the Telegraph．



What can we know about the Baikal Ice Marathon from the text？ ______

A. It takes runners from the northern end to the southern end of the lake．
B. It involves extreme weather and beautiful scenery．
C. It attracts more and more participants each year．
D. It is about 26 kilometers in length．

How does the Baikal Ice Marathon differ from other marathons？ ______

A. Only men are allowed to run in this race．
B. The runners can see the finish line from the start．
C. The runners are often distracted by tourists．
D. There are many progress markers on the ice．

What is the most difficult part of the race for Messina？ ______

A. Loneliness．
B. The long distance．
C. The cold climate．
D. Noisy surroundings．

The morning after an evening flight with my then three-year-old daughter， I couldn't wait to get her to school． I was tired from the anger， and her inability to communicate because of her slowed language development．
As I accompanied her into the car， I felt desperate． Nothing was right with our world． She had been born around the same time the nation was witnessing the birth of another Great Recession（经济萧条）．My job and my house had been victims． Then this happened． My child's language delay was identified， but doctors struggled to properly diagnosis her． I felt like we both needed to be rescued．
I returned that afternoon as disenchanted with the little girl I loved as when I left．
Walking slowly toward the school's playground gate， I found her preschool teacher racing to greet me．
"You should have seen her today!" His breathy words were supported by excitement． I didn't interrupt．"See that climber．"He pointed to a piece of wooden playground equipment that looked like a rock wall． I nodded． "Well， every day since she started school， She's tired and failed to make it to the top．" He took a breath． "And today she made it．
He expressed his joy just like he'd witnessed her conquering （征服） Mount Everest ""She cheered and celebrated! I wish l'd recorded it．"． His words comforted me． My daughter had conquered her mountain．As she ran toward me， I recognized something I hadn't before． I saw her perseverance． I saw her strength．I saw a hero．
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Why was the author's daughter rushed to school？ ______

A. The mother was busy with her work as a doctor
B. The mother had a fight with the daughter last night．
C. The mother broke down when dealing with her daughter．
D. They had to sell and leave their house due to Great Recession．

Which of the following best explains disenchanted underlined in paragraph 3？ ______

A. Disturbed．
B. Dissatisfied
C. Distrusted
D. Disappointed．

What made the little girl's preschool teacher feel excited？ ______

A. That she succeeded in conquering Mount Everest．
B. That she managed to climb up the wooden climber．
C. That she got the first place in the school sports meeting
D. That she developed the ability to communicate normally．

Where is the text probably taken from？ ______

A. On the radio．
B. From a magazine．
C. From a school paper
D. On the Internet