Sometimes people around you can change your values. My elder brother Steve, in the
__1__ of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in __2__ that
helped me grow into an adult. Once when I returned __3__ from a baseball game, it was
Steve __4__ took the time to ask me what happened. When I explained that my baseball
had __5__ through Mrs. Holt's basement window, breaking the glass. Steve encouraged me
to __6__ to her. After all, I should have played in the park and not in the path __7__
buildings. Although my __8__ trembled as I stood explaining, I offered to __9__ the
window if she would return my ball. I also learned that personal property is a __10__ thing.
After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom. I wanted to keep it, but
Steve explained that it might be important to someone else __11__ the fact that it had little
value. He reminded me of how much I'd hate to lose to someone else the small dog my
father __12__ from a piece of cheap wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, and __13__
remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on my shoulder. Yet of all the
__14__ Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most __15__ in my mind.
At twelve I killed a sparrow with a gun. Excited with my __16__ , I screamed to Steve to
take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and __17__ the bird on
the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark? ” I didn‘t
know what to answer. He continued with his eyes __18__ , “The only time you should even
think of hurting a living thing is __19__ it hurts you first. And then you think a long, long
time. ” I really felt terrible then, but that moment __20__ as the most important lesson my
brother has taught me.
1. A. absence B. influence C. presence D. appearance
2. A. personalities
B. beliefs
C. impressions
D. values
3. A. in surprise B. in tears
C. at ease D. in vain
4. A. which
B. what
C. who
D. whom
5. A. dashed B. rocketed C. swelled
D. paced
6. A. admit
B. subscribe C. confess
D. appeal
7. A. beneath B. above
C. in
D. between
8. A. legs
B. hands
C. toes
D. back
9. A. pay for B. break down
C. account for
D. pull through
10. A. genuine
B. sacred
C. magical
D. specific
11. A. regardless of B. instead of C. on account of D. in spite of
12. A. produced B. shaped C. purchased D. carved
13. A. therefore B. even
C. still
D. yet
14. A. gifts
B. lessons C. pens
D. sparrows
15. A. vivid
B. casual
C. permanent
D. valid
16. A. prediction B. intelligence
C. accuracy D. expectation
17. A. stared at B. picked up C. glared at D. caught sight of
18. A. blank B. shut
C. firm
D. wide
19. A. as
B. for
C. since
D. whether
20. A. passes by B. stands out C. crowds of D. fades away
【补充阅读】A
A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite
equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below 16℃. Rainforests have a
great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and
adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the
atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind
and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three
major resources (资源): land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising
farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example, a lot of carbon
dioxide (二氧化碳) in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a
need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will
benefit.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally
they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests
may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the
world's wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world's drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines
we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1％ of rainforest plants
have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to
cure diseases lies somewhere in the world's shrinking rainforests.
( ) 1. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they ____.
A. reflect more heat into the atmosphere
B. bring about high rainfall throughout the world
C. rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃
D. reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth
( ) 2. What does the word "this" underlined in the third paragraph refer to?
A. We will lose much more than we can gain.
B. Humans have begun destroying rainforests.
C. People have a strong desire for resources.
D. Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.
( ) 3. It can be inferred from the text that ____.
A. we can get enough resources without rainforests
B. there is great medicine potential in rainforests
C. we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land
D. the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns
( ) 4. What might be the best title for the text?
A. How to Save Rainforests
B. How to Protect Nature
C. Rainforests and the Environment
D. Rainforests and Medical Development
【补充阅读】B
Does fame drive you crazy?
① Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s stars, feeling
like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much
of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready.
Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being
able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!
② According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry
constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they
really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were
before everyone knew their names. "Over time," Villareal says, "they feel separated and
alone."
③ The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th
century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his
victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his
sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of
privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way
that modern tabloids and websites do.
④ Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be.
Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern
cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the
Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their "story" alive forever.
⑤ If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The
answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding
themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big
cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever
made them famous in the first place.
⑥ Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full
justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous
already.
（1）It can be learned from the passage that stars today ____.
A. are often misunderstood by the public
B. can no longer have their privacy protected
C. spend too much on their public appearance
D. care little about how they have come into fame
（2）What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. Great heroes of the past were generally admired.
B. The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.
C. Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.
D. Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.
（3）What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
A. Availability of modern media.
B. Inadequate social recognition.
C. Lack of favorable chances.
D. Huge population of fans.
（4）What is the author's attitude toward modern celebrity?
A. Sincere.
B. Sceptical.
C. Disapproving.
D. Sympathetic.
【补充阅读】C
(A) Do you have a hobby — something you really enjoy doing in your spare time? Have you
ever wondered what it would be like if you could spend more time on your hobby and less
time at work? Maybe it's not an either/or situation. Perhaps you can do both at the same
time.
(B) When choosing a career, one of the things you must consider is your interests. Why then
do so many people not even think about their hobbies when a hobby is, in fact, an interest?
Perhaps it's because even Webster's Dictionary defines a hobby as "a pursuit (消遣，嗜好)
outside one’s regular occupation (职业)". Maybe this is a rule you should break. After all, no
one ever said your hobby had to stay separate from your occupation. In addition people are
usually very skilled at their hobbies. The combination of interest and skill is a very
compelling (令人信服的) reason to choose a particular career.
(C) "Who's going to hire someone who loves making beaded (串珠状的) jewelry?" You may
ask yourself. Good question. Don't wait for someone to hire you. Start your own business.
That may be the best way to combine your hobby with your career. Those with hobbies that
involve creating things, i.e. jewelry, clothing or pottery, may do well to sell those items on
their own. Before you go forward with your plans, though, you should find out whether
being an entrepreneur (企业家) is for you.
(D) When you attempt to turn your hobby into a career, don't forget to do your homework.
Even though you may have enjoyed training your 34 parakeets (长尾鹦鹉) to sing the
National Anthem, that doesn't mean you're cut out to be an animal trainer. Be sure to
research your career choice completely. There may be aspects of it that just aren't for you.
In that case, stick to your day job, as they say, and save your hobby for your free time.
1. Why does the writer ask two questions in the first paragraph?
A. To lead in the topic of hobby and career.
B. To describe what can be a hobby.
C. To compare hobbies with work.
D. To explain what a hobby is.
2. We can infer from paragraph 2 that many people ____.
A. always mix their interest with their hobbies
B. often separate their hobbies from their jobs
C. daren’t break a rule of choosing their jobs
D. don’t know the true meaning of a hobby
3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Doing one’s homework may be a hobby.
B. A day job can’t be a hobby in your spare time.
C. Not every hobby is suitable to become a career.
D. An animal trainer has a hobby of singing songs.
4. By writing this passage, the writer intends to introduce ____.
A. how to choose a hobby for your free time
B. how to develop your own hobby
C. how to treat your job as a hobby
D. how to turn a hobby into a career
