A Full-Time School Called Life

       You are enrolled in a full-time school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.

       Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very ling time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, is there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual. 全品高考网

Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.

       As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don't have to face, while other spend years struggling with challenges that you don't need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.

The challenge here, therefore, is to align（与…保持一致）yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others. But, remember, don't compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth. 全品高考网

       Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity—the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out of the comparing phase of “it’s not fair”. Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feelings of bitterness and anger.

11．According to the passage, how can the meaning of your life be realized?

       A．Having the same opinions as others.

       B．Taking the distinct path from others.

       C．Learning the lessons presented to you.

       D．Doing the different things from others.

12．From the passage we can conclude            .

       A．everyone has his own track to follow

       B．the same things usually happen to the peers

       C．a painful divorce must lie in financial problems

       D．a wealthy man must have a wonderful marriage

13．In your lifetime, the lessons you are faced with           .

       A．are beyond your power   B．keep you from growth

       C．limit your development   D．help you with your success

14．Which of the following is TRUE?

       A．All things are equal and justice will always prevail.

       B．You should learn to appreciate your specific uniqueness.

       C．One has to fix his mind on unfairness of circumstances.

       D．You have to complain “it’s not fair” whenever possible.

15．Life is called a full – time school, because           .

       A．it is full of all lessons to learn

       B．you have plenty of time to learn lessons

       C．you meet with specific lessons every day

       D．there are so many subjects for you to choose

Napoga is a 12-year-old girl in Ghana, Africa．It is hard for her family to get clean water．Every morning, she leaves home at 5：30 to get clean water for her family in a village far away．It takes her six hours to get enough clean water for daily cooking and drinking．She has no time to go to school or to play with her friends．Millions of people in the world are like Napoga．They can’t get enough clean water to keep healthy．

Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface．But most of that is sea water．We can’t use it for very many things．Fresh water covers only 1% of the earth’s surface．

You probably feel lucky that your life isn’t as hard as Napoga’s．But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about water．We all face serious water problems．One of them is water pollution．All kinds of things from cars, factories, farms and homes make our rivers, lakes, and oceans dirty．Polluted water is very bad for people to drink．And dirty water is bad for fish, too．Now, 34% of all kinds of fish are dying out．

How do cars and factories make our water dirty? First, they pollute the air．Then, when it rains, the rain water comes down and makes our drinking water dirty．Dirty rain, called acid rain, is also bad for plants, animals and buildings．

Scientists say that in 30 years, over half of the people in the world won’t have enough clean water．We have to learn how to save more water for ourselves and our children．

1．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

　 A．On the earth, there is very little water for our living

　 B．Acid rain doesn’t do harm to people, but it’s bad for plants, animals and buildings

　 C．We don’t need to worry about water because water covers 70% of the earth’s surface.

　 D．34% of all kinds of fish are dying out because of cars and factories make our water dirty

2．Every morning Napoga went to get clean water _______.

　 A．before she went to school B．after she finished school

　 C without going to school 　　 D．after she played with her friends

3．The following is taken from the passage:

　　 Earth Day is April 22．But on all other days, we must also remember it．The water we use is the most important natural resource on the earth.

We can put it __________

　 A．between Paragraph 1 & Paragraph 2

　 B．between Paragraph 2 & Paragraph 3

　 C．between Paragraph 3 & Paragraph 4

　 D．between Paragraph 4 & Paragraph 5

4．According to the last paragraph , perhapas the author will give _______ in the following paragraphs．

　 A．some advice for saving water

　 B．how to protect water from acid rain

　 C．the importance of natural resource on the earth.

　 D．how to make full use of sea water

 

I was thirteen years when Dad called my two younger brothers and me into the game room of our house．I was   1  ! I thought we would play games or even see movies together! "Bring a notebook and something to write with," said my dad   2   we reached the game room．My brothers and I   3   dead in our tracks and stared at each other in horror! His   4   was unusual, and our excitement turned to fear．We  5   that games or movies were not the reason we were called out．

       As we went back for a notebook and pencil, we   6   to think about the reason for this gathering．We thought family meeting was not   7   because Mom was out shopping．In the game room, we   8  three chairs facing a huge blackboard．Dad asked us to sit down．"I want your full   9 ．We are going to have a weekly meeting every Saturday morning．That is why I've called you here," he said,   10  businesslike．"I'm going to teach you what I've learned about   11 ．So take it seriously．"

       For the next five years, rain or sunshine, in sickness or in health．Dad   12   us once a week．He instructed （教导） us on a variety of   13   —manners, the importance of education, respect for others, home repairs, and the   14   goes on．We filled one notebook after another, which we all   15   well．

       As I came to my eighteenth birthday, the lessons became   16   lessons and then every other month, until they slowly drifted away．My brothers and I were older, and we had school activities, sports activities and job responsibilities that became very   17   to manage．

       It's been years now since we had those classes with Dad．We are   18   with careers （事业） and wives of our own．Very often,  19  , one of us has a situation where we need help from Dad．At this time, we   20   take out our notebooks; we needn't call home．

1．A．surprised                  B．excited                    C．disappointed            D．anxious

2．A．before                      B．unless                     C．until                       D．since

3．A．turned                      B．fell                         C．felt                         D．stopped

4．A．reaction                    B．idea                        C．request                   D．invitation

5．A．decided                    B．realized                   C．hoped                     D．admitted

6．A．wanted                     B．refused                   C．continued               D．forgot

7．A．convenient                B．important                C．interesting               D．possible

8．A．found                       B．took                       C．put                         D．shared

9．A．imagination               B．attention                  C．attraction D．consideration

10．A．going                      B．becoming                C．getting                    D．sounding

11．A．nature                     B．school                    C．life                         D．family

12．A．taught                     B．helped                     C．visited                    D．joined

13．A．methods                 B．contents                  C．problems                D．subjects

14．A．list                         B．goal                        C．plan                       D．note

15．A．used                       B．kept                        C．understood             D．knew

16．A．weekly                   B．regular                    C．monthly                  D．informal

17．A．foolish                    B．difficult                   C．necessary               D．unusual

18．A．grown                    B．familiar                   C．bored                     D．careful

19．A．instead                    B．therefore                 C．however                 D．besides

20．A．even  B．seldom      C．still    D．just

Hank Viscardi was 26 years old when he put on his first pair of long trousers and his first pair of shoes. For the first time he saw himself as he had always wanted to be a full five feet eight inches tall.

Hank had been born without legs. Until he was seven, his world was a world of repeated operations. At last he had not legs, but stumps（残肢）that could be fitted with a kind of special boots.

Out of the hospital, Hank often found people staring at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him “Ape Man” because his arms dragged（拖）on the ground.

He went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years instead of the usual twelve.

After graduation, Hank worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, Hank had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. Hank would soon have to use a wheel chair.

Hank felt himself go cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial（人造的）legs.

Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror and saw himself for the first time, five feet eight inches tall.

But this was not the end yet. He had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed the stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.

When World War Ⅱ came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. He marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi, the man without legs.

It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches tall is         .

       A．an average height for an adult（成人）

       B．too tall for an average person

       C．too short for an average person

       D．none of the above

Children laughed at Hank and called him “Ape Man” because             .

       A．he didn’t talk to them

       B．he kept away from them

       C．when he moved his arms touched the ground

       D．his arms were too long

The writer implies in the story that             .

       A．the Red Cross was only too glad to give him a job

       B．the Red Cross gave him a job because he was a good soldier.

C．the Red Cross gave him a job after he talked to somebody he knew in the organization

       D．the Red Cross was not willing to give him a job at first

When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers          .

       A．he did everything the other soldiers did

       B．he did most of the things the other soldiers did

       C．he did some of the things the other soldiers did

       D．he took some special training

The writer suggests that Hank Viscardi           .

       A．had no friends at all

       B．was a man with a strong will

       C．had lost his legs in an accident

       D．was not satisfied with his artificial legs

阅读理解

　　Hank Viscardi was 26 years old when he put on his first pair of long trousers and his first pair of shoes. For the first time he saw himself as he had always wanted to be -a full five feet eight inches tall.

　　Hank had been born without legs. Until he was seven , his world was a world of repeated operations. At last he had no legs , but stumps （残肢） that could be fitted with a kind of special boots.

　　Out of the hospital, Hank often found people staring at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him “Ape Man” because his arms dragged （拖） on the ground.

　　He went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years instead of the usual twelve.

　　After graduation , Hank worked his way through college. He swept floors , waited on table , or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life , Hank had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. Hank would soon have to use a wheel chair.

　　Hank felt himself go cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs.

　　Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror and saw himself for the first time , five feet eight inches tall.

　　But this was not the end yet. He had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed the stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.

　　When World War Ⅱ came , he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. He marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi , the man without legs.

1．It can be inferred from the story that five feet eight inches is ________.

[　　]

A．an average height for an adult

B．too tall for an average person

C．too short for an average person

D．Hank's real height

2．The writer implies in the story that the Red Cross ________.

[　　]

A．was only too glad to give him a job

B．gave him a job because he was a good soldier

C．gave him a job after he talked to somebody he knew in the organization

D．was not willing to give him a job at first

3．When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers ________.

[　　]

A．he did everything the other soldiers did

B．he did most of the things the other soldiers did

C．he took some regular exams

D．he took some special training

4．The writer suggests that Hank Viscardi ________.

[　　]

A．had no friends

B．never saw himself as different from others

C．was very shy

D．was too proud to accept help from others