I cheated on a unit test in math class this morning during second period with Mr. Burke. Afterward, I was too sick to eat lunch just thinking about it.

I came straight home from school, went to my room, and lay on the floor trying to decide whether it would be better to run away from home now or after supper. Mostly I wished I was dead. It wasn't even an accident that I cheated.

Yesterday Mr. Burke announced there'd be a unit test and anyone who didn't pass would have to come to school on Saturday, most particularly me, since I didn't pass the last unit test. I did plan to study just to prove to him that I'm plenty smart—which I am mostly—except in math.

Anyway, I got my desk ready to study on . Just when I was ready to work, Nicho came into my room with our new rabbit and it jumped on my desk and knocked the flashcards all over the floor. What a mess! Nicho and I finally took the rabbit outside but then Philip came to my room and also Marty from next door and before long it was dinner.

After dinner my father said I could watch a special on television if I'd done all my homework. Of course I said I had. That was the beginning. I felt terrible telling my father a lie about the homework.

It was nine o'clock when I got up to my room and that was too late to study for the unit test so I lay in my bed with the light off and decided what I would do the next day when I was in Mr. Burke's math class not knowing the 8- and 9-times tables. So, you see, the cheating was planned after all.

The next day, I'd go into class as usual, acting like things were going just great. I'd sit down next to Stanley Plummer—he is so smart in math it makes you sick—and from time to time, I'd glance over at his paper to copy the answers.

Lying on the floor of my room, I begin to think that probably I've been bad all along. It just took this math test to clinch it. I'll probably never tell the truth again. I tell my mother I'm sick when she calls me to come down for dinner. She doesn't believe me, but puts me to bed anyhow. I lie there in the early winter darkness wondering what terrible thing I'll be doing next when my father comes in and sits down on my bed.

"What's the matter?" he asks. "I've got a stomachache," I say. Luckily, it's too dark to see his face. "Is that all?" "Yeah." "Mommy says you've been in your room since school." "I was sick there too," I say. "She thinks something happened today and you're upset." That's the thing that really drives me crazy about my mother. She knows things sitting inside my head the same as if I was turned inside out.

"Well," my father says. I can tell he doesn't believe me. "My stomach is feeling sort of upset." I hedge. "Okay," he says and he pats my leg and gets up.

Just as he shuts the door to my room I call out to him in a voice I don't even recognize as my own. "How come?" he calls back not surprised or anything. So I tell him I cheated on this math test. To tell the truth, I'm pretty much surprised at myself. I didn't plan to tell him anything.

He doesn't say anything at first and that just about kills me. I'd be fine if he'd spank me or something. And then he says I'll have to call Mr. Burke. It's not what I had in mind. "Now?" I ask surprised. "Now," he says. He turns on the light and pulls off my covers. "I'm not going to," I say.

But I do it. I call Mr. Burke, and I tell him exactly what happened, even that I decided to cheat the night before the test. He says I'll come on Saturday to take another test, which is okay with me, and I thank him a whole lot for being understanding and all.

"Today I thought I was turning into a criminal," I tell my father when he turns out my light. Sometimes my father kisses me good night and sometimes he doesn't. I never know. But tonight he does.

1.After the author cheated on the math test, he felt ____________.

A．frightened because he might be caught

B．excited that he had succeeded

C．pleased that nobody knew it

D．unhappy because he had done something wrong

2.By “It wasn't even an accident that I cheated”, the author means that ________.

A．he had planned not to study before the test

B．he decided to cheat when he knew there was going to be a test

C．he decided to cheat after he had wasted the whole evening

D．he had planned to cheat with Plummer before the test

3.The author’ mother often drives him crazy because _____-.

A．She really knows what he is thinking

B．she was very strict with him

C．she doesn’t believe him

D．she asks him to come down for dinner

4.After he was informed of what he had done, the father _______.

A．scolded the author severely

B．didn’t say anything and left

C．called Mr. Burke immediately

D．let the author make a call to Mr. Burke

5.The author’s father kissed the author good night because ________-.

A．he had done something unusual

B．he promised to study math harder

C．he was willing to take a make-up test

D．he realized his mistake and had the courage to admit it

 

If women are mercilessly exploited（剥削） year after year, they have only themselves to blame．Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores．Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion．

    Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste．Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn．Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses．Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on．

    No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society．Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability （耐用）．They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right．There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes．

    When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious．Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers．Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide．

Designers and big stores always make money_________．

    A．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

    B．because they are capable of predicting new fashions

    C．by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

    D．because they attach great importance to quality in women's clothing

To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as ___________．

    A．a waste of money     B．a waste of time

    C．an expression of taste       D．an expression of creativity

New fashions in clothing are created for ___________．

    A．the commercial exploitation of women        B．the women's strength of character

    C．basic qualities of inconstancy and instability    D．an important contribution to society

By saying "the conclusions to be drawn are obvious" （ Line One to Line Two, Paragraph Four）, the writer means that ___________．

    A．women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at

    B．women are better able to put up with discomfort

    C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

    D．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion

Little Tom admitted ______ in the examination, ______ that he wouldn’t do that in the future.

A．to cheat; to promise

B．cheating; promised

C．having cheated; promising

D．to have cheated; promised

 

The internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Website(非法网站). Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care Online shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought.

The thieves then go shopping with your card number—or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers(黑客)have broken down security(安全) system, raising questions about the safety of card holder information.

Several months ago, 25,000 customers of a CD universe, an online music retailer(批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay US $ 157,828 to get back the information.

Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud. Master-card is working on plans for Web only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping online. However , there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.

Ask about your credit-card firm’s online rules: under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $ 78 of any fraudulent spending. And shop only at secure sites: send your credit-card information only if the Website offers advanced secure system.

If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start http://--the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.

Keep your password safe: most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.

1.The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means ______.

A．cheating          B．sale              C．payment          D．use

2.According to this passage most people worry about shopping on the Internet because ______.

A．a great number of stolen credit-cards are sold on the Internet every day

B．fraud on the Internet happens very often

C．many Websites break down every day

D．there are too many illegal Websites on the Internet

3.Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card ______.

A．because many customers lost their cards

B．by paying money for people working in the information companies

C．because of the carelessness of the customers

D．by stealing the information from Websites

4.If the passwords of your credit-cards are not probably kept, _____.

A．the bank and the shop will suffer great losses

B．you will not be able to get back your information

C．you might suffer great losses

D．the bank will answer for your loss

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to Beat Online Credit-card Thieves

B．How to Shop on the Internet

C．Never Use Credit-card Without an Advanced Computer

D．Why Thieves Steal Credit-card Information

 

阅读下列句子，用所给单词或短语的正确形式填空

reflect,  disable,  benefit,  otherwise,  voluntary,  upside down, in other words, meet with,  fit in,  make fun of

1.Fresh air is _________to our health.

2.Usually a child’s behavior is a __________ of his family environment.

3.He told lies, _____________, he cheated us.

4.People with _______________should have the same opportunities as able–bodied people.

5.I hope the arrangements will ___________ your approval.

6.In order to look for his key, Peter turned the whole house ______________.

7.He doesn’t eat much, ____________he would put on weight now.

8.Amy joined a painting group but had difficulty_____________, so she left. 

9.Nobody wants to _______________ especially in public.

10.He would like to help those in need _________rather than be asked to do so.