Have you ever received a gift that was so clearly not your taste that you wondered if perhaps it had been handed to you by mistake? Worse, have you ever given a present and watched your friend look as though she had opened the wrong box? Maybe she responded with a polite “Why, thank you,” but you knew you had missed the mark. Why do presents sometimes go wrong? And what do your choices (good and had) reflect about your personal qualities?

Choosing the right gift is an art, I believe. It calls for empathy－the ability to put yourself into someone else’s head and heart. We’re all able to do this; in fact, we’re born with a kind of natural empathy. After the earliest period of childhood, however, it needs to be reinforced（加强）－by our parents, teachers, friends .When it isn’t, we’re not able to understand other people’s feelings as sharply. This can show in the gifts we select, and so can many other emotional（情感的）qualities.

Think back to the presents you’ve given over the past year, the time and effort you put into your selection, how much you spent, your thoughts while you were shopping ,and your feelings when the receiver opened the package. Keep in mind that what you choose displays your inner world. Of course, you may express yourself differently with different friends, relatives, and other people you know.

We live in a society where exchanging presents is an important part of communication. Ignoring the tradition won’t make it go away. If you really dislike such a tradition, tell your friends ahead of time.

1.The underlined expression “you had missed the mark” means “you had failed to     ”.

A. make her feel better

B. keep your friendship

C. receive a present in return

D. get the expected effect

2.Which of the following is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A. Natural empathy needs to be reinforced.

B. Emotional changes influence one’s choice of gifts.

C. Selecting the right gift is an ability people are born with.

D. Choosing gifts requires one to understand the receivers.

3.In the third paragraph, the author tells us that        .

A. attention should be paid to the receiver’s responses

B. one learns from what he did in the past

C. the choice of girls reflects one’s emotional qualities

D. one should spend more time choosing gifts

4.The best possible title for this passage is “　　　”.

A. Ways of Choosing Gifts

B. An Important Tradition

C. Exchanging Presents

D. Message in a Gift

 

June 8th, 2004

　　Tian'anmen. Square. Forbidden City. The Ming Tombs. Summer Palace. The Great Wall Peking Duck. Street of Bars.

　　I feel like I've been run over by a tractor. Beijing has too much history. It's completely overpowering. I think my friend is just as blinded by the pure brightness of China's long past. Oh… the glory of ancient China still exists. I think out of all the places I visited, I like the Great Wall the best. We climbed, and climbed and climbed. Parts of it were basically straight up. We were out of breath all the way up. But it was all worth it. One sight of the length and lasting power of this monument of humankind blew the wind out of me. From our point of vision, the wall was endless; travels as far as the eye could see.

　　On a totally unrelated topic, people here really like to use umbrellas and spit(not in that order). A great majority of the women here hold these little colored umbrellas--in fear of darkening the skin. I feel so out of place. I'm really brown. My mom calls me a black cat. One thing I can't get used to is people smoking in the restaurants and stores. Smoking is forbidden in most buildings in America unless there is a specified area . The food, however, is unbelievable. Salivating（流口水）became common.　　I heard the National Entrance Exam ended today or yesterday. I'm still shocked at the idea of having so many exams crowded into two days. Thankfully, we didn't have to go through with it. Instead, we had to deal with the SATs. I had the chance to talk with a few students of my age. I really admire these students. They get the spirit of“patience and perseverance”.

(1) What reminded the author of his brown skin?

[　　]

A．Umbrellas used on the Great Wall.

B．The women on the Great Wall.

C．The steep part of the Great Wall.

D．The author's mother.

(2) What puzzled the author most according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The ancient Chinese buildings.

B．The Great Wall.

C．Chinese food.

D．The way the National Exam held in China.

(3) Which of the following is an unpleasant experience during the writer's visit in China?

[　　]

A．Climbing the Great Wall.

B．Eating Chinese food.

C．Smoking is not forbidden in some public places.

D．So many students took part in the National Exam.

(4) What's the writer's attitude towards the Chinese students?

[　　]

Simply by analyzing a drop of blood, a doctor will be able to diagnose a birth defect or even cancer when it is in the early stage; using new technology, a material lighter but much stronger than steel can be produced.

These may sound like dreams at present. But the dreams may soon come true as research findings in laboratories are being turned into products more rapidly in the new century, according to experts participating in the fourth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Technomart, a technology exhibition and trade fair in Suzhou.　　

"Most people think nano-technology（纳米技术）is too far-fetched to be real. But in fact nano-technology has been applied in a wide range of fields, such as medicine. It is coming into our daily life," said Cheng Jiachong from a Hong Kong-based nano-technology firm.

Nano-technology based on the nanometer, the unit of which is a billionth of a meter, enables scientists to have new concepts of disease diagnosis and treatment on a molecular（分子）and atomic scale, Cheng said.　　

By using nanometer particles, a doctor can separate the fetus cells（胚胎细胞）from the blood of a pregnant woman to see if the development of the fetus is normal. This method is also being used in the early diagnosis of cancer and heart disease, he said.　　

One of the most significant impacts of nano-technology is at the bio-inorganic materials interface, according to Greg Tegart, executive advisor of the APEC Center for Technology Foresight.　　

"By combining enzymes（酶）and silicon chips we can produce biosensors. These could be implanted in humans or animals to monitor health and to deliver corrective doses（剂量）of drugs," he told the participants a technology forum during the exhibition.　　

"Nano-technology could affect the production of nearly every man-made object, from automobiles, tires and computer circuits（电路）, to advanced medicines and tissue replacement, and lead to the invention of objects yet to be imagined," said David Minns, a special advisor to the National Research Council of Canada.　　

It has been shown that carbon nano-tubes are ten times as strong as steel, with one sixth of the weight, and nano-scale systems have the potential to make supersonic transport cost- effective and to increase computer efficiency by millions of times, he said.

The experts agreed that the APEC technology exhibition and trade fair provided many chances for exchanges of innovative ideas and products.

1.Realization of the dreams mentioned in the first paragraph will mainly base on ________.

A. APEC                              B. Chinese scientist   

C. the APEC Center for Technology Foresight     D. Nano-technology

2.The length of a nanometer equals to ______.

    A.  meter         B.  meter      C.  meter        D.  meter

3. We can imply from what David Minns said that _________.

A. Nano-technology could only be used to invent new objects.

B. Nano-technology could be widely used to produce or invent objects.

C. Nano-technology is a money-consuming technology.

D. Nano-technology can not be used to improve the service of Internet.

4. Compared to steel, carbon nano-tubes are ________.

A. stronger and lighter      B. lighter but as strong

C. stronger but as light                                     D. poor in quality

 

 

　　When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主）in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's（解说者的）part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.

    It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions(蒲公英）popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds, "she said." From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."

    "But I like dandelions, "I protested." All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions!"

    My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added.

    When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.

　　“But you will be a beautiful narrator,”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.

    Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.

1.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because_______.

    A. she felt nervous on the stage.

    B. she lost her interest in that role.

    C. she preferred the role of the narrator

    D. she had difficulty memorizing her words

2.Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?

    A. To remove the dandelions

    B. To enjoy the garden scene

    C. To have a talk with her daughter.

    D. To help her daughter with the play.

3.What is the main idea of the story?

    A. Everybody can find his or her own way to success.

    B. Everybody has his or her own value in the world.

    C. Everybody should learn to play different roles

    D Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

 

完形填空

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。

The western world has always been divided into two types of people—the cool and the uncool. It is a division that  1   in school. The cool kids are good at   2  .They are   3   with the opposite sexお and are good-looking and people want to   4   their style. They can do their homework but they don’t make a big effort. That would   5   be cool.

The uncool kids are in the other corner of the playground. They are very bright, but they don’t have great  6  skills and they are   7  at sports. When they are not programming computers or doing calculus（微积分）in their heads, they are reading comic books and watching shows like the “X Files”. They are   8   as the geeks (做低级滑稽表演的人).

Here’s the news. The geeks are   9   . Make friends with them now or they will put virus in your computer and  10   your math homework to ruin. Geeks might not be popular at school, yet they do pass their examinations, and they might not be too popular at university, but   11   good degrees.

The most important  12   of the 21st century, computers and IT, has been at least partly created by geeks. Geek heroes like Bill Gates  13   others to follow their example. Being a geek is a way of earning good money. And the creation of the Internet gave them a  14   of their own to work and play in, making them a global   15  .Besides, the effect of the geeks   16   popular culture has started a new trend（趋势）. It is now cool to be   17  .Geek culture is becoming an important part of general popular culture, in which what you know is more important than  18   you look like.

But there are also  19  .Geeks were often bullied or laughed at in school. Now a geek may be your boss. Perhaps it is time for   20  .

1.A.continues　　　　　　    B.makes　　　　　　    C.remains　　　　　　　　　　 D.starts

2.A.computers　　　　　　　　　　 B.studies　　　　　　   C.sports　　　　　　　　　　   D.maths

3.A.pleasant 　　　　　　    B.popular　　　　　　   C.crazy　　　　　　　　　　    D.average

4.A.copy　　　　　　　　　　  B.advance　　　　　　  C.take　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.act

5.A.not　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.indeed　　　　　　    C.perhaps　　　　　　　　　　 D.actually

6.A.speaking　　　　　　　　 B.operating　　　　    C.social　　　　　　　　　　    D.experimental

7.A.speechless　　　　　　　　　　 B.sharp　　　　　　　　 C.active　　　　　　　　　　    D.hopeless

8.A.known　　　　　　　　   B.referred　　　　　　  C.thought　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.admired

9.A.taking on 　　　　　　　　　　 B.taking up　　　　    C.taking over　　　　　　    D.taking in

10.A.put　　　　　　　　　　   B.cause　　　　　　　　 C.bring　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.serve

11.A.win　　　　　　　　　　  B.take　　　　　　　　   C.wish　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.finish

12.A.industry　　　　　　    B.discovery　　　　   C.progress　　　　　　　　    D.development

13.A.promise　　　　　　    B.discourage　　　　  C.demand　　　　　　　　　　 D.excite

14.A.chance　　　　　　　　 B.space　　　　　　　　 C.world　　　　　　　　　　    D.career

15.A.force　　　　　　　　    B.company　　　　    C.organization　　　　　　   D.department

16.A.of　　　　　　　　　　    B.on　　　　　　　　　　  C.in　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.for

17.A.rich　　　　　　　　　　  B.attractive　　　　    C.handsome　　　　　　　　  D.uncool

18.A.how　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.that　　　　　　　　    C.what　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.how much

19.A.opportunities  　　   B.dangers　　　　　　  C.possibility　　　　　　　　  D.question

20.A.punishment　　　　   B.argument　　　　    C.competition　　　　　　   D.employment