When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs—two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the “head” of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at the table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and trees. It was the holy （神圣的） and protected place that was his, and ours through him.

After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When they came to visit me at their old house, Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that “head” place in my Dad’s presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child’s first birthday.

Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, “Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side.” He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, “My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit.” But I didn’t.

When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don’t know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the food, our lives experienced a change, which we continue to live with.

It wasn’t easy, but I sense that there is also something good in the change which has occurred. I am beginning to learn that “honoring one’s father” is more than the question of which place to occupy at the dining table. It also means listening, wherever we sit and whatever positions we own, to the stories Dad longs to tell. We may then, during these magical moments, even be able to forget about whose chair is whose.

1．Where did the writer’s mother sit when one of the children was away?

    A．She didn’t change her chair.

    B．She moved her own chair next Dad’s.

    C．She moved to an empty chair on the side.

    D．She sat opposite to Dad.

2．How did the writer feel when he told his father to sit on the side?

    A．He didn’t feel bad because his father was going to sit there anyway.

    B．He felt happy at having carried out the difficult task.

    C．He was thoroughly satisfied with the new seating arrangement.

    D．He regretted what he had done and wanted to blame his wife.

3．What happened during the meal after the family had all taken their new seats?

    A．The writer’s children removed their grandfather from his usual place.

    B．The writer’s father didn’t appear to mind where he sat.

    C．The writer’s father shared his favorite dishes with the grandchildren.

    D．They became tense and nervous about their future as a family.

4．What did the writer learn about “honoring one’s father”?

    A．Fathers always long to tell stories about their early years.

    B．Providing the right chair is the only way to honor one’s father.

    C．Respect for one’s father doesn’t depend only on where he sits.

    D．The family should dine together at the same table as often as possible.

       Although she was risking her life and being criticized by many, she spent nine years needed for her reports, she often tested the dangerous equipment on herself.

       Chen Xiaolan, a 55—year—old former doctor, is the model of a person filled with bravery and determination. “Once in the doctor’s uniform ,she always sticks to her belief to be responsible for the patients .She has made the career even more holy（神圣的）,” said China Central Television, which honored her ,along with ten other, “People Who Moved China in 2007” on February 17, 2008.

       Chen’s lonely fight against cheat began in 1997 when her patients complained about a high—tech injector（注射器）. The patients said the injection was unusually painful but doctors ignored their complaints .Soon Chen found that doctors were receiving 7 yuan from the 40 yuan fee each time the new injector was used.

       To test the injector, Chen risked her own life by having the same injection. After receiving the injection she got sick. After researching ,she found her problems came from the injection. With proof（证据）in hand ,she reported to the government and a nationwide ban (law)was introduced in 2005. During the past nine years, Chen reported on eight different types of fake medical equipment and became a hero.

       However ,she paid much for her honesty and bravery. Chen twice lost her job as a doctor and was almost sent to a mental（精神的）hospital by her boss. She used up her money and lived on support from her relatives abroad.

       “I never regret,” said Chen. “Doctors shouldn’t lie. And I just stick to what I believe is right.”

1．What does “fake” (paragraph 1) mean?

       A．Not real               B．Expensive            C．Popular               D．Mental

2．Why was Chen Xiaolan once almost sent to a mental hospital by her boss?

       A．She was really mentally ill and became mad.

       B．She received some money from some medical equipment’s being used.

       C．She introduced a ban to stop fake medical equipment.

       D．She protected patients from fake medical equipment, which affected some people’s personal interest.

3．According to the passage, we know Chen Xiaolan is        .

       A．ill                        B．lonely                  C．brave                  D．moved

4．Which of the following statements is NOT talked about but can be inferred from this essay?

       A．”People Who Moved China in 2007” are those making contributions to China.

       B．Chen Xiaolan used to be crazy when she was in the doctor’s uniform.

       C．Chen Xiaolan thinks every patient should be responsible for his/her health.

       D．Chen Xiaolan must make lots of money from selling medical equipment.

5．The following is the lists of her life experiences. Which group happens in order of time?

       ①She was honored “People Who Moved China in 2007”.

       ②A national—wide ban was introduced because of her efforts.

       ③She used to be a responsible doctor.

       ④She tested a high—tech injector on herself to get proof.

       ⑤She began to fight against fake medical equipment.

       A．①②③④⑤        B．③⑤④②①         C．①③⑤④②        D．⑤④①③②

　　There are three branches of medicine. The first kind of medicine is called “doctor medicine”or “scientific medicine.”Scientific doctors try to observe sickness, look for logical patterns, and then find out how the human body works. From these they figure out what treatments may work. This kind of medicine is believed to date from the 4th century BC. Although nowadays it is successful, in the ancient world this approach probably did not cure many patients.

　　The second kind of medicine is called “natural cures”, or “folk medicine”, in which less educated people try to cure sickness with various herbs（药草）. These folk healers（医疗者）also use obser-vation and logic, but they are not so aware of it. They try things until they find something that seems to work, and then they keep doing that.

　　Folk medicine flourished（兴旺）long before the development of scientific medicine and was more successful in ancient times than doctor medicine.

　　The third kind is called “health spas”, or “faith healing（调节）”. Sometimes, this may be as simple as touching the holy（神圣的）man and being immediately healed. Other times, a magician may make you a magic charm, or say a spell, to cure you. Some religious groups organize special healing shrines（圣地）for the sick. In these places people rest, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food, drink water instead of wine, and exercise in various ways. They also talk to the priests（神父）and pray to the gods. If you are feeling depressed or you have been working too hard, going to these places may be just the right thing to make you feel-better.

(1)Doctor medicine ________.

[　　]

A．has a longer history than folk medicine

B．has been practised for around 1600 years

C．bases its treatments on observation and logic

D．was very successful in curing sick-ness in ancient times

(2)According to the passage, which of the following is NOT used in health spas?

[　　]

A．Magic power.

B．Various herbs.

C．Religious faith.

D．A healthy life style.

(3)According to the passage, which of the statements is TRUE?

[　　]

A．Folk healers choose different herbs to cure diseases without any sound basis.

B．People who practise folk medicine need lots of formal education on herbs.

C．The success of folk medicine led to the development of doctor medicine.

D．Natural cures worked better than scientific medicine in ancient times.

(4)The second kind of medicine mentioned in this passage ________.

[　　]

A．is more successful in modern times

B．has a much longer history than the other two kinds of medicine

C．is also based on observation and logic as the first kind does

D．advise people to rest, sleep, eat healthy food and take exercise

(5)The author's primary purpose in this passage is to ________.

[　　]

A．describe different types of medicine

B．argue for the importance of medicine in health care

C．show the crucial（到关重要的）role religion plays in medical treatment

D．compare the educational background of three different types of patients

Most students hate their endless homework. The students from Class 2, Senior 2 of the High School Affiliated to Peking University certainly did before they published their own collection of English novels at home.

Their small book contains stories about a holy (神圣的) war, the happy life of a self-taught artist and the story of a laid-off worker who devoted his last breath to playing his beloved accordion (手风琴). The book becomes an instant hit on campus. About 3,000 copies have been sold and the class is already working on the second volume.

"We're up to our ears in homework. Exercises and exams make us out of breath. But to do something creative and full of imagination is such a great achievement," said Yu Xiaoxiao, 16.

"I took the writing as an ordinary homework at the beginning, but after I finished the first part of my story, I could not help but let it flow," said Wang An, who wrote "Accordion".

Inspired by "Lord of the Rings", Jiang Lu wrote his story about magic wars between angels from the light and the dark side. "The main message of the story was to look at the balance of the world. Both dark and light angels fight with love as their weapons. I want to tell people that selfish love might bring hate," Jiang said.

"I was shocked by their work and felt so proud to be the editor of my students' book," said Nathaniel Timmermann, the oral English teacher at the school. Liu Xiuqin, an English teacher, started the project by asking students to write whatever was in their mind every week. "They have performed beyond expectation," Liu said. "They wrote interesting stories and their English has improved after they started to express their real minds."

"We never imagined that our homework would be so popular and profitable (盈利的). We sell the novels at five yuan, but many teachers pay more to encourage us," said Yuan Mengyao.

1. After Wang An finished the first part of his story, he _________.

A. couldn't go on                 B. had to put it aside   

C. just wanted to express it freely   D. lost it

2.What was not the outcome of the students' homework of writing whatever was in their mind?

A. Being popular.            B. Being profitable. 

C. Improving their English.    D. Winning prize.

3.What is the reason for the students' liking to write interesting stories?

A. It is creative and imaginative.             

B. It is profitable.

C. Interesting stories are sure to be popular.   

D. Interesting stories can be well sold.

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A. Creative homework leads to a popular book      

B. Writing interesting stories

C. Students' new book           

D. A popular book

 

St.Patrick's Day is Ireland's greatest national holiday as well as a holy(神圣的) day.Each year, millions of people world－wide celebrate this __1__on March 17, the date of St.Patrick's death.It is a happy holiday for the Irish living in Ireland and __2__.The day is celebrated with parades(游行), speeches, festival dinners, and dances.__3__ is the colour of the day, with thousands of little cloth shamrocks(三叶草) on.

   St.Patrick was born in Britain to __4__ parents near the end of the fourth century.At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders(入侵者)  __5__ his family's wealth.So he had to __6__ a shepherd, outdoors and away from people.__7__lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion(宗教) and became a Christian.

The first St.Patrick's Day parade  __8__ not in Ireland, but in the United States.Irish soldiers in the British army __9__ through New York City on March 17, 1762 with Irish music.Since then, St.Patrick's Day parades have become a way for Irish Americans to show their  __10__every year.In 1948, President Truman  __11__the New Year City's St.Patrick's Day parade, which was a __12__moment for many Irish people whose fathers and grandfathers had to fight against people who disliked them to find  __13__ in America.

It was in Boston where the Day was first celebrated in a public way. __14__ since 1762, the New York City's parade on St.Patrick's Day has __15___ more than one million people each year.

Meanwhile, the city of Chicago has __16__ a special tradition of colouring the river water green.It started in 1962 when 100 pounds of green paint was __17__ its rivers, enough to keep them green for a week.The __18__ has continued till today.Now, 40 pounds of a green food colouring keeps the rivers green for only a few hours.Historically, __19__the shamrocks and things green has become a __20__ symbol of declaring the Irish national and cultural identity(特性)．

1．A.holiday　　B．festival　　　C．honor　　　D．date

2．A.places    B．abroad       C．England    D．aboard

3．A.Green    B．Blue        C．Grass       D．Red

4．A.poor     B．cruel       C．unhealthy      D．wealthy

5．A.giving   B．stealing      C．attacking      D．processing

6．A.serve in  B．stand for     C．work as       D．act for

7．A.Feeling  B．Keeping     C．Remaining     D．performing

8．A.held up   B．took place  C．was occurred   D．happened

9．A.advanced  B．marched  C．processed  D．progressed

10．A.existence   B．anger  C．struggle  D．importance

11．A.led        B．attended  C．joining  D．acting

12．A.responsible  B．forgettable  C．proud  D．unthinkable

13．A.reception  B．acceptance  C．refusal  D．resistance

14．A.Celebrated          B．Completed

C．Held             D．Performed

15．A.attempted  B．drawn   C．driven   D．employed

16．A.developed  B．created   C．built   D．invented

17．A.added up  B．added up to  C．added to  D．risen to

18．A.custom   B．tradition   C．habit  D．practice

19．A.making up          B．dressing in

C．wearing           D．having

20．A.abstract  B．practical  C．false  D．powerful