My mind went blank when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage. This can't be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying,“What do you want? Take my wallet,” but at the time I thought of nothing.
I remember being a little annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house—Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen's voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the bush. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy's head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy,and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn't crouch (蹲伏) behind it but screamed instead.
I remember thinking there was something ridiculous and illogical about screaming “Help, help!” at eight o'clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea(懇求) to the more specific “Help, let me in, please let me in!” But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy's screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled.
The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the police to come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely,“Please go and eat. We're OK.”
I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stricter sentences for criminals, of bringing back the death penalty(處罰) and how the President is going to clean up the country. I was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer sentences wouldn't change a thing. In a rush all the anger I should have felt for my attackers was directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, comfortable homes talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy and me?
People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were illtempered about what was, to them, much trouble about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to describing the gunmen. “Typical,” said one policeman when we couldn't even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn't think that would be much help.
The policemen were matteroffact about the whole thing. The thin one said,“That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do what you're told.” Jeremy looked properly embarrassed.
Then the fat policeman came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house. “That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys,” he said. “If you had gone into the house with them...” His voice became weaker. “They would have hurt her” ——he twisted his head toward me——“and killed you both.” Jeremy looked happier. “Look,” said the fat policeman kindly, “ there's no right or wrong in the situation. There's just luck.”
All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time—no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right. There's only luck. The next time I might end up dead.
And I’m sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone.Security is an illusion(幻覺); there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they're fooling themselves.
【小題1】When the writer saw the gun pointing against the car window,________.
A.she felt very annoyed |
B.she lost consciousness |
C.she felt very much nervous |
D.she lost the power of thinking |
A.Jeremy's fighting. |
B.The author's screaming. |
C.Their neighbour's brave action. |
D.The police's arrival. |
A.they were much too frightened |
B.they were busy preparing dinners |
C.they needed time to find baseball bats |
D.they thought someone was playing a trick |
A.neighbors are not helpful in moments of difficulty |
B.the police are not reliable when one is in trouble |
C.security is impossible as long as people can have guns |
D.preventing robbers entering your house is the best choice |
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
The first day our professor challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I looked around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady smiling at me.
She said, “Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I’m 87. Can I give you a hug?” I laughed, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of children.” “No seriously,” I said. “I want to realize my dream!” she told me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and everyone liked to listen to this “time machine”.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet and I’ll never forget what she taught us. “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are 19 and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20. If I am 87 and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn 88. We have less time to live on. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do.”
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had dreamed about all those years. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over 2,000 students attended her funeral honoring the wonderful woman who taught us such an important message.
【小題1】Rose made herself known to the author in a _____ manner.
A.serious | B.cold | C.crazy | D.humorous |
A.always followed a strict time schedule |
B.was never late for any of her classes |
C.had lived a long and rich life |
D.always appeared in time whenever she was needed |
A.growing up doesn’t need as much effort or talent as growing older |
B.growing up means young people have enough time to waste |
C.there is no need for one to worry about death |
D.growing up means one has more chances or time to choose what one likes |
A.challenging her old age |
B.realizing her long dream about college education |
C.meeting someone rich and attractive |
D.not having any regrets in her life |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Would you jump off the Great Wall of China for 300 pounds a day?
A stunt (特技表演)person is a man or woman who does all the dangerous bits of acting work in films or on TV. This can be anything from a simple fall into a swimming pool, or walking off the top of a tall building. It sounds like a job that you would have to be made to try, but there are actually lots of people who want to do it.
Sarah France, twenty-four, is one of Britain’s sixteen professional stunt women ---there are one hundred and sixty stunt men in the country. We asked Sarah how she came to be a stunt woman.
“When I was young I was trained to be a dancer, and for seven years after school I was hardly out of work. A dancer’s life is pretty short, though, and my father suggested I should think about doing stunt work after I’d given up dancing. I thought about it for the next two years and decided to have a go. For six months, I worked really hard every day. I had to learn different skills---swimming, jumping, horse -riding, etc.”
Sarah finished the course in just five months and applied to the office which decides whether you’re accepted as a professional stunt person or not. Two weeks after she was accepted, Sarah was throwing off the Great Wall of China in Superman IV.
“I was very lucky to get work so quickly. I had a small part, playing a traveler who fell off the Wall after an earthquake. The traveler’s life was saved by Superman, of course! Actually, I fell forty-five feet into a pile of cardboard boxes! You can’t use anything softer than that or you will be brought back into view of the cinema. Instead you just have to learn to fall properly. It’s quite dangerous but I enjoy it.”
【小題1】Quite a number of people want to do dangerous acts in films because___________.
A.they are mad | B.they don’t think them dangerous |
C.no training is needed | D.they can earn much money |
A.her father persuaded her to do stunt work |
B.she could not go on dancing forever |
C.she had to work hard every day |
D.she was often out of work |
A.an earthquake took place near the Great Wall |
B.she fell off the Great Wall and hurt herself |
C.she was asked to act in Superman IV |
D.she learned how to fall properly |
A.Healthy | B.Adventurous | C.Skillful | D.Successful |
A.draw the readers’ attention to the whole passage |
B.invite you to try jumping off the Great Wall for money |
C.ask you to be a stunt person |
D.raise a question for the readers to think about |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
One day in 1965,when I worked at View Ridge School in Seattle,a fourthgrade teacher approached me.She had a student who finished his work before all the others and needed a challenge.“Could he help in the library?” she asked.I said, “Send him along.”
Soon a slight,sandyhaired boy in jeans and a Tshirt appeared.“Do you have a job for me?” he asked.
I told him about the Dewey Decimal System(杜威十進分類法) for shelving books.He picked up the idea immediately.Then I showed him a stack(摞) of cards for longoverdue books that I was beginning to think had actually been returned but were misshelved with the wrong cards in them.He said,“Is it kind of a detective job?” I answered yes,and he became working.
He had found three books with wrong cards by the time his teacher opened the door and announced,“Time for break!”He argued for finishing the finding job;she made the case for fresh air.She won.
The next morning,he arrived early.“I want to finish these books,”he said.At the end of the day,when he asked to be a librarian on a regular basis,it was easy to say yes.He worked untiringly.
After a few weeks I found a note on my desk,inviting me to dinner at the boy’s home.At the end of a pleasant evening,his mother announced that the family would be moving to a neighbouring school district.Her son’s first concern,she said,was leaving the View Ridge library.“Who will find the lost books?” he asked.
When the time came,I said an unwilling goodbye.I missed him,but not for long.A few days later he came back and joyfully announced,“The librarian over there doesn’t let boys work in the library.My mother got me transferred back to View Ridge.My dad will drop me off on his way to work.And if he can’t,I’ll walk!”
I should have had an idea such focused determination would take that young man wherever he wanted to go.What I could not have guessed,however,was that he would become a genius of the Information Age:Bill Gates,tycoon(企業(yè)巨頭) of Microsoft and America’s richest man.
【小題1】What was the author when the story happened?
A.A teacher. | B.A librarian. |
C.A detective. | D.A student. |
A.He failed to finish his work on time. |
B.He challenged the teacher in the class. |
C.He disturbed all the other students in the class. |
D.He needed something to do to challenge himself. |
A.To rearrange the books according to the new system. |
B.To put those overdue books back to the shelves. |
C.To find out the books with wrong cards in them. |
D.To put the cards back in the longoverdue books. |
A.he didn’t get along well with the librarian in the new school |
B.he was not allowed to work in the new school’s library |
C.he missed his old schoolmates and teachers |
D.he had to walk a long way to go to school |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I notice an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked.
“May I get you something?” “A coffee would be nice.”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked, “How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchchill Downs. ”
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.
【小題1】What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?
A.Unfriendly. | B.Untidy. | C.Gentle. | D.Kind. |
A.he thought the old man was poor |
B.he wanted to start a conversation |
C.he intended to show his politeness |
D.he would like to thank the old man. |
A.Proud. | B.Pitiful. | C.Surprised. | D.Regretful. |
A.We should learn to be generous. |
B.It is honorable to help those in need. |
C.People in high positions are not like what we expect. |
D.We should avoid judging people by their appearances. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
William Henry Bragg was born at Westward,Cumberland,on July 2,1862.He was educated at Market Harboroagh Grammar School and afterwards at King William’s College,Isle of Man.Elected as a minor scholar of Trinity College,Cambridge,in 1881,he studied mathematics under the wellknown teacher,Dr E.J.Routh.He studied physics in the Cavendish Laboratory during a part of 1885,and at the end of that year he was elected to the Professorship of Mathematics and Physics in the University of Adelaide,South Australia.
His research interests dealt with a great many fields and he was skilled at picking up a subject,almost casually,making an important contribution,and then dropping it again.However,the work of Bragg and his son Lawrence in 1913~1914 founded a new branch of science of the greatest importance and significance,the analysis of the crystal structure by means of Xrays.It is true that the use of Xrays as an instrument for the systematic revelation of the way in which crystals are built was entirely due to the Braggs.This was recognized by the award of the Nobel Prize jointly to father and son in 1915.
He was an honorary Doctor of some sixteen universities,and a member of the leading foreign societies.Many other medals and awards were bestowed upon him among which may be mentioned the Rumford Medal in 1916 and the Copley Medal (its premier award) in 1930.
He was the author of many books,including Studies in Radioactivity,XRays and Crystal Structure,The World of Sound,Concerning the Nature of Things,Old Trades and New Knowledge,An Introduction to Crystal Analysis,and The Universe of Light.His favorite hobby was golf.After a life of astonishing productiveness,Sir William Bragg died on March 10,1942.
【小題1】William Henry Bragg was awarded the Nobel Prize because________.
A.he succeeded in using Xrays to find out the crystal structure |
B.he was the first to use Xrays to help to do his experiment |
C.he determined to learn everything well and then gave them up |
D.he was successful in his research work with the help of his son |
A.mathematics | B.physics |
C.medicine | D.sports |
A.Bragg became a professor in the University of Adelaide in 1885. |
B.Bragg won the Rumford Medal and the Copley Medal in the same year. |
C.Bragg gained great achievements in many fields,including society. |
D.Bragg and Lawrence wrote the book XRays and Crystal Structure. |
A.William Henry Bragg’s Productive Life |
B.William Henry Bragg:A Famous Author |
C.Bragg and His Son—Two Great Scientists |
D.Xrays and the Crystal Structure |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Computer programmer David Jones earns £35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card(信用卡). Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18. The 16yearold works for a small firm in Liverpool, where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David' s firm releases(推出) two new games for the fast growing computer market each month.
But David's biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot, he cannot drive a car, take out a mortgage(抵押貸款),or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpoolbased company four months ago, a year after leaving school with six Olevels and working for a time in a computer shop.“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,”he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school,”he said.“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway.”David added:“I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”
【小題1】In what way is David different from people of his age?
A.He often goes out with friends. |
B.He lives with his mother. |
C.He has a handsome income. |
D.He graduated with six Olevels. |
A.He is too young to get a credit card. |
B.He has no time to learn driving. |
C.He has very little spare time. |
D.He will soon lose his job. |
A.He had done well in all his exams. |
B.He had written some computer programs. |
C.He was good at playing computer games. |
D.He had learnt to use computers at school. |
A.He received lots of job offers. |
B.He was eager to help his mother. |
C.He lost interest in school studies. |
D.He wanted to earn his own living. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess(女家庭教師)Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ” I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”
“Forty.”
“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”
“Two months and five days.”
“Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.
“Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct?”
Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but-still not a word.
“Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect(疏忽), Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”
“You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.
“But I made a note of it.”
“Well... if you say so.”
“Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”
Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!
“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”
“Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is!”
I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.
“Merci(法語: 謝謝),” she whispered.
I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.
“For the money.”
“But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this‘merci’?”
“In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”
“They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless(懦弱)? Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws(爪)-to be such a fool?”
Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”
【小題1】While talking to Julia, the writer expected from her________.
A.a protest | B.gratitude | C.obedience | D.an explanation |
A.nervousness in front of her boss |
B.acceptance of injustice |
C.shyness when talking about money |
D.unwillingness to express herself |
A.to be more aggressive | B.to be more careful in her work |
C.to protect her right | D.to live independently |
A.his understanding of Julia’s anxiety |
B.his worry about Julia’s future |
C.his concern on the living condition of working-class people |
D.his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited |
A.greedy but honest | B.ill-tempered but warm-hearted |
C.strict but forgiving | D.none of the above |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop. It was a cheap self-service place with long table to keep a place and went to get a cup of coffee.
When I came back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking boys, with dark glasses and old clothes, and his hair was colored bright red at the front. What did surprise me was that he’d started to eat my chocolate.
I was rather uneasy about him, but I didn’t want to make more trouble. I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn’t say anything to him. When he took a third piece, I felt angrier. I thought, well, I shall have the last piece. “And I got it.”
The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out, “There is something wrong with the woman,” Everybody looked at me, but it was worse then I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face turned red when I knew I’d made a mistake. I wasn’t my chocolate that I had eaten. There was mine, just under my newspaper.
【小題1】In which order did the writer do the following things?
a. Went into a coffee shop. b. Got a cup of coffee,
c. Started to eat some chocolate. d. Did some shopping.
e. Found a seat in the shop. f. Bought some chocolate.
A.a, e, f, b, c, d | B.a, d, f, b, e, c | C.d, f, a, e, b, c | D.d, a, f, c, b, e |
A.buy a newspaper | B.meet a boy with dark glasses |
C.put her heavy bag | D.take a short rest |
A.her chocolate had been eaten up |
B.the boy was eating her chocolate |
C.there was a boy sitting next to her |
D.what the boy did seemed quite rude |
A.She felt disappointed | B.She felt ashamed |
C.She became angrier. | D.She thought it very funny. |
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