My parents and two older brothers arrived in Queens from Cuba in 1967, squeezing into a one-bedroom apartment that got even more cramped when I showed up two years later. Suspicious of everyone and unable to communicate in English, my parents weren’t about to let their kids hang out in the streets. And since they both worked, we boys spent a lot of time at home.

The main public library on Merrick Boulevard was the first place I was allowed to visit on my own. I started going there when I was eight. Everything I needing was located on what seemed to me an endless single floor. Wandering around that building aimlessly on a Saturday afternoon offered a sense of freedom I’d never experienced before.

Once my father dropped me off, it didn’t really matter what I did so long as I could explore. I find it interesting that people today say that libraries are no longer about books; they weren’t really about books for me back in the 1970s, either. It was more about being around other people who looked like they were being productive-turning pages, making copies, patiently waiting for items. All this was attractive to me.

I felt a certain level of dignity and self-respect at the library. I didn’t borrow books from the library despite spending practically every Saturday of my childhood there. I certainly went over hundreds and hundreds of them during my walks around the building- sports, politics and the solar system were my favorite sections. But I felt no great need to bring books home. We had no room for books in our apartment anyway. I felt like a poor kid when I read books at home. I felt like everyone else when I read books at the library.

1.The underlined word “cramped” in Paragraph I probably means “________”.

A. dangerous B. shabby C. messy D. crowded

2.What did the author appreciate most about the library?

A. The atmosphere it provides. B. The books he could explore.

C. The productive people in it. D. The seemingly endless floor.

3.The author didn’t borrow books from the library because ________.

A. he had finished reading all the books he preferred

B. he felt like reading at the library to enjoy freedom

C. he didn’t want to lose his dignity and self-respect

D. he was too poor to afford the cost of borrowing books

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. How a Public Library Set Me Free

B. Culture Shock Is Never a Barrier

C. My Aimless and Boring Childhood

D. A Building Shaped a Nation’s Spirit

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年甘肅省天水市高二下學(xué)期開學(xué)考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

Finally the slave trade was in 1807.

A. analyzed B. announced C. abolished D. assessed

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2017屆山東省濰坊市高三下學(xué)期第二次模擬考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing. 1. Read on for some techniques worth trying.

1. 2.

People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性癡呆癥), according to a recent study. 3. Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

2. Go for a walk.

Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact, exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain. 4.

3. Learn something new.

Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time. 5. or go dancing with your friends.

A. Focus on the future.

B. This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C. It should be something like learning gardening.

D. So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E. But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F. Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G. In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：安徽省合肥市2017年高三下學(xué)期第一次教學(xué)質(zhì)量檢測英語試卷（有答案） 題型：七選五

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

You’re growing up. That means you’re probably experiencing lots of changes, all at once. Your body is changing. It might even seem as if your entire self is changing. It can be confusing and even scary. 1. And it’s good!

Growing up means that you can do more, learn more, and start to make your mark on the world. In order for that to happen, your body produces chemicals called hormones that help both body and mind grow. Hormone levels change constantly, rising and falling. 2. But it’s partly to blame for intense emotions, surprising reactions, and mood swings.

Because of the way your brain develops, it is somewhat ruled by emotion now and through your teen years. As a result, growing up can seem like an emotional roller coaster! 3.

●Take care of yourself. If you eat right, sleep enough, and get good exercise, your brain will be much more able to deal with the stress.

●4. When you feel your moods swinging or you’re upset, or confused, some quiet time will allow you to gather your thoughts and get calmer.

●Practice relaxing your body and deep breathing when you wake up and when you go to bed.5. Plus, when stuff happens during the day, you’ll be able to calm yourself quickly with a deep breath or two before you react. Your body is changing.

A．Take a time-out.

B．But the truth is, it happens to every teen.

C．Work out regularly to keep physically fit.

D．This changing is needed for your body’s development.

E．It will help you fall asleep—and start the morning right.

F．Here are a few things you can do to make the ride smoother.

G．Usually, these feelings settle down when you realize what is going on.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2017屆重慶市高三適應(yīng)性月考（五）英語試卷（解析版） 題型：短文填空

Can wine really improve our health? 1. (science) are beginning to say “Yes!”

Researchers have found that red wines contain antioxidants (抗氧化劑), 2. help the body resist cancer and heart disease. 3.(general), red wines contain more antioxidants than most white wines. So, the best bet for drinking wine for our health is to stick to the dryer red wines. 4., this doesn’t give us freedom to get drunk every night. Don’t overdo it—but adding a glass of red wine to your daily diet can definitely make 5.difference to our health.

Paracelsus, the noted 16th-century Swiss physician 6. (write), “Wine is a food, a medicine and a poison it’s just a question of dose(劑量).” As with almost any food or drink, wine 7.(consume) in large doses can be harm to our health.

Most health officials agree that one or two four-ounce glasses of red wine per day can be8.(benefit) to men, while women should limit their consumption to one four-ounce serving per day.

Professor Roger Corder, has spent years studying the evidence of health benefits 9.red wine. In his new book, “The Wine Diet”, he says he 10.(convince) that most of us should include red wine in our everyday lifestyle.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：河北省石家莊市2017屆高三第一次復(fù)習(xí)教學(xué)質(zhì)量檢測英語試卷（有答案） 題型：完形填空

Honest Thanks

I sat down at my desk and started writing. I wrote an emotional letter of gratitude. I put the notecard into the ___________, sealed it and stuck the stamps on it, but when it came to actually placing the letter into the mailbox … I ___________.

The letter was to a schoolmate with whom I kept in contact via Facebook _______. She had inspired me to live a(n)_______life—for example, by_______more.

Her volunteer efforts weren’t_______—she wasn’t building wells in Uganda, but_______she was doing small, local good deeds, such as serving as a crossing guard. These were things I could do, too. She made me _______ I could make a difference here at home. I felt I should let her know how her_______positively influenced my life. I could have easily sent her an e-mail, ________that seemed a bit lame for such an important thank you, That’s why I ended up________the letter. But now I stood before the mailbox, unable to place the envelope inside. What was________me? Why was this so ____________to do? I guess I felt strange because it wasn’t like she was my best friend, I just knew her, “People don’t ____________do this,” I thought to myself. However, ________thinking it over, I still felt a(n)________to let her know how grateful I was. Finally, I put the envelope in the mailbox.

Weeks later I received her reply. She was________a tough time and my letter meant the________to her, She didn’t know she had such a(n)________on others. Not only did this letter make her happy, but her response to it increased my____________of happiness, I decided to write a gratitude letter to someone each month, Cultivating gratitude is a great skill to practice, Life is too short not to do it.

1.A. envelope B. drawer C. handbag D. pocket

2.A. sighed B. froze C. panicked D. smiled

3.A. usually B. formally C. occasionally D. secretly

4.A. different B. tough C. enthusiastic D. rich

5.A. enjoying B. volunteering C. exercising D. travelling

6.A. essential B. meaningful C. ordinary D. huge

7.A. once B. also C. still D. instead

8.A. accept B. realize C. admit D. prove

9.A. words B. thoughts C. example D. emotion

10.A. and B. but C. so D. or

11.A. editing B. receiving C. answering D. handwriting

12.A. stopping B. urging C. encouraging D. confusing

13.A. boring B. pleasant C. hard D. cool

14.A. directly B. constantly C. equally D. normally

15.A. until B. after C. while D. before

16.A. desire B. ambition C. fear D. curiosity

17.A. going through B. going for C. going against D. going over

18.A. earth B. world C. dream D. future

19.A. comment B. honor C. influence D. concern

20.A. search B. appreciation C. level D. experience

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年遼寧省大連市生學(xué)業(yè)水平考試英語模擬試卷（解析版） 題型：短文填空

One day, a mother horse told her son, “My child, will you 1.(happy) go and carry this bag of wheat to the mill(磨坊) to make it 2. flour?” The little horse agreed without hesitation and 3.(run) out of the house with the bag of wheat on his back.

After some time, the little horse came to a river, 4. blocked his path to the mill. He suddenly got 5.(confuse). Looking around, he saw a cow. So he asked, “Auntie Cow, can you tell me whether I can cross the river?” The cow answered, “Definitely you can. The water is very shallow.” When the little horse was about 6.(cross) the river, a squirrel shouted to him, “Don’t cross the river. You will drown.” Not 7.(know) what to do, the little horse decided to go back to ask his mother, who said, “My son, it’s not enough to only listen to others; you have to give it 8. try by yourself, and then you’ll know the answer.”

With those words, he walked carefully across the river. The water was neither shallow nor

9.(deeply). It was just fine for him. Finally the little horse crossed the river and completed his task. He also learned to overcome 10.(difficulty) by practicing instead of only listening to others.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2017屆東北三省四市教研聯(lián)合體高三高考模擬試卷（一）英語試卷（解析版） 題型：短文填空

Many of van Gogh’s paintings were inspired by warm, yellow sunlight because he loved how it could light up the world in different ways. His painting Sunflowers, for example,1.(fill) with vivid yellows and browns. These colors give 2.painting a feeling of warmth and well-being. However, the sunflowers are actually dead and dying.

The result is a painting that combines the warmth of life that van Gogh loved 3.the feelings of sadness that were all around him. It is a painting that is warm, beautiful and sad, all at the same time.

Van Gogh’s most famous painting. The Starry Night, takes this 4.(mix) of joy and sadness one step further. It is a landscape full of deep blues and shadows 5.represent the sadness van Gogh was feeling as he 6.(paint), rather than what he was actually seeing.

This is why van Gogh’s 7.(image) in his painting look more imagined than real. The stars and moon in The Starry Night are 8.(unusual) bright, 9.(they) light swirling(旋動) above the darkening hills. A tree that looks like black fire cuts through the view of the night, 10.(interrupt) its beauty.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學(xué)年河北省高一下學(xué)期第一次月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：完成句子

1.Plenty of exercise is ____________(benefit) to our health.

2.There is a limit to one’s life, but no limit to ________(serve) the people.

3.The new shop has taken away most of my ___________(顧客).

4.I opened the packet just to satisfy my ___________（好奇心）.

5.He is tall and thin, so he can be easily _________(發(fā)現(xiàn)，認(rèn)出) in the crowd.

6.I t is ______(難以置信的) that he has seen admitted to Beijing University.

7.The child was last seen ___(漫游) in the street with a bag on his back.

8.We can’t go hunting without ____________(許可，允許).

9.They promised to make people ________(精力充沛的)by using their products.

10.Everyone has his own strengths and___________(弱點(diǎn))，you should be confident about yourself.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案