The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on the job. A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder (梯子) fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn" t start. With each problem he shouted angrily, more at himself than at his things. As I drove him home, the man didn"t say a word.
I tried talking to the man to kill time. I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job. This was his first job since moving here. I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper. He really needed the job. His clothes told me as much.
On arriving, much to my surprise, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked through his front garden he suddenly stopped at a small tree and placed his hands on it. Then, when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.
The following day, I asked him about the tree.
"That"s my trouble tree," he answered. "Work troubles aren"t welcome at home with my wife and the children. So I hang them on that tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again. "
"And you know what else?" he said smiling,"The next morning I find that there aren"t as many as I remember hanging up the night before. "
小题1:Which of the following things did NOT happen to the worker? | A．His truck broke down. | B．He was late for work. | | C．He fell onto the roof. | D．His ladder fell down. |
小题2:When did the worker first arrive in this town?| A．Today. | B．Last night. | | C．Six weeks ago. | D．Six months ago. |
小题3:Where did the writer find the worker?| A．Through a newspaper. | B．Beside the trouble tree. | | C．In his old house. | D．In Blue Hills, Victoria. |
小题4:Why did the worker touch the tree?| A．To get good luck, | B．To leave his trouble outside. | | C．To send good wishes to his family. | D．To clean his hands. |
小题5:What can we learn from the passage?| A．Looking for a job can make trouble. | | B．It is important to get to work on time. | | C．Often our problems are worse than what we think. | | D．A happy family can make many problems go away. |
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小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:B
小题5:D |
试题分析：本文讲述了修理工人每天回家的时候，都去触摸家里的那棵树，想把烦恼都留在外面，把幸福留给家人。
小题1:C 细节题。根据文章第一段2,3行A broken wheel made him an hour late; his ladder (梯子) fell down when he was painting the roof and now his old truck wouldn" t start可知ABD三项都是当天所发生的事情，只有C项不是。故C符合要求。
小题2:D 细节题。根据文章第二段第2句I managed to find out that he had come up from Blue Hills in Victoria with his family six months ago to find a job可知他们是在6个月前来的这里找工作的。故D正确、
小题3:A 推理题。根据文章第二段3,4行I now knew why his price was lower than any other worker I could find in the local newspaper.可知作者是通过当地的报纸寻找修理工人的。故A正确。
小题4:B 推理题。根据文章3,4段"Work troubles aren"t welcome at home with my wife and the children. 和Then, when he opened the door he completely changed. Instead of his troubled face, there was now a warm smile, hugs for his two children and a kiss for his wife.可知他使用这棵树来把自己的烦恼驱赶在外面。故B正确。
小题5:D 推理题。根据文章后三段可知这个工人来到家里以后触摸了那棵树以后就把烦恼留在了外面，因为他想把最好的一面留给家人，然后过着幸福的生活，正是幸福的家庭让他这样做了。故D正确。 |
核心考点
试题【The worker I hired to repair my house had just finished a difficult first day on】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
It was my first year teaching in a special class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy (脑瘫).
Mark was one with the latter. Restricted to a , he had to fight his spasms (抽搐) just to control his movements. , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile. His classmates him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, unrestricted by the limitation of his , and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with .
When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas placed well in their sports events, and gave the calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines, them on. The final event of the day was the 400-meter race. was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the length of the track.
When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they and turned to look behind them. At the of the crowd on the track, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to . Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a silent passed between them. Slowly, they jogged towards their friend, cheering him on he had done for them moments before.
The progress was , but in the end the three star runners and Mark the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face and hands upraised, I came to understand what the Special Olympics.
Years later, I’m still cheering them on.
| 小题1: | | A．students | B．friends | C．partners | D．classmates |
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| 小题2: | | A．bed | B．machine | C．desk | D．wheelchair |
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| 小题3: | | A．Thus | B．However | C．Otherwise | D．Besides |
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| 小题4: | | A．protected | B．satisfied | C．loved | D．cared |
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| 小题5: | | A．expression | B．practice | C．studies | D．sports |
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| 小题6: | | A．interests | B．habits | C．body | D．mind |
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| 小题7: | | A．trust | B．admiration | C．fear | D．worry |
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| 小题8: | | A．bringing | B．cheering | C．holding | D．moving |
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| 小题9: | | A．Someone | B．Everyone | C．Anybody | D．Nobody |
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| 小题10: | | A．average | B．different | C．entire | D．extra |
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| 小题11: | | A．fell | B．rested | C．hurried | D．paused |
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| 小题12: | | A．end | B．front | C．center | D．top |
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| 小题13: | | A．left | B．ignored | C．passed | D．helped |
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| 小题15: | | A．demand | B．relief | C．action | D．thought |
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| 小题16: | | A．back | B．along | C．again | D．on |
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| 小题17: | | A．while | B．although | C．since | D．as |
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| 小题18: | | A．slow | B．great | C．boring | D．relaxing |
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| 小题19: | | A．crossed | B．arrived | C．rushed | D．got |
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| 小题20: | | A．left | B．made | C．kept | D．found |
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Harry Houdini was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century. He was a man famous for his escapes from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.
Of course, his secret was not magic or supernatural power. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in clubs in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison escape in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.
It was the publicity (宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape from ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks. She passed it quickly from her mouth to his.
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? Worldwide fame and a name remembered today.
小题1:According to the passage, Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on ______.| A．his special tricks and supernatural powers | | B．his unusual ability and skeleton key | | C．his magic tricks and supernatural powers | | D．his wisdom and magic tricks |
小题2: It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous ______ .| A．in 1894 | B．before he married | | C．at the age of 17 | D．when he was 24 |
小题3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true? | A．Houdini was a famous American magician. | | B．Houdini was first recognized in Chicago. | | C．Houdini first entered the entertainment world together with his wife. | | D．Houdini was popular with people from Europe and America. |
小题4: Which of the following is the best title for the passage?| A．A Skeleton Key | B．A Secret Prisoner | | C．Worldwide Fame | D．Great Escapes |
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Jasmine Harman，a famous TV presenter, was sunny and active. Nothing seemed to her down. But nearly a decade on, Jasmine spent the first years of her TV life a secret about her background—one she couldn’t to be made public.
“When I started out in TV, I lived in fear of someone discovering about my ,” she admitted. Because her mother had a illness called hoarding Disorder(囤积症). “Mum would keep batteries, old speakers, broken dolls and baskets she in the street. Nothing would be thrown away. And she’d be if you ever tried to clear them up,” Jasmine recalled. Eventually, the entire family couldn’t have a life.
Two years ago, Jasmine did something . She made a documentary called My Hoarder Mum and Me about her family’s battle to fight against her mum’s disease. “I do our program will shine more light on the issue,” said Jasmine. Then a second program, Britain’s Biggest Hoarders
Luckily, there are diagnostic criteria(诊断标准)now and experts that can help. Jasmine has become a(an) herself in a way. She runs a website to help sufferers and their . “It’s incredible. I spent most of my childhood being ashamed, but now I’d like to make it . People like my mum need help, but not to be made to feel .”
“We hadn’t been able to have Christmas dinner at Mum’s for , because you couldn’t get people into the house . But we had one last year, and it was amazing,” Jasmine said. “The still isn’t perfect, and Mum isn’t perfect either. She’s still with it. But I’m so proud that she’s come this far, and I want to tell other people it’s possible.”
| 小题1: | | A．settle | B．take | C．beat | D．calm |
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| 小题2: | | A．making | B．discovering | C．hiding | D．mixing |
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| 小题3: | | A．wait | B．plan | C．cover | D．bear |
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| 小题4: | | A．work | B．mum | C．illness | D．memory |
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| 小题5: | | A．mental | B．physical | C．final | D．social |
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| 小题6: | | A．new | B．used | C．round | D．expensive |
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| 小题7: | | A．put away | B．made out | C．picked up | D．dug out |
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| 小题8: | | A．terrible | B．grateful | C．OK | D．crazy |
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| 小题9: | | A．rich | B．normal | C．simple | D．hard |
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| 小题10: | | A．special | B．dangerous | C．hopeless | D．impossible |
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| 小题11: | | A．hope | B．wonder | C．fear | D．doubt |
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| 小题12: | | A．ended up | B．broke down | C．kept away | D．came out |
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| 小题13: | | A．patient | B．expert | C．example | D．role |
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| 小题14: | | A．friends | B．bosses | C．families | D．mistakes |
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| 小题15: | | A．fair | B．safe | C．false | D．public |
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| 小题16: | | A．better | B．younger | C．prouder | D．worse |
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| 小题17: | | A．years | B．months | C．centuries | D．weeks |
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| 小题18: | | A．hardly | B．actually | C．luckily | D．regularly |
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| 小题19: | | A．dream | B．way | C．house | D．study |
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| 小题20: | | A．struggling | B．filling | C．turning | D．begging |
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"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood. The happy childhood is hardly worth your while. "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. And worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." That was Frank McCourt reading the opening lines of his book Angela"s Ashes, released in 1996.
This Irish American author best known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography Angela"s Ashes that recorded his poor upbringing, died of cancer on Sunday, The New York Times reported. He was 78.
Born in New York City, he was the eldest of the seven children born to Irish immigrant parents. Angela"s Ashes was a memoir(回忆录)that captured an irresponsible, drunkard(酒鬼)father with a gift for story-telling. When not drunk, his father was absent, turning his back on a family so poor, McCourt wrote, that they were reduced to burning the furniture in their rented hut to keep warm. His mother struggled to raise her many children after his father left the family.
In Angela"s Ashes, he wrote of hunger, a home flooded with rainwater and the unbearable humiliation(耻辱)of seeking handouts from charities in the Irish city. But he told the story in a way that is expressive, warm and light-hearted.
Frank McCourt left Ireland at the age of 19 to return to New York City where he was born. He earned a degree in English education and taught creative writing for nearly thirty years. After retiring in 1987, he decided to write about his childhood. "Angela"s Ashes" became a huge success and brought McCourt a 1997 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award and other honors. Millions of copies of the book were sold worldwide and it was adapted into a 1999 movie starring Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle.
小题1:In the first paragraph, by saying "The happy childhood is hardly worth your while", the writer really means that ________.| A．a lot of readers don"t deserve happy childhood | | B．his childhood is not worth of others" sympathy | | C．his childhood is mixed with happiness and misery | | D．smooth childhood surely will not draw readers" attention |
小题2:From the passage, we know Frank McCourt"s father is ________.| A．humorous and trustworthy | | B．alcohol-addicted but loves his family | | C．poor but warm-hearted | | D．irresponsible but gifted in telling stories |
小题3:Which of the statements about the book “Angela’s Ashes” is right?| A．This book is intended to show respect to McCourt’s father. | | B．The author wrote the book in a sad and serious tone(语调). | | C．The book enjoyed great popularity after it came out. | | D．The author got two awards because of the book. |
小题4: What"s the text mainly about?| A．A brief introduction to Frank McCourt and one of his works. | | B．A literary review(评论) on Frank McCourt"s book. | | C．An account of Frank McCourt"s miserable childhood. | | D．A comment on Frank McCourt"s life experience. |
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Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with God. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was simple, with no indoor pipes or heating. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the rhythm and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle(喧闹) of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and turned on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there shocked, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer of this old station came on. "Here"s one we haven"t heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves "Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower…".
小题1:The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons Except that ________. | A．it was too cold and quiet | | B．she could only sing one song in the small farm | | C．there was nothing more that could make her excited | | D．it had no indoor pipes or heating |
小题2:From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________. | A．passed away four years ago | B．left the small farm | | C．left to live her own way | D．preferred to be with God |
小题3:The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________. | A．remembered | B．comforted | C．shouted | D．sighed |
小题4:Which of the following statements is NOT true?| A．The writer was able to sing before she could speak. | | B．The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city. | | C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower". | | D．The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse. |
小题5:Which would be the best title for this passage? | A．Cherish life | B．My happy childhood | | C．Our small farmhouse | D．Mom’s music |
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