My teenage son Karl became withdraw after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was I. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
小题1:By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and _____.| A．preferred to stay alone at home | B．often escaped school | | C．refused to talk to others | D．began to dislike his mother |
小题2:There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.| A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother | | B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking | | C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice | | D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother |
小题3:What is the main idea of this passage?| A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems. | | B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life. | | C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers. | | D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents. |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:B |
试题分析：本文叙述了一个单亲母亲在孩子的父亲去世后，不知怎样教育自己的孩子，以致于孩子的学习下降很快，母亲找孩子谈话，孩子不听，可有一次孩子和母亲的一次通话却让孩子彻底明白了做母亲的心里，后来孩子的成绩有了提高。
小题1:细节理解题。根据I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. 儿子不愿意与别人交流，故选C。
小题2:细节理解题。根据when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”听到母亲的话儿子很受感动，故选A。
小题3:主旨大意题。根据本文而主要叙述了母亲的爱的力量，故选B。
点评：主旨大意题的难度较大，此类题目一般不易直接找到答案，最简单的方法是仔细研究文章开头的一二句，因为他们常是文章的主题句，然后，快速浏览文章首句和结尾句。如果第一句的主题不明，可注意结尾是否有概括总结，对选项要注意全面性和概括性。 |
核心考点
试题【My teenage son Karl became withdraw after his father died. As a single parent, I】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Once you’ve tasted the joy and freedom of an all-access backstage pass, sitting in the balcony（楼厅） far from the stage has little attraction. In March of 2008, I had the opportunity to tour with a band. The experience was eye-opening.
I hadn’t realized how many misconceptions I had about the lifestyle of a world-class musician. Such a life is not as great as it appears. In fact, some aspects are extremely tedious. Hours and hours are spent waiting. The musicians wait for their transportation; they wait for the sound check; they wait to perform. After the show, they wait for the crowds of fans to go away.
When the musicians are not waiting, they are traveling. Sometimes the travel itself can seem attractive and exciting, with the limousines（豪华轿车） and the first-class seats on the plane. However, even these luxuries cannot make up for long, boring hours on the road or in the air. Basic needs are all but ignored. Late-night shows and early wake-up calls make them know the preciousness of sleep. The demanding travel itineraries（行程） and show schedules make regular meals impossible.
In spite of the sacrifices, life on tour has its advantage, at least for the talent. A support team generally travels with the band, with at least one person dedicated to meeting the musicians’ needs at all times. The musicians are expected to perform at the shows, but they are not expected to manage any detail of their lives. When I was with the band, I poured glasses of grapefruit juice, made sandwiches, prepared dressing rooms, and performed all kinds of routine work, such as buying toothpaste and getting money from the ATM. In addition, efforts are made by promoters to keep the musicians happy. Most places offer private dressing rooms for the musicians. There is also usually a green room, a room that is large with comfortable furnishings where the band can visit with friends and family while waiting to go on stage. Before the band goes on, their families and friends file out into the auditorium and find their seats. The house lights go dark and curtain rises. When the lights flash on and the band starts playing, the scene is magical. A behind-the-scenes view makes the experience even more spectacular.
小题1:The underlined world in paragraph 2 probably means _____.| A．exciting | B．boring | C．reasonable | D．ridiculous |
小题2:We can infer from the third paragraph that _____.| A．good arrangements always make the trips comfortable and pleasant | | B．most musicians would rather travel long distance than wait | | C．most musicians ignore their basic needs because the travel is too luxurious | | D．the lack of sleep and irregular meals seem to be a part of the life of musicians |
小题3:Which might be the best title for the passage?| A．Behind the Scene. | B．Hard Life of Musicians. | | C．My Part-time Job. | D．How to Make Musicians Happy. |
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Most people who live in Seattle, Washington, love their city. There is a never-ending flow of fun things to do. But, people who live there do not always enjoy the day-after-day absence of sunshine during the winter months.
It is documented fact that sunshine (or lack of it) plays a major role in how each of us meets the day. It also affects how we perform at school or work. When people are derived of sunlight, they can develop seasonal affective disorder, which makes it difficult for them to feel happy or get things accomplished. No major city in the United States is more affected by the “sunshine factor” than Seattle.
To fight drizzle and fog during the winter months, Steve Murphy created a business that is very popular among the locals. The Indoor Sun Shoppe is more than a little ray of sunshine during the gray days of Seattle’s winter. His shop offers a huge source of plants and artificial lighting for people who are trying to overcome seasonal affective disorder.
Located in Fremont, Washington, The Indoor Sun Shoppe has an amazing collection of exotic plants and “good bugs” in a humid and well-lit environment. At The Indoor Sun Shoppe, you can spend up to $400 for artificial lighting that will chase away the winter blues. It will also keep your plants healthy. You can buy a dawn simulator that will gradually fill your room with a warming wake-up glow. What better way to meet a Seattle morning when real sunshine is nothing more than a happy thought!
Murphy’s in-home waterfalls are also popular with customers. But his plants and lights remain the “main course.” On a cloudy winter day, The Indoor Sun Shoppe is a bright spot in Seattle!
小题1:Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?| A．Seattle is located in the state of Washington. | | B．Citizens love Seattle for their colorful city lives. | | C．Sunshine in Seattle is rare during the winter months. | | D．People who live in Seattle are used to the sunshine absence. |
小题2:Which of the following best defines the term seasonal affective disorder in Para.2?| A．mild temperature and a general feeling of illness caused by gray winter | | B．exhaustion, depression and lack of energy caused by a lack of sunlight | | C．winter-related illness caused by the low temperature and little sunlight | | D．post-holiday depression that comes when relatives leave after Christmas |
小题3:The Indoor Sun Shoppe _____.| A．attracts people from different parts of the whole country | | B．aims to create a humid and well-lit environment during winter months | | C．brings only a little ray of sunshine during the gray days of Seattle’s winter | | D．offers variety of goods helping people overcome seasonal affective disorder |
小题4:Which of the following best explains the use of a dawn simulator?| A．An alarm clock stimulated by the light rays of early morning. | | B．A bringer of indoor artificial sunshine when there is none outside. | | C．An automatic waterfall system helping make indoor plants healthy. | | D．A better way to meet a Seattle morning with real warming sunshine. |
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From the time each of my children started school, I packed their lunches. And in each lunch, I 11 a note. Often written on a napkin (餐巾), it might be a thank-you for a 12 moment, a reminder of something we were happily expecting, or a bit of 13 for the coming test or sporting event.
In early grade school they 14 their notes. But as children grow older they becomes self-conscious(有自我意识的), and 15 he reached high school, my older son, Marc, informed me he no longer 16 my daily notes. Telling him that he no longer needed to 17 them but I still needed to write them, I 18 until the day he graduated.
Six years after high school graduation, Marc called and asked if he could move 19 for a couple of months. He had spent those years well, graduating from college, 20 two internship (实习) in Washington, D.C., and 21 , becoming a technical assistant in Sacramento, 22 short vacation visits, however, he had lived away from home. With his younger sister leaving for college, I was 23 happy to have Marc back. Since I was 24 making lunch for his younger brother, I 25 one for Marc, too. Imagine my 26 when I got a call from my 24-year-old son, 27 his lunch.
“Did I do something 28 ? Don’t you love me 29 ,Mom?” were just a few of the questions he threw at me as I 30 asked him what was wrong. “My note, Mom,” he answered. “Where’s my note?”
| 小题1: | | A．carried | B．found | C．included | D．held |
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| 小题2: | | A．difficult | B．special | C．comfortable | D．separate |
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| 小题3: | | A．congratulation | B．improvement | C．explanation | D．encouragement |
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| 小题4: | | A．loved | B．answered | C．wrote | D．examined |
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| 小题5: | | A．lately | B．by the way | C．by the time | D．gradually |
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| 小题6: | | A．received | B．understood | C．enjoyed | D．collected |
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| 小题8: | | A．held up | B．gave up | C．followed | D．continued |
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| 小题9: | | A．out | B．home | C．to college | D．to Sacramento |
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| 小题10: | | A．organizing | B．planning | C．comparing | D．completing |
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| 小题11: | | A．hopefully | B．finally | C．particularly | D．certainly |
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| 小题12: | | A．Because of | B．Instead of | C．Except for | D．As for |
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| 小题13: | | A．especially | B．immediately | C．equally | D．generally |
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| 小题14: | | A．once | B．again | C．still | D．even |
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| 小题15: | | A．packed | B．fetched | C．bought | D．filled |
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| 小题16: | | A．fear | B．surprise | C．anger | D．disappointment |
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| 小题17: | | A．waiting for | B．worrying about | C．caring for | D．asking about |
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| 小题18: | | A．wrong | B．funny | C．strange | D．smart |
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| 小题19: | | A．any more | B．enough | C．once more | D．better |
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| 小题20: | | A．interestingly | B．bitterly | C．politely | D．laughingly |
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It happened towards evening, when I was resting in a cafe. I 36 a pair of newly bought white leather shoes, which were rather expensive. Then 37 came to me.
He was in an unfit shirt, 38 pale and weak. He looked about eleven or twelve. No sooner39 begun to speak than he opened the box in his hand and took out the tools of shoe-polishing. He bent down, 40 my leather shoes, and began to shine them.
He was concentrating on his job when heavy rain began to pour 41 . People rushed into the cafe for protection from the 42 . More and more people crowded in and gradually 43 the boy from me.
Hours passed, and 44 turned dark. I had no shoes on my feet and wondered 45 the boy had been. I thought he would not 46 my leather shoes, and I would have to walk back home on 47 in the night.
When it was near midnight the rain 48 , people started to go out. The cafe 49
Closed. I had to move to the door, I was surprised to see the boy sleeping on the floor with his head leaning 50 a box. He held a package made of his shirt tightly in his arms.
I 51 him slightly and woke him up. He jumped up and rubbed his eyes for a while before he 52 me. Then he opened the 53 hurriedly, gave me my leather shoes, and apologized to me shyly.
I paid him and wrapped around him his unfit shirt, which 54 my leather shoes.
After saying goodbye to the boy, I was 55 home, with the image of the boy staying in my mind.
| 小题1: | | A．put on | B．dressed | C．wore | D．wore out |
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| 小题2: | | A．a boy | B．a woman | C．a girl | D．an old man |
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| 小题3: | | A．looked | B．look | C．to look | D．looking |
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| 小题4: | | A．had I | B．I had | C．I did | D．did I |
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| 小题5: | | A．taking up | B．took off | C．taking off | D．took on |
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| 小题8: | | A．separated | B．connected | C．joined | D．divided |
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| 小题10: | | A．there | B．where | C．how | D．what |
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| 小题11: | | A．polish | B．clean | C．turn | D．return |
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| 小题12: | | A．feet | B．my foot | C．my bare feet | D．my own foot |
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| 小题13: | | A．started | B．began | C．ended | D．came |
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| 小题14: | | A．was | B．was to be | C．had been | D．has been |
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| 小题15: | | A．against | B．with | C．under | D．over |
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| 小题16: | | A．cover | B．shook | C．grasped | D．caught |
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| 小题17: | | A．thanked | B．made out | C．recognized | D．passed |
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| 小题18: | | A．wallet | B．arms | C．shoes | D．package |
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| 小题19: | | A．was wrapping | B．was wrapped | C．had wrapped | D．wrapped |
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| 小题20: | | A．on the way to | B．on a way | C．on my way | D．in my way |
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Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955. He and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father, William H. Gates II, was a Seattle lawyer. Mary Gates, their late mother, was a school teacher.
 Gates attended public elementary school before moving on to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle. It was at Lakeside that Gates began his career in personal computer soft ware, programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, who is now Microsoft"s president. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version (版本) of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer---the MITS Astair. In his junior year, Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975 with his boyhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable tool on every office desk-top and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.
Gates" foresight has led to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. He plays an important role in the technical development of new products. Much of his time is devoted to meeting with customers and staying in touch with Microsoft employees around the world through e-mail.
In the dozen years since Microsoft went public, Gates has donated more than $ 800 million to charities, including $ 200 million to the Gates Library Foundation to help libraries in North America make use of new technologies and the Information Age.
小题1:Where did Bill Gates begin his career in personal computer software?| A．At public elementary school. | B．At the private Lakeside School. | | C．At Harvard University. | D．At Microsoft Company. |
小题2:Why did he drop out of Harvard?| A．To change school. | B．To spend all his energies to Microsoft. | | C．To find a full-time job. | D．To earn money. |
小题3:How does Gates spend much of his time?| A．Meeting with people. | | B．Travelling around the world. | | C．E-mailing some friends. | | D．Meeting with customers and e-mailing Microsoft employees. |
小题4:What does the underlined word “donated” in the last paragraph mean?| A．gave. | B．earned. | C．made. | D．received. |
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