My husband can plan wonderful surprise celebrations for me.Recently，however，I told him I didn’t want him to plan one for my upcoming birthday.
“Why？” he asked.
“I am embarrassed being the center of attention，” I quickly explained.
Later，I began to think more deeply about this reason. Then I remembered the surprise celebration I had planned for my friend Nancy on her 60th birthday. We were roommates on a threeweek tour following the Silk Road on those famous steppes (大草原)—and through the mountains—of central Asia.
That afternoon we had arrived at our hotel in Samarkand，Uzbekistan. The young man at the hotel desk told me about a bakery about 10 minutes away. After giving me detailed directions，he added，“Your nose will let you know when you arrive there.”
The temperature was 40 ℃.Soon，my_olfaction proved to be an unfailing guide. Outside the bakery，a delicious smell greeted me.
There were several kinds of breads，cookies，and cakes on display. There were also beautiful iced cakes. I chose a cake topped with powdered sugar.
Later at the Karim Bek Restaurant，Nancy didn’t see the young waiter walk up the steps with the cake.When I began singing“Happy Birthday，”everyone at our table—except Nancy—joined in.
It took her a moment to realize what was happening. Then the grinning (咧嘴笑的) guest of honor thanked me，blew out the candles on the cake，and ate three pieces of it.
Today，after reliving this experience in my mind，I told my husband to ignore my request.I now understand what a surprise party is about：It is not about having a surprise party but rather the delight in giving it. That is what brings the satisfying joy.
小题1:Why did the author go to the bakery?| A．To get some bread for her journey. | | B．To experience the local taste in Samarkand. | | C．To buy a birthday cake for her friend. | | D．To eat some iced cakes to cool herself down. |
小题2:The underlined words “my olfaction” in Paragraph 7 most probably refer to________.| A．the waiter at the hotel | | B．the author’s sense of smell | | C．the author’s friend | | D．the author’s map |
小题3:The party held at the Karim Bek Restaurant was________.| A．very successful | B．a little simple | | C．quite boring | D．too noisy |
小题4:From the last paragraph we learn that now the author________.| A．becomes less interested in surprise parties | | B．thinks surprise parties are embarrassing | | C．enjoys giving others surprises | | D．realizes the true meaning of surprise parties |
小题5:From the passage，we can NOT infer that________.| A．the author’s birthday is coming | | B．the author’s husband loves her very much | | C．the author and Nancy have been roommates for three weeks | | D．the author has already spent her 60th birthday |
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小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:A
小题4:D
小题5:D |
作者回忆了在旅途中为同行的朋友举办的一个惊喜生日派对，并从中认识到惊喜派对的真正意义。
小题1:C细节理解题。根据倒数第四段的I chose a cake topped with powdered sugar及倒数第三段的When I began...joined in可知，作者去面包房是为了给她的朋友买生日蛋糕。
小题2:B 词义猜测题。根据第六段末句Your nose will let you know when you arrive there和第七段的Outside the bakery，a delicious smell greeted me可推断，olfaction可能指嗅觉。作者借助嗅觉找到了面包房。
小题3:A 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段以及最后一段作者对惊喜派对态度的转变可以推断，那天的生日派对非常成功。
小题4:D 细节理解题。根据最后一段第二句I now understand what a surprise party is about可知，作者最后悟出了惊喜派对的真正意义。
小题5:D 细节推断题。由第一段“I told him I didn’t want...my upoming birthday.”推知“我”的生日就要到了。“丈夫”总会在生日时给“我”惊喜，可见“丈夫”很爱“我”，A、B均可推知；由第五段首句可知，C正确；D在原文中无法推断。 |
核心考点
试题【My husband can plan wonderful surprise celebrations for me.Recently，however，I to】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
After a very busy afternoon，as I walked into my house，I heard the phone ringing. It was my friend Lydia，upset over an argument with her husband. My usual approach is to offer advice，but this time，exhausted from chores，I simply sat down in a chair and listened to my friend’s frustration and sadness. Without the disturbance of judgment or the desire to comfort her，I stayed totally quiet while she talked. Eventually Lydia’s depression eased and we said our goodbyes. The next day she phoned to thank me. “I’m so grateful for the way you helped me through this，”she said.
At first I was surprised. After all，I had done nothing except be there for her. But after I had my own venting (发泄的) experience with another friend later that evening，I realized that my focused silence had some value. In fact，most relationship experts agree that talk is cheap；it’s listening that’s rare and valuable It allows you not only to hear what the other person is saying，but also to have a clear understanding of her thoughts and feelings. And for the speaker，that level of understanding translates into concern and respect.
Unfortunately，listening isn’t as easy as it sounds. Thanks to schedules filled with family and work，multitasking has become a barrier (障碍) to listening. My tiredness may have been the only thing stopping me from folding laundry or checking my email while Lydia talked that afternoon.
Another barrier to listening is our listening system：Most of us take in only about half of what’s being said during a conversation，according to the International Listening Association. Research shows that we speak at 125 to 150 words per minute，yet think at 500 words a minute. Therefore，because we think much more quickly than we speak，it is easy for us to lose our concentration when listening to speakers.
While it can be hard to focus at times，it’s a skill worth developing. With a little practice (employing some techniques)，you can become a better listener.
小题1:Why didn’t the author give any advice to Lydia that afternoon?| A．Because she thought her keeping silence was better for Lydia. | | B．Because she didn’t know how to comfort Lydia. | | C．Because she was too tired to talk to Lydia. | | D．Because she couldn’t cut in while Lydia was talking. |
小题2:In Paragraph 2，the author mainly talks about________.| A．the importance of listening | | B．the importance of venting anger | | C．her own listening experience | | D．her own venting experience |
小题3:The author uses the result of the research in Paragraph 4 to mainly show that________.| A．we think much more quickly than we speak | | B．we can only understand about half of what we hear | | C．there is not much thinking time available while we are listening | | D．we lose our concentration easily while we are listening |
小题4:What will be discussed following the passage?| A．Why listening is valuable. | | B．What we should do while listening. | | C．How to become a good listener. | | D．How to stop drifting off while listening. |
小题5:The first paragraph serves as a(n)________．| A．explanation | B．introduction | | C．comment | D．background |
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Teens are more likely to behave badly if their parents expect them to，a new US study has found.
“Parents who believe they are simply being realistic might actually be having a bad effect on their children，” Christy Buchanan，a teacher at Wake Forest University and one of the authors of the study，said. “Bad expectations on the part of both parents and children predict more rebellious (叛逆的) behaviors later on.”
The finding came from a study of more than 250 sixth and seventhgraders and their mothers. They were examined at the start of the study and again one year later. If kids’ mothers expected them to take more risks and be more rebellious，higher chances of risky behavior were seen.This_was_also_true when kids had bad expectations of themselves.
“Sometimes parents expect more negative behavior from their children than they should based on the children’s history of behavior，” Buchanan said.Parents shouldn’t be naive (无知的) about the possibility of bad behavior，she said，but it’s also a mistake to think that children who are wellbehaved will naturally become rebellious at the age of 13.
“By thinking risktaking or rebelliousness is normal for teenagers and showing that to their children，parents might add to other messages from society that make teenagers feel that they are strange if they are not willing to take risks or break laws，” she said.“This can mean，for example，that when parents expect teens to drink before they turn 21 or to do other risky behaviors，kids are less likely to refuse to do so later in their lives.”
On the other hand，parents’ expectations that teens can exhibit good behaviors and refuse to behave badly or to take risks could help reduce the possibility of bad behavior，Buchanan said.“As a parent，you should put expectations on your children carefully.”
小题1:The passage is centered around the topic of________.| A．parental rights | | B．children’s habits | | C．parental education | | D．parentchildren relationship |
小题2:What do we know about the study?| A．Only mothers were examined. | | B．Participants were examined twice. | | C．250 people were examined in the study. | | D．Christy Buchanan was the only author of the study. |
小题3:What does the underlined part “This was also true” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．The kids were more likely to take dangerous behavior. | | B．The kids would have bad expectations of their parents. | | C．The kids were likely to go against their mothers. | | D．Mothers expected their kids to behave badly. |
小题4:Children may be more rebellious if________.| A．they know parents think risktaking is normal | | B．parents put little expectation on them | | C．they behave well before they turn 13 | | D．they are asked not to take risks |
小题5:What might be the most suitable title for the passage?| A．Risktaking is normal for teens. | | B．Why are my teens behaving badly? | | C．Don’t expect too much from your teens. | | D．Bad expectations lead to badbehaving teens. |
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Michel is a young girl who works for the police as a handwriting expert. She has helped 26 many criminals 27 using her special talents.
When she was fourteen, Michel was already so interested in the 28 in her friends’ handwriting 29 she would spend hours 30 them.. after 31 college she went to France for a special two-year class in 32 at the School of Police Science.
Michel says that it is 33 for people to hide their handwriting. She can discover 34 of what she needs to know simply by looking at the writing with her own 35 , but she also has machines 36 help her 37 different kinds of paper and ink. This knowledge is often 38 great help to the 39 .
Michel believes that handwriting is a good sign of 40 kind of person the writer 41 .”I wouldn’t go out with a fellow 42 I didn’t like his handwriting,” she says. But she adds she 43 in love with her future husband, a young policeman 44 she studied his handwriting. It is later proved to be all right, 45 .
| 小题1: | | A．search | B．follow | C．catch | D．judge |
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| 小题3: | | A．differences | B．same | C．way | D．method |
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| 小题4: | | A．that | B．as | C．as to | D．so that |
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| 小题5: | | A．writing | B．setting | C．uncovering | D．studying |
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| 小题6: | | A．finishing | B．attending | C．starting | D．finished |
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| 小题7: | | A．books | B．handwriting | C．tongues | D．letter |
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| 小题8: | | A．possible | B．safe | C．easy | D．impossible |
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| 小题9: | | A．most | B．all | C．nothing | D．little |
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| 小题10: | | A．hands | B．mind | C．head | D．eyes |
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| 小题11: | | A．they | B．those | C．that | D．with which |
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| 小题12: | | A．carry out | B．give out | C．look out | D．make out |
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| 小题14: | | A．teachers | B．people | C．police | D．students |
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| 小题15: | | A．what | B．all | C．which | D．to which |
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| 小题16: | | A．is | B．becomes | C．belongs | D．changes |
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| 小题17: | | A．whether | B．if | C．after | D．unless |
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| 小题18: | | A．felt | B．dropped | C．caught | D．fell |
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| 小题19: | | A．after | B．when | C．because | D．before |
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| 小题20: | | A．however | B．but | C．too | D．either |
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A wise man was visiting the Ganges, a river which flows through northern India, to take a bath. He found a group of family members on the 16 ， shouting angrily at each other.He 17 his disciples (弟子), smiled and asked, “Why do people shout in 18 at each other？”The disciples 19 for a while and one of them said, “Because we 20 our calm, we shout.”“But, why should you shout 21 the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a(n) 22 manner，” asked the wise man. Some disciples gave some other answers, but none 23 the other disciples. Finally the wise man explained, “When two people are angry at each other, there is a distance between their 24 . To cover that distance they must shout to be able to 25 each other. The angrier they are, the louder they will have to shout to 26 that great distance. What 27 when two people fall in love? They don"t shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very 28 . The distance between them is either nonexistent (不存在的) or very small.”
The wise man 29 ，“When they love each other even more, they do not 30 ， but only whisper and they get even closer to each other. Finally they 31 need not whisper. They only look at each other and that"s 32 . That is how close two people are when they love each other.”
He looked at his disciples and said, “So when you 33 ， do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance each other more. 34 there will come a day when the distance is so great that you"ll not find the path to 35 . You may end up becoming enemies, for instance.”
| 小题1: | | A．roof | B．platform | C．bank | D．street |
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| 小题2: | | A．referred to | B．attended to | C．shouted to | D．turned to |
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| 小题3: | | A．anger | B．excitement | C．disappointment | D．surprise |
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| 小题4: | | A．thought | B．relaxed | C．listened | D．waited |
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| 小题5: | | A．control | B．disturb | C．lose | D．enjoy |
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| 小题6: | | A．as long as | B．in case | C．when | D．unless |
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| 小题7: | | A．soft | B．impressive | C．weak | D．responsible |
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| 小题8: | | A．encouraged | B．satisfied | C．entertained | D．bothered |
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| 小题9: | | A．directions | B．bodies | C．goals | D．hearts |
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| 小题10: | | A．hurt | B．attack | C．understand | D．hear |
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| 小题11: | | A．keep | B．measure | C．cover | D．shorten |
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| 小题12: | | A．matters | B．happens | C．works | D．succeeds |
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| 小题13: | | A．close | B．huge | C．special | D．open |
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| 小题14: | | A．doubted | B．continued | C．replied | D．promised |
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| 小题16: | | A．sometimes | B．still | C．even | D．ever |
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| 小题17: | | A．nothing | B．all | C．one | D．something |
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| 小题18: | | A．argue | B．apologize | C．criticize | D．explain |
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| 小题19: | | A．Worse still | B．Therefore | C．Or else | D．Besides |
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| 小题20: | | A．beat | B．follow | C．walk | D．return |
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One sunny afternoon, a seven-year-old girl went for a walk. She crossed a large area of grassland into the woods __31__ she realized that she was lost.
Sitting on a rock and __32__ what to do, she began crying. After a while, she__33__ to walk along a wide path lined with tall trees and thick bushes. __34__ it was getting dark, she saw a small, dark wooden house. She opened the door and __35__ stepped in. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise, and she ran out the door and back to the __36__. Cold and tired, she fell asleep near a __37__.
The girl’s parents were out and her dog, Laddy, was at home. Laddy __38__ that his Mistress was in danger. He jumped __39__ a window, breaking the glass. He looked in the fields. But he couldn"t find his mistress anywhere. However, from the ground came a __40__ scent as he lowered his head. He __41__ the scent and walked across the grassland. Barking __42__ into the air, the dog __43__ through the woods until he found the __44__ . But the girl was not there, so he headed back to the woods. Much to his __45__ , he saw his mistress’ blue shirt in the distance. He __46__ over some bushes and saw the little stream, where the girl was __47__.
When she opened her eyes and 48 her dog standing beside her, the girl said, “you 49 me, Laddy,” and she kissed him several times. Seeing their daughter and dog coming back, the parents burst into tears of 50 . That night Laddy had a Hero"s supper: a huge meal of steak.
| 小题1: | | A．before | B．since | C．while | D．as |
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| 小题2: | | A．wondering | B．forgetting | C．remembering | D．regretting |
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| 小题3: | | A．preferred | B．expected | C．failed | D．decided |
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| 小题4: | | A．When | B．Until | C．If | D．Because |
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| 小题5: | | A．carelessly | B．cautiously | C．hopelessly | D．unwillingly |
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| 小题6: | | A．trees | B．bushes | C．woods | D．grasses |
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| 小题7: | | A．stream | B．rock | C．tree | D．house |
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| 小题8: | | A．found | B．sensed | C．heard | D．smelt |
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| 小题10: | | A．terrible | B．strange | C．pleasant | D．familiar |
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| 小题11: | | A．missed | B．discovered | C．followed | D．ignored |
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| 小题12: | | A．calmly | B．loudly | C．merrily | D．gently |
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| 小题13: | | A．searched | B．wandered | C．looked | D．traveled |
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| 小题14: | | A．window | B．girl | C．house | D．hero |
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| 小题15: | | A．satisfaction | B．disappointment | C．embarrassment | D．delight |
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| 小题16: | | A．jumped | B．climbed | C．walked | D．flew |
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| 小题17: | | A．awake | B．abandoned | C．available | D．asleep |
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| 小题18: | | A．spotted | B．watched | C．observed | D．saw |
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| 小题19: | | A．disturbed | B．comforted | C．rescued | D．scared |
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| 小题20: | | A．pain | B．shock | C．sorrow | D．relief |
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