Kilimanjaro Climb : a Rite of Passage for Father and Son
Climbing Kilimanjaro is a transformational experience for many people. The things that make the mountain hard are the very things that make it so powerful. In the case of my son Josh and I，the walk up Kilimanjaro proved a powerful symbol ofhis transition into manhood, and a great change in our relationship.
Day three on the mountain, Josh was hit with massive headaches. He told me every step felt like a nail driving into his head. And then, on the night we climbed the crater rim, less than 40 minutes from the summit, Josh fell. I was walking ahead, and did not even see it. He was so exhausted that he could not get up. He recalled our guides, debating whether or not they should take him straight down. Josh snapped out of it. He forced himself to his feet, shook the guides off. He set his face towards the peak and just kept marching. Near the summit he caught up with me and we reached the peak together.
“ I’ve never been in so much pain and so happy at the same time，，，he said, as we sat side by side on the frozen rock and looked down over Africa. “You know, in the past when we’d go on camping and rafting trips, you guided and took care of me through it all. But on Kilimanjaro it was different. From the bottom up, I climbed it. I never feltlike a kid, even when 1 was in pain. You never acted like a parent.”
“That’s not quite true，”I replied. “When you told me that on the summit you fell-and I did not even notice, my first thought was, ‘Oh my God! I’m such an awful parent!’ But then it hit me, ‘He got himself up. He walked to the peak on his own. He didn"t need me to help.，”
I realized as I spoke that two people had died that night on Kilimanjaro. A child and a parent. It wasjust two friends who walked down the mountain together.
小题1:What is NOT mentioned in the first paragraph?| A． Kilimanjaro is powerful. | | B． Kilimanjaro is hard to climb. | | C． Many people, including Josh, have changed after climbing Kilimanjaro. | | D． The writer has a distant relationship with his son after climbing Kilimanjaro. |
小题2:From the second paragraph we know that_____| A． Josh had a slight headache. | | B． Josh reached the top of the mountain with the help of the guides. | | C． Josh overcame various difficulties on his way to the summit. | | D． Climbing Kilimanjaro was too hard for such a child as Josh. |
小题3:What does the underlined phrase in the second paragraph mean?| A． cheered up | B．gave up | C．burst out | D．ran out |
小题4:What can be inferred from the talk between the father and the son?| A． Josh felt quite good about his independence. | | B． Josh appreciated his parents ，company and care. | | C． The father felt guilty all the time. | | D． The father should have taken good care of Josh as usual. |
小题5:Why did the father feel that two people had died?| A． Because two people had lost their lives while climbing Kilimanjaro. | | B． Because the father and son had become friends. | | C． Because they had witnessed an accidence of a father and son. | | D． Because two friends had misled him. |
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小题1:D
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:A
小题5:B |
试题分析：文章通过父子二人爬乞力马扎罗山的经历，让儿子克服困难，变得独立，父子的关系也变成了象朋友一样。
小题1:排除题：文章第一段提到乞力马扎罗山很强大，很难爬，很多人，包括Josh都在爬过乞力马扎罗山后改变了。没有提到 D。
小题2:细节题：从第二段的句子：He forced himself to his feet, shook the guides off. He set his face towards the peak and just kept marching. Near the summit he caught up with me and we reached the peak together.可知Josh在登上山顶的过程中克服了很多困难。选C
小题3:猜词题：从后面的句子：He forced himself to his feet, shook the guides off.可知：snap out of重新振作起来 选A
小题4:细节题：从第三段的句子：“ I’ve never been in so much pain and so happy at the same time，，，可知Josh对自己的独立感觉很好。选 A
小题5:细节题：从最后一段的句子：It was just two friends who walked down the mountain together.可知父亲觉得和儿子成为了朋友，所以以前的两个人死了。选B
点评：文章通过父子二人爬乞力马扎罗山的经历，让儿子克服困难，变得独立，父子的关系也变成了象朋友一样。这类阅读理解要求考生根据文章所述事件的逻辑关系，对未说明的趋势或结局作出合理的推断；或根据作者所阐述的观点理论，对文章未涉及的现象、事例给以解释。考生首先要仔细阅读短文，完整了解信息，准确把握作者观点。 |
核心考点
试题【Kilimanjaro Climb : a Rite of Passage for Father and SonClimbing Kilimanjaro is 】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Dr. Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish. It"s not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low. It"s not because they"re bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water. It’s because they"re smart.
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities," says the marine biologist. For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat. "I would never eat anyone I know personally."
There"s a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human. They can remember things and learn from experience. Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether.
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket. "While it may seem conspicuous that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables," says Dr. Lynne Sneddon. "Really, it"s kind of a moral question. Is the enjoyment you get from fishing (or eating fish) more important than the pain of the fish?"
Fishermen and (fried) fish lovers are skeptical. "I"ve never seen a smart fish," says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant. "If they were very smart, they wouldn"t get caught."
"For years, everyone"s been telling us to eat fish because it"s so good for us," says another diner. "Now I"ve got to feel guilty while I"m eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don"t eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"
小题1:According to Dr. Sylvia Earle, he would stop eating fish as a result of the following reasons EXCEPT ___________ .| A．Fish are sensitive and have personalities | | B．He knows fish very well | | C．Fish are dangerous to eat because the water is polluted | | D．Fish are clever |
小题2:Dr. Lynne Sneddon describes the behavior of eating fish in a(n) _______ tone.| A．opposed | B．optimistic | C．indifferent | D．supportive |
小题3:Which word below can take the place of the underlined word “conspicuous” in Paragraph 4?| A．obvious | B．easy | C．impossible | D．necessary |
小题4:It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____________ .| A．Human beings should stop eating fish | | B．We would feel guilty if we continued eating fish | | C．People eat fish because fish are delicious | | D．Cucumber is a kind of vegetable or fruit |
小题5:What was the author’s purpose when writing this passage?| A．To advise people to stop eating fish. | | B．To introduce a topic of whether people should eat fish. | | C．To advise people not to stop eating fish. | | D．To tell us that fish will feel pain when caught and transported. |
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We always want what we cannot have. When we’re young, we want to stay out late, have romantic relationships, and be __36__. However, when we’re __37__, we want to go back to being young and we __38__ the days when we didn’t have to worry about complex love affairs, __39__ pressure, and money problems.
Young people believe adulthood __40__ freedom from parents and schoolwork. When they get older, they feel that __41__is freedom from work pressure and family responsibilities. To __42__ this feeling, people say, “The grass is always __43__ on the other side.”
As teenagers, we like to be like adults but as young adults, we __44__to be young again. We think about staying out late, __45__ our own money to spend. Suddenly, they see that love can result in _46__hearts; staying out late makes it hard to get ready for__47__the next morning. They find out that adult life is not as __48__as they thought it would be and suddenly, __49__ becomes very scary.
Life is __50__. It gives us time to__51__ but also requires us to work. The time will come when we must grow up and we will always look __52__ wishing we __53__being young a bit longer. That time will not come back. It is normal to want what we cannot have but the __54__ is that to be happy is to appreciate what we have. That is the first step to growing up. __55__life becomes more complex we will not regret the time we wasted wishing we were adults.
| 小题1: | | A．comfortable | B．dependent | C．independent | D．polite |
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| 小题2: | | A．older | B．defeated | C．married | D．confident |
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| 小题3: | | A．like | B．forget | C．regret | D．miss |
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| 小题4: | | A．study | B．job | C．age | D．health |
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| 小题5: | | A．creates | B．shows | C．means | D．limits |
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| 小题6: | | A．childhood | B．adulthood | C．parenthood | D．romanticism |
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| 小题7: | | A．reduce | B．describe | C．experience | D．understand |
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| 小题8: | | A．greener | B．thinner | C．yellow | D．colorful |
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| 小题9: | | A．wish | B．decide | C．return | D．stop |
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| 小题10: | | A．making | B．having | C．worrying about | D．showing off |
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| 小题11: | | A．healthy | B．ambitious | C．broken | D．excited |
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| 小题12: | | A．breakfast | B．school | C．exercise | D．work |
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| 小题13: | | A．rich | B．busy | C．free | D．easy |
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| 小题14: | | A．life | B．love | C．career | D．future |
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| 小题15: | | A．long | B．short | C．fair | D．beautiful |
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| 小题16: | | A．study | B．think | C．play | D．live |
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| 小题17: | | A．up | B．down | C．back | D．into |
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| 小题18: | | A．stopped | B．enjoyed | C．imagined | D．tried |
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| 小题19: | | A．reason | B．result | C．dream | D．truth |
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| 小题20: | | A．If | B．When | C．Unless | D．Before |
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Life is full of change, and this leads to growth. Change is what keeps our lives moving, and allows us to achieve what we desire and deserve. Like it or not, we need to be willing to go with the flow, and be adaptable when something doesn’t go according to plan. A catalyst is a person that causes something else to happen, and if you’re not currently a catalyst for change, here are some things you can do to become one.
Take a look at what you’ve got going on in your life right now. Write down everything that comes to mind. Is there anything that jumps out at you that you"re not content with? Is there something that isn"t moving forward as quickly as you would like it to? Identifying what you want to change is the first step to getting somewhere with it.
Take the initiative to make change happen. Once you have identified what you want to work on changing, write down several possible "next steps" you can take to realizing that change. Whatever it is you want to change, you won"t get very far without having specific actions in mind to carry out. Start small, and then focus on items that are a bit more involved or difficult and just keep going!
When carrying out a change, it’s great if you’re able to bounce ideas off other people, particularly if they can help you implement that change in some way. Be receptive to feedback, but realize that others’ opinions are not golden. Also remember to give feedback when asked for it. Be sure it"s genuine and that you are able to stand behind it.
Create an environment for change. There is nothing more discouraging than trying to create change in an environment that is not conducive to it. It’s like trying to stick to a diet in a house that is filled with chips, cookies, ice cream and chocolate; you are just making it more difficult for yourself.
Change is good, and often leads to process improvement, increased productivity and efficiency. Take the initiative, and make changes to your life to get to where you want to go faster than you are going right now.
小题1:If you decide to change, you should start by _________. | A．going with the flow | | B．changing from day to day | | C．writing down good ideas | | D．making sure you know what to change |
小题2:Which of the following is TRUE, according to the fourth paragraph? | A．One should accept others’ opinions uncritically. | | B．One should be cautious about the opinions of others. | | C．It’s more important to get than to give feedback. | | D．Change may not happen without ideas from other people. |
小题3:The underlined words “bounce ideas off other people” in the fourth paragraph probably mean
“_________”. | A．get approval from others | | B．get your ideas across to other people | | C．get others’ feedback about your ideas | | D．carry out your ideas without the help of others |
小题4:What can we infer from the text?| A．Change benefits us in different ways. | | B．Creating a good environment is the most important step. | | C．It’s discouraging to try to change one’s environment. | | D．Being a catalyst for change is risky but rewarding. |
小题5:Which would be the best title for the text?| A．How to achieve what you desire. | | B．How to be a catalyst for change. | | C．How to act according to your plans. | | D．How to move in the right direction. |
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Gallows humor（黑色幽默）seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress. “Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it"s not,” says James M. Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.
Psychologists say that just because you"re laughing doesn"t mean you’re wasting time. Occasional teasing among colleagues, particularly if it revolves around things associated with the job, can boost creativity, departmental cohesiveness（凝聚力）and performance.
“There are a lot of stressors out there,” says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist with the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning in Chicago. “But gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”
This is true as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people --- not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale（士气）in terms of the company would be good humor,” says Thierry Guedj, a professor of business and psychology at Boston University. “Before you say or do anything, think about, ‘How is this helping my employees’ morale?’”
You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance, or faith. If you have any doubt, it"s appropriate, don"t go through with it.
Or you can take aim at the one person you know won"t be offended（冒犯）:Yourself. “If there"s going to be a joke or story, it should be you,” Mr. Dunkelblau says. For example, if you"re a marketing manager reviewing a failed campaign that you led, begin with a line like, “The guy who gave permission to this deal might just be looking for work next week.”
“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves too,” Mr. Jones says. “And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”
小题1:According to the text, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT ________. | A．reducing pressure | | B．improving performance | | C．making people more creative | | D．leading to a big mistake |
小题2:What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Neutral. | D．Uncertain. |
小题3:Which of the following would Dr. Guedj most probably agree with?| A．Gallows humor is the basic source of morale. | | B．Gallows humor allows people to laugh at others. | | C．Gallows humor may sometimes be used for the wrong purpose. | | D．Anything that may lift morale can be called gallows humor. |
小题4:When people use gallows humor, they should ________. | A．observe who is aggressive | | B．show a sense of belonging | | C．doubt about the result of humors | | D．try to avoid irritating others |
小题5:What can we infer from the text? | A．People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves. | | B．Laughing at ourselves can help relieve the stress of others. | | C．People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor. | | D．People who laugh at themselves are hard to be friends with. |
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When I was young, I belonged to a club that did community service work. There was one specific event that was 1 for me. I spent three or four hours handing out warm dinner to the ___2_ out in the streets. After that I went to a homeless shelter(避难所) not far from the Bay Bridge. I was in high school and at the time my sister was too young to join in . She wanted to help, 3 she made many chocolate chip cookies for me to __4_____ and hand out to people. When getting to the shelter, I passed out the 5 . I began making sandwiches and shared them with the crowd. I had the containers with my sister’s cookies in them and began to walk around, offering them to anyone near me.
I walked 6 to an old gentleman and said, “Sir, would you like a cookie?” He stopped and turned around, looked at me 7 and said, “What did you say? Did you call me sir?” I told him I had , and his eyes 8 a little bit and said, “No one has ever called me sir.” So he was completely 9 . It struck me.
I explained I had been raised that regardless of (不顾) 10 and social status（地位）, everyone deserved(值得） 11 . It saddened me to think that just because he was homeless, no one offered him the honor . It broke my heart. I just didn’t understand 12 no one ever called him sir. I had never thought that anyone was 13 me because I wasn’t raised that way. Every single person deserves to be treated with respect. Years later, I still carry that 14 and the lesson it taught me. Somtimes, what we take for granted can really make a difference in 15 life.
| 小题1: | | A．uncommon | B．unusual | C．universal | D．simple |
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| 小题2: | | A．winners | B．losers | C．hopeless | D．homeless |
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| 小题4: | | A．enjoy | B．eat | C．take | D．produce |
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| 小题5: | | A．meals | B．cookies | C．chocolates | D．chips |
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| 小题6: | | A．near | B．close | C．forward | D．along |
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| 小题7: | | A．briefly | B．swiftly | C．highly | D．directly |
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| 小题8: | | A．cried | B．opened | C．watered | D．lit |
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| 小题9: | | A．disappointed | B．moved | C．spoiled | D．relieved |
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| 小题10: | | A．income | B．pain | C．colour | D．goal |
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| 小题11: | | A．respect | B．praise | C．happiness | D．laughter |
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| 小题12: | | A．what | B．how | C．why | D．whether |
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| 小题13: | | A．in front of | B．below | C．behind | D．beside |
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| 小题14: | | A．word | B．memory | C．feeling | D．sadness |
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| 小题15: | | A．someone’s | B．anyone’s | C．everyone’s | D．no one’s |
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