Since the end of World War I(WWI) in 1918, Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to honour the sacrifice our soldiers have made in different ways, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.

Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI, a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide. As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI, today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution. They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.

  That’s why we wear the red poppy(罌粟花)；that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you”; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request. Yet this message is fading away, year after year. Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school. Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.

   It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem in Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid. It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history, no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice. Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.

   Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.

1.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?

A. Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead.

B. Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers.

C. Wearing a red poppy to show respect.

D. Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. War history is too violent for school children

B. The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army

C. Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies.

D. More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.

3. The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to_______.

A. the death of so many soldiers in wars

B. the fact that there were so many wars after WWI.

C. people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have.

D. removing children from Remembrance Day events.

4.The writer believes that ______.

A. the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered.

B. Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers.

C. school no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary.

D. people should be forced to learn about the realities of war.

 

A young man went to a town and worked there. He did not have a wife and a servant did the work in his house.

The young man liked laughing a lot. He nailed the servant’s shoes to the floor on Monday, and then laughed, because he put his feet in them and fell down. The servant was not angry, but smiled.

Then the young man put brushes in his bed on Tuesday. The servant got into bed and hit the brushes with his feet. He was afraid. The young man laughed loudly again. Again the servant was not angry, but smiled.

Then on Wednesday the young man said to his servant, “You’re a nice, kind man. I am not going to be unkind to you again.”

The servant smiled and said, “And I’m not going to put any more mud from the street in your coffee.”

1. He played a joke on the servant because    .

A．he hated him

B．he was not satisfied with the food the servant prepared for him

C．he wanted to get pleasure

D．he liked to show off himself

2.When the young man played a joke on him, the servant was not angry but smiled because _____.

A．he liked the young man’s action	B．making the young man laugh is his job
C．he was afraid to be fired	D．he thought he shouldn’t be angry with a child

3.What did the servant do in return to the young man?

A．He stole something from the house.	B．He gave a smile to the young man.
C．He had a fight with him.	D．He put mud into the young man’s coffee.

4. Why did the young man stop playing jokes on the servant? Because ___.

A．the servant showed kind and nice behavior to him

B．the servant told him the truth

C．he wanted to be a good man

D．his father told him to do so

 

This weekly four-day physical activity schedule will get your kids excited about being active.

Tuesday

When the kids get home from school, don’t let them go straight to the TV and get settled in. Encourage them to get moving and get off the couch(長(zhǎng)椅) by giving them a pedometer(計(jì)步器). Pedometers are the most fun when parents also use one because that turns stepping, walking and running into a game to see who can get the most steps.

Thursday

The kids have done a great job so far this week, but now they are aching for （渴望） a little more TV time. Instead of turning on cartoons, let them watch fitness movies made just for kids. These movies encourage watchers to get up and dance along to kid-friendly music.

Saturday

Get the whole family out of the house together and over to a park. Bring lots of sports equipment, pack a healthy picnic and have a family competitive sports day. Kids and adults get into groups and play against each other in tennis, basketball or soccer. After everyone has played hard for a couple of hours, stop for a picnic and then if your family isn’t too tired, go back and play some more.

Sunday

Every child loves to play video games and there is no better time to allow kids to play them than on Sunday when no homework is due（應(yīng)交的）.But don’t let them play a game that forces them to sit down for hours. Dance games with a floor mat(墊子) to help kids follow the dance moves are popular to kids.

56.What can be the best title for this text?

A.How to make children like activities.

B.A weekly four-day physical activity plan for kids.

C.Physical activities are important to kids.        

D.A plan that will do much good to kids.

57.Parents are advised to use a pedometer together with their kids because _______.

A.they can give their kids some advice about walking

B.it can prevent them from watching TV too much

C.this will allow them and their kids to have a fun competition

D.their kids will not use it if they don’t

58.On Thursday when a kid wants to watch TV, his parents should ______.

A.let him watch it for a short time

B.watch cartoons with him

C.take him out for a walk instead

D.show fitness movies to him

59.The author advises a family to have a meal on Saturday ______.

A. in a park  B. in a mountain C. in a restaurant  D. at home

 

    It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble. That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.

    “I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville. As I got onto Highway 40, blue lights and sirens（警笛）going, I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway. The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me. He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder.”

    But Hyde couldn’t go after him. Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders, so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident. But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove, hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car. As it turned out, keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult. Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.

    Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination （目的地）. At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene. His help wasn’t needed. Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird, who by this time had developed something new to panic about.

    “Just about that time,” Hyde says, “I saw fire coming out from under that car, with blue smoke and oil going everywhere. He’d blown his engine. Now he had to stop.”

    “After I arrested him, I asked him why he was running. He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license（執(zhí)照）.”

That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty － a thousand dollars for the new engine－ not to mention the charges for driving without a license, attempting to run away, and dangerous driving.

63. The meaning of “panicked” in Paragraph 2 is related to _____.

       A. shame B. hate    C. anger  D. fear

64. Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway?

       A. Because he was racing with another driver on the road.

      B. Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene.

      C. Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him.

      D. Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder.

65. Which of the following statements is true?

       A. Someone else was taking care of the injured person.

      B. The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene.

      C. Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car.

      D. The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40.

66. The driver of the Firebird ______.

       A. took a wrong turn on the way

      B. had some trouble with his car

      C. was stopped by the police officer

      D. paid for the expenses of the accident

67. What is probably the best title for the article?

       A. Losing His Way?   B. Going My Way?

      C. Fun All the Way?   D. Help on the Way?

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回憶) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

46. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.

47. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

48. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

   A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

   B. Because he had no children or relatives.

   C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

   D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

49. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

50. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times                           B. What He Valued Most

   C. An Old Gold Watch                             D. The Lost Childhood Days