I resisted for years becoming anything like my dad or at least acknowledging that I was anything like him because, well, because I wanted to be me, not him; but there I sat at his memorial service several months ago, telling myself,"You've got a lot more of your dad in you than you think." There's this phrase my dad used, and I know I'm going to sound rude to complain about it, but it did use to bother me."I'm so proud of you,"he told us kids, whether we'd won a sailing race or run a marathon or managed to get a book published."I'm so proud of you."That should be a good thing, but here's what always went through my unforgiving mind: You're taking credit for what isn't really yours but mine."I'm so proud of you."It came out of my dad's mouth all the time, on those long-distance calls where I might have mentioned something that happened at work or when he and Mom came to visit and we showed off the talents of our two boys. I knew the feeling of parental pride well, especially when my boys achieved in ways that were beyond my comprehension and ability, but I looked for other ways to express it."That's an incredible story you've written,"I would say about the composition."I can't believe how fast you solved that problem,"I would admire the work of the math genius. But never just the blanket phrase. But there I was at Dad's memorial, about to praise him, thinking that I could say exactly what my brother said,"He lets me be me."That was his achievement. In the phrase that I promised I would never utter to my children was a world of forgiveness, care and appreciation. So just the other day when my older son, now a promising manager, sent me an email about the thank-you dinner his latest client threw him, I thought hard for clever things to say, finally realizing my kids just want what my dad gave me."I'm so proud of you,"I wrote. Just like the old man. How does the writer express his parental pride? A) By knowing well of his kids. B) By inspiring his kids' writing. C) By admiring his kids' work. D) By being specific about his praise for his kids.
D
(Question)
For about a decade, I knew that I needed to improve my handwriting, but I always put it off. "My typing skills are good, my communication skills are good, and all my other abilities are adequate for the job I do and the life I live. Why would I need to improve my handwriting in such a modern world?" I thought. I was sort of hit by the fact that my handwriting needed improving quite suddenly in the form of a note from my boss. Obviously one of the notes I had posted on the office message board had been misunderstood because of my handwriting. My boss demanded that I learn to write in a neat way, something I couldn't ignore any longer. I tried a lot of different methods to improve my handwriting. Nowadays, there are more resources than before. You don't even have to go to the store and can buy handwriting training materials online. I tried out a lot of these, and my handwriting did improve somewhat. Now I make sure I form every letter correctly. This is inconvenient and time-consuming, but it is better than having my comments misread. People come up to me and tell me how nice my handwriting is. I have never thought of that, but this is exactly what has happened. It really is a pleasure, but it isn't enough. In the long run, I actually have to go to a handwriting coach to improve my handwriting. It seems like I have years and years of bad habits that I have to break, and this isn't something I could handle on my own. I need someone to teach me how to write clearly from the ground up. ks5u What does the writer think of his handwriting at present? A) Better. B) Perfect. C) Worse. D) Unacceptable.
(Answer)
A
Ques: In the north of Scotland there is a lake called Loch Ness. It is the biggest lake in Britain. It is over thirty kilometres long and in places nearly 300 meters deep. It is cold and dark and not many people went there until after 1930. Then a road was made around the lake. Holiday makers began to use the road, and this was when the stories began. Someone said that he had seen a monster in the lake. He said it was twelve meters long. It had a long neck and a small head. Then someone else said he had seen it. Others said the same thing and in 1933 a London doctor took a photo. It looked like a monster with a long neck and a thick body but the photo was not dear. The newspapers printed the picture and called it the Loch Ness monster, or "Nessie". Then the argument began. Some people, however, were certain there was something living in the lake. Others said there was nothing there. In 1961, a lot of people joined together to make a real effort to see and photograph the monster if there was one! Several times people thought they saw something but after ten years there was still no real proof. Later underwater television cameras were used, but no one found any real proof. However, they did find something interesting: a huge underwater cave. It was big enough to be home of a monster, but of course, this was not a proof. In 1975, however, some American scientists formed a search group. They used an underwater camera. It took pictures every seventy seconds. Some of the pictures seemed to show a red-brown creature. Its body was about four meters long and had a very ugly head on the end of a four meter neck. Many people then began to believe in the monster. But even today we can not be certain. What did the monster look like? A) It looked like a horse. B) It was a creature with a long neck and a small head. C) It looked beautiful. D) It was tiny and pretty.
Ans: B
Bet Winner MILLBURN, New Jersey-- An 11-year-old boy, he gave up television for a year in a bet with his mother, says he will use some of the money to buy himself an astronaut's suit. The bet ended at 9:01 on Monday morning, but Benjamin waited until his mother, Roslyn, handed him five 100-dollar bills in front of a gathering of newspapermen in the afternoon before switching on the TV. During the past year, he has filled his time reading and his grades have improved from ''satisfactory" to ''very good." CHINA DAILY, Wednesday, March 9, 2011 ( 94 words ) Why did the mother hand the bills to the boy? A) Because his grades had improved B) Because he had won some money C) Because he wanted to buy an astronaut's suit D) Because she had given him her promise
D