I discovered the power of fear when I became stuck to my driveway, as if my feet were crazy--glued to the cement .As much as I tried, I could not move them. The realization that my daughters were playing in Nancy's house, just one-half block away, paralyzed my legs, making me unable to move when I neared the end of our driveway. Dense, black smoke was rising from behind the Sycamore Maple trees on the other side of the street and was enveloping three houses, making them barely visible. Nancy's house was one of them. I tried to call out for my daughters hoping to see them run safely to my arms, but my voice was also stuck - stuck in my throat with no intention of coming out. There I stood, helpless, paralyzed and silenced by fear, unable to protect the two little girls I loved more than even I had realized. Although trapped in a body that couldn't move or speak, I could still hear. I could hear other mothers anxiously calling their children. I could hear a frightening silence that covered the neighborhood instead of the usual happy voices of children. And, finally, I could hear the alarm of the fire engine. As the alarm announced, "We're on our way," it instantly dissolved the crazy glue that had held my feet to the cement and it unlocked the soundproof box that had silenced my voice. I was free to make sure my daughters were safe. As I continued down the driveway, two little girls, my two little girls, ran toward me from across the street. They had come home to tell me about the fire in the garage next to Nancy's house. Not only did my feet and voice work now, but my eyes were also in good working order and had no trouble producing tears. What does the author suggest at the end of the story? A) She burst into tears of relief and happiness. B) She was really thankful to see her girls saved. C) She was too excited to believe what she saw. D) She overcame her fear and fully recovered,
A
You may have heard the term "the American Dream".In 1848, James W.Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams.That 19th century "American Dream" motivated the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State". The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next.People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets.But most.instead, worked as railroad laborers.They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill". In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare . Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley.People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortune in America. Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive.However, the new American Dream .is no longer just about money.It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice(,). The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the model of the new American Dream.After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a super movie star and then a governor. Many people and give California a brighter future. It can be inferred that _ . A) America' s golden dream could never be realized B) America's golden dream had bought great fortune to Chinese immigrants C) different times have different themes of the American dream D) determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream
C
Q: One of the most popular and enduring myths about depression is that depressed people are sad all the time--and that by extension, people who are happy can't be experiencing depression, even if they say they are. It is a mistaken version of depression. Depression doesn't make you sad all the time. When I'm having a depressive feeling, I'm not walking around in black clothes, and weeping. I go out with friends. I play jokes. I keep working, and have friendly chats with the people I work with. I read books. Above all, I experience moments of happiness. Yet I feel a strange conflicting pressure. On the one hand, I feel like I need to engage in a sort of sadness for people to understand that I really am depressed and that each day is a struggle for me. Because that way I will appear suitably sad, and thus, depressed--and then maybe people will recognize that I'm depressed and perhaps they'll even offer support and assistance. On the other hand, I feel an extreme pressure to perform just the opposite, because sad depressed people are boring and no fun, as I am continually reminded every time I speak openly about depression or express feelings of sadness and frustration. I'm caught in a trap where if I don't perform sadness, I'm not really depressed, but if I express sadness at all to any degree, I'm annoying and boring and should stop being so self-centered. Depression can become your master, but you can slip out from under it occasionally. And many depressed people don't actually spend it fainting dramatically on the couch and talking about how miserable they are. When feeling depressed, the writer usually avoids _ . A) expressing sad feelings straight B) going out with friends and relatives C) having friendly chats with colleagues D) experiencing moments of happiness
A: A
(Question)
I was standing in the kitchen helping with dinner, asking my mom about my brother's doctor ' s appointment. They were testing him for autism( ) . My brother, Captain, four years old at the time, had always been my best friend. We would wrestle, play games and have the best of times together, even though we were far apart in age. My mom told me about the appointment, but ,when she got to the point about the test, she stopped. I turned around and she had tears in her eyes. I stared at her, wishing she would say something , when I realized what that silence meant. My eyes got blurry ( ) and my breathing got very ragged. " The test was positive , sweetheart , " she said. I broke down, crying. My mom was trying to cool me down, saying that Captain couldn't see me like this and I had to be a big girl , when the front door opened, and Captain, our three-year-old sister Cali, and my father came in. I walked out of the kitchen. I couldn't look at him. Everything had just changed. He was no longer that little baby brother who was just a normal little boy. We had to move a while later because Captain needed treatment. One day ,I was standing in the bus line waiting when the " short bus" came and picked some kids up. The children in the other line started making jokes about the " retards " on that bus and I felt a strange feeling in my stomach, ,which I had never felt before. During a band class, my teacher, Mrs. Young, stopped our playing to give us some feed- back. " Guys ,we ' re playing like the kids on the short bus ! Come on!" I felt that same feeling I had in the bus line. The entire room was laughing when I raised my hand. " Yes , Alexis?" Mrs. Young asked. "I don't think we should make fun of the short bus, because there are a lot of people on that bus who have great personalities and have the same feelings as we do. And also ,I know some people on those buses and they are some of the most caring, sweetest, and smartest people , so I would appreciate it if you didn't... Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A) Speaking up. B) Giving up. C) Looking .up. D) Taking up.
(Answer)
A