Jolly Joe always arrived at my neighborhood at exactly half past noon. The clang of the bell on his red and black truck was then the sweetest sound in the world. Brightly colored stickers advertising his amazing kinds of treats could be found on all sides of his truck. The whole neighborhood would magically come to life. Holding a nickel , I'd run to the back of the vehicle, where children were already gathering. Jolly Joe would jump out of his truck, the sun shining on his hair. He was an older man, short and round, with a pleasant face and a welcoming smile. I don't know how, but he knew us all by name, as well as which treats we preferred. My favorite was the Buried Treasure. By eating all the ice cream, you'd discover the treasure inside: a lion, a dog or even a funny clown -- printed onto a plastic stick. When it was finally my turn, he'd put his arm deep inside one of the boxes, and pause for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. Then, suddenly, he'd pull it out: the Buried Treasure! I couldn't wait to enjoy the cool, sweet ice cream. As quickly as he arrived, it was time for Jolly Joe to go, leaving behind laughing, excited children with sticky hands and faces. Soon the sound of his clanging bell would slowly disappear in the distance. I always hated to see Jolly Joe go, because I knew the rest of the day would be as hot and boring as before. But I took some comfort in knowing that the next day he'd come round the corner at half past noon and once again spread his magic. What would be the best title for the text? A) Lost treasure found at last B) A clanging bell in the distance C) Ice cream man spreads frozen magic D) My friendship with an ice cream man
C
(Question)
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They combine funny words, pictures, and social opinions. Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. A number of publishers refused to publish it. They said it was too different. A friend finally published it. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years, he wrote more than forty children's books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects. By the middle 1940s, Dr Seuss had become one of the best-loved and most successful writers of children's books. He liked helping children. In 1954, Life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said that many children's books weren't interesting. Dr Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read. In 1957, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six-year-old should be able to read. The story is about a cat who tries to entertain two children on a rainy day while their mother is away from home. The cat is not like normal cats. It talks. The book was an immediate success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults say it is still one of the stories they like best. Adults most probably think that Dr Seuss' The Cat in the Hat is _ A) interesting B) serious C) difficult D) boring
(Answer)
A
Ques: There are two great trends on parents bringing up children today.First,children are now praised to an unbelievable degree.As Dorothy Parker once joked,American children aren't raised;they are motivated.Children are constantly told how special they are.The second is that children are honed to an unimaginable degree.Parents spend much more time than in past generations on their children's development. These two great trends--greater praise and greater honing--combine in close ways. Parents shower their kids with affection ,but it is intermingled with the desire to help their children achieve success.Parents are happy when their child studies hard,practices hard,wins first place,gets into a famous college. The wolf of conditional 1ove is hidden in these homes.The parents feel they love their children in all circumstances.But the children often think differently.They feel that childhood is a performance--on the athletic field,in school and beyond.The shadowy presence of conditional love produces a fear,the fear that there is no completely safe love. Meanwhile,children who are uncertain of their parents'love develop a great hunger for it. This conditional love is1ike an acid that affects children's criteria to make their own decisions about their own colleges,majors and careers.At key decision-points,they unconsciously imagine how their parents will react. These children tell their parents those things that will bring praise and hide the parts of their lives that won't. Studies suggest that children who receive conditional love often do better in the short run.They can be model students.But they suffer in the long run.They come to hate their parents.They are so influenced by fear that they become afraid of risk. Parents today are less likely to demand obedience with explicit rules and lectures.But they are more likely to use love as a tool to exercise contro1.But parental love is supposed to ignore achievement. It's meant to be an unconditional support -a gift that can not be bought and cannot be earned. According to Dorothy Parker,American children _ . A) need more concern B) Grow better under pressure C) have unimaginable potential D) receive much praise and encouragement
Ans: D
Ques: Mr Reese was born in a big city. His father had several companies and got a lot of money. He could give his son all the young man wanted. He was busy with his business and never asked him how he got along with his studies. So the boy spent most time in the restaurants or cinemas. Of course he was weak at his lessons and learned nothing at school. He made many friends but none of them was good and when they knew he came from a rich family, they began to teach him to gamble . Of course he lost much money. Now Mr Reese was twenty and finished middle school. He could not do anything. But his father didn't mind it until one day he found the young man had sold one of his companies. He became so angry that he made him leave his house. The young man couldn't gamble any longer. His friends made him pay his debt. He had to ask his mother to help him and the woman often gave him some money. But one evening his father happened to find it. The old man stopped his wife from doing so. They began to fight in the room. The young man brought out a knife and killed his father. His mother helped him to run away, but soon after that he was caught and sentenced to death. It was a cold and wet day. Suddenly it began to rain hard when Mr Reese was being sent to the execution ground . Soon both he and the soldiers were wet through. He said angrily, "Bad luck! I shall be shot in such bad weather!" "Don't complain , brother, "said one of the soldiers. 'You're luckier than us all. We'll have to go back to the city after that!" The bad young men taught Young Reese to gamble in order _ . [ ] A) to play with him B) to spend spare time C) that the could get much money from him D) that they could find jobs in his father's companies
Ans:
C