The Brown Bear

My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back — the sign (迹象) of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.

I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five or six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back towards the forest, before returning for another attack — the first time I felt panic.

Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.

【小题1】The brown bear approached the family in order to   _______.

A．catch shore birds	B．start an attack
C．protect the children	D．set up a barrier for itself

【小题2】The bear finally went away after it   _______.

A．felt safe	B．got injured
C．found some food	D．took away the camera

【小题3】The writer and his family survived mainly due to their_______   .

A．pride	B．patience
C．calmness	D．cautiousness

   I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through phone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn't always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

【小题1】What made Kate angry one evening?

A．She couldn’t find her books.

B．She heard the author shouting loud.

C．She got the news that her grandma was ill.

D．She saw the author's shoes beneath her bed.

【小题2】The author tidied up the room most probably because _______.

A．she hated herself for being so messy

B．she was asked by Kate to do so

C．she was scared by Kate’s anger

D．she wanted to show her care

【小题3】How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?

A．By analyzing causes.

B．By describing a process.

C．By showing differences.

D．By following time order.

【小题4】What might be the best title for the story?

A．My Friend Kate

B．Hard Work Pays Off

C．How to Be Organized

D．Learning to Be Roommates

Once there lived a rich man 【小题1】 wanted to do something for the people of his town. But first he wanted 【小题2】 (find) out whether they deserve his help.
In the center of the main road into the town, he placed 【小题3】 very large stone. Then he 【小题4】 (hide) behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow.
"Who put this stone in the center of the road?" said the man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued his way. 【小题5】 man came and did the same thing; then another came, and another. All of them complained about the stone but not tried to remove 【小题6】. Later in the afternoon a young man came along. He saw the stone, 【小题7】 (say) to himself, "the night will be very dark. Some 【小题8】 (neighbor) will come along 【小题9】 (late) in the dark and will fall against the stone."
Then he began to move the stone. He pushed and pulled with all his strength to move it. How great his surprise was at last! 【小题10】 the stone, he found a bag of money.

An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away. Aspirin has long been praised as a wonder drug and has been in your family since you can remember. Not only does it cure pain, it also lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. But taking the pills daily may not work for everyone.
Although taking an occasional aspirin or two is safe for most adults to use for headaches，body aches or fever, daily use of aspirin can have serious side effects. Up to 60 per cent of us，both healthy people and those being treated for all types of heart disease may have some level of resistance to aspirin’s benefits.
Aspirin keeps platelets(血小板) from sticking, lowering the risk of clotting(结块)．People who are aspirin­resistant still get pain relief but not the full blood­thinning effects.
How do you know whether you’re resistant？New blood tests can help your doctor decide whether to give you a different medicine, especially if you’re at risk or are being treated for heart disease. The tests aren’t yet widely available, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
People taking aspirin daily should limit the amount of alcohol they drink because of its additional blood­thinning effects and potential to upset your stomach. Thus you should not have more than one drink if you’re a woman or two drinks a day if you’re a man. Does daily aspirin treatment differ between men and women？Recent studies have focused on the effects of aspirin in women，finding that its effects differ between the sexes, and for women, between age groups.
All in all, aspirin is still an effective, affordable and simple option for many people at risk of heart attack and stroke. Though it is readily available, always check with your doctor before starting daily aspirin treatment.
【小题1】Aspirin has got the reputation of a wonder drug because ______.

A．an aspirin a day keeps the doctor away

B．it can make people feel less painful

C．it helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes

D．it doesn’t have any serious side effects

【小题2】Which of the following statements about aspirin is TRUE?

A．Aspirin does have blood­thinning effects.

B．If you are resistant to aspirin, you won’t feel pain.

C．People taking aspirin won't suffer from heart attacks.

D．60 per cent of people couldn't benefit from aspirin.

【小题3】What do we know about the blood tests mentioned in the fourth paragraph?

A．The new examination doesn’t hurt at all.

B．The tests only help aspirin­resistant people.

C．Doctors do the tests to test new medicines.

D．Only some people have ever taken the tests.

【小题4】We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．drinking alcohol will make people feel uncomfortable

B．drinking alcohol could influence the function of aspirin

C．alcohol has much greater effects than aspirin on blood­thinning

D．people should not drink any alcohol while taking aspirin daily

【小题5】What does the writer think of taking aspirin daily?

A．People should be careful to make this decision.

B．This treatment is effective, affordable and simple.

C．It could be used to cure heart attack and stroke.

D．Old women should not start this kind of treatment.

短文改错

As we all know, most of us school students feel somehow nervously whenever we’re taking an exam. There is no doubt whether exams are important to us, but it was also of great importance to have a right attitude towards them. As the matter of fact, exams are no more than a means of evaluation. However there is no need to worry too many about the results. Only by studying hard every day and make good preparations can we avoid suffering from the pressure of exam.

We had better to go out for a walk before exams. In addition, having enough sleep could make us full of energy and make possible for us to perform well in the exams.