When people hear a president speak, they seldom think about others helping to shape the presentation (报告). Today, however，presidents depend on writers such as J. Terry Edmonds to help them communicate (交流) effectively. Edmonds is the first African American ever to work as a full-time speechwriter for a U. S. president；he is also the first African American to serve as director of speechwriting for the White House. His is an all-American story of success. Edmonds grew up in Baltimore, Maryland; his father drove a truck，and his mother worked as a waitress. A great reader, Edmonds showed a gift for writing at his high school，Baltimore City College. After graduating in 1967, Edmonds went on to Morgan State University. Edmonds began his career in business, with jobs in public relations and communications. He joined the world of politics as news secretary for his congressman (国会议员) from Baltimore. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, he wrote speeches for Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and worked in a number of jobs in the White House and in governmental departments. President Clinton then appointed(任命) him to the office of director of speechwriting. Following the 2000 elections, Edmonds returned to Morgan State University as the school’s special assistant to the president for 2001—2002. [语篇解读] 文章主要介绍美国总统演讲稿撰写人J.Terry Edmonds的成长经历。 1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text? A. Edmonds proved himself to be good at writing at high school. B. Edmonds graduated from Morgan State University in 1967. C. Edmonds was the first full-time speechwriter. D. Edmonds served the White House after 2000.
[解析] 事实细节题。根据第二段第二句．..Edmonds showed a gift for writing at his high school，Baltimore City College.可知Edmonds上中学时就表现出了写作天赋，故选A。 [答案] A 2. Edmonds entered the world of politics first as________. A. news secretary for a congressman B. a speechwriter for President Clinton C. news secretary in the White House D. a speechwriter for Secretary Donna Shalala [解析] 事实细节题。根据第三段第二句He joined the world of politics as news secretary for his congressman(国会议员)from Baltimore.可知答案为A。 [答案] A 3. The text is most likely to be found in a book about________. A. popular science B. historical events C. successful people D. political systems [解析] 推理判断题。本文主要是介绍Edmonds的成功经历，故本题选C。 [答案] C
Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch. They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly，the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack. The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch would own a black cat with three legs. There ，standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell. “We have to go and help her, ”whispered Amy. “What if it is a trick？”replied Ben. “Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already，”reasoned Meg. “Come on Amy, let’s go. ”The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack. Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. “Go and get Dad，” Amy yelled to her brother. “Tell him about the accident.” The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs. [语篇解读] 孩子们对住在破旧房舍里的、用扫帚柄扫台阶的、后面跟着一只黑色的三条腿的猫的Old Mrs.Tailor是不是巫师很感兴趣，于是躲在附近的树上偷偷观察，结果如何呢？本文的寓意又是什么呢？ 1. Why were the children hiding in the tree? A. They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely. B. They were playing a hide-and-seek game. C. They wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true. D. They were pretending to be spies. [解析] 事实细节题。由首段尾句They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.可知孩子们想看看人们对老太太是巫师的传言是否是真的。 [答案] C 2. Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when________. A. her front steps were clean B. she noticed the children in the tree C. she was ready to take a flight D. she heard the hen cackling [解析] 事实细节题。由第二段倒数最后一句可知答案为D。 [答案] D 3. Ben did not rush to help Mrs. Tailor because________. A. he thought that she could be tricking them B. he knew that they should not have been in the tree C. he did not see the old lady fall down D. he was afraid of the three-legged cat [解析] 推理判断题。从文中描述的内容可知，Ben认为Mrs. Tailor是一个巫师，他认为可能是Mrs. Tailor在使诡计，所以在两个女孩子前去救助时，他依然没有奔向前去帮助Mrs. Tailor。 [答案] A 4．Which of these old sayings best suits the story’s lesson for us? A. Make hay while the sun shines. B. Never judge a book by its cover. C. People in glasshouses should not throw stones. D. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. [解析] 推理判断题。通读全文可以推知，作者想告诉我们“不要以貌取人或仅从事物的表象来判断事物”。 [答案] B
Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be“ like a magic carpet...You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”. Then he paused：“ But you’ll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel.” It was a rare—indeed unique—occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor，William Henry James Grout，did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable,
