People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out in force twenty minutes later. They were ill-tempered about what was, to them, much trouble about nothing. After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to describing the gunmen. “Typical,” said one policeman when we couldn?t even agree on how tall the men were. Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two policemen who stayed to make the report didn?t think that would be much help.
The policemen were matter-of-fact about the whole thing. The thin one said, “That was a stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do what you?re told.” Jeremy looked properly embarrassed.
Then the fat policeman came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the house. “That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys,” he said. “If you had gone into the house with them…” His voice became weaker. “They would have hurt her” --- he twisted his head toward me --- “and killed you both.” Jeremy looked happier. “Look,” said the fat policeman kindly, “there?s no right or wrong in the situation. There?s just luck.”
All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time --- no intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right. There?s only luck. The next time I might end up dead.
And I?m sure there will be a next time. It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. Security is an illusion(幻觉); there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they?re fooling themselves.
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65. When the writer saw the gun pointing against the car window, ________.
A. she felt very annoyed
B. she lost consciousness D. she lost the power of thinking B. The author?s screaming D. The police?s arrival
B. they were busy preparing dinners
C. she felt very much nervous A. Jeremy?s fighting
66. What most possibly drove the two gunmen away?
C. Their neighbor?s brave action A. they were much too frightened
67. When the author called for help, the neighbors didn?t come out immediately because_______.
C. they needed time to find baseball bats D. they thought someone was playing a trick 68. The author was happy to see the neighbors go because ________.
A. she hated to listen to their empty talk B. she did not want to become an object of pity
C. she was angered by their being late to come to her help D. she wanted to be left alone with Jeremy to get over the shock 69. The police were rather angry because ________.
A. the author was not hurt and gave a false alarm B. they thought it was a case of little importance
C. the author and Jeremy could not tell the police anything D. the gunmen had already fled when they arrived on the scene 70. What the author wants to tell us is that ________.
A. neighbors are not helpful in moments of difficulty B. the police are not reliable when one is in trouble C. security is impossible as long as people can have guns D. preventing robbers entering your house is the best choice
第II 卷（共35分）
第五部分：任务型阅读（共10题；每题1分；满分10分）
We?re encouraged on a daily basis to “dream big” and set our aims high if we want to achieve great things. There is nothing wrong in that itself, yet it tends to be misinterpreted by us, the regular mortals who are fascinated by fairy stories of dreams that come true to those who are brave enough to focus on the ultimate goal.
For every great achievement ever made, there have been a million of small wins and breakthroughs that gradually led to it, and this is something many people tend to overlook when working on achieving their goals. If we forget to appreciate the small wins we regularly make, we?ll risk feeling bad about ourselves and feeling incompetent when we constantly compare our present state to our final goals, which can only lessen our chances of making progress, Worse still, the increased amount of stress we have to cope with is counterproductive, as it decreases our productivity and damages our physical health.
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Once we change the perspective from big to small and break our final goal into smaller, achievable parts, we take the pressure off and avoid the risks to our health. By focusing on everyday progress, we automatically feel much more motivated, which causes our brain to get hooked on the positive rush and the feeling of accomplishment, leaving us to strive to achieve more. Thus, knowing how to apply small wins to our everyday life will bring considerable benefits.
To develop the habit of celebrating small wins, first of all, you need to write down your final goal, and forget about it. Instead of wasting energy on planning months ahead, you should focus on the next day?s challenges only. Be here and now and only think one step ahead. This will give you the constant sense of accomplishment, which will motivate you to move forward.
