After the war, in 1947, he boarded a boat for Manhattan. He was hungry and suffering from seasickness. All alone in a new country, he was frightened about his future .Still, he marched head-on into the hustle and bustle of the streets of New York . Soon he met other European immigrants, each of them trying to find his or her own way .If they could do it, why couldn’t he? “Stand straight, stand tall,” he would remind himself.

Thanks to the help of a loyal and trusting friend, my grandfather gained a jewelry booth on Canal Street, New York City .He once told me how nervous he was on that first day of work. He was not only trying to learn this tough new business, but also a new language.

To his surprise, the men in neighboring booths—who could have taken advantage of him—offered their help and advice. Within months, my grandfather was commanding his spot behind the counter, selling diamonds and cultured pearls as if he’d been doing it his whole life.

Stand straight and stand tall.

In later years, my grandfather would take both my mother and her sister down the aisle at their weddings. As he stood with each of them, he thought about their new beginnings, and of the adventures and journeys they would experience together .He also thought about the children who would one day carry on his family name.

I am so proud to be one of those children. Listening to my grandfather’s remarkable experiences has changed the way I view my own life.

49．Which is the correct order of the things that happened in the passage?

a. My grandfather took both my mother and her sister down the aisle at their weddings.

b. World War II broke out in Europe.

c. My grandfather went to America.

d. My grandfather began to run his diamond business.

e. The men in neighboring booths helped him.

A．b, c, a ,d, e B．b, c,d ,e ,a C．b, c ,e , a ,d D．c, b ,e ,d ,a

50．Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．My grandfather was a soldier during World War II.

B．My grandfather went to America by sea.

C．My grandfather had been doing a jewelry business his whole life.

D．My grandfather ran his business successfully.

51．Grandpa probably inspired his grandchildren in time of trouble by saying “_______ ”.

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed

B．God help those who help themselves

C．Stand straight , stand tall

D．Practice makes perfect

52．It can be concluded that____________ .

A．Grandpa never lost heart in time of hardships

B．Grandpa never threw doubt upon his fate

C．Grandpa was born to be a businessman

D．Grandpa didn’t live up to his friend’s expec tations

C

I think machine power is better than human power because we cannot survive without our daily used machines like bikes, coolers, computers, etc.

Started on 14-Apr-2008 By Smith

E-mail: rksscet12@

Johnson

6-May-2008 Yes, it’s very clear that machine power is better than man power. But machine power has its limitations (局限). It cannot survive without electricity and manhandling. If it doesn’t have these two then it is completely useless. So man should not completely depend on machines. One more point is that because of the use of machines man has become lazy. This laziness has brought in many problems like obesity, arthritis (关节炎) and other health problems. But I am not saying that man should completely turn from ma-chine power to man power. He should have a balance of both. Even I can’t think of life without a car, a comp uter and a cooler.

Sally

9-May-2008 Humans only created the machines. So, human power is greater than machine power. To do the things quickly we created the machines. But machines cannot think. That thinking power beats machine power.