The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically（热情地）responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked. She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!”
“No seriously,” I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor everyday. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added.
“The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Song of Rose”. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics（歌词）and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
17. Rose made herself known to the author in a ______ manner.
A. serious B. cold C. humorous D. crazy
18. From the information provided in the passage, we know ______.
A. Rose finished the college degree within a year
B. Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education
C. Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D. Rose grew so old that she stopped playing
19. Rose delivered the speech ______.
A. at the graduation B. which she prepared carefully
C. ended with “The Song of Rose” D. to challenge all the other speakers
20. According to her speech, ______.
A. whenever you have a dream, you succeed
B. all people don’t grow up while growing older
C. Rose usually regretted having done something
D. a nine-year-old is as old as a 87-year-old if he doesn’t do anything
Bill Robinson is on trial for murder (因谋杀而受审). He grew up in a small town in Ohio and then went to Kent State University for one year. When he was nineteen years old, he was asked to join the army and was soon sent to fight in Vietnam. He was very unhappy there as he hated the war and he hated killing people. Two years later he returned home and tried to pick up where he had left off, but things were never quite the same again for the young black man. For one thing, he always had terrible dreams about the war. He could not concentrate on his studies and soon he had to leave school.Then he was fired from one job after another. He wanted to meet someone nice and get married, but he just couldn't seem to get close to anyone. He was always lonely. Finally one day, while eating at a restaurant, Bill lost control of himself and shot someone for no reason at all. Bill's lawyer hopes that the judge and the jury (陪审团) will understand that Bill was “temporarily insane" (一时精神错乱) and did not really choose to kill anyone.
71. What did Bill Robinson do after he returned from abroad?
A. He gave up the chance to go back to college.
B. He tried to go back to his normal life. C. He picked up his things and left again.
D. He found when he had dreamed of.
72. He failed to complete his college education because he _______.
A. hated school B. joined the army C. didn't study hard
D. found it difficult to keep his mind on his studies
73. He never married because _______.
A. there were no nice girls around B. he didn't care to meet any girls
C. he hadn't met girls that he liked D. he found it hard to make friends with girls
74. What happened one day?
A. He went insane. B. He shot a young black man.
C. He killed someone with a gun. D. He shot someone for a large sum of money.
75. The best title for this article is _______.
A.Robinson on Trial B.Murder at a Restaurant
C.A Young Black Man D.A Victim of the Vietnam War
One day an ordinary dog appeared in the ticket office at Campiglia, a busy railroad station on Italy's main line. A ticket agent named Elvio greeted the strange dog in a friendly way, so the dog decided to stay. From that day on, the dog became Elvio's shadow and was named Lampo.
Lampo kept Elvio Company (陪伴) inside the ticket office. When the weather was warm, he would enjoy himself in the sun on the train platform. When it came time for Elvio to return home on the train at night, Lampo ran after the train for a long way and then sadly gave up and went back to the station.
One night as Elvio was riding home on the train, he noticed that Lampo was lying at his feet. Afraid that the conductor would see the dog on the train and shout at him, Elvio pushed Lampo under a seat. Luckily, the conductor did not notice the dog. Lampo came home with Elvio and met his family. Then, after a short visit, Lampo boarded the last train and went back to the station. Lampo quickly learned all of the train schedules (时刻表). He would ride home from work with Elvio every night and then ride back to the station alone. Every morning, Lampo arrived at Elvio's house in time to walk his young daughter, Mivna, to school. The faithful dog would then take another train to travel again to accompany Mivna home from school at 11:30.
Soon, Lampo began to take the train all over Italy. Lampo became famous among the men who worked on the railroad, as his journeys became more frequent, complicated and mysterious. No one could explain why he traveled or how he always found the right train back to Campiglia. People decided that Lampo was a unique dog.
Some of the railroad officials were against Lampo's illegal travels. They were afraid he would bite a passenger or cause some other problems. Finally, the stationmaster threatened to call the dogcatcher if Elvio didn't get rid of the dog.
Elvio decided to put Lampo on a train going as far away as possible. Months went by and Lampo did not come back. Mivna missed him very much and prayed for his return. Finally one day, a sad, very thin, tired Lampo returned to Elvio's office. Everyone, even the stationmaster, was sorry about what had happened. From then on, Lampo was allowed to ride the trains whenever he wanted. After seven years, Lampo grew old, and he began to need Elvio's help to board the train.
One day Lampo was seen lying dead on the tracks. A year later, a life sized statue of Lampo was set up at Campiglia station.
66. The first time Lampo took the train, Elvio was ______.
A. delighted that he was lucky
B. afraid the dog would bite someone
C. afraid the conductor would see him and be angry
D. excited that Lampo would soon meet his family
67. Lampo's traveling all over Italy caused people to believe that _______.
A. he could read the train schedules B. he was famous in the country
C. Elvio secretly helped him D. he was a very special dog
68. The stationmaster threatened that if Elvio didn't get rid of the dog, _______.
A. Elvio would be fired B. Lampo would be put on the train tracks
C. the stationmaster would send him away D. a dogcatcher would be called
69. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the story?
A. The dog was once sent away by Elvio.
B. The dog finally won the stationmaster's heart.
C. The dog was faithful to his master.
D. The dog died when he was seven years old.
70. The author suggests that a statue of Lampo was set up because _______.
A. the stationmaster felt sorry about what had happened
B. he had been a friend to travelers
C. it would bring good luck to the town
D. Elvio offered money to set up the statue
Tom Brennan was working in a Philadelphia office building when he noticed a black bag. The bag contained a book.
This chance discovery ended a 12day search by the Library Company of Philadelphia for a historical treasure -- a 120-page -diary kept 190 years ago by Deborah Logan, “a woman who knew everybody in her day,” James Green, the librarian told the magazine America Libraries.
Most of the diary is a record of big events in Philadelphia. It also includes a description of British soldiers burning Washington D.C. in the war of 1812. She describes President James Madison on horseback as “perfectly shaking with fear” during the troubled days. George Washington, she writes, mistook her for the wife of a French man, and praised her excellent English.
The adventure of the lost book began September 4 when Cory Luxmoore arrived from England to deliver the diary to his ancestor (祖先) to the Library Company, which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the diary.
Green told American Libraries he had the diary in his possession “about five minutes” when Luxmoore took it back because he had promised to show it to one other person. On returning to his hotel after showing the precious book to Green, Luxmoor was shocked to realise that he had left it in the taxi.
Without any delay, Green began calling every taxi company in the city, with no luck. “I've felt sick since then,” Luxmoore told reporters.
According to Green, no one has yet learned how the diary came to the office building. Tom Brennan received a reward (奖励) of $1 000, Philadelphia gained another treasure for its history, and Luxmoore told reporters, “It's wonderful news. I'm on high.”
51. This article mainly tells about the story of _______.
A. a lost diary B. Deborah Longan
C. Cory Luxmoore D. the Library Company
52. From the text, we learn that the diary is now owned by _______.
A. Tom Brennan B. an unknown person
C. a Philadelphia magazine D. the Library Company of Philadelphia
53. Philadelphia is thought to be the best home for the diary because _______.
A. it was written in Philadelphia B. it tells stories about Philadelphia
C. people in the city are interested in old things
D. the British and the Americans once fought in Philadelphia
54. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the diary?
a -- Tom Brennan found the book in an office building.
b -- The book was shown to James Green.
c -- Cory Luxmoore arrived from England.
d -- The book was left behind in a taxi.
A. a, b, c, d B. c, b, d, a C. a, c, d, b D. c, a, b, d
55. What did Cory Luxmoore mean when he said “I'm on high”?
A. I'm rich B. I'm famous C. I'm excited D. I'm lucky
We were on tour a few summers ago, driving through Chicago, when right outside of the city, we got pulled over. A middle-aged policeman came up to the car and was really being troublesome at first. Lecturing us, he said, "You were speeding. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Our guitarist, Tim, told him that we were on our way to Wisconsin to play a show. His way towards us totally changed. He asked, "Oh, so you boys are in a band (乐队)?" We told him that we were. He then asked all the usual band questions about the type of music we played, and how long we had been at it. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Tim, you want to get out of this ticket, don't you?" Tim said, "Yes." So the officer asked him to step out of the car. The rest of us, inside the car, didn't know what to think as we watched the policeman talk to Tim. Next thing we knew, the policeman was putting Tim in the back of the police car he had parked in front of us. With that, he threw the car into reverse(倒车), stopping a few feet in back of our car. Now we suddenly felt frightened. We didn't know if we were all going to prison, or if the policeman was going to sell Tim on the black market or something. All of a sudden, the policeman's voice came over his loudspeaker. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, we have Tim here singing on Route 90.” Turns out, the policeman had told Tim that the only way he was getting out of the ticket was if he sang part of one of our songs over the loudspeaker in the police car. Seconds later, Tim started screaming into the receiver. The policeman enjoyed the performance, and sent us on our way without a ticket.
56. The policeman stopped the boys to ______.
A. put them into prison B. give them a ticket
C. enjoy their performance D. ask some band questions
57. The policeman became friendly to the boys when he knew they ____.
A. had long been at the band B. played the music he loved
C. were driving for a show D. promised into a performance
58. The boys probably felt ______ when they drove off.
A.joyful B. calm C. nervous D. frightened
At one time no one could travel on an English road faster than four miles an hour. That was the law until 1896. A man had to walk in front of a car which could not go faster than the man. At night the man had to carry a red lamp.
Once Charles Rolls brought a car from France to England, but he wanted to drive faster than four miles an hour .In order to have no trouble with the police, he had a talk with some of the police officers, who ordered their policemen to look the other way when the car came along the road. This was a good plan in the country, but not so easy to follow in the busy streets of London.
One night Rolls and some friends started from London on their journey to Cambridge. One of the men walked in front with the red lamp, but he walked as fast as he could. The police became very interested in walls and shop-fronts when they heard the car, and not one of them saw it.
They reached a hill; but what a waste of time it was to drive down the hill at four miles an hour! Rolls was getting ready to jump into the car; but then he noticed a policeman who was not looking the other way. The slow car reached him.
“Good evening,” said the policeman, looking at the car.
“Good evening,” said Rolls, holding the lamp.
“One of these horseless things,” said the policeman, looking at it with interest.
“Yes,” said Rolls, and waited.
“I’ve often wanted a ride in one; but of course policemen can’t buy things like that.” He turned and looked hopefully in Rolls’s face.
“Jump in,” said Rolls.
“Thanks,” said the policeman, and did so. “Now,” he said, sitting down, “you can let it go just as you like down this hill. There isn’t another policeman on this road for a mile and a half.”
60．The policemen were told “to look the other way” (the underlined part in Paragraph 2) so that .
A．they could watch the car coming from the other direction
B．the car could go faster than four miles an hour
C．they could make sure no one was in the way
D．the car would not hit them on the road
61．In what way did the policemen carry out the order from their officers?
A．They greeted Rolls when the car came along.
B．They walked in front of the car with a red lamp.
C．They pretended to be attracted by something else.
D．They stood on duty every 1.5 miles along the road.
62．The policeman who said “Good evening” to Rolls wanted to .
A．teach Rolls a lesson B．take a free ride home
C．have a talk with Rolls D．have a car ride experience
63．After the policeman jumped into the car, Rolls .
A．dared not drive the car faster than he was allowed to
B．could drive as fast as he wished within a certain distance
C．could drive on any road he liked for the rest of the journey
D．drove his car as fast as he could down the hill to Cambridge
“Come in, Kim. Have a seat, please,” said Bill Williams, the manager. This was Kim's first experience with an assessment. After only six months he was due for a raise if this assessment was satisfactory.
“Kim,” began Bill Williams, “I am very pleased with the quality of your work. I have nothing but praise for your devotion and your hard work. My only concern is that you are not active enough in putting forward your suggestions.”
“But,” replied Kim, “I have always completed every assignment you have given me. Mr. Williams.”
“I know that, Kim. And please, call me Bill. But what I expect is for you to think independently and introduce new ideas. I need more input from you—more feedback on how things are going. I don’t need a “yes man”. You never tell me what you think. You just smile as though everything is fine.”
“But,” said Kim, “I feel that since you are my superior, it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.”
“I’m not asking you to tell me what to do, but what you think we could do. To make suggestions, I employed you because I respect your experience in this field, but you are not communicating your thoughts to me.”
“Yes. I see. I’m not accustomed to this, but I will try to do as you say…Bill.”
“Good, then, I expect to hear more from you at staff meetings or at any other time you want to discuss an idea with me.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Will…Bill.”
69. Kim is the sort of employee who_______.
A. does not speak out his own ideas B. is not devoted to the job
C. laughs too much over work D. can not finish his work on time
70. The word “presumptuous” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A. full of respect B. too confident and rude
C. lacking in experience D. too shy and quiet
71.From the passage we can learn that______________.
A.Kim has been invited to take charge of the staff meetings
B.the manager appreciates those who just do that he tells them to do
C.the manager is pleased with Kim’s hard word and his suggestions
D.Kim is likely to have a higher salary if he can pass the assessment
Last year my sixth-grader daughter ,Elizabeth ,was forced to put up with science .Her education week after week ,contained mindless memorization of big words like “batholith” and “saprophyte” She learned by heart the achievements of famous scientists who did things like “improved nuclear fu-sion（核聚变） “—never mind that she hasn’t the least idea of what nuclear fusion means .Eliza—beth did very well (she’s good at memorizing things ). And now she hates science .My eighth-grader son ,Ben ,also suffered from science education . Week after week he had to perform lab experiments with answers already known .Ben figured out how to guess the right answers ,so he got good grades .Now he hates science ,too.
Science can provide an exciting way to develop children’s curiosity .Science education should teach ways to ask questions and week answers .But my children got the mistaken idea in school than science is difficult dull and has no relation to their everyday interests .
As a physicist ,I am saddened and angered to see “the great science turnoff” I know that science is important in our lives .Yet studies prove that our schools are turning out millions of graduates who know almost nothing about and have almost no interest in science .What’s gone wrong ?Who is to blame ?
58．We learn from paragraph 1 that .
A．the writer was proud of Elizabeth and Ben
B．both Elizabeth and Ben could become scientists
C．Elizabeth had to learn much about great scientists
D．Ben was good at trying new ideas in lab experiments
59．The writer thinks that in science education we should first .
A．get students interested in the subject B．answer students’ questions in delightful ways.
C．smooth out difficulties in lab experiments D．explain the special terms clearly
60．By writing the text ,the author questions .
A．the difficulty level of the science texts B．the way science is taught in school
C．the achievements of famous scientists D．students’ poor records in science classes
Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered to my house. No card came with it Calls to the flower-shop were not helpful at all. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s name and just delighted in the beautiful white flower in soft pink paper.
But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about the sender. My mother encouraged these imaginings. She’d ask me if there was someone for whom I had done special kindness. Perhaps it was the old man across the street whose mail I’d delivered during the winter. As a girl, though, I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I had run into.
One month before my graduation, my father died. I felt so sad that I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation dance, and I didn’t care if I had a new dress or not. But my mother, in her own sadness, would not let me miss any of those things. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable. In truth, my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gar-denia-lovely, strong and perfect with perhaps a bit of mystery(神秘).My mother died ten days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year the gardenia stopped coming.
41． Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．A childhood Dream. B．A Mother’s Love.
C．A Graduation Party. D．A Special Birthday.
42．The mother insisted that her daughter go to the graduation dance because _________.
A．she could take care of things herself B．she hoped she would find a boyfriend
C．she wanted her to be happy and strong D．she thought education was most important
43．Who was the sender of the flower?
A．A boy the writer had run into. B．One of the writer’s neighbors.
C．One of the writer’s classmates. D．The writer’s mother.
“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available(可用的) in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.
71．What ate the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?
A．A lot of care and the right soil. B．Frequent pruning and fertilizing.
C．Tomato plants grown alongside. D．Cages placed around the roots.
72．The writer planted the tomato because _________.
A．it cost only $1.25 B．the soil was just right for it
C．there was room for it in the garden D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered
73．This year the writer’s roses were __________.
A．removed from the rose bed B．picked along with the tomatoes
C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight D．largely hidden under the tomato plant
74．By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.
A．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes
B．show the hardship of growing the roses
C．express her liking for the roses D．express her care for the tomatoes
75．In the situation described in the text, one good thing is that ________.
A．the roses cost the writer little money
B．the writer has a daily harvest of tomatoes
C．someone will help the writer make the decision
D．the writer can now enjoy both the roses and tomatoes
LONDON Thursday July 26(Reuters)—Eddy missed his girlfriend Anna so much he flew back to Britain from Australia to propose(求婚) to her. The problem is she did the same in the opposite direction.
He and Anna even managed to miss each other when they sat in the same airport waiting room in Singapore at he same time to wait for connecting flights.
Anna, heartbroken when she arrived at Eddy’s Sydney flat find he had flown to London, told The Times,“It was as though someone was playing a cruel joke on us. ”
“He is the most romantic person I have ever known.I think our problem is that we are both quite impulsive(冲动的)people. We are always trying to surprise each other.”
After an 11,000-mile flight across globe, she was greeted by Eddy’s astonished roommate asking what she was doing there.
Eddy,a 27-year-old engineer had taken a year off to travel round Australia. But he was missing Anna,a 26-year secretary, so much he got a job on a Sydney building site (工地)and started saving for a surprise.
He then flew home to Britain and went to her flat armed with an engagement (订婚)ring, wine and flowers.
“I really missed Anna and I’d been thinking about her all the time .I was so excited when she phoned me from Australia ”he said.
Eddy then asked Anna to marry him on the phone .“I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but I accepted,” she said.
Anna was given a tour of Sydney by Eddy’s friends before going back home. Eddy had to stay in Britain for two weeks because he could not change his ticket.
45.What does the last sentence of the first paragraph tell us?
A.Anna flew to Britain from Australia to marry him.
B.Anna flew to Australia from Britain to marry him.
C.Anna flew to Britain from Australia to propose to him.
D.Anna flew to Australia from Britain to propose to him.
46.The underlined word“miss”in paragraph 2 most probably means_______.
A.escape from B.fail to understand C.fail to meet B.long to see
47.Eddy got a job on a Sydney building site because he________.
A.wanted to travel round Australia B.needed money to pay his daily cost
C.was an engineer at this building site D.hoped to make money from this job
48.Which of the following is TRUE about Eddy and Anna according to the text?
A.Eddy proposed to Anna on the phone and Anna accepted.
B.Anna stayed in Australia waiting for Eddy’s arrival.
C.Anna bad a good time touring Sydney with Eddy.
D.Eddy met Anna in the airport waiting room by chance.
Juanito Estrella has been a housekeeping manager on the US-based large passenger ship Carnival Spirit for 18 months and feels he has found the suitable position in his career(职业).He has always wanted to travel.“I guess I am a really restless spirit. I Iike traveling, so when the chance came,I jumped at it,”he says.
The chance came in the form of a newspaper advertisement for work on cruise ships(游船).At the time Estrella was the housekeeping manager at a Melbourne hotel.He applied and,after two interviews,a medical check and police clearance,the job was his.
Estrella is responsible(负责的)for the cleanliness of the ship,making sure that 160 crew work properly.“I enjoy it because there is no other work-you wake up each day in a different place and a different culture. It’s exciting when you go to the next country and you don’t understand the language,”he says.
Estrella likes being busy and getting to know people from all over the world. The 1,000 crew come from 94 countries,and Estrella has learnt Spanish and a little Croatian.
But there is a downside .“You cannot get really drunk...because you have safety responsibilities to yourself and others,”he says.“You don’t really think about home.You start to think about home only when you get closer to your vacation and wonder what you’ll be doing.”
Life on the ship is anything but cruising. Estrella and his fellows work at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week.He warns the job is not for everybody. “You have to love being busy and be prepared to work every day—and to give up drinking too much alcohol.” In his spare time, if the ship sails into a port, Estrella explores it, otherwise he works out in the crew’s gym, goes on the internet or calls home.
63.What do we know about Estrella?
A.He is very fond of traveling. B.He doesn’t drink wine now.
C.He cannot speak a foreign language. D.He used to be a housekeeping manager.
64.The underlined word“downside”in paragraph 5 probably means _______.
A.disappointment B.disadvantage C.failure D.loss
65.Which of the following is true?
A.Estrella doesn’t often feel homesick because of his work.
B.The work on the ship is not suitable for a married person.
C.Estrella can find no other job except the one on the ship.
D.The people on the ship are from 94 countries.
66.In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that life on the ship is _______.
A.not a tiring journey at all B.just an interesting voyage
C.far from a voyage for pleasure D.more than a pleasant travel by sea
I was the middle child of three, but there was a gap of five years on either side, and I hardly saw my father before I was eight. For this and other reasons I was somewhat lonely. I had the lonely child’s habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my literary ambitions（文学志向） were mixed up with the feeling of being isolated（孤独） and undervalued. I knew that I had a natural ability with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, and I felt that this created a sort of private world in which I could get my own back for my failure in everyday life.
However, the quantity of serious writing which I produced all through my childhood would not add up to half a dozen pages. I wrote my first poem at the age of four or five, my mother taking it down to dictation. I cannot remember anything about it except that it was about a tiger and the tiger had “chair-like teeth” - a good enough expression. At eleven, when the war of 1914-18 broke out, I wrote a poem which was printed in the local（地方的） newspaper, as was another, two years later, on the death of Kitchener. From time to time, when I was a bit older, I wrote bad and usually unfinished “nature poems”. I also, about twice, attempted a short story which was a failure. That was the total of the would-be serious work that I actually set down on paper during all those years.
56.The underlined word“it” in paragraph 2 refers to ___________.
A.the quantity of serious writing B.the writer’s first poem
C.the writer’s childhood D.the tiger in the poem
57.From the text, we learn that as a little boy the writer ________.
A.had no playmates B.showed his gift for writing
C.put out lots of poems and stories D.got his first poem published in 1916
58.What can be inferred about the writer?
A.He was least favoured in his family. B.He had much difficulty in talking with others.
C.He had an unhappy childhood for lack of care.
D.His loneliness resulted in his interest in writing.
Buster Brown was a thief—and a good one，too，he thought. He’d never been caught by the police because he never took chances. He was always Prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency.
Confidently，he stood outside the house of his intended victim(受害者)and read the sign on the front gate of the house. “Don't worry about the dog—be aware of the owner !” it said. Buster smiled and found his way in.
The house looked quite normal outside，but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display. As he began putting them into his bag，a dog came into the room. It stopped when it saw Buster，then wagged its tail madly and went over to him，licking his outstretched hand. “Good boy，” Buster whispered. “What a great guard dog you are—trying to lick me to death.”
Satisfied he’d made friends with the dog，Buster began to wander round the house，choosing items to put in his bag. His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)：a pair of silver candleholders，a silver tea-and-coffee service，etc. His new friend，the dog，sat and watched，as if wondering what was happening.
“Well，boy，”Buster whispered，finally. “That might do. Any more and I won’t be able to carry it!” He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him. He shielded his eyes with his hand.
“You’re a very silly person,” the figure in the doorway said, his voice dry as dust. As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed. His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn’t quite place where he had seen him before.
“You should have taken more notice of the sign outside,” the man rasped. “I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years. Fancy trying to rob the house of the world’s greatest fortune-teller!”
60. Why was Buster so confident?
A. He was not afraid of dogs. B. He knew the owner of the house lived alone
C. He had never been caught by the police. D. The house had no security alarm.
61. Which of the definitions is closest in meaning to the word “exotic” in the third paragraph?
A. Messy and untidy. B. Rich and expensive.
C. Comfortable and calming. D. Foreign and unusual.
62. How did Buster decide which objects to take?
A. He took those that were easy to carry in his bag.
B. He took only the best antiques.
C. He took those that he knew he could sell easily.
D. He looked for silver objects.
63. What punishment waits for Buster Brown?
A. A prison sentence with hard labour. B. A long prison sentence.
C. A heavy fine. D. Community service for 20 years.
The incident took place on Sunday，the 25th of June. On that particular day，a south wind had been gusting(劲吹) on and off all morning. It was not strong enough to cause us any concern，so we carried on our daily work, not suspecting what was about to happen.
The storm gave us very little warning. Black clouds loomed over the distant horizon(地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then，we were not really worried，as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains. Then，just as the clouds had moved inland，the wind suddenly swung around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm.
Instantly，we were busily preparing for the worst. The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again. My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. If the river flooded，they should be safe there.
In the meantime，my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service. If the tin flew off，it could damage the house. My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter. My job was to help Mum board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone(旋风)，the boards would protect the glass.
The storm raged for four hours，pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years. As expected，the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock..
Then，just as we were beginning to lose hope，the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The animals were safe，and the roof was still nailed on. “All’s well that ends well ,”said my mother.
56.When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance, .
A. the family were surprised B. they were extremely worried
C. they were preparing for the worst D. they faced the storm bravely
57.“There was very little we could do about the crops” indicates that .
A. little damage would be done to the crops B. they had everything ready for the crops
C. they felt unable to protect the crops D. the crops should be safe enough there
58. The underlined word “ stock” in the third paragraph refers to .
A. money owned by the family B. goods for sale
C. supplies for family use D. farm animals .
59.It can be inferred from what the mother said that ·
A. they had no damage at all B. everything went beyond their expectation
C. everything was under control D. the family could have suffered a greater loss
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