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高中英语

He's an old cobbler  (修鞋匠)  with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time. Take them to the other fellow on the main  street ; he'll fix them for you right away.”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman  (手艺人).  “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait”— without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, andwhen they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) you might as well just throw away thepair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron ( 围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said,“Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.. ”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange,dusty felt hot, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption  (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
60. Which of the following is true about the old cobbler.'?
A. He was equipped with the best repairing tools. B. He was the only cobbler in the Marais.
C. He was proud of his skills.                             D. He was a native Parisian.
61. The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” ( paragraph 7 ) implies that      
A. nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him
B. it was difficult to communicate with this man
C. the man was very strange                               D. the man was too old
62. According to the author, many people work just to           .
A. realize their abilities   B. gain happiness          C. make money             D. gain respect
63. This story wants to tell us that           .
A. craftsmen make a lot of money                       B. whatever you do, do it well
C. craftsmen need self-respect                             D. people are born equal

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The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. "Banana 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira"He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill He didn't have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it's not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the comer selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What's up?” I asked him. “I...I don't have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills."Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. "Thank you, sir," he said. “Thank you very much.”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books. What if he's a cheat (骗子)? And then I wondered why I did it .Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn't know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
"Oh, gosh! Long time."
"Are you in school now?”  I asked.
He nodded.
"That's good," I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. "Here," I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. "What's wrong?” I asked. "It's a gift."
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat (汗水). He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, "I've been waiting to give these to you."
64. What was the author's first impression of the boy?
A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.                   B. He seemed to have suffered a lot
C. He seemed younger than his age.                     D. He seemed good at bargaining
65. The second time the author met the boy, the boy________.
A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts             B. wanted to express his thanks
C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks           D. tried to take advantage of him
66. Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A. Because he had enough money to do that.
B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.
C. Because he held a higher position in the society.
D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.
67. Which of the following best describes the boy?
A. Brave and polite.    B. Kind and smart                C. Honest and thankful.       D. Shy and nervous.

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Getting paid to talk about the World Cup is a great job. I’m not a football commentator(评论员),though-just an English teacher in Japan.
I came to Japan two years ago, and didn't think I would stay, but Japan has that effect on you. People often end up living here longer than they planned. I think it’s  best to teach in a biggest city where there are other foreigners to mix with, rather than a small town where English teachers often complain of feeling like a goldfish in a bowl. Many people choose to live in Tokyo, of course, which is good for the nightlife factor. But I’d say that for general quality of living, cities of neither too large nor too small, like Sapporo where I live, are better choices.
I teach English  privately, which means I’m my own boss. If you want to devote yourself to private teaching, it’s well worth doing a TEFL course  first, because your lessons will be much better for it. The problem with private teaching is finding students; it took me a year to build up a full schedule(日程表)of private lessons, so I started out teaching in schools part-time.
Most of my foreign friends here work full-time for big English conversation schools. The salary is fine to live on. But whether you can save money depends on how much going out and traveling you do here.
The schools are reluctant to take time off –even teachers with tickets for the England-Argentina game had trouble getting the day off.
56.From the passage we know in Japan the write likes to live in_______.
A.Tokyo                            B.a small town                     C.a city of middle site                  D.a big city
57.According to the writer, one had better________first to do private teaching better.
A.take a TEFL course                                             B.decide his or her own lessons
C.find students                                                      D.build up a full schedule
58.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph implies that_______.
A.there are many foreigners in Japan                  B.Japan is good for nightlife
C.they can teach English privately in Japan 
D.Japan has something more attractive than expected
59.The underlined word“reluctant”in the passage may probably mean_____.
A.kind                        B.unwilling                 C.free                                       D.careless

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At a few minutes past five, Dave noted that the blanket of darkness was lifting. He was just able to make out the heavier masses that eventually appeared as the familiar trees that lined the road at the base of the hill. The upper reaches of the sky showed lighter shades of gray.
Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water, and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps.
As he walked down toward the lake, Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before.
By the time he reached the small boat, a thick white mist (雾气) had spread over the surface of the water. He stepped into the boat, sat down, and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore.
The outer fringe (边缘) of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly. All he could see was the enveloping whiteness. He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake.
Dave rowed steadily ahead, relying on a mental picture of the surroundings. Then the mist began to rise, slowly. It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake. The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low-flying insects.
The magic time had arrived. Dave raised his pole. Dawn was broken. He was excited with expectancy.
39. Dave got up early in the morning to ______
A. enjoy the scene of the lake                       B. seek adventure at the lake
C. go fishing in the lake                               D. take a walk by the lake
40. According to the story, which of the following is TRUE?
A. Dave broke the quietness of the lake.         B. Dave was familiar with the surroundings.
C. Dave took a picture of the lake with him.   D. Dave forgot the fishing pole at the beginning.
41. The underlined word “It” in Paragraph 6 refers to ______
A. fish                   B. boat                       C. silence             D. mist
42. What can we learn from the end of the story?
A. Dave was hopeful of catching a lot of fish.       B. Dave wished the weather would be better.
C. Dave was happy that dawn was broken.     D. Dave expected someone else would come.

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I was 9 years old when I found out my father was ill. It was 1994, but I can remember my mother's words as if it were yesterday: “Kerrel, I don't want you to take food from your father, because he has AIDS. Be very careful when you are around him.”
AIDS wasn't something we talked about in my country when I was growing up. From then on, I knew that this would be a family secret. My parents were not together anymore, and my dad lived alone. For a while, he could take care of himself. But when I was 12, his condition worsened. My father's other children lived far away, so it fell to me to look after him.
We couldn't afford all the necessary medication for him, and because Dad was unable to work, I had no money for school supplies and often couldn't even buy food for dinner. I would sit in class feeling completely lost, the teacher's words muffled as I tried to figure out how I was going to manage.
I did not share my burden (负担) with anyone. I had seen how people reacted to AIDS. Kids laughed at classmates who had parents with the disease. And even adults could be cruel. When my father was moved to the hospital, the nurses would leave his food on the bedside table even though he was too weak to feed himself.
I had known that he was going to die, but after so many years of keeping his condition a secret, I was completely unprepared when he reached his final days. Sad and hopeless, I called a woman at the nonprofit National AIDS Support. That day, she kept me on the phone for hours. I was so lucky to find someone who cared. she saved my life.
I was 15 when my father died. He took his secret away with him, having never spoken about AIDS to anyone, even me. He didn't want to call attention to AIDS. I do.
60. What does Kerrel tell us about her father?
A. He had stayed in the hospital since he fell ill.
B. He depended on the nurses in his final days.
C. He worked hard to pay for his medication.
D. He told no one about his disease.
61. What can we learn from the underlined sentence?
A. Kerrel couldn't understand her teacher.             
B. Kerrel had special difficulty in hearing.
C. Kerrel was too troubled to focus on the lesson.
D. Kerrel was too tired to hear her teacher's words.
62. Why did Kerrel keep her father's disease a secret?
A. She was afraid of being looked down upon.             B. She thought it was shameful to have AIDS.
C. She found no one willing to listen to her.          D. She wanted to obey her mother.
63. Why did Kerrel write the passage?
A. To tell people about the sufferings of her father.
B. To show how little people knew about AIDS.
C. To draw people's attention to AIDS.                 
D. To remember her father.

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When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble – a word game – against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn’t sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life: to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing(文字处理). This proved to be a bigger challenge(挑战) to her, so I gave her some homework I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
“Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?” she asked.
“No, of course not,” I said. “They already know how to use a computer.”
My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏反应). For as long as I can remember, any time I called, my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.
49. What does the author do?
A. She is a cook.                                              B. She is a teacher.
C. She is a housewife.                                       D. She is a computer engineer.
50. The author decided to give her mother a computer            .
A. to let her have more chances to write letters
B. to support her in doing her homework
C. to help her through the bad times                     D. to make her life more enjoyable
51. The author asked her mother to write her a letter                .
A. because her mother had stopped using the telephone
B. because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother
C. so that her mother could practice what she had learned
D. so that mother could be free from housework
52. After the computer was brought home, the author’s father             .
A. lost interest in cooking                             B. took more phone calls
C. played more games                                  D. began to use it

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All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all things clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother's house, leave a half written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had "put it back where it belonged." as she explained.
My wife, on one of her first visits to my mother's house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused(疑惑的), she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有......的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find the every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. "Do you remember what I was doing?" was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
68. Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
A. She enjoyed removing others' drinks.             B. She became more and more forgetful.
C. She preferred to do everything by herself.      D. She wanted to keep her house in good order.
69. My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother's house because _______.
A. she had already finished them                        B. my mother had taken them away
C. she forgot where she had left them                 D. someone in my family was holding them
70. The underlined part to the fifth paragraph suggests that my sister _______.
A. is happy to clean windows                                   B. loves to clean used windows
C. is fond of clean used windows                       D. likes clean windows as my mother did
71. This passage mainly tells us that _______.
A. my mother often made us confused                B. my family members had a poor memory
C. my mother helped us to form a good habit     
D. my wife was surprised when she visited my mother

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I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant , and ancient for a sportsman, Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me. Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age. but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means.
A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying,  “ Fifty is what forty used to be . ”He had made an inspirational point, Am I over the hill ?People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that he high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now.
“ Your are not getting older, you are getting better . ” says Dr. Joyce Brothers . This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion.
And so. as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net. I am moves to share some thoughts on aging with you. I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally. Getting older. of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies(悼词). In fact , a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all :
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to me.
Whether or not Browning was right , most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by. I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend ( 混合) of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher(哲学家) was right when he said . ”Old is always fifteen years from now. ”
44. The author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that      
A time alone will tell                                       B time goes by quickly
C time will show what is right                          D time makes one forget the past
45. When the author turned fifty , people around him      
A. tried to comfort him                                           B. got inspiration with him
C. were friendlier with him                              D. found him more talkative
46. The author considers his fifty years of life       
A peaceful                  B. ordinary                 C. satisfactory             D. regretful
47. We can infer from the passage that      
A. the old should led a simple life                            B. the old should face the fact of aging
C. the old should take more exercise                   D. the old should fill themselves with curiosity

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Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father,“But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt -- a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It's best to be“thrown clear”of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear" is able going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are “thrown clear”.
Myth Number Two: Safety-bets “trap”people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious (昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour (mph).
Truth : When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.
62. Why did Elizabeth say to her father,“But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead”?
A. He was driving at great speed.                       B. He was running across the street.
C. He didn't have his safety belt on.                    D. He didn't take his medicine on time.
63. The reason father was in a hurry to get home was that he _______.
A. wasn't feeling very well                              B. hated to drive in the dark
C. wanted to take some exercise                       D. didn't want to be caught by the people
64. According to the text, to be “thrown clear" of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _______.
A. may be knocked down by other cars               B. may get serious hurt thrown out of the car
C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat
D. may get caught in the car door
65. Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe _______.
A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident
B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident
C. they will be caught when help comes              D. cars catch fire easily
66. What is the advice given in the test?
A. Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.        B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.
C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.
D. Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt.

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My parents were in a huge argument, and I was really upset about it. I didn’t know who I should talk with about how I was feeling. So I asked Mom to allow me to stay the night at my best friend’s house. Though I knew I wouldn’t tell her about my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to getting out of the house. I was in the middle of packing up my things when suddenly the power went out in the neighborhood. Mom came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa until the power came back on.
I was really disappointed because I felt that we did not have much to talk about. But I knew he would be frightened alone in the dark. I went to his room and told him that I’d stay with him until the power was restored. He was quite happy and said, “Great opportunity.”
“What is?” I asked.
“To talk, you and I,” he said. “To hold a private little meeting about what we’re going to do with your mom and dad, and what we’re going to do with ourselves now that we’re in the situation we are in.”
“But we can’t do anything about it, Grandpa,” I said, surprised that here was someone with whom I could share my feelings and someone who was in the same “boat” as I was.
And that’s how the most unbelievable friendship between my grandfather and me started. Sitting there in the dark, we talked about our feeling and fears of life---from how fast things change, to how they sometimes don’t change fast enough. That night, because the power went out, I found a new friend, with whom I could safely talk about all my fears and pains, whatever they may be.
Suddenly, the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “ I guess that means you’ll want to go now. I really like our talk. I hope the power will go out every few nights!”
56. I wished to get out of the house because ________.
A. I was angry about my parents’ quarrel        B. I found nobody to share my feelings with
C. I wanted to escape from the dark house          D. I planned to tell my friend about my trouble
57. Grandpa was happy to see me because___________.
A. he could discuss the problem with me         B. he had not seem me for a long time
C. he was afraid of darkness                          D. he felt quite lonely
58. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The grandchild was eager to leave.                B. They would have more chats.
C. The lights would go our again.                   D. It would no longer be dark.

来源:阅读理解
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In the course of working my way through school, I took many jobs I would rather forget. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was hard; the pay was poor and, most of all, the working conditions were terrible.
First of all, the job made huge demands on my strength. For ten hours a night, I took boxes that rolled down a metal track and piled them onto a truck. Each box contained twelve heavy bottles of apple juice. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night.
I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the lowest wage of that time— two dollars an hour. Because of the low pay, I felt eager to get as much as possible. I usually worked twelve hours a night but did not take home much more than $100 a week.
But even more than the low pay, what made me unhappy was the working conditions. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside loading trucks with those heavy boxes in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice, which made my feet feel like stone. And after the production line shut down at night and most people left, I spend two hours alone cleaning the floor.
I stayed on the job for five months, all the while hating the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I left, I was determined never to go back there again.
49. Why did the writer have to take many jobs at that time?
A. To pay for his schooling.                                     B. To save for his future.
C. To support his family.                                        D. To gain some experience.
50. The following facts describe the terrible working conditions of the plant EXCEPT_______.
A. loading boxes in the freezing cold                       B. having limited time for breaks
C. working and studying at the same time                D. getting no pay for lunch time
51. What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. The writer’s unhappy school life.                   B. The writer’s eagerness to earn money.
C. The writer’s experience as a full-time worker. D. The writer’s hard work in an apple plant.
52. How is the text organized?
A. Topic-Argument-Explanation                        B. Opinion-Discussion-Description
C. Main idea-Comparison-Supporting examples   D. Introduction-Supporting examples-Conclusion

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Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register(收款机)with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash(现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
41. The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits______.
A. promised to obey the store rules                   B. forgot to take any money with him
C. hoped to have the food first and pay later      D. could not afford anything more expensive
42. Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
A. kind and lucky                                                  B. poor and lonely
C. friendly and helpful                                           D. hurt and disappointed
43. The writer acted upon the store rules because___________.
A. he wanted to keep his present job                   B. he felt no pity for the old gentleman
C. he considered the old man dishonest       
D. he expected someone else to pay for the old man
44. What does the writer learn from his experience?
A. Wealth is more important than anything else.  B. Helping others is easier said than done.
C. Experience is better gained through practice.
D. Obeying the rules means more than compassion.

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November not only marks the publication of Toni Morrison’s eagerly anticipated(期待) eighth novel, Love, but it is also the tenth anniversary of her Nobel Prize for Literature. Morrison is the first black woman to receive a Nobel, and so honored before her in literature are only two black men: Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist, in 1986; and Derek Walcott, the Caribbean-born poet, in 1992. But Morrison is also the first and only American-born Nobel prizewinner for literature since 1962, the year novelist John Steinbeck received the award.
Like Song of Solomon, Love is a multigenerational story, revealing the personal and communal legacy(遗产) of an outstanding black family. As Morrison scholars will tell you, Love is the third volume of a literary master’s trilogy(三部曲)investigating the many complexities of love. This trilogy began with Beloved(1988), which deals with a black mother’s love under slavery and in freedom. Jazz (1993), the second volume, tells a story of romantic love in 1920s Harlem. This latest novel looks back from the 1970s to the 1940s and ’50s.
The emotional center of Love is Bill Cosey, the former owner and host of the shabby Cosey’s Hotel and Resort in Silk, North Carolina, described in the novel as “the best and best-known vacation spot for colored folk on the East Coast.” We get to know  Cosey through the memories of five women who survive and love him: his granddaughter, his widow, two former employees, and a homeless young girl.
The latest novel, Love, had been described in the promotional material from her publisher as “Morrison’s most accessible work since Song of Solomon.” This comparison to her third novel, published in 1977, was an effective selling point.
61. What would be the best title for the text?
A.Toni Morrison’s latest novels                          B.Toni Morrison and her trilogy
C.Toni Morrison and her novel Love                  D.Toni Morrison, the Nobel prizewinner
62. What can we learn about John Steinbeck?
A.He was a black writer.                                          B.He was born in America.
C.He received the Nobel Prize after Morrison
D.He was the first American novelist to win a Nobel
63. The similarity between Love and Song of Solomon is that they both _____.
A.belong to the same trilogy together with Beloved
B.concern families of more than one generation
C.deal with life of blacks under slavery              D.investigate life in 1920s Harlem
64. The novel Love mainly describes ______.
A. the best-known vacation spot for blacks
B. the life of an outstanding black family under slavery
C. the miserable experience of the five women in Harlem
D. the memories of five women about Bill Cosey

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Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless, “he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire. 
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就).Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy,’” Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1,800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
56. The turning point in Saunders’ life came when _____
A. he started to play ball games                                B. he got a mountain bike at age 15
C. he ran his first marathon at age 18                        D. he started to receive Ridgway’s training
57. We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.
A. dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy                    B. built up his body together with Saunders
C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience         
D.won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic
58. What do we know about Saunders?
A. He once worked at a school in Scotland.
B. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.
C. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.
D. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.
59. The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_____.
A.  Excited                       B. Convinced                     C. Delighted               D. Fascinated
60. It can be inferred that Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ______.
A. was accompanied by his old playmates                  B. set a record in the North Pole expedition
C. was supported by other Arctic explorers                 D. made him well-known in the 1960s

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When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主)in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's(解说者的)part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.
It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions(蒲公英)popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds," she said. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."
"But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful—even dandelions!"
My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added.
When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.
 “But you will be a beautiful narrator, ”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.
Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.
56.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because_______.
A.she felt nervous on the stage.                                 B.she lost her interest in that role.
C.she preferred the role of the narrator                      D.she had difficulty memorizing her words
57.Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?
A.To remove the dandelions                                     B.To enjoy the garden scene
C.to have a talk with her daughter.                            D.to help her daughter with the play.
58.What is the main idea of the story?
A.Everybody can find his or her own way to success.  B.Everybody has his or her own value in the world.
C.Everybody should learn to play different roles        D.Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

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高中英语故事类阅读试题