The winter holidays are a special time at the White House. Each year, about 44,000 people come to see the holiday decorations or to attend holiday parties at the President’s home in Washington, D.C.
I was able to attend a press preview of the holiday decorations recently, which was hosted by First Lady Laura Bush. This year’s theme for the decorations is “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” The decorations are all made of fresh flowers, garlands(花环), and fruits. The flowers will have to be changed every few days to keep the look fresh.
The main Christmas tree is in the Blue Room. It’s an 18-foot fir tree—tall enough that the chan-delier(吊灯) had to be removed to make room for it. Fresh white lilies(百合), crystal garlands, and white lights decorate the White House Christmas tree. The room smells of pine and lilies.
Mrs. Bush was asked whether she called the tree a holiday tree or a Christmas tree. “We know that Americans celebrate the season in a lot of different ways,” she said. “We’ll have a party and a reception here at the White House later during the month. But I think we’ve always called this the White House Christmas tree.”
Another centerpiece of the decorations each year is the gingerbread house(姜饼屋), made by chief Thaddeus Dubois.“This is his second gingerbread house,” Mrs. Bush said. “And this year Dubois painstakingly(辛苦地，辛勤地) made it special.” The gingerbread house was made with 100 pounds of gingerbread, 150 pounds of white and dark chocolate, and clear, poured sugar windows. A strand of white lights inside the Gingerbread White House made it glow.
40. Mrs. Bush chose “All Things Bright and Beautiful”as the theme for the decorations to ______. .
A. highlight nature’s beauty B. show the great wealth of the family
C. express her love of the country D. differ from other people’s ideas
41. Which of the following can probably be used to describe the White House after the decorations?
A. New and clean. B. Elegant(高贵的) and beautiful.
C. Smelly and shaky. D. Luxurious(豪华的) and serious.
42. The passage is mainly about ______. .
A. how Americans observe Christmas
B. decorating the White House for holidays
C. the differences between a holiday tree and a Christmas tree
D. how to select a present for the White House
III 、阅读理解
London Thursday July 26 (Reuters)---Ian Johnstone missed his girlfriend so much that he flew back to Britain from Australia to propose to her(向……求婚). The problem is that she flew in the opposite direction.
He and Amy Dolby could even have met each other when they sat in the same airport waiting-room in Singapore at the same time to wait for connecting flights（航班）.
Dolby, heartbroken when she arrived at Johnstine’s Sydney apartment to 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（浪漫的） 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 the globe, she was greeted by Johnstone’s astonished flat mate asking what she was doing there.
“The terrible truth dawned （明朗）when I found that Ian’s suitcase and most of his clothing were missing. I sat on the end of his bed and cried my eyes out. And that really made me angry,” she said.
Johnstone, a 27-year-old bricklayer, had taken a year off to travel around Australia. But he was missing Dolby, a 26-year-old secretary, so much he got a job on a Sydney building site（建筑工地）and started saving for surprise.
He then flew home to Britain and went to her apartment armed with an engagement ring（订婚戒指）, champagne（香濱酒） and flowers.
“I really missed Amy and I had been thinking about her all the time. I thought she was winding me up when she phoned me from Australia,” he said.
Johnstone then asked Dolby to marry him on the phone. “I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but I accepted,” she said.
Dolby was given a short tour of Sydney by Johnstone’s friends and Johnstone had to stay in Britain for two weeks because he could not change his ticket.
1. It can be learned from the text that_______.
A. Dolby was heartbroken when she heard Johnstone refused to see her.
B. Johnstone worked in Sydney and went to Britain on business
C. Dolby was greeted by Johnstone’s flat mate at the airport
D. Johnstone failed to see Dolby in her apartment in Britain
2. According to the text, it seemed that_______.
A. Dolby wanted to go sightseeing in Sydney alone
B. Johnstone and Dolby could have seen each other in Singapore
C. Dolby stayed longer in Sydney than Johnstone stayed in Britain
D. the young lovestruck couple had both intended to propose to each other
3. When Johnstone asked her to marry him on the phone, Dolby felt_______.
A. nervous and shy B. cheerful and angry
C. excited and shocked D. confused and sad
4. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened in the text?
a. Johnstone flew back to Britain to propose to his girlfriend, Amy Dolby.
b. Johnstone started working at a Sydney building site.
c. Johnstone went to Amy’s apartment in Britain with an engagement ring.
d. Johnstone proposed to Dolby over the phone.
e. They were waiting for their connecting flight in the airport lounge in Singapore.
f. Dolby called Johnstone from Australia.
A. b-a-d-e-c-f B. c-a b-e-f-d C. b-a-e-c-f-d D. b-a-f-e-c-d
Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my f
ather, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely mad and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.
Cowboy was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason.
I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers(窃笑) about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.
When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse was judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.
One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, she didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.
The stinging memory of Becky’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena (赛马场). We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.
All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.
My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.
As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!
I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it. The underlined expression "shown the gate" (paragraph 4) most probably means " __________".
| A．told how to enter the arena |
| B．shown how to make the horse beautiful |
| C．removed from the competition early |
| D．told to enter the timed-speed events |
Why was the writer not confident of victory?
| A．He was an inexperienced rider. |
| B．He had not practiced enough. |
| C．He believed he was unpopular with the crowd. |
| D．He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others. |
When the final race finished, nobody cheered because____________.
| A．the audience didn’t like Cowboy | B．people envied the writer |
| C．the win was unexpected | D．the writer had run out of time |
What did the writer learn from his experience?
| A．Life can sometimes be unfair. |
| B．Anything is possible if one tries hard enough. |
| C．A positive attitude will bring success. |
| D．One should not make judgments based on appearance. |
The best title for the story is ___________. .
| A．A Race to Remember | B．A Horse’s Tale |
| C．Neck and Neck | D．A Difficult Age |
Fifteen years ago, I entered the Boston Globe, which was a temple to me then . It wasn’t easy getting hired. I had to fight my way in to a dime-a-word job. But once you were there, I found , you were in .
Globe jobs were for life-guaranteed until retirement. For 15 years I had prospered there—moving from an ordinary reporter to foreign correspondent and finally to senior editor. I 
would have a lifetime of security if I struck with it.
Instead, I had made a decision to leave.
I entered my boss’s office. Would he rage? I wondered. He had a famous temper. “Matt, we have to have a talk, ” I began awkwardly. “I came to the Globe when I was twenty —four. Now I’m forty . There’s a lot I want to do in life. I’m resigning. ”
“To another paper? ” he asked.
I reached into my coat pocket, but didn’t say anything, not trusting myself just then.
I handed him a letter that explain everything. It said that I was leaving to start a new media company. That the Globe had taught me in a thousand ways. That we were at a rare turning point in history, I wanted to be directly engaged in the change.
“I am glad for you , ” he said , quite out of my expectation. “ I just came from a board of directors meeting and it was seventy-five percent discouraging news. Some of that we can do deal with. But much of it we can’t ,” he went on. “I wish you all the luck in the world, ”be concluded. “And if it doesn’t work out , remember ,your star is always high here.”
Then I went out of his office, walking through the newsroom for more good-byes. Everybody was saying congratulations. Everybody—even though I’d be risking all on an unfamiliar venture : all 
the financial security I had carefully built up.
Later, I had a final talk with Bill Taylor, chairman and publisher of the Boston Globe. He had turned the Globe into a billion-dollar property.
I’m resigning, Bill, ” I said. He listened while I gave him the story. He wasn’t looking angry of dismayed either. After a pause, he said, “Golly, I wish I were in your shoes.” From the passage we know that the Globe is a famous .
| A．newspaper | B．magazine | C．temple | D．church |
If the writer stayed with the globe, .
| A．he would be able to realize his lifetime dreams |
| B．he would let his long favourite dreams fade away |
| C．he would never have to worry about his future life |
| D．he would never be allowed to develop his ambitions |
The writer wanted to resign because .
| A．he had serious trouble with his boss |
| B．he got underpaid at his job for the Globe |
C．he wanted to work in the new media industry |
| D．he had found a better paid job in a publishing house |
By “I wish I were in your shoes. ”(in the last paragraph), Bill Taylor meant that .
| A．the writer was to fail | B．the writer was stupid |
| C．he would do the same if possible | D．he would reject the writer’s request |
At 50 I was the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. But what should I do to celebrate my 60th birthday? What else, but a journey at the opposite end of the world, Antarctica. I began my almost 400-mile jour
ney on November 1st, 1997,a few days before my birthday. I walked and skied alone. My dog team were not with me to pull my sled. Another journey of challenge and danger was about to begin.
The first days the weather was very good. The wind was icy but not very strong and there was bright sunshine 24 hours a day. But changes were just around the corner. On the third day I was struggling through stormy weather and during the nest week the wind grew stronger and I found myself spending a whole day in my tent.
I had traveled only two hours one day when the winds increased so much that I had to put my tent up before the winds became too strong. Within a few minutes the winds increased to a howling storm that threatened to blow me and the tent away, but none of that happened.from the text we know the writer was born on ___.
| A．1st November 1937 | B．12th November 1937 |
| C．22nd November 1947 | D．1st November 1957 |
Another journey of challenge and danger
was about to begin. “ Another journey” here means ___.
| A．the travel to the North Pole. | B．another journey to Antarctica. |
| C．400- mile journey on November 1st 1997. | D．a new trip that she was planning. |
After reading the short passage, we can guess that ___.
| A．the trip to the North Pole must be the same hard as that to the South Pole. |
| B．The trip to the Antarctica may be more dangerous than that to the Arctic |
C．There was no danger though the trip to the South Pole w as hard. |
| D．During the trip to the Antarctica, the weather, most of the time, was not so bad. |
Do you think which kind of people the writer is?
| A．mean | B．generous | C．brave | D．handsome |
Robert is nine years old and Joanna is seven. They live at Mount Ebenezer. Their father has a big property. In Australia they call a farm a property.
Robert and Joanna like school very much. At school they can talk to their friends but Robert and Joanna cannot see their friends. They live 100, perhaps 300, miles away and like Robert and Joanna, they all go to school by radio.
Mount Ebenezer is in the center of Australia. Not many people live in “The Center”. There are no schools with desks and blackboards and no teachers in “The Center”. School is a room at home with a two-way radio. The teacher also has a two-way radio. Every morning she calls each student on the radio. When all students answer, lessons begin… Think of your teacher 300 miles away! The children in “The Center” do not go to a school because ______.
| A．they live too far away from one another | B．they do not like school |
| C．they are not old enough to go to school | D．their families are too poor |
In order to send their children to school, parents in “The Center” of Australia must have ______.
| A．a property | B．a car |
| C．a school room at home | D．a special radio |
Teachers in “The Center” of Australia teach ______.
| A．not in a classroom but at the homes of the students |
| B．by speaking only and not showing anything in writing |
| C．without using any textbooks or pictures |
| D．without knowing whether the students are attending |
A “property” in Australia is a ______.
| A．house | B．school | C．farm | D．radio |
The London Marathon is an annual event and of the thousands of runners who take part, many of them have a story to tell as to why they are running the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) course around London.
The men's race was won by Kenyan, Martin Lel, who finished the race in just two hours and five minutes, a personal best time for him. Irina Mikitenko was the winner of the women's race and this was astonishingly only her second race at marathon distance!
There was also a group of 24 runners who have competed in every single one of the 28 London marathons. Jeff Aston is one of them and at 60 years old, he finished in just over three and a half hours.
A lot of the 
non-competitive runners take part in the marathon to raise mon
ey for charity. Jeff estimates he has raised about ￡25,000 (350,000 RMB) over the 28 years he has been running.
Jane Tomlinson is a well-known name in the UK. She raised millions for charity doing long cycle rides, marathons and triathlons while struggling against terminal cancer, a battle she sadly lost last year. In honor of Jane, her husband and daughter took part in the marathon. They managed to raise ￡20,000 (280,000 RMB) for a charity set up in Jane's name.
Another astonishing one was blind runner Dave Heeley completing the marathon. As if that wasn't enough, this was his seventh marathon in seven days, as he took part in a special challenge which took him to seven countries.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Variety of Athletic Runners | B．London Marathon |
| C．Inspirational Event | D．Astonishing Marathon Stories |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．The London Marathon is held every year to raise money for charity. |
B．Jane Tomlinson together with her husband too k part in the marathon. |
| C．Dave Heeley is an inspiring marathon runner. |
| D．Kenyan, Martin Lel won the men's race just over three and a half hours. |
The underlined word “triathlons” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to .
| A．a formal meeting | B．a special challenge |
| C．a kind of disease | D．an athletic competition |
Planet Hunter
When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.
“What excited me most was whether there were planets（行星）in other solar（太阳的）systems where life might exist, ”he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting（沿…轨道运行）other stars like our Sun.”
And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995, ”Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it, and our patience paid off. ”
Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first “family”of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like（像木星一样的）planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.
At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.
Why is this important? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features（特征）in our solar system. The first is Jupiter.
“Because it’s so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids（小行星）, or they all come and hit the Earth. ”Dr. Marcy explains. “Without Jupiter, life on Earth would likely have been destroyed. ”
A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life, can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55 Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, “We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life! ”
59. What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage?
A. He is fond of watching Jupiter.
B. He is from a scientist family.
C. He dislikes working with Paul Butler.
D. He is interested in finding life in outer space.
60. Which of the following is true of the recent discovery?
A. The planet is not as protective as Jupiter.
B. The planet is close to star 55 Cancri.
C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.
D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.
61. How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?
A. 100 B. 69 C. 66 D. 65
62. Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55 Cancri system because ______.
A. he has found the system similar to the solar system
B. he has discovered an Earth-like planet there
C. he has discovered a rocky planet there
D. he has found signs of life in the system
63.“But we stuck with it”（in Paragraph 3）means ______.
A. they felt discouraged
B. they carried on with it
C. they failed in their attempt
D. they made some progress
It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. 1 was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy - nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once 1 reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents that was the best time of my life."
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life."
"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, which was the best time of my life."
"When I met my wife and fell in love, which was the best time of my life."
"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, which was the best time of my life. "
"When we came to Canada and started a family, which was the best time of my life."
"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life."
"And now, Joe, 1 am seventy - nine years old. I have my health, l feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."
46. When Joe's 30th birthday is drawing near, he feels .
A. excited B. frightened C. worried D. eager
47. Joe usually goes to the gym to .
A. take exercise B. begin his work
C. see his friend Nicholas D. do his part -time job
48. What does the underlined word vitality in the second paragraph mean?
A. strength B. Power to survive
C. Happiness D. Energy and enthusiasm
49. What is the right order of the following events?
a. Fell in love b. Grew up in Austria c. Settled in Canada
d. Escape from his country e. Got salaries
A. b a e d c B. b e a d c C. a b e d c D. b c a d e
50. The purpose of the passage is to .
A. tell the reader about Joe's experience
B. tell the story of his friend Nicholas.
C. tell people not to worry about their ages.
D. tell people to take an optimistic attitude toward life.
Bushwick is a tough place to grow up. This part of Brooklyn, in New York City, has a lot of crimes. More than half of its 100,000 residents rely on aid from the government. Only 50% of students at Bushwick High School graduate in four years.
Some people might say, “We should help these poor kids who have so many challenges.” But Malaak Compton-Rock looks at the teens in Bushwick and says, “Go to help kids who have even bigger challenges than you do.” She believes that once young people see the power they have to make things better, they can handle their own problems more easily. So her service group, the Angel Rock Project, took 30 Bushwick kids to Soweto, in South Africa, to help poor families there. Soweto is a township outside the city of Johannesburg. The effort, called Journey for Change, aims to show that any kid can change the world.
“Kids in Bushwick face pressure to drop out of school or become involved in gangs and drugs.” Says Compton-Rock. “We want them to live a life of purpose and service.”
In Soweto, many parents have died of AIDS, a deadly disease. When that happens, a grandparent or a child must lead the family. The Bushwick volunteers helped such families. They tended vegetable gardens, cared for babies and bought groceries.
“The saddest thing was when we visited an orphanage (孤儿院) and I helped a little boy who had been abandoned because he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS,” says Queen Clyde, 12. “It‘s been good to be on this trip. But what’s also important is what we do when it’s finished. That’s what counts.” “I never appreciated what I had until I saw some people who had nothing,” says Sadara Lewis, 12. “It’s really changed my attitude. I want to make a difference.”
The trip was two weeks long. But the kids, aged 12 to 15, will spend all year speaking about their experience, fund-raising and more.
46. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. Bushwick is the poorest place in New York City.
B. Bushwick still needs more care from the government.
C. It is children who suffer most in New York City.
D. Children in Bushwick are living in a bad situation.
47. In Compton-Rock’s opinion, the Bushwick kids _________.
A. have fewer challenges than those in any other district
B. are living much better a life than people in Africa
C. can learn to deal with their own problems by helping others
D. should be kept out of schools in this part of the city
48. Compared with Bushwick kids, some children in Soweto _________.
A. may have bigger challenges B. receive no care from the government
C. are much more independent D. are able to lead the family
49. According to the passage, “Journey for Change” can be best seen as the saying “_________”.
A. God helps those who help themselves B. saying and doing are two things
C. one stone kills two birds D. a friend in need is a friend indeed
50. From the passage we know that _________.
A. there are few students in Bushwick High School
B. the trip to Soweto will have a long influence in spite of its short time.
C. most children are suffering from AIDS in Soweto
D. kids with HIV will be abandoned in Soweto
My son and a bunch of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald’s on report card day last year. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A’s, and Laurie got a cell phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she’s only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $ 10 for each A.”
I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell phone, and the portable DVD player?
I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes — no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything!
I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal attained by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns, runs-batted-in? What about orchestra? Would first chair pay more than second? I’d be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.
“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that’s about it.”
Don’t you just hate that? We’re all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation.
46．Why did the writer suddenly become concerned?
A．Because many kids were getting very good grade at school.
B．Because he was worried about the current reword system.
C．Because he wasn’t making enough money to buy things for his kids’ good grades. D．Because kids were having too many parties after school.
47．The underlined sentence “As the homework load increased, my income would decrease.” (in
Paragraph 3) probably means that _________.
A．taking care of the children would influence my work
B．I would spend more money on my children’s homework
C．reducing children’s homework load would cost me a lot
D．more rewards would be needed as the children grew up
48．The example of the author’s neighbor shows that _________.
A．pizza is the best way to encourage children
B．the author’s neighbor was very poor
C．reward is not the only way to encourage children
D．the son of the author’s neighbor’s didn’t like reward
49．It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A．children would think that you should if you pay them for good grades
B．children would work harder if you buy them pizza for good grades
C．children would not ask for rewards when they enter high school
D．children would not ask for rewards when they enter university
50．What is the author’s attitude toward paying children reward for good grades?
A．Helpful. B．Uncertain. C．Unpleasant. D．Unknowable.
III 阅读 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节 阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!
When the Great Depression(大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
41. What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was _________.
A. caring B. moving C. encouraging D. interesting
42. According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to
school again?
A. Doctors. B. Nurses. C. His friends. D. His mom。
43. What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A. His terrible experience in the hotel.
B. His previous business success of various level.
C. His mom’s strongest support.
D. His wife’s valuable suggestion.
44. Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
A. Modest, helpful and hard-working. B. Loving, supportive and strong-willed.
C. Careful, helpful and beautiful. D. Strict, sensitive and supportive.
45. Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A. Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family.
B. Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education.
C. Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work.
D. Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities.
The crowd cheered and cheered. The man with the horn（号）waved and smiled his great smile. “More! More!” cried the crowd. And Louis Armstrong took his horn and began to play again.
Here he was in England. Now a famous man, he was rich. He knew many important people. Wherever he went, people knew his name. They wanted to hear his music. As he played the sad, slow songs, Louis thought of his home in New Orleans. He lived there as a boy. It was a busy, exciting city. But Louis’s family was very poor. He went to work to help his mother. He also went to school. One of Louis’s teachers asked him to join the school band. “This horn is yours until you leave our school,” his teacher said. Louis’s music was jazz a
nd he loved it. He remembered all the music he heard. He didn’t learn to read music until he was a man.
When he left school, he played on many bands. He loved his work and people loved him. They knew that he had a wonderful talent. Louis played in little towns and in big cities. Armstrong’s horn had as many sounds as ten horns—sometimes slow and sometimes sweet; sometimes fast and hot, high and low. His music was always strong and exciting. “He does make wonderful music,” said the man who listened happily. “Yes,” said another man, “he makes that horn speak. ”
The music ended and the crowd cheered. Louis Armstrong spoke with tears in his eyes, “I think, my friends, you can listen to as much jazz as I can play. I thought jazz was my music; but now I understand it is ours. It is beautiful that music brings us together. ”Louis went to work when he was _______.
| A．a schoolboy | B．a musician | C．famous | D．a man |
Louis was very smart but he didn’t learn to read music until ______.
| A．he left school. | B．he was in the the school band. |
| C．he became a grown-up. | D．he became famous. |
He was famous for ______.
| A．his horn | B．his sad songs |
| C．his wonderful jazz music | D．his love for music |
Which of the following is the best title for this story ?.
| A．Musician | B．A beautiful horn. |
| C．The man with the horn. | D．Sweet smiles. |
Wu You, a 14–year–old Chinese Australian, used her diary to record what she had experienced in Guangzhou during this year’s Spring Festival travel period.
She, like tens of thousands of passengers stranded (滞留) at the Guangzhou Railway Station, had a Spring Festival she could never forget. But different from most people, she put down what she saw and heard in her diary, which was published in Australia.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Wu You’s grandfather and parents are professional painters, and she started to write diaries with pictures when she was only ten years old. She never expected to become famous because of her diary describing her life in Guangzhou.
“We originally planned to stay for half a month in Guangzhou when we arrived in January,” said Huang Qin, Wu’s mother. But the snowstorm caused the breakdown of traffic and kept the family there. “This is her first Spring Festival in China and probably the most special one,” said Huang. “We watched TV news programs every day and prayed for the snowstorm to be over soon so that stranded passengers could go home as soon as possible.”
Then Wu You started writing diaries about the snowstorm and the stranded passengers, along with the traditional customs in Guangzhou as well as local attractions such as the flower fair.
“In her diary she just wrote down what she heard and saw every day, and with her pencil she added some illustration to every diary. When we went back to Australia, people saw the diaries and asked to publish them on a local newspaper,” said Huang, “because they thought the diaries are very heart – warming.” All of Wu You’s diaries were written in English, and translated into Chinese by her mother. Through her diary, the girl shows her care to the Chinese people. In one diary, she wrote, “I really hope the warmth from people’s love can melt the cold snow and ice.”
72. Wu You wrote diaries during her stay in Guangzhou because she _______ .
A. has the habit of keeping a diary B. wished to make her name known
C. needed a means to kill time D. experienced so many interesting things
73. We can infer from the story that Wu You _____ during the Spring Festival.
A. did nothing besides watching TV and writing diaries
B. helped clear away the snow and ice
C. helped other stranded passengers in difficulty
D. had activities to get a taste of the local culture
74. The underlined word “illustration” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A. photos B. drawings C. translations D. tips
75. Her diary is believed worth publishing mainly because it tells about the ______.
A. wonderful places in Guangzhou covered in ice and snow
B. interesting ways of locals observing the Spring Festival
C. severe disaster caused by the snowstorm
D. moving stories of the passengers being helped
III 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并将答案填涂在答题卡上。
I’m a 20-year-old boy, and the following is my story.
A month after I graduated from high school in August, 2007, I was coming home from swim practice in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital.
I suffered a lot from the experience of dying 
eight times during my coma and I couldn’t open my mouth to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around. At that time, it seemed that walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body, my dreams were completely destroyed. But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams.
After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions, I had to make every great effort to learn to talk, eat, walk, shower, and live on my own again. When I was out of hospital, I still had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, Maryland. After I spent a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own. It was a miracle that I was able to walk again, but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but also run. When it came true, I wanted to get back into the pool again. After having a few lung tests, I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training, I began my freshman year at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team.
By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world. I am just trying to live each day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their d
reams no matter how bad a situation is to them. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed, I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members. I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow, things would work out for the best.
41. The underlined word “coma” in Paragraph 2 probably has the meaning of “_______”.
A. operation B. unconsciousness C. treatment D. emergency
42. According to Paragraph 3, it can be inferred that the author _______.
A. was unable to talk or communicate B. was in despair
C. faced physical and mental challenges D. felt anxious about his state
43. What is the correct order of the following events?
a. went to outpatient therapy
b. received membership of the swim team
c. was pushed around to visit other patients
d. walked like a baby
e. learnt to live all by himself
A. d、a、c、b、e B. e、c、d、a、b
C. d、c、a、b、e D. e、c、a、d、b
44. In the last paragraph, the author mainly wants to show _______.
A. his positive influence on other patients B. his meaningful life
C. his purpose of sharing his story D. his great achievements
45. The best title for the passage would be “_______”.
A. Attitude is everything B. Actions speak louder than words
C. Everything happens for a reason D. A good beginning is half done
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