14．Group-buying in China
Modeled after US hot website Groupon．com，group buying websites are now popular in China．These websites use the power of group buying to get competitive discounts （打折）for a daily deal on some best stuff to do，see，eat and buy in the cities across China．Discounts are available within just one click．Zhao lei，a software engineer in Beijing，loves the one-hour lunch break at noon，as it is the best time for him to check"today′s special"at his favorite group buying websites．Sometimes he searches for great deals at directory sites devoted to the new shopping space．Zhao spends around 800yuan（$117.65）on group buying every month，mostly to buy food coupons （优惠劵）for eating at some nice restaurants and occasionally to find something fun to do．"I love group buying．In addition to the competitive discounts it offers，it helps me get something fun，exciting and new，and such surprises give me a reason to try something new，"he said．When he finds a really good bargain，he will send the link to friends or colleagues through MSN，QQ，or e-mail，or share the information at some social networking websites．In doing so，he often gets a certain cut off the price．At some sites，buyers are invited to leave notes about what they want to buy and the website will consider it if similar applications（申请）reach a certain number．That is how Zuo got her digital camera after waiting for two months．"It is cool．I want to buy a new digitgal camera for my trip to Switzerland this winter，but I never expected such cheap prices!"Zuo said．

28．We can learn from the passage thatD．
A．China is the first country to start group buying
B．the price of group buying depends on the market
C．you can′t get the best you need through group buying
D．group buying is becoming popular in China
29．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？C
A．Zhao Lei has to spend about 800yuan on group buying per month．
B．Zhao Lei never surfs at other directory sites for group buying．
C．Zhao Lei finds it easy to do group buying．
D．Zhao Lei can′t buy food coupons to eat at a nice restaurant．
30．What is the passage mainly about？B
A．Zhao Lei′s online purchasing life．
B．Group buying
C．The US hot websites
D．A new digital camera
31．Zhao Lei succeeded in getting a certain cut off the price byC．
A．bargaining face to face
B．discussing with the sellers
C．providing the link to others
D．inviting others to talk about the price．

13．I am ex-navy officer（前海军官员） and now working as a primary school volunteer teacher in Chiang Rai．Our school is located in the most northern part of Thailand．
I used to teach according to my plan and in addition I had to take care of students′safety．Early this month（November） we all needed to put on our light jacket to prevent cool weather．One morning during the first break I saw a group of primary level boys were playing police and thief game．They were a playing with a plastic pistol（手枪），which can shoot with plastic balls．It seemed to me very dangerous for their eyes．Immediately I called them and ask to hand over their toy gun．I placed it between my back bone and waist belt．No one can see it because it is under my light jacket．
In the afternoon I needed to pay my house electric bill and I had to   withdraw some money from Kung Thai Bank．I walked into the bank and sat in waiting chair with other customers．I relaxed my back to the seat and then I realized that toy gun in my body．Oh，God!I made a big mistake because it is gun forbidden area．I looked around and my eyes met with the guard's eyes．
I became sweating and couldn′t move from my seat until my turn announced from public addresser．As soon as I received my money and I shouted without voice"I will never make the same mistake again"．The following period before I taught my lesson to class I told them what happened to me today．All my students enjoyed laughing without end．

21．Why did the author take away their toy gun？C
A．Because the children are too young to play with toy gun．
B．Because the teacher wanted to play himself．
C．Because the teacher must take care of the students′safety．
D．It is against the school rules to play with toy guns．
22．What does the underlined word mean？D
A．move away    B．pull back    C．draw back    D．take out
23．Why did the writer say he made a big mistake when in bank？B
A．Because he forgot the password of his bank aceount
B．Because he took the gun into the gun forbidden area．
C．Because his eyes met with the guard's eyes
D．Because he forgot to return the toy gun to the children
24．From the end of the story，we can infer thatA．
A．The teacher is getting on well with his students
B．The students hate their teacher because he took away their toy gun
C．The students laugh at their teacher because he is very silly
D．The teacher is careless because he often makes mistakes．

12．I needed to buy a digital camera，one that was simply good at taking good snaps（快照），maybe sometimes for magazines．Being the careful type，I fancied a reliable brand（品牌）．So I went on the net，spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites，wrote down the names of three top recommendations（推荐） and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store．There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list．And it was on special offer．Oh joy．I pointed at it and asked an assistant，"Can I have one of those？"He looked upset．"Do you want to try it first？"he said．It didn't quite sound like a question．"Do I need to？"I replied，"there's anything wrong with it？"This made him look a bit angry and I started to feel bad．‘‘No，no．But you should try it，''he said encouragingly，"compare it with the others．"
    I looked across at the others：shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall，offering all kinds of just a little different prices and discounts（折扣），with each company selling a type of models based around the same basic box．With so many models to choose from，it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y，always trying to take Z and possibly H into consideration at the same time．But when I had finished，I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with：first，soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop，it would be worth half what I paid for it； and second，my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model．
    But something in the human soul says in a low voice that you can beat these traps by making the right choice，the clever choice，the wise choice．In the end，I agreed to try the model I had chosen．The assistant seemed a sincere man．So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard，show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers…and when he started to introduce the special characters，I stopped him and asked whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well．
    Why do we think that new choices still offer us anything new？Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine．
67．The shop assistant insisted that the writer shouldB．
A．try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it
B．compare the camera he had chosen with the others
C．get more information about different companies
D．trust him and stop asking questions
68．What does the writer mean by"it would be worth half what I paid for it"（Paragraph2）？C
A．He should get a 50%discount．
B．The price of the camera was unreasonably high．
C．The quality of the camera was not good．
D．The camera would soon fall in value．
69．The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because heC．
A．knew very little about it
B．didn't trust the shop assistant
C．wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best
D．had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers
70．It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinionD．
A．people waste too much money on cameras
B．cameras have become an important part of our daily life
C．we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product
D．famous companies care more about money than quality．

11．She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last forever．But，at nearly 500 years of age，time is catching up with the Mona Lisa．
The health of the famous picture，painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505，is getting worse by the year，according to the Louvre Museum （卢浮宫博物馆） where it is housed．"The thin，wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago．"the museum said．Visitors have noticed the changes but repairing the world's most famous painting is not easy．Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current （现在的）chemical state．
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year，many attracted by the mystery of her smile．"It is very interesting that when you're not looking at her，she seems to be smiling，and then you look at her and she stops，"said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University．"It's because direct vision is excellent at picking up detail，but less suited to looking at shadows．Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows．"
However，the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile．Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him，until it was finally sold to France's King Francis I in 1519．
In 1911，the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee，who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat．He said he planned to return it to Italy．The painting was sent back to France two years later．
During World WarⅡ，French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German soldiers．Like many old ladies，the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell．
59．The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means the Mona LisaB．
A．is losing its value gradually    
B．has been destroyed completely
C．is being damaged after so many years 
D．is getting more valuable with years passing
60．Experts haven't done any repairs on the Mona Lisa becauseD．
A．it is now in a poor chemical state
B．they don't know how to replace the wooden panel
C．they don't have the materials Da Vinci used
D．they are afraid it'll be done further damage
61．The smile of the Mona Lisa can only be seenA．
A．by direct vision         
B．at a distance   
C．by indirect vision        
D．in shadows
62．From the last paragraph，we can infer thatC．
A．many more stories will be told about the Mona Lisa．
B．people are interested in the stories about the Mona Lisa．
C．some mysteries remain to be solved about the Mona Lisa．
D．many interesting stories have been written about the Mona Lisa．

10．At just six years old，Joey Kilpatrick is Australia's unofficial hide-and-seek（捉迷藏）champion after he hid in a bedroom cupboard for eight hours while playing his favorite game，causing a big rescue operation．
     The determined little boy's disappearing act led to a careful search，including nice police officers，five State Emergency Service volunteers，tracker dogs and almost all of the people of the town of Goombungee．
     His mother，Chris，says she called the police when Joey disappeared one afternoon after telling his older brother，Lachlan，14，that he was off to play hide-and-seek．
"I called the two boys for dinner，"Chris says．"After about 20 minutes I started to worry，I was shouting to Joey，‘OK，we can't find you，time to come out!'"
     But there was no sign of her little boy．Within minutes of Chris calling the police，the policemen started one of the biggest ground searches in the town's history．
"I was really frightened．I rang my husband，Kris，who works out of town，and he immediately hit the road，calling me every 10 minutes．"Chris recalls．"They searched the house from top to bottom； everyone was out looking for him．When a neighbor asked if I'd checked the water tank，that's when reality hit．I was afraid．"
    After hours of searching the town，confused（困惑的）police decided to search the house one more time．
"I just sat there waiting，"Chris says，"Then a strange feeling came over me，and I rushed into the bedroom and put my hand on a pile of blankets in the cupboard．As I pulled then out，there he was---asleep and completely not realizing what was going on!I've never held him in my arms so hard．"
Senior officer，Chris Brameld，from Goombungee police，says he is glad that Joey's game had a happy ending："When we realized he was safe，we agreed that it didn't get much better than that!"
    And young Joey promises that next time he won't be so intent（专注于） on finding the best hiding place．"I want to say sorry to the policemen and to Mummy for scaring them，"he says，"I promise next time I'll hide where they can find me and I won't fall asleep!"
55．Why did the boy hide in a bedroom cupboard？C
A．He thought it was a good place to sleep
B．He wanted to start a big rescue operation
C．He didn't think he could be easily found there
D．He is Australia's unofficial hide-and-seek champion．
56．What did the boy's mother do when she couldn't find her son？B
A．She checked the water tank．
B．She called the police and her husband．
C．She turned to her neighbor for help．
D．She searched the town from top to bottom．
57．What can we learn from the passage？D
A．The boy felt very cold when he was found．
B．The boy knew clearly what was going on．
C．The mother usually hugged her boy very hard．
D．The mother was very grateful to find her boy．
58．How did the boy feel after he found out what had happened？D
A．Pitiful
B．Funny
C．Frightened
D．Sorry．

9．"Yes，I'll be ready at nine in the morning．Goodbye，dear，and thanks again．"It had not been an easy telephone call for Mrs．Robson to make．Her daughter had been very kind，of course，and had immediately agreed to pick her up and drive her to the station，but Mrs．Robson hated to admit that she needed help．Since her husband had died ten years before，she had prided herself on her independence．She had continued to live in their little house，alone．
    On the evening，however，she was standing at her living room window，staring out at the SOLD notice in the small front garden．Her feelings were mixed．Of course，she was sad at the thought of leaving the house，as it was full of so many memories．But at the same time she was looking forward to spending her last years near the sea，back in the little seaside town where she had been born．With the money from the sale of the house，she had bought a little flat there．She turned from the living room window，and looked round at the walls．There was a small fish tank，with two goldfish in it．When asked why，here husband used to say，"It's nice to have something alive in the room．"Since he had passed away，she had always kept some goldfish，had always had"something alive in the room"．
    The next morning，as her train was pulling out of the station，Mrs．Robson called to her daughter，"Kate，you won't forget to collect the goldfish，will you？The children will love them．It's …"
"I know，"Kate interrupted gently．"It's nice to have something alive in the room．"
51．According to the passage，we know that Mrs．RobsonC．
A．was tried of living alone
B．was not liked by her daughter
C．did not like asking people for help
D．did not want to be visited by her daughter
52．Mrs．Robson was going toD．
A．be in hospital                B．live with her daughter
C．travel abroad alone           D．move to her hometown
53．The feelings of Mrs．Robson on her last night in the house wereA．
A．sad and hopeful               B．regretful and excited
C．sad and regretful             D．excited and hopeful
54．From the last two paragraphs we can know that Mrs．RobsonB．
A．enjoyed keeping pets at home
B．missed her husband very much
C．had the same hobby with her husband
D．was worried about her daughter's bad memory．

8．I have got four day's holiday to Paris．I _______ my father．（　　）

A．

am taking

B．

had taken

C．

took

D．

have taken

7．An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother．All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money．Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money．When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother，"Only a miracle can save him now，"the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully．
She hurried to a drugstore with the money in her hand．
"And what do you want？"asked the salesman．"It's for my little brother，"the girl answered．"He's really，really sick and I want to buy a miracle．""Pardon？"said the salesman．
"My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him．So how much does a miracle cost？""We don't sell a miracle here，child．I'm sorry，"the salesman said with a smile．
"Listen，if it isn't enough，I can try and get some more．Just tell me how much it costs．"
A well-dressed man heard it and asked，"What kind of a miracle does your brother need？"
"I don't know，"she answered with her eyes full of tears．"He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation．But my daddy can't pay for it，so I have brought all my money．"
"How much do you have？"asked the man．"1.11，butIcantryandgetsomemore，"sheanswered．"Well，whatluck，"smiledtheman．"1.11，the price of a miracle for your little brother．"
He took up the girl's hand and said，"Take me to where you live．I want to see your brother and meet your parents．Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need．"
That well-dressed man was Dr．Carlton Armstrong，a famous doctor．The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again．
How much did the miracle cost？

56．In the eye of the little girl，a miracle might beC．
A．something interesting    B．something beautiful
C．some wonderful medicine  D．some good food
57．The little girl said again and again"…I can try and get some more．"That showsB．
A．she had still kept some money
B．she hoped not to be refused
C．There was no need to worry about money
D．she thought money was easy to get
58．What made the miracle happen？A
A．The girl's love for her brother．  B．The girl's money．
C．The medicine from the drugstore．   D．Nobody can tell．
59．From the passage we can infer（推断） thatD．
A．the doctor had great sympathy for the girl's little brother
B．a miracle is sure to happen if you keep on
C．the little girl is lovely but not so clever
D．the doctor didn't ask for any pay．

5．This story took place a long time ago．But it has been repeated time and time again．Everyone is moved by the true story．
An old man was knocked down by a car and was taken to hospital．He was badly hurt，and during his few returns to consciousness（知觉），he repeatedly called for his son．None knew where his son was．A dirty letter was found in his pockets．The nurse learned that his son was a soldier in North Carolina．
The hospital called the Red Cross office to find the young man．The young soldier was rushed to the airport in time to catch the plane．
It was evening when the young soldier walked into the hospital．A nurse took him to the bedsides of the old man．"Your son is here，"she said to the old man．She had to repeat the words several times before the old man's eyes opened．He dimly（模糊地） saw the young man and got great comfort．He reached out his hand．The soldier held the old man's hand and offered words of hope．All through the night the young soldier sat beside the bed．The nurse offered to watch instead of him for a while，he refused．
At dawn，the old man died．The nurse started to comfort him but the soldier asked her，"Who was that old man？""He was your father，"she answered．"No，he wasn't．I never saw him before．I knew right away there was a mistake，but I also knew he needed his son，and his son just wasn't here．I realized I was needed．So I stayed．"
59．What is true about the old man？B
A．He knew quite well what had happened to him  
B．He was seriously injured and would die soon 
C．He once and again wanted to call his son．
D．He was knocked dead near a hospital．
60．When the old man and the young man met，C．
A．The old man wished the young man good luck in the future．
B．The doctors and nurses felt it hopeful to save the old man．
C．The young man said something to comfort the old man．
D．They both recognized each other at once．
61．We know from this passageD．
A．the Red Cross is something for people to find persons．
B．the young man knew he was wrongly called when he got on the plane．
C．the hospital had meant to save the old man with the young man's coming but failed．
D．The young man might have the same name as the old man's son．