If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.

Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.

The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration (登记) card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.

The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.

With so many loopholes (漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.

55. The underlined words in this passage means to “______”.

 A. be ready to help others                         B. make good use of one’s friends

      C. be a little ahead of others                      D. gain something at other’s expense

56. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? 

    A. While taking a taxi in Finland, you can get off without first paying your fare.

    B. In a big hotel in Finland, you can enjoy free meals if you’re living in the hotel.

    C. The bosses in Finland pay the employees according to registration of their working hours.

    D. The workers are always honest with their working hours.

57. We can learn from the passage that ______.

    A. the Finnish society is of very high moral (道德) level

    B. there are many loopholes in everyday life in Finland

    C. in Finland, most taxi drivers will not charge you anything

    D. everyone in Finland is like a gentleman, for they have faith in themselves

58. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

    A. Life in Finland                                     B. A Society with “Foolish” People

    C. What a Life                                         D. Honest accounts of the Finns

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.
    She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: “Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but ― where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas (睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.”

51. Three days later Jennifer came back home ______.

    A. at sunrise               B. at sunset                    C. at night                    D. at midday

52. What does the underlined phrase “This thought” most probably mean?

     A. The idea of going back home.   

B. Her anxiety about her parents.

C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

D. The feeling of getting back home safely.

53. Her father didn’t take care of the garden because ______.

     A. he was busy looking for her

B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict with his job

D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden

54. What can we infer from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for days.

B. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

C. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.

My son was badly hurt in a fire. After he  31  from a series of treatments, the doctors told him they would not do any operation for six months  32  it took long for the skin to stop shrinking (收缩). So, he had to return to college with a visible 10-inch  33  on his face.

I said to my son, “Keaton,  34  will pay any more attention to your scar  35  you do. If it does not bother you, it will not bother  36 .” He took my advice to heart and returned to school with his head  37  high ― glad he was alive.

  38 , everyone has scars and shortcomings. Some of you may spend much time thinking that people would like you better,  39  you looked different, or dressed differently, or could have a different and newer  40 .

But you see, like Keaton’s scar, people will only judge you by your looks, or your  41 , or your car, if you are judging yourself by these same false  42 .

One of my friends in college was very  43 . At first, when people met him, they noticed his  44   for about 10 seconds. This man felt  45  about himself and spent most of his time  46  about other people’s comfort and welfare.  47 , people ignored his looks. What people  48  was his kindness and his concern for them. He didn’t act in an ugly way so people didn’t treat him as an ugly man.

Therefore, concentrate on what you value  49  yourself, because if you can see that beautiful person, everyone you are in contact with will see the same  50 .

 She was over the age limit and      , her application for the job was rejected.

A. as a result          B. in conclusion      C. worse still      D. what’s more

Atlanta      a series of fierce fights between blacks and whites in the 1960s.

   A. had              B. gathered            C. saw           D. overcame

 Just like fingerprints, each person's DNA is      unless he has a twin.

   A. unusual               B. likely                    C. various            D. unique

― Where is the plane? I can’t see it.

― It went off its _____ to keep away from the sudden storm.

A. road             B. course           C. flight          D. direction

 It’s ____ kind of you to take so much trouble with me.

A. awfully          B. foolishly          C. differently        D. patiently

―People like traveling very much.

―Yes, Sometimes we do need a journey to      from our busy life a while.

     A. run away                B. get away               C. take away           D. break away

Having retired from business, he now ____ himself with the welfare of the disabled.

     A. adapts           B. charges              C. associates         D. occupies