I was in a rush as always，but this time it was for an important date I just couldn't be late for ! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries.A PhD student with not a lot of money，I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers.I was in a huge rush，thinking of my upcoming evening.I did not want to be late for this date.

We were in Boston，a place not always known for small conversation between strangers.The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me.She smiled.It was a nice smile—warm and reassuring—and I returned her_gift by smiling back.

“Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers，”she said.

“Yes，she's special，”I said，and then to my embarrassment，the words kept coming out.“It's only our second date，but somehow I am just having the feeling she's‘the one.’”jokingly，I added，“The only problem is that I can't figure out why she'd want to date a guy like me.”

“Well，I think she's very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her.”the woman said.“My husband used to bring me flowers every week—even when times were tough and we didn't have much money.Those were incredible days；he was very romantic and—of course—I miss him since he's passed away.”

I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries.There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her.I touched her on the shoulder and said，“You were right，you know.These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.”I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.

It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased.“You have a wonderful evening.”I said.I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.

I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story.A couple of years later，when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me，she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her—that was the night that I won her heart.

64．Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A．He was to meet his girlfriend.

B．He had to go back to school soon.

C．He was delayed by an elderly lady.

D．He had to pick up some groceries.

65．What does the underlined phrase“her gift”(Paragraph 2 ) refer to?

A．Her words.     B．Her smile.

C．Her flowers.  D．Her politeness.

66．Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A．She told him a nice story.

B．She allowed him to pay first.

C．She gave him encouragement.

D．She liked flowers very much.

67．What is the message conveyed in the story?

A．Flowers are important for a date.

B．Small talk is helpful.

C．Love and kindness are rewarding.

D．Elderly people deserve respecting.

I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves，most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of.In fact，I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives(观点)by creating worlds we could step into，take part in and live in.

With this unshakable belief，I，at fourteen，decided to become a writer.Here too，reading became useful.Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say，but being unable to find the right ways to say it.He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with，or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world.He cannot write without loving to read，because only through reading other people's  writing can one discover what works，what doesn't and，in the end，together with lots of practice，what voice he has.

Now I am in college，and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction(文学作品)．As a law student，my reading is in fact limited to subject matter—the volume(量)of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else.Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life.Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own.It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road，all from the comfort of my own armchair，to experience，though secondhand，exciting experiences that I wouldn't necessariy be able to have in my lifetime.

60．What can be inferred about the author as a child?

A．He never watched TV.

B．He read what he had to.

C．He found reading unbelievable.

D．He considered reading part of his life.

61．The underlined word“voice”in the second paragraph most probably means“________”．

A．an idea    B．a sound quality

C．a way of writing   D．a world to write about

62．What effect does reading have on the author?

A．It helps him to realize his dream.

B．It opens up a wider world for him.

C．It makes his college life more interesting.

D．It increases his interest in worldwide travel.

63．Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

A．Why do I read?           B．How do I read?

C．What do I read?   D．When do I read?

When you are little，the whole world feels like a big playground.I was living in Conyers，Georgia the summer it all happened.I was a second grader，but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade.Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.

It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie's basement.As I opened the basement door，before us lay the biggest room，full of amazing things like guns，dolls，and old clothes.I ran downstairs，and spotted a red steel can.It was paint.I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple，orange，blue and green.

“Stephanie，I just found us a project for the day.Get some paintbrushes.We are fixing to paint.”She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work.We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard.There on the road in front of my house，we painted big stripes(条纹)of colors across the pavement(人行道)．Stripe by stripe，our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow.It was fantastic!

The sun was starting to sink.I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car.It was my mother.I couldn't wait to show her my masterpiece.The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother's face，I could tell that I was in deep trouble.

My mother shut the car door and walked towards me.Her eyes glaring，she shouted，“What in the world were you thinking？I understood when you made castles out of leaves，and climbed the neighbors' trees，but this！Come inside right now！”I stood there glaring back at her for a minute，angry because she had insulted(侮辱)my art.

“Now go clean it up！”Mother and I began cleaning the road.Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.

Though years have now passed，I still wonder where my rainbow has gone.I wonder if，maybe when I get older，I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away.I guess we all need some sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.

56．What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?

A．To introduce Stephanie to her.

B．To prevent her from seeing his painting.

C．To put the materials back in the yard.

D．To show his artwork to her.

57．In his mother's eyes，the writer________.

A．was a born artist        B．always caused trouble

C．was a problem solver   D．worked very hard

58．The underlined word“rainbow”in the last paragraph refers to______.

A．the rainbow in the sky

B．the stripes on the pavement

C．something imaginative and fun

D．important lessons learned in childhood

59．It can be learned from the passage that parents should______.

A．encourage children to paint

B．value friendship among children

C．discover the hidden talent in children

D．protect rather than destroy children's dreams

The Western world has always been divided into two types of people—the cool and the uncool. It is a　 __36__　 that starts in school. The cool kids are good at sports. They are　 __37__　 with the opposite sex. They are good?looking and people want to　 __38__　 their style. They can do their homework but they don't　 __39__ a big effort. That would not be cool.

The uncool kids are in the　 __40__　 of the playground. They are very bright，but they don't have great　 __41__skills and they are　 __42__　 at sports. When they are not programming computers or doing calculus(微积分) in their heads, they are reading comic books and watching shows　 __43__　 the X Files. They are　 __44__ as the geeks(怪人)．

Here are the geeks. The geeks are taking over(占上风). Make friends with them now　 __45__　 they will put virus in your computer and　 __46__　 your math homework to ruin. Geeks might not be popular at school, yet they do pass their examinations, and they might not be too popular at university，but　 __47__　 good degrees.

The most important　 __48__　 of the 21st century, computers and IT, has been at least partly created by geeks. Geek heroes like Bill Gates　 __49__　 others to follow their examples. Being a geek is a way of earning good money. And the creation of the Internet gave them a　　 __50__　 of their own to work and play in，making them a global force.　 __51__， the effect of the geeks　 __52__ popular culture has started a new trend. It is now cool to be　 __53__. Geek culture is becoming an important part of general popular culture, in which what you know is more important than　 __54__　 you look like.

But there are also　 __55__. Geeks were often bullied (欺侮)or laughed at in school. Now a geek may be your boss. Perhaps it is time for punishment.

36．A.division 　 B．part C．class 　　 D．habit

37．A.pleasant 　 B．popular C．crazy 　 D．particular

38．A.take B．act C．copy　 　 D．advance

39．A.have B．suffer C．support D．make

40．A.corner 　　 B．team 　C．group　 D．center

41．A.operating　 　　　 B．speaking 　C．social 　 D．experimental

42．A.good　 　　 B．active C．hopeless 　　　 D．sharp

43．A.like 　 B．for 　C．such 　　 D．as

44．A.admired　 B．thought 　C．known D．treated

45．A.and　 B．so 　C．or　 　　　 D．that

46．A.put　 B．place 　C．bring 　　 D．take

47．A.win B．take 　C．wish 　　 D．finish

48．A.industry 　 B．progress 　C．discovery 　　　 D．improvement

49．A.excite 　　 B．discourage 　C．demand D．promise

50．A.room 　　　 B．world 　C．chance D．heaven

51．A.Somehow　 　 B．However 　C．Though D．Besides

52．A.in 　　 B．of C．on D．for

53．A.rich B．uncool C．attractive 　　 D．handsome

54．A.how　 　　 B．that C．how much 　 D．what

55．A.risks B．questions 　C．shortcomings 　　　 D．chances

We shouldn't ________ the disabled or treat them badly.

A．look up to       B．look down upon

C．look out for    D．look out of

His family is ________ off and can't afford to buy this flat.

A．well        B．badly

C．bad         D．good

His room was ________ a mess.How did his mother react ________it?

A．in；to     B．in；of

C．at；to     D．at；with

The boy didn't feel completely ________ when he was asked to sing a pop song before the whole class.

A．in surprise      B．at ease

C．in danger        D．at present

He hasn't slept at all for three days.________ he is tired out.

A．There is no point    B．There is no need

C．It is no wonder      D．It is no use

(2011·沈阳二中测试)The small town is so good a place ________ many people come to visit ________ it has become well known all over the world.

A．as；that         B．that；that

C．as；as    D．that；as