Then ____ a foreign delegation would come to our school.

_____relieved the people most was that it wasn’t long _____the victims in the earthquake were saved by the soldiers.

_____ ashes from the volcano in Iceland have caused problems for air traffic and business, scientists don't think it will have long-term effects on human health.

The teachers in Senior High Three would like to answer ______ worry the students, especially when the College Entrance Examination is coming.

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only

be used once.  Note that there is one word more than you need.

F.  sales    G. amazing     H. similar    I. included   J. contest

Do you have a problem with the messy homework? Good news! You may soon be able to solve that, thanks to Keagan Bolibol and her Problem Pad.

Keagan is the winner of the Staples Invention Quest for kids, a (41)________ that encourages people to invent helpful office products. This is the first year that the Invention Quest has （42）________ a category for kids. “ I’m very excited,” Keagan told Scholastic News Online. “ I really can’t believe I actually did it. From the moment I entered it, it’s really (43)________that I should make it this far.”

Keagan was one of the five (44) _______ in the kids’ category. She is a fourth-grader in Woodinville, Washington.  Keagan’s Problem Pad is (45)________ to a dry-erase board except that it can fit into a notebook. It also has a pen (46)_______ to the bottom, along with helpful tools like a multiplication table (乘法表). Kids can use the Problem Pad to do their homework and other projects. They can make mistakes and then erase them. When they finally get them right, they can copy their work on a clean sheet of paper.

Keagan received a $25,000 prize for her invention, (47) ________ thousands of other kids. If her product is produced and sold in Staples stores, she can also receive royalties（版税），part of the money made from (48)________ of a product. “ I’m (49) ________ going to donate some to charities. Then the rest is for college,” said Keagan.

III. Reading Comprehension

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

She's open-minded and I'm conservative(保守的). She loves vegetables and I prefer doughnuts. She saves ducks and I eat them. We are very best friends, completely ___(50)___ in everything we do, but true soul mates to the core.

It's truly an unusual relationship. Pat and I started out with the same ___(51)___ in Catholic(天主教) school, but over the years Pat could no longer handle the guilt and completely ___(52)___ her ideas, while I remain a Catholic and practice religiously.

___(53)____ our relationship sometimes has its ups and downs, it has lasted longer than any of our marriages, and ___(54)___, all of our disagreements work themselves out. We ___(55)___ our inner thoughts and dreams, and we know that our deepest darkest secrets are sacred.（神圣的）

When my father was dying, I ___(56)___ endless hours in the hospital. Pat visited ___(57)___, lifting my spirits in the midst of the sadness. Even my dad, in his final days, __(58)____ about Pat's native energy healings, after she performed one in his room, and he questioned if it was Santeria（古巴的一种宗教）—Cuban black magic. Those were the days I truly understood the meaning of ___(59)___, as she brought my Bombshell friends in, filled with gifts designed to make me laugh.

I didn't have time for new friends ___(60)___ Pat brought these Bombshell women into my life. On this day, I understood why my friend brought us all together. The compassion(同情，怜悯) and ___(61)___ I received from these women is a feeling I will ___(62)___ for the rest of my life.

Dad died that same night my friends came to see me, and Pat stood with my family at his bedside as he ___(63)___ his last breath. As my family embraced in a(n) ___(64) ___ farewell, I was thankful to God for bringing Pat into my life.

50. A. common                    B. opposite                  C. consistent                       D. same

51. A. interests                    B. ambitions                C. beliefs                          D. wishes

52. A. transformed                      B. kept                         C. develop                           D. promote

53. A. As                      B. if                             C. Though                           D. once

54. A. hardly                       B. unfortunately           C. especially                        D. finally

55. A. have                         B. share                       C. speak out                        D. change

56. A. spent                        B. kept                         C. lasted                              D. took

57. A. rarely                       B. specially                   C. carefully                         D. frequently

58. A. played                             B. joked                       C. showed                           D. brought

59. A. surprise                     B. help                        C. friendship                       D. joy

60. A. whom                        B. which                      C. because                           D. when

61. A. gifts                          B. friends                       C. love                   D. responsibility

62. A. emphasize                  B. admire                            C. value                              D. enjoy

63. A. got back                    B. took                         C. held                                D. let out

64. A. emotional                  B. amazing              C. shocking              D. unexpected

Section B

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.?

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m. five nights a week for just £90, before tax and insurance. “It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”

The hours she’s chosen to work mean that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”

The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself—and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret. “I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more. I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”

1.Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______.

A. she wanted to earn more money to support her family

B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

C. she needed the right time to look after her children

D. she felt tired of taking care of patients

2.Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.

A. they never clean their offices                         B. they look down upon cleaners

C. they never do their work carefully                 D. they always make a mess in their offices

3.When at work, Margaret feels _______.

A. light-hearted because of her fellow workers    B. happy because the building is fully lit

C. tired because of the heavy workload               D. bored because time passed slowly

4.The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______.

A. help care for her children                              B. regret what they had said

C. show sympathy for her                                 D. feel disappointed in her  

If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion; they are always taken advantage of by the designers and big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. Women usually stand in front of a wardrobe full of clothes, announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.

Changing fashions are nothing more than the international creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women , who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.

No one can claim that fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital thing like warmth, comfort and durability（持久性）. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or deliberately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.

When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusion to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women’s clothes, one wonders, reflect qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.

1. Designers and big stores always make money _______.

A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry.

B. because they are capable of predicting new fashions.

C. by constantly changing the fashions in women’s clothing

D. because they attach great importance to quality in women’s clothing.

2. To the writer, the fact that women put aside their old-fashioned dresses is seen as ________.

A. a waste of money                      B. a waste of time

C. an expression of taste                   D. an expression of creativity

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.

B. The constant changes in women’s clothing reflect their strength of character.

C. the fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.

D. Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.

4. By saying “the conclusion to be drawn are obvious”, the writer means that________.

A. women’s inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at.

B. women are better able to put up with discomfort.

C. men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers.

D. men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion.

Section C

Directions: Read the following passage and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph.  There is one extra heading which you do not need.

（D）

A. Value of rare skills

B. Dangerous jobs paid more

C. Social demand decides reward

D. Developing skills

E. Women’s skills rewarded

F. Reason for taking low-paying jobs

1. _________________________

The rewards of a skill that is in strictly limited supply depend upon the demand for that skill. Men’s professional basketball is extremely popular, and the top NBA players make millions of dollars per year. There are some great women basketball players, too, but because women’s professional basketball has not become popular, these women’s skills go comparatively unrewarded.

2. _________________________

Some people with very rare skills can make enormous salaries in a free market economy. Paula Abdel has a voice that millions of people are willing to pay to hear in person, and on tapes, CDs, records, and videos. Before Pablo Picasso died, he could sell small sketches for vast sums of money. Were they worth it? They were worth exactly what the highest bidder (出价人) was willing to pay.

3. _________________________

Not all skills are inborn, however. Some people have invested in training and schooling to improve their knowledge and skills. When we go to school, we are investing in human capital that we expect to yield dividends, partly in the form of higher wages, later on. Human capital is also produced through on-the-job training.

4. _________________________

Some jobs are more desirable than others. Entry-level positions in attractive industries such as publishing and television tend to be low-paying. Since talented people are willing to take entry-level jobs in these industries at salaries below what they could earn in other occupations, there must be other, non-wage rewards. It may be that the job itself is more personally rewarding, or that a low-paying apprenticeship is the only way to acquire the human capital necessary to advance.

5. _________________________

On the other hand, compensating differentials are required when an occupation is very dangerous. Workers on skyscrapers and bridges command additional wages. Fire fighters in cities that have many old, run-down buildings are usually paid more than those in relatively tranquil rural or suburban areas.

SectionＤ

Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.

A Love Oriented “Family”

“Jia” or “Family” in English, is one of the most widely read novels by Chinese literature giant Ba Jin. It has been again adapted into a TV series, with its main plot telling the love story between the young heroes, according to a report by the Beijing Times. “Family” is among Ba Jin’s most acclaimed（受称赞的）novels and is one of his three semi-autobiographical novels known as the “Torrent” trilogy（三部曲）, composed of “Family”, “Spring” and “Autumn”. Written between 1931 and 1940 in pre-revolutionary China, the novel attacked the traditional Chinese family structure and depicted the struggles and tragedies, love and hatred of the young generation in a story of family decline. It has attracted extensive readers for its anti-feudal(封建的) thoughts and unique artistic charm, winning an important position in contemporary Chinese literature.

In China, family is closely related to country, hence the appearance of the very country of five thousand years' civilization. The ideal of ancient people, namely, “self-cultivation, regulating the family, managing the nation, and establishing peace all over the world”, fully reflects the close relation between the family and the country.

“Our version is not as depressing as the original story. It is modern and cater to a younger audience,” said the director Wang Jun at the press release in Beijing. Starring family faces including Huang Lei, Huang Yi and Li Xiaoran, the drama focuses on the complicated relationships between the characters and throws light on the resistance against feudal(封建的) restrictions. “We have to act as teenage boys, it is quite a challenge,” said Huang Lei, an experienced actor who is 36 years old. Huang Yi said “Family” is a good chance for her to switch style because she has to play a virtuous wife whose life ends in tragedy.

81. What are the three novels known as the “Torrent” trilogy by Ba Jin?

_______________________________________________________________________________

82. According to paragraph three, we know the original story is ____________.

_______________________________________________________________________________

83. The underlined word “depicted” probably means ____________.

_______________________________________________________________________________

84. What’s the TV series “Family” about?

_______________________________________________________________________________