Kincaid looked at his watch: eight-seventeen. The truck started on the second try, and he backed out, shifted gears, and moved slowly down the alley under hazy sun. Through the streets of Bellingham he went, heading south on Washington 11, running along the coast of Puget Sound for a few miles, then following the highway as it swung east a little before meeting U.S Route 20.
Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. He liked this country and felt unpressed stopping now and then to make notes about interesting possibilities for future expeditions or to shoot what he called “memory snapshots.” The purpose of these causal photographs was to remind him of places he might want to visit again and approach more seriously. In later afternoon he turned north at Spokane, picking up U.S Route 2, which would take him halfway across the northern United States to Duluth, Minnesota.
He wished for the thousandth time in his life that he had a dog, a golden retriever, maybe, for travels like this and to keep him company at home. But he was frequently away; overseas much of the time and it would not be fair to the animal. Still, he thought about it anyway. In a few years he would be getting too old for the hard fieldwork. “I must get a dog then.” He said to himself.
Drives like this always put him into a sentimental mood. The dog was part of it. Robert Kincaid was alone as it’s possible to be – an only child, parents both dead, distant relatives who had lost track of him and he of them, no close friends.
He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty–two now, that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. She knew all of the Weavers’ songs and sang them pretty well in the coffeehouse of Seattle. When he was home in the old days, he drove her to the shows and sat in the audience while she sang.
His long absences – two or three months sometimes – were hard on the marriage. He knew that. She was aware of what he did when they decided to get married, and both of them had a vague (not clear) sense that it could all be handled somehow. It couldn’t when he came from photographing a story in Iceland and, she was gone. The note read, “Robert, it didn’t work out, I left you the Harmony guitar. Stay in touch.”
He didn’t stay in touch. Neither did she. He signed the divorce papers when they arrived a year later and caught a plane for Australia the next day. She had asked for nothing except her freedom.
【小题1】Which route is the right one taken by Kincaid?

In life, people come across many experiences, which they remember throughout their lives. I had a similar experience, too.
I was very excited. It was the day of my last paper of the final examination. My mind was full of thoughts of how I would spend my vacation. I was especially excited of the invitation that my uncle had given me to stay with him for a few days in Cambridge.
I was prepared for the subject, physics. My friends and I were on the ground doing the last minute revisions and also discussing the questions that were supposed to come in the paper. Suddenly the bell rang and we got into our classrooms. The teacher came and quickly handed out the answer paper and the question paper. The paper was of two hours and some of the expected questions came. I finished it almost forty-five minutes earlier. But since it was a rule not to collect the answer paper before the allotted（规定的）time. the teacher was not collecting and I had to sit till the time was over. I checked my paper twice and corrected some of the mistakes in it. I started thinking about the place my friends and I had planned to go after the paper.
Though I was thinking for a long time, the time seemed to be endless. So I thought of drawing something on the question paper and turned it overleaf. I was shocked to see that the page which I had supposed to be blank had four more questions on it which carried 20 marks and would take at least half an hour to complete. I had a quick glance at my watch. There were only 10 minutes left. I was so nervous that I was hardly in a state to write anything. They were the sub-questions（小题）of the last question. Suddenly our physics teacher came in and told all of us that in the last question, out of 6 sub-questions only 2 had to be solved. I felt very much relieved.
Thereafter I never made such mistakes again. But I realized that my anxiousness and excitement could have cost me to lose 20 marks and decided never to make such a mistake again.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is true?

In life, people come across many experiences, which they remember throughout their lives. I had a similar experience, too.
I was very excited. It was the day of my last paper of the final examination. My mind was full of thoughts of how I would spend my vacation. I was especially excited of the invitation that my uncle had given me to stay with him for a few days in Cambridge.
I was prepared for the subject, physics. My friends and I were on the ground doing the last minute revisions and also discussing the questions that were supposed to come in the paper. Suddenly the bell rang and we got into our classrooms. The teacher came and quickly handed out the answer paper and the question paper. The paper was of two hours and some of the expected questions came. I finished it almost forty-five minutes earlier. But since it was a rule not to collect the answer paper before the allotted（规定的）time. the teacher was not collecting and I had to sit till the time was over. I checked my paper twice and corrected some of the mistakes in it. I started thinking about the place my friends and I had planned to go after the paper.
Though I was thinking for a long time, the time seemed to be endless. So I thought of drawing something on the question paper and turned it overleaf. I was shocked to see that the page which I had supposed to be blank had four more questions on it which carried 20 marks and would take at least half an hour to complete. I had a quick glance at my watch. There were only 10 minutes left. I was so nervous that I was hardly in a state to write anything. They were the sub-questions（小题）of the last question. Suddenly our physics teacher came in and told all of us that in the last question, out of 6 sub-questions only 2 had to be solved. I felt very much relieved.
Thereafter I never made such mistakes again. But I realized that my anxiousness and excitement could have cost me to lose 20 marks and decided never to make such a mistake again.

1. 1.

   Which of the following statements is true?

   1. A.
      The writer didn’t work hard at physics.
   2. B.
      The writer lost 20 marks for the last question.
   3. C.
      The writer made some mistakes during the exam.
   4. D.
      The questions on the paper were difficult for the writer.
2. 2.

   The underlined word “relieved” means ________.

   1. A.
      more nervous
   2. B.
      less afraid
   3. C.
      more surprised
   4. D.
      less worried
3. 3.

   We can infer from the passage that _____________.

   1. A.
      the writer did 2 sub-questions of the last question
   2. B.
      the writer turned overleaf to do the sub-questions
   3. C.
      the writer spent 45 minutes finishing the paper
   4. D.
      the writer got full marks in the physics exam
4. 4.

   We can learn from the passage that we should _____________.

   1. A.
      learn some exam skills
   2. B.
      concentrate on what we are doing
   3. C.
      try our best to do well in the exam
   4. D.
      be careful not to make mistakes in the exam

One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain.
Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email.
They say that everything in this universe is balanced(平衡的) and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he’d been admitted to(录取) Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on.
Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through.
【小题1】When the author learnt her friend had lost his mother, she ______.