John Fisher, a builder, and his wife Elizabeth wanted more living space, so they left their small flat for an old 40-metter-high castle tower. They have spent five years turning it into a beautiful home with six floors, winning three architectural prizes.

“I love the space, and being private,” Elizabeth says. “You feel separated from the world. If I am in the kitchen, which is 25 meters above the ground floor, and the doorbell rings, I don’t have to answer it because visitors can’t see I am in!”

There are 142 steps to the top so if I go up and down five or six times a day, it’s very good exercise! But having to carry heavy things to the top is terrible, so I never buy more than two bags of shopping from the supermarket at a time. Apart from that, it’s a brilliant place to live.

“When we first saw the place, I asked my father’s advice about buying it, because we couldn’t decide. After paying for it, we were a bit worried because it looked awful. But we really loved it, and knew how we wanted it to look.”

“Living here can be difficult-yesterday I climbed a four-meter ladder to clean the windows. But  when you stand on the roof you can see all the way out to sea on a clear day, and that’s a wonderful experience. I am really glad we moved. ”

1．What is the writer trying to do in the text?

      A．describe how to turn an old tower into a house.

       B．recommend a particular builder

       C．describe what it is like to live in a tower

       D．explain how to win prizes for building work

2．From the text, a reader can find out

       A．Why visitors are not welcome at John and Elizabeth’s house.

       B．Why Elizabeth asked her father to buy the tower

       C．Why Elizabeth exercises every day

       D．Why John and Elizabeth left their flat.

3．Which of the following best describes Elizabeth’s feelings about the tower?

       A．she wanted it as soon as she saw it

       B．she likes most things about it

       C．she ha been worried since they paid for it

       D．she finds it unsuitable to live in

4．What problem does Elizabeth have with living in such a tall building?

      A．Her visitors find it hard to see if she is at home

       B．She feels separated from others

       C．She cannot bring home lots of shopping at once

       D．It is impossible to clean any of the windows.

5．How will John and Elizabeth advertise their tower if they sell it?

A

B

C

D

【小题1】The theatre has very good access for the      (残疾人)
【小题2】Mary is an old lady of great          ( 尊贵 )
【小题3】The Olympic m      is “Swifter , Higher , Stronger .
【小题4】She went on holiday alone ---- she’s very i       .
【小题5】She took a year’s leave of a       from her job .
【小题6】He g       from high school and went to college last year.
【小题7】My father has          ( 辞职 ) as Minster of Education.
【小题8】You need a health          ( 证明 ) if you want this job.
【小题9】The youth should have great a      .
【小题10】Fresh air is b      to one’s health.
【小题11】She lost everything she owned as a direct ________________(后果).
【小题12】It will take a lot of energy to get them ________________(支持)this policy.

Recently I gave my adult students homework. It was “go to someone you love and tell them you love them.” It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time.

It sounds like very tough homework since most of the men were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught expressing emotions is not “macho (阳刚之气).” Showing feelings or crying was just not done. So this was very threatening homework for some.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand, quite moved and a bit shaken.

As he unfolded out of his chair (all 1.85 meters of him), he began by saying, “Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this homework. Who were you to tell me to do something that personal?”

“But as I began driving home my conscience (良心)started telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to.”

“Five years ago, my father and I had a severe disagreement and really never settled it since then. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other.”

“So last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself. I was going to tell my father I loved him. It’s strange, but just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest.”

The homework is threatening for some students because_________.

A. they are middle-aged people  B. they are not macho enough

C. they were taught to hide their emotions  D. they didn’t know how to show feelings

From the passage we know that_________.

A. the adult students have classes in the day time only

B. not all the adult students in the writer’s class are male

C. the man refused to meet his father after their quarrel

D. the man quickly decided to say “I love you” to his father

The underlined phrase “unfolded out of his chair” in Para 4 is closest in meaning to_________.

A. stood on his chair straight  B. sat quietly in the chair

C. bent himself over his chair  D. raised himself slowly from the chair

What does the man imply by saying the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. He felt it too strange to say “I love you” to his father.

B. He felt relaxed just thinking of saying “I love you” to his father.

C. He felt very relaxed after saying “I love you” to his father.

D. He had to lift a heavy load off his chest before saying “I love you”.

Many people influenced various aspects of my life, based on their personal characteristics, accomplishments (才艺）, and values. I have been fortunate to have had numerous teachers and professors who I respect for their patienceand intelligence. There are artists that have inspired me by their natural talents and original creativity. I value many political leaders, who have inspired me by their contributions to society, and their ability to change our future. But of all the people I have known in my life, the person I admire most is my father.
As the youngest girl in my family, I always considered myself to be “Daddy’s little girl.” While growing up, it always made me sad to see so many of my friends and neighbours without a father or father-like figure around. This helped me appreciate how my father always takes an interest in his children’s lives. In my early life my father continuously pushes me to excel, so I could accomplish my work outstandingly among my people. Whenever I feel like giving up, or having a question or a concern, I know I can always call on him for advice. From him I have also learned that sometimes you have to put others’ needs ahead of your own, but not to the point they will begin to take advantage of you. His strength seems to be unbreakable during hard times, and he is extremely determined to accomplish anything he sets his mind on, no matter how tiny it is. I highly respect him for how he stands up for what he believes in, and will never back down. I have always admired his open mind, enthusiasm for work and people around, and sense of understanding. He is a very reserved man, but to everybody’s surprise, he has a great sense of humor, and always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his wife, his children and his friends.
Living in his affection and instruction, I am very proud of my father. He also professes how proud he is of his children, and is still there to support us in whatever we are involved in.
【小题1】What is the best title for the passage?

Throughout his early years, Obama was known at home and at school as “Barry”. Obama’s parents met while both were attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled(登记入读) as a foreign student. They separated when he was two years old and later divorced(离婚). His father received Master’s degree in Economics from Harvard University, then returned to Kenya, where he became a finance minister before dying in an automobile accident in 1982. His mother married another foreign student, Lolo Soetoro, and the family moved to Soetoro’s home country of Indonesia in 1967. Obama attended local schools in Jakarta, from age 6 to 10, where classes were taught in the Indonesian language.
During his time in Indonesia, he first attended St. Francis Assist Catholic school for almost three years. When Obama was in third grade he wrote an essay saying that he wanted to be president. His teacher later said that his reason for becoming president was that he wanted to make everybody happy.
Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his materal(母亲一方的) grandparents while attending Punahou School, a private college elementary school, from the fifth grade until his graduation in 1979. Obama’s mother, Ann, died of cancer a few months after the publication of his 1995 memoir(传记), Dreams from My Father.
In the memoir, Obama describes his experiences growing up in his mother’s middle class family. Of his early childhood, Obama writes, “That my father looked nothing like the people around me---that he was black as pitch(沥青), my mother white as milk .”
Some of his fellow students at Punahou School later told the Honolulu Star—Bulletin that Obama was mature(成熟的) for his age as a high school student and that he sometimes attended parties and other events in order to connect with       African American college students and military service people.
【小题1】When Obama was a child, _________.