I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.

When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!

One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!

From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.

During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times, I thought to take photos but never did. Then, I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.

Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!

The locust tree first attracted the author most by____.

A. the way it blocked the view     B. its height

C. the smell of its flowers         D. its green leaves

In which season do you think the author paid the least attention to the locust tree?

 A. Spring.    B. Summer    C. Autumn.    D. Winter.

Which of the following statements is true of the author according to the passage?

 A. He would have regretted if the locust tree had died as he had thought it had.

 B. The locust tree turned out to be a lovely memory for him.

 C. He felt unhappy as he had forgotten to take the photos with him.

 D. His work in the office changed with the seasons every year.

It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

 A. the locust tree died soon after the author left the office

 B. the author worked in the office for at least a few years

 C. it was summer when the author took his job in the office

 D. the weather was dry when the author first saw the tree

What advice does the author intend to give us?

 A. Treasure what we've owned.                B. Look before you leap.

 C. Treat everything calmly.                   D. Never forget the past.   

I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.
When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!
One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!
From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.
During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times, I thought to take photos but never did. Then, I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.
Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!
【小题1】 The locust tree first attracted the author most by____.

I used to play ping ________pong a lot in my spare time，but now l am ________in football．

1. A.
   interest
2. B.
   interests
3. C.
   interesting
4. D.
   interested

As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.

Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long?hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of l

iving and downshifting is one of them.

Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs(郊区), leaving their two children with a nanny(保姆). Most evenings Daniel wouldn't get home until eight or nine o'clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It's taken some getting used to, but it's been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it's made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”

Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.What do the first two paragraphs tell us?

A.People seldom work long hours to make money.

B.People hardly buy more things than necessary.

C.People are sure everything they own is in the right place.

D.People realise there is more to life than just making money. 

2.When Daniel was a reporter he  ________ .

A.lived in central London      B.disliked his job        

C.missed his children         D.was well paid 

3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm  ________.

A.was easy to organize         B.has improved family life        

C.was extremely expensive      D.has been a total success 

4.What does the underlined “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Child?caring.    B.Liz's advice.       C.Downshifting.     D.Liz's job.

5.The underlined word “_________downshifting” in the second paragraph means  ________ .

A.repairing your car by yourself        

B.spending money carefully        

C.moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life        

D.living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week 

.

第二部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A. B.C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned(分配)to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.

When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!

One moming, when I opened the window for some some fresh air,I unexpectedly smelt a familiar

sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!

The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!

From then on,I usually came to the office very early to see dew【露珠】forming on the locust treeblossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.

During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, butallowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times,I thought to take photos but never did. Then,I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.

Actually, many times in our livesj we think we own something and thus do not value it.We don't

feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don'twant and need to discover the hidden beauty tofind unexpected joy!

56. The Jocust tree first attracted the author most by____.

A. the way it blocked the view    B.its height

C. the smell ofits flowers    D.its green leaves

57. In which season do you think the author paid the least attention to the locust tree?

A. Spring.    B.Summer    C.Autumn.    D.Winter.

58. Which ofthe following statements is true of the author according to the passage?

A. He would have regretted ifthe locust tree had died as he had thought it had.

B. The locust tree turned out to be a lovely memory for him.

C. He felt unhappy as he had forgotten to take the photos with him.

D. Hls work in the office changed with the seasons every year.

59. It can be inferred from the passage that _

A. the locust tree died soon after the author left the office

B. the author worked in the office for at least a few years

C. it was summer when the author took his job in the office

D. the wPather was dry when the author first saw the tree

60. What advice does the author intend to give us?

A. Treasure what we've owned.                B. Look before you leap.

C. Treat everything calmly.                  D. Never forget the past.