One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet   21   of the splendid artwork.

       A young   22   viewing the paintings ahead of me   23   nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man’s   24   for putting up with her   25   stream of words.   26   by their noise, I moved on.

       I met them several times as I moved   27   the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away   28  .

       I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a   29   when the couple approached the   30  . Before they left, the man   31   into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He   32   it into a long stick and then   33   his way into the coatroom to get his wife’s jacket.

       “He’s a   34   man,” the clerk at the counter said. “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn’t change. So, as before, he and his wife come in   35   there is a new art show.”

       “But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can’t see.”

       “Can’t see! You’re   36  . He sees a lot. More than you and I do,” the clerk said. “His wife   37   each painting so he can see it in his head.”

       I learned something about patience,   38   and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without   39   and the courage of a husband who would not   40   blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined.

A. touch      B. view   C. wander       D. scenery

A. lady B. man    C. couple D. clerk

A. yelled      B. shouted      C. screamed    D. chatted

A. attempt    B. independence     C. wisdom      D. patience

A. vivid       B. constant     C. casual D. vague

A. Adopted  B. Adapted     C. Conducted  D. Disturbed

A. through   B. to       C. towards      D. from  

A. anxiously B. urgently     C. quickly      D. worriedly

A. comment B. decision     C. purchase     D. profit

A. entrance B. exit     C. front   D. queue

A. plugged B. held    C. reached      D. bent

A. made     B. lengthened  C. brought      D. broadened

A. led B. found  C. forced D. tapped

A. brave     B. rough  C. smart  D. generous

A. wherever      B. whatever    C. whichever  D. whenever

A. right      B. silly    C. wrong D. unique

A. describes       B. draws  C. shows D. decorates

A. kindness       B. pride   C. enthusiasm D. courage

A. support  B. sight   C. expectation D. confidence

A. get B. hope   C. allow  D. cause

D
When I walked into the house after school, I found my dad at home.
"What are you doing home already?" I asked casually.
"Andrew, I was laid off today," he answered quietly.
I was sure he was joking. "No, you weren't. Why are you really home?"
Then I noticed his expression and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives. He was home all day, which meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up, and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer searching for jobs. I began to notice how down he seemed, and how losing his job had affected his self-esteem (自尊心), though he tried to be optimistic. He asked my brother and me to spend less money. I gave up my allowance（零用钱）, which even though it wasn't much, felt like the right thing to do. I also found a part-time job.
After several difficult months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction. He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him build it, and I admired how much time and energy he devoted to it.
One evening I asked if he needed help. "Only if it doesn't interfere（打扰，妨碍） with school," he said, which sounded like a yes.
I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really influenced me. Although this was one of the worst experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity. Now I know that through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plans, ask for help, and take risks. 
54．When the father was laid off, he ________.
A．was angry with his boss             B．didn't care about it at all
C．couldn't accept the fact easily         D．was as happy as usual
55．We can know from the passage that ________.
A．it was not easy for the father to find a new job
B．the father asked his sons to give up their allowance
C．the father found a good job when he changed his direction
D．Andrew and his brother helped his father set up his business
56．The underlined word "adversity" in the last paragraph probably means        .
A．poor feelings     B．bad situations     C．low spirits     D．old ideas
57．What has Andrew learned from his father?
A．The spirit of creative problem-solving.    B．The skills of surfing the Internet.
C．The experience of saving money.         D．The rich business skills.

第一节 完形填空（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21～30各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Recently divorced in my 30s, I had no job and was on my way downtown on a rainy day to go to the employment offices. I had no umbrella, for my old one had   21   apart, and I couldn’t afford another one.

I sat down in the streetcar — there against the   22   was a beautiful silk umbrella with a silver handle inlaid with gold and bright enamel(珐琅). I had never seen anything so lovely. I

  23   the handle and saw a name on it. The   24   procedure would have been to turn in the umbrella to the conductor, but I decided to take it and find the   25   myself.

I got off the streetcar in a downpour and   26   opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a telephone book for the   27   on the umbrella and found it. I called and a lady answered. Yes, she said in   28  , that was her umbrella, which her parents, now dead, had given her as a birthday present, but it’d been   29   from her locker at school years before.

She was so excited that I forgot I was looking for a job and went   30   to her house. She took the umbrella, her eyes filled with tears. I was only too happy to see her get back the lost umbrella, and get a job she offered me.

21．A．taken                      B．torn                        C．broken                    D．fallen

22．A．seat                        B．door                       C．engine                    D．floor

23．A．watched                  B．shook                     C．examined                D．tested

24．A．usual                      B．ordinary                 C．normal                   D．odd

25．A．thief                       B．owner                     C．robber                    D．keeper

26．A．hopefully                B．helpfully                 C．carefully                 D．slowly

27．A．name                      B．number                   C．address                   D．brand

28．A．happiness                B．disappointment        C．laughter                  D．surprise

29．A．robbed                   B．stolen                     C．taken                      D．hidden

30．A．simply                    B．calmly                    C．directly                   D．suddenly

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳答案。

As a young man, Al was a skilled artist.He had a wife and two fine sons.One night, his oldest son  21  a severe stomachache.Thinking it was only some   22  intestinal （肠内的）disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very  23  . But the boy   24   suddenly that night.

       Knowing the death could have been   25   if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al's emotional health became worse under the huge burden of his guilt. To make matters __26  , his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two   27    were more than Al could handle, and he   28    to alcohol.In time Al __29  an alcoholic.

       As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he   30    — his home, his land, his art works everything.   31    Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.

       When I heard of Al's death, I thought that Al's life was a complete  32  .  I thought. "What a totally wasted life".

       As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier judgment.I knew Al's now adult son, Ernie.He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have  33  known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free   34   of love between them.I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.

I hadn't heard Ernie talk much about his father.One day I worked 35  my courage to ask him."I'm really  36  by something," I said."I know your father was  37  the only one to raise you.What on earth did he do that you became such a special person?"

       Ernie sat quietly and  38  for a few moments. Then he said, "From my earliest __39  as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ' I love you, son.' "

Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to  40  Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind.But he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.

21.A.formed              B.developed               C.received                D.gained

22.A. average          B. normal               C. ordinary           D. common

23.A. slightly          B. secretly       C. seriously           D. terribly

24.A.died                   B.choked                   C.starved                        D.worsened

25.A.cured                  B.prevented               C.forbidden              D.saved

26.A.better               B.heavier                   C.worse                           D.happier

27.A.disasters            B.adventures               C. directions                    D.situations

28.A.got                   B.drank                    C.turned                         D.sank

29.A.turned               B.became                  C.followed                       D.created

30.A.needed              B.shared                   C.benefited               D.possessed

31.A.Eventually          B.Gradually                C.Therefore              D.Meanwhile

32.A.trouble                B.hardship                  C.failure                        D.waste

33.A. never                   B. even                 C. still                D. ever

34.A.win                B.fall                          C.space                    D.flow

35.A.up                   B.with                        C.on                             D.through

36.A.worried             B.puzzled                    C.interested               D.attracted

37.A.especially           B.basically                   C.merely                  D.specially

38.A.argued               B.searched                  C.analyzed                 D.reflected

39.A.thoughts            B.ideas                       C.minds                   D.memories

40.A.treat                 B.call                        C.judge                             D.feel

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
“You are employed,” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start. ”
The man replied, “But I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”
“I’m sorry,” said the HR manager. “If you don’t have an email, that means you do not exist.And who doesn’t exist cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10Kg tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he managed to double his capital. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with $60.
The man realized that he could survive in this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan.  
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail. The man replied, “I don’t have an email.”
The broker answered curiously, “You don’t have an email, and yet have managed to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e mail?” The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I’d be an office boy at Microsoft!”
【小题1】Why can’t the man have the job at Microsoft?