“I pity the empress. Poor empress.” “Do you think Zhen Huan really loves the emperor?” From campuses to offices, from shopping malls to the streets, talk about Legend of Zhen Huan is everywhere.

Unlike other long TV series, Legend of Zhen Huan, the 76-episode Qing dynasty drama series, has kept attracting new audiences along the way. It has enjoyed widespread popularity on the Chinese mainland over the past months.

The story is seemingly the same as those dramas which look into the lives of women in the imperial palace. It focuses on plots and intrigues(阴谋) within the Inner Palace during Emperor Yongzheng’s reign.

The heroine, Zhen Huan, initially a kind and innocent young lady, enters the emperor’s harem(后宫) of concubines. Discovering that the palace is a cruel and harsh place, Zhen learns how to survive on her own.

　 However, Legend of Zhen Huan seems to arouse more discussion than any drama series. Why? Some experts say it’s because it’s a well-made series from inside out.

Niu Hanting, deputy editor-in-chief of Art Panorama magazine, told Xinhua News Agency that the sets, props and costumes are carefully chosen. And the screenplay and dialogue are well-written. “The series takes care of every detail a good period drama should have,” Niu said. “From that aspect, it’s no coincidence that Zhen Huan could be big.” More importantly, Niu added, the TV series strikes a chord among audiences in different ways. “For example, as a woman, Zhen is hurt by the man she once loved. And as a newcomer to the palace, she finds herself caught in the fierce infighting and she has to survive,” Niu said, “Everyone may find themselves in Zhen’s position at a certain point.”

Then it’s not hard to understand why the story of Zhen Huan is even seen as a survival guide for newcomers in the workplace. Its director, Zheng Xiaolong, once admitted that in terms of society today, the “promotion” of Zhen Huan reflects a person’s career path in some way. “Whether the principles can be applied in today’s society, or not, I want to make the story as real as possible,” Zheng told Sina.com. “There are many fairytale-like series that make audiences ignore or avoid reality, and the complexity of humanity.” “But Legend of Zhen Huan, is a series that makes you think.”

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. People have pity on the empress.       

B. Zhen Huan really loves the emperor.

C. Legend of Zhen Huan is very popular.   

D. Legend of Zhen Huan is shown everywhere.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 most probably refer to?

A. The imperial palace.         

B. The life of women.

C. Emperor Yongzheng’s reign.  

D. The story of Zhen Huan.

3.When Legend of Zhen Huan finds the palace is a cruel one, she ______.

A. learns to survive on her own      

B. asks others for advice

C. feels down and disappointed      

D. becomes an innocent young lady

4.We can learn from Niu Hanting that she ______.

A. thinks Zhen has had effects on newcomers  

B. makes little of Legend of Zhen Huan

C. speaks highly of Legend of Zhen Huan     

D. wants newcomer to follow Zhen’s example

5. This text is most probably taken from a(n) _________.

A. textbook                           B. newspaper

C. advertisement                D. story book

At the time my son was born in 1956, I shared a hospital room with a young woman who bore a boy on the same day. Partly because my parents  46 a shop selling flowers, the room was soon  47  with the lovely scent of roses.
　  As the seventh floral arrangement was   48  , I was beginning to feel  49 , for no flowers had arrived for my roommate, Ann. She sat on the edge of her bed and leaned forward to admire the  50  bouquet. She was a pretty young woman, yet there was something about her large, brown eyes that made me think she had known too much  51 , too much sadness for one so young. I had the feeling she had always had to admire someone else’  52  .
　 “I’m enjoying every  53 of this”, she said as though she had read my   54  and was trying to reassure me. “Wasn’t I the lucky one to get you for a   55 ？”
　  I still felt uncomfortable, however.  56   there were some magic button I could push to  57   the sadness in her eyes. Well, I thought, at least,I can see that she has some flowers. When my mother and father came to see me that day, I asked them to send  58 some.
　　The flowers arrived just   59  Ann and I were finishing supper.
　　“More flowers for you,” she said,   60  .
　　“No, not this time,” I said, looking at the     61   “These are for you.”
　　Ann stared at the blossoms a long time, not saying anything. She ran her 62  across the pale blue bouquets and  63 touched each of the sweet roses as though trying to engrave（刻画） them on her 64 .
　　“How can I ever thank you” she said softly.
I was almost embarrassed. It was such a little    65  on my part.

三、阅读 （共两节，满分40分）

第一节 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

　　阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I was working as a consultant in a beer company, helping the president and senior vice-presidents form and carry out their new planning projects. It was really a great challenge.

At the same time, my mother was in the final stages of cancer.

I worked during the day and drove 40 miles home to be with her every night. It was tiring and stressful, but it was what I wanted to do. My commitment was to continue to do excellent consulting during the day, even though my evenings were very hard. I didn’t want to bother the president with my situation, yet I felt someone at the company needed to know what was going on. So I told the vice-president of Human Resources, asking him not to share the information with anyone.

A few days later, the president called me into his office.

I figured he wanted to talk to me about one of the many issues we were working on. When I entered, he asked me to sit down. He faced me from across his large desk, looked me in the eye and said, “I hear your mother is very ill”.

I was totally caught by surprise and burst into tears. He just looked at me, let my crying subside(平息), and then gently said a sentence I will never forget: Whatever you need.

That was it. His understanding and his willingness both to let me be in my pain and to offer me everything were qualities of sympathy that I carry with me to this day.

1．When the author was working in a beer company, his mother        .

A．was concerned about him                                      B．drew the president’s attention

C．was seriously ill                                               D．was proud of her son

2．Although he felt tired and stressed, he felt it his duty        .

A．to carry out their new strategic vision

B．to avoid bothering the president

C．to tell the vice-president his difficult situation

D．to do his job well and look after his mother

3．Most probably, the president got the information from        .

A．a relative of the author’s             B．the vice president

C．the author’s good friends             D．the author’s colleagues

4．Which of the following can be used to best describe the president?

A．Considerate.  B．Intelligent.  C．Honest.   D．Consultative.

5．Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A．Understanding Is Everywhere        B．Generous President

C．Sympathy Is Needed                D．An Unforgettable Memory

There are many kinds of friends. Some are always    36  you, but don't understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only   37 friends leave footprints.
　　I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the  38  . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.
　　It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves   39 on the cool  40 . In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves,  41  to the sound of them.
　　Autumn is a  42  season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me   43  . But one day, the sound of a violin   44  into my ears like a stream (小溪) flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was  45  in playing her violin.
　　I had  46 seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been   47 there for so long but my existence (存在) did not seem to disturb her.
　　Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  48 I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became   49 .  50 we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believe she also loved me.
Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly
   51 . To my astonishment (惊讶), the girl came over to me.
　　“You must like violin.” she said.
　　“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
　　Suddenly, a   52 expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.
　　“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that   53 me.” she said.
　　“In fact, it was your playing   54 gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let's be friends.”
　　The girl smiled, and so did I.
I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure (身影) of the girl. She is like a   55 —so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.

阅读理解

　　Whether the hair is long or short, it must be regularly brushed and regularly washed. For greasy(油腻的) hair, especially if the owner lives in a town, it may be necessary to wash the head every four or five days. Those with a dry hair can usually go a little longer, but this is a matter for the individual to decide.

　　1f a woman is not able to go to the hairdresser's very often, it is important that she chooses a style she can easily manage for herself, and this nearly always means that the first cut must be very standard. The same applies to (适用于) permanent waving (电烫). Ideally this should be carried out three or four times a year, so that the hair never gets out of hand.

　　One thing should be remembered though, that is, whatever you apply to the head can have some effect upon the skin and therefore anything strong should be used with care. Or you may use milder products. As for style, this must be studied according what is the latest fashion and also to suit the individual at different times of her life.

　　Young people who has spots and skin troubles on their face should take particular care to ensure that the hair is both clean and does come into contact with the affected piece of skin. Hair is very difficult to keep completely clean and therefore anyone running their hands through their hair and afterwards touching their face, or letting their hair fall over their faces, might spread from one place to another. Good hair does a lot to the effect of a face, so if you want to look charming, please start the hair.

1．The best hair style can be achieved by ________.

[　　]

A．having the hair done three times or four times a year.

B．following the latest fashion to suit one's age

C．not combing the hair with hand

D．not applying anything strong to the head

2．The thing you wash your hair with must be ________.

[　　]

3．To prevent the hair from affecting the skin, we'd better ________.

[　　]

A．keep the hair completely clean

B．wash the hair very often

C．have hair cut four times a year

D．avoid combing the hair with our hands