It happened to me recently. I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President. A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was ,in his words, “a brilliantly（精彩地）written book”. However, he then went on to talk about Mr Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.

And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day’s “Report on Guilty Secrets”, Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out ),I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten . But I am pleased to say that, unlike 42 percent of people, I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s really brilliant.

The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky(I haven’t read him,but haven’t lied about it either )and Herman Melville.

Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to “impress” someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in –depth!

But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. k. Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story(I’ll come clean: I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so).

64. How did the author find his friend a book liar?

A. By judging his manner of speaking.

B. By looking into his background.

C. By mentioning a famous name.

D. By discussing the book itself.

65. Which of the following is a “guilty secret”according to the World Book Day report?

A. Charles Dickens is very low on the top-ten list.

B. 42% of people pretended to have read 1984.

C. The author admitted having read 9 books.

D. Dreams From My Father is hardly read.

66. By lying about reading, a person hopes to      .

A. control the conversation

B. appear knowledgeable

C. learn about the book

D. make more friends

67. What is the author’s attitude to 58%of readers?

A. Favorable.

B. Uncaring

C. Doubtful

D. Friendly

John had to go to work. So he set off half an hour 36 than usual and arrived at the library before anybody else. The 37 to come was Mr. Steele, who thought, “This must be a wonder. John is 38 the first here. If he came as 39 as this every morning, he would get a lot more 40 done.” John began to get on with his work and by half past nine he had 41 all the postcards he had to write. It was a quarter to ten, and Mary had not arrived 42. He wondered 43 she was ill or if she had taken the day 44. But Mr. Steele came and 45 him if he knew where Mary was. If she were ill, she would 46, he said. It’s not like her. She’s usually 47. John said that he had no 48 where Mary was. But 49 the door opened and there was Mary. She was looking very 50 and tired. She apologized to Mr. Steele and explained that she had been 51 most of the night. She hadn’t 52 to sleep until five in the morning and had overslept. Mr. Steele was very 53 and suggested that she take the day off. She 54 him and said she would stay, but she 55 said a word for the rest of the morning. John, on the other hand, was feeling happy so at one o’clock he suggested to Mary that they go and have lunch together, and she agreed.
【小题1】..

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

46. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.

47. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

48. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

   A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

   B. Because he had no children or relatives.

   C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

   D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

49. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

50. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times                           B. What He Valued Most

   C. An Old Gold Watch                             D. The Lost Childhood Days

If you were a pilot flying a plane, and suddenly the engine failed, would you eject (弹出), or stay in? For a pilot, the choice is very difficult. If he ejects, he is wise, but the plane crashes. If he stays in the plane, he risks his life.
Recently, Chinese Air Force pilot Li Feng, 38, faced this choice during a training exercise. It was March 7 and he was flying a Jian-10 (Flghter-10) at 4,500 meters. A warning appeared on the plane’s computer screen. He realized the plane might fail at any moment.
Li Feng did a quick check of the engine and asked the base if he could return. When the fighter was 7km away from the airport, however, the engine stopped working. The plane began to fall at a speed of 25 meters a second from an altitude of 1,160 meters.
Under Air Force rules fighter pilots may eject if their aircraft loses engine power below 2,000 meters and can’t be restarted. Before Li lost contact with the control tower, the commander in the air base asked him to eject. But Li Feng insisted on having another try.
“I knew where the deadline (to abandon the aircraft) was and was prepared for the ejection, but I decided not to give up unless the fighter was totally out of control,” Li recalled during a recent television interview.
After 104 seconds, Li was able to bring the fighter to a safe landing. The plane only suffered slight damage.
“You are a hero! Congratulations!” Li’s teacher, Xu yongling wrote in a text message to him after the landing. He said Li was a cool-headed pilot and very professional.
Li’s brave and calm act not only saved the 200 million yuan aircraft but also gave him invaluable first-hand experience of dealing with an engine emergency.
For his outstanding performance, the Air Force recently awarded him a gold medal.
【小题1】When the engine stopped working, Li Feng _________.

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选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
　　At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sports of canoe (划船) racing was added to the list of international competition. The  31  team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man named Bill Havens.
As the time for the Olympics  32 , it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child at about the  33  that the U.S. team would be competing in the Pairs games. In 1924 there were no planes form Paris to the United States, only  34  ships. Bill found himself in a dilemma (左右为难的困境).
Bill’s wife insisted that he go to Paris.  35 , competing in the Olympics was a lifelong dream. But Bill felt  36  and, after much soul-searching, decided to remain home, where he could  37  his wife when the child arrived. He considered being at her  38  his highest priority (优先考虑的事), even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his  39 .
The team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was  40  in giving birth to their child.  41 , Bill could have competed in the event and returned home  42  to be with he when she gave birth.
People said, “What a shame!” But Bill said he had no  43 . For the rest of his life, he  44  he had made the better decision.
Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody  45  that out. Not everybody has the strength to say no to something he or she truly  46  in order to say yes to something that truly  47 . Peace begins to  48  our lives when we learn to say yes to the things that really matter.
Twenty eight years later, Bill  49  a telegram. It was from Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The telegram read, “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you  50  while waiting for me to be born.”