My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the 1 or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a 2 Christmas after all.

__3__, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.

There was a 4 on the door one evening. It was Jeff’s new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to 5 us to town with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a 6 on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn’t working in the cold snowy weather and we had 7 a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.

The 8 feelings brought by these thoughtful gestures lasted longer than the food.

As Jeff and I were clearing pre-Christmas 9 from our driveway, Ernie Guzman came over from next door to 10 us to dig out.

Then, we received an invitation to 11 a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their 12 — a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.

Our Christmas Eve was quite merry, thanks to our 13 . Our Christmas morning 14 was special, thanks to the Smiths’ gift of bread. I was so 15 for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.

This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The 16 and work schedules just made things too difficult. 17 that sense of Christmas isolation (孤立) all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were 18 in the holidays.

Lonely people are all around us, but most of us 19 notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest 20 gesture can make a world of difference.

1. A. chance　　　　　　 B. time　　　　　　 C. anxiety　　　　 D. ability

2. A. merry　　　　　　 B. free　　　　　　 C. lonely　　　　　 D. usual

3. A. Therefore　　　　　 B. Meanwhile　　　 C. Somehow　　　 D. However

4. A. card 　　　　　　 B. sign　　　　　　 C. knock　　　　　 D. note

5. A. welcome　　　　　 B. invite　　　　　　 C. drive　　　　　 D. send

6. A. tree　　　　　　　 B. package　　　　　 C. mail　　　　　　 D. flower

7. A. forgot　　　　　　 B. arranged　　　　 　C. received　　　　 D. missed

8. A. deep　　　　　　 B. true　　　　　　　 C. warm　　　　　 D. mixed

9. A. snow　　　　　　 B. rubbish　　　　　 C. dust　　　　　 D. leaves

10. A. teach　　　　　　 B. help　　　　　　　 C. urge　　　　　 D. forbid

11. A. share　　　　　　 B. prepare　　　　　 C. taste　　　　　 D. exchange

12. A. aunt　　　　　　 B. guest　　　　　　 C. maid　　　　　 D. partner

13. A. folks　　　　　　 B. relatives　　　　　 C. colleagues　　 D. neighbors

14. A. call　　　　 　　B. greeting　　　　　 C. breakfast　　　 D. meeting

15. A. sorry　　　　　　 B. eager　　　　　　 C. ready　　　　　 D. grateful

16. A. distance　　　　 B. expense　　　　　 C. season　　　　　 D. situation

17. A. Studying　　　　 B. Showing　　 　　C. Knowing　　　　 D. Discovering

18. A. alone　　　　　 B. busy　　　　　　 C. happy　　　　　 D. active

19. A. always　　　　　 B. seldom　　　　　　 C. finally　　　　　 D. usually

20. A. careful　　　　　 B. patient　　　　　　 C. vague　　　　 　D. kind

　I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother’s who owned a book shop 　36　me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very 　37　to earn my own pocket money and my parents 　38　interfered with how I spent it, even when I was spending it 　39　. They believed that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the 　40　, I would become more mature and 　41　 about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.

　　Like many 　42　parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they 　43　a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around 　44　. My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great 　45　for me. In the end, my father won the 　46　on the condition that I limited my traveling to France, my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins 　47　through the country who could 　48　shelter and help if I needed them.

　　Three years later, my younger brother decided to 　49　a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not 　50　to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a(n) 　51　year working his way on trains and ships to 　52　passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.

　　These kinds of experiences are probably rare for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly 　53　. Most parents start 　54　their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the US or other countries on their own, have 　55　the university they plan to attend and maybe even decided on their future career, and so on.

　　36. A. taught　　　　 B. allowed　　　　C. treated　　　　 D. hired

　　37. A. anxious　　　　B. content　　　　C. proud　　　　　 D. hopeful

　　38. A. never　　　　　B. ever　　　　　 C. always　　　　　D. even

　　39. A. quickly　　　　B. foolishly　　　C. seriously　　　 D. honestly

　　40. A. work　　　　　 B. mistakes　　　 C. others　　　　　D. books

　　41. A. strict　　　　 B. reasonable　　 C. polite　　　　　D. responsible

　　42. A. American　　　 B. Japanese　　　 C. Chinese　　　　 D. British

　　43. A. helped　　　　 B. supported　　　C. shared　　　　　D. worried

　　44. A. Asia 　　　　　B. Africa　　　　 C. Europe　　　　　D. Oceania

　　45. A. journey　　　　B. experience　　 C. chance　　　　　D. possibility

　　46. A. argument 　　　B. game　　　　　 C. discussion　　　D. plan

　　47. A. send out 　　　B. give out　　　 C. carry out　　　 D. spread out

　　48. A. promise　　　　B. afford　　　　 C. provide　　　　 D. serve

　　49. A. leave　　　　　B. make　　　　　 C. take　　　　　　D. prepare

　　50. A. angry　　　　　B. eager　　　　　C. sorry 　　　　　D. sad

　　51. A. unusual　　　　B. hard　　　　　 C. strange　　　　 D. busy

　　52. A. accept　　　　 B. earn　　　　　 C. find　　　　　　D. search

　　53. A. welcome　　　　B. fit　　　　　　C. necessary　　　 D. common

　　54. A. bringing　　　 B. forcing　　　　C. pushing　　　　 D. protecting

　　55. A. selected　　　 B. admired　　　　C. afforded　　　　D. left

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

　　I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother’s who owned a book shop 　36　me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very 　37　to earn my own pocket money and my parents 　38　interfered with how I spent it, even when I was spending it 　39　. They believed that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the 　40　, I would become more mature and 　41　 about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.

　　Like many 　42　parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they 　43　a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around 　44　. My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great 　45　for me. In the end, my father won the 　46　on the condition that I limited my traveling to France, my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins 　47　through the country who could 　48　shelter and help if I needed them.

　　Three years later, my younger brother decided to 　49　a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not 　50　to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a(n) 　51　year working his way on trains and ships to 　52　passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.

　　These kinds of experiences are probably rare for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly 　53　. Most parents start 　54　their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the US or other countries on their own, have 　55　the university they plan to attend and maybe even decided on their future career, and so on.

　　36. A. taught　　　　 B. allowed　　　　C. treated　　　　 D. hired

　　37. A. anxious　　　　B. content　　　　C. proud　　　　　 D. hopeful

　　38. A. never　　　　　B. ever　　　　　 C. always　　　　　D. even

　　39. A. quickly　　　　B. foolishly　　　C. seriously　　　 D. honestly

　　40. A. work　　　　　 B. mistakes　　　 C. others　　　　　D. books

　　41. A. strict　　　　 B. reasonable　　 C. polite　　　　　D. responsible

　　42. A. American　　　 B. Japanese　　　 C. Chinese　　　　 D. British

　　43. A. helped　　　　 B. supported　　　C. shared　　　　　D. worried

　　44. A. Asia 　　　　　B. Africa　　　　 C. Europe　　　　　D. Oceania

　　45. A. journey　　　　B. experience　　 C. chance　　　　　D. possibility

　　46. A. argument 　　　B. game　　　　　 C. discussion　　　D. plan

　　47. A. send out 　　　B. give out　　　 C. carry out　　　 D. spread out

　　48. A. promise　　　　B. afford　　　　 C. provide　　　　 D. serve

　　49. A. leave　　　　　B. make　　　　　 C. take　　　　　　D. prepare

　　50. A. angry　　　　　B. eager　　　　　C. sorry 　　　　　D. sad

　　51. A. unusual　　　　B. hard　　　　　 C. strange　　　　 D. busy

　　52. A. accept　　　　 B. earn　　　　　 C. find　　　　　　D. search

　　53. A. welcome　　　　B. fit　　　　　　C. necessary　　　 D. common

　　54. A. bringing　　　 B. forcing　　　　C. pushing　　　　 D. protecting

　　55. A. selected　　　 B. admired　　　　C. afforded　　　　D. left

Mr and Mrs Jones’ house was full of suitcases, packages and packed-up boxes. The two of them were 1　　 with pencils and paper, 2　 their luggage, when there was a 3　 at the door. Mr Jones went to 4　 it and saw a well—dressed middle—aged lady outside. The lady said that she lived in the house 5　 theirs, and that she had come to 6　 them to their new home.

　 The Jones invited here in, after 7　 for the state of the house.

　 “Oh, 8　 ,” she answered. “ Do you know in some parts of this 9　 neighbours , are not all 10　 ? There are some streets where people do not 11　 their neighbours , 12　 their next—door ones. 13　 in this street everybody id friends with 14　 else. We are one big, happy family. I’m 15　 that you will be 16　 here.”

　 The well—dressed lady got a 17　 when she came to visit the house the 18　 time, because she found a quite 19　 man and woman in it. Mr and Mrs Jones had not had the 20　 to tell her that they were not the new owners of the house, who were to move in the next day , but the old ones. Who has lived beside her for two years without ever having visited her or even noticing her existence. (生存).

1.　 A. free　 B. busy　 C. satisfied　 D. familiar

2.　 A. checking　 B. examining　 C. testing　 D. enjoying

3.　 A. sound　 B. ring　 C. friend　 D. message

4.　 A. answer　 B. serve　 C. see　 D. guess

5.　 A. above　 B. of　 C. under　 D. beside

6.　　 A. welcome　 B. lead　 C. take　 D. invite

7.　 A. explaining　 B. apologizing　 C. showing　 D. asking

8.　 A. excuse me　 B. here you are C. never mind　 D. thank you

9.　　 A. house　 B. street　 C. town　 D. time

10.　 A. busy　 B. lonely　 C. safe　 D. friendly

11.　 A. know　　 B. understand　 C. welcome　 D. respect

12. A. merely B. even　 C. mostly　 D. neither

13.　 A. And　 B. But　 C. Otherwise　 D. While

14.　 A. anybody　 B. nobody　 C. somebody　 D. none

15.　 A. uncertain B. glad　 C. sure　 D. afraid

16.　 A. happy　 B. lonely　 C. popular　 D. friendly

17.　 A. surprise　 B. fright　 C. pleasure D. worry

18.　 A. first　 B. exact　 C. next　 D. same

19.　 A. famous　 B. different　 C. young　 D. old

20.　 A. time　 B. chance　 C. courage　 D. interest

On Easter Day 1722,some European explorers found a lonely island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They 　1 it Easter Island. The explorers found that the island had good soil 　2 the 200 natives living there survived with little food. Even more 　3 , these people also lived among the ruins of what might have been a once great civilization. All that is left of it are around 800 giant stone statues 　4 human heads. They 　5 up to 270 tons and the tallest measures over 11 metres. The stone men face 　6 , rather than out to sea, and their eyes are focused upon the sky. They are all carved from 　7 volcanic rock (火山岩) and some have hats on their heads and eyes made from white coral. Since their 　8 , these huge stone men 　9 one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Who built them? Why did they do it? Some experts believe the stone men are 　10 to Inca stonework, and suggest the figures were created by people of Peruvian descent (血统). 　11 have even gone so far as to say that they came from outer space. The latest suggestion 　12 the idea that Easter Island represents one of the worst cases of resource abuse in human history. It is said that a small group of Asians settled on Easter Island 　13 between 400 and 700 AD. They developed a great civilization with huge forests and 　14 food. At the peak of their civilization, the people began to build the giant 　15 men. Why they did this is still 　16 but it is possible the figures represent the settlers’ gods or ancestors. 　17 the statues grew larger, the people’s lifestyles became more and more wasteful. The forest began to disappear, which 　18 all the animals dying out. 　19 couldn’t get food and were forced to eat other humans. Society began to 　20 and the islanders themselves finally destroyed the stone men.

1. A. said　　　　　　　　　　 B. were called　　　　　　　 C. named　　　　　　　　　　 D. spoke

2. A. and　　　　　　　　　　 B. but　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. however　　　　　　　　　 D. still

3. A. surprise　　　　　　　 B. surprised　　　　　　　　 C. surprising　　　　　　　　 D. surprisingly

4. A. looking　　　　　　　　 B. resembling　　　　　　　 C. liking　　　　　　　　　　　 D. standing for

5. A. weigh　　　　　　　　　 B. lift　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. get　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. measure

6. A. forward　　　　　　　 B. outward　　　　　　　　　 C. onward　　　　　　　　　 D. inward

7. A. broken　　　　　　　　 B. soft　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. hard　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. burnt

8. A. looking　　　　　　　　 B. invention 　　　　　　　　 C. discovery　　　　　　　　 D. covering

9. A. have happened B. have led to C. have taken place　　　 D. have created

10. A. usual　　　　　　　　 B. common　　　　　　　　　 C. familiar　　　　　　　　　 D. similar

11. A. Another　　　　　　　 B. Other　　　　　　　　　　　 C. Others　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Many

12. A. is focused on B. is based on C. is depended on　　　　 D. is concentrated on

13. A. some day　　　　　 B. one day　　　　　　　　　 C. sometime　　　　　　　　 D. once

14. A. plenty of　　　　　　 B. number of　　　　　　　 C. much of　　　　　　　　　 D. amount of

15. A. clever　　　　　　　　 B. stone　　　　　　　　　　　 C. wooden　　　　　　　　　 D. iron

16. A. welcome　　　　　　 B. known　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. unimportant　　　　　　 D. unknown

17. A. While　　　　　　　　 B. After　　　　　　　　　　　 C. With　　　　　　　　　　　 D. As

18. A. resulted in　　　　　 B. resulted from　　　　　 C. created　　　　　　　　　　 D. lay in

19. A. The islands B. The people C. The animals D. The Europeans

20. A. break out　　　　　 B. break in　　　　　　　　　 C. break into　　　　　　　　 D. break down