-----What do you think of their marriage?
-----_______ , if I were Kate, I wouldn’t marry him.

“Yes, I’ll be ready at nine in the morning. Goodbye, dear, and thanks again.” It had not been an easy telephone call for Mrs. Robson to make. Her daughter had been very kind, of course, and had immediately agreed to pick her up and drive her to the station, but Mrs. Robson hated to admit that she needed help. Since her husband had died ten years before, she had always been proud of her independence. She had continued to live in their little house, alone.
On this evening, however, she was standing at her living-room window, staring out at the SOLD notice in the small front garden. Her feelings were mixed. Of course, she was sad at the thought of leaving the house, as it was full of so many memories. But at the same time she was looking forward to spending her last years near the sea, back in the little seaside town where she had been born. With the money from the sale of the house, she had bought a little apartment there. She turned from the living room window, and looked round at the walls. There was a small fish tank, with two goldfish in it. When asked why, her husband used to say, “It’s nice to have something alive in the room.” Since he had passed away, she had always kept some goldfish, had always had “something alive in the room.”
The next morning, as her train was pulling out of the station, Mrs. Robson called to her daughter, “Kate, you won’t forget to collect the goldfish, will you? The children will love them. It’s …” “I know,” Kate interrupted gently, “It’s nice to have something alive in the room.” 
【小题1】According to the passage, we know that Mrs. Robson _________.

There was never any time for Kate to feel lonely, ________ she was an only child.

1. A.
   ever since
2. B.
   now that
3. C.
   even though
4. D.
   even as

Britons stranded（搁浅）at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
William, who is currently a Lieutenant（中尉）in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment（皇家骑兵团）, will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.
If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.
"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.
"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."
It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.
The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.
The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills.
William, who has spent the last year on secondment（借调）to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings （飞行勋章）following a four-month stint（持续的工作）with the service earlier this year.
However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

1. 1.

   Prince William wanted to be a full-time pilot because _____.

   1. A.
      he liked flying
   2. B.
      he would like to do something in the country’s Emergency Services
   3. C.
      many Britons were in danger at sea waiting for rescue
   4. D.
      he had much experience in flying
2. 2.

   According to the passage, _____.

   1. A.
      the Falklands war broke out in 2005
   2. B.
      Prince William served in the Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment in 1982
   3. C.
      Prince Andrew is serving in SARF now
   4. D.
      William would finish his training course in June 2010
3. 3.

   It can be inferred from the passage that______.

   1. A.
      the RAF is an army that rescues its soldiers during wartime
   2. B.
      either Andrew or William is interested in flying
   3. C.
      there are many floods happening in Britain
   4. D.
      the prince saving the people in danger is no longer fairy tale
4. 4.

   The author’s opinion on William’s joining RAF is ______.

   1. A.
      enthusiastic
   2. B.
      doubtful
   3. C.
      negative
   4. D.
      pessimistic
5. 5.

   What is the purpose of the author by mentioning what the prince had done before in the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      The author wants to say that Prince William pays much attention to his family and friends
   2. B.
      The author suggests that the Defense Ministry was criticized when William flew for his private business
   3. C.
      William had a hard time when he went against his leaders
   4. D.
      The author has the worry that Prince William is likely to get the Defense Ministry into trouble again.

完形填空（共20 小题，每小题1 分, 满分20分）
Returning from a trip overseas, I sensed that something was wrong between Keith, one of my two sons, and me. So I asked him, “Keith, have I done anything that really  41  your feelings?”
Immediately, he said, “Yes, last Christmas you promised us a special  42 that I really wanted but you  43 gave it to me.”
The  44  was that I’d completely forgotten about it. I  45  , “Is there anything else I’ve done wrong, but I haven’t apologized  46  ?”
Again, his  47  was immediate, “Remember last Christmas when Mom said you had to go to the  48  because Kate, my little sister, was going to be born? You left us at home and  49    in a hurry. Remember?”
“Well, you left and forgot the suitcase.” I couldn’t believe he  50  all the details! “After you came back from the hospital you were  51 to see the suitcase had been opened and  52  had been thrown all over the place, and then you  53  me.”
“And you didn’t do it?” I asked.
“No, I didn’t. I was just searching for my gift.”
My heart sank. I felt  54 . I hugged Keith and asked him to  55  me. His honesty made me think of my other son, Kevin. Maybe I’d hurt his feelings, too. I went to ask him the  56    question. Kevin answered as immediately as his  57 , “Last Christmas you promised us a special toy, but you forget about it.”
58 Christmas had passed, I took my two sons to the store that day and bought them what I had promised. The  59  thing wasn’t the toy. The problem was that I’d made a promise too  60  and didn’t keep it as their mother.