On Thursday afternoon Mrs. Clarke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the Over 60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old woman who lived alone.

At six o’clock she came home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke in her house? How? Had someone got in? She checked the back door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign of forced entry.

Over a cup of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door—“a master key ”perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she went out at her usual time, dressed as usual, but she didn’t go to the club. Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through her garden and the back door. She settled down to wait.

It was just after four o’clock when the front door bell rang. Mrs. Clarke was making a cup of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter box being pushed open. With the kettle of boiling water in her hand, she moved quietly toward the front door. A long piece of wire appeared through the letter box, and then a hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob on the door lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs. Clarke heard the sound of running feet.

1.Mrs. Clarke looked forward to Thursday because__________.

A. she worked at a club on the day

B. she lived alone

C. she visited a club on Thursdays

D. a special visitor came on Thursday Clarke

2. If someone had made a forced entry,________.

A. Mrs. Clarke would have found a broken door or window

B. he or she was still in the house

C. things would have been thrown about

D. he or she would have needed a master key

3.According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A. She is about more than 50 years old.

B. The next day after she found something unusual in her house, she stayed at home.

C. The man who tried to enter her house wore a pair of gloves.

D. Mrs. Clarke was in an attempt to trick the thief when she noticed something unusual.

4.The wire fell to the floor________.

A. because Mrs. Clarke refused to open the door

B. when the man’s glove dropped off

C. because it was too hot to hold

D. because the man just wanted to get away

B

She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.

The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louver Museum(卢浮宫) where it is housed.

“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.

Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉) is excellent at picking up details, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”

However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.

In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louver by a former employee, who took it out of the museum, hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later. During World War Ⅱ, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.

5.We can infer from the text that_______

A. the Mona Lisa is proved to be able to last another 500 years

B. Mona Lisa’s beauty is fading gradually with 500 years passing by

C. the Mona Lisa has been catching people’s wide attention in the past 500 years

D. Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago

6.Which of the following is true about the Mona Lisa?

A. It was once taken away and hidden up by German forces.

B. Its painter himself loved it greatly and always kept it in a shade.

C. Mona Lisa stops smiling when you look at her wanting to see her smiles.

D. King Francis I bought it and then returned it to Italy.

7.Choose the right order about the happenings onto Mona Lisa.

a. It was stolen from the Louver.

b. Its painter sold it to King Francis I

c. Its state of health was checked.

d. It was returned to France and housed in the Louver Museum.

e. It was hidden and protected against Germans.

A. b-a-d-e-c       B. d-e-c-b-a        C. d-a-e-c-b       D. b-c-a-d-e

8.It may add to the difficulty in repairing the painting that_____.

A. experts haven’t noticed changes in its shape as visitors do

B. it is likely to be stolen again when it’s under repair

C. it is uncertain which country, Italy of France, should take charge

D. experts aren’t sure about the materials and the chemical state of its oil paint

Back in the 15th century, in a tiny village in Germany, lived a family with eighteen children．Eighteen! In order 36　 to keep food on the table, the father, a goldsmith by profession worked almost eighteen hours____37__ day at his trade．Despite their seemingly　 38 condition, two of the eldest children had a dream．They both wanted to pursue their talent for art. 39 , they knew well that their father would never be able to 40 either of them to study at the Academy．

After many long discussions at night in their 41 bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact．They would toss （掷） a coin．The 　42 　would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, 　43 his winning brother for the academy．Then, in four years, he would support the other one．Then Albrecht Durer won the toss and 44 Nuremberg．Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, 　45 his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation.By the time he graduated, he was beginning to　 46 considerable fees for himself．

When the young artist　 47 home and said to his brother, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your 　48　 . Now you can go to the Academy to pursue your dream, and I will 49 you．"

Albert rose and wiped the 50 　from his cheeks．"No, brother．I cannot go to Nuremberg．It is too 51　 for me．Look…look what four years in the mines have done to my 52 ! I cannot even hold a glass, much less make delicate lines on canvas　 53 a pen or a brush．"

More than 450 years have 54 ．By now, among Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, "The Praying Hands" is one 55　 creation that can catch the world's hearts．

36.A．fully　 　　　　　　　　　 B．merely 　　　　　　 C．completely 　　　　　　 D．entirely

37.A．a　　　　　　 　　　 B．every　　　 　　 C．one 　　　　　　　　　　 D．each

38.A．demanding　　　　　　　　 B．promising　　　　　 C .careless 　　　　　　　　 D.hopeless　　

39.A．Therefore　　　　　　　　 B．And　　　　　　　　　 C.However 　 　　　　　 D．But

40.A．study　　　　　　　　　　　 B．give　　　　　　　　　 C．send　　 　 　　　　　 D．offer

41.A．separated　　　　　　　　 B．messy　　　　　　　C．crowded　　　　　　　　 D．unusual

42.A．loser　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.winner　　　　　　　　 C．old　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．younger

43.A．advertise　　　　　　　　　 B.support 　　　　　　　 C．expect　 　 　　　　　　 D．require

44.A．flew away to　　　　　　 B.left behind　　 C．left from 　　　　　　 D．went off to

45.A．deserved　　　　　　　　　 B.financed　　　　　　　 C．desired 　 　　　　　　 D．envied

46.A．earn　　　 　　　　　　 B.save　　　　　　　　　　 C．draw　　 　 　　　　　　 D．spend

47.A．arrived　　　　　　　　　　 B.returned　　　　　　　 C．reached 　　　　　　　　 D．got

48.A．fate 　　　　　　　　　　　 B.time　　　　　　　　　　 C．top 　　 　　　　　　　 D．turn

49.A．take charge of　　　　　 B.make up for　　　　 C．take care of　 　　　 D．make use of

50.A．smiles　　　　　　　　　　　 B.sweats　　　　　　　　 C．tears 　 　　　　　　　　 D．hints

51.A．latter　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.latest　　　　　　　　　 C．later　　 　　　　　　　 D．late

52.A．hands 　　　　　　　　　　 B.eyes 　　　　　　　　　 C．pictures 　 　　　　　　 D．mines

53.A．with　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.by　　　　　　　　　　　 C．through　　 　　　　　 D．in

54.A．remembered 　　　　　　 B.kept　　　　　　　　　　 C．passed　　 　　　　 D．changed

55.A．mysterious　　　　　　　 B.innocent　　　　　　　 C．skillful 　　　　　　　　　 D．touching

       A．Use cash．Instead of paying things with credit cards, use cash for non-bill spending such as eating out, gas and groceries．Spending cash makes the spending more real, and there’s an added advantage of knowing when you’re out of cash.

       B．Small weekly savings transfers．I got this idea from my friend, who automatically deducts(扣除) $20 a week from his check to savings．I decided that I could live with the deduction of $40/week without really feeling it — it’s a relatively small transfer that I barely notice, and I save about $2,000 a year!

       C．Stay at home．Going out makes you spend money unnecessarily．You eat at restaurants, go to the mall, and stop at the gas station for snacks．It’s hard to avoid spending when you’re on the road．Instead, stay at home and find free entertainment．It’s also a great way to bond with your family.

       D．Don’t get catalogs(商品宣传册)．Their announcements of sales or cool new products make it very temting(引诱人的) to buy something you don’t need．Instead, stop getting the catalogs, and you’ll spend less.

       E．Keep a 30-day list．If you have an impulse(冲动) to buy something you don’t absolutely need, put it on a 30-day list．You can’t buy anything but necessities — everything else goes on the list．When the 30 days are up, you can buy it — but most likely, the strong urge to buy it will be gone, and you can evaluate it more calmly.

       F．Cook at home．I know it seems more difficult than eating out．But it doesn’t have to be hard．Make home-made pizza with a ready-made crust, some sauce, cheese and veggies．Put some spices on something and throw it in the oven while you cook some brown rice．Not only is this much cheaper than eating out, but it’s healthier.

阅读下面几位消费者的情况介绍，并为他们匹配合适的建议。

1.Mr．And Mrs．Brown are a newly-married couple who work in the same company．They don’t earn much in their work, but they have to spend a larger part of their income to pay for their rent and daily necessities．Furthermore, they seldom eat at home because neither of them cooks well．Therefore, they have to pay a lot more extra money for food.

2.Mrs．Wang enjoys shopping very much because she is free all day long．Whenever she is wandering in the shops or stores, she will have a strong impulse and find it difficult for her to get back home with her hands empty．But it is quite often that she will find what she has bought is almost useless when she gets home.

3.Tony is a university student in New York, who is far away from his parents．He pays everything with his credit card．He finds it very cool for him to purchase with his credit card．However, he often finds his money has already run out in the middle of the month.

4.Miss Betty is a high school girl whose parents give her some money every week．As her parents don’t earn much money, she wants to save some money secretly so that she can buy a digital camera.

5.Miss Catherine is a young girl who is easily to be persuaded into buying something useless．She will get encouraged to buy something when she sees an advertisement．Her parents have warned her many times against doing such stupid things, but it doesn’t work much.

D

Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets(彗星)which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.

       However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse(椭圆形).

       Now Halley set to work. He figured out(解决，计算出)the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearance had been 75 to 76 years apart.

       This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.

       It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain to make a prediction(预言)of what would happen in the future. He decided that this would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested. In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet had been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.

63. Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of ____.

       A. some different comets appearing several times

       B. the same comet appearing at different times

       C. three different comets appearing at the same time

       D. several comets appearing at the same time

64. Halley made his discovery ____.

       A. by doing experiments

       B. by means of his own careful observation

       C. by using the working of other scientists

       D. by chance

65. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year____.

       A. 1704          B. 1705     C. 1706           D. 1707

66. This passage in general is about ____.

       A. Halley and other scientists         B. the orbit of a comet

       C. Newton and Halley              D. Halley and his discovery