John Fisher, a builder, and his wife Elizabeth wanted more living space, so they left their small flat for an old 40-meter-high castle tower. They have spent five years turning it into a beautiful home with six floors, winning three architectural prizes.

“I love the space, and being private,” Elizabeth says. “You feel separated from the world. If I am in the kitchen, which is 25 meters above the ground floor, and the doorbell rings, I don’t have to answer it because visitors can’t see I am in!”

There are 142 steps to the top so if I go up and down five or six times a day, it’s very good exercise! But having to carry heavy things to the top is terrible, so I never buy more than two bags of shopping from the supermarket at a time. Except for that, it’s a brilliant place to live.

“When we first saw the place, I asked my father’s advice about buying it, because we couldn’t decide. After paying for it, we were a bit worried because it looked awful. But we really loved it, and knew how we wanted it to look.”

“Living here can be difficult—yesterday I climbed a four-meter ladder to clean the windows. But when you stand on the roof you can see all the way out to the sea on a clear day, and that’s a wonderful experience. I am really glad we moved. ”

1.What is the writer trying to do in the text?

    A. describe how to turn an old tower into a house

    B. recommend(推荐) a particular builder

    C. describe what it is like to live in a tower

    D. explain how to win prizes for building work

2.Which of the following best describes Elizabeth’s feelings about the tower?

    A. She wanted it as soon as she saw it.

    B. She likes most things about it.

    C. She has been worried since they paid for it.

    D. She finds it unsuitable to live in.

3.What problem does Elizabeth have with living in such a tall building?

    A. Her visitors find it hard to see if she is at home.

    B. She feels separated from others.

    C. She cannot bring home lots of shopping at once.

    D. It is impossible to clean any of the windows.

4.How will John and Elizabeth advertise their tower if they sell it?

A.

B.

C.  

D.

 

A couple of years ago,before a trip to China,Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.

“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,”said Davis.

Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s.She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.

When the US team arrived for the Olympics,Lang,48,who is from Beijing,had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.

Then came the greatest moment to Lang：While the US team was playing in a packed gym,at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.

“That really says it all,” Davis said.“They look at her as an icon(偶像)．I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country,but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”

The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday,when China lost a match to the US.

“It’s a pity that China lost the match,but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won,since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli,a spectator.“We also cheered for

Lang’s victory.”

Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet.“It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.It’s the same.” Lang said.

Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players,said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.

“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,”she said.“The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous.The whole event has been unbelievable.”

What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Staying professional.                           B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer.

C．A match between China and the US.      D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.

A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy

B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to

C．disliked to be with her fans

D．didn’t want to disturb public order

What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?

A．destroyed completely                           B．tore into pieces

C．spread out to the wind                          D．rolled up

What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”？

A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

C．She just tried to stay professional.

D．The results of each match will be the same.

 

第二节     完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

         请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

I met Chandra Rekha Shrestha, a visually damaged girl, on the way to Shanti Nagar. She was walking down the road with her white stick, and I saw she walking into a muddy    36   . Had she continued, she might have    37    into the water. Not wanting this to happen, I stopped my   38    and called out, “There’s a hole in front of you, Chandra. If it’s all right with you, I’ll   39   you to your place.”

She happily  40   . I took her bag so she could climb on my motorbike. We talked about her   profession and   41   , and I discovered she was on her way toTinkune for a teacher’s training program.

Chandra had called me a couple of times since our   42    meeting. However, I had been unable to meet her   43    my busy schedules. Finally,   44   at the Kathmandu Mall, she said, "If you hadn’t given me your business card, I wouldn’t have called you." We talked about a range of issues, and I came to   45    that Chandra possessed a deep knowledge which would challenge that of many   46    fit people.

Although she has a mother and three brothers, Chandra has been   47    on her own for the past years. She cooks for herself and washes her own clothes while   48    to teach every morning at Anam Nagar’s Rudramati Primary School. While doing her   49   , she tries to remember people, places, and things in order to manage her daily life. She is a(an)   50    person, telling me that she made the decision to live alone after her  51    said they would take turns to look after her each month. Chandra felt this would   52    her. Chandra’s main source of information is through her   53  , learning about various news as they are broadcast.

Chandra lost her eyesight as a baby and had to learn how to survive at an early age. I really   54    her confidence and the way she carried herself in her life. Thank you, Chandra Rekha. You have reminded me of what truly matter in life but are   55    lacking in our city.

36. A. pavement                B. passage                C. hole                                  D. freeway

37. A. climbed               B. landed                    C. flown                               D. fallen

38. A. car                       B. truck                       C. motorbike                      D. bus

39. A. pass                          B. drop                        C. take                                 D. fetch

40. A. allowed               B. expected               C. replied                             D. accepted

41. A. study                        B. job                           C. celebration                    D. travel

42. A. happy         B. unexpected       C. sudden                            D. strange

43. A. due to                       B. in addition to        C. instead of                       D. in spite of

44. A. resisting                  B. rescuing                C. reuniting                         D. removing

45. A. discovered              B. encouraged          C. persuaded                      D. supposed

46. A. mentally                  B. inappropriately    C. physically                        D. naturally

47. A. living                         B. lying                        C. waiting                            D. staying

48. A. managing                B. recognizing C. allowing                          D. reducing

49. A. practice              B. housework            C. effort                               D. homework

50. A. stubborn                  B. reliable                  C. confident                        D. intelligent

51. A. sisters                      B. uncles                    C. brothers                         D. aunts

52. A. hurt                           B. weaken                  C. ruin                                  D. frighten

53. A. TV                        B. radio                       C. calculator                       D. computer

54. A. follow                       B. show                      C. notice                              D. admire

55. A. finally                        B. recently                 C. mostly                             D. simply

 

It’s not easy growing up. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t stay young forever. But we should take a look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude and learn from them. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time. We should realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!

Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.

As a young girl, my parents forced me to do so many things that I didn’t like. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music and I also hated them. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched(丰富) my life in so many ways. I now realize that my parents and teachers wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.

We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just part of our life. They might seem so huge at the time, but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no challenges and lived a life like that. Life would be really boring and meaningless. The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps(碰撞) on our road to success, we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!

1.The underlined word “obstacles” (in Paragraph 2) roughly means things that ______.

A. are related to your studies   

B. you easily achieve

C. make you happy           

D. make it difficult for you to do something

2.How does the author now feel when remembering what her parents did for her in the past?

A. She is fearful                 B. She is grateful

C. She feels trapped              D. She feels hateful

3.We can know from the last paragraph that _____________.

A. life without challenges is dull   

B. life needs no pains but sunshine and happiness

C. we should give up faced with challenges as the future is ours

D. we shouldn’t easily pay a little hard work in growing up

4.The purpose of the passage is to tell readers____________.

A. life is full of hardships 

B. growing pains can turn into growing gains in a positive way

C. everyone is painful in growing up

D. everyone should do what they don’t like when young

 

David Brown and Anne are two patients in the Adult Day Care Program at Mercy Hospitals. David Brown is seventy-two years old. He’s friendly and likes to talk. He lives with his wife in the city. But David is becoming forgetful. His wife says, “He’ll heat up some soup, then forget to turn off the gas.” She is sixty-one and still works. She is worried about leaving her husband alone.

Anne is eighty and lives with her 60-year-old daughter. Her daughter says that she needs a rest. “Mom follows me everywhere. She follows me when I read newspapers. I need a rest and she does, too.”

And so, several times a week, David and Anne’s families take them to the Adult Day Care Center. Many hospitals have this program. Patients come to the Center for a full or half day, from one to five days a week. All the patients live with their families and most are old people.

Mrs. Carol Johnson is the director of the Center. She says, “We are offering both the patients and their families a service of great value. Patients have the chance to get out of their houses. Husbands, wives or grown children can work or have a rest. Most important of all, families are able to stay together.”

1.Why did David Brown become a patient of the Adult Day Care Center?

         A. Because he is seventy-two years old.

B. Because he is lonely at home.

         C. Because he is becoming forgetful.

         D. Because he is seriously ill.

2. What happens to Anne’s family?

         A. Her daughter is too old to look after her.

         B. Anne cleans all the rooms everyday.

         C. Her daughter doesn’t want Anne to live with her.

         D. Her daughter is very tired because Anne always follows her.

3.Adult Day Care Center is run by ____.

         A. hospitals                    B. schools                       C. churches                    D. government

4. Which statement is NOT true about the patients of the Center?

         A. Most patients are old people.

         B. All the patients live with their families.

         C. The patients learn many things in the Center.

         D. The patients come to the Center six days a week.

5.Which of the following statements is NOT the reason why the Center is offering a valuable service?

         A. Families are able to stay together.

         B. Husbands, wives or grown children can work or have a rest.

         C. Patients have the chance to go out of their houses.

         D. The patients there are given the best medicine and the best operation.