It was raining as I got off the train in Nashville, Tennessee. I was tired so I went straight to my hotel.

A big, heavy man was walking up and down in the hotel lobby. Something about the way he moved made me think of a hungry dog looking for a bone. He had a big, fat, red face and a sleepy expression in his eyes. He introduced himself as Wentworth Caswell – Major Wentworth Caswell – from “a fine southern family”. Caswell pulled me into the hotel’s barroom and yelled for a waiter. We ordered drinks. While we drank, he talked continually about himself, his family, his wife and her family. He said his wife was rich. He showed me a handful of silver coins that he pulled from his coat pocket.

By this time, I had decided that I wanted no more of him. I said good night.

I was born in the south myself. But I live in New York now. I write for a large magazine. My boss had asked me to go to Nashville. The magazine had received some stories and poems from a writer in Nashville, named Azalea Adair. The editor liked her work very much. The publisher asked me to get her to sign an agreement to write only for his magazine.

I left the hotel at nine o’clock the next morning to find Miss Adair. It was still raining. As soon as I stepped outside I met Uncle Caesar. He was a big, old black man with fuzzy gray hair. Uncle Caesar was wearing the strangest coat I had ever seen. It must have been a military officer’s coat. It was very long and when it was new it had been gray. But now rain, sun and age had made it a rainbow of colors. Only one of the buttons was left. It was yellow and as big as a fifty cent coin.

Uncle Caesar stood near a horse and carriage. He opened the carriage door and said softly, “Step right in, sir. I’ll take you anywhere in the city.”

“I want to go to 861 Jasmine Street,” I said, and I started to climb into the carriage. But the old man stopped me. “Why do you want to go there, sir?”

“What business is it of yours?” I said angrily. Uncle Caesar relaxed and smiled. “Nothing, sir. But it’s a lonely part of town. Just step in and I’ll take you there right away.”

861 Jasmine Street had been a fine house once, but now it was old and dying. I got out of the carriage.

“That will be two dollars, sir,” Uncle Caesar said. I gave him two one-dollar bills. As I handed them to him, I noticed that one had been torn in half and fixed with a piece of blue paper. Also, the upper right hand corner was missing.

1.The narrator （故事的叙述者）got to Nashville probably _______.

A. in the morning   B. at noon    C. in the afternoon    D. in the evening

2. The narrator didn’t like Caswell mainly because of ________.

A. his appearance   B. his family    C. the way he talked and behaved  D. his wife

3. The publisher told the narrator to go to Nashville ______.

A. to get a writer to sign an agreement for his magazine

B. to collect some stories and poems from a writer

C. to look for good writers for his magazine

D. to visit his old friend Azalea Adair

4. Uncle Caesar’s strange coat ________.

A. was worn by a military officer      B. was a new gray coat

C. was an old yellow raincoat         D. had only one button left

5. From the question “Why do you want to go there, sir?”, we guess that Uncle Caesar _______.

A. wanted to know why the narrator wanted to go there

B. knew the place and was concerned about the narrator 

C. would charge two dollars for taking the narrator there

D. must have lived in the neighbourhood before

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

This morning, I received a phone call from one of my close friends, Nikko, which immediately changed this bright sunny day into a dark terrible pit of endless sorrow. He told me that Diane’s dad had just  36  , at 12:00 on January 3,2008.

Nikko told me that Diane had  37  everything about her dad on her blog, so I  38  right up from bed and got to her blog instantly. Her blog, always so  39  and nice, is suddenly filled with sorrow and grief.

She must have been writing with  40  streaming down her cheeks, with eyes so  41  from the sleepless night, and with a heart so  42  and regretful and yet, she wrote the post, full of determination and will,  43  strength and love. She showed no  44  of weakness and retreat. She  45  that she didn’t notice how her father was feeling before the sudden stroke (中风)   46 him on his sleep. I feel so sorry for her , as her close friend, that I am not able to give her my support and a shoulder to  47  because I live so far away. But I know she will be  48  . She had determined to become the pillar(支柱) of  49  for her mom and her brother.

Although Diane’s father is no longer  50  , his memories would always be with his family. I gave Diane my deepest condolence（吊唁）for her  51  of her most beloved one.

I have known Diane and her family ever since we were in primary school.  52  can be really cruel sometimes,  53  someone or something you have learned to love and rely on. A(n)  54  death like Diane’s father is the most sorrowful. Destiny didn’t even give his family the  55  to say their last goodbyes.

Diane wanted everyone to cherish their loved ones and do not wait until it’s already too late. Tell them you love them and let them know how you feel before it’s too late.

36．A. passed away            B. left over                     C. sent off                     D. filled up

37．A. spoke                     B. found                         C. written                      D. uncovered

38．A. jumped                   B. run                            C. shouted                     D. cleaned

39．A. interesting               B. colorful                      C. good                         D. mind

40．A. water                      B. tears                           C. blood                        D. sweat

41．A. sleepy                     B. big                             C. infected                     D. red

42．A. bleeding                 B. heavy                         C. painful                      D. sympathetic

43．A. from                      B. of                              C. on                            D. without

44．A. sign                        B. explanation                 C. expression                 D. impression

45．A. argued　　　　      B. noticed                       C. blamed                      D. regretted

46．A. broke                     B. attacked                      C. affected                     D. made

47．A. depend on               B. keep up                      C. cry on                       D. carry out

48．A. strong                     B. weak                          C. sorrowful                  D. lonely

49．A. mind                      B. center                         C. power                       D. support

50．A. lively                     B. present                       C. painful                      D. alive

51．A. loss                        B. love                           C. regret                        D. thanks

52．A. Future                    B. Lives                          C. Destiny                     D. experience

53．A. giving up                B. taking away                C. suffering from           D. mourning for

54．A. regretful                 B. heart-broken               C. unforgettable             D. instant

55．A. chance                    B. reward                       C. treat                          D. attention

It was black in the evening. Andy, a 12-year-old boy was unwilling to go outside. But his mother, Lilly, was worried about his father and  36  he go.

About an hour ago, the husband said he had to  37 his car outside their house. ___38  enough, it seemed that the wife hadn’t heard a single  39 for a long time.

“Go and have a look. What on earth is he doing?” she said to Andy.

The boy walked out and called into the darkness “Dad?”

“Andy?”  40 was his father, who spoke slowly, in a strange way. Actually, his voice sounded  41 .   

That evening, when the man had to get  42 the car to fix it, he used a forklift to lift the car. 43   , the man didn’t place the blocks in front of the car’ s front tires to keep it from  44  forward off the forks, which was exactly  45 it did afterwards.

Little Andy saw his dad’s feet  46 out from beneath the car.  47 to take a full breath, his father sank into a sleepy, half-alive  48 .

“Keep calm, mum. Everything will be all right.” The boy  49 the scared mother.

He climbed on and tried to do something to help. Finally, the car started to come off the ground and hung in the   50 .

After a few minutes, the policemen were sent for. Luckily, the father, who  51 under the car, could still breathe, alive.

It wasn’t  52 his dad was carried into an ambulance heading for the hospital that the little boy  53  and couldn’t help crying.

Andy says one satisfying change has come out of the  54 : he is able to spend more time with his dad, who hasn’t touched a car 55 his car fell on him.

1.                A．stated          B．demanded      C．declared  D．announced

2.                A．clean          B．buy            C．fix   D．sell

3.                A．Strangely       B．Interestingly     C．Fortunately    D．Naturally

4.                A．word          B．voice           C．noise D．sound

5.                A．He            B．This            C．There    D．It

6.                A．usual          B．different        C．calm D．upset

7.                A．into           B．onto           C．beneath  D．above

8.                A．Somehow       B．Anyhow        C．Somewhat D．Anyway

9.                A．sinking         B．rolling          C．driving   D．running

10.               A．what           B．how           C．why  D．which

11.               A．bringing        B．moving         C．sticking    D．taking

12.               A．Unable         B．Unlikely        C．Likely D．Able

13.               A．circumstance    B．environment    C．state  D．position

14.               A．encouraged     B．comforted      C．required  D．persuaded

15.               A．shade          B．sky            C．wind  D．air

16.               A．slept           B．sat            C．stood D．lay

17.               A．until           B．unless          C．when D．while

18.               A．broke out       B．broke down     C．broke up  D．broke off

19.               A．matter         B．affair          C．accident   D．event

20.               A．after           B．before         C．when D．since

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
This morning, I received a phone call from one of my close friends, Nikko, which immediately changed this bright sunny day into a dark terrible pit of endless sorrow. He told me that Diane’s dad had just  36  , at 12:00 on January 3,2008.
Nikko told me that Diane had  37  everything about her dad on her blog, so I  38  right up from bed and got to her blog instantly. Her blog, always so  39  and nice, is suddenly filled with sorrow and grief.
She must have been writing with  40  streaming down her cheeks, with eyes so  41  from the sleepless night, and with a heart so  42  and regretful and yet, she wrote the post, full of determination and will,  43  strength and love. She showed no  44  of weakness and retreat. She  45  that she didn’t notice how her father was feeling before the sudden stroke (中风)   46 him on his sleep. I feel so sorry for her , as her close friend, that I am not able to give her my support and a shoulder to  47  because I live so far away. But I know she will be  48  . She had determined to become the pillar(支柱) of  49  for her mom and her brother.
Although Diane’s father is no longer  50  , his memories would always be with his family. I gave Diane my deepest condolence（吊唁）for her  51  of her most beloved one.
I have known Diane and her family ever since we were in primary school.  52  can be really cruel sometimes,  53  someone or something you have learned to love and rely on. A(n)  54  death like Diane’s father is the most sorrowful. Destiny didn’t even give his family the  55  to say their last goodbyes.
Diane wanted everyone to cherish their loved ones and do not wait until it’s already too late. Tell them you love them and let them know how you feel before it’s too late.
36．A. passed away            B. left over                     C. sent off                     D. filled up
37．A. spoke                     B. found                         C. written                      D. uncovered
38．A. jumped                   B. run                            C. shouted                     D. cleaned
39．A. interesting               B. colorful                      C. good                         D. mind
40．A. water                      B. tears                           C. blood                        D. sweat
41．A. sleepy                     B. big                             C. infected                     D. red
42．A. bleeding                 B. heavy                         C. painful                      D. sympathetic
43．A. from                      B. of                              C. on                            D. without
44．A. sign                        B. explanation                 C. expression                 D. impression
45．A. argued　　　　      B. noticed                       C. blamed                      D. regretted
46．A. broke                     B. attacked                      C. affected                     D. made
47．A. depend on               B. keep up                      C. cry on                       D. carry out
48．A. strong                     B. weak                          C. sorrowful                  D. lonely
49．A. mind                      B. center                         C. power                       D. support
50．A. lively                     B. present                       C. painful                      D. alive
51．A. loss                        B. love                           C. regret                        D. thanks
52．A. Future                    B. Lives                          C. Destiny                     D. experience
53．A. giving up                B. taking away                C. suffering from           D. mourning for
54．A. regretful                 B. heart-broken               C. unforgettable             D. instant
55．A. chance                    B. reward                       C. treat                          D. attention

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Your friends might be in Australia or maybe just down the road, but they are all just a few clicks away. Life has   36   for millions of teenagers across the world who now make friends online.   37   you use chat rooms, QQ, MSN or ICQ, you are   38   of a virtual community (虚拟社区).

"I rarely talk with my parents or grandparents,   39   I talk a lot with my old friends on QQ," said Fox's Shadow, the online nickname (网名) used by a Senior 2 girl in China. "Eighty per cent of my classmates use QQ   40   school."

QQ is the biggest messaging   41   in China. A record shows 4 million people used it one Saturday night in October,   42   to Tencent, the company which developed QQ.

And Fox's Shadow might well have been one of them. "I log in (登陆) on Friday nights, and Saturdays or Sundays when I feel  43  . I usually   44   about 10 hours chatting online every week," she said. "But I rarely talk with  45  , especially boys or men."

Even though she likes chatting, she is careful about making   46   with strangers online. "You don't know   47   you're talking to. You should  48   be careful about who you trust online."

Many people would like to meet offline when they feel they have got to  49   someone very well. Fox's Shadow once met one of her online friends face to face. It was a girl who was a comic fan like   50   and they went to a comic show together.

However, not all teenagers have been so   51  . At the beginning of this year, a 17-year-old girl in Liaoning Province was killed after meeting a friend she had found on QQ. The criminals (罪犯) weren't   52   until last month.

A 16-year-old Beijing boy, known online as Bart Simon, dislikes QQ users. "I used to chat on QQ, but I found that most people were talking   53  ," he said. Now he chats online in English, using MSN. But he spends little time chatting as he sees it as a  54    of time and money. "If you are really   55   to it, sometimes you just can't concentrate (集中精神) in class," he said.

36.A. improved      B. become      C. changed     D. increased

37.A. Whether       B. If       C. When  D. Unless

38.A. member B. part    C. partner       D. number

39.A. but B. as       C. when  D still.

40.A. before   B. at       C. after   D. since

41.A. service  B. product      C. structure     D. organization

42.A. granting       B. depending  C. considering D. according

43.A. sleepy   B. tired   C. bored  D. busy

44.A. take      B. cost    C. pay     D. spend

45.A. friends  B. adults  C. males  D. strangers

46.A. relation B. touch  C. contact       D. friends

47.A. who      B. which C. whose D. these

48.A. often     B. usually       C. sometimes  D. always

49.A. know    B. recognize   C. tell     D. judge

50.A. herself   B  she    C. anybody else      D. everyone

51.A. good     B. fortunate    C. safely  D. healthy

52.A. kept      B. held    C. caught D. killed

53.A. uselessness    B. noise   C. nonsense    D. rubbish

54.A. short     B. lack    C. waste  D. little

55.A. kept      B. held    C. addicted     D. stuck