D

I grew up in a small town. I was only ten years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable (马厩). He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace. I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged.

One night, a woman executive (董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I had my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man.

68. Why was the writer once known as a singing cook?

A. He was a cook at a country music club.

B. He sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C. He often sang while cooking.

D. He liked singing better than cooking.

69. Who first recognized the writer’s talents and helped make him successful?

A. His brother.      B. His manager.     C. His father.            D. A businesswoman.

70. It can be inferred from the passage that the ______.

A. writer’s success is partly due to his father     B. writer’s family was very poor

C. writer succeeded easily                   D. writer’s first record was a total failure

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

D

I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”

This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors; one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) — if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.

“But thank God, I had one child left — a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to gave in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”

“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy now that I have no time for worry.”

No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”

53. The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _____.

54. Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _____.

55. Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _____.

    A. he hadn’t been able to spare time to mend them

    B. he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them

    C. the items had actually been broken and needed attention

    D. repairing the items helped crowd worry out of his mind

56. At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to _____.

    A. prove that he followed Churchill’s example

    B. support his student’s solution to his problem

    C. show that he was successful in his career

    D. make it clear how his conclusion was reached

D

I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied, "You mean fortunately．" He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．

My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to complain as I approached it but now I tell myself the following; This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally as I wend my way up the incline I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free．I have a smug smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．

Problems are there to be faced and overcome． We cannot achieve anything with an easy life, Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a University degree．  Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote, " Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved．"

One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity．From time to time, we all face hardships, problems, accidents, and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．

Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying experts in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said, "Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind, you’11 never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything．Go to school, join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible．"

The biographies of great people are filled with examples of how they took kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．

68．The writer has a smug smile of satisfaction as he reaches the top of the hill because________．

A．he was actually killing two birds with a stone

B．compared with those silly people, he was smarter

C．he lost weight by cycling to the town center every day

D．he was informed of a short route from his house to the town

69．The writer quoted Helen Keller and her saying as an example to demonstrate_________．

A．one cannot achieve anything with an easy life

B．only disabled persons can experience hardship deeply

C．one' s success is determined by nothing but his/ her attitude

D．it' s rare for a deaf and blind person to gain a University degree．

70．From this passage we know that Douglas Bader was a person of___________．

A．individual and creative character         B．stubborn yet charming personality

C．great bravery and strong will            D．excellent speaker with great influence

71．In writing style, the last paragraph serves as____________

A．an explanation        B．a demonstration     C．an introduction  D．a summarization

I was the youngest of five boys and also had four sisters who had to pull together and take care of each other. Dad wasn't around, so I never knew him well. He killed himself when I was three years old, leaving mom with the job of raising nine kids. She was a very hard worker, and in order to make ends meet, she hardly ever rested. With my mom as my example, I learned that hard work is the best way to get what you want.
Even as a little boy, I knew I was going to be successful. Regardless of what I chose, I wanted to make my brothers, sisters and mom proud of me—not only by being successful in what I chose to do, but also as a person who could be looked up to for the right reasons.
Surprising as it might seem, basketball wasn't in my plans. One day, my mom cut a rim(边缘) off an old water barrel(水桶) and then held it up for me to throw an old rubber ball through. By junior high, I started playing basketball on a team. I loved to compete. For me, it paid off. I always put the effort in, every day.
I am grateful for the life I've enjoyed as a basketball star. Basketball is not life. It can be exciting. But the most important thing about basketball is that it gives me a way to do good things for others as I move through this journey called life.

1. 1.

   It can be inferred that the author's________.

   1. A.
      brothers were more famous than him
   2. B.
      mother had a great influence on his career
   3. C.
      father loved his children and wife very much
   4. D.
      family was rich and happy when he was a child
2. 2.

   Why did the author's father kill himself?

   1. A.
      Because the family was poor.
   2. B.
      Because he often quarreled with his wife.
   3. C.
      Because he was seriously ill.
   4. D.
      The passage didn't tell us the reason.
3. 3.

   From the second paragraph, we can infer that________.

   1. A.
      the author was respected as a brave boy
   2. B.
      the author's family didn't like his career
   3. C.
      the author got on well with his mother, brothers and sisters
   4. D.
      the author helped his brothers and sisters succeed
4. 4.

   What does the author get from basketball?

   1. A.
      How to do good things for others.
   2. B.
      Life is as hard as playing basketball.
   3. C.
      Cooperation with others is important.
   4. D.
      Two heads are wiser than one.