In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (试演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (样本唱片) tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil.

In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (对比) to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

1.Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as      .

2.From Para. 4 we learn that Boyle      .

3.Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

4.In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to      .

 Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”

In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.

Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.

Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.

 The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A. loss      B. wonder

C. lucky thing D. terrible thing

Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A. he was a man difficult to please

B. she never knew when he was coming

C. she was too busy looking after her children

D. he never stayed long enough for a meal

What do we know about James’ behavior?

A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.

Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A. she paid James the money that she owed him

B. James gave some money to the children

C. she had to wake James up to catch his train

D. James thanked her for the nice supper

The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.

A. had been dead    B. suffered from loss of memory

C. had run away from him    D. might appear again one day

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1. 5分，满分30分）
请阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
It was Lin Tao’s first visit to England. He was looking   36  to his first journey on London’s Underground Railway. Against   37  of his friends he decided to go alone.
He   38  the station shortly after five o’clock in the afternoon. This is a   39  time to travel in London because too many people go home   40  work at this hour. He had to join a long line of people   41  were waiting for tickets. When   42  his turn came, he had some difficulty in making himself understood by the man   43  tickets. However, he got the right   44   in the end and by asking people the   45  he also found the right platform. It was crowed with people. He did not manage to get on the first train,   46  he was able to move nearer the edge of the platform so as to be in a better position to   47  the next one.
When this train came in, Lin Tao was swept forward on to the train by the rush of people from behind. The doors   48  and the train moved off. He was   49  to see the names of the stations   50  the train stopped, but he knew that the station he wanted was the sixth stop along the line. When the train reached the sixth station, Lin Tao got off,   51  glad that his journey had been so easy. But he suddenly   52  that he had come to a station he   53 ! He explained his difficulty to a man standing on the platform. With a smile   54  his face, the man told Lin Tao that he   55  a train going in the opposite direction. The train had come to a small town, the name of which sounded very strange.

请阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑, 如选E，请涂AB, 如选F，请涂CD。

首先，请阅读下列关于名著的介绍：

A. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

The classic love story explores the lives of the five Bennet sisters at the turn of the 19th century in rural England. At that time women were not allowed to get their father’s wealth after his death, so their mother is desperate to marry them off into wealthy families. Therefore various love stories start with the question — whether marriage is for love or for money.

B. The Red and the Black (Stendhal)

Julien has a strong desire for power and glory, and for ridding himself of his low social status as the son of a tradesman. Thus, he tries every means to achieve his goal.

The two colors, red and black, symbolize his inner struggle between being sincere and false. And this conflict in his character finally brings about his downfall.

C. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

There is great kindness and warmth in this love story. Poor and plain as Jane Eyre is, she has a strong will, sharp wisdom and great courage. She is forced to battle against a harsh employer and a rigid social order. Yet she is never defeated. Standing on her feet, she gains her own happiness in the end.

D. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)

It reflects people’s tragic life in Britain in the 18th century. In the story, Oliver Twist, a mild young boy, is born in the workhouse and stays there until he is made to leave. What waits for him next is the falseness of the wealthy and the depths to which poverty pushes the human spirit.

E. Gone with the wind (Margaret Mitchell)

This is an all-time best-seller by Margaret Mitchell. The story takes place during the American Civil War. It records the tragic love stories of Katie Scarlet O’Hara, a southern beauty. In the end of the story, Scarlett is left only with her Tara, a plantation which symbolizes the culture of the Old South, a place where she could ever gather her strength.

F. The Adventure of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)

Tom Sawyer, a naughty boy in the quiet town of St. Petersburg, unexpectedly witnesses the murder of Dr. Robinson. At first he is frightened and keeps it a secret. But at the trial of the case, he bravely exposes the real criminal. He and his friend start tracing the escaping murderer. Finally they find his dead body together with hidden treasures.

请阅读以下读者的相关信息，然后匹配他/她感兴趣的书籍：

1.Ben is 14 years now and is fond of reading books. He is interested in all sorts of exciting stories, such as those about adventures, detectives and treasure hunting.

2.Lucy is a quiet girl who likes to read in a quiet corner in the library. Her favorite stories are those with characters brave enough to face and overcome difficulties in life.

3.Jessica, a fan of romantic stories, has just graduated from high school. She decides to relax herself in reading different love stories this summer. By the way, she hates war.

4.Peter majors in literature in college. He is especially interested in the psychological description in novels and wants to talk about this in his term paper.

5.Sam was born in America but his family moved to Europe when he was a child. He misses the days spent in America and is extremely interested in stories about the Old South.

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (试演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (样本唱片) tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil.

In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (对比) to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as      .

A. critical      B. doubtful     C. indifferent        D. optimistic

From Para. 4 we learn that Boyle      .

A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coach

B. entered Britain's Got Talent to prove her ability

C. decided to give up her singing career

D. was deeply affected by her mother's death

Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008.

B. Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

C. She has never stopped singing since 1995.

D. She was the winner of Britain's Got Talent.

In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to      .

A. tell us how Boyle's dream came true

B. let us know more about Boyle's personal life

C. show how Boyle was influenced by her family

D. explain how to enter and win a talent show