Now you’re a fool for helping. “I don’t want to get involved” seems to have become a national motto. One summer I was driving from my hometown of Tahoe City, California to New Orleans, Louisiana. In the middle of the desert, I passed a young man standing by the roadside. He had his  ?   out and held a gas can in his other hand. I drove right by him. There was a time  ?  you’d be called a jerk (混蛋) for passing by somebody ?? .

?? Several days later I was still  ?   about the hitchhiker (搭便车的人), about how I didn’t even lift my foot  ?   the accelerator (加速踏板) for him. “Does anyone stop any more?” I wondered. I recalled Blanche DuBois’s famous line—”I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Was that  ?   these days? One way to test this would be for a person to journey  ?   the US without any money, just  ?   on the good will of others. What would happen? Would he find food, shelter and support?

?? The idea intrigued (激起兴趣) me.

?? The week I  ?   37, I realized that I had never done something truly crazy.  ?   I decided to really do it: travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic without a penny. I would only accept  ?   of rides, food and places to sleep. For six weeks I hitched 82 rides and covered 4,223 miles across 14 states. I was treated kindly  ?   I went. I was  ?   by people’s readiness to help a stranger.

   ? In Oregon, a house painter named Mike  ?   the cold weather and asked if I had a coat. I didn’t, so he gave me a big green army-style jacket. A lumber-mill worker in Michigan named Tim invited me to a  ?   dinner with his family in their shabby house. Then he offered me a tent. I refused, but Tim insisted, packing it into my bag himself. I found people were generally compassionate. Hearing I had no money and would take none, people bought me food or  ?   with them whatever they happened to have. Those who had the  ?   to give often gave the most.

?? I’m  ?   to all the people I met for their rides, their food, their shelter and their gifts. My faith in ordinary folks was  ? . I was proud to live in a country where people were still willing to help. In spite of everything, you can still depend on the  ?   of strangers.

1.A. thumb    ?? B. finger       ?????? C. foot         ????????? D. hand

2.A. that ????  ? B. where      ?????? C. which      ???????? D. when

3.A. in danger     B. in need      ????? C. in trouble   ??????? D. in favor

4.A. worrying   ? B. considering  ???? C. bringing     ??????? D. thinking

5.A. off          ?? B. on          ??????? C. away         ???????? D. from

6.A. interesting   B. possible     ????? C. necessary      ?????? D. important

7.A. across   ??? B. through     ????? C. in      ???????????? D. over

8.A. basing   ??? B. relying    ??????? C. insisting   ???????? D. relating

9.A. seemed   ?? B. got      ????????? C. became   ????????? D. turned

10.A. But        ?? B. So    ??????????? C. And   ???????????  D. Howeve

11.A. jobs   ????? B. supplies      ????? C. helps           ?????? D. offers

12.A. nowhere  ?? B. everywhere ????   C. anywhere  ??????  D. somewhere

13.A. frightened ?  B. annoyed   ?????? C. disappointed  ????? D. amazed

14.A. noted  ????  B. saw           ?????  C. felt           ?    ???? D. sensed

15.A. simple   ??? B. rich            ????? C. delicious  ????????  D. interesting

16.A. supplied ??  B. offered  ???????  C. shared    ?????????? D. provided

17.A. fewest  ???  B. most    ????????? C. least   ??????????? D. best

18.A. careful  ???  B. grateful   ?????? C. hopeful   ?????????? D. helpful

19.A. created   ??? B. reminded   ????? C. renewed   ????????? D. returned

20.A. kindness ??  B. happiness      ??  C. fairness  ??????????  D. brightness

第三部分 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

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

He lost his arms in an accident that cost his father the life. Since then, he’s had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. To take care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.

   One late night, he felt bad and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back to the dorm to wait. But being so tired, his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him three hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As they grew up, they would have their share of problems. Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live his own life, which made him heart-broken.

   A similar misfortune befell a girl. One night her mother, who suffered from mental illness,  disappeared. Her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for them, only to overturn the lamp on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away.

   Though her elder sister, who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to look after her, she was determined to be completely independent. At school, she always studied hard and learned to be independent. She wrote in her composition: “Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I’m lucky.”

   One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother’s arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.

   It is true that misfortune can strike at any time. If you choose only to complain and escape, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decided to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.

56. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

   A. The elder brother lost his arms in a family fire when cooking.

   B. In an accident the elder brother lost his arms, but his father lost his life.

   C. The younger brother shouldn’t have left his brother alone.

   D. The boy and the girl were both independent.

57. Which is the best title of this passage?

   A. Help Those in Need

   B. Broken Wings, Flying Heart

   C. Life, Often Unfair, Is Compared to Voyage

   D. The Importance of One’s Arms

58. What is the biggest difference between the boy and the girl?

   A. The girl didn’t live with her sister while the boy was helped a lot by his brother.

   B. The girl had a devoted sister while the boy’s brother refused to help him.

   C. The girl chose to be challenged while the boy chose to give in.

   D. The boy lost his father while the girl lost her mother.

59. The underlined word “befell” in the third paragraph means “        ”.

   A. fell                  B. happened to         C. passed                  D. pulled down

He lost his arms in an accident that cost his father the life. Since then, he’s had to depend on the arms of his younger brother. To take care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.

   One late night, he felt bad and had to wake up his younger brother. His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back to the dorm to wait. But being so tired, his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him three hours till the teacher on duty discovered him. As they grew up, they would have their share of problems. Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live his own life, which made him heart-broken.

   A similar misfortune befell a girl. One night her mother, who suffered from mental illness,  disappeared. Her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for them, only to overturn the lamp on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away.

   Though her elder sister, who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to look after her, she was determined to be completely independent. At school, she always studied hard and learned to be independent. She wrote in her composition: “Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I’m lucky.”

   One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother’s arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.

   It is true that misfortune can strike at any time. If you choose only to complain and escape, it will always follow you wherever you go. But if you decided to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.

Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

   A. The elder brother lost his arms in a family fire when cooking.

   B. In an accident the elder brother lost his arms, but his father lost his life.

   C. The younger brother shouldn’t have left his brother alone.

   D. The boy and the girl were both independent.

Which is the best title of this passage?

   A. Help Those in Need

   B. Broken Wings, Flying Heart

   C. Life, Often Unfair, Is Compared to Voyage

   D. The Importance of One’s Arms

What is the biggest difference between the boy and the girl?

   A. The girl didn’t live with her sister while the boy was helped a lot by his brother.

   B. The girl had a devoted sister while the boy’s brother refused to help him.

   C. The girl chose to be challenged while the boy chose to give in.

   D. The boy lost his father while the girl lost her mother.

The underlined word “befell” in the third paragraph means “        ”.

   A. fell                  B. happened to         C. passed                  D. pulled down