D

For John and Amy Cervantes, birthdays have always been a big deal — a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their eldest son, Alex, turned three, in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park and hired a clown to paint faces and make balloon animals.

Not long after that, the couple were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to others. “That’ s when a spark went off,” says Amy. “We wanted to do something that would have a strong effect on our community, that wasn’t already being  done, and that our young children could participate in. I started wondering what less fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter.” What they learned is that homeless children typically don’t do anything to celebrate. No cake. No gifts. No party.

Several weeks later, the family threw a party at the shelter for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and led 50 kids in the uncertain situation. Alex helped fill and pass out goody bags and presents. Since that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea into Birthday Blessings, a nonprofit that hosts monthly parties at ten shelters in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The group also delivers baby supplies to new moms in the shelters. And it considerately sends treats to elementary schools so homeless kids can celebrate their birthdays with friends.

To date, Birthday Blessings has thrown more than 500 parties and handed out over 22,000 favors to nearly 4,000 homeless children. The idea is spreading fast, with additional chapters set to start in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and northeast Indiana. Birthday Blessings is operated entirely by volunteers with Amy, a stay-at-home mom, in charge. John attempts his career as an investment adviser while setting up the group’s similar network and running its capital campaign. The charity will take almost anything — toys, baby items — as long as it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new,” John says. “It makes a big difference to them psychologically.”

Being part of this“labor of love,” as Amy puts it, is already making an impression on the boys. When Alex turned seven, his grandparents sent a birthday check. “The first thing he said when he opened it,” Amy recalls, “was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.”

63. “a spark went off,” in Para 2 is closest in meaning to_______ .

A. Something was burning        B. there was a little hope

C. they were excited.            D. some good idea flashed into their mind.

64. The couple held a party at the shelter because_____ .

A. The children had birthdays that month

B. They felt sympathy for the homeless children

C. They wanted to make good impression on the children

D. They wanted to show that they were generous and kind

65. From the passage we can learn_______ .

A. The homeless children typically receive gifts and eat cakes on their birthdays

B. The group carefully sends treats to all the children in elementary schools

C. Birthday Blessings has performed different activities to aid the homeless children.

D. The couple are responsible for their own community in North Carolina

66. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Labor of Love                B. Nonprofit Organization 

C. Warm-hearted Volunteers.      D. Fortunate Children

 

B

ON March 17 there will be an explosion of green across the World in celebration of St Patrick’s Day．The Irish traditionally wear green on this day, as the color is associated with Ireland．

But there are others, non-Irish，who use the occasion to make jokes about the Irish．They use the stereotype(成见)of the Irish as hot-tempered(脾气暴躁的)drinkers，who love to fight and will do anything to avoid a day's work．

However, today the Irish are more often admired for their musical talent and many other abilities．It’s no accident that many of today's most popular music groups，such as singer Enya and rock band U2，are Irish born and bred．Lonely Planet readers even ranked Ireland in 2007 as the friendliest country in the world．

So where did the negative Irish stereotype come from? From the 19th century when it was a bad time to be Irish．

Ireland then was poverty-stricken and starving．Many Irish moved to the United States to escape famine, but there they had to compete---occasionally with their fists for jobs and housing with other immigrant groups，such as the Italians．It was on the US’ streets that the Irish earned their reputation for street fighting．

The stereotype of the Irish as big drinkers may be unfair, but Ireland can boast(为……自豪) its fair share of famous drinks．It was the Irish after all who created one of the world’s best-loved beers，Guinness．

65．What is the story mainly about?

A．How the Irish earned their reputation．

B．The festival-St Patrick’s Day．

C．Jokes about the Irish people．

D．Famous Irish stereotype and the truth．

66．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．St Palrick’s Day is celebrated nowhere else but Ireland．

B．Modern Irish show no interest in drinking alcohol．

C．Part of the stereotype about the Irish is that they are lazy．

D．Irish people usually get hot-tempered when laughed at．

67．Where did the negative Irish stereotype come from?

A．From their everyday behavior toward other people．

B．From the behavior of Irish immigrants to America in the 19th century．

C．From the historical record of 19th century Ireland．

D．From most people’s impression of Irish people

 

C

To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(内在地) motivated to do it．

Sometimes it’s very difficult to get ourselves moving．The natural tendency is to postpone．Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book．The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit．So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals? 

Here are some tips on how to get moving:

Decide what you want．It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind．Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it．Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming．（势不可挡）

Keep track of your progress．Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished．Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead．

Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight．It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for．It makes it attainable and realistic．Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need．    

Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to be revitalized (激活) and focus on the end result．If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you’re doing．

Make it a habit．Once you have accomplished your objective, e．g．becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore．

64．According to the author, some people fail to achieve their goals because ________．

       A．they don’t have enough desire

       B．their life is filled with routine work

       C．they benefit from the force of habit

       D．they naturally put off forming new habits

65．It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________．

       A．self-motivation needs repeated self-reminding of one’s goal

       B．in modern society people tend to become forgetful

       C．when we forget our goal, our life becomes meaningless

       D．we can achieve our goal only by focusing on the end result

66．To get moving on your goal, you can do the following EXCEPT ________．

       A．keep a diary to clearly judge your distance to your goal

       B．make self-improvement your second nature

       C．forget your aim and revitalize yourself with slogans

       D．support yourself by hanging inspiring pictures in your house

67．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

     A．Set Goals in Your Life    B．Get Yourself Motivated

     C．Get into Good Habits      D．Do Not Postpone

D

For John and Amy Cervantes, birthdays have always been a big deal — a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their eldest son, Alex, turned three, in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park and hired a clown to paint faces and make balloon animals.

    Not long after that, the couple were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to others. “That’ s when a spark went off,” says Amy. “We wanted to do something that would have a strong effect on our community, that wasn’t already being  done, and that our young children could participate in. I started wondering what less fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter.” What they learned is that homeless children typically don’t do anything to celebrate. No cake. No gifts. No party.

    Several weeks later, the family threw a party at the shelter for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and led 50 kids in the uncertain situation. Alex helped fill and pass out goody bags and presents. Since that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea into Birthday Blessings, a nonprofit that hosts monthly parties at ten shelters in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The group also delivers baby supplies to new moms in the shelters. And it considerately sends treats to elementary schools so homeless kids can celebrate their birthdays with friends.

To date, Birthday Blessings has thrown more than 500 parties and handed out over 22,000 favors to nearly 4,000 homeless children. The idea is spreading fast, with additional chapters set to start in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and northeast Indiana. Birthday Blessings is operated entirely by volunteers with Amy, a stay-at-home mom, in charge. John attempts his career as an investment adviser while setting up the group’s similar network and running its capital campaign. The charity will take almost anything — toys, baby items — as long as it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new,” John says. “It makes a big difference to them psychologically.”

Being part of this“labor of love,” as Amy puts it, is already making an impression on the boys. When Alex turned seven, his grandparents sent a birthday check. “The first thing he said when he opened it,” Amy recalls, “was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.”

63. “a spark went off,” in Para 2 is closest in meaning to_______ .

A. Something was burning        B. there was a little hope

C. they were excited.             D. some good idea flashed into their mind.

64. The couple held a party at the shelter because_____ .

A. The children had birthdays that month

B. They felt sympathy for the homeless children

C. They wanted to make good impression on the children

D. They wanted to show that they were generous and kind

65. From the passage we can learn_______ .

A. The homeless children typically receive gifts and eat cakes on their birthdays

B. The group carefully sends treats to all the children in elementary schools

C. Birthday Blessings has performed different activities to aid the homeless children.

D. The couple are responsible for their own community in North Carolina

66. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Labor of Love                B. Nonprofit Organization 

C. Warm-hearted Volunteers.       D. Fortunate Children

B

       On the last day of his life, my dog Otto spent that morning of spring napping in the garden．This was always one of his favorite things to do, even before the days when he was too old and too weak to get out of a car by himself．

       I probably would have started crying over Otto right then, if my two other little dogs hadn't suddenly raced past．Larry, who was a puppy, got knocked into Otto, then licked Otto's ear, and that got Otto excited, and Otto barked and tried to stand up again, but it was hard for him．

       Soon it was time for me to drive to see Steve, our vet．

       When Steve gave Otto the first shot, it made him woozy （眩晕的）．Otto wandered over to where Steve and I were sitting and settled down between us．He has always liked to touch everyone in his pack, if possible, while he sleeps．

       After Steve gave him the last shot and Otto stopped breathing, he didn't look like Otto anymore．He looked like an old gray-brown piece of beat-up carpet, and I suddenly realized what bad shape he'd been in for a long, long time．I wondered if he'd been in much more pain than I knew．Wondering made me feel even worse．

       The week after Otto died was not good．Every morning when I walked Larry and Sticky in the neighborhood, somebody would come up and say they had heard about Otto and they were sorry．They were all Otto's friends and some of them cried．Others, like Debbie who lives on my street, reminded me about how, even at the end．Otto would stand between her twins' stroller （婴儿车） and the street when the garbage truck went by．"Like it was his job to protect them," she marveled．

       Otto has left us, but his memory lives on．

60．How did the author feel when Otto was napping in the garden?

       A．She felt like crying．                B．She thought life was beautiful．         

       C．She found spring was wonderful．       D．She was relieved．

61．According to the passage, how did the dog die?

       A．He had an accident on the street．        B．He died naturally．    

       C．He was made to die by a vet．     D．He starved．

62．What can we know about Otto?

       A．He was already too old to bark．   B．He liked people to keep him company．   

       C．He died a very painful death．           D．He was protected by the neighbours．

63．We can see from the passage that Sticky is a ______．

       A．cat                B．dog       C．child           D．Neighbour