-------Do you have enough to ________all your daily expenses?

--------Oh yes, enough and to spare. 

A. cover         B. spend        C. fill        D. offer

The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel.The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car.Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras.The bride wore a silk wedding dress.She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station's competition.The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other.Miss Germaine,23,is a model.Mr Cordell,27,is a TV salesman.They were among the two hundred people who entered for a peculiar “experiment”organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham,England.Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio.They took a lie detector(测谎仪) test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities.The competition judges included an astrologer (占星家)who eclared that they were suited.

The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening,but not everyone shared their joy.Miss Germaine's mother looked anxious throughout the wedding and Mr Cordell's parents are reported to be less than delighted.

Organizations,including the marriage guidance service Relate,have criticized the marriage.As one person put it,“We have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously without this.Marriage should always be about love.”

The couple are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists.Their other prizes include a year's free use of a wonderful apartment in the centre of Birmingham,and a car.But will it last?

1.How did the couple's parents react to the wedding?

A.The bride's mother shared their joy.

B.The bride's father felt uncomfortable about the wedding.

C.The bridegroom's parents were quite delighted.

D.The bridegroom's parents were not that joyful.

2.Some experts believe that  _______ .

A.marriage without the couple's meeting each other first ends up in divorce

B.young people nowadays are too careless about marriage

C.taking a lie detector test can not solve all the marriage problems

D.most young people take marriage seriously except this couple

3.One of the prizes for the couple is  _______ .

A.to spend their honeymoon wherever they like

B.to use an apartment free for some time

C.to have a wedding dress free

D.to own an American sports car

4.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A.Two Strangers and a Wedding

B.A Wedding Based on Love

C.A Short?Lived Marriage

D.A Well?Matched Couple

    The incident took place on Sunday，the 25th of June. On that particular day，a south wind had been gusting(劲吹) on and off all morning. It was not strong enough to cause us any concern，so we carried on our daily work, not suspecting what was about to happen.

    The storm gave us very little warning. Black clouds loomed over the distant horizon(地平线) so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then，we were not really worried，as the clouds seemed to be moving over our house and towards the distant mountains. Then，just as the clouds had moved inland，the wind suddenly swung around in a full circle and we were facing a major storm.

    Instantly，we were busily preparing for the worst. The whole family had experienced such a storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to stock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. But we needed to protect the animals in case the river flooded again. My older brother called his sheep-dog and began driving our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. If the river flooded，they should be safe there.

    In the meantime，my father was mending a shed roof that had partly fallen down after many years of fine service. If the tin flew off，it could damage the house. My younger brother began hurriedly carrying firewood under the shelter. My job was to help Mum board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone(旋风)，the boards would protect the glass.

    The storm raged for four hours，pouring more rain on us than we had seen in the last five years. As expected，the river broke its banks and came slowly up towards the house and the stock..

    Then，just as we were beginning to lose hope，the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The animals were safe，and the roof was still nailed on. “All’s well that ends well ,”said my mother.

56.When the black clouds appeared suddenly in the distance,           .

   A. the family were surprised    B. they were extremely worried

   C. they were preparing for the worst    D. they faced the storm bravely

57.“There was very little we could do about the crops” indicates that           .

   A. little damage would be done to the crops           B. they had everything ready for the crops

   C. they felt unable to protect the crops                  D. the crops should be safe enough there

58. The underlined word “ stock” in the third paragraph refers to          .

   A. money owned by the family                      B. goods for sale

   C. supplies for family use                             D. farm animals    .

59.It can be inferred from what the mother said that          ·

   A. they had no damage at all                                B. everything went beyond their expectation

   C. everything was under control                    D. the family could have suffered a greater loss

Bob and Annie had not known each other long before they became eager to get married:Bob because he wanted Annie and she because she could at least lead a life away from her1_____. When Mrs.Thompson 2_____ that they marry and live with her until they could get a 3 _____ of their own, Annie hesitated. Her idea of 4_____ had been something which 5 _____her a husband and an orderly, well-furnished home all at once. 6_____ she soon saw the 7_____  of this arrangement. She would, first of all, 8_____ from her present life into a house which was quiet and well run, not 9_____ her own; and she would be able to go on walking so that she and Bob could 10____ up all the more quickly for their own house. She would also get Bob, a good enough husband for any working-class 11_____:good-natured and 12_____ to be bent her way whenever it was 13 _____for her ends.

Things went well until her mother-in-law’s 14_____, when Annie had to give up her 15_____ and was at home all day. Her father-in-law became just a 16_____ figure in the house and 17____Bob became used to him, Annie began to find the old man’s constant 18_____in the house a source of growing annoyance(烦恼).

“He gets on my nerves, Bob,” she said. “And he hardly says a word all day.”

   “Well, I suppose he has a 19_____ to do as he likes,” Bob said mildly. “It’s his house not ours.” But to Annie, now looking after the house 20_____ it were her own, it was beginning to seem the other way about.

1.A.city           B. family         C. room          D. company

2.A.learned        B. thought        C. heard          D. suggested

3.A.stay           B. child          C. house          D. world

4.A.marriage       B. life           C. future           D. expectation

5.A.give           B. found         C. brought         D. searched

6.A.But            B. So           C. Instead          D. Besides

7.A.difficulty       B. advantage      C. trouble         D. result

8.A.leave          B. make          C. change         D. escape

9.A.of            B. on             C. like            D. for

10.A.earn          B. save           C. build           D. set

11.A.home        B. character        C. custom         D. girl

12.A.easy         B. ready           C. kind           D. lovely

13.A.necessary     B. right            C. important       D. helpful

14.A.illness        B. arrival          C. death           D. appearance

15.A.job           B. idea           C. decision          D. dream

16.A.active         B. funny          C. strange          D. silent

17.A.until          B. although        C. before           D. when

18.A.rest           B. work           C. presence         D. cough

19.A.right            B. way           C. wish           D. freedom

20.A.because         B. if             C. even though      D. as if

“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.

If Dick had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Dick worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Dick improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.

Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.

Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situation. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to Work out practical problems.

It is important to give children choices. From the earlier age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.

What did the company where Dick once worked learn from its mistake?

  A. They encouraged people to work a longer time.

  B. They discouraged people to think freely.

  C. They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas.

  D. They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas.

Creativity is something __

   A. that people are born with

   B. that depends on intelligence

   C. that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems

   D. that is not important at all

Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?

   A. They don’t understand the importance of education.

   B. They don’t want their students to make mistakes.

   C. They pay too much attention to exam marks, language and mathematical skills.

   D. They think it more important to remember some information.

What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?

   A. Try to help them as much as possible. B. Take no notice of whatever they do.

   C. Leave them as they are.   D. Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much..