I was puzzled! Why was this old woman making such a fuss about an old copse which was of no use to anybody? She had written letters to the local paper, even to a national, protesting about a projected by-pass to her village, and, looking at a map, the route was nowhere near where she lived and it wasn’t as if the area was attractive. I was more than puzzled, I was curious.

The enquiry into the route of the new by-pass to the village was due to take place shortly, and I wanted to know what it was that motivated her. So it was that I found myself knocking on a cottage door, being received by Mary Smith and then being taken for a walk to the woods.

“I’ve always loved this place,” she said, “it has a lot of memories for me, and for others. We all used it. They called it ‘Lovers lane’. It’s not much of a lane, and it doesn’t go anywhere important, but that’s why we all came here. To be away from people, to be by ourselves. ” she added.

It was indeed pleasant that day and the songs of many birds could be heard. Squirrels watched from the branches, quite bold in their movements, obviously few people passed this way and they had nothing to fear. I could imagine the noise of vehicles passing through these peaceful woods when the by-pass was built, so I felt that she probably had something there but as I hold strong opinions about the needs of the community over-riding the opinions of private individuals, I said nothing. The village was quite a dangerous place because of the traffic especially for old people and children, their safety was more important to me than an old woman’s strange ideas.

“Take this tree,” she said pausing after a short while. “To you it is just that, a tree. Not unlike many others here.” She gently touched the bark, “Look here, under this branch, what can you see?”

“It looks as if someone has done a bit of carving with a knife.” I said after a cursory inspection.

“Yes, that’s what it is!” she said softly.

She went on, “He had a penknife with a spike for getting stones from a horse's hoof, and I helped him to carve them. We were very much in love, but he was going away, and could not tell me what he was involved in the army. I had guessed of course. It was the last evening we ever spent together, because he went away the next day, back to his Unit.”

Mary Smith was quiet for a while, then she sobbed. “His mother showed me the telegram. ‘Sergeant R Holmes …Killed in action in the invasion of France.’…”

“I had hoped that you and Robin would one day get married.” she said, “He was my only child, and I would have loved to be a Granny, they would have been such lovely babies’- she was like that! ”

“Two years later she too was dead. ‘Pneumonia (肺炎), following a chill on the chest’ was what the doctor said, but I think it was an old fashioned broken heart. A child would have helped both of us.”

There was a further pause. Mary Smith gently caressed the wounded tree, just as she would have caressed him. “And now they want to take our tree away from me.” Another quiet sob, then she turned to me. “I was young and pretty then, I could have had anybody, I wasn’t always the old woman you see here now. I had everything I wanted in life, a lovely man, health and a future to look forward to.”

She paused again and looked around. The breeze gently moved through the leaves with a sighing sound. “There were others, of course, but no one can match my Robin!” she said strongly. “And now I have nothing - except the memories this tree holds. If only I could get my hands on that awful man who writes in the paper about the value of the road they are going to build where we are standing now, I would tell him. Has he never loved, has he never lived, does he not know anything about memories? We were not the only ones, you know, I still meet some who came here as Robin and I did. Yes, I would tell him!”

I turned away, sick at heart.

63. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A. draw attention to the damage that wars cause

B. persuade people to give up private interest

C. arouse the awareness of being environmentally friendly

D. introduce a touching but sad love story

64. The underlined sentence “I felt that she probably had something there” means ________.

A. I thought there might be something hidden in the woods by Mary Smith

B. I guessed there might be a story related with Mary Smith

C. I thought there might be some reason for Mary Smith’s protest

D. I guessed there might be a secret purpose of Mary Smith.

65. What was probably the carving on the wounded tree?

A. Their names and a heart with a sign of arrow through it.

B. Their wish that this place and tree would last long.

C. The date when Robin Holmes would leave for army.

D. Their protest against the war which tore them apart.

   I was puzzled! Why was this old woman making such a fuss about an old copse which was of no use to anybody? She had written letters to the local paper, even to a national, protesting about a projected by-pass to her village, and, looking at a map, the route was nowhere near where she lived and it wasn’t as if the area was attractive. I was more than puzzled, I was curious.

   The enquiry into the route of the new by-pass to the village was due to take place shortly, and I wanted to know what it was that motivated her. So it was that I found myself knocking on a cottage door, being received by Mary Smith and then being taken for a walk to the woods.

“I’ve always loved this place,” she said, “it has a lot of memories for me, and for others. We all used it. They called it ‘Lovers lane’. It’s not much of a lane, and it doesn’t go anywhere important, but that’s why we all came here. To be away from people, to be by ourselves. ” she added.

It was indeed pleasant that day and the songs of many birds could be heard. Squirrels watched from the branches, quite bold in their movements, obviously few people passed this way and they had nothing to fear. I could imagine the noise of vehicles passing through these peaceful woods when the by-pass was built, so I felt that she probably had something there but as I hold strong opinions about the needs of the community over-riding the opinions of private individuals, I said nothing. The village was quite a dangerous place because of the traffic especially for old people and children, their safety was more important to me than an old woman’s strange ideas.

“Take this tree,” she said pausing after a short while. “To you it is just that, a tree. Not unlike many others here.” She gently touched the bark, “Look here, under this branch, what can you see?”

“It looks as if someone has done a bit of carving with a knife.” I said after a cursory inspection.

“Yes, that’s what it is!” she said softly.

   She went on, “He had a penknife with a spike for getting stones from a horse's hoof, and I helped him to carve them. We were very much in love, but he was going away, and could not tell me what he was involved in the army. I had guessed of course. It was the last evening we ever spent together, because he went away the next day, back to his Unit.”

   Mary Smith was quiet for a while, then she sobbed. “His mother showed me the telegram. ‘Sergeant R Holmes …Killed in action in the invasion of France.’…”

“I had hoped that you and Robin would one day get married.” she said, “He was my only child, and I would have loved to be a Granny, they would have been such lovely babies’- she was like that! ”

“Two years later she too was dead. ‘Pneumonia (肺炎), following a chill on the chest’ was what the doctor said, but I think it was an old fashioned broken heart. A child would have helped both of us.”

There was a further pause. Mary Smith gently caressed the wounded tree, just as she would have caressed him. “And now they want to take our tree away from me.” Another quiet sob, then she turned to me. “I was young and pretty then, I could have had anybody, I wasn’t always the old woman you see here now. I had everything I wanted in life, a lovely man, health and a future to look forward to.”

   She paused again and looked around. The breeze gently moved through the leaves with a sighing sound. “There were others, of course, but no one can match my Robin!” she said strongly. “And now I have nothing - except the memories this tree holds. If only I could get my hands on that awful man who writes in the paper about the value of the road they are going to build where we are standing now, I would tell him. Has he never loved, has he never lived, does he not know anything about memories? We were not the only ones, you know, I still meet some who came here as Robin and I did. Yes, I would tell him!”

   I turned away, sick at heart.

55. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

   A. draw attention to the damage that wars cause

   B. persuade people to give up private interest

   C. arouse the awareness of being environmentally friendly

   D. introduce a touching but sad love story

56. Which of the following words can best describe Mary Smith?

   A. Selfish.            B. Faithful.           C. Changeable.        D. Stubborn.

57. The underlined sentence “I felt that she probably had something there” means ________.

   A. I thought there might be something hidden in the woods by Mary Smith

   B. I guessed there might be a story related with Mary Smith

   C. I thought there might be some reason for Mary Smith’s protest

   D. I guessed there might be a secret purpose of Mary Smith.

58. What was probably the carving on the wounded tree?

   A. The date when Robin Holmes would leave for army.

   B. Their wish that this place and tree would last long.

   C. Their names and a heart with a sign of arrow through it.

   D. Their protest against the war which tore them apart.

59. In Mary’s opinion, which of the following might have caused Robin’s mother’s death?

   A. Pneumonia       B. A chill on the chest     C. A heart attack     D. Severe sorrow

60. The “tree” probably stands for ________.

   A. her romance      B. her determination         C. her sadness          D. her dream

　　The lecture (报告) on smoking was over at last. As we boys were rushing towards the playground, Jim slipped (滑倒) by the table. The watch, which Mrs. Smith had laid (放) on the table as she started her　　1　　, disappeared.

　　We were　　2　　to go back for class again when the headmaster called us　　3　　and said,“I've got a little　　4　　for you boys. Mrs. Smith has just lost her watch on the playground. This kind of thing has happened　　5　 , she says it just　　6　　off her wrist (手腕). So, look around for it, will you?　　7　　if you're clever enough to find it. Let's　　8　　clear the boy who does　　9　　will get a useful reward(奖赏).”At once, we started looking for the watch. Everybody wished to be the　　10　　one. Suddenly, Jim stopped and bent down as if to　　11　　something. And　　12　　he was in front of Mrs. Smith, all smiles,　　13　　the watch to her.

　　Mrs. Smith, however, didn't seem at all　　14　 . In fact, she looked angry. She took the watch without　　15　　a“Thank you”. Jim got　　16　 a large piece of paper from the headmaster, who　　17　　him to write a composition　　18　　the dangers of smoking. What could　　19　　Jim write about? He don't listened to the lecture and had nothing to say on the　　20　 .

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DEAR AMY: Last year I got a full-time job as a baby-sitter for a wonderful family with two amazing kids. They have come to treat me as one of their own. But my boyfriend and I are attempting to save much more money for the life we want to build, including marriage, a house and kids. Much as I love my “babies,” I’m looking forward to beginning a challenging career in a big company. Should I tell the family that I am looking for a new job? I don’t want to find one that requires me to begin work immediately, leaving them without child care, but I also don’t want them to assume that I’m leaving right away.              

Up-in-the-Air Au Pair

DEAR AU PAIR: Whatever your arrangement, it is reasonable for them to expect you to be honest and to keep them in the loop. They see that you are making changes in your life, and surely they will also understand your desire to advance in a career. Tell them frankly and they should be happy to employ you as long as you are available.

                                                           Amy

DEAR AMY: I am a freshman in a high school. Last summer my best friend was diagnosed with skin cancer. It isn’t very serious, but she seems to be becoming more and more depressed. How can I help her be happy again?

                                                           Best Friend

DEAR FRIEND: Your best role is to prop up and encourage your friend when she seems down, and to be supportive and kind to her. You're doing a great job with that, and your friend is lucky to have you in her life.

                                                           Amy

1.What is Au Pair’s problem according to the first paragraph?

A. She has no idea whether to tell the family her plan or not.

B. She has no idea whether the family will hate her or not.

C. She has no idea where to find a new good job.

D. She has no idea how to save more money.

2.From the underlined phrase“ to keep them in the loop”, we can infer that Amy advises Au Pair_____.

A. to keep it secret to the family

B. to cheat the family for the time being

C. to tell her true impression of the family

D. to let the family know what’s going on

3. In which column of a newspaper can we probably find the passage?

A. Jobs             B. culture          C. Life             D. Entertainment