B

For years I wanted a flower garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.

But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.

Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know.”

Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.

I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.

Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on — and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!

I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: “IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin.”

Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.

That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.

I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes — every time.

I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!

59．By saying “Do you see a money tree outside .….,” the mother actually means “      ”

       A．Observation is the best teacher.      B．Seeing is believing.

       C．The outsider sees the most of the game.       D．It is not easy to gain money

60．The best title for the passage would probably be         .

      A．My flower garden          B．Marvin helps to realize my dream

       C．Love in Michigan          D．Money grows on trees

61．The underlined word “no - frills” in the fifth paragraph is similar in meaning to        .

       A．wasteful   B．tight  C．absurd      D．helpful

62．From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the mother is         .

       A．divorced when she was young

B．not caring for her kids any longer

       C．alone but not at all lonely      

D．prouder with her garden than with her kids.  

B

For years I wanted a flower garden．I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together．

But then we had Matthew．And Marvin．And the twins, Alisa and Alan．And then Helen．Five children．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．

Money was tight, as well as time．Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I’d have to say, " Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know．"

Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own．I started thinking again about having a garden．

I wasn’t sure, though．I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no - frills budget．

Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by．I looked out of the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches．Then I put my glasses on—and I couldn’t believe what I saw．There was a money tree in my yard !

I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree．Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time．Love, Marvin．"

Marvin kept his promise, too．He dug up a nice ten - by - fifteen foot bed for me．And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis （棚架） , a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．

That was three years ago．My garden’s now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I dont seem to miss my children as much as I once did．It feels like they’re right there with me．

I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short．But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out of my window and think of the flowers．I’ll see next spring in my little garden．I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes—every time．

I’m still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!

60．By saying "Do you see a money tree outside……, "the mother actually means "__________"．

       A．Observation is the best teacher          B．Seeing is believing．

       C．The outsider sees the most of the game D．It is not easy to gain money

61．The best title for the passage would probably be_______________ ．

       A．My flower garden           B．Marvin helps to realize my dream

       C．Love in Michigan           D．Money grows on trees

62．The underlined word "no-frills" in the fifth paragraph is similar in meaning to ____．

       A．wasteful   B．tight  C．absurd      D．helpful

63．From the last but the third paragraph we can infer that the mother is ________________．

       A．divorced when she was young        B．not caring for her kids any longer

       C．alone but not at all lonely                   D．prouder

For better eyesight, doctors advise limiting the hours of screen time and encourage having enough eye resting time.
However, another study shows that sitting in front of computer or TV screens for long hours is not the only reason for myopia（近视）. An Australian research team studied young children in Sydney and Singapore to find the reasons for myopia.
The research team found that the prevalence（流行）of myopia among children in Sydney was lower than children in Singapore, even though they spent more time in front of computer and TV screens. The major finding is that children in Sydney spend longer hours on outdoor activities than those in Singapore.
Indoor and outdoor sports activities both make the eyes focus on more distant objects, which prevents the eyes from changing shape. But outdoor activities may better help avoid myopia than indoor sports activities.
Jane Gwiazda, who does research in sight problems, says: “Natural light is good for eye growth. And extra vitamin D from the sun might contribute to eye growth.”
Many doctors suggest that every child get its first eye test done when he/she is about two and half years old, and even if his/her sight seems perfect.
It is necessary for myopic children to wear glasses to prevent headaches, trouble reading or injuries. It is also important that schools invite doctors to test their students’ eyes.
If that is not possible, school teachers should at least encourage parents and children to have regular eye examinations and wear glasses. And parents should remember not only to limit the total screen time for their children, but also to encourage them to spend time outdoors.

1. 1.

   What’s the aim of the study by the Australian research team ?

   1. A.
      To find the reasons for myopia.
   2. B.
      To find the ways to treat myopia.
   3. C.
      To prove the bad effects of myopia.
   4. D.
      To prove the prevalence of myopia.
2. 2.

   Why are there fewer children with myopia in Sydney than in Singapore ?

   1. A.
      Because Sydney children watch less TV.
   2. B.
      Because Sydney children have more eye resting time.
   3. C.
      Because Sydney children use computers less.
   4. D.
      Because Sydney children do more outdoor sports.
3. 3.

   What conclusion can we draw from the passage ?

   1. A.
      Sydney children don’t study hard.
   2. B.
      Singapore children do few exercises.
   3. C.
      Outdoor activities do more good to eyes.
   4. D.
      Room light does harm to children’s eyes.
4. 4.

   Which of the following statements is TRUE ?

   1. A.
      Children should have eye tests as soon as they reach school age.
   2. B.
      Doing outdoor activities with no glasses is good for myopia children.
   3. C.
      Focusing on distant objects can help the eyes keep their original shape.
   4. D.
      Children should limit their time in the sun in order to protect their eyes.

When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of 65, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a $105 monthly pension check ,and a recipe for chicken.

Knowing he couldn’t live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of his van (货车),and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant  owners, who would in turn give him a residual (酬金)for every piece of chicken they sold—5 cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down.

 So did the second.

 So did the third.

In fact, the first 1,008 sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he traveled across the USA, sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number 1,009 gave him first “yes”.

After two years of making daily sales he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on , knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would catch on .

Of course, you know how the story ends. The idea did catch on. By 1963 the Colonel had 600 restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with ll herbs and spices ).

In 1964 he was bought out by future Kentucky governor John Brown.Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote KFC until his death in 1990.

Which of the following statements about Colonel Sanders is wrong according to the passage? 

A. He received a pension of a little more than $100 every month after he retired.

 B. He couldn’t live on his pension because he had a chicken recipe in hand.

 C. He didn’t succeed in selling his recipe until he tried 1,009 times.

 D. He lived a hard life when he stared the business.

  The underlined phrase“catch on ”in Paragraph 6 probably means          .

     A. be accepted       B. be grasped       C. be popular      D. be rejected

 The sentence “Of course, you know how the story ends” means          .

A. you are sure to know the result of Colonel Sanders’ business

B. You are sure to know Colonel Sanders had finished his story

C. It is certain Colonel Sanders ended his business

D. It is certain Colonel Sanders knew how to end his story

 Colonel Sanders’ story teaches us an important lesson:       

A. It’s never too late to make a change in your life .

B. The early bird catches the worm.

C. Live and learn. Life can teach you a lot of lessons.

D. Constant dripping wears away a stone.

A few years ago, when I was still in high school, I met a wonderful and warm teacher. At that time in my life, there were many changes to adjust to, apart from the usual teenage troubles. My parents had divorced, so my elder brother and I had chosen to stay with my dad. Due to the fact that he was keeping the house, we didn’t have to move.

During this time, my teacher took a special interest in me. Being my English teacher, she encouraged my mind to travel to creativity I had long given up. She brought me out of the shell I built.

She became my mother, my older sister, my friend and my teacher. The one thing she couldn’t do though was to make me more girly as growing up with only my dad and brother made me a real tomboy.

Sometimes, I would be really immature（不成熟的）, especially if she was scoring me less than others on purpose. She knew I could do better than what I was handing in and so pushed me to extend further than limits.

When I finished school and then after college I was about to leave my hometowns she gifted me a watch that every second, with my pulse, should remind me of the one person who will forever wait and love me without reservation.

Time has passed and our friendship is distant, but in my heart, soul and mind, she is the closest I ever got.

The writer and her elder brother chose to live with their father simply because _________.

A. their mother was expecting to have another baby

    B. they didn’t have to move out of their house

    C. they hated their mother remarried

    D. they had a closer relationship with their father

How did the writer get along with her studies before she met her English teacher?

    A. She was hopeless and had given up her studies.

    B. She was getting along well with her studies.

    C. She had some trouble with her studies.

    D. She lacked interest in creativity.

The writer behaved herself like a boy because ________.

    A. she needed the love of mother

    B. she wanted to learn from her father and brother

    C. she lived with only men all the time

    D. her English teacher didn’t care about her

What was the writer’s attitude to the watch given by the teacher?

    A. She considered it to be very useful.

    B. She valued it very much.

    C. She kept it very well.

D. She wanted to do something later in return for it.