完型填空：（每小题1分，满分20分）
It was a cold winter morning. Half asleep at the train station, I stared into the distance,   41   for the train to take me to my   42  in Boston. The world was quiet. The very few people on the street kept to themselves,  43  their steaming cups of coffee.
Reaching into my pocket as the  44  was getting close, my hand searched for the $ 20 bill to pay my fare. The pocket was 45 ! I searched through my bag and then I felt  46 . Unless the money dropped from the sky, I’d be  47 there. “What’s the matter?” A short, elderly man stood before me. “Oh, nothing…. Well, I  48   my money and now I can’t pay for the ticket. I’m going to  49   my match class, and the train is leaving.”
“Here, use this.” The man held a $ 20 bill. I looked up,  5 0 . People just didn’t do that anymore. Everyone worried about their own  51 , rarely stopping to think about others, especially teenage strangers. “Thank you, but no, I can’t.”
“  52  it – go!” The man pushed me  53  the train.  I bought a round – trip ticket, and he refused the change I  54 to give him back. I did not know what to say – a million thoughts raced through my mind, yet I stood   55  .
For the train ride I was wordless. I began to see the world through  56 eyes. That man made a difference with such a simple  57  .
A week later I was at the train station again, with an extra 20$  58  I saw the man. And there he was. “Excuse me, sir, I believe I owe you this.” I  59  the money into his hand. Failing to refuse, he said, “Just remember to do the same for someone in your shoes someday.” I smiled, content.
The elderly man is my hero. For many, heroes are famous, but my hero is a   60  stranger who taught me a lesson in life. I will never forget his kindness.

Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meeting in New York，So I had to get back . But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged一okay, ordered-them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks . I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in. I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.
【小题1】Why did Delta give the author's family credits?

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.

When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not the desperate steeplechases（障碍赛跑） they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother—the same house my father was raised in, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.

The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from all the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.

    Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else’s home on Sunday.

But now the question is, “What do you plan to DO this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road race to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel sepia-toned, an echo from another era.

I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.

The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when _______.

A. everyone was paying a visit to some relative far away

B. everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure

C. Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house

D. nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school

In the fourth paragraph, the writer compares the response “I’m making a Sunday visit to family” to an echo from another era because _______.

    A. people nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday    

    B. such answers are rarely heard in our modern society

    C. people in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday

    D. visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time

From the last paragraph we may infer that _______.

A. people in Maine suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment

B. people in Maine has abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life

C. land in Maine is short, thus the relationship between people is tense

D. people in Maine always help each other when they are in need

．Which word we may use to describe the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?

A. Unsatisfied.         B. Anxious.             C. Treasured.           D. Teased.                 

A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.
We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.
We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.
Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.
With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”
“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.
Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!”
【小题1】 The writer starts the text by describing________.

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

    阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know a new classmate．I  36  to look around when a gentle hand  37  my shoulder．I turned around to find a wrinkled, little  38  lady looking up at me with a smile．

She said, “Hi．My name is Rose．I’m eighty-seven years old．Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and  39  responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze．

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent  40 ?”I asked．“I always  41  having a college education and now I’m getting  42    !” she told me．

Later, we became close friends．Every day we would leave class together and she  43  her wisdom and experience with me．Over the  44  of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she  45    made friends wherever she went．

At the  46  of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet（宴会）．I’ll  47  forget what she taught us．When she was introduced, frustrated and a little embarrassed, she cleared her  48  and said, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we  49  old because we stop playing．There are only two secrets to staying  50   , being happy, and achieving success．You have to  51  and find humor every day．You’ve got to have a dream．When you  52  your dreams, you die．”

One week after graduation Rose died  53  in her sleep．Many college students attended her funeral in tribute to（悼念）the wonderful woman who taught  54  example that it’s never too  55  to be all you can possibly be．

A．lay down    B．stood up      C．fell off   D．went out

A．touched     B．felt          C．wounded     D．clapped

A．beautiful   B．young        C. old      D．kind-hearted

A．sadly   B．coldly        C. absently    D．enthusiastically

A．age     B．speed    C. point    D．year

A．talked about  B．tried out      C. looked forward   D．dreamed of

A．those   B．one      C．that     D．they 

A．learned B．told     C．shared  D．debated

A．course B．path     C．distance     D．road

A．easily B．rarely   C．unwillingly      D．strangely

A．middle      B．beginning    C．end      D．top  

A．ever    B．never    C．still    D．already

A．throat      B．face     C．nose     D．eyes 

A．grow    B．prove    C．look     D．stay   

A．rich    B．healthy      C．cheerful     D．young    

A．eat B．cry C．laugh    D．shout   

A．have    B．lose C．get              D．keep   

A．bitterly    B．fortunately      C．peacefully   D．hopefully

A．to  B．for              C．in       D．by    

A．early   B．bad C．good     D．late