It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货) saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that，several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.

People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced (影响) us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

1.Why was the bike so important to the couple?

A．The man’s job was bike racing.            B．It was their only possession.

C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed.               D．They used it for work and daily life

2.We can infer from the text that ________

A．The couple worked 60 hours a week         B．people were busy before Christmas

C．the stranger brought over the bike          D．life was hard for the young family

3.How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A．From radio broadcasts.                   B．From a newspaper.

C．From TV news.                          D．From a stranger.

4.What do the couple learn from their experience?

A．Strangers are usually of little help.          B．One should take care of their bike.

C．News reports make people famous.          D．An act of kindness can mean a lot.

 

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend's. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership - a shop selling cars - was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

"Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

"Thank you" - two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.

The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City_________.

A. to visit a friend

B. to see his parents

C. to pay at the cash register

D. to have more gas for his car

The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “______”.

A. turned off  B. moved off   C. put up   D. set up

What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A. He had it pulled back to the gas station.

B. The couple sent him a business card.

C. The couple offered to help him.  

D. He called his friend for help.

The battery of the author’s car was dead because_______.

A. something went wrong with the lights

B. the meeting lasted a whole day

C. he forgot to turn off the lights

D. he drove too long a distance

By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show______.

A. how to write a thank-you letter

B. how to deal with car problems

C. the kind-heartedness of older people

D. the importance of expressing thanks

Early one morning, I witnessed romance at one the least-expected places in the world—a room in a rest home. At the time, my father  36  a room with three other gentlemen.

Before my daddy lived in the rest home, an elderly  37  was sent there. Since there wasn’t a double room  38  , they were forced to separate the couple. The gentleman, Mr.West, was  39  in the bed beside Daddy. His wife, Mrs.West, shared a room with several other ladies down the hall.

When I went to see Daddy that morning, I  40  Mr.West. Three employees were working with him. He hadn’t eaten a bite of food  41  he was sent several days earlier. I could  42  by the expression on the nurses’ faces that they were worried about him. Mr.West  43  to open his mouth for any of them.

“Go and get Mrs.West, ” the nurse told her helper. “Maybe Mr.West will eat  44  her. ”

In a few minutes a kind-looking lady was  45  into the room. Her smile was contagious（传染的）and Mr.West smiled  46  . I felt as though I was intruding（侵入）on a  47  moment, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the couple. The love between them was obvious, as Mrs.West patted Mr.West’s hand.

With a soft voice, Mrs.West tried to 48  Mr.West to eat. To everyone’s surprise, Mr.West  49  his mouth and began to enjoy the  50  and his wife’s company. While the nurses fed him, he stared at his sweetheart with a smile on his face. Mrs.West began singing a song for him. The  51  on his once solemn（严肃的）face became even brighter.

Tears  52  my eyes. The nurse then  53  the curtain around the couple to give them some quality time alone. I discovered that  54  doesn’t only exist when we’re young and in love. Romance  55  a lifetime and grows stronger with age.

1.                A．lived           B．stayed          C．shared   D．had

 

2.                A．husband.       B．couple         C．gentleman     D．wife

 

3.                A．accessible       B．acknowledge     C．available D．acceptable

 

4.                A．sent           B．lain            C．placed    D．fixed

 

5.                A．understood.     B．found          C．knew     D．met

 

6.                A．after           B．before          C．since     D．while

 

7.                A．say            B．tell            C．get D．look

 

8.                A．expected       B．demanded       C．refused   D．promised

 

9.                A．to             B．for             C．about    D．on

 

10.               A．reached        B．sent           C．wheeled   D．carried

 

11.               A．brightly        B．quietly         C．lightly     D．secretly

 

12.               A．personal        B．personnel       C．selfish     D．private

 

13.               A．convince       B．make          C．force D．urge

 

14.               A．closed         B．opened         C．was opening    D．was closed

 

15.               A．coffee         B．fruits           C．food D．sweets

 

16.               A．happiness       B．appearance     C．worry     D．expression

 

17.               A．filled in         B．filled with       C．filled D．were filled with

 

18.               A．pulled          B．dragged        C．put   D．pushed

 

19.               A．love           B．romance        C．happiness D．smile

 

20.               A．is             B．remains        C．lasts D．continues

 

 

An Italian couple are to become the world's oldest divorcees, after the 99 - year – old husband found that his 96 - year - old wife had an affair（婚外情）in the 1940s．

The Italian man, called by lawyers in the case as Antonio C, was looking through an old drawer when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas．    

In spite of the time that had passed since the affair, he was so upset that he immediately asked his wife of 77years, named as Rosa C, whether it was true, and demanded a divorce．

Stricken by the guilt, she reportedly admitted everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision, though her children also did much more work．

She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week, which made people know the truth．

The couple are now preparing to split; though the marriage they built has lasted over nearly eight decades－ they have five children,  a dozen grandchildren and one great – grand child．

The discovery of the letters was the final problem for their marriage which had already run into difficulty－10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later．

The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the couple's southern blood 一 he is originally from Olbia in Sardinia: while his wife was born in Naples． The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio served as a young officer．

The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest figures – the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK．

That pair ended their 36 - year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their l00th birthdays．They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972, having both ended previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later．

1.Which is true according to the text?   

A．To find his wife' affair, Antonio C looked through an old drawer．

B．Rosa C' lover may be Bertie．

C．Rosa C admitted what she did because she was sorry for her guilt．

D．The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the discovery of the letters．

2.Which word can replace the underlined one in passage5?

A．advertised         B．announced        C．concluded         D．expressed

3.Which of the following best describe Antonio C?．

A．a childish man                          B．a rude man

C．a romantic man                         D．a stubborn man

4.The marriage of Antonio C and Rosa C            ．

A．may come to an end because the husband sticks to his decision

B．appears to set a new record

C．may have lasted over 36 years

D．began in the 1930s before both ending previous marriages

5.This passage may come from        ．

A．a text book                            B．a newspaper

C．a history book                          D．an advertisement

 

The couple look very excited，because their only son has been _______to Hong Kong University.

A．entered          B．permitted         C．agreed           D．admitted