Once a wise man was traveling with some of his disciples（门徒）. They  36  to pass a lake and they stopped there for a  37  . The man told one of his disciples,“ I’m

 38  . Do get me some water from that lake.”

Just as the disciple reached it, a cart started  39  the lake. As a result, the water became very  40  and muddy. The disciple thought, “ 41  can I give this water to my teacher to drink!” So he came back and said, “The water is very muddy. I don’t think it is  42  to drink.”

After half an hour, the wise man asked the  43  disciple to get him some water. The disciple obediently（顺从地） went back and found the lake was  44  muddy. He returned and  45  the wise man that the water was unfit to drink.

After another hour, the man again asked the disciple to get him a  46 . The disciple reached the lake to find it calm and still. The mud had  47  and the water was clean and clear. So he  48  some water and brought it to the wise man.

The wise man looked at the water, saying, “See what you  49  to make the water clean. You let it be — The  50  settled down on its own and you got the clear water. Our  51  is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be, Give it a little  52 . It will settle down on its own.”

So remember, the next time a(n)  53  has you all frazzled （精疲力竭的）, just let it be; don’t  54  immediately. Let the Mud settle and come back to the situation 55 .

1.A. demanded                     B. wanted              C. struggled               D. happened

2.A. discussion                     B. sleep                 C. rest                          D. preparation

3.A. thirsty                          B. sick                  C. tired                     D. worried

4.A. covering                       B. crossing            C. cleaning                   D. filling

5.A. salty                                B. fresh                 C. heavy                    D. dirty

6.A. Where                          B. How                 C. When                       D. Why

7.A. fit                                B. convenient         C. dangerous              D. cheap

8.A. clever                          B. different            C. same                        D. strong

9.A. indeed                          B. even                 C. also                         D. still

10.A. warned                       B. informed           C. showed                    D. promised

11.A. drink                          B. chance                     C. pot                          D. hand

12.A. taken off                        B. settled down      C. broken down            D. gone off

13.A. stored                         B. found                C. collected               D. left

14.A. heard                         B. discovered         C. noticed                     D. did

15.A. leaf                                   B. water                C. mud                         D. dust

16.A. mind                          B. sight                 C. sense                     D. diet

17.A. room                          B. time                  C. money                         D. care

18.A. accident                      B. danger                     C. situation                D. disaster

19.A. act                             B. admit                C. fail                          D. advance

20.A. now                                  B. first                  C. recently                    D. later

 

I made a pledge (誓言) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical（圣经的）passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”

“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.

After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her. k*s5u

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress (悲痛), “do you know something I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup（体检）I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

1.

 From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A. with his family   B. with Evelyn  C. alone            D. with his children

2.

During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes

B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C. he was determined to be a good husband

D. she was seriously ill

3.

The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.   

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

4.

By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

 

Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horse back riding.

When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.

Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.

One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but I still wrote to her.

She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”

Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!

1.The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans        .

A．at the age of 13                   B．before she got married

C．after they moved to new homes      D．before the writer’s family moved away

2.They didn’t often write to each other because they        .

A．got married                          B．had little time to do so

C．didn’t like writing letters         D．could see each other on special time

3.There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she        .

A．was in trouble  

B．didn’t know Linda’s address

C．received the card that she sent

D．didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness

4.The writer was happy when she        .

A．read the newspaper

B．heard Linda’s voice on the phone

C．met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda

D．wrote to the woman whose last name was Wagman

5.They haven’t kept in touch        .

A．for about 40 years                   B．for about 27 years

C．since they got married               D．since the writer’s family moved away

 

On Saturday nights, A.J.Coston doesn’t get a lot of sleep. Usually three or four times a night, a loud bell rings, a red light flashes, and he has to jump out of his bed. That’s because he’s a weekend volunteer firefighter（消防员）with Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Station 13 in Northern Virginia. During the week, he lives at home with his mom, dad and sister and does his main job which is going to high school.

“I have always wanted to get into firefighting since I was a little kid watching fire trucks go by,” he says. “One day on the Internet I noticed that Loudoun County offered a junior firefighter program.” He was only 16, but he got it.

Fighting fires is dangerous work. Firefighters never stop practicing the skills they need to stay safe. Once Coston learned those skills, he was allowed to work inside burning buildings.

“Teamwork is most important,” he says. “It’s the whole team that puts the fire out.”

Firefighters feel great about helping people. “My most unbelievable call was probably the time four kids were struck by lightning,” says Coston. He will be off to college next fall, building on his dream job. “I’ll get my degree in emergency（紧急情况） medical care. and then work in a fire and rescue company for a while. I want to be a flight doctor on a helicopter in the end, but I will never forget the days as a firefighter. These are my unforgettable experiences,” he says.

1. Coston can’t sleep well on Saturday nights because _____.

   A. he has to work part-time at weekends

   B. he has some sleeping problems

   C. he has to do his job as a volunteer firefighter

   D. he always worries that there may be a fire

2.What do we learn about Coston from the passage?

   A. He doesn’t like studying at school.          B. He will go to college next year.

   C. He dreams to be a great hero one day.        D. He is only sixteen years old.

3.In Coston’s opinion, what is the key thing in putting out a fire?

   A. Skills.               B. Teamwork.                   C. Courage.               D. Equipment.

4.All of the following are true EXPECT that _____.

A. Coston wanted to be a firefighter when he was a kid

   B. Coston tried several times before he became a volunteer firefighter

   C. firefighters feel proud that they can help people

   D. firefighters have to practice skills all the time to stay safe

 

 

II. 完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选中，选出最佳选项。

 Sussie and I have been friends since primary school, for more than twenty years. Our friendship has   36   constant（不变的）. We have seen each other through all the times when we really need a friend. In   37   of our friendship, Sussie and I took our first   38   trip together.

The first day of our trip ended in New Jersey.   39   with the long drive, we decided to go to the restaurant for dinner. We sat down and   40   our meal. As we talked, I noticed a(n)   41   couple sitting a short distance away from us. The look of   adoration on the woman’s face  42    me. She stared into the face of the man as he talked,   43   me of a teenager in love!

I called Sussie’s  44  to the couple. As we watched, the man reached   45  to place a gentle kiss on the woman’s cheek. She   46  . “Now that’s what I call real love! I imagine they’ve been married for a long time.” I said. “  47   maybe,” remarked Sussie, “They haven’t been together long.” “Well, whatever the case, it’s   48  they care much for each other,” I said.

Sussie and I watched and listened  49  to their conversation. She smiled and  50   whatever he said. We were touched by the warm scene we were witnessing. Then the  51   changed. The woman’s wrinkled but beautiful face was suddenly covered with a   52   look. She asked the man in a sweet voice, “Do I know you? What is this place?” “You know me. I’m Ralph, your husband. We’re in New Jersey, ” the man said. “Oh, I   53   to have forgotten. I’m not sure,” she said. “That’s okay, sweetheart. You’ll be all right,” he   54   her, kissing her cheek again. Tears coursed down our cheeks as Sussie and I looked at each other. “We were right,” she said   55  . “It is the real thing. That is love.”

36. A. become                    B. grown                              C. remained                        D. developed

37. A. congratulation              B. terms                              C. favor                     D. celebration

38. A. air                                   B. car                              C. boat                                 D. train

39. A. Bored                             B. Suffered                          C. Tired                          D. Excited

40. A. cooked                           B. ordered                           C. prepared                        D. finished

41. A. young                             B. elderly                             C. friendly                            D. rich

42. A. scared                            B. astonished                     C. attracted                        D. bothered

43. A. showing                             B. reminding                       C. telling                        D. introducing

44. A. attention                       B. intention                         C. time                                 D. idea

45. A. away                              B. off                                     C. around                                D. over

46. A. smiled                            B. disagreed                       C. angered                          D. moved

47. A. Or                                   B. Though                            C. Therefore                       D. Otherwise

48. A. natural                           B. obvious                           C. important                       D. moving

49. A. madly                             B. silently                       C. unashamedly                 D. carefully

50. A. picked up                       B. stuck to                           C. agreed with                       D. questioned on

51. A. place                             B. scene                               C. topic                                D. sense

52. A. discouraged                 B. surprised                        C. disappointed                D. confused

53. A. need                               B. feel                                   C. seem                               D. use

54. A. told                                 B. answered                       C. comforted                      D. encouraged

55. A. quickly                            B. eagerly                            C. cheerfully                       D. thoughtfully