The repairman told me, “No charge, Professor Pan! We’re friends.” “I’d rather pay,” I replied. “If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”

Chinese often refuse payment for professional services, insisting, “We’re friends now!” But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English, or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!

According to the Americans “There’s no free lunch.” meaning, there’s a price for everything, and I’m always looking around to figure out what this means.

Many of our neighbors have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return. For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him. “Wait until you have something major to fix!” he insists.

I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind (磨) flour for bread. A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he’d had his uncle in the countryside carve from a solid block of granting (花岗石).

Chinese generosity is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements (纠纷) and just hand over the money. But cash can’t compensate (补偿) for the greatest gift—friendship.

When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping tea, he said, “They must have nothing better to do.” “Actually,” I said, “they are professors, with plenty of to do. But probably you’re right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do. And neither do I”

And I joined the group. We chatted about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived. One man said, “They were pocket-sized when you came here. Now they’re taller than you. How time flies!”

How time flies. And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know, which they cannot keep. They freely give off their time, never too busy to help a friend. And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive.

So the next time someone says, “No charge. We’re friends!” I will thank them heartily. But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch.

69.Why did the author insist paying the repairman when he was offered free repairs?

A. Because he was an upright (正直的) man.

B. Because he didn’t know the repairman.

C. Because he thought it natural to pay for others’ service.

D. Because he didn’t want to help others in return.

70. Generally, the author thinks that _____ .

A. Chinese are generous and always ready to help their friends

B. Chinese are good at exchange of equal values

C. Chinese are free enough to drink tea and chat with their friends

D. Chinese are helpful but don’t treasure time

71. The best title of the article should be _____ .

A. Still no free lunch

B. A good lesson from the Chinese

C. True help or not

D. Learn to both give and receive        

72. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Chinese seldom refuse payment for professional services.

B. When a peasant knew the author needed a mill, he made one for the author himself

C. The author thinks that Chinese are wise enough to enjoy their life.

D. Finally, the author changed his mind and decided to do as the Chinese do.

 

CONCORD， N.H.—Torrential rain forced hundreds of people from their homes in parts of New England on Sunday， as water flowed over dams and washed out roads.

The governors of New Hampshire and Massachusetts declared states of emergency. Maine’s governor also declared a state of emergency for one county. “It’s a very serious situation，” said New Hampshire Governor John Lynch， adding that forecasters were predicting 12 to 15 inches of rain by the end of the storm in parts of southern New Hampshire. “It continues to change and the situation continues to worsen.”

In some towns， police and fire crews used boats to get people out of their homes and stranded cars after hundreds of roads were damaged. Others got around in kayaks(皮船). Some towns shut down， not letting anyone pass except emergency vehicles. “The town is cut right in half，” said Glenn Laramie， police chief in Andover， N.H.

A dam in Milton， N.H.， was in danger of failing， which could send a 10-foot wall of water downstream， the National Weather Service said in a bulletin. People downstream were being evacuated from the town.

In Massachusetts， cars were pulled from flooded streets in downtown Peabody， about 20 miles north of Boston， and about 300 people were evacuated from an apartment complex for seniors. Businesses stacked sandbags at their doors， trying to prevent damage from water that at one point rose to waist-deep.

Some parts of New Hampshire had seen 7 inches of rain by midday Sunday and forecasters said up to 5 more inches might come during the day. About 100 residents were evacuated from their homes in Wakefield， N.H.， because of concerns about two dams in the area.

Flooding in New Hampshire in October killed seven people， carried off homes and washed away miles of roads down to bedrock.

In Maine， flooding was reported on 60 roads in the southern part of the state， said governor’s spokeswoman Crystal Canney. More than 50 homes in Sanford and several in Kennebunk also were evacuated， state officials said.

1.Which is NOT true according to the article？

A. The situation in N. H. is very serious.

B. New England is a region of the U.S.

C.A state of emergency was declared in three whole states.

D. Seven people lost their lives in New Hampshire in October.

2.What is the main idea of the passage？

A. Two dams failed in New Hampshire.

B. Flood in New Hampshire.

C. State of emergency in New England.

D. Severe floods in three U.S. states.

3.In paragraph 4， the underlined word “evacuate” most probably means“　　　　”.

A. rescue   B. trapped  C. send away   D. wash away

4.Which is NOT a part of New Hampshire？

A. Peabody   B. Concord   C .Milton   D. Andover

5.What was mentioned to cope with the situation？

A. Some towns shut down.    B. Some dams were open.

C. People all left their homes.  D. Some temporary houses were built.

 

第三部分 阅读（共两节，满分40分）

阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）      

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出

最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Two American scientists told the people in industrial nations（工业国） that they would be much healthier if they ate more of the same kind of foods eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago．

The scientists say that the human body has changed very little since human first appeared on earth, but the way we live has changed greatly．Our body has not been able to deal with these changes in life style and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses．These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times．So they are called “diseases of civilization （文明）”．Many cancers and diseases of the blood system, including heart attacks （心脏病）and strokes（中风）are examples of such diseases．

Scientists noted that early stone-age people used very little alcohol（酒精） or tobacco, probably none．Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise, but a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and life today．

Stone-age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than farm animals．They also ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables, and fruits．They did not use milk and other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains．But today, we eat a large amount of dairy products and grain foods．We eat six times more salt than stone-age people．We eat more sugar．We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein（蛋白质）and much less vitamin C．

People today probably do not want to live as people thousands of years ago did, but scientists say that we would be much healthier if we ate as those ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet foods．

1．The people in industrial nations would be much healthier if they ate              ．

A．more foods as humans living 10,000 years ago did

B．as humans living 10,000 years ago

C．more kinds of food eaten by people living over 10,000 years ago

D．more of the same kinds of foods eaten by people over 10,000 years ago．

2．New kinds of sicknesses have been found because                       ．

A．the human body has changed compared with human first appeared on earth

B．the way we live has changed a little

C．our body can’t deal with the changes in life style

D．the way we live today is proper for the human body

3．What is the main cause mentioned in the article why people suffer from a lot of new sicknesses?

A．Ancient people did a great deal of physical exercise

B．People today have a lot of alcohol    

C．People today have more tobacco

D．Food is quite different between life today and life in ancient times

4．Stone-age people were much healthier than people today because they ate a lot of         ．

A．milk and other dairy products     

B．grain foods and farm animals

C．salt and sugar                       

D．wild animals, fresh wild vegetables and fruits

5．From this article, we know that                        are not good to our health．

A．protein and vitamin                            

B．milk and grain foods

C．wild animals, vegetables and fruits

D．a huge amount of fatty, salty and sweet foods

 

 

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Barrier Islands

Texas has an extensive coastline that runs along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.

Barrier islands stretch along about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas, some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island, and Padre Island.

Barrier islands are fragile (脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves, and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.

As their name suggests, barrier islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives, homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income for an area’s economy. Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on the island help financially support the region and state.

1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.

       A．what barrier islands are like    B．how barrier islands form

       C．how barrier islands can exist   D．why barrier islands are important

2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier islands?

       A．Keeping plants wherever they are.     B．Going wherever visitors like.

       C．Fishing on public beaches.             D．Driving about on roads.

3．We can tell from the article that the author ___________.

       A．lives on Padre Island and loves it

       B．cares about the ecosystem on barrier islands

       C．wishes less and less travelers would visit barrier islands

       D．is concerned about the beautiful waters around the islands

4．Barrier islands are important because they ___________.

       A．help prevent bad weather damaging mainland

       B．bring in much more money than mainland

       C．can protect rare plants and animals

       D．provide more shelters for people

 

The morning for our snowmobiling (雪上汽车) adventure finally arrived, and we set off on the hour-and-a-half drive to the resort. A fresh powder had fallen the night before, and everything was frosted white. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions. The sun sparkled (闪光) on the snow, and the trails (路线) were completely empty – not another person or snowmobile in sight. We were thrilled at being the only people for miles around … until we got going.

   As we drove through the deserted wilderness (荒野), my excitement became stone-cold fear. I had no idea what I was afraid of, or why I was afraid, but suddenly every turn, every hill, every steep (陡峭的) side of the mountain scared me to death. I kept picturing us crashing headlong into a tree or falling off the side of a drop. 

   But after lunch things changed. We were the only humans who had been there since the snowfall. The peaceful place, the incredible beauty of the landscape, and the almost sacred experience of sharing a mountain with the wildlife touched my very core (核心).  My mind cleared and quieted and my muscles relaxed.

   As we drove the last leg of the run, I began to resent being afraid to drive. Deep down, I wanted to be in charge of the thing that scared me. It made me angry that fear was keeping me from something I really wanted to do. The day was coming to an end, and the resort was only a few miles away. I knew that if I didn’t take my chance now, I would regret it.

   I signaled for my husband to pull over. I wanted to drive, although my heart pounded (重击). I stared off slowly and felt the wind in my face. I smiled and sped up a little. I let out a “Yee-haw!” and went full out, taking my husband on the best ride of the day.

   We ended the day on that breathless, carefree, and I felt proud of myself – proud of overcoming my fear.

1.What is the story mainly about?

   A. What the author loves about snowmobiling.

   B. What difficulties the couple faced during their adventure.

   C. What interested the author during her time snowmobiling.

   D. How the author overcame her fear during her adventure.

2. What can be concluded from the article?

   A. The author was confident as she was driving in the deserted wilderness.

   B. The author didn’t get worried until they started to drive through the deserted wild.

   C. Aware that she and her husband were the only people around, the author became anxious.

   D. The author was so nervous that she almost crashed into a big tree.

3.According to the article, after lunch the author _____.

   A. gradually calmed down

   B. stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery

   C. saw some wildlife on the mountain

   D. was afraid to continue her journey

4.The underlined word “resent” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______.

   A. consider    B. appreciate     C. hate       D. recognize

5.What message does the story convey?

   A. A person’ s biggest enemy is his or her inner self.

   B. It’s no use crying over the spilt milk.

   C. Take time to enjoy the beauty of nature.

   D. Respect and take pride in yourself.