Britons stranded（搁浅）at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).

William, who is currently a Lieutenant（中尉）in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment（皇家骑兵团）, will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.

If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.

"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.

"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."

It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.

The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.

The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills.

William, who has spent the last year on secondment（借调）to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings （飞行勋章）following a four-month stint（持续的工作）with the service earlier this year.

However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

Prince William wanted to be a full-time pilot because _____.

  A. he liked flying

  B. he would like to do something in the country’s Emergency Services

  C. many Britons were in danger at sea waiting for rescue

  D. he had much experience in flying

According to the passage, _____.

  A. the Falklands war broke out in 2005

  B. Prince William served in the Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment in 1982

  C. Prince Andrew is serving in SARF now

  D. William would finish his training course in June 2010

It can be inferred from the passage that______.

  A. the RAF is an army that rescues its soldiers during wartime

  B. either Andrew or William is interested in flying

  C. there are many floods happening in Britain

  D. the prince saving the people in danger is no longer fairy tale

The author’s opinion on William’s joining RAF is ______.

  A. enthusiastic     B. doubtful     C. negative    D. pessimistic

What is the purpose of the author by mentioning what the prince had done before in the last paragraph?

  A. The author wants to say that Prince William pays much attention to his family and friends

  B. The author suggests that the Defense Ministry was criticized when William flew for his private business

C. William had a hard time when he went against his leaders

  D. The author has the worry that Prince William is likely to get the Defense Ministry into trouble again.

O．Henry，born in Greensboro，North Carolina，was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.His father，Algernon Sidney Porter，was a physician.When William was three years old，his mother died，and he was raised by his grandmother and aunt.William was a good reader，but at the age of fifteen he left school，and worked in a drug store and later on a Texas farm.After that，he moved to Houston，where he had a number of jobs，including that of bank clerk.After moving to Austin，Texas，in 1882，he married.
In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The  Rolling Stone.When the weekly failed，he joined The  Houston Post as a reporter and columnist(专栏作家)．In 1897 he was put into prison over some financial(财务的)dealings.While in prison，William started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret.His first work，Whistling Dick’s Christmas Stocking(1899)，appeared in McClure’s Magazine.After serving three years of the five years’ sentence，he changed his name to O．Henry，hoping to forget his bitter past.
O．Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York World，and also published the stories in other magazines.His first collection，Cabbages and Kings，appeared in 1904.Many other works quickly followed，such as The Gift of the Magi and The Furnished Room.O.Henry’s best known work is The Ransom of Red Chief.His stories always have surprising endings.He published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime.
O．Henry’s last years were shadowed by drinking，ill health，and financial problems.In 1907，he experienced a failed marriage.In 1910，O.Henry died after an illness.
【小题1】What’s the passage mainly about?

One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a   1  man with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very   2  indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to   3  , he did so by singing opera. Even if someone said “good day” to him, he would clear his throat and   4  : “Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”
Almost everyone considered William unusual, since no one could get a normal   5   word out of him. As no one knew how he made his living — he lived quite   6  , always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often had no ___7__for him and sometimes even made fun of him.
William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when one day a rumor (谣言) spread that William had received a role in a very important   8  in the nation’s capital, that there had been posters everywhere advertising the event, and that it had been a great   9 . And to everyone’s surprise, when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking with good   10 , and with a clear and pleasant voice.
From that day on, William gave up   11  at all hours. Now he sang only during his stage appearances. People wouldn’t have thought him   12  if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large   13 , with a hand-carved message on it.
The message said, “Practice every second, for you never know when your   14   will come.” Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the   15   had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.
1. A. tall       B. sensitive    C. handsome    D. strange
2. A. common     B. concerned   C. wealthy     D. confident
3. A. appear     B. practice     C. communicate D. debate
4. A. whisper   B. respond      C. repeat     D. tease
5. A. advised   B. printed      C. written     D. spoken
6. A. simply     B. naturally    C. calmly      D. fortunately
7. A. mercy     B.  respect     C. trust       D. money
8. A. concert    B. documentary  C. opera      D. film
9. A. experience B. benefit      C. discovery   D. success 
10. A. movements B. manners     C. efforts    D. signs
11. A. pretendingB. recording   C. singing    D. wandering
12. A. mad       B. skillful    C. artificial  D. desperate
13. A. knife     B. stone        C. medal       D. diamond
14. A. solution  B. inspiration  C. performance D. chance
15. A. neighbor  B. visitor     C. director    D. Teacher

When William, a 10-year-old boy planned to learn the piano, the music teacher was reluctant （不愿意）to accept him. She   31   her students to start their music lessons at a young age when their   32   were able to move quickly and easily.

“William, why do you want to learn the piano?” the teacher asked.

“I want to play for my mother.”

She noticed the   33   in his eyes as he answered her. She had no heart to   34   and accepted William as her student. But at each music lesson, William appeared to be in a hurry and played   35   “My mother is waiting outside for me,” he would tell the teacher. She was tempted to advise William not to   36   his time with lessons anymore as he   37   hit the right notes.  38   there was something about William — - she was fascinated with the tender look in his eyes   39   he mentioned “Mother”.

Suddenly, William stopped coming for his lessons. At the end of the semester year, the music teacher decided to   40   a piano recital (独奏会) for her students and she asked them to participate.

She was   41   to find William’s application to contribute a musical piece. She would place him last in the recital   42   he made mistakes.

The day came and William appeared.  43   it was his turn to play, William bowed before the audience and said he was thankful for the music teacher’s   44   with him. “Tonight I am dedicating (献)my music to my mother.” he said.

 Everyone later asked why William did not bring his mother as she would   45   be proud. William replied, “My mother was   46   and she could never  47   me play during her life time.   48   she sacrificed her time and money to let me learn the piano. This morning Mother passed away. I am sure she is now  49   as she can hear my piano recital. I chose a piece of piano music by Beethoven. As you all know, Beethoven was deaf by the end of his career. But music always symbolized his   50   for freedom and I would like to dedicate it to Mother.”

1.. A. hoped            B. persuaded        C. allowed          D. preferred

2.. A. fingers          B. brains           C. eyes         D. arms

3.. A. surprise         B. joys             C. tears    D. disappointment

4..  A. put him down B. turn him down   C. put him off      D. turn him off

5..  A. badly           B. nicely               C. carefully    D. patiently

6..  A. pass            B. take                 C. kill        D. waste

7..  A. ever            B. never                C. even         D. always

8..  A. Instead         B. Therefore            C. Then                 D. But

9..  A. at one time         B. from time to time    C. each time D. the first time

10..  A. support        B. take                 C. intend           D. organize

11..  A. delighted      B. surprised            C. curious          D. angry

12..  A. as far as      B. if only          C. in case          D. now that

13..  A. Until          B. Since                C. While        D. When

14..  A. patience       B. advice           C. guide            D. concern

15..  A. surely             B. gradually            C. finally      D. quickly

16..  A. blind          B. deaf                 C. ill          D. wounded

17..  A. watch          B. appreciate           C. teach        D. hear

18..  A. Besides        B. Then                 C. Yet              D. Otherwise

19..  A. happy          B. relaxed          C. free                 D. sad

20..  A. effort         B. struggle         C. belief           D. challenge

When William, a 10-year-old boy planned to learn the piano, the music teacher was reluctant （不愿意）to accept him. She   31  her students to start their music lessons at a young age when their   32  were able to move quickly and easily.
“William, why do you want to learn the piano?” the teacher asked.
“I want to play for my mother.”
She noticed the   33  in his eyes as he answered her. She had no heart to   34  and accepted William as her student. But at each music lesson, William appeared to be in a hurry and played   35  “My mother is waiting outside for me,” he would tell the teacher. She was tempted to advise William not to   36  his time with lessons anymore as he   37  hit the right notes.  38  there was something about William — - she was fascinated with the tender look in his eyes   39  he mentioned “Mother”.
Suddenly, William stopped coming for his lessons. At the end of the semester year, the music teacher decided to   40  a piano recital (独奏会) for her students and she asked them to participate.
She was   41  to find William’s application to contribute a musical piece. She would place him last in the recital   42  he made mistakes.
The day came and William appeared.  43  it was his turn to play, William bowed before the audience and said he was thankful for the music teacher’s   44  with him. “Tonight I am dedicating (献)my music to my mother.” he said.
Everyone later asked why William did not bring his mother as she would   45  be proud. William replied, “My mother was   46  and she could never  47  me play during her life time.   48   she sacrificed her time and money to let me learn the piano. This morning Mother passed away. I am sure she is now  49  as she can hear my piano recital. I chose a piece of piano music by Beethoven. As you all know, Beethoven was deaf by the end of his career. But music always symbolized his   50  for freedom and I would like to dedicate it to Mother.”
【小题1】.