The house was quiet at 5 am and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring（轻微颤动声）of the freezer had been the sea .

      Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.

      He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches—but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:

Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight. Tim.

      The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.

      The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.

      The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched（延伸）across the sea . The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.

      Over the first rocks, along to the point. Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky. 

     He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now ? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way …

1. “ He settled for some biscuits ”（in Paragraph 3）means that Tim_______.

    A. had to leave the biscuits on the table   

    B. liked biscuits better than sandwiches

    C. had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches 

    D. could only find some biscuits in the kitchen

2.What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?

    A. The height of the first rocks.     

    B. The ups and downs of the waves.

    C. The change in the position of the sun.   

D. The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?

    A. The sea looked like a piece of gold.   

    B. Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.

    C. Tim was the only person on the beach.   

    D. The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.

4.In the story , Tim’s mood changed from_______..

    A. loneliness to craziness          B. anxiousness to excitement

    C. helplessness to happiness     D. eagerness to nervousness

Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March. The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square. The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town center entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).

Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force. But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice. A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis.

When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor. Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working. Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper.

It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative (主动) and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in. By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her. In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed.

When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn’t been able to take it in. On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned (含糊不清地说) thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head.

It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realized with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room. The Pelhams’ large house stood in a sizable garden. It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it. The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy. Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook.

Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree. This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house.

With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness. And the view from the window didn’t bear looking at. The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes. It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.

“Doesn’t it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife. But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed. “That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.”

1.Why were some people in Brackham annoyed after the storm?

A．No market could be held.

B．The police had done little to help.

C．The town looked different.

D．Fallen trees had not been removed.

2.In the third paragraph, what do we learn about Chief Inspector Pelham’s general attitude to his work?

A．He finds it extremely annoying.

B．Не is sure that he plays an important role.

C．Не considers the systems are not clear enough.

D．He does not trust the decisions made by his superiors.

3. What aspect of the Pelhams’ furniture does “shabbiness” in paragraph 8 describe?

A．its condition.       B．its colour.          C．its position.        D．its design.

4.As a result of the storm, the Pelhams’ living-room _____.

A．was pleasantly lighter                    B．felt less private

C．had a better view                       D．was in need of repair

5.Why did Molly sound pleased by her husband’s comment?

A．It proved that he was well again.

B．She agreed about the tree.

C．She thought he meant the sofa.

D．It was what she expected him to say.

B
The trend in everyday conversation is to use grandiose（夸大的）words. “Outstanding” is new “good,” “amazing” is the new “OK”, and “huge” is the new “big.”
I was in a restaurant in Washington D.C. last weekend and every question I asked was answered with exaggeration.
Me: How is the salmon?
Sever: Fantastic!
Me: Does it come with rice?
Sever: Absolutely!
Would a “good” and a “yes” have been enough? Of course!
My father is an average-sized man. He hasn’t gained weight or height for the past 30 years. Therefore, his size remains the same. However, in the same amount of time, his T-shirt size has gone from small to medium to large to extra large.
The reason for the exaggerated word is clear: we are bored with our lives. We want the next –next thing now. Immediately!
And we also want others to think that we still care, that we can still be delighted, that we know that everything is just great. Even when deep inside we know it can’t be. Everything can’t be great.
I’m not a scientist, so many methods of proof leave little to be desired, or a lot to be desired, or an immensity（无限）.
Listen to the voices around you. Listen to your own voices. There is nothing on the radio that is good or bad , weather is either beautiful or horrible.
Listen, the next time when someone asks you something and you agree, because when you could simply say “yes”, instead you will say “absolutely ” or “without doubt” or “Oh, yeah, unquestionably—absolutely without doubt.”
Have people forgotten what it is like to be OK? Simply OK with what they have and who they are? If everything is outstanding, if everything is the most amazing thing ever, is anything ever amazing at all?
45．By telling his experience in the restaurant, the author intends to_______.
A．show his interest in exaggerated words
B．prove that exaggerated words are widely used
C．blame the restaurant for using exaggerated words
D．tell us the food in the restaurant is extremely good
46．What do we know about the author’s father?
A．He has gained height and is now a tall man.
B．He likes following the fashin in clothing.
C．His weight is getting greater and greater.
D．The size of his T-shirt is described in exaggerated words.
47．So many people like using exaggerated words because________.
A．they are not satisfied with being normal
B．they don’t want to be looked down upon by others
C．they want to be different from others
D．they are brave in telling their true feelings
48．According to the passage, if you approve of something, you’d better say “ ______ ”.
A．fantastic   B．perfect      C．OK   D．Absolutely

One day, I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physical problem ，while the student claimed a perfect score. I was elected as their arbiter( 仲裁人).I read the examination problem： “Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer(气压计).” The student had answered： “Take the barometer to the top of the building，attach a long rope to it，lower it to the street，and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of it is the height of the building. ”

The student had really answered the question completely ，but the answer didn’t confirm his competence in physics. I suggested the student try again. I gave him six minutes to answer the question, warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. Five minutes later, he said he had many answers and clashed off one, which read： “Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, use the physical formula (公式）to calculate the height of the building. ”

At this point, my colleague had to accept it, and then the student made almost full marks. I couldn’t help asking the student what the other answers were. He listed many others ，and then added₅ “Probably the best is to take the barometer to the. administrator and said to him，' Sir, here is a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of the building, I will give it to you.，”

Then, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did ，but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.

The name of the student was Bohr who later was famous all over ,the world. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.

1.The student got a zero at the beginning because_______.

A．the teacher wasn’t satisfied with him

B．his answer wasn't complete or correct

C．the teacher clicln⁵t fully understand his answer

D．his answer didn’t show his knowledge of physics

2.We know from the passage that______

A．the student knew the expected answer

B．the administrator told Bohr the height

C．the author preferred Bohr s last answer

D．the teacher was a very stubborn person

3.We can learn from the passage that______.

A．instructors can teach students how to think

B．arbiters can help students to get high scores

C．students should be given more freedom in thinking

D．teachers should make students use physical formulas

4.What was Bohr’s attitude toward his schooling?

A．Optimistic.         B．Critical.           C．Approving.        D．Ambiguous.

It was only 5 o’clock in the morning. The house was quiet and Tim' s mother was still asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.                                         
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He' d eat after he' d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches-but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight, Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sand hills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched (延伸) across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious (神秘的) now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way...
【小题1】What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?