An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to __1__ the house－building business to live a more __2__ life with his wife and __3__ his extended family. He would miss the paycheck(工资) each week, but he wanted to retire. They could __4__. 

The employer was __5__ to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, __6__ over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used bad workmanship and __7__ materials. It was an unfortunate way to __8__ a dedicated(献身的)career.

When the carpenter finished  his work, his employer came to __9__ the house. Then he handed the front－door __10__ to the carpenter and said, “This is your house... my __11__ to you.”

The carpenter was shocked!

What a __12__！ If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

__13__  it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting __14__ than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we __15__ we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot __16__. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or build a wall. Someone __17__ said, “Life is a do－it－yourself project.” Your __18__，  and the choices you __19__ today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build __20__！

1. A. continue　　　  B. start　　　C. leave　　　D. find

2. A. leisurely       B. lonely     C. orderly    D. friendly                 

3. A support        B. share      C. enjoy     D. care                  

4. A. go off             B. get by

C. pass on            D. work away

5. A. polite         B. nervous   C. proud     D. sorry                   

6. A. but           B. while     C. which       D. before         

7. A. perfect        B. inferior   C. superior    D. tough                  

8. A. satisfy      B. improve     C. meet      D. end                      

9. A. buy        B. repair       C. inspect    D. sell                  

10. A. roof      B. window      C. key      D. design                   

11. A. gift       B. promise      C. salary    D. words

12. A. disappointment      B. shame         

C. pleasure             D. success        

13. A. So       B. Yet          C. As       D. Such                    

14. A. worse     B. more        C. rather     D. less                     

15. A. realize    B. explain       C. think      D. admit                   

16. A. step forward         B. go back

C. come out            D. look around

17. A. never     B. again        C. once     D. nearly            

18. A. attitude   B. experience    C. skill      D. advantage       

19. A. learn       B. take       C. see        D. make                   

20. A. badly  B. wisely      C. early         D. confidently             

In 1930, a young African American, Vivien T. Thomas, a professional carpenter, was hired as a lab assistant by a famous white doctor named Dr. Alfred Blalock. Although he 26 went to college, he had an enormous 27 to learn and explore the power of knowledge. Whenever Dr. Blalock left his office, young Thomas used to 28 study the medical books on the shelves of the office. 　　

Thomas 29 a great interest in learning more and more about 30 when he started to assist Blalock during his practice of surgeries on dogs. 31 Dr. Blalock understood Thomas’s ability to help him perform a complicated surgery, he still did not 32 Thomas as a smart person because of the social 33 of prejudice towards African Americans.

Dr. Blalock wanted to 34 to believe that Thomas was just a(n) 35 by profession and a lab assistant. Employees, white or black, at the hospital could not 　　　 36 that an African American, Thomas, could run the lab. He was the 37 and thus a history maker.

In those days, the society expected that black people were 38 to be janitors (管理员). Despite this reality, Thomas’ cleverness, perseverance, and passion had 39 a need in Dr. Blalock’s mind. Thomas ran John Hopkins Hospital’s surgical (外科的) lab 40 Dr. Blalock. At the time, all other 41 employees in the hospital were janitors. Dr. Blalock and Thomas became a 42 and conducted a joint research that 43 the first heart surgery performed at John Hopkins University Hospital in 1941.

Many years later, Thomas’s contribution was 44 and he was eventually awarded an honorary doctorate, for his creative work in the 45 procedures of modern cardiac(心脏病的) surgery. As he became Dr. Thomas, he also inspired and lifted the confidence of the future generation. He used his knowledge for the betterment of humankind.

Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbors. For more than 30 years， they had been getting along very well.

Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing， then bitter words， and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob，” John thought.

Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.

“I’m looking for a few days’ work，” the carpenter said.

“I do have a job for you，” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbor Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbor！”

The carpenter said， “I think I know what to do， sir， and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”

Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.

About sunset when the farmer returned， the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all！

It was a bridge！ And the neighbor， Bob， was coming across， with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi， John！ You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge！”

Then they met in the middle， taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other，” said Farmer Bob.

Then they turned to see the carpenter， who was ready to go. “No， wait！ Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you，” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay，” the carpenter said， “but I have more bridges to build.”

51. Just before the carpenter came， John and Bob   　　　　  each other.

A. didn’t speak to                 

B. were friendly to     

C. often fought with                

D. never had bitter words with

52. Farmer John asked the carpenter to build a fence because       　　　　.

A. he wanted to protect his farm     

B. he didn’t want to do it himself

C. he wouldn’t like to see Bob      

D. he wanted to find him something to do

53. What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge！” mean？

A. John was great to build this bridge.

B. John was not good at building bridges.

C. John was foolish to build such a bridge.

D. John should build the bridge earlier.

54. What do you think of the carpenter？

A. Shy.         B. Wise.        

C. Proud.       D. Careless.

55. What is the best title for the passage？

A. What a Big Fence！             B. Farmer and Bridge

C. Three Kind Men                  D. A Fence or a Bridge？

　　The Lego Group had a very humble beginning in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Denmark. Christiansen began creating wooden toys in 1932. Two years later, he came up with the name Lego by putting together the first two letters of the Danish words Leg and Godt, which mean “play well.” The name could be interpreted as “I put together” in Latin; it is also similar to the Greek verb meaning “gather” or “pick up.”　　

　　In 1947, the company expanded to making plastic toys. At first, the use of plastic for toy production was not highly regarded by businessmen and consumers of the time. Many of the Lego Group’s shipments were returned, following poor sales. However, Christiansen’s son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, saw the great potential in Lego bricks to become a system for creative play. As the junior managing director of the Lego Group, he spent years trying to improve the “locking” ability of the bricks and made the bricks more flexible. In 1958, the modern interlocking(连锁) brick design was finally developed and patented.　

　　Today Lego is sold in more than 130 countries. Every minute 33,824 Lego bricks are made, and kids around the world spend 5 billion hours a year playing with Lego. There will be more than 400 million people playing with Lego bricks this year. On average, every person in the world owns 62 Lego bricks, and about seven Lego sets are sold every second.

This year Lego fans all over the world are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the tiny building blocks. Though already 50 years old, Lego is still the same product it was in the 1950s. Bricks bought then can still match current bricks and that is probably the reason the toy has never fallen out of favor.　　

51. Which of the following is true about the name Lego?

　　A. It is a combination of Greek and Latin words.

　　B. It was created by Ole Kirk Christiansen’s son.

　　C. It was created in 1947 for naming the plastic toys.

　　D. It came from Danish words meaning “play” and “well.”

52. When did the Lego brick become as a creative form of toy?

　　A.1934                B. 1947                C.1958                  D. 1932

53. What is most likely the reason why Lego still remains popular?

　　A. Old Lego bricks may still be connected to new ones.

　　B. The company hasn’t changed its name since 1947.

　　C. The material for the bricks has proved to be safe.

　　D. The price of the toy is relatively reasonable.

—What do you think of the manager of your company?

　　　　—Oh, he is ________ manager who’s pleasant to work with.

　　It’s ________ pleasure to work with him.

　　A. the; a　　　　B. a; a　　　　　　C. a; the　　　　　D. 不填; a