Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips.

The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and ducks. In the autumn, they come home for the winter. Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to the ice.

One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River. Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, “There is a goose out

there.”

We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very iii, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice.

Then from the dark sky, she saw a line of swans. They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life it still had might be pecked（啄）out by those great swan beaks.

Instead, those beaks began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. It went on for a long time. At last, the goose’s head lifted. Its body pulled. Then the goose was free and standing on the ice. And the swans stood in the air watching. Then, as if it had cried, “I cannot fly,” four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice and held in the feathers. Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they could go, and moved slowly into the sky.

This is a true story. I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question:“ If so for birds, why not for man?”

1.What happened to the Canada goose?

A. It was deserted by other geese.        B. It was stuck in the ice.

    C. It was wounded and couldn’t fly.       D. It was lost in the water.

2. At first the author’s friend was worried that ________.

    A. the swans would not help the Canada goose

    B. the swans would have the same fate with the Canada goose

    C. the Canada goose wouldn’t identify with the swans

    D. the swans would peck the Canada goose to death

3.What did the swans do when they saw the Canada goose couldn’t fly?

    A. They chipped off the ice held in its feathers.

    B. They waited patiently for the ice held in its feathers to melt.

    C. They came down and lifted it up to the sky together.

    D. They stayed with it and protected it.

4.What would probably happen to the author’s friend in the end?

    A. She stood there, watching attentively, still feeling a bit worried.

    B. She was on her feet, laughing at the swans and the Canada goose.

    C. She was embarrassed and went on with her breakfast silently.

    D. She stood there quietly, not realizing tears had come down her cheeks.

 

Mr. Hall was a rich businessman and lived in a big house beside a beautiful river.

The river usually __16__ over in winter, and one year __17__ happened very early, so that by Christmas time it was covered with really __18__ ice. People could walk across it safely.

         The sight of this ice gave Mr. Hall __19__. He decided to have a big Christmas party on the ice. He would have all the furniture in his living-room _ 20 _ out onto the ice. He would have pretty colored lights _ 21 _  all around, and they would have a wonderful party. So he sent out __22__ to all his important friends, and on Christmas Eve they all began to _ 23   his house and then went onto the ice. They were all in very good _ 24   and thought that it _25_ a wonderful idea of Mr. Hall to have a party on the ice.

         The party   26   until late at night, and as the _ 27   guests said their merry Christmas, Mr. Hall was pleased with himself for the __28   party.

         He had drunk rather  29   at the party, so he did not wake up very early __30   morning. In fact, it was   31   midday when he got up and looked out of the window at the spot where the party was held last night. __32__ he saw there made him wonder whether he was still  33 _. He closed his eyes, opened them again but there was no mistake! The ice had ­­__34   up in the early sunshine and had carried all his living-room furniture out to __35   .

1.

A. flows           B. flowed         C. freeze           D. froze

2.

 A. freezing         B. ice            C. snow            D. rain

3.

A. thin            B. thick           C. deep            D. shallow

4.

A. a wish          B. an idea         C. a hope           D. a plan

5.

A. selling          B. carrying        C. sold             D. carried

6.

A. lay             B. lain            C. hung            D. hanged

7.

 A. introductions     B. invitations      C. informations      D. lights

8.

A. look for         B. come to        C. see              D. leave

9.

A. spirit           B. strength        C. condition         D. manners

10.

A. would be        B. had been       C. had had          D. would have

11.

 A. went to         B. kept on         C. happened        D. took place

12.

A. first            B. last            C. most            D. important

13.

A. big            B. new            C. interesting       D. successful

14.

A. many          B. little            C. a lot            D. more

15.

A. next           B. the next         C. following        D. followed

16.

 A. most           B. mostly         C. near             D. nearly

17.

A. Where         B. What           C. That             D. Which

18.

A. afraid          B. awake          C. asleep           D. alive

19.

A. dried           B. come           C. frozen          D. broken

20.

A. his house        B. the sea         C. the river         D. land

 

From the outer of New York to the heart of Singapore, nature is everywhere you're not looking in some of Earth's most crowded big cities. Outdoor adventure is often just a few stops on the train - or a short drive- away from the annoying crowds.  Here are a few favorites to get you going:

Mount Hollywood Trail, Los Angeles

It's not a skyscraper or a Ferris wheel, and there's no expensive restaurant up top. But if you want an absolutely unforgettable, no-admission-charged, 360-degree view of the entire Los Angeles region , it's yours. All you have to do is walk a little. One of the preferred exercise routes, the Mount Hollywood Trail, is easily accessed from the parking lot of the famous Griffith Observatory; you see what you get at the end of this steep 1.5-mile trail, which winds its way through the Griffith Park wilds up to the mountain's 1,640-foot peak.

Bronx River, New York

It may not be on your Top 10 list of things to do when you finally get to the Big Apple, but exploring the almost-secret river that flows through one of New York's most mysterious boroughs (自治市) is an unforgettable experience. The Bronx River Alliance, a non-profit group that has worked tirelessly to bring the much-abused river back to life , operates cycling and canoeing trips along the river, from the rugged Hunts Point section down near the harbor on up through the borough.

Southern Islands, Singapore

Believe it or not, tightly packed Singapore does have plenty of open space left . There are actual trails right in the middle of everything, if you know where to look . But to really get away from it all, the Southern Islands, a small group of little green dots just off the city-state's southern shoreline, are just the thing.

Lee Valley, London

This East London river valley changed last summer, when anyone near a television got an eyeful of Olympic Park, built directly in the middle of the valley. Inside the park, beautifully landscaped sections quickly became a favorite relaxation spot for games goers. At present, you'll find miles of walking paths worth exploring. Start at the Waltham Cross train and follow the signposted walking route southbound, guiding you past important historic industrial areas, through interesting city neighborhoods, past the western side of Olympic Park and on to the Thames.

1.If someone wants to enjoy an unforgettable experience for free , he can go to ______.

A．Mount Hollywood Trail and Bronx River

B．Mount Hollywood Trail and Southern Islands

C．Lee Valley and Southern Islands

D．Bronx River and Lee Valley

2.The writer of the passage wants to ________.

A．inform the readers that nature exists in crowded big cities

B．appeal to more people to outdoor adventure

C．recommend several historical spots to readers

D．present various approach to outdoor adventure

3.We know from the passage ________.

A．it’s difficult to find a proper trail in packed Singapore

B．the Thames is not far away from the East London river valley

C．The Bronx River Alliance has succeeded in running the river

D．you may have trouble reaching the Mount Hollywood Trail

 

There was a king who gave his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. So the king asked to search for it and put a reward for＄50,000 for anyone who found it.

One day, a clerk was walking home along a river when he saw something shinning in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the ＄50,000 reward.

He put his hand in the river and tried to catch the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again.

But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling sad. Just then, an old man walking by saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn’t want to share the secret with him, thinking he might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell him anything.

The old man could see this man was troubled. He again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk told him about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing.

The old man then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was hanging on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to take a reflection of the real necklace all this time.

The clerk tried to get the diamond necklace to ________________.

A. make the king happy.                    B. keep it for himself.

C. get the big reward.                      D. sell it at a high price.

Before the old man asked the clerk what was the matter, the clerk        .

   A. was searching in the water              B. was trying to find help

   C. felt rather tired                       D. was not feeling good

Where did the clerk find the necklace at last?

   A. On the tree      B. On the bank      C. In the river      D. In the sand

What might be the best title for the passage?

A. A beautiful diamond necklace           B. A king’s promise           

C.A lucky young clerk                   D. Changing the way of thinking

It was on a winter morning, near Oxford, Maryland, that I set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which __36__ the Tred Avon River．The snow decorated the shore in white．For a moment I stood quietly against the bookcase, appreciating what the night’s snow had __37__．

38    I leaned forward and peered （盯着看） close to the frosted window．“It really is!” I cried out loud．“There is a goose out there!” I __39__ to the bookcase and pulled out a pair of binoculars （望远镜）．Into their sights came the __40__ of a large Canada goose, very still, its wings folded tight to its sides, its __41__ frozen to the ice．

Then from the dark sides, I saw a line of swans．They crossed __42__ the west of the broad river, moving __43__ to the east．

As I __44__, the leader swung to the right, and then the white __45__ of birds become a white circle．It floated from the top of the sky downward．At last, as easy as feathers coming to earth, the circle __46__ the ice．The swans __47__ the frozen goose! Amazingly, those bills （啄） began to work on __48__．The long necks were lifted and curved down, __49__．It went on for a long time．At last, the goose was free and __50__ its big webbed （有蹼的） feet slowly．The goose __51__ its wings as far as they would go．The swans took off and __52__ their eastward journey, in perfect formation, to their secret destination．__53__ them, rising with incredible speed and joy, the goose moved into the sky．

I watched them __54__ they disappeared over the tips of the farthest trees．Only then did I realize that tears were running down my cheeks．

This is a true story．I do not try to interpret it here．I just often __55__ it in the bad moments, and tell myself, “If so for birds, why not for man?”

36．A．undertook B．overlooked       C．overshadowed  D．evaluated

37．A．destroyed  B．covered    C．painted     D．hidden

38．A．Finally     B．Unwillingly     C．Disappointedly D．Suddenly

39．A．rushed      B．returned    C．advanced  D．reached

40．A．figure       B．shadow     C．cry    D．baby

41．A．head  B．body C．feet   D．beak

42．A．along       B．from C．around      D．in

43．A．steadily    B．smoothly  C．in the snow      D．closely

44．A．watched    B．expected   C．predicted  D．feared

45．A．block       B．mass  C．dot    D．string

46．A．skated on  B．landed on  C．fell down to     D．broke into

47．A．threatened B．attacked    C．surrounded       D．killed

48．A．the ice      B．their feather     C．the river   D．the shore

49．A．one after another     B．side by side      C．now and then   D．again and again

50．A．washing    B．protecting C．moving     D．warming

51．A．enlarged   B．spread      C．lifted D．threw

52．A．started      B．carried on C．repeated    D．stopped

53．A．Behind     B．In front of       C．Along with      D．Including

54．A．after  B．although   C．unless       D．until

55．A．write about      B．keep  C．think of    D．retell