Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. Green said, "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would ___36__."

Blue interrupted, "You only think about the __37__, but consider the sky and the sea．__38__ the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea．Without my peace, you would all be __39__."

Yellow chuckled （笑道）, "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, fun, and __40__ into the world．"

Orange started next to blow her trumpet, "I am the color of health and strength. I may be __41__, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. When I fill the sky __42__, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another __43__ to any of you."

Red could stand it __44__ and he shouted out, "I am the ruler of all of you. I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to __45__ truth. I am also the color of passion and of love."

Then came Purple and Indigo （深蓝）. …

The colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own __46__. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder. Rain started to pour down __47__. The colors crouched （蜷缩） down __48__, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor （叫嚷）, rain began to speak, "You foolish colors, fighting __49__ yourselves, each trying to dominate __50__. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, __51__? Join hands with __52__ and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colors __53__ and joined hands. They formed a colorful rainbow. From then on, whenever a good rain ___54__ the world, a rainbow appears in the sky. They remember to __55__ one another.

36．A．stay                      B．leave                     C．go out                    D．die

37．A．earth                     B．moon                     C．star                        D．sun

38．A．That is                   B．I am                             C．It is                      D．This is

39．A．anything               B．nothing                  C．something              D．everything

40．A．warmth                  B．sadness                  C．depression             D．anxiety

41．A．usual                     B．normal                   C．common                D．scarce

42．A．at midnight            B．at noon or at night   C．at sunrise or sunset D．during the day

43．A．gift                      B．honor                    C．thought                  D．respect

44．A．for more               B．any more                      C．very much              D．no longer

45．A．turn to                   B．fight for                 C．struggle with          D．bend over

46．A．superiority             B．disadvantages        C．inferiority             D．weakness

47．A．gently                    B．quietly                   C．violently               D．peacefully

48．A．with care                      B．in fear                   C．by chance              D．on purpose

49．A．amongst                 B．by                         C．for                        D．against

50．A．others                    B．themselves             C．the other               D．the rest

51．A．equal and simple     B．ordinary and similar C．more or less    D．unique and different

52．A．each other              B．me                        C．one another            D．them

53．A．combined               B．separated               C．united                    D．divided

54．A．cleans                    B．washes                   C．brightens               D．dampens

55．A．appreciate              B．quarrel with           C．ignore                    D．praise

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. Green said, “Clearly I am the most important . I am the sign of life and hope. I was chosen for grass , trees and leaves . Without me, all animals would     1   .”

Blue interrupted, “You only think about the    2     , but consider the sky and the sea . 3       the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea . Without my peace , you would all be   4      .”

Yellow chuckled, “you are all so serious. I bring laughter, fun, and     5    into the world.” Orange started next to blow her trumpet,” I am the color of health and strength. I may be   6      , but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life . When I fill the sky     7    , my beauty is so striking that no one gives another     8    to any of you .”

Red could stand it    9     and he shouted out, “I am the ruler of all of you . I am the color of danger and of bravery . I am willing to    10     truth. I am also the color of passion and of love .”

Then came Purple and Indigo …

The colors went on boasting , each convinced of his or her own    11     . Their quarreling became louder and louder . Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder . Rain started to pour down     12    . The colors crouched （蜷缩） down     13    , drawing close to one another for comfort .

In the midst of the quarrelling, rain began to speak, “You foolish colors , fighting  14__ yourselves , each trying to control     15    . Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose ,   16     ? Join hands with one another and     17    to me .”

Doing as they were told , the colors     18    and joined hands. They formed a colorful rainbow .From then on, whenever a good rain     19    the world, a rainbow appears in the sky . They remember to    20    one another.

1．A．stay                     B．leave                  C．go out                D．die

2．A．earth                    B．moon                 C．star                    D．sun

3．A．That is                 B．I am                   C．It is                    D．This is

4．A．anything               B．nothing               C．something           D．everything

5．A．warmth                B．sadness               C．depression           D．anxiety

6．A．usual                    B．normal                C．common             D．scarce

7．A．at midnight                                           B．at noon or at night

       C．at sunrise or sunset                              D．during the day

8．A．gift                      B．honor                 C．thought              D．respect

9．A．for more              B．any more            C．very much          D．no longer

10．A．turn to                B．fight for              C．struggle with       D．bend over

11．A．superiority          B．disadvantages      C．shortcoming       D．weakness

12．A．gently                 B．quietly                 C．violently              D．peacefully

13．A．with care            B．in fear                C．by chance           D．on purpose

14．A．among                B．by                      C．for                     D．against

15．A．others                B．themselves          C．the other             D．the rest

16．A．equal and simple                                 B．ordinary and similar       

       C．more or less                                       D．unique and different

17．A．shout                 B．cry                     C．come                 D．point

18．A．combined           B．separated            C．united                 D．divided

19．A．cleans                B．washes               C．brightens            D．builds

20．A．appreciate           B．quarrel with        C．ignore                D．praise

   Despite their name, the Want Family don’t want much. They want enough money for a nice house and a holiday every year. But they don’t want to be millionaires. They want to do well at their job. But they don’t want to be the big boss. They do want to spend time improving their garden, visiting their families and taking their two kids, Nicolas and Leuan, to Mc Donald’s for lunch. But they don’t want to be famous.

   The Wants just want to be normal. That’s why they are famous. They have been selected as the most normal family in Britain. After a six-month search for the most ordinary family in Britain, the Wants were selected from hundreds of applicants.

   John wants a job in marketing for a food company. Claire has a part-time job renting out children’s play equipment. John doesn’t understand why they were chosen to represent ordinary English families. How are they normal?

   That is not a bad question. Nearly everyone does some of the things that the Wants do. But very few people do all of them. There have been great changes in the social structure of British life. It is becoming more common for people to have children when they are older than the Wants, and to have one child instead of two. A household with two children may be headed by a single parent, usually the mother. Or perhaps dad and mum are still together, but not married. Or maybe dad and mum are married. Dad goes out to work and mum stays at home and looks after the kids. They have traditional values――Every weekend the whole family goes to church.

   “What we have here is not an average family, but a traditional family,” says Cary Cooper, professor of philosophy at Lancaster University. “There is no such thing as a normal family anymore, in the way there was 20 or 30 years age. Of course the Wants exist, but for what do we need to celebrate them?” Perhaps because we think normal families are an endangered species. Examples of them have to be preserved（保护）to show future generations.

56.The Wants were selected as the most normal family in Britain because__________.

   A. they represent traditional English families        B. they don’t want much

   C. they don’t want to be famous                  D. they want to be normal

57. The following statements describe the great changes in British life EXCEPT that_________.

A.people have kids later than 20 or 30 years ago    B. some children are brought up by a single parent

  C. most families go to church every weekend     D. it’s more common for families to have only one kind

58. We may infer from the passage that __________.

  A. most British families hold traditional values

  B. traditional families are becoming fewer and fewer

  C. future generations are expected to study traditional families

  D. traditional families no longer exist in Britain

59. What might be the most suitable title for this passage?

  A. An Ordinary Family                   B. Families of Future Generations

  C. Celebration of a Family Competition      D. A Normal But Special Family

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳答案。

As a young man, Al was a skilled artist.He had a wife and two fine sons.One night, his oldest son  21  a severe stomachache.Thinking it was only some   22  intestinal （肠内的）disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very  23  . But the boy   24   suddenly that night.

       Knowing the death could have been   25   if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al's emotional health became worse under the huge burden of his guilt. To make matters __26  , his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two   27    were more than Al could handle, and he   28    to alcohol.In time Al __29  an alcoholic.

       As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he   30    — his home, his land, his art works everything.   31    Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.

       When I heard of Al's death, I thought that Al's life was a complete  32  .  I thought. "What a totally wasted life".

       As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier judgment.I knew Al's now adult son, Ernie.He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have  33  known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free   34   of love between them.I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.

I hadn't heard Ernie talk much about his father.One day I worked 35  my courage to ask him."I'm really  36  by something," I said."I know your father was  37  the only one to raise you.What on earth did he do that you became such a special person?"

       Ernie sat quietly and  38  for a few moments. Then he said, "From my earliest __39  as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ' I love you, son.' "

Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to  40  Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind.But he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.

21.A.formed              B.developed               C.received                D.gained

22.A. average          B. normal               C. ordinary           D. common

23.A. slightly          B. secretly       C. seriously           D. terribly

24.A.died                   B.choked                   C.starved                        D.worsened

25.A.cured                  B.prevented               C.forbidden              D.saved

26.A.better               B.heavier                   C.worse                           D.happier

27.A.disasters            B.adventures               C. directions                    D.situations

28.A.got                   B.drank                    C.turned                         D.sank

29.A.turned               B.became                  C.followed                       D.created

30.A.needed              B.shared                   C.benefited               D.possessed

31.A.Eventually          B.Gradually                C.Therefore              D.Meanwhile

32.A.trouble                B.hardship                  C.failure                        D.waste

33.A. never                   B. even                 C. still                D. ever

34.A.win                B.fall                          C.space                    D.flow

35.A.up                   B.with                        C.on                             D.through

36.A.worried             B.puzzled                    C.interested               D.attracted

37.A.especially           B.basically                   C.merely                  D.specially

38.A.argued               B.searched                  C.analyzed                 D.reflected

39.A.thoughts            B.ideas                       C.minds                   D.memories

40.A.treat                 B.call                        C.judge                             D.feel