A pair of twin-brother ligers, a rare lion-tiger hybrid(杂种), have become superstars in China's southernmost island province of Hainan after becoming the first ligers in the country to reach their first birthday.
Tens of thousands of tourists visited the liger brothers at Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park during the week-long May Day holiday that ended on Sunday, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare animals. At least 10,000 people signed a red banner when the park celebrated the liger's birthday on May 2. People expressed the hope that the twins would be strong and healthy, the Hainan Daily reports. Zookeepers even made the twins a special birthday cake out of beef and eggs.
The ligers, born on May 2, 2005 , are named 'Ping Ping' and 'An An', which together translate as 'safe and sound'. Their mother Huan Huan is a six-year-old tigress and their father is a four-year – old lion named Xiao Erhei.  The couple first gave birth to a liger in June 2004 but the cub (幼兽)  died of respiratory(呼吸的）failure 72 hours later.
The pregnancy (怀孕) rate for lion-tiger couples is only between one and two percent and the cubs normally have a short life expectancy due to the differences in their chromosomes(染色体). Zoologists say only six to eight ligers are living in the world. China's first tiger-lion hybrid cub was born at Hongshan Zoo in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, in 2002. But it died a week later.
Ping Ping and An An have broken the survival record set by a liger who lived for 113 days at Hongshan Zoo.
1. Why can Ping Ping and An An become superstars?
A. Because they are the most beautiful ligers.
B. Because they are the cleverest ligers.
C. Because they are the most attractive ligers.
D. Because they are the first ligers to live for a year.
2. Why can't ligers live long ?
A. Because their chromosomes are different.
B. Because they are too small when they are born.
C. Because their parents don't live long.
D. Because they are short of food.
3. How many ligers did the passage mention?
A. Three.         B. Four.          C. Five.         D. Six.
4. What is the best title of this passage?
A. China's longest living twin ligers celebrate their lst birthday
B. Why can't ligers in the world live long
C. How to raise ligers safely
D. The story behind the ligers

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
“Could you possibly give us a room here?” the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.“All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said.“But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.”
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.“Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,“You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round—trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.“That,” said the older man,“is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.”“You must be joking,” the young man said.“I can assure you I am not,” said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.
The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf—Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C.Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.
【小题1】The purpose of the author writing this story is to_______.

第三节完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
I teach economics at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I31asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth32. The young man then proceeded to ask me why I33seemed to be so cheerful.
His question34me of something I’d read somewhere before:“Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to35life that day,” I said.“I choose to be cheerful.”
“Let me give you a(n)36,” I continued,37all sixty students in the class.“In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach at the community college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I drove to Henderson. I38the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car39. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn’t40. So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and41down the road to the college.”
“As soon as I got there I called AAA(汽车协会) and42for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. The secretary in the Provost’s office asked me what had happened.‘This is my43day,’ I replied, smiling.”
“‘But your car breaks down.’ She was puzzled.‘What do you mean?’”
“‘I live 17 miles from here.’ I replied.‘My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn’t.44, it broke down in the45place:off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I’m still able to teach my class, and I’ve been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was46to break down today, it couldn’t have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.’”
“The secretary’s eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class.” So ended my story.
I47the sixty faces in my economics class at UNLV. Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep.48, my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasn’t the story at all.49, it had all started with a student’s50that I was cheerful.
31.A.seriously     B.cheerfully           C.curiously            D.coldly
32.A.cut                B.broken               C.lost                    D.removed
33.A.never            B.seldom               C.always               D.sometimes
34.A.reminded              B.asked                 C.informed            D.mentioned
35.A.approach              B.love                   C.give                   D.enjoy
36.A.lesson            B.idea                   C.story                  D.example
37.A.addressing     B.facing                C.attracting            D.lecturing
38.A.entered          B.followed            C.exited                D.took
39.A.died                     B.destroyed           C.settled                D.parked
40.A.turn round     B.turn over            C.turn back            D.turn away
41.A.moved           B.marched             C.struggled            D.turned
42.A.required        B.applied               C.demanded           D.arranged
43.A.good             B.bad                    C.lucky                 D.hard
44.A.However              B.Therefore           C.Instead               D.Besides
45.A.perfect          B.empty                C.terrible           D.free
46.A.wished          B.asked                 C.supposed            D.meant
47.A.examined       B.scanned              C.studied               D.analyzed
48.A.Somehow      B.Anyhow             C.Thus                  D.Therefore
49.A.In addition     B.In all                 C.In fact                D.In general
50.A.observation    B.recognition         C.judgment            D.puzzle

With smart phones taking the world by storm, a phone that can only send and receive voictcal1s and text messages may seem like a relic from a bygone age. Yet in East Africa, simple phones like these are changing the face of the economy, thanks to the mobile money services that are spreading across the region. Using the text--messaging function built into the GSM system(全球通) used by most cell phone networks, these services al1ow people without a bank account or credit card to use their/phone as an electronic wallet that can he used to store, send or receive cash.
It works like this: you pay cash to your loca1 agent who then tops up your mobile money account using a secure form of text messaging. That money can be transferred to another person by sending a message to their cell Phone account.
Fur some the system is a lifeline. ''If I didn’t have my mobile Phone, I would be very poor," says Neyasse Neemur, a mother of four chi1dren who lives in northern Kenya. .”Now I can sell fish.” Neemur took up fishing in Ju1y last year, but making money from it was a little tricky, especially as Turkana peop1e do not usually eat fish. A truck from Ethiopia to Tanzania passes through her vi1lage once a week, and she arranged to have the driver transport the fish several hundred ki1ometers south to market in   Kisumu, where relatives sell the fish.
"I get the money transfer immediately.” says Neemur . "Then I can pay for my children to go to school and for vegetables and beans," she adds, "so I don't need to eat fish."
According to the Central Bank of Kenya, payments worth around l billion Kenyan shillings($13 million) per day were transferred through Kenya’s mobile money systems in 2009, equaling the country’s credit card transactions(业务). The bank expects mobile money transfers to overtake credit cards in 2010.
63. In Paragraph l the author uses "simple phones" to _______________________.
A. make a comparison   B. introduce a topic   C. describe a scene   D. offer an argument.
64. What can we learn about the simple phones in East Africa?
A. They might help the local peop1e apply for a bank account.
B. They will replace the banks completely in the near future.
C. They Provide a safe means for the locals to do business.
D. They can do nothing except send and receive calls or messages.
65. The word “It” in the third paragraph refers to _____________________.
A. the GSM system                B. the mobile money service
C. the credit card service             D. the cell phone networks
66. The story of Neyasse Neemur suggests that ___________________.
A. the mobile money service plays a key role in the locals life
B. Neemur uses her mobile phone to contact her customers
C. her relative' tricks Turkana people to eat the fish they sell
D. the Bant of Kenya helps her improve her living condition

A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket(彩票)at the scene of his crime has been given a lesson in honesty. His victim, who picked up the ticket, then claimed the £25000 prize, managed to trace him, and handed over the cash. The robbery happened when maths professor Vinicio Sabbatucci, 58, was changing a tyre on an Italian motorway. Another motorist, who stopped to “to help”, stole a suitcase from his car and drove off. The professor found the dropped ticket and put it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy.
Next day, he saw the lottery results on TV and, taking out the ticket, realized it was a winner. He claimed the 60 million lire(里拉) prize. Then he began a battle with his conscience. Finally, he decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed. He advertised in newspapers and on radio, saying: “I’m trying to find the man who robbed me. I have 60 million lire for him--- a lottery win. Please meet me. Anonymity(匿名) guaranteed.”
Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash. But there was one voice he recognized--- and he arranged to meet the man in a park. The robber, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two, gave back the suitcase and burst into tears. He could not believe what was happening. “Why didn’t you keep the money?” he asked. The professor replied: “I couldn’t because it’s not mine.” Then he walked off, spurning the thief’s offer of a reward.
65.The sentence “ Then he began a battle with his conscience.” In paragraph 2 implies all of the following EXCEPT that_______.
A. he knew what he should do as soon as he saw the lottery results
B. he hesitated about keeping the money for some time
C. he thought for a moment of avenging himself on the robber
D. he came to realize that honesty is more important than money
66. Hundreds of people phoned professor Sabbatucci because they  ______.
A. wanted to make fun of him  B. hoped to get the money
C. knew who the robber was   D. lost the lottery ticket
67. The word “spurning” in the last sentence can be replaced by  ______.
A. accepting  B. claiming   C. rejecting   D. canceling
68. If the story appears in a newspaper, the best title might be_____.
A. A Thief’s Lucky Day   B. A Popular Maths Professor
C. A Magic Lottery       D. A Reward of Honesty