①Isaac Stern was more than a great violin player. He was one of the most honored musicians in the world. He was an international cultural ambassador. He was a major supporter of the arts in America and in other countries. He was a teacher and activist.
②Isaac Stern was born in 1920 in what is now Ukraine. His parents moved to San Francisco, California the following year. His mother began teaching Isaac the piano when he was six. He began taking violin lessons after hearing a friend play the instrument. Later, he began studying music at the San Francisco Conservatory (音乐学院).He progressed quickly. When he was 16, he played with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The next year, he performed in New York City and was praised by music critics.
③During World War Ⅱ, Mr. Stern played for thousands of American soldiers. It was the first time many of them had heard classical music. After the war, he was the first American violinist to perform in a concert in the Soviet Union. He also supported young musicians and cultural organizations in Israel.
④In 1979, Isaac Stern visited China. He met with Chinese musicians and students. He taught them about classical Western music. His visit was made into a film, which is called From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. It won an Academy Award for best documentary film.
⑤In 1984, Isaac Stern received the Kennedy Center Honors Award for his gifts to American culture through music. He expressed his thoughts about the part that music plays in life. He said he believed that music makes life better for everyone, especially children.
⑥Mr. Stern supported and guided younger classical musicians. They include violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Yo -Yo Ma, and pianist Yefim Bronfman.
⑦Isaac Stern died in 2001 at the age of 81.He was a major influence on music in the 20th century. He leaves the world richer with his many recordings.
【小题1】Which of the following is the RIGHT time order for these events in Stern’s life?
a. He began learning music in an institution.
b. He received the Kennedy Center Honors Award.
c. He visited the Soviet Union.
d. He met with Chinese musicians.
e. He performed for American soldiers.

John Blanchard was studying the crowd making their way through the station. He was looking for the girl with a rose whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t.

When reading a book in a Florida library a year before, John became interested not in the contents of the book, but in the notes penciled in the margin. The handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and beautiful mind. He discovered the former owner's name in the front of the book: Miss Hollis Maynell.

He located her address and wrote a letter introducing himself. The next day he was shipped overseas to serve in the army. During the next year, they grew to know each other through the mail and their friendship developed. John requested a photograph, but she refused, saying if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return home, their first meeting was suggested — 7:00 p.m. at the Grand Central Station in New York.

She wrote, “You’ll recognize me by the red rose I wear on my coat.” So now John was in the station to meet the girl with a rose.                                        

As a pretty and slim girl in green came over, John noticed her blue eyes like flowers in spring. He walked directly towards her, entirely forgetting she was not wearing a rose. As John came closer to her, he saw another woman with a red rose stood nearby. Well past 40, this woman had graying hair done under a worn hat. Seeing the girl in green walk quickly away, John felt as if he were split in two. He desired to follow that girl, but longed for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and supported him.

The woman looked gentle and sensible. John went to her, saying, “I’m Captain John Blanchard. You must be Miss Maynell. I am glad to meet you here. May I take you to dinner?”

She replied with a smile, “I don’t know what this is about. But the lady in green who just went by, begged me to wear this rose on my coat. She said if you asked me out to dinner, I’d tell you she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”

John was eager to know the former owner of the book because he______.

A. was very interested in the contents of the book

B. was impressed by the notes written by its owner

C. wanted to improve his handwriting

D. wanted to discuss the book with her

What happened to John after getting in touch with Miss Hollis Maynell?

   A. He served in the army abroad.

   B. He went overseas for vacation.

   C. He went on a business trip in New York.

   D. He visited Miss Maynell.

What do we know about the woman with a rose?

   A. She was Miss Maynell’s close friend.

   B. She was a waitress in the big restaurant.

   C. She was probably a passerby.

   D. She was paid to meet John at the Station.

Which would be the best title of the text?

A. An Interesting Book                            B. A Woman With a Rose

C. A Brave Soldier                         D. A Love Test

My grandfather Jack is 96 years old, and he has had an interesting life. He has traveled a lot in his life in the Far East. He visited the Taj Mahal（泰姬陵） in India and the Pyramids in Egypt. He hunted lions in Africa, and rode a camel in the Sahara Desert（撒哈拉沙漠）. He says the most beautiful place he has traveled to is Kathmandu in Nepal（尼泊尔）.

Jack has married twice. His first wife died when she was 32. He met his second wife Maria while he was cycling round France. They have been married for 50 years, and they have lived happily in a small village since they got married.

Jack says that he has never been ill in his life. The secret of good health, according to my grandfather, is exercise. He goes swimming every morning. He has done this since he was a boy. He also has a glass of wine every night! Perhaps that is his secret!

1.What kind of life has Jack lived?

A. A short life. B. An interesting life

C. A lonely life. D. A poor life.

2.Which of the following does Jack think is the most beautiful place?

A. Kathmandu. B. The Pyramids

C. The Sahara Desert. D. Taj Mahal.

3.How many times has Jack married?

A. Once. B. Twice. C. Three times. D. Four times.

4.Where did Jack meet Maria?

A. In India. B. In Nepal. C. In France. D. In Egypt.

5.What does Jack do every night?

A. He has a glass of wine. B. He goes swimming

C. He hunts lions. D. He rides a camel

The HOPE IS A GAME--CHANGER PROJECT will deliver unbreakable soccer balls to kids who, all too often, see things horrible, broken and not survive the simplest of circumstances. The project started taking form well before anyone knew where it would lead –which is to test the power of like-minded people working together to turn inspiration into action.

Four years ago Bobby was in Rwanda offering help to the people there and taking photos of a child soldier named Moise with his “soccer ball”，which was a pile of rubbish tied together with a string. This “ball” was the only thing Moise could call his own --- no family, no home, no place to go. Forced to fight in the Congo and having killed three people at the unbearably young age of seven, the boy’s spirit was broken. And Bobby knew, as he took one photo after the next, that he’d never forget him. In fact, he returned the following year to tell Moise he had stayed deep within his heart ---but he was gone.

I recently helped Bobby launch his new book The Power of the Invisible Sun which features a photo of Moise, his ball, and kids from war-torn areas around the world. All of his earnings go towards the HOPE IS A GAME-CHANGER PROJECT for the kids he visited over the past decade. They caught the emotional landscape from heartbreak to joy, but share the undeniable longing for recovery and hope.

Bobby and I share the unchangeable belief that delivering hope is really a game-changer, especially to a child. We believe that each indestructible ball will come to represent a lasting symbol of hope. A light no matter how small---The Power of the Invisible Sun.

This holiday season, I ask you to think about whether you are doing enough to help someone else in the world. Or as Bobby likes to put it, consider “taking a concrete baby step”, which added together, can create transformational change. It’s my great hope that the HOPE IS A GAME-CHANGER PROJECT will change the lives of children in the world over --- one book, one ball at a time.

59．In the first sentence of the passage, the writer implies that___________.

A．kids live an unsafe life in parts of the world

B．the balls sent to kids should be of good quality

C．young kids can not overcome the difficulties

D．kids intend to break their toys into pieces

60． How may Bobby feel about Mosie?

A．He was very proud of Mosie’s bravery.

B．He felt sorry for Mosie’s ruined childhood.

C．He thought money could solve Mosie’s problem.

D．He felt happy to tell him what was in his heart.

61．Which of the following about Bobby’s new book is TRUE?

A．It earned a lot of money to help kids like Mosie.

B．The photos inside reflected the kids’ hopeless life.

C．Its title shows the author’s belief to change the world.

D．It changed the life of the kids recorded in the book.

62．The underlined part in the last paragrph probably means___________.

A．starting the first step as a baby does

B．taking an active action from now on

C．making great changes step by step

D．doing some small but good deeds

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND—A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported a proposal to employ dogs as classroom assistants.
At the annual conference of the Professional Association of teachers in Southport, northwest of England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate “accidents”. Wendy Dyble, a Shetland Islands woman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not “barking mad”. They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions(弃权票).
She said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order. “A big dog would also be helpful for breaking up fights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls,” Dyble said at the conference. “The dog will also be useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to,” she added. “It would be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit（犯过者）.” 
The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas.
Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand.
51. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants________
A. is a wonderful idea             
B. can improve the relation between children and animals
C. is beyond ordinary people's minds 
D. can make some teachers lose jobs
52. The phrase “own up to” in the third paragraph means_________
A. admire        B. admit            C. dislike           D. interest
53. What Dyble said at the conference___________.
A. gained some support from the members      B. frightened everyone at the conference
C. interested everyone at the conference        D. caused some trouble to trained dogs
54. A spokesman for Education Secretary           .
A. once used a dog as classroom assistant       B. sang high praise for Dyble's idea
C. would employ dogs as teachers             D. benefited from dogs more than others
55. The last paragraph of this passage   .
A. has nothing to do with the topic of this passage
B. shows there are too many exams in British school
C. provides further facts about the teaching union
D. shows the writer's anger to the union