We have every reason to believe that our business has shown a(n) ____ to improve.

A．direction          B．tendency          C．aspect            D．effect

Cure for Sorrow
There is an old story telling about a woman whose only son died in an accident. In her   31 , she went to the wise man that is always   32  for his wisdom in her town and said, “What advice or what   33  ways do you have to bring my son back to life? I will   34  you with all I have if you can.”
Instead of sending her away or   35  with her, he said to her, “Fetch me a mustard(芥末) seed from a home that has never   36  sorrow. We will use it to drive the sorrow out of your life.” The woman went off at once in  37  of that magical mustard seed.
She came first to a splendid apartment,  38  at the door, and said in a  39  voice, “I am looking for a home that has never known sorrow. Is this such a(n)   40  that I want? It is very important to me.”
  41 , she didn’t get what she wanted, even without a single word of   42 . They told her that she had come to the wrong place. And they began to   43  all the tragic things that recently had happened to them.
The woman said to herself, “Who is better able to help these poor,    44  people than I, though I also have had misfortune of my own?” She   45  to comfort them till they   46 . Then she went on searching for a home that had never known sorrow. But   47  she turned up, in small cottages or in other places, she found one  48  after another of sadness and misfortune. She became so  49  in helping other people out of their sorrow that finally she forgot about her quest for the special mustard seed, in fact, never   50  that it had driven the sorrow out of her life.

Trains were used for long distance transportation.

Today the car is the most   1   sort of transportation in all of the   2  .It has completely taken the place of the horse as a   3  of  everyday transportation. The Americans use their cars for nearly 90   4   all their   5  .Most Americans are   6   to buy cars. The average(平均)   7   of a car was 2050 in 1950,2740 in 1960 and up to 4750 in 1975. During this period, American carmakers   8   improving their products. As a   9  ,the income of the average family   10   from 1950 to 1970   11   than the price of cars.  12  ,buying a new car takes a smaller part of a family’s   13   income today. In 1951, it   14   8.1 months of an average family’s income to buy a new car. In 1962,a new car   15   6.43 months of a family’s income. By 1975,it   16   took 4.75 months’ income.  17  ,the 1975 cars were technically   18   than those of the previous(先前的)   19  .

That’s why cars are so   20   in the USA.

1.A.useful　　　　　　　　　　 B.valuable　　　　　　　　　　 C.cheap　　　　　　　　　　    D.popular

2.A.United States 　　　　 B.world 　　　　　　　　　　  C.year　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.continent

3.A.development　　　　   B.journey　　　　　　　　　　  C.sign　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.means

4.A.percent　　　　　　　　   B.years　　　　　　　　  　　   C.miles　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.dollars

5.A.trips　　　　　　　　　　   B.lives　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.buissness　　　　　　　　  D.time

6.A.permitted　　　　　　    B.encouraged　　　　　　    C.anxious　　　　　　　　　　 D.able

7.A.value　　　　　　　　　　  B.cost　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.price　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.money

8.A.suggested　　　　　　   B.enjoyed 　　　　　　　　    C.made up　　　　　　　　    D.started

9.A.tool　　　　　　　　　　    B.result　　　　　　　　　　    C.drive　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.producer

10.A.reduced　　　　　　    B.increased　　&n

bsp;　　　　　　  C.received　　　　　　　　    D.needed

11.A.more slowly　　　　  B.smaller　　　　　　　　　　  C.faster　　　　　　　　　　    D.less

12.A.However　　　　　　   B.For example　　　　　　   C.Instead　　　　　　　　　　  D.For this reason

13.A.low　　　　　　　　　　  B.high　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.monthly　　　　　　　　    D.total

14.A.needs　　　　　　　　   B.took　　　　　　　　　　　　  C.spent　　　　　　　　　　    D.saved

15.A.spent　　　　　　　　    B.paid　　  　　　　　　    C.cost　　 　　　　　　　　 D.took

16.A.might    　　　　    B.really    　　　　　　　　  C.only　　 　　　　　　　　 D.would

17.A.Otherwise  　　　　 B.Besides　　　　　　   C.But　　  　　　　　　　　 D.Finally

18.A.improved   　　　　 B.better　　　　　　　　　　    C.lighter  　　　　　　　　    D.smaller

19.A.months　　 　　    B.years    　　　　　　　　  C.cars　　 　　　　　　　　 D.families

20.A.popular    　　　　  B.expensive　　　　　　　　  C.cheap   　　　　　　　　  D.good

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21-30各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

One day, Miss Ellis gave her pupils a new kind of homework: homework on happiness. Her pupils would be “happiness   1  ”, and were to see what would happen when they tried to bring happiness to those around them. As part of their homework, all the students did really    2  , wonderful things, but what Carla Chalmers did left everyone    3  . Several days after the homework had been handed out, Carla turned up carrying a big bag.

“Here in this bag I have all the happiness I’ve collected so far,” she said    4  . On seeing this, everyone was filled with    5  , but Carla didn’t want to show anyone what was in the bag. Instead, she pulled out a small box and gave it to her teacher. When Miss Ellis had taken the box, Carla took a(n)    6   camera out of her own pocket and stood with it at the ready.

“Open it, Miss Ellis.”

The teacher slowly opened the box and looked inside. A big smile    7   on her face, and at that moment Carla took a photo, Carla’s photo came out of the camera immediately, and she    8    it to Miss Ellis along with a sheet of paper. The teacher read the paper in silence, and when she, had finished, she gestured at the    9  .

“Oh, so it’s…”

“Yes!”    10   Carla, opening the bag. “It’s a great big pile of smiles!”

She opened the bag and photos of different    11   fell out.

The rest of the class tried to    12   how Carla had managed to create such a great big chain of happiness. All there in the box was a photo of a big smile. But everyone who had seen it felt happiness being transmitted（传送）to them, and in return, without    13  , every person    14   with a  smile of their own.

She managed to    15   understanding of the smile truth that every time you smile you are sending a gift to the world.

1.                A．explorers       B．instructors      C．players   D．collectors

2.                A．regretful        B．delightful       C．stressful  D．thankful

3.                A．surprised       B．satisfied        C．annoyed  D．depressed

4.                A．disappointedly   B．sadly           C．amazedly D．smilingly

5.                A．astonishment    B．kindness        C．expectation   D．pride

6.                A．expensive       B．old–fashioned   C．instant   D．good-looking

7.                A．disappeared     B．froze           C．faded    D．shone

8.                A．offered         B．sold            C．packed   D．paid

9.                A．box            B．bag            C．camera   D．pocket

10.               A．added         B．questioned      C．replied    D．interrupted

11.               A．smiles          B．teachers        C．ceremonies    D．friends

12.               A．try out         B．focus on        C．decide on  D．figure out

13.               A．imagination     B．expression      C．hesitation D．reason

14.               A．responded      B．refused        C．demanded     D．proved

15.               A．hide           B．correct         C．appreciate D．spread

Last year was the first year when I taught the fifth grade. Recently, I’ve been 1 by a “graduated ”student for the first time. I was really surprised when he walked into my home.

He hasn’t physically changed much since  2 my class last year and if I had had to guess who would come to visit me first. I wouldn’t have thought of him. Carlos was a student who had a hard time sitting   3  in the beginning of last year. He would often   4 to go to the bathroom, and he’d talk or look like he was falling asleep because of little sleep. He often needed   5  in doing anything that other students could do well on their own.

I found out that the reason for his behavior in my classroom was that he had been  6 nightmares(噩梦)about his border-crossing experience. He was  7 that the immigration office would take him or his parents to prison or back to their   8 . And here he was in my class trying to learn a(n)  9 language, which he had never touched before.

When he was in my class, one thing that stood out was that he had a(n)  10 time speaking English. But when he walked in my room yesterday, all of that was missing. In walked a calm, 11  boy who spoke and understood English far better than when he left me in June. He even  12 to speak to my class in the sixth grade in English. He told me he remembered doing sign language and the video I made to help him  13 his English.

His visit  14 a lot to me not only because he has made great progress, but also because it reminded me what it means to be a teacher ----- to have a lasting influence on  15 .

3.A. fast           B. beautifully      C. still          D actively

14.14.