50. Cervantes met the following troubles EXCEPT that 　　.

A. he was sent to prison

　　　 B. his left arm got hurt　

　　　 C. he failed to find a job

　　　 D. he was refused by the army

Section E (10 marks)

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

Years ago a kid was riding a bike near my house. He threw some nails (钉子) and a bit of glass on the ground as he passed. Right behind him came a small truck. The driver tried to stop the truck, but it was too late and he got a flat tyre (轮胎).

Then I saw the driver get off the truck and began to chase the boy. However, the boy was not afraid. He rode his bike quickly and laughed at the driver who was nearly out of breath.

Immediately I got on my car and quickly caught up with the boy. I took hold of the kid’s arm. He was trying to escape，but I held him firmly. He shouted, “Mind your own business. It wasn’t in your home!”

I said, “This city is my home, so is this country! It’s my duty to stop you from doing such kind of things! “Then I had a talk with him about responsibility. The boy apologized to the driver and together we helped the driver to change his tyre.

A few years later, I was walking around my local store doing some shopping and there was a young fellow coming towards me. “You don’t recognize me, sir, do you?” he said. I stared at him and recognized he was the naughty boy. He told me what I said last time did have a great effect on him. He decided to change himself ever since then and now he is one of the managers of the supermarket. We both laughed and agreed to keep in touch.

49. What was the dream of Cervantes?

A. To be a writer.

B. To be a solider.

C. To be a banker.

D. To be a doctor.

48. The author writes this passage to remind us that 　　.

A. we should be brave to deal with troubles

B. nothing is hard if we put our heart into it

C. we all have great potential inside ourselves

D. no one knows what he can do until he tries

47. When was the passage probably written?

A. After Valentine’s Day in 2013.

B. Before Valentine’s Day in 2013.

C. After Valentine’s Day in 2014.

　　　 D. Before Valentine’s Day in 2014.

D

Cervantes was born to poor parents. His future looked dark as he grew to see a life of sadness and poverty before him. He joined the army as a common soldier and was hurt so badly that he could not use his left arm.

He later failed to find a job and, on two occasions, was sent to prison. He continued to have brushes (冲突) with the law and struggled just to survive.

But, despite these troubles of his life, he never let go of his dream — to write a book. He realized his dream and he wrote a book. In the book he told of a beautiful story which came from his heart’s deepest dreams. It is about a man who saw the world differently than everyone else. Though created in suffering, the book is an inspiring (鼓舞人的) story of hope. This man’s story has been put to music and film, translated into many languages and remains a literary classic after some 400 years. It has moved many people in the world. The author was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the book is Don Quijote de la Mancha (《堂吉诃德》). Perhaps Cervantes himself believed that “the world sees people as they are — I see them as they can be!” Cervantes may never have written such a wonderful work if he had not seen some potential (潜能) within himself. He knew, and has taught others ever since, that great truth: What we see will come to be.

Some see situations as they are, others as they can be. Some see people as they are, others as they can be. And some see themselves as they are, others as they can be. But when we set our sights upon the best that is within a situation or a human being, what we see will come to be. And we’ll know the power of hope.

46. Which of the following traditions on Valentine’s Day is kept alive from ancient days?

A. Writing lovers’ names on pieces of paper.

B. Sending gifts like candies, flowers and jewelry.

C. Asking your boyfriend or girlfriend to marry you.

D. Having a dinner with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

45. At the ceremony for lovers in ancient Rome, 　　.

A. a boy got his girlfriend quite by luck

B. boys and girls exchanged cards to show love

C. a girl had the freedom to choose her boyfriend

D. girls put their words of love in a large box

44. Valentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine mainly because Valentine 　　.

A. came up with the idea for Valentine’s Day

B. lost his life because of his Christian beliefs

C. once helped young lovers as a churchman

D. sent gifts to young lovers on February 14th

43. In which section of a newspaper will this passage appear?

　　 A. Economy.　　　　　　　　 　 B. Health & Life.

　　 C. Entertainment.　　　　　　 　　 D. Science.

C

Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day each year on February 14th. So do candy companies, jewelry stores and people selling flowers. Valentine’s Day is for lovers. It is a good day to ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to marry you. It is also a popular day for marriage. But other couples might celebrate with a dinner at a nice restaurant.

The holiday is named for Saint Valentine. He was an early Christian churchman who was said to have helped young lovers. Valentine was executed (处死) for his Christian beliefs on February 14th, more than one thousand seven hundred years ago. But the day is even older than that.

The ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers more than two thousand years ago. As part of the celebration, each girl wrote her name on a piece of paper and put it in a large box. Each boy reached into the box and pulled out the name of a girl. That girl became his girlfriend for a year.

Lovers still put their names on pieces of paper on Valentine’s Day. They send each other cards that express their love. Sometimes they send other gifts, too, like jewelry, flowers, candy, or all three!

It was reported that the average American spent about $134 for Valentine’s Day in 2014. That was up about three dollars from 2013. Men spent about twice as much on their partners as women did. And it is said the total spending for Valentine’s Day in the United States reached about $17.3 billion.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

42. When a bank is faced with a crisis, we can use the expression “　　”.

　　 A. break the bank　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. run on the bank　

　　 C. in the red　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. day trading

41. When a company runs well, the financial records will be written in 　　 ink.

　　 A. red　　　　　　　 B. black　　　　　　　 C. green　　　　　　　　 D. yellow