When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.

     “Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.

     “When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.

     “I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”

If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!

58. Who was Jim?

A. A school boy.                                           B. The writer.

C. The president of a school board.            D. An official of a school.

59. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “the educationally handicapped”?

A. The learning difficulty.                          

B. The physical problems.

C. The psychological problems.                  

D. The communication difficulty.

60. According to the writer, which of the following about Jim is TRUE？

A. He was always sad about his school marks.

B. His parents always scolded him about his bad school marks.

C. His study needed more attention from his parents and teachers.

D. He was killed in a car accident.

61. The purpose of Polly’s letter is to                .

A. memorize her son

B. teach parents to appreciate their children

C. teach children how to be good boys

D. give some advice on how to deal with children’s problems

I’m a 20-year-old boy, and the following is my story.

A month after I graduated from high school in August, 2007, I was coming home from swim practice in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital.

I suffered a lot from the experience of dying eight times during my coma and I couldn’t open my mouth to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around. At that time, it seemed that walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body, my dreams were completely destroyed. But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams.

After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions, I had to make every great effort to learn to talk, eat, walk, shower, and live on my own again. When I was out of hospital, I still had to go to outpatient therapy（门诊治疗） in Waldorf, Maryland. After I spent a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own. It was a miracle that I was able to walk again, but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but also run. When it came true, I wanted to get back into the pool again. After having a few lung tests, I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training, I began my freshman year at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team.

By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world. I am just trying to live each day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is to them. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed: I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members. I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow, things would work out for the best.

61. The underlined word “coma” in Paragraph 2 probably has the meaning of “_______”.

   A. operation       B. unconsciousness     C. treatment       D. emergency

62. According to Paragraph 3, it can be inferred that the author _______.

   A. was unable to talk or communicate        B. was in despair

   C. faced physical and mental challenges     D. felt anxious about his state

63. In the last paragraph, the author mainly wants to show _______.

   A. his positive influence on other patients    B. his meaningful life

   C. his purpose of sharing his story          D. his great achievements

64. The best title for the passage would be “_______”.

   A. Attitude is everything                 B. Actions speak louder than words

   C. Everything happens for a reason         D. A good beginning is half done

Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years. What makes Mrs. Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years. She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years.

When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education. The banker gave her no encouragement. He didn’t think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college. He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm. So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college. Mrs. Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education. When her children were grown, she tried again.

She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time. Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs. Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff(不灵活). At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were

41. Mrs. Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because ___________.

A. she hadn’t got enough money                 B. she was a country girl

C. the banker ordered her not to borrow any money

D. the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children

42. The computer students welcomed Mrs. Hanson warmly because ___________.

A. she had got an excellent result in the exam

B. she was good at telling funny stories

　C. they wanted to get her help in their studies

D. they were deeply moved by her spirit

43. In which order did Mrs. Hanson do the following things?

　a. she began her studies at college.

　b. She finished high school.

　 c. She got married and gave birth of nine children.

d. She had her 73 rd birthday.

e. She went to the bank to borrow money.

A. a c b e d                  B. b e c a d                  C. b c e d a                         D. e d a c b

The elephant was lying heavily on its side, fast asleep. A few dogs started barking at it. The elephant woke up in a terrible anger: it chased the dogs into the village where they ran for safety.

That didn't stop the elephant. It destroyed a dozen houses and injured several people. The villagers were scared and angry. Then someone suggested calling Parbati, the elephant princess.

   Parbati Barua's father was a hunter of tigers and an elephant tamer（驯象师）. He taught Parbati to ride an elephant before she could even walk. He also taught her the dangerous art of the elephant round-up -- how to catch wild elephants.

   Parbati hasn't always lived in the jungle. After a happy childhood hunting with her father, she was sent to boarding school in the city. But Parbati never got used to being there and many years later she went back to her old life. "Life in the city is too dull. Catching elephants is an adventure and the excitement lasts for days after the chase." she says.

   But Parbati doesn't catch elephants just for fun. "My work," she says, "is to rescue man from the elephants, and to keep the elephants safe from man." And this is exactly what Parbati has been doing for many years. Increasingly, the Indian elephant is angry: for many years, illegal hunters have attacked it and its home in the jungle has been reduced to small pieces of land. It is now fighting back. Whenever wild elephants enter a tea garden or a village, Parbati is called to guide the animals back to the jungle before they can kill.

   The work of an elephant tamer also involves love and devotion. A good elephant tamer will spend hours a day singing love songs to a newly captured elephant. "Eventually they grow to love their tamers and never forget them. They are also more loyal than humans." she said, as she climbed up one of her elephants and sat on the giant, happy animal. An elephant princess indeed!

48. For Parbati, catching elephants is mainly to             .

   A. get long lasting excitement              B. keep both man and elephants safe

   C. send them back to the jungle             D. make the angry elephants tame

49. Before Parbati studied in a boarding school,             .

   A. she spent her time hunting with her father       

B. she learned how to sing love songs

   C. she had already been called an elephant princess

   D. she was taught how to hunt tigers

50. Indian elephants are getting increasingly angry and they revenge（报复） because __________.

   A. they are caught and sent for heavy work                

   B. illegal hunters capture them and kill them

   C. they are attacked and their land gets limited

   D. dogs often bark at them and chase them

51. The passage starts with an elephant story in order to explain that in India _________.    

   A. people easily fall victim to elephants' attacks

   B. the man-elephant relationship is getting worse

   C. elephant tamers are in short supply

   D. dogs are as powerful as elephants

I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting (引用) a Biblical (圣经的) passage about husbands being considerate towards their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”

“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.

After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me.” We walked on the beach when the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed, I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love. There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. Last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with sorrow, “do you know anything I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup (体检) I had several weeks ago…our doctor…Did he tell you anything about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me... Am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

64. From the story we may infer that Tom went to the beach cottage ________.

A. with his family      B. with Evelyn          C. alone           D. with his children

65. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ________.

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes                    

B. he had made a lot of money in Wall Street

C. he was determined to be a good husband        

D. she was seriously ill

66. The underlined words “one thing” in the passage refer to the fact that ________.

A. he praised her sweater, which puzzled her

B. she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated

C. he knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her

D. he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying

67. By saying “I’m just starting to live”, Tom means that ________.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of work

B. he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel sorry for what he did to his wife

For 52 years my father got up every morning at 5:30 am, except Sunday, and went to work. He returned home at 5:30 pm, for dinner at 6:00 pm. I never remember my father having a night out with his children. All he asked from me as a daughter was to hold his hammer while he repaired something, just so we could have some time to talk to each other.

For 22 years, after I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday. Nine years ago, my father, 67 years old, spent three days painting my house. He asked me to hold the paint brush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy and I could not take the time to hold the paint brush, or talk to my father.

Five years ago, my father spent five hours making a swing（秋千）for my daughter. Again, all he asked me to do was to give him a glass of tea, and talk to him. But again, I had some clothes to wash, and the house to clean.

On January 16, 1996, my father telephoned me as usual, this time from my sister’s home in Florida. I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short.

The call came at 4:40 pm. That day, my father was in hospital in Florida. I got on an airplane immediately, and on the way, I made up my mind that when I arrived, I would make up for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him.

I arrived in Florida at 1:00 am, but my father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.

51. When the author was young, her father ______.

A. was busy with his work                      B. disliked his children 

C. often talked to his children                  D. never cared about his children

52. How old was the author’s father when he made a swing for his granddaughter?

A. 45.   　　　　　　B. 67.   　　　　　　C. 71.    　　　　　　　D. 76.

53. When painting the house, the father asked the author to hold a paint brush because ______.

A. he wanted to make his work easy     B. he was too old to work all by himself

C. he just wanted his daughter to help him   D. he wanted to have a talk with his daughter

54. The underlined phrase “passed away” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.

A. arrived   　　　　B. lost    　　　　　C. left    　　　　　　　D. died

Many years ago, my dad was diagnosed (诊断) with a serious heart condition. He was unable to work a steady job. He would be fine for a while, but would then fall suddenly ill and have to be admitted to the hospital.

He wanted to do something to keep himself busy, so he decided to volunteer at the local children’s hospital. My dad loved kids. It was the perfect job for him. He ended up working with the seriously ill children. He would talk, play, and do arts with them.

One of his kids was a girl with a rare disease that paralyzed (瘫痪) her from the neck down. She couldn’t do anything, and she was very depressed. My dad decided to try to help her. He started visiting her in her room, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He stood the paper up, put the paintbrush in his mouth and began to paint. He didn’t use his hands at all. All the while he would tell her, “See, you can do anything you set your mind to.”

At the end of the day, she began to paint using her mouth, and she and my dad became friends. Soon after, the little girl was sent home because the doctors felt there was nothing else they could do for her. My dad also left the children’s hospital for a little while because he became ill. Some time later after my dad had recovered and returned to work, in came the little girl who had been paralyzed, but this time she was walking. She ran straight over to my dad and hugged him really tight. She gave him a picture she had done using her hands. At the bottom it read: “Thank you for helping me walk.”

My dad would cry every time he told us this story and so would we. He would say sometimes love is more powerful than doctors, and my dad – who died just a few months after the little girl gave him the picture – loved every single child in that hospital.

48. The author’s father worked at the local hospital to ___________.

A. ease his heart condition                    B. keep himself occupied and happy

C. earn money to pay for treatment             D. realize his childhood dream

49. How did the author’s father help the paralyzed little girl?

A. He helped her practice walking.             B. He painted special pictures for her.

C. He showed her she could still do things.       D. He visited her and made a toy for her.

50. According to Paragraph 4, the paralyzed girl ___________.

A. gradually recovered and walked             B. eventually became a unique painter   

C. was sent home and never seen again          D. sent a picture painted with her mouth

51. The article mainly conveys the message that ___________.

A. it’s better to give than to receive             B. volunteering is a worthwhile thing to do

C. love can sometimes bring great results        D. a sick person should not focus on his disease

I made a pledge (誓言) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical（圣经的）passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”

“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.

After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her. 

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress (悲痛), “do you know something I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup（体检）I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

68. From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A. with his family  B. with Evelyn       C. alone                D. with his children

69. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes

B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C. he was determined to be a good husband

D. she was seriously ill

70. The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.    

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

71. By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

She was born to wealth and power in an era when money and politics were left to the men. Later, as The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham became one of America’s most powerful women.
       Despite a privileged background, Katharine had to deal, while growing up, with the high demands her mother placed on her children. Katharine’s love of journalism, which she shared with her father, led to her career after college at The Washington Post, the newspaper her father bought in 1933. At the Post, Katharine met Phil Graham, a young, charming lawyer who became her husband. When, in 1945, Katharine’s father chose Phil over her to take over his struggling paper, Katharine didn’t object and stayed at home as a wife and mother of four.
       While Phil’s successful efforts to restore the Post to prominence (显著) made the Grahams popular members of the Washington social scene, Katharine privately suffered tremendous pain from her husband’s increasingly abusive behavior and wild mood swings caused by severe depression. When Phil committed suicide (自杀), the 46-year-old Katharine found herself thrown into a new job, that of newspaper publisher. But determined to save the family paper for her children, Katharine rose to the challenge of running the Post, attending meetings in every department, working endlessly to prove herself to her critics, and becoming the toast of Washington.
       In 1971, Katharine ordered the Post to print a copy of the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret documents disclosing the truth about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. What’s more, her courageous decision and support for her journalists prepared the Post to break the most important political story in modern history: Watergate, one of the greatest scandals (丑闻) in American political history. Katharine managed to keep control over the most chaotic (disorder) of situations when it was reported, all the time insisting the news stories be accurate and fair. Watergate made the Washington Post an internationally known Paper and Katharine was considered as the most powerful woman in America.
51. Katharine Graham was born in a time when women were not ________.
      A. given the chance to receive education    B. considered as intelligent as men
      C. permitted to achieve their goals       D. allowed to enter every field
52. When her husband was chosen to take charge of the newspaper, Katharine Graham ________.
       A. was strongly against the idea   

       B. was not happy to be rejected
      C. was willing to take her share of responsibility

       D. didn’t believe her husband would do a good job
53. Which of the following statements is true?
       A. It was Katharine Graham’s husband who made the greatest contributions to the Post.
       B. When Katharine Graham first took over the Post, her critics doubted her ability.

       C. Katharine Graham was successful in her career but suffered severe depression.

       D. Katharine Graham was free to do whatever she liked in her early life.
54. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

       A. Ups and downs of The Washington Post.

       B. Katharine Graham’s family life and career.

       C. Katharine Graham: from housewife to successful publisher.

       D. Katharine Graham: a woman who shaped American journalism.

The annual marathon in my town usually took place in summer. My job was to   31    behind the runners in an ambulance   32     any of them needed medical attention. The driver and I were in an air-conditioned ambulance behind nearly one hundred athletes    33    to hear the sharp crack of the starting gun.

“We’re supposed to stay behind the   34    runner, so take it slowly ,” I said to the driver , Doug , as we began to creep forward .

“Let’s just hope all the runners are fast!” he laughed.

As they began to pace themselves, the front runners started to    35    . It was then that my   36   were drawn to the woman in blue silk running shorts and a baggy white T-shirt.

“Doug, look!”

We knew we were already watching our “last runner”. Her feet were turned in, but her left knee was turned out. Her legs were so crippled and bent that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk , let alone run a marathon .

Doug and I watched in   37    as she slowly moved forward. We didn’t say a thing. We would move forward a little bit, then stop and wait for her to gain some distance. Then we’d slowly move forward a little bit more.

Finally, she was the   38    runner left in sight. Tears streamed down my face as I sat on the edge of my seat and watched with amazement and even respect as she    39        forward with strong determination through the last miles.

When the    40    line came into sight, rubbishes lay everywhere and the cheering crowds had already gone home.    41   , a man waited proudly there. He was    42   one end of a ribbon (带子) tied to a post.   43   slowly crossed through, leaving both ends of the ribbon fluttering behind her.

I do not know this woman’s name, but that day she became a part of my life –a part I often depend on. For her, it wasn’t about    44    the other runners or winning a competition, it was about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter    45   . When I think things are too difficult or too time-consuming, I think of the last runner. Then I realize how easy the task before me really is.

31．A．interview        B．watch      C．follow     D．fall

32．A．when       B．since C．because    D．in case

33．A．searching        B．sitting      C．wishing    D．waiting

34．A．slow        B．last   C．wounded D．helpless

35．A．run   B．miss  C．disappear  D．lose

36．A．attention   B．mind C．eyes  D．sight

37．A．happiness  B．silence      C．disappointment D．hope

38．A．single       B．only  C．last    D．careful

39．A．pushed     B．fought      C．pulled       D．jumped

40．A．close B．end   C．match       D．finish

41．A．Yet   B．But   C．Thus        D．Therefore

42．A．catching   B．handing   C．holding     D．bringing

43．A．He   B．She         C．I      D．They

44．A．winning   B．competing       C．beating    D．fighting

45．A．what        B．where      C．when D．why