Once upon a time there was a precious sword. Now, this sword belonged to a great King, and for as long as anyone could remember, the King spent all his time in his place, enjoying its shows and competitions with other swords. One day a great dispute（争端）arouse between this King and the King of a neighbouring country. It ended with both declaring war.
The sword was greatly excited at the prospect of taking part in its first real battle. It would show everyone how truly brave and special it was, and would become well-known throughout the kingdom. On the way to the front line, the sword imagined itself the winner of many battles. However, when it arrived, the first battle had already broken out, and the sword got to see the results of the war. What it saw had nothing in common with what the sword had imagined. No elegant shining knights, successful, with their weapons shining in the sunlight. Instead, all the sword saw was broken weapons, and a large crowd of hungry and thirsty men. There was hardly any food left. Everything was covered in dirt and disgusting smell. Many were half dead and scattered on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds.
Seeing this, the sword realized it liked neither wars nor battles. It decided it preferred to live in peace and spend its time taking part in tournaments and competitions. So, on the night before what was going to be the big final battle, the sword tried to find a way to prevent it from taking place. After a while, the sword started to vibrate（颤抖）. First it gave out a low buzz, and then this gradually got louder, until it became an annoying metallic noise. The swords and armour（盔甲）of the soldiers asked the King’s sword what it was doing. It told them, “I don’t want there to be a battle tomorrow. I don’t like war.”
One answered, “No one likes it, but what can we do?”
“Make yourself vibrate, just like what I’m doing,” said the King’s sword. “If we make enough noise, no one will sleep.”
So the weapons started vibrating, and the noise became deafening. It was so loud that it reached the enemy camp, and the weapons there, which were equally sick of war, joined the protest.
The next morning, when the battle should have begun, not a single soldier was ready to fight. No one had managed to get even a wink of sleep, not even the King or the Generals. So they spent the whole day catching up on sleep. During the evening they started to wake up, and decided to put off the battle until the next day.
However, the weapons, led by the King’s sword, spent the night repeating their peace song, and again no soldier could rest. The battle had to be postponed yet again, and this carried on for the next seven days. On the evening of the seventh day, the Kings of the two armies met to see what they could do about the situation. Both were very angry at their previous disputes, but after being together for a while they started to discuss their sleepless nights, the surprise on their soldiers’ faces, the confusion between day and night, and the amusing situations all this had created. It wasn’t long before both were laughing, like friends, at these little stories. Fortunately, they forgot their old disputes and they put an end to the war, each returning to their own land with the double joy.
【小题1】 From the first paragraph, we can infer that _________.

When I was in college twenty-five years ago, I spent four summers working in 36 at a luxury hotel in downtown Chicago. 37 , I was a maid.

I did not enter the world of housekeeping enthusiastically. My friends had 38 jobs such as making ice cream, selling goods at the mall, or life guarding at the outdoor pool. I had been hoping to get a job as an office lady for a famous company: 39 pay, air-conditioned office, the gold standard for summer jobs, as most of us dreamed of. When that 40 , the only option left was to take a train ride downtown each morning to work as a maid.

It was tiring work, cleaning up to eighteen rooms a day. My 41 attitude reflected my disdain(鄙视) for cleaning toilets, 42 bed sheets, dusting, eight hours a day for the comfort of total strangers who 43 left a tip. I thought it was beneathme. My maid work was average 44  the day I was assigned to the eighteenth floor.

That was Lorena’s regular floor. The only time another maid set foot on it was on Lorena’s day off. If you left any water 45 on the mirror, or a hair on the bed, Lorena would hunt you down when she 46 , as I found out firsthand. She’d ended her lecture to me with “ 47 some pride in your work.”

She did. And so did Rosalie, Helen, Annette, and all the other experienced maids. Their devotion to doing a good job and their belief that their work was a 48 of their character stuck with me throughout my 49 career after graduation. I learned a lot from them during those four summers.

Not a week would go without one of them 50 some firm but friendly advice: “Where’s your commode brush? You don’t have one? How do you expect to get that bowl clean?”

Their pride in a job well done was reflected in how they treated 51 . They left the building at the end of the day in nice dresses and 52 makeup. They looked like they could have been attending an afternoon tea. And, 53 often, they were smiling and laughing, cheerfully greeting their co-workers a good evening. When you work with happiness and 54 , a job will be well done. I believe there is 55 in any job if you work hard and try your best.

1.                A．cleaning        B．housekeeping    C．serving   D．managing

2.                A．In short         B．In brief         C．In other words D．On the other hand

3.                A．winter         B．summer        C．awful D．permanent

4.                A．extra           B．poor           C．average  D．good

5.                A．fell over        B．fell through      C．fell down D．fell off

6.                A．negative        B．right           C．excellent D．casual

7.                A．making         B．spreading       C．changing  D．doing

8.                A．frequently      B．rarely          C．occasionally   D．willingly

9.                A．when          B．after           C．until D．before

10.               A．drops          B．signs           C．tracks D．marks

11.               A．visited         B．arrived         C．left   D．returned

12.               A．take           B．obtain          C．reject D．make

13.               A．reflection       B．truth           C．gratitude  D．award

14.               A．special         B．general         C．different  D．professional

15.               A．taking          B．following       C．offering   D．refusing

16.               A．others         B．themselves      C．customers D．co-workers

17.               A．expensive      B．cautious        C．cheap D．careful

18.               A．more          B．least           C．most  D．less

19.               A．frustration      B．regret          C．prejudice  D．satisfaction

20.               A．respect        B．aspect         C．challenge  D．failure

B
ON March 17 there will be an explosion of green across the World in celebration of St Patrick’s Day．The Irish traditionally wear green on this day, as the color is associated with Ireland．
But there are others, non-Irish，who use the occasion to make jokes about the Irish．They use the stereotype(成见)of the Irish as hot-tempered(脾气暴躁的)drinkers，who love to fight and will do anything to avoid a day's work．
However, today the Irish are more often admired for their musical talent and many other abilities．It’s no accident that many of today's most popular music groups，such as singer Enya and rock band U2，are Irish born and bred．Lonely Planet readers even ranked Ireland in 2007 as the friendliest country in the world．
So where did the negative Irish stereotype come from? From the 19th century when it was a bad time to be Irish．
Ireland then was poverty-stricken and starving．Many Irish moved to the United States to escape famine, but there they had to compete---occasionally with their fists for jobs and housing with other immigrant groups，such as the Italians．It was on the US’ streets that the Irish earned their reputation for street fighting．
The stereotype of the Irish as big drinkers may be unfair, but Ireland can boast(为……自豪) its fair share of famous drinks．It was the Irish after all who created one of the world’s best-loved beers，Guinness．
65．What is the story mainly about?
A．How the Irish earned their reputation．
B．The festival-St Patrick’s Day．
C．Jokes about the Irish people．
D．Famous Irish stereotype and the truth．
66．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．St Palrick’s Day is celebrated nowhere else but Ireland．
B．Modern Irish show no interest in drinking alcohol．
C．Part of the stereotype about the Irish is that they are lazy．
D．Irish people usually get hot-tempered when laughed at．
67．Where did the negative Irish stereotype come from?
A．From their everyday behavior toward other people．
B．From the behavior of Irish immigrants to America in the 19th century．
C．From the historical record of 19th century Ireland．
D．From most people’s impression of Irish people

It was on a cold winter evening_______ his father left home and was never back.

A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word came from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.

Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day (January 1), May Day and National Day as legal (法定的)holidays , as it was on Oct.1,1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress has declared several days as legal holidays such as New Year’s Day (January 1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrated special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.

In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and business do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine’s Day and Halloween.

1.From the passage we know that China’s National Day is _______

A．January1                              B．May 1

C．October1                             D．December25

2.In the sentence “China observes New Year’s Day (January 1)’’, observe means ______

A．praises           B．spends            C．celebrates         D．cares

3.From the passage we can infer that _______

A．Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival

B．students don’t have to go to school on any holiday

C．Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday

D．Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days.

4.Which of the following holidays has nothing to do with a country’s development?

A．China’s National Day                    B．Valentine’s Day

C．Italy’s liberation Day                    D．Independence Day

5.If a legal holiday falls on Sunday in the USA, people usually celebrate on ______.

A．Sunday                               B．the following

C．the following Monday                    D．the following Tuesday.