The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled，little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said，“Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I' m eighty－seven years old. Can I give you a hug？”I laughed and enthusiastically responded，“Of course you may.”and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young，innocent age？”I asked. She jokingly replied，“I'm here to meet a rich husband，get married，have a couple of children，and then retire and travel.”“No，seriously？”I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

 “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one. ”she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milk- shake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always attracted listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

 Over the course of the year，Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium(讲台). As she began to deliver her prepared speech，she dropped her 3x5 cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed, she leaned into the microphone and simply said，“I'm sorry I'm so nervous. I gave up beer for Lent(一种威士忌的牌子)  and this whisky is killing me. I'll never get my speech back in order to let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began：“We do not stop playing because we are old；we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young，being happy，and achieving success.” “You have to laugh and find humor every day.” You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams，you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it.” “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing，you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty－seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn eighty－eight. Anybody can grow older. It’s non-optional but that doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.” “Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did，but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.” She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in honor of the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

1.The writer provides the details about Rose in Paragraph 2 to show that_______.

A. she was an innocent and enthusiastic person

B. she was an optimistic and humorous person

C. she was an aggressive person with a strong sense of honor

D. she was an intelligent person with highly motivated personality

2.Why does the writer compare Rose to “time machine” in Paragraph 3?

A. To describe the friendship between Rose and her young schoolmates.

B. To stress her old age and rich wisdom and experience.

C. To show that she enjoyed dressing up in spite of her old age.

D. To emphasize that she took on the challenge at such an old age.

3.Which of the following best explains the sentence ”We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing”(Paragraph 6)?

A. “If we lose our dreams, we will regret for what we did when young.”

B. “If we don’t laugh every day, we will easily get old.”

C. “Once we stop seeking and working for our dreams, we will really become old.”

D. “Once we stop exercising, we will get weaker physically and mentally.”

4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 6 that________.

A. those who don’t have dreams are as good as dead

B. growing old is uncontrollable but growing up is optional

C. the elderly usually feel regretful for what they did

D. our talent and ability decline with age

5.The method the writer uses to describe the character of Rose is________.

A. making comments               B. making comparisons

C. providing arguments             D. giving examples

6.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Meeting challenges            B. Secrets to success

C. Dream in heart                D. My best friend

It is generally believed that we are getting cleaned when we step under a shower. We are, but we’re also giving a home to lots of tiny little creatures we didn’t even know about. A showerhead carries thousands of bacteria called Mycobacterium．These can cause problems like coughs and tiredness, and a general feeling of poorliness (身体不舒服). When you turn on the water, the bacteria go from the showerhead onto and into your body.

??? This is a finding of Norman R. Pace and his team at the University of Colorado, in the US. The scientists investigated bacteria in all kinds of human environment, including showers．Pace's team looked at 45 showerheads in nine American cities. They discovered that 30 percent of them had large amounts of flying Mycobacterium.

But Pace said that they pose few threats to the health．Only those with a weak immune system might need to worry．He told the New York Times that the bacteria are not as unpleasant as might be thought．He said that having a shower is no more dangerous than anything else we do in the morning．

But for those who feel sick about the idea of all those microorganisms (微生物), he had some advice. Let the water run for 30 seconds before getting into the shower. Why? The number of bacteria is smaller than that when the water is just turned on. If that seems like a waste of water, he added that you could also change your showerhead every few months.

??? However, Pace had good news too. He has also been testing the air in US subways. Apart from iron particles (粒子), which are ground off the track by the wheels of trains, subway air is fresh. The reason is that a train’s movement pumps fresh outdoor air into the tunnels.

??? Pace explained that he wanted to understand the natural microbial environments of public places. This kind of knowledge might help discover the microbes to be used in a bioterrorist (生物恐怖分子) attack.

1.From the finding of Norman R. Pace, after taking a shower, we might cough or feel tired because?????? .

A. it’s easy to get a cold when taking a bath

B. the showerhead carries many bacteria causing illness

C. we don’t get cleaned while showering

D. we don’t get a weak immune system

2.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. Hot water could kill most of bacteria in showerheads.

B. Of 45 showerheads surveyed in nine cities, 30 carried large amounts of Mycobacterium.

C. Changing showerheads is the only way to avoid microorganisms.

D. Shower water contains much less bacteria after being left to run for 30 seconds.

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that ????? .

A. having a shower in the morning is more dangerous than at other time

B. the bacteria always threat people’s health

C. there is no reason to fear microorganisms for people with strong immune system

D. it is better to do some exercise in the morning than have a shower

4.The underlined word “pose” in the third paragraph probably means “______”．

A. cause     ?????????? B. avoid       ????????? C. describe ????????? D. promise

5.What contributes to fresh air in US subways?

A. The train’s movement.         ???????????????? B. Iron particles．

C. Train wheels. ???????????????????????????? D. Air conditioners on the trains．

I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.

We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile –warm and reassuring—and I returned her gift by smiling back.

“Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.

 “Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out.

“It’s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s ‘the one’. Jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”

“Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said.” “My husband used to bring me flowers every week –even when times were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and – of course – I miss him since he’s passed away.”

I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said, “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.

It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. “You have a wonderful evening,” I said. I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.

I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her –that was the night that I won her heart.

Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A．He was to meet his girlfriend.          B．He had to go back to school soon.

C．He was delayed by an elderly lady.      D．He had to pick up some groceries.

What does the underlined phrase “her gift”(Paragraph 2) refer to?

A．Her words.       B．Her smile.      C．Her flowers.      D．her politeness.

Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A．She told him a nice story.              B．She allowed him to pay first.

C．She gave him encouragement.           D．She liked flowers very much.

What is the message conveyed in the story?

A．Flowers are important for a date.        B．Small talk is helpful.

C．Love and kindness are rewarding.       D．Elderly people deserve respecting.

We didn’t know where it was ________ the other tourists in our group stayed for the night until the tsunami was over.

A.that            B.which         C.when          D.why ?

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

When I was in medical college, I went   36   with some of my friends. The   37   was summer; therefore, we   38   to go to the seaside. After arriving there, we rented a room and left our   39   there. We finished lunch and then decided to rent a boat   40   the sea and the weather were beautiful.

We started to   41  , but about one mile out, the weather suddenly changed.   42   the weather was not good, we didn’t want to   43  , but finally my friends and I   44   that we should go back. We tried to change the boat’s   45  , but as soon as we changed it, the oarlock (橹, 桨) broke. Therefore, we were   46   to turn back. We had to wait for help because we couldn’t do anything.

After seeing the change of the weather, we   47   to row, but it was too late. We   48   it. The sea changed a lot, the waves got very high, and the boat began to   49   like a cradle (摇篮). One of my friends started to cry;   50   started to feel sick. Three hours passed, and nobody came to help us. We were just praying.   51  , after five long hours of waiting, two big boats came to   52   us and we   53  . If they   54   come to get us, we would have crossed the border between Turkey and Greece because the border was very close.

This story is the most exciting story of my life because we could have   55  , but luck was with us and we escaped.

A. to camp             B. and camped           C. camping          D. on camp

A. climate             B. month                C. reason           D. season

A. chose               B. selected        C. managed        D. would rather

A. things              B. luggage          C. package       D. bags

A. if              B. even if              C. because         D. for

A. go              B. row             C. sail                 D. surf

A. As              B. If              C. Although       D. Even if

A. give in             B. give up          C. go forward    D. row

A. agreed              B. hoped            C. suggested      D. promised

A. head               B. direction       C. line            D. way

A. unable              B. able                 C. delighted      D. sad

A. shouldn’t continue                         B. couldn’t continue

    C. shouldn’t have continued                    D. couldn’t have continued

A. forgot              B. regretted            C. didn’t mind        D. disliked

A. move               B. tremble          C. shake            D. swing

A. other               B. the other            C. another           D. others

A. Fortunately        B. Unfortunately        C. Fortunate         D. Unluckily

A. carry           B. bring                C. search         D. rescue

A. didn’t drown      B. didn’t die          C. escaped           D. ran away

A. didn’t                 B. wouldn’t            C. shouldn’t    D. hadn’t

A. died                B. survived             C. floated     D. returned