A little boy asked his mother, “Why are you crying?” “Because I’m a woman,” she told him.
“I don’t understand,” he said. His mum just hugged him and said, “You  36 will.”
Later the little boy asked his father, “Why does my mother seem to cry for no reason?” “All women cry for no reason,”  37  so much could his dad say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still  38  why women cry.  39  he gave a call to God, and when God got on the phone, he asked, “God, why do women cry so  40 ?”
God said, “When I made the woman she had to be  41 . I made her shoulders 42 enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give  43 .”
“I made her  44 childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else  45 , and to take care of her family in spite of sickness and fatigue (劳累) without  46 . I gave her the sensitivity to  47 her children under any and all circumstances,  48  her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her wisdom to carry her husband through his 49 . I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never  50 his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him  51 . And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. She can use it whenever it is needed.”
“You see, the beauty of a woman is not in the  52 she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she  53 her hair. The  54 of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart and the place where love  55 .”

A little boy asked his mother, “Why are you crying?” “Because I’m a woman,” she told him.

“I don’t understand,” he said. His mum just hugged him and said, “You  36 will.”

Later the little boy asked his father, “Why does my mother seem to cry for no reason?” “All women cry for no reason,”  37  so much could his dad say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still  38  why women cry.  39  he gave a call to God, and when God got on the phone, he asked, “God, why do women cry so  40 ?”

God said, “When I made the woman she had to be  41 . I made her shoulders 42 enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give  43 .”

“I made her  44 childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else  45 , and to take care of her family in spite of sickness and fatigue (劳累) without  46 . I gave her the sensitivity to  47 her children under any and all circumstances,  48  her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her wisdom to carry her husband through his 49 . I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never  50 his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him  51 . And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. She can use it whenever it is needed.”

“You see, the beauty of a woman is not in the  52 she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she  53 her hair. The  54 of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart and the place where love  55 .”

1.                A．surely          B．never          C．probably D．seldom

2.                A．only           B．even           C．almost    D．hardly

3.                A．hoping         B．knowing        C．wondering    D．expecting

4.                A．Actually        B．Generally       C．Luckily   D．Finally

5.                A．easily          B．rarely          C．simply    D．excitedly

6.                A．clever          B．beautiful        C．special   D．ordinary

7.                A．thick           B．fat             C．wide     D．strong

8.                A．sympathy       B．comfort         C．kindness D．mercy

9.                A．stand          B．load            C．accept   D．burden

10.               A．gives in         B．gives away      C．gives up   D．gives out

11.               A．difficulty        B．danger         C．rest  D．complaining

12.               A．control         B．love           C．respect   D．satisfy

13.               A．even if         B．in case         C．so that    D．as though

14.               A．disagreements   B．misunderstandings    C．faults D．quarrels

15.               A．minds          B．helps          C．refuses    D．hurts

16.               A．nervously       B．tiredly          C．determinedly   D．unselfishly

17.               A．clothes         B．smile          C．hair D．glasses

18.               A．washes         B．dyes           C．cuts D．combs

19.               A．figure          B．intelligence     C．beauty    D．appearance

20.               A．hides          B．lives           C．stores     D．comes

    A few years ago I had an“aha!”moment regarding handwriting．

    I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task．It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting，and then I realized whose it must be．I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year，maybe two，and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point．

    It was a very important event in the computerization of life―a sign that the informal．friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails．There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters，and we recognized one another's handwriting the way we knew voices or faces．

    As a child visiting my father’s office，I was pleased to recognize，in little notes on the desks of his staff，the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge― except that those notes were signed“dad”instead of“RFW”．

    All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The Rise and Fall of Handwriting，a book by Florey．She shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well，but many others argue that people in a digital age can’t be expected to learn to hold a pen．

    I don’t buy it．

    I don’t want to see anyone cut off from the expressive，personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does．For many a biographer，part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting．

    What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th―century Italy．That may sound impossibly grand―as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings．However，they have worked in many school systems．

51．Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague’s handwriting?

    A．He had worked with his colleague long enough．

    B．His colleague’s handwriting was so beautiful．

    C．His colleague’s handwriting was so terrible．

    D．He still had a lot of work to do．

52．People working together in an office used to ____________．

    A．talk more about handwriting

    B．take more notes on workdays

    C．know better one another's handwriting

    D．communicate better with one another

53．The author’s father wrote notes in pen _________．

    A．to both his family and his staff

    B．to his family in small letters

    C．to his family on the fridge

    D．to his staff on the desk

54．According to the author，handwritten notes _______．

    A．are harder to teach in schools

    B．attract more attention

    C．are used only between friends

    D．carry more message

55．We can learn from the passage that the author __________．

    A．thinks it impossible to teach handwriting

    B．does not want to lose handwriting

    C．puts the blame on the computer

    D．does not agree with Florey

A used book or nearly-new kitchen gadget (配件) may not be at the top of every Christmas wish list, but hard economic times coupled with a new green awareness are changing attitudes about gift-giving in France.
French holiday shoppers are choosing larger numbers for “green” gifting this Christmas, studies show. About 30 percent of French consumers will give second-hand items as gifts to stretch out their tight budgets but also to do their little bit for recycling, according to a study by international consulting firm Deloitte.
The survey of Christmas consumer behaviors in 18 European countries found the French were more than twice as likely as other Europeans to give second-hand items. Websites promoting re-gifting and green gifting are popular in France, with many reporting a rise in business.
“Concerns about the ecology and the economy have come together and we are now seeing people who accept the types of gifts that were not appreciated just a short time ago,” said Sebastien Ravut, who runs a website promoting eco-friendly consumerism. His site lists shops in France that offer fair trade products, bio-friendly goods and recycled items. Over the Christmas holidays, the number of visits to the site has doubled from last year, reaching 60,000 a month.
A study by online survey firm Vivodi for PriceMinister showed eight out of 10 people would be happy to receive a used item as a gift and that younger consumers were more open to the idea.
But Gilles Goldenberg, author of the Deloitte study, said that environmental concerns are not why customers buy used goods. “The number one concern is getting the lowest possible price,” said Goldenberg. “Eco-friendly products are drawing a lot of interest, but not if that means paying more.”
Theatre tickets and other low-carbon gifts are fashionable, and eco-friendly websites are also encouraging gift givers to offer time and services instead of stuff. “The order of the day is to spend less time shopping and more time connecting” over the holidays, said Florence de Monclin from the Nicolas Helot foundation for Nature and Humanity.
【小题1】We can judge from the Deloitte study that _________.

A．they want to be eco-friendly	B．they want to save money
C．it is encouraged by websites	D．it is a new fashion in Europe

B
In ancient Japan, if you saved someone's life, they would make it their duty to spend the rest of their life serving you. Nowadays, if you rescue someone's story, he or she will feel the same kind of gratitude(感激).
It happens all the time. Someone in a group is telling a story and, just before their big point, BOOM! There's an interruption. Someone new joins the group, a waiter with a plate of biscuits comes over, or a baby starts crying. Suddenly everyone's attention turns to the new arrival, the food on the plate, or the "charming" little child. Nobody is aware of the interruption－except the speaker. They forget all about the fact that the speaker hasn't made his or her point.
Or you're all sitting around the living room and someone is telling a joke. Suddenly, just before their big punch line (妙语), little Johnny drops a dish or the phone tings. After the crash, everyone talks about little Johnny's carelessness. After the call, the subject turns to the upcoming marriage or medical operation of the caller. Nobody remembers the great punch line got unfinished－except the joke teller. When it's you entertaining everyone at a restaurant, have you ever noticed how you can almost set your clock by the waiter coming to take everyone's order just before your funny punch line?
Most joke and story tellers are too shy to say, after the interruption, "Now, as I was saying ..." Instead, they'll spend the rest of the evening feeling bad because of what they didn't get to finish. Here's where you come in. Rescue them with the technique I call "Lend a Helping Tongue. "
Watch the gratitude in the storyteller's eyes as he restarts where his story sank and he sails off again toward the center of attention. His expression and the appreciation of your consideration by the rest of the group are often rewarded enough. You are even more fortunate if you can rescue the story of someone who can hire you, promote you, buy from you, or otherwise lift your life. Big winners have excellent memories. When you do them favors like Lend a Helping Tongue, they'll find a way to pay you back.
45．Very often, a storyteller cannot make his point because_____.
A．people are more interested in food than his story
B．many guests bring their babies to the party
C．he is interrupted by something unexpected
D．his story is easily forgotten by the listeners
46．From Paragraph 3, we know that when someone is telling a joke, _________.
A．something bad will surely happen just before their punch line
B．the only person really interested in the joke is the joke teller
C．listeners' attention is often drawn to something else
D．the waiter knows when to take everyone's order
47．How can we help the joke and story tellers when they are interrupted?
A．By giving them a chance to finish.
B．By going on telling the story for them.
C．By comforting them to make them happy.
D．By teaching them some useful techniques.
48．What is the text mainly about?
A．We can win someone's heart by getting him back to his story.
B．People should learn how to take turns in a conversation.
C．Telling jokes will make you the center of attention.
D．It is impolite to interrupt someone's talk.