July 21st, 2007 was a typical English summer’s day — it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I lift work at 5 pm, however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house bad never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the walls, ceilings pulled down.

At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs. we put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community（社区）.We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.

Although-our situation was very bad, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought , “We didn’t have a straw hut（茅草房）that was swept away , and our house is still sanding . We’re lucky .”

We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas. But I can’t wait — I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year , I won’t need any gifts — living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions . Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush — we have our home back, and that’s the main thing.

1.What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean?

A. Wrong.   B. Missing.   C. Right.    D. Found.

2.It can be inferred from the text that the author                    .

A. was sick of staying upstairs

B. cared much about her children

C. could not stand living a wooden house

D. did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood

3.Why does author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?

A. Because her situation was not serious.

B. Because many other places were flooded.

C. Because she had been to Northern India.

D. Because some others suffered even more.

4.What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?

A. She valued human feelings more than before.

B. She realized she almost didn’t need possessions.

C. She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed.

D. She thought her own home was the most important.

 

During the years of depression(萧条), food and money were very hard to find and people had to trade things with each other.  

One day I was   36   some potatoes from Mr Miller. I noticed a small poor boy hungrily   37   a full basket of   38    green peas. Then I was  39   to see that Mr Miller sold the boy a bag of peas   for just a marble (弹球).

Mrs Miller, who had been standing nearby,    40   and told me that Mr Miller loved to  trade with the three boys in the village for peas, tomatoes, and other things  41   he didn’t really need any marbles. I left the stand, smiling to myself,   42   by this man.

   Several years went by. One day I learned that Mr Miller had died. I took part in the funeral(葬礼),  43   three young men . They came over to Mrs Miller, hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke with her and moved on,   44   their eyes.

Our 45   came to meet Mrs Miller. I mentioned 46   she had told me about the 47 . She told me,“Those three young men above were the boys I told you about. They just told me   48  they appreciated the things Jim‘traded’with them. Now, at last, they came to pay their debt.”  

 “We’ve 49   had a great deal of the wealth in this world,” she added, “but right now, Jim would consider himself to be the  50   man.”

Then she gently lifted the   51   fingers of her husband. Resting underneath were three red marbles.

At that time I realized that we would not be  52    by our words, but by our kind  53  . It is said that it takes a minute to find a    54   person, an hour to appreciate him, a day to love him, but an entire life to  55   him.

                                                                                              James Barry

36.A.buying                 B. selling                      C.borrowing                 D. hunting

37.A.glaring at                  B. glanced at                 C. staring at                  D.watched at

38. A. picking fresh      B.freshly picked            C. picked freshly           D.fresh dried

39. A. astonished           B. amazed                    C. annoyed                   D.worried

40.A.turned over           B.going over                 C. came over                D.coming over

41.A.but                       B. otherwise                 C. or                                D. although

42.A.suspected              B.impressed                  C.regreted                    D.embarrassed

43.A.saw                      B.discovering                C.finding                   D.seeing

44.A.closing                 B.wiped                       C.cleaning                    D.wiping

45.A. time                    B. chance                     C. turn                         D. decision

46.A. the story             B. the proverb           C. the legend                  D. the joke

47.A. marbles               B. men                         C. debt                         D. life

48.A.why                    B. how                         C. when                       D. what

49.A. ever                    B. always                         C. never                       D.seldom

50.A. honest                 B. happiest                   C. coldest                         D. richest

51.A. lifeless                B. regretless                  C. useless                         D. hopeless

52.A. thought               B. touched                    C. remembered             D. affected

53.A.deeds                   B. things                      C. remarks                    D.rewards

54.A. strict                   B. honest                      C. special                            D. learned

55.A.ignore                  B. forget                      C. recognize                 D.remind

Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses (球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.

Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.

1.Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?

   A. Cycling around a lake.

   B. Motor racing in the desert.

   C. Playing basketball in a gym.

   D. Swimming in a sports center.

2.What do we know about golf from the passage?

   A. It is popular in Portugal and Spain.

   B. It causes water shortages around the world.

   C. It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes.

   D. It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green.

3.The author uses power walking as an example mainly because _________.

   A. it is an outdoor sport

   B. it improves our health

   C. it uses fewer resources

   D. it is recommended by experts

4.The author writes the passage to _________.

   A. show us the function of major sports

   B. encourage us to go in for green sports

   C. discuss the major influence of popular sports

   D. introduce different types of environment-friendly sports

 

His proposal is very _____. We do not need any explanation.

A. abstract    B. faithful    C. loyal        D. concrete

 —Do you need any help, Lucy?

—Yes. The job is ________ I could do myself.

A. less than                                               B. more than

C. no more than                                        D. not more than