A strange woman comes to my door one day in early March.It’s a rich area so we often have people selling things door to door，dusters，make?up，frozen foods—but she doesn’t look like a professional saleswoman.She hasn’t got the patter(喋喋不休) either.She just smiles shyly and puts a card in my hand：“Amy Turner.Pet Portraits Undertaken.”

I run my fingernail along the cheap gold edge of the card and look at her，waiting for an explanation.

“I’ll paint any animal in the comfort of your own home.”Amy Turner says.“Wouldn’t you like a nice picture of your loved one？I’ve had experience of dogs，cats，parrots，prize bulls...”

“Prize bulls！”I can’t help looking up and down our street.The thought of any of my neighbours keeping bulls in their back gardens makes me smile.

“I don’t have any animals，”I say as we look past each other.She must be wishing some little cat or dog would come running down the hall to give the game away and it is the first chance I’ve had to smell the air outside.It is one of those spring mornings when you wake up and find winter’s gone.Even the camellia in the garden opposite has flowered overnight，pink blossoms which look shocking against the quiet greens and greys.

“Why are you still in your dressing gown？”Amy says，turning her attention back to me.“It’s nearly lunchtime.Are you ill？”

“I’m fine，”I lie.I’m not going to tell a stranger I’ve just been sick in the toilet upstairs and would still be sticking my fingers down my throat if the doorbell hadn’t rung.But now I’m not sure what to do next.Amy is still standing there.She_doesn’t_seem_to_think_that_not_having_a_pet_is

_a_good_enough_excuse.

“I’m starving.”she says and I smile politely，nodding the way you do before you say goodbye.

“No，”she puts her foot in the door.“I’m really starving.I’ve had nothing to eat for two days and no one has any pets for me to paint.I need some food or I’ll faint，right here on your doorstep.”

I stand to one side and let her in.

1．According to the text，what does a professional saleswoman usually do?

A．Sells things door to door with her cards.

B．Never puts a card into people’s hands.

C．Tries to talk people into buying her things.

D．Smiles，hands her cards and walks away.

2．What does the underlined word “one” in the third paragraph stand for?

A．Dog. 　　　　B．Child.　　　　　 C．Pet. 　　　　　D．Cat.

3．From the text we know that Amy is a ________.

A．young baby?sitter 　 B．poor beggar　 C．professional salesgirl D．poor painter

4．What does the writer mean by saying “She doesn’t seem to think that not having a pet is a good enough excuse.”？

A．It seems that she doesn’t want to leave.

B．She wants the writer to give another excuse.

C．She is sure there is a pet in the house.

D．She thinks that not having a pet is a bad thing.

Perhaps most surprisingly, many said they were less frightened of death now than they were before. Like most people, before their near-death incidents many had thought death would be painful, the ultimate horror—but they did not find it was.

Surviving a nearly fatal experience also gave many people a sense of invulnerability that made them feel special and even religious. Several believed they had been saved because they were to fulfill some special mission in the remainder of their lives.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, these survivors also reported an increased zest for life and a determination to enjoy life more.

A few of the survivors did report negative reactions to their experience. A dozen said they felt more vulnerable, and some even felt a sense of helplessness and a loss of control over their lives. Some had become phobic about activities associated with the accident; for example, several said they could no longer swim for fear of drowning.

Yet most of those interviewee said they came away with a strong sense of renewal or rebirth. In studying their reactions researchers have concluded that these people have come to understand the relationship of life and death better and more intimately than most of us, they have come to understand how life is actually defined by death. Life is given meaning by the fact that it will end someday.

　　  1. From the passage, we can infer that the effects of near-death experiences on the survivors' life——.

　　　　  A. vary greatly from person to person

　　　　  B. differ due to the variety of circumstances

　　　　  C. are mostly positive in terms of their outlook on life

　　　　  D. are neither positive nor negative

　　  2. The title below that best expresses the ideas of this passage is——.

　　　　    A. How to Improve a Person's Outlook on Life

　　　　  B. The Effects of Near-Death Experiences

　　　　    C. Is Death Really Horrible?

　　 　　   D. Near-Death Accidents and Their Survivors

　　  3. The positive effect of near-death experience was that——.

　　　　    A. some people loved life better because they realized its new meaning

　　　　    B. some people believed they were different from others and they had special work to do

　　　　      C. some people were no longer afraid of death just because they proved to be religious

　　　　      D. some people wanted to seek extreme happiness because they knew life was too limited

　　 4. Which effect of the near-death experience was the one that people had seldom expected?

　　　　  A. Some people felt more vulnerable.

　　　　  B. Some people did not worry too much about death any more.

　　　　  C. Some people paid more attention to the value of life.

　　　　  D. some people tended to be too pessimistic about death.

A brush with death can actually improve a person's outlook on life. That, at least, was one of the major findings of a study of some 200 people who come close to dying. Some had come through heart attack; some had fallen, come close to drowning; or survived a terrible car wreck, yet despite the variety of circumstances, they reported strikingly similar reactions to their experiences.

Perhaps most surprisingly, many said they were less frightened of death now than they were before. Like most people, before their near-death incidents many had thought death would be painful, the ultimate horror—but they did not find it was.

Surviving a nearly fatal experience also gave many people a sense of invulnerability that made them feel special and even religious. Several believed they had been saved because they were to fulfill some special mission in the remainder of their lives.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, these survivors also reported an increased zest for life and a determination to enjoy life more.

A few of the survivors did report negative reactions to their experience. A dozen said they felt more vulnerable, and some even felt a sense of helplessness and a loss of control over their lives. Some had become phobic about activities associated with the accident; for example, several said they could no longer swim for fear of drowning.

Yet most of those interviewee said they came away with a strong sense of renewal or rebirth. In studying their reactions researchers have concluded that these people have come to understand the relationship of life and death better and more intimately than most of us, they have come to understand how life is actually defined by death. Life is given meaning by the fact that it will end someday.

　　  1. From the passage, we can infer that the effects of near-death experiences on the survivors' life——.

　　　　  A. vary greatly from person to person

　　　　  B. differ due to the variety of circumstances

　　　　  C. are mostly positive in terms of their outlook on life

　　　　  D. are neither positive nor negative

　　  2. The title below that best expresses the ideas of this passage is——.

　　　　    A. How to Improve a Person's Outlook on Life

　　　　  B. The Effects of Near-Death Experiences

　　　　    C. Is Death Really Horrible?

　　 　　   D. Near-Death Accidents and Their Survivors

　　  3. The positive effect of near-death experience was that——.

　　　　    A. some people loved life better because they realized its new meaning

　　　　    B. some people believed they were different from others and they had special work to do

　　　　      C. some people were no longer afraid of death just because they proved to be religious

　　　　      D. some people wanted to seek extreme happiness because they knew life was too limited

　　 4. Which effect of the near-death experience was the one that people had seldom expected?

　　　　  A. Some people felt more vulnerable.

　　　　  B. Some people did not worry too much about death any more.

　　　　  C. Some people paid more attention to the value of life.

　　　　  D. some people tended to be too pessimistic about death.

（D）
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have．It’s likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen will have a washing machine and a microwave oven．Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need． You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week．
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for．Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world．They feel that the long-hour work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes．Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting_is one of them．
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year．One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz．They used to work in central London．He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank．They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs （郊区）, leaving their two children with a nanny（保姆）．Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings．They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by．
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales．“I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift．It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it．We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays．However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier．”
Liz, however, is not quite sure．“I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours．I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals．One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children．My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all．”
68．What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A．People seldom work long hours to make money．      
B．People hardly buy more things than necessary．
C．People are sure everything they own is in the right place．
D．People realize more is involved in life than just making money．
69．Daniel agrees that the move to the farm __________．
A．was easy to organize               B．has improved family life
C．was extremely expensive           D．has been a total success
70．The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph means ________．
A．repairing your car by yourself
B．spending money carefully
C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life
D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week

As a young girl growing up in the 1930s, I always wanted to fly a plane, but back then it was almost unheard of for a woman to do that. I got a taste of that dream in 2001, when my husband arranged for me to ride in a hot air balloon for my birthday. But the experience turned out to be very dull. Around that time, I told my husband that I wanted to skydive. So when our retirement community announced that they were having an essay competition and the topic was an experience of a lifetime that you wanted to have, I decided to write about my dream.
In the essay, I wrote about my desire to skydive, stating George Brush Sr. did it at age 80. Why not me? I was just 84 and in pretty good health. A year went by and I heard nothing. But then at a community party in late April 2009, they announced that I was one of the winners. I just couldn’t believe it. Inspired by this, I decided to realize my dream, even though some of my family members and my doctor were against it.
On June 11, 2009, nearly 40 of my family and friends gathered in the area close to where I would land while I headed up in the airplane. My instructor, Jay, guided me through the experience. The plane was the noisiest one I had ever been in, but I wasn’t frightened—I was really just looking forward to the experience. When we reached 13,000 feet, Jay instructed me to throw myself out of the plane. When we first hit the air, the wind was so strong that I could hardly breathe. For a second I thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” But then everything got calmer. We were in a free fall for about a minute before Jay opened the parachute（降落伞）, then we just floated downward for about five minutes. Being up in the clouds and looking at the view below was unlike anything I have ever felt—much better than the hot air balloon. I was just enjoying it.
Skydiving was really one of the greatest experiences of my life. I hope other people will look at me and realize that you don’t stop living just because you are 84 years old. If there’s something you want to experience, look into it. If it’s something that is possible, make it happen.
【小题1】What happened to the author in 2001?
A. She flew an airplane.
B. She entered a competition.
C. She went on a hot air balloon ride.
【小题2】The author mentioned George Bush Sr. in her essay to       .