I had an experience once which taught me something about the ways people made a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I officiated(主持) at two funerals for two elderly women. Both died a natural death. At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故) woman said, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son said, “If only I had not insisted her going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride was more than she could take. It is my fault.”

When things don’t turn out as we would like them to, we tend to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course, for example, keeping mother at home, would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

There seem to be elements involved in our readiness to feel guilty. The first lies in our belief that the world makes sense---there is a reason for everything that happens.  

The second is the thought that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood. A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and calls the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely abandon that childish thought that our wishes cause things to happen.

72. What is true about the two deceased elderly women?

   A. They both died of old age.             B. They died from hard work.

   C. They were’t accustomed to the change in life.

   D. They died due to lack of care by family members.

73. People feel guilty for the death of their loved ones because______.

   A. they cannot find a better way to express their sorrow

   B. they believe that they are responsible for what has happened

   C. they don’t know that natural course of events

   D. they don’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction

74. The underline part “the world makes sense” in Paragraph 3 probably means that____.

   A. everything in the world is planned in advance

   B. the world can be understood in different ways

   C. there’s an explanation for everything in the world

   D. we have to be wise in order to understand the world

75. People have believed since early childhood that______.

   A. everybody is at their command

   B. life and death is an unsolved mystery

   C. every story should have a happy ending

   D. their wishes are the cause of everything that happens

I had an experience once which taught me something about the ways people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I officiated (主持) at two funerals for two elderly women. Both died a natural death. At the first home, the son of the deceased (已故的) woman said, “If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on her going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride was more than she could take. It’s my fault.”

When things don’t turn out as we would like them to, we tend to think that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believed that the opposite course, for example, keeping mother at home, would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

There seems to be two elements involved in our readiness to feel guilty. The first lies in our belief that the world makes sense and that there is a reason for everything that happens.

The second is the thought that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happens. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood. A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and calls the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely give up that childish thought that our wishes cause things to happen.

67. What is true about the two deceased elderly women?

A. They both died of old age.　　　

B. They died from hard work.

　　　 C. They weren’t used to the change in life.

　　　 D. They died due to lack of care by family members.

68. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because___________.

　　　 A. they cannot find a better way to express their sorrow

　　　 B. they believe that they are responsible for what has happened

　　　 C. they don’t know the natural course of events

　　　 D. they don’t know things often turn out in the opposite direction

69.The underlined part “the world makes sense”（ in Para3）probably means that___________.

　　　 A. everything in the world is planned in advance

　　　 B. the world can be understood in different ways

　　　 C. there’s an explanation for everything in the world

　　　 D. we have to be wise in order to understand the world

70. People have believed since early childhood that__________.　

A. everybody must obey their demand

B. life and death is an unsolved mystery

　　　 C. every story should have a happy ending

D. their wishes are the cause of everything that happens

“I don’t believe in Santa Claus!” Trogmire announced.
Tremor looked shocked. “Why not?” he asked.
“Because he never leaves me any gifts at all,” Trogmire growled.
Tremor thought about the evidence for a few seconds. “Maybe,” he suggested, “it’s because when Santa checked his list, your name wasn’t in the ‘nice’ column.”
“So, he could at least bring me a lump of coal!” Trogmire replied. “And,” he went on, “Troubled doesn’t believe in Santa, either.”
“Right,” Tremor said, “because he saw his parents putting the ‘From Santa’ presents under the tree. But I know the truth about that. My mother found out from Troubled’s mother. When Troubled’s parents got an e-mail from Santa, saying that he would never bring Troubled another gift, they didn’t want to tell him the truth. So now they buy presents and pretend they’re from Santa.”
“What did Troubled do to get Santa so mad?” Trogmire questioned.
“I think it had something to do with the time he put glue paper all over the living room floor on Christmas Eve, and left a sign that said, ‘Trapped like a rat!’ hanging over the fireplace.” said Tremor.
“I guess Santa doesn’t have a sense of humour,” sighed Trogmire. “Well, at least I’m not the only one who Santa scratched off his name list.”
【小题1】Why doesn’t Santa leave presents for Trogmire or Troubled?

A．Their parents won’t let him leave gifts.	B．He can’t find their homes.
C．He often forgets their names.	D．They have behaved badly.

【小题2】Trogmire and Troubled don’t believe in Santa because ________.

A．Santa has no sense of humor	B．Santa doesn’t give them anything
C．they are too naughty to believe	D．Tremor convinced them he wasn’t real

【小题3】Troubled’s parents never ________.

A．told him about the message from Santa	B．loved him very much
C．cared about how he behaved	D．bought him anything

【小题4】Trogmire’s last comment could be an example of the saying _______.

A．Misery(苦难,不幸) loves company	B．Easy come, easy go
C．Beauty is only skin deep	D．Love me, love my dog

I still don’t believe in ghosts even after my experience at the Rose Inn．1 I have never seen one．But stories have made me feel 2  since then．I arrived at the inn late at night and asked the landlord for a room．

       “There is nothing left,” he said, “ 3 you’d like to sleep in Number 7．”

       “Why not?” I said．“What’s 4 it? I am  5 that I would sleep 6 ．”

       “Nothing,” he said slowly, “but something happened there a few months ago．”

       Every old inn has its own strange stories, so I thought that 7 he told me about it, the better．I was willing to listen to anything for a room to 8 ．

       “A man came here late at night 9 you．” the landlord said, “I thought there was something strange about him because he kept 10 while he was signing his name in the book．He asked me 11 room he could have and I offered him No．7 ．‘ 12   a man who has said he’ll 13 me,’ he said suddenly, ‘with a knife．’ He looked so frightened that I thought I had better 14 him to his room．I closed the door and left him 15．The next day we found him dead, with a knife beside him．He had cut his throat．” The landlord said, “Or 16 had done it．Do you 17 sleeping there now you know the story?”

       “Well,” I said, “no one is 18 me．But I wish you had told me the story 19 ．As it is, I’ll sleep here on the floor in the bar if you have a couple of  20 ．”

1．A．Because               B．Of course            C．At all                   D．Though

2．A．natural                 B．unsafe                 C．brave                  D．uncomfortable

3．A．unless                 B．if                       C．since                  D．whether

4．A．the price               B．wrong with         C．the matter            D．strange for

5．A．so tired                B．so hurt                C．very weak          D．too worried

6．A．somewhere           B．anywhere            C．nowhere              D．everywhere

7．A．the later             B．the quicker         C．the sooner          D．the slower

8．A．rest                      B．live in                C．lie down            D．go to

9．A．like                     B．with                  C．behind                 D．because of

10．A．looking after       B．looking into         C．looking over        D．looking back

11．A．what                  B．which                C．whose               D．whether

12．A．There’s              B．He’s                  C．It’s                   D．That’s

13．A．harm                 B．punish               C．frighten             D．kill

14．A．invite              B．take                   C．bring                   D．allow

15．A．by himself        B．for himself         C．at himself           D．to himself

16．A．whoever         B．nobody              C．anybody            D．someone else

17．A．like                    B．mind                 C．permit               D．promise

18．A．tricking           B．following           C．killing                D．frightening

19．A．at night           B．at once              C．in time               D．in the morning

20．A．chairs           B．blankets          C．books           D．swords

I still don’t believe in ghosts（鬼） even after my experience at the Rose Inn .  1  I have never seen one . But stories have made me feel  2  since then .I arrived at the inn late at night and asked the landlord for a room.

   “There’s nothing left ,” he said, “  3  you’d like to sleep in number7.”

   “Why not?” I said, “What’s  4  it?” I was  5  that I would have slept  6 .

   “ Nothing ,” he said slowly. “ But something happened there a few months ago.”

Every old inn has its strange stories, so I thought that  7  he told me about it, the better. I was willing to listen to anything for a bed to  8

“A man came here late at night,  9  you,” the landlord said. “ I thought there was something strange about him because he kept  10  his shoulder while he was signing his name in the book. He asked me  11  room he could have and I offered him No.7. ‘12 a man who has said he’ll  13  me.’ He said suddenly. ‘ With a knife’ He looked so frightened that I thought I had better  14  him to his room . I locked the door and left him  15 . The next day we found him dead, with a knife beside him . He had cut his throat,” the landlord said. “ Or  16  had done it. Do you  17  sleeping there now you know the story?”

“Well，”I said, “ No one is  18  me.  But I wish you had told me the story  19  .As it is, I’ll sleep here on the floor in the bar if you’ve a couple of  20 .”

1． A． Because           B． At least            C． At most      D． Though

2．  A． natural         B． unsafe             C． brave        D．uncomfortable

3．  A． unless             B． if                 C． since         D． whether

4．  A． the price           B． wrong with        C． the matter     D． to do with

5．  A． so tired        B． so hurt            C． very weak    D． too worried

6．  A． somewhere       B． anywhere             C． nowhere    D． anyhow

7．  A． the later        B． all                  C． the sooner   D． more and more

8．  A． sleep          B． sleep in              C． sit on          D． go to

9．  A． like                 B． with                C． behind        D． because of

10．  A． painting           B． shaking                C． rubbing     D． looking over

11．  A． what               B． which               C． the          D． his

12．  A． There’s           B． He’s                  C． She’s        D． That’s

13．  A． harm             B． punish                C． frighten       D． kill

14．  A． invite             B． take                C． bring          D． allow

15．  A． by himself        B． for himself           C． dead           D． trembling

16．  A． whoever         B． nobody              C． you            D． someone else

17．  A． like              B． mind                C． permit         D． promise

18．  A． beside            B．following              C．behind          D．killing

19．  A． at night           B． after I left            C． immediately   D． in the morning

20．  A． policemen        B． blankets              C． passengers    D． swords