I HEAR America beeping(嘟嘟响)．

 Beep，says my cellophane when it gets a text message．

  Beep，says my microwave oven when my sandwich  is warmed up． 

 Sometimes  I long for a natural sound：a bird singing，dog barking，children laughing， anything to drown out  the maddening beeps that have become the soundtrack(配乐)to modern life．

  My cellophane? It isn’t enough that its ring tone offerings seem to stretch from  “annoymg” toextremely “annoying”． It also has to beep whenever someone texts messages me． 

The microwave? A bell rings when it's finished heating my food．But is that enough? No．If I don’t rush to it right away, it starts beeping，like an impatient child tugging(用力拉) at my sleeve(袖子)．

 The smoke detector(探测器) is the worst offender．When its batteries are in need of replacement，it 1ets out a series of chirps．The things that don’t beep buzz(嗡嗡响)．And for some reason，beeping and buzzing is beneath them，they clear their throats and perform a symphony． Like my TV, each time I turn it on, it performs an aria(咏叹调)：La di da di dum．Salutions! Here I am! Same thing when I turn it off: La di da di dum．Good bye, kind sir! Until the next time

But at 1east I know where each of these sounds is coming from．That isn’t always the case．For weeks, my wife and I were awoken in the night by a beeping．There，in the stillness， we went through the possible suspects．Could we have a text message? Could it be any of the devices(装置)able to make a sound? Curling iron, rice cooker, smoke detector, TV set，clock radio．．．

The only way to tell was to chase the sound down ，but no sooner  would we pull on our bathrobes than the beeping would stop. We didn’t hear it every night but often enough that we would climb into bed wondering whether our sleep  would be interrupted by that maddening sound，that beep．

  Finally,early one morning，my wife found it：in the study,under a desk，a big plastic cube that was plugged into the wall．It was an uninterruptible power supply that we’d inherited(继承)from my wife’s mother．We’d never known it was capable of speech． 

I think it just wanted someone to talk to.

14．What does the writer truly mean by saying“I hear America beeping”?

A．American people like devices that beep．

B．Americans are crazy about sending text messages．

C．In modern society people are dependant on technology．

D．The soundtrack to modern life is no longer natural．

15．Why couldn’t the author and his wife find the source of the noise in their house in the beginning?

A．There were too many devices for them to check．

B．They were unwilling to get up at midnight．

C．They had never known that thing could beep too．

D．The noise didn’t come every day．

16．After reading this passage，we can probably tell the author    ．

   A．enjoys being surrounded by beeps  B．has a touch of humor in his writing

C．tries to avoid using anything that beeps

D．understands the beeping is designed to be user-friendly

Terry was a middle-aged leather trader whose repeated failures in career made him a bad-tempered and disappointed man, often complaining that he had been cheated by others. One day he told his wife he was so disappointed with the city that he had to leave.
So his family moved to another city. It was the evening of a weekend. When Terry and his wife were busily engaged in tidying up their new home, the lights suddenly went out and they were forced to stop work. Terry regretted to have forgotten to bring along candles and had to wait helplessly in a bad mood. Just then he heard light,hesitand（犹豫的）knocks on his door that were clearly heard in the quiet night.
“Who’s it?”he wondered. Terry didn’t know anybody in the new city, and this was the moment he especially hated to be disturbed. He went to the door and opened it impatiently. At the door was a little girl, asking in a shy voice,“Sir, do you have candles? I’m your neighbor.”“NO,”answered Terry rudely. He shut the door.“What a nuisance!”he grumbled（嘟囔）over it with his wife.“No sooner had we settled down than the neighbor came to borrow things. What’ll be the next? How bothering!”
He was angry about it when the door was knocked at again. He opened it and found the same little girl outside. But this time she was holding two candles. She said, “My grandma told me the new neighbor downstairs might need candles. She sent me here to give you these.”Terry was struck by what he saw. When he became fully aware, he said,“Thank you and your grandma. God bless you!”
At that moment he suddenly realized what caused his failure in life. It was his coldness and harshness（刻薄）with other people. The person who had cheated him in life was actually nobody else but himself, for his eyes had been blurred（使模糊）by his cold mind.
63.Terry decided to move to another city because___________.
A.he wanted to earn more money there
B.he found it more challenging to live in a new place
C.he didn’t like the place where he lived
D.he thought he should change his job
64.Terry treated the little girl rudely because he thought_________.
A.the neighbor would often borrow things from him later
B.he had no friends in the new city
C.she was too young to play with candles
D.he was cheated at that time
65.It can be concluded that Terry realized that he used to be_________.
A.cold and harsh                                       B.lazy and negative
C.friendly and kind                                      D.crazy and rude
66.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Help others to help yourself              B.Light the candle in your heart
C.Terry’s good neighbor                             D.God bless you

Have you ever got stuck with unwanted courses or a class schedule that cannot be changed? If so, that's because you don't know how to select the perfect sch

edule. But by following a few simple steps, you can begin any term with the right courses at the most convenient times.

First, you must find the right courses. These are the ones that have the least amount of work, the fewest tests and the kindest professors. Ask your friends about courses in which they received A's after attending only 70 percent of the classes. Ask around, too, to see which instructors have given the same tests for the last fifteen years. Photocopies of these tests are usually cheap and can be easily found in school. Then, pick up a copy of the master schedule and study it carefully. Find the course titles that mean an easy pass for a painless subject.

Look for titles like “Arts and Crafts for Beginners” and “Rock Music of the 1950s”.

Next, when you have got lists of easy instructors and subjects, you can begin to select your time periods. If you stay up late in order to watch old movies, you may want a daily schedule that begins no sooner than noon. You should schedule only afternoon courses, too, if you're one of those people who hate to leave a warm bed in the morning. On the other hand, if you are a person who gets out of bed at dawn, you may want to get your classes out of the way as early as possible. That way you have the rest of the day free. Morning classes are also necessary if you are a soap opera(肥皂剧) fan.

Finally, you want your schedule to pass through registration successfully. The main way to do this is to register(注册) early. If a course does happen to be closed because you simply couldn't register at 7:00 am, you may still be able to get in. Talk to the professor and tell him or her that a serious and hardworking student like yourself would be a shining example to other students. Be sure to carry a list of back-up courses to registration, though, just in case one of your chosen classes changes professors or time periods.

By following these suggestions, any student can pick the perfect class schedule. College can thus become an almost pleasant activity.

1.Which of the following statements is true?

A.You can get copies of tests if you are willing to pay the price.

B.“Rock Music of the 1950s” may be an easy course.

C.It is difficult to pick the perfect class schedule.

D.Attendance is required in all classes. 

2.You should  ________ .

A.register for classes in the morning if you get up early

B.have classes late in the morning if you stay up late

C.sign up for afternoon classes if you want to see soap operas 

D.choose classes in the evening if you want to watch old films 

3.If a course happens to be closed, you should  ________ .

A.register at 7:00 am               B.sit in on the class anyway

C.register for a back up course       D.get help from the professor 

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Course Registration Made Easy         B.How to Find the Right Courses 

C.Classes and After?class Activities      D.How to Pick the Perfect Schedule

At the age of seven, I went to see my grandma in Warwick and spent the summer with her. One day I went to a general store with a   34 full of what Grandma needed.
“Excuse me, I need to   35  these,” I said .
“So ? I’m not your   36 ! You should get yourself a basket and start filling,” Miss Bee, the owner of the store, said   37  without smiling. “If you’re   38  you’ll be home by sunset.” Sunset was five hours away.   39 , the store was a puzzle, and I wasn’t sure if I would make it.
I visited Miss Bee several times a week that   40 . One afternoon when I watched her adding 35 cents instead of 29 for a can of beans, I   41  her immediately. Though being caught overcharging , she didn’t seem   42 , and she just fixed the price.
All summer long I was always tricked by Miss Bee. No sooner had I memorized the soda’s location on the shelf than she rearranged the shelves and made me  43 it all over again. But by summer’s end the   44 trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stepped in to get a bottle of water.
“What did you   45  this summer?” she said.
“That you’re so mean!” I whispered.
To my   46 , Miss Bee laughed. “When you get older, you’ll be glad our paths crossed!”
Glad I met Miss Bee ? No!
Until one day my daughter came to me with homework  47 . “It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish it for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” Suddenly, I was   48  at that general store where Miss Bee had really taught me something all those years ago.

第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的四个选项（A,B,C和D）中，选出可以填人空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
This morning I awoke from a wonderful night’s sleep. One of those completely satisfying sleep—difficult to explain, but if you’ve ever had one you’ll know what I’m    36    about.
No amount of    37    could buy a better night’s sleep. I truly    38   my blessed rest. It was like a gift from heaven. Interesting to think that Bill Gates or any    39    billionaire you can     40   really couldn’t have had a more satisfying, fulfilling night of sleep.
That started me thinking of other    41   that cost nothing or very little．Like a drink of cold water on a    42   day．Or a warm relaxing    43   when you’re tired．
What could be better than    44    to your favorite music or watching good movies? These are    45    delights—small pleasures．I hope this doesn’t    46    too silly in today’s rough，loud world．I wonder if the new generation can appreciate some such things．
We’re told we   47    the latest model car, or TV or computer to be happy，but it’s all a trick, a marketing move．No sooner do we get these things,    48    we’re looking to replace them    49    a newer car, or TV or computer．
This is not to say that money isn't important. Money can help    50   , clothes and house those in need．Money is neither all good nor all bad—it’s just a   51    of life that can be used for good things or abused(滥用).
I suppose having    52    money worries can give a certain peace of mind that   53   a person to have a good night’s rest. But no amount of money can   54    buy that wonderful, particularly restful night’s sleep that I   55   last night.
36．A．telling         B．talking        C．hearing       D．referring
37．A．poors              B．persons       C．workers      D．riches
38．A．appreciated      B．feared         C．disliked      D．doubted
39．A．one          B．more        C．other      D．big
40．A．write         B．remember    C．mention      D．say
41．A．dreams        B．pleasures     C．nights     D．gifts
42．A．happy          B．fine         C．cool       D．hot
43．A．match          B．walk        C．talk        D．bath
44．A．enjoying      B．receiving    C．listening     D．looking forward
45．A．quiet         B．interesting    C．moving      D．exciting
46．A．sound          B．keep        C．seem      D．prove
47．A．have         B．need        C．buy        D．find
48．A．when         B．than        C．and        D．then
49．A．with         B．by           C．for         D．in
50．A．eat           B．feed        C．serve      D．food
51．A．necessity      B．thing        C．kind       D．tool
52．A．many              B．some        C．no          D．few
53．A．makes         B．forces         C．allows     D．advises
54．A．always         B．already       C．still        D．ever
55．A．experienced     B．awaited     C．liked       D．talked about