I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

　　 Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

　　A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

　　B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

　　C. Because he often sang while cooking.

　　D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

　　 Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

　　A. Wamer Brothers.                        B. His manager.

　　C. His father.                                 D. A businesswoman.

　  What made the writer proud of himself?

　　A. His ability to live independently.

　　B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

　　C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

We often hear the phrase:“You’ve a greater chance of being struck by lightning.” It is used to describe something that hasn’t got much chance of happening. However, the common saying undermines(掩盖) the very real dangers of lightning. Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal. Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those73 people die. That means more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes. Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.

So to raise awareness, the US has made June 22 to 28 National Lightning Safety Week. It aims to warn the public of the dangers of lightning and provide safety tips during thunderstorms. “If you hear thunder , you are in danger from lightning,” said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.“Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any minute, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until after the storm has ended. The single most important thing to remember is to seek hiding place,”Lopes said.

Summer is the high time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:

Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.

If you can count less than ten seconds between a thunder and a lightning flash, take cover inside the nearest building.

Do not stand under a tree.

Get off bicycles or motorcycles.

Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no hiding place.

Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.

The popular opinion about being struck by lightening is that 　　　.

A. there is a greater chance for being killed by lightening than any other natural disaster

B. it is the most dangerous among all the natural disasters

C. the chance for a person to be struck by lightening is very small

D. it is impossible for people to be killed by lightening

The average death rate of being struck by lightening in US is about 　　.

A.18%　　　　　　　B.50%　　　　　C.30%　　　　D.73%

Among all the safety tips, the most important one is that when you hear thunder in the open air， 　　　.

A. just stand by your bicycles and motorcycles

B. quickly find a place to go inside

C. count ten seconds between a thunder and a lightening

D. don’t have a hair drier in your hand

According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. There are more people killed by tornadoes and hurricanes than by lightening in US each year.

B. There are on average 5 persons killed by lightening in Nepal each day.

C. The death rate of being stuck by lightening is much higher than by other natural disasters.

D. The National Lightening Safety Week is made to warn the public against lightening.

完形填空 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41—55各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Never Save Something Beautiful for That Special Day
　　Years ago I was talking with a classmate in Sydney. At the time his wife had just passed away not too long ago. He told me while going through her things, he found a silk scarf _1  in a designer store when they had traveled to New York City. The scarf was beautiful, with elegant _2 , and a high price tag still hanging. His wife begrudged wearing it; she was _3  it for a special day.
　　He _4  at that moment; I didn’t say anything either. After a long pause he said: “Never save something beautiful for that special day. Each _5  day is a special day.”
　　Whenever I _6  what he had said, I would put down the things I was doing to grab a novel, turn on the music and lie down on the couch to _7  some time for myself. I would appreciate the glorious scenery of the Tanshui River through a French window, _8  the dust gathered on the glass. I would take my wife out to _9 , not thinking what to do with the meal already cooked. Life should be the experience we truly cherish, not days we just have to endure.
　　One time I shared the above conversation with a lady. When I saw her again, she told me that she no longer _10  the beautiful china in a cabinet. She had thought to save them for a special day, only to discover that it never _11  came. “Future”, “someday” are not contained in her _12  any more. If there are things that are pleasant or make her complacent, she wants to hear or see them now.
　　We often hope to gather with old friends, but always say, “let’s find a(n) _13 .” We often want to hug our grown children, but always wait for the appropriate moment. We often want to write to our spouses to express our strong affection or to show our deep admiration, but always tell ourselves that there is no need to _14 . In fact, each morning when we open our eyes, we should tell ourselves that this is a special day. Each day, each minute is so incredibly _15 .

Once upon a time there lived an old man in a nice cottage with a large garden. The old man was seen   16   his flowers all the time. They were so well-tended that every passer-by could not but   17   for a glance.

   One day a young man went by the garden. He gazed at the splendid garden,   18   in admiration at the beauty of these sceneries. Then, suddenly he   19   the old gardener was blind.   20   , the young man asked, “Why are you busy tending these flowers every day which you can’t  21  in fact?” The old man smiled and answered that “ I can tell you 22   reasons. First I was a   23  when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, yet I can   24  them. Third，I can smell sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s   25  .

    “Me? But you don’t know me,” responded the young man   26   .

   “Yeah, it’s   27  that I don’t know you. But I know everyone knows flowers and would never   28   them down. I know the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good   29   . In the meantime, it also   30  a chance to me to have a word with you here and to enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”

    The old man’s  31  astonished me. The blind man grows flowers and  32  them as a link of minds so as to make   33   enjoy the sunshine in spring. Isn’t it one kind of happiness？

   I believe every flower has   34 with which they can see the kindness of the man’s heart. The blind man grows flowers in his heart. Though   35  to see the beauty of blossoming（开花）, he surely can hear the voice of it, I suppose.

1. A. loving        B. watering        C. tending      D. planting

2.A. stop     　　 B. stay            C. live         D. run

3.. A. kept          B. dropped        C. fallen        D. lost

4. A. realized       B. noticed         C. felt          D. thought

5. A. Excited       B. Frightened      C. Shocked      D. Satisfied

6.A. feel          B. see            C. hear          D. eat

7.A. one          B. two            C. three         D. four

8.A. gardener      B. teacher         C. farmer        D. painter

9.A. taste          B. plant          C. touch        D. appreciate

10.A. it            B. me            C. them          D. you

11.A. with pleasure   B. in surprise      C. with hope     D. in anger

12.A. true           B. possible       C. a pity         D. a shame

13. A. put            B. turn          C. get           D. knock

14.. A. mind          B. life           C. future         D. mood

15. A. introduces      B. offers         C. stands        D. leaves

16. A. words         B. behavior       C. story        D. attitudes

17. A. treats          B. acts          C. works         D. serves

18. A. anybody       B. somebody      C. everybody    D. nobody

19. A. ears           B. soul          C. eyes          D. heart

20.A. refusing       B. trying         C. pretending     D. failing

There's a man in the habit of hitting me on the head with an umbrella.At first I couldn't stand it；now I'm used to it.

　　 I don't know his name.I know he's average in appearance，wears a gray suit，and has a common face.One hot morning，when I was sitting on a tree?shaded bench in Palermo Park，reading the paper，suddenly I felt something touch my head.It was the very same man who now，as I'm writing，keeps striking me with an umbrella.

　　 On that occasion I turned around filled with anger.He just kept on hitting me.I asked him if he was crazy.He didn't even seem to hear me.Then I threatened to call a policeman.Calmly，cool as a cucumber，he stuck with his task.After a few moments of hesitation，and seeing that he was not about to change his attitude，I stood up and hit him on the nose.The man fell down.But he immediately got back on his feet，obviously with great effort，and without a word again began hitting me on the head with the umbrella.His nose was bleeding and，at that moment，I felt sorry for him.I felt regret for having hit him so hard.After all，the man wasn't exactly hitting me；he was merely tapping me lightly with his umbrella，not causing any pain at all.Of course，those taps were extremely bothersome.As we all know，when a fly lands on your forehead，you don't feel any pain；what you feel is annoyance.Well then，that umbrella was one huge fly that kept landing on my head time after time.

　　 Convinced that I was dealing with a madman，I tried to escape.But the man followed me，wordlessly continuing to hit me.So I began to run(I should point out many people run as fast as I do)．He took off after me，trying to land a blow.The man was out of breath so that I thought，if I continued to force him to run at that speed，he would drop dead right then and there.

1．When the man began to strike the author with an umbrella，the author________.

A．became angry

B．called the police

C．turned around and escaped

D．turned around and fought back

2．The author would most probably agree that the man was

________.

A．deaf 　　　　 B．blind

C．dead 　　　　 D．mad

3．The author felt sorry for the man because________.

A．the man formed a bad habit of beating others

B．he hit the man so hard that his nose bled

C．the man couldn't catch up with him

D．there was a fly on the man's head

4．It can be learned from the passage that the man ________.

A．shouted loudly while hitting the author

B．wanted to tell the author something

C．ran after the anthor breathlessly

D．acted as if he were a fly