I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened. Looking down, I immediately recognized that something was wrong, and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf struggling in the fast-rising water, and it was a life-and-death struggle. Her calf was floating and screaming with fear. Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get, holding her whole body against the rushing water, and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body. Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.

There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother’s body and was gone. Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort, she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock.

Just at this moment, she fell back into the river. If she were carried down, it would be certain death. I knew, as well as she did, that there was one spot where she could get up the bank, but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.

While I was wondering what I could do next, I heard the sound of a mother’s love. Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could, roaring(吼叫) all the time, but to her calf it was music.

The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw ___.

 the calf was about to fall into the river

 Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock

 the calf was washed away by the rising water

 Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water

How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?

By putting it on a safe spot.

By pressing it against her body.

By taking it away with her

By carrying it on her back.

How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring?

It was a great comfort.

It was a sign of danger.

It was a call for help.

It was a musical note.

What can be the best title for the text?

A Mother's love

A Brave Act

A Deadly River

A matter of Life and Death

Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant and life was going well — she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through." she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life."

Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.

"The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless."

Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy's wonderful dinners."

Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing — watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now."

When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a______life.

A. satisfying         B. tough                      C. meaningless       D. boring

The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that______.

A. Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant     B. Kathy persuaded her to do so

C. Zoe got tired of the city life                   D. Zoe loved Wales more than London

How does Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?

A. Tiresome and troublesome.                    B. Romantic and peaceful

C. Mentally exhausting but healthy             D. Physically tiring but rewarding.

Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

A. A friend in need is a friend indeed.        B. Where there is a will, there is a way.

C. A misfortune may turn out a blessing.     D. Kill two birds with one stone.

In the summer vacation of 1997, I was fixed with a job. I worked as a(n) ___36___ at Mr. Breen’s fruit shop. The fruit shop did ___37___ business. Most of the trade came from the housewives who lived in the neighbourhood, ___38___ he also had regular customers who arrived outside the shop in cars. Mr Breen ___39___ them all by name and they sometimes even had their order already made up, always ___40___ me to carry it out to their car. They were clearly long-standing customers, and I ___41___ they must have stayed faithful to him ___42___ he had promised to sell good quality ___43___. He had a way with them—I had to ___44___ that. He called every woman “madam” for a start, ___45___ those who clearly were not, but when he ___46___ it, it did not sound like flattery (奉承). It just sounded ___47___ in an old-fashioned way. He was a great chatter ___48___. If he did not know them, he would greet them with a few ___49___ about the weather, ___50___ he did, he would ask about their families or make ___51___, always cutting his cloth ___52___ his customers. Whatever their bills came to, be ___53___ gave them back the few odd pence (零钱), and I am sure they thought he was very generous (慷慨). But I thought he was the opposite. He never ___54___ anything away. He was always looking for ___55___ for nothing.

36. A. operator      B. assistant     C. waiter D. secretary

37. A. good    B. poor   C. big     D. usual

38. A. so B. when  C. therefore    D. but

39. A. sold     B. knew  C. gave   D. sent

40. A. making B. letting C. getting       D. keeping

41. A. wish     B. insist   C. declare       D. suppose

42. A. when    B. if C. because      D. though

43. A. food     B. fruit    C. vegetables  D. drink

44. A. admit   B. expect C. announce    D. promise

45. A. yet       B. only    C. just     D. even

46. A. told      B. said    C. spoke  D. talked

47. A. serious B. strange       C. polite  D. familiar

48. A. as well B. as usual      C. either  D. also

49. A. sayings B. questions    C. words D. speeches

50. A. and then      B. and so C. even if       D. but if

51. A. preparations B. jokes   C. repairs       D. friends

52. A. according to B. due to C. instead of   D. up to

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

54. A. took     B. moved       C. threw  D. turned.

55. A. something    B. anything     C. somebody   D. anybody

Mr. King lived with six hundred wild animals on the Greek Island of Kyklos. Ever since he left school, he had traveled all over the word collecting animals for his own zoo. He hoped to collect two examples of every kind of animal on his island. But he was afraid that people would find him someday.

He wrote books about his travels and about his animals that he collected. The money from the books helped to pay for all the food that these animals ate.

One day, when Mr. King was out looking for drinking water, he found oil. He needed money for his travels and for his zoo, and a little oil would buy enough water for what he needed all his life, but he knew that if he told anyone else about it, it would be the end of his zoo and his life’s work. So he decided not to tell anyone else about what he had found, because oil and water couldn’t mix.

Mr. King traveled all over the world for collecting ______.

  A. oil       B. water    C. animals      D.money

What Mr. King needed for his travels and his zoo was_______.

  A.water    B.money   C. support      D.friends

Mr. King was afraid that people would find him someday because ________.

  A. he hadn’t got enough money for them       

  B. that would be the end of his zoo

C. he hadn’t got enough water and oil         

D. they would buy his animals

Mr. King wrote books to _______.

  A. tell people about his story               

  B. tell people how to find oil

C. get enough money for his animals          

D. make money for his travels

In the passage, “oil and water couldn’t mix” means that “_________”.

  A. Mr. King needed not only water but also oil   

B. oil and water were rather difficult to be mixed together

C. Mr. King’s animals only needed water, not oil

  D. if he told the others he found oil, his life’s work would be stopped

Which number would you call丘f you were looking for a house or an apartment？

  A. 375－7742      B.376－8668      C. 462—L606      D. 378—843257

Which address would you give to your friends if they wanted to play tennis？

  A. RFD Millville                B. 905 S.E. 2nd Terrace

  C. 214 S.33rd Drive              D. 4100 Oak Street

According to the directions, which of the following people should take the medication described？

   A. Someone with high blood pressure.     B. Someone with diabetes or heart disease.

   C. Someone under six years old.          D. Someone who has a cough.

If this medication does not help within three days, one should         .

  A. take fifteen teaspoonfuls on the fourth day   B. stop driving and operating machinery

  C. take half of the usual dosage               D. stop taking it and see a doctor