When 19－year－old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make－A－Wish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about.But Sophia knew just how important Make－A－Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one of her best friends .We were interested in finding out more，so we went along to meet Sophia and listen to what she had to say.

Sophia told us that Make－A －Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.“It's a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses.Make－A－Wish helps children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true ，” Sophia explained .

We asked Sophia how Make－A－Wish had first started.She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris ，who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman .Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris's dream come true—so, with everybody's help, Chris, only seven years old at the time，had been a “policeman” for a day.” When people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too，and that was the beginning of Make－A－Wish，” explained Sophia.

Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time.A Make－A－Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world.Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary，or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.

1.Sophia found out about Make－A－Wish because her best friend had________.

A．benefited from it? ????????????? ????????????? B．volunteered to help it

C．dreamed about it? ????????????? ????????????? D．told the author about it

2.According to Sophia，Make－A－Wish________.

A．is an international charity

B．was understood by nobody at first

C．raises money for very poor families

D．started by drawing the interest of the public

3.What is said about Chris in Paragraph 3?

A．He has been a policeman since he was seven.

B．He gave people the idea of starting Make－A－Wish

C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true.

D．He was the first child Make－A－Wish helped after it had been set up.

4.Which of the following is true about Make－A－Wish volunteers?

A．They are important for making wishes come true.

B．They try to help children get over their illnesses.

C．They visit sick children to make them feel special.

D．They provide what is necessary to make Make－A－Wish popular.

Recreational tree climbing is taking root in the ecotourism industry, and it's sending guys like Tim Kovar to far off reaches of the globe. Kovar, a tree-climbing instructor, recently returned to the U.S. from Brazil, where he spent time developing a tree-climbing operation thanks to the "slow travel" movement.
Slow travel, is like the slow food movement, the practice of giving fast food in favor of homegrown cooking—the kind that takes hours to prepare and enjoy. Likewise, slow travel urges visitors to experience a place's natural surroundings and learn about the ecology in a way not afforded by extreme games.
"Tree climbing is a slow activity," says Kovar. "It's not something you do quickly and then you're on to the next thing or event." There is no such thing as a quick climb, especially for beginners. This wasn't a race against the clock or the fellow climbers. In fact, tree climbing is unlikely to ever become a feature of the extreme games. Many climbers refuse competition. There has already been so much competition in the world.
"When you stand below the tree, it can be amazing," Rusel DeMaria says, looking affectionately up at Michael's Triumph, a 150-foot-tall tree. But reaching the treetop, he adds, is an entirely different feeling. Likewise, his wife, Viola Brumbaugh, kneels on the ground and asks Michael's Triumph for permission to climb. "It goes a lot smoother that way, "She says.
And climbing has been included into many educational programs. New Tribe offers guided climbs through its school, Tree Climbing Northwest, where "we teach enough tree biology and forest ecology to raise awareness in our students," says New Tribe present Sophis Sparks. "We know that the tree climbing experience deepens personal appreciation for trees. After climbing, people value trees more and are motivated to support preservation. This is not just to preserve their playground."
Perhaps that is why he struggles with the term "recreational tree climbing," saying, "I prefer to call it inspirational tree climbing."
【小题1】What do slow travel and the slow food movement have in common?

A．provide people with more chances to play outside

B．bring a lot of pleasure to life

C．Deepens personal love between each other

D．Makes people realize they should protect trees

第二部分：阅读理解（第一节20小题, 第二节5小题；每小题2分, 满分50分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
A
Nate suffered a hard blow when he lost his job. His boss had spoken rudely, “Your services are no longer needed.” Nate left the building filled with despair. By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression. When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, “I lost my job. I am a complete, utter failure.” A tense silence followed. Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face. “What great news!” she responded.
“Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write.”
“But I have no job and no prospect of a job,” YC he objected, completely without hope. “If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on? Where will the money come from?” Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen. Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash. “Where on earth did you get this?” Nate gasped. “To whom does it belong?”
“It’s ours!” Sophia replied. “I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance. From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance. Now there is enough to last us a whole year.”
What a surprise! What encouragement! What a wife! The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece. The book is The Scarlet Letter. Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master.   
41．Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A．Sophia was very disappointed to hear the news  
B．Nate was too sad to speak any more
C．Sophia was thinking of how to encourage Nate  
D．Neither husband nor wife had any idea what to do
42．Sophia saved money because ______.
A．she knew her husband would lose his job one day  
B．she knew their life would be in difficulty
C．she was very careful with money  
D．she was trying to help her husband in every possible way
43．From the passage we can know that Sophia was ______.
A．kind and brave                                    B．careful and encouraging
C．friendly and warm-hearted                    D．honest and determined
44．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Sophia’s Achievement.                        B．A great writer’s struggle to success.
C．Great encouragement in hard times.      D．Failure is the mother of success.

When 19-year-old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about. But Sophia knew just how important Make – A –Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one her best friends. We were interested in finding out more, so we went along to meet Sophia listen to what she had to say.
Sophia told us that Make – A –Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980. ” It’s a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses. Make – A –Wish help children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true, ” Sophia explained.
We asked Sophia how Make – A –Wish had first started. She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris, who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman. Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris’s dream come true ----so, with everybody’s help, Chris, only seven years old at the time, had been a “policeman” for a day. ” when people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too , and that was the beginning of Make – A –Wish, ” explained Sophia.
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time. A Make-A-Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world. Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary, or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.
【小题1】Sophia found out about Make-A-Wish because her best friend had  .

When 19-year-old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about. But Sophia knew just how important Make – A –Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one her best friends. We were interested in finding out more, so we went along to meet Sophia listen to what she had to say.

Sophia told us that Make – A –Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980. ” It’s a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses. Make – A –Wish help children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true, ” Sophia explained.

We asked Sophia how Make – A –Wish had first started. She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris, who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman. Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris’s dream come true ----so, with everybody’s help, Chris, only seven years old at the time, had been a “policeman” for a day. ” when people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too , and that was the beginning of Make – A –Wish, ” explained Sophia.

Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time. A Make-A-Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world. Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary, or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.

1.Sophia found out about Make-A-Wish because her best friend had  .

A．benefited from it                       B．volunteered to help it

C．dreamed about it                       D．told the author about it

2.According to Sophia, Make-A-Wish       .

A．is an international charity

B．was understood by nobody at first

C．raises money for very poor families

D．started by drawing the interest of the public

3.What is said about Chris in Paragraph3?

A．He has been a policeman since he was seven.

B．He gave people the idea of starting Make-A-Wish

C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true.

D．He was the first child Make-A-Wish helped after it had been set up.

4.Which of the following is true about Make-A-Wish volunteers?

A．They are important for making wishes come true.

B．They try to help children get over their illnesses.

C．They visit sick children to make them feel special.

D．They provide what is necessary to make Make-A-Wish popular.