We were standing at the top of a church tower. My father had   36   me to this spot in a small Italian town not far from our home in Rome. I wondered   37  .

“Look   38  , Elsa,” Father said. I gathered all my   39   and looked down. I saw the square in the centre of the village. And I saw many turning streets leading to the   40  .

“See, my dear,” Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square.   41   is like that. If you can’t   42   the place where you want to go   43   one road, try another.

Now I understood why I was there.   44   that day I had begged my mother to do   45   about the terrible lunches that were served at school. But she   46   because she could not believe the lunches were as   47   as I said.

When I   48   to my father for help, he would not interfere(介入).   49  , he brought me to this high tower to   50   me a lesson—the value of an open, searching mind. By the time we reached home, I had a   51  .

At school the next day, I   52   poured my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I asked the cook into   53   it to my mother at dinner. The plan   54   perfectly. She swallowed one spoonful and said, “The cook must have gone mad!” Quickly I told what I had done, and my mother stated firmly that she would   55   the matter of lunches at school the next day.

36. A. put                     B. sent                         C. brought                    D. left

37. A. that                    B. why                         C. what                        D. how

38. A. down                  B. up                            C. out                          D. around

39. A. strength              B. courage                    C. spirit                        D. bravery

40. A. tower                 B. church                     C. square               D. village

41. A. School         B. Society                     C. Family                     D. Life

42. A. get to                  B. give up                     C. make for                  D. leave for

43. A. in                       B. on                            C. by                           D. at

44. A. Earlier          B. Later                        C. On                           D. During

45. A. her best              B. a favor                     C. something         D. everything

46. A. turned                 B. refused                     C. excused                   D. agreed

47. A. well                    B. good                        C. bad                          D. usual

48. A. explained             B. turned               C. tried                         D. stuck

49. A. Therefore            B. So                           C. Instead                     D. Anyway

50. A. suggest        B. make                        C. prepare                    D. give

51. A. plan                    B. question                   C. problem                   D. suggestion

52. A. angrily         B. secretly                    C. kindly               D. politely

53. A. cooking              B. boiling               C. making                     D. serving

54. A. made                  B. failed                        C. worked                    D. took

55. A. look up        B. give up                     C. make up                   D. take up

① On Friday, January 14, 2005, my cousin, Kara Rose, came into the world. ② She looked perfectly healthy from the outside, but on the inside, the doctors had failed to discover a serious problem. ③ She often had trouble breathing and then turned blue. ④ The doctors found that Kara had been born without part of her heart. ⑤ They didn’t think she would live long enough to leave the hospital. ⑥ When she was four days old, she had her first operation. ⑦ My family stayed together during this hard time, hoping everything would turn out for the best.
Kara’s strength and determination to live were strong. Eventually, she could go home. We all waited patiently for new technology that could give Kara a new heart. When she was eighteen months old, her parents took her to a famous surgeon who performed a series of operations. There was no guarantee she would make it through the operation, but she succeeded.
Kara grew stronger every day, and it was not long before she was well enough to be around people. She had an amazing character and always wore a sweet smile. When she fell asleep against my body, happy and content, I realized how valuable life really is. As I took her in my arms with her warm breath against my neck, I decided to live every day of my life to the fullest.
This child, who is 15 years younger than I, has gone through more suffering and pain than I ever have. I admire her strength and determination. Kara has taught me that no matter how bad things seem, they can work out in the end. Knowing this small, beautiful child has made me a stronger person, I now believe that difficulty can be beaten

1. 1.

   Kara often had trouble breathing because ________. 

   1. A.
      she didn’t stay long enough in the hospital
   2. B.
      the doctors failed to discover the problem
   3. C.
      she was born with an incomplete heart
   4. D.
      her first operation was not successful
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is true?

   1. A.
      Kara’s determination helped her get through
   2. B.
      The new technology gave the family the hope to live on
   3. C.
      Kara eventually recovered at the age of 15
   4. D.
      Doctors were confident in the success of her operation
3. 3.

   The writer wants to tell us that _______

   1. A.
      younger people often suffer more pain
   2. B.
      strong-will helps defeat difficulties
   3. C.
      experienced doctors can make miracles
   4. D.
      medical technology is developing fast
4. 4.

   Where should the sentence in the box be added in Paragraph 1?
   

   I was also   anxiously hoping the doctors would be able to make her life longer.

   1. A.
      After Sentence ①
   2. B.
      After Sentence ③
   3. C.
      After Sentence ⑤
   4. D.
      After Sentence ⑦

Wings of Angel 

I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not   21  . I had a severe spinal cord disorder (脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much   22   than others.

I hated going to school and I hated people   23   at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing   24   and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the   25   and seeing an ugly hunchback (驼背).

My friends found me   26   because I didn’t let others get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life   27   Angela appeared.

That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school — a spot where no one would   28   me. That’s when I first heard her voice.

“Hi. Can I sit down?”

I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“Ants.”

“What are they doing?”

“No   29  .”

“I bet they’re playing games and making friends. Don’t you think so?”

That was how our   30   started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun—the ants, the clouds, my little niche (处境) — until it was sunset.

Then suddenly, she saw my   31  . She just stared.

    My heart   32  . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would   33   me now.

She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know   34   your back is hunched.”

I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be   35  . I begged in my heart for her to   36  , but she just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”

“No,” I answered   37  .

She bent and whispered in my ears.

“Your back is hunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”  

I was   38  . I looked into her eyes and her   39   touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to   40   myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend.

A. them          B. it              C. me            D. her  

A. sadder          B. shorter               C. weaker           D. slower

A. looking       B. smiling       C. aiming          D. glaring  

A. still            B. alone          C. straight          D. together

A. street           B. sun             C. corner          D. mirror

A. distant          B. disappointed   C. hopeless         D. unlucky 

A. after           B. while         C. since            D. until

A. disturb        B. seek             C. comfort          D. ignore

A. wonder        B. idea             C. way             D. problem

A. games         B. performance   C. conversation      D. competition

A. face           B. back             C. eyes             D. wings

A. sank          B. beat             C. broke           D. ached

A. look up to   B. catch up with   C. look down upon D. put up with

A. that          B. how            C. whether          D. why

A. tied          B. arrested       C. punished      D. sentenced

A. relax         B. leave            C. stop             D. forbid

A. shyly          B. weakly         C. proudly       D. firmly  

A. astonished  B. ashamed          C. annoyed        D. upset

A. wisdom      B. beauty           C. honesty       D. kindness 

A. control       B. like            C. forgive        D. forget

Wings of Angel 

I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not   21  . I had a severe spinal cord disorder (脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much   22   than others.

I hated going to school and I hated people   23   at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing   24   and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the   25   and seeing an ugly hunchback (驼背).

My friends found me   26   because I didn’t let others get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life   27   Angela appeared.

That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school — a spot where no one would   28   me. That’s when I first heard her voice.

“Hi. Can I sit down?”

I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“Ants.”

“What are they doing?”

“No   29  .”

“I bet they’re playing games and making friends. Don’t you think so?”

That was how our   30   started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun—the ants, the clouds, my little niche (处境) — until it was sunset.

Then suddenly, she saw my   31  . She just stared.

    My heart   32  . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would   33   me now.

She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know   34   your back is hunched.”

I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be   35  . I begged in my heart for her to   36  , but she just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”

“No,” I answered   37  .

She bent and whispered in my ears.

“Your back is hunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”  

I was   38  . I looked into her eyes and her   39   touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to   40   myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend.

1.A. them            B. it               C. me             D. her  

2.A. sadder            B. shorter                 C. weaker             D. slower

3.A. looking          B. smiling          C. aiming            D. glaring  

4.A. still     B. alone           C. straight           D. together

5.A. street            B. sun               C. corner            D. mirror

6.A. distant           B. disappointed   C. hopeless          D. unlucky 

7.A. after             B. while         C. since               D. until

8.A. disturb          B. seek              C. comfort            D. ignore

9.A. wonder          B. idea               C. way               D. problem

10.A. games           B. performance   C. conversation        D. competition

11.A. face             B. back                C. eyes              D. wings

12.A. sank            B. beat              C. broke              D. ached

13.A. look up to   B. catch up with   C. look down upon D. put up with

14.A. that            B. how              C. whether           D. why

15.A. tied            B. arrested                C. punished      D. sentenced

16.A. relax          B. leave              C. stop               D. forbid

17.A. shyly   B. weakly           C. proudly       D. firmly  

18.A. astonished  B. ashamed           C. annoyed          D. upset

19.A. wisdom        B. beauty             C. honesty       D. kindness 

20.A. control         B. like              C. forgive        D. forget

Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mister Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.” It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
【小题1】In Paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.