Until the 1980s, the American homeless population is mainly made up of older males. Today, homelessness strikes much younger part of society. In fact, a 25-city survey by the U. S. Conference of Mayors in 1987 found that families with children make up the fastest growing part of the homeless population. Many homeless children gather in inner cities; this transient(变化无常的) and frequently frightened student population creates additional problems — both legal and educational — for already overburdened urban school administrators and teachers.

??? Estimates of the number of homeless Americans range from 350,000 to three million. Likewise, estimates of the number of homeless school children vary radically. A U.S. Department of Education report, based on state estimates, states that there are 220,000 homeless school-age children, about a third of whom do not attend school on a regular basis. But the National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that there are at least two times as many homeless children, and that less than half of them attend school regularly.

??? One part of the homeless population that is particularly difficult to count consists of the “throwaway” youths who have been cast of their homes. The Elementary School Center in New York City estimates that there are 1.5 million of them, many of whom are not treated as children because they do not stay in family shelters and tend to live by themselves on the streets.

??? Federal law, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, includes a section that addresses the educational needs of homeless children. The educational provisions（规定） of the McKinney Act are based on the belief that all homeless children have the right to a free, appropriate education.

1.It is implied in the first paragraph that ____.

A. the writer himself is homeless, even in his eighties

B. many older homeless residents are going on strike in 25 cities

C. there is a serious shortage of academic facilities

D. homeless children are denied the opportunity of receiving free education

2.The National Coalition for the homeless believes that the number of homeless children is _____.

A. 350,000??? B. 1,500,000?????? C. 440,000????? D. 110,000

3.One part of the homeless population is difficult to estimate. The reason might well be ____.

A. the homeless children are too young to be treated as children

B. the homeless population is growing rapidly

C. the homeless children usually stay outside school

D. some homeless children are deserted by their families

4.The McKinney Act is mentioned in this passage in order to show that ___.

A. the educational problems of homeless children are being recognized

B. the estimates on homeless children are hard to determine

C. the address of grade-school children should be located

D. all homeless people should have free education

I came to India a year ago to find a village in which I could live and write but it was many months before I settled down happily in this Himalayan community.

    I wasted a lot of time looking for the “typical” village. Yet no such thing exists. Conditions are quite different from village to village. But the villages I stayed in had much in common---poor, dirty and backward. Often the villagers themselves were puzzled and doubtful. Why had I come? I had put aside my work as a political journalist because my ideas had changed. I had come to believe that what was happening in the Third World was more important than anything else. But to understand how three—quarters of the world population live, and what effect their future might have on ours, I felt that I first had to try and share their way of life.

   In the end I chose a mountain village because it was little cooler than those in the plains. I took the bus from town along a rocky road. Then came a rough walk down a steep path to the river. After this I began the climb into the hills. Whenever I stopped to catch my breath, there was a beautiful scene. After several hours’ walk the village came into sight.

After the writer had arrived in India,________.

A.he spent a year writing about the place he lived in

B.he spent quite some time looking for a suitable place to live in

C.he stayed in an Indian village working for the poor

D.he lived in a Himalayan community for many months.

While looking for a typical village, the writer found__________.

A.he was searching for the impossible

B.all the villages were exactly the same

C.he was doing something enjoyable

D.the villagers were curious about him

Before coming to India, the writer________.

A.had been a successful politician

B.had made a decision to work for India

C.had studied India culture for some months

D.had worked for newspapers and magazines

The write decided to change his way of life because__________.

A.he no longer found his work interesting

B.he hoped to live a peaceful life in the countryside

C.he wanted to find out more about the Third World

D.he wanted to try his luck in a foreign country

The village the writer finally chose to live in_________.

A.lay at the end of a rocky road

B.had a beautiful sight of the river

C.was a short walk from the river

D.had better weather than those in the plains.

Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, fundingcuts, and many other administrative chores and started to dream of retirement．Sitting in trafficon a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering．I would imagine spending time withmy grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books．Itold myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anythingrequiring a schedule．

    My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me,leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends．On thesecond day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper …On the third day, ...This is retirement? Itried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right roundthe corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough．But something was missing．

    A former colleague asked a favor．A group of students was going to Jamaica to work withchildren in the poorest neighbourhood．Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and returnto the students, just this once? One trip．That's all．My bags were packed and by the door．

    The trip was very inspiring．I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by thesense of responsibility of the young people on the trip．When I returned home, I offered to workone day a week with a local youth organization．The experience was so positive that I was soonvolunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work．

    Now，it seems, the tables have turned ．Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student．These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poorand suffer because of greed, corruption and war．Most importantly, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions．In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas．I've gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!

What did the writer expect to do after he retired?

    A．To stay away from busy schedules．   B．To write some great books．

    C．To do some voluntary work．  D．To plan for his future．

Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?

    A．He missed his students in that country．

    B．He couldn't reflise his colleague's favor．

    C．He was concerned about the people there．

    D．He was not satisfied with his retired life．

The underlined part "the tables have turned" （Paragraph 5 ） means that thewriter ．

    A．improved the situation in his school B．felt happy to work with students again

    C．became a learner rather than a teacher   D．changed his attitude toward his retired life

What does the writer think of his retired life now?

    A．Disappointing．      B．Troublesome．

    C．Promising．      D．Meaningful．

Having searched for many years, a truth seeker was told to go to a cave, where he would find a well. “Ask the well what is    , ” he was advised, “and the well will reveal (揭露) it to you.” After finding the well, the seeker asked that most basic and important   . And from the depths came the answer: “Go to the village crossroads, and there you shall find what you are seeking.”

With his heart full of   , the man ran to the crossroads only to    three rather uninteresting shops. One shop was selling pieces of metal, another sold   , and thin wires were for sale in the third. Nothing and no one there seemed to    much to do with the revelation of truth.

Depressed and   , the seeker returned to the well to demand an    , but he was told only: “You will discover in the future.” With years     by, the memory of his experience at the well gradually    until one night. While he was walking, the sound of sitar (西塔琴) music   his attention. It was wonderful and it was played with great skill and   .

   and moved deeply, the truth seeker felt drawn towards the   . He looked at the fingers dancing over the strings. And then suddenly he let out a cry of joyful   : the sitar was made out of wires and pieces of metal and wood just like    he had once seen in the three stores.

Eventually he understood the   of the well: we have already been given everything we need; our    is to gather and use them in the proper way. Nothing is   so long as we recognize only fragments (碎片). But as soon as the pieces are put together, something new appears, whose nature we could not have     by considering the fragments alone.

1.A. life     B. dream   C. truth     D. success

2.A. cause          B. reason          C. problem                D. question

3.A. energy       B. hope     C. happiness             D. strength

4.A. find    B. observe         C. understand      D. feel

5.A. instruments        B. clothing         C. furniture                D. wood

6.A. have  B. link        C. connect         D. relate

7.A. surprised          B. shocked         C. disappointed      D. excited

8.A. excuse       B. explanation      C. advice              D. opportunity

9.A. gone  B. passed          C. pass       D. going

10.A. doubled   B. forgot   C. disappeared       D. recovered

11.A. paid B. caught          C. focused D. fixed

12.A. inspiration        B. courage         C. thought  D. wisdom

13.A. Annoyed B. Affected         C. Confused          D. Frightened

14.A. composer        B. director          C. adviser  D. player

15.A. imagination      B. appreciation      C. recognition         D.admiration

16.A. those        B. one       C. it   D. that

17.A. theory      B. message         C. secret   D. note

18.A. project                 B. difficulty           C. task                           D. shortcoming

19.A. available         B. successful          C. accessible               D.meaningful

20.A. foreseen        B. witnessed          C. judged                     D. formed