66. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.

A. become serious about her study　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. go to her friend’s house regularly

C. learn from her classmates at school　　　　　　　　 D. share poems and stories with her friend

65. This is basically a letter of ________.

A. apology　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. sympathy　　　　　 C. appreciation　 　　　　 D. dissatisfaction

答案　 63.A　 64.B　 65.D

Passage 32

(08·北京D篇)

When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮)me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

　　 When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changed into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

　 When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend.He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

　　 For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “ Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.

　　 It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist(心理学家)，who will only fill up the healing(愈合的)silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

64. Hamilton is expected to _______.

A. show more kindness　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. discontinue the present practice

C. quit being the organizer for gift giving　　　　　　 D. know more about co-workers’ families

63. The underlined word “contributions” probably means ________.

A. money　 　　　　　　　　　 B. suggestions　 　　　　　 C. reports　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. understanding

75．The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should＿＿＿．

A．let women stay at home and have a baby

B．allow only one of the parents to go out to work

C．care for the growing needs of women for jobs

D．punish the companies that permit women to leave

答案　 72.A　 73.D　 74.D　 75.C

Passage 31

(08·北京C篇)

Dear Hamilton,

　　 We are fortunate that in such a large, high-pressure office we all get along so well. You are one of the people who keep the social temperature at such a comfortable setting. I don’t know anyone in the office who is better liked than you.

　　 You can perhaps help with this. The collection of contributions towards gifts for employees’ personal-life events is becoming a little troubling. Certainly, the group sending of a gift is reasonable now and then. In the past month, however, there have been collections for two baby shower gifts, one wedding shower gift, two wedding gifts, one funeral(葬礼)remembrance, four birthday gifts, and three graduation gifts.

　 It’s not only the collected-from who are growing uncomfortable (and poor), but the collected-for feel uneasy receiving gifts from people who don’t know them outside the office, who wouldn’t even recognize their graduating children, their marrying daughters and sons, or their dead relatives.

　　 This is basically a kind gesture (and one that people think well of you for), but the practice seems to have become too wide-ranging and feels improper in today’s office setting.

　　 Thank you for understanding.

74．To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten，how much will a couple pay each

year?

A．$5,000．　　 B．$5,900．　　 C．$10,800．　 D．$15,800.

73．According to the passage，which of the following is true?

A．It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia．

B．The prices of houses in Asia are quite low now．

C．Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job．

D．The word“DINKS”first appeared in an Asian country．

72．What is the main problem being discussed in the passage?

A．The small number of newborn babies.

B．The changing social situation of women．

C．The high prices of houses and education．

D．The necessary steps of Asian governments．

67．Why does the author write this passage?

A．To tell people where to find gyms．

B．To prove the basic need for climbing．

C．To encourage people to climb mountains．

D．To introduce the sport of wall climbing．

答案　 64.A　 65.B　 66.B　 67.D

Passage 30

(08·安徽E篇)

The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia．When people talk about it，you can hear a word invented in Japan，“DINKS”，which means Double Income No Kids(小孩)．

In many major Asian cities like Seoul，Singapore，and Tokyo，the cost of a house is extremely high．A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $300,000(though prices have fallen)．For a flat with one bedroom，one dining-room，a kitchen，and a bathroom，the couple will pay about $900 a month.What’s more，if they want to have a child，the child’s education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year．In such a situation，it’s difficult to afford children.

The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However，if they want to have children，they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby，they expect women with babies to give up their jobs．In short，if they want to bring up children properly，both parents have to work，but it is hard for mothers to work．Indeed，women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.

In a word，Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible.

66．The word“workout”underlined in the last paragraph most probably means　　　 ．

A．settlement　　 　　　　　 B．exercise　　 　　　　　 C．excitement 　　　　　　 D．tiredness