72. In writing this passage, the author probably intends to ________

A. develop students’ interest in books　 　　 B. recommend some excellent books

C. express his /her love for literature　　 　 D. stress the importance of reading

71. What does the author of this passage believe?

A. Not everyone can be special　 　　　　　　　 B. Smart people are more special than others.

C. The richer you are, the better you are 　　 D. We are all good enough just the way we are.

E

I really like reading and writing short stories. 　My favourite collection of short stories is a book called The Story Giant by Brian Patten, in which a giant , alone in a crumbling(将倒塌的)castle, knows all the stories in the world except one. 　He gets four children from different parts of the world to tell him stories in the hope that he will find the last story so he can stay alive. 　Do you think he finds the last story?

I also like reading novels. 　One of my favourite novels is called Life of Pi. 　It is written by a Canadian called Yann Martel and is about an Indian boy who spends a long time at sea after a shipwreck(海难)alone with nobody but a tiger.

Not many people read plays these days but many people still enjoy watching them at the theatre or on television. 　As for me, I read scripts(剧本)much more often than I go to see live theatre. 　I like plays which are either about great people and great events or about something from everyday life which is funny.

Perhaps the least popular form of literature is poetry. 　This is because many poems are very difficult to understand and often seem to be written by very clever people to be read by very clever people too. 　In my native England though there is a poet called Roger McGough who writes very funny and interesting poems which anybody can understand. 　Most of them are about everyday events and ordinary people. 　I wish I could write poems like him

70. By discussing the characters in The Wizard of Oz, the author mainly wants to show____.

A. we are not good enough just as we are

B. we already have inside us what we want

C. it is impossible for us to be better than others

D. there is always someone who is better than us

69. According to the author, it seems improper for parents to _______.

A. compare their children with others now and then

B. give no pressure to their children

C. remind their children frequently they are special

D. praise their children too much

68. This passage is most likely written by a ______.

A. teenager　 　　　　　　 B. parent　 　　　　　　　 C. teacher　 　　　　　　　 D. coach

67. Bright replied to Reina in order to _______

A. comfort her　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. share his story with her

C. encourage her　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. tell her to forget her past

D

Everyone likes to feel that he or she is special.

Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. 　We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. 　We wish that we had nicer clothes or more money. 　Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz(绿野仙踪), we believe we’re not good enough just as we are. 　In the movie , the Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain. 　The Tin Man wishes she had a heart, and the Lion wants courage. 　In the end, each of them realizes that he already has what he needs.

Most parents want us to be the best we can be. 　They sometimes try to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. 　They mean well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. 　We begin to believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed. 　There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at something.　 There are plenty of people around who may not be as smart as we are but who are better at sports. 　Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. 　It is impossible for us to be better than everyone else all the time.

Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, we all want what we believe will make us better people. 　What we don’t realize is that often we already have inside us the very things that we seek. 　Parents sometimes forget to tell us that we are special, and that we are good enough just as we are. 　Maybe no one told them that when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. 　Either way, it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. 　What we are…. is enough.

66. According to the passage, we can learn that Reina and Bright ____

A. both suffered pet loss　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. both had an old sick pet cat

C. are close friends　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. have similar life experience

65. It seemed that Bright treated his pet cat as _____

A. a close neighbour　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a good helper

C. a part of his family　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. a new friend

64. Why did Reina go to the vet?

A. To get some advice on pet care　　 　　　 B. T give her cat some medical care

C. To have her cat’s stomach examined. 　 D. To have her cat’s life ended in comfort.

63. Where did O. 　Henry get most material for his short stories?

A. His life inside the prison　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. The newspaper articles he wrote.

C. The city and people of New York　　 　　 D. His exciting early life as a boy

C

Reina wrote in her blog(博客):“A few months ago I took my cat to the vet(兽医)because she was old and very sick. 　The vet injected her in the stomach and said she would die. 　She tried to stand but she couldn’t . It took at least twenty minutes for her to die. 　I sat in the room with her and the vet came in a couple of times and finally he said she was gone. 　I will never forget how she died . 　Was she frightened? What was wrong with the old way?”

Dear Reina,

My beloved cat Bugle was very sick with kidney(肾)failure and I took him to the vet. 　I stayed with him for 10 minutes, holding him in my arms and loving him as we always did , and he looked at me, as if to say, “It’s OK. . . I’m ready. ” After that, the vet came in and injected him with the shot that would put him into a quiet sleep. 　All the while I held him and told him I loved him ,then the vet said his heart stopped beating. 　They placed him in a little box and I took him home and buried him in the yard where he always ran and played, right under his favorite bush. 　I still cry myself to sleep. , even though I am a grown man of 65 years of age! That cat meant everything to me. 　I have a little stone on his grave and it says , “Bugle, my beloved cat. 　You were so smart, and so loving. 　I shall miss you every day for the rest of my life!”

I am sorry for your loss and I know how you must feel. 　I hope this comforts you some.

Love, COL Bright