Once upon a time there lived an old man in a nice cottage with a large garden. The old man was seen   16   his flowers all the time. They were so well-tended that every passer-by could not but   17   for a glance.

   One day a young man went by the garden. He gazed at the splendid garden,   18   in admiration at the beauty of these sceneries. Then, suddenly he   19   the old gardener was blind.   20   , the young man asked, “Why are you busy tending these flowers every day which you can’t  21  in fact?” The old man smiled and answered that “ I can tell you 22   reasons. First I was a   23  when I was young, and I really like this job. Second, although I can’t see these flowers, yet I can   24  them. Third，I can smell sweetness of them. As to the last one, that’s   25  .

    “Me? But you don’t know me,” responded the young man   26   .

   “Yeah, it’s   27  that I don’t know you. But I know everyone knows flowers and would never   28   them down. I know the beauty of my garden will get many people into a good   29   . In the meantime, it also   30  a chance to me to have a word with you here and to enjoy the happiness these flowers have brought us.”

    The old man’s  31  astonished me. The blind man grows flowers and  32  them as a link of minds so as to make   33   enjoy the sunshine in spring. Isn’t it one kind of happiness？

   I believe every flower has   34 with which they can see the kindness of the man’s heart. The blind man grows flowers in his heart. Though   35  to see the beauty of blossoming（开花）, he surely can hear the voice of it, I suppose.

1. A. loving        B. watering        C. tending      D. planting

2.A. stop     　　 B. stay            C. live         D. run

3.. A. kept          B. dropped        C. fallen        D. lost

4. A. realized       B. noticed         C. felt          D. thought

5. A. Excited       B. Frightened      C. Shocked      D. Satisfied

6.A. feel          B. see            C. hear          D. eat

7.A. one          B. two            C. three         D. four

8.A. gardener      B. teacher         C. farmer        D. painter

9.A. taste          B. plant          C. touch        D. appreciate

10.A. it            B. me            C. them          D. you

11.A. with pleasure   B. in surprise      C. with hope     D. in anger

12.A. true           B. possible       C. a pity         D. a shame

13. A. put            B. turn          C. get           D. knock

14.. A. mind          B. life           C. future         D. mood

15. A. introduces      B. offers         C. stands        D. leaves

16. A. words         B. behavior       C. story        D. attitudes

17. A. treats          B. acts          C. works         D. serves

18. A. anybody       B. somebody      C. everybody    D. nobody

19. A. ears           B. soul          C. eyes          D. heart

20.A. refusing       B. trying         C. pretending     D. failing

 

A lesson in caring

It was a cold evening. My daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora    36    . She wasn’t even four, but she   37    at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, can we take him home?”

    I don’t remember my   38    . But I do remember a sudden   39    feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her   40     , whether it was     41    flying or children playing. But now she was noticing   42    and beggary.

    A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and   43     it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I signed us up. Nora was   44    about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how   45    our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to    46    myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge (强烈愿望) to turn    47    . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this?   48    , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She   49    us right over.

    The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed.   50     inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home    51    .

Professionals call such a(n)   52    “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities and I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something    53     that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and   54     clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve    55     her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?

A. did             B. was                           C. has              D. had

A. pulled　   B. replaced                C. waved   D. aimed

A. debate        B. reply                         C. explanation D. expression

A. general　　B. funny                          C. heavy           D. magical

A. web　　　 B. dream　　　　　       C. castle           D. world

A. insects        B. animals　　　　 C. plants　　　D. birds

A. coldness   B. illness 　　　           C. suffering　　D. appearance

A. sent  　　   B. returned　　　       C. devoted　　D. posted

A. concerned  B. sorry　　　　            C. worried      　D. excited

A. creative　　B. valuable　　　         C. shocking　　D. simple

A. warn　　　 B. stop　　　　  　      C. allow 　　　D. push

A. back 　　　B. away　　　　            C. up　　　　　D. out

A. Therefore　 B. But       　　          C. Anyhow　　　D. Also

A. requested   B. promised　　　        C. invited 　　 D. helped

A. Although    B. Once　　　　　       C. Because 　　D. Though

A. in tears       B. in surprise                  C. in reality       D.in disappointment

A. stay            B. visit 　　　　           C. reception　　D. challenge

A. fair            B. famous　　　　        C. difficult　　 D. enjoyable

A. collect        B. make　　　　  　    C. order 　　　 D. design

A. let              B. made　　　　  　    C. watched 　　    D. affected

When I was small and my grandmother died I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.　　

   So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that crying does so, too.　　

Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional (情感的) health, and crying seems to be helpful. Study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.　　

Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and more friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don’t even know we’re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.　　

Just as crying can be healthy, not crying — holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering — can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don’t fight it. It’s a natural — and healthy — emotional response (反应).　　

1.Why didn’t the author cry when her grandmother died?　　

A. Because her father did not want her to feel too sad.　　

B. Because she did not love her grandmother.　　

C. Because she was too shy to cry at that time.　　

D. The author doesn’t give the explanation.　　

2.  It can be inferred from the text that ______.　　

A. there are two ways to keep healthy　　

B. crying does more good to health than laughing　　

C. crying and laughing play the same roles　　

D. emotional health has a close relationship to physical health　　

3.According to the author, which of the following statements is TRUE?　　

A. Crying is the best way to get help from others.　　

B. Fighting back tears may cause some health problems.　　

C. We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry.　　

D. We must cry if we want to reduce pressure.　　

4.What might be the most suitable title for the text?　　

A. Power of Tears                    B. How to Keep Healthy　　

C. Why Do We Cry                     D. A New Scientific Discovery

 

She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
　　    When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
　　    Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
　　    Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
　　    The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
　　    Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
　　    So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
　　    Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
【小题1】 What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?

A．People can live to 122.

B．Old people are creative.

C．Women are sporty at 85.

D．Women live longer than men.

【小题2】 According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.

A．the average human life span could be 110

B．scientists cannot find ways to slow aging

C．few people can expect to live to over 150

D．researchers are not sure how long people can live

【小题3】 Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?

A．Jerry Shay.	B．Steve Austad
C．Rich Miller	D．George Martin

【小题4】 What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?

A．Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.

B．The average human life span cannot be doubled

C．Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.

D．New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species

I think ______ at the train station will surprise Aunt Kate.

　 A. your being 　 B. you are  C. you were 　 D. you to be