He _________in the early morning so he packed everything he needed the night before.

A. leaves   B. had left C. was leaving   D. has left

 

President Barack Obama has complained about the loss of privacy that comes with being leader of the United States, regretting the loss of simple pleasures such as a long walk or a trip to the car wash or supermarket.

"I just miss – I miss being unknown," he said. "I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk."

His dream, he said, was to "go through Central Park and watch folks passing by ... spend the day watching people – I miss that".

Faced with criticism for playing more golf than most previous occupants of the White House, he explained that the sport was simply the best way of getting relaxed.

"It's the only excuse I have to get outside for four hours," he told Hearst magazines.

Though he said he enjoyed his life in the White House, he felt disillusioned（醒悟的，幻想破灭的） with the some of the ways of Washington, which he has failed to change, such as the "kabuki dance（日本歌舞）" among political parties before serious policy discussions begin. His comments may be seen as excuse by critics who have accused him of appearing too detached（漠然）, and being slow to engage in important issues such as Libya and the near shutdown of the US government last week.

Since arriving at the White House in January 2009, Mr Obama has already racked up（打）60 rounds of golf in office, more than George W Bush did in his eight years.

In terms of ability, Golf Digest magazine has ranked Mr Obama eighth out of the 18 presidents who played the game since it became established in the early 20th century.

1.What do the second paragraph and the third paragraph mainly tell us?     .

A．Obama wishes to enjoy simple pleasures.

B．Obama likes going shopping with his girls.

C．Obama likes to take a walk.

D．Obama likes to watch folks passing by.

2.According to Obama, he plays golf to ___________.

A．avoid criticism

B．show his ability

C．get relaxed

D．show his advantage over the former presidents

3.What does the underlined word “It” refer to in the fifth paragraph?

A．Playing golf.                            B．Getting relaxed.

C．Changing some ways of Washington.         D．Watching people

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Obama complains about lack of privacy as president

B．Obama can’t live a normal life

C．Obama is often criticized

D．Obama likes to play golf

 

Vampires (吸血鬼), creatures of myth, have been around in one form or another for centuries. Terrifying but also attractive, they are as popular in the early 21 st century as ever, as the current popularity of Twilight series, and its hero Edward Cullen, show.

Vampires first appeared in fiction in the 1700s. in 1895 Irish novelist Bram Stoker published Dracula, introducing the world’s most famous vampire.

But just what is it about these drinkers of human blood that continues to fascinate us? Speaking to Eric Lewis of the Times and Transcript website, academic Deborah Wells said that vampires are “culturally adaptive”. “We create very different vampires to fit different times. Edward Cullen is not the same as Count Dracula,” she said.

Different as they are, Wells believes vampires are “the perfect containers into which we can pour our current cultural anxieties”, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is powerful, yet old and physically ugly. Stoker’s book dealt with fear of the fall of the British Empire, real fears in the day in which it was written.

According to the website Bookrags, today’s vampires have all our cultural desires, money, power and sexual attraction. Represented by Cullen, they are noble, handsome young men whom women find irresistible. What’s more, vampires challenge traditional ideas about death, science and parental authority. This may be why teenagers are drawn to vampire tales.

“In many ways, the vampire story shows up teenage concerns,” said wells. “The emotional intensity (强度) of the relationship with the vampire matches the intensity of how it feels to have your first real love affairs. Your first real love, it really feels like life and death.”

55．The best title for this passage should be_______.

A．Vampires may continue to drink our blood

B．Vampires have been around us for long

C．Why Twilight is so popular nowadays

D．We still like the story about vampires

56．What is the image of the vampire in Bram Stoker’s book?

A．Anxious but perfect.

B．Powerful, old and ugly.

C．Terrifying but also attractive.

D．Afraid of the fall of the British Empire.

57．According to the website Bookrages, today’s vampires_______.

A．desire money, power and sexual attraction

B．may not think highly of parental authority

C．dare to give up traditional ideas

D．are likely to be resisted by women

58．Which of the following statements is true according to Wells?

A．People need different vampires in different times.

B．Our current cultural anxieties are hidden in vampires.

C．The vampire story reflects the conches of the teenagers.

D．The relationship with the vampire equals your first real love.

 

The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.

Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.

He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches ---but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table.

Gone to Michael’s Back tonight .Tim.

The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.

The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.

The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world．

Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.

He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way …

1.What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?

A.He left the house quietly     B. He had breakfast at home.

C. He left a note on the freezer.  D. He put a sweater in his schoolbag.

2."He settled for some biscuits” ( in Paragraph 3 ) means that Tim_______.

A. left home looking for some biscuits

B.felt like eating  biscuits rather than sandwiches

C. had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches  

D. could only find some biscuits in the kitchen

3.What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?

A. The height of the first rocks

B. The ups and downs of the waves

C. The change in the position of the sun

D. The vast stretch of the sunlit beach

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?

A. The sea looked like a piece of gold.

B. Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.

C. Tim was the only person on the beach.

D. The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.

5.In the story, Tim’s mood changed from        .

A. loneliness to craziness  B. anxiousness to excitement

C. helplessness to happiness    D. eagerness to nervousness

 

In the early morning, all of us stood at the top of the mountain to ________ east of the city, watching ________ burning sun rising.

A. the; a         B. /; a              C. the; the           D. the;/