It is not often realized that women held a high place in southern European societies in the 10 th and 11 th centuries. As wife, the woman was protected by the setting up of a dowry (嫁妆) or decimum. Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion (遗弃)，but in reality its function in the social and family life of the time was much more important. The decimum was the wife’s right to receive a tenth of all her husband’s property. The wife had the right to withhold consent, in all transactions the husband would make, And more than just a right: the documents showed that she enjoyed a real power of decision, equal to that of her husband. In no case did the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife.
The wife shared in the management of her husband’s personal property, but the opposite was not always true. Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance(遗产，继承物)against husbands who tried to exceed their rights, and on occasion they showed a fine fighting spirit. A case in point is that of Maria, Vivas, a Catalan woman of Barcelona. Having agreed with her husband Miro to sell a field she had inherited, for the needs of the household, she insisted on compensation. None being offered, she succeeded in dragging her husband to the scribe to have a contract duly drawn up assigning her a piece of land from Miro’s personal inheritance. The unfortunate husband was obliged to agree, as the contract says, “for the sake of peace.” Either through the dowry or through being hot-tempered, the Catalan wife knew how to win herself, within the context of the family, a powerful economic position.
【小题1】 A decimum was      .

While I was in 9 th grade, I built a circuit (电路装置) for the traffic system of our city. After getting the first prize. I got this valuable advice from my father; “Do whatever interests you, and don’t let the work challenge you, make sure you are challenging that work.”
I have always preferred the projects which are challenging and related to real life problems. I clearly remember building a shipping program several years ago. I divided the whole project into several small sections. When I understood it clearly, used my brainstorming skill on it, and gave some basic ideas. Then I asked my professor for help before jumping into coding (编码). At first, I did not know how to ask questions correctly and always asked the question “How do I do it?” As I  kept working and discussed with my professor, I became more comfortable and those “how ”questions soon turned into “what if I do this and that” types of questions.
It took me four days to write the code. The desire to solve the problem kept me sleepless all nights brainstorming in even greater details. Every time I saw my program running smoothly, I exploded with joy. I still remember the last day of my work. I was getting some problem and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, a man came in to clean. He has headphones, and he was dancing while cleaning the room. Seeing this, I burst out laughing. That moment calmed me. I regained energy and interest and started to work again, and soon I fixed the problem.
My success in the project proved that breaking up a large problem into small parts could help find a possible solution. Discussing the problem with others was also very beneficial. Now I have gained the confidence to attempt any kind of project.
59．According to the passage, the writer was interested in          .
A．developing traffic systems
B．doing challenging projects
C．winning great prizes
D．writing different codes
60．The writer asked the question “how do I do it” at first because         .
A．he had no clear idea about his program
B．he was too shy to express himself
C．he wanted to he understood easily
D．he preferred this kind of question
61．We learn from the passage that the writer’s shipping program         .
A．would benefit people a lot
B．was done together with others
C．was difficult and needed patience
D．cost much money and energy
62．What would be the best title of the passage?
A．Do It Yourself
B．No Pains, No Gains
C．Learning with interest
D．Practice Makes Perfect

All over Britain there are ruins of castles that reflect their entire past. Over the years, legends have focused on these castles.
Castell Coch
This castle was built in the 1870's. Lfor Bach was once the owner of this castle many decades ago, and it is told that he hid a treasure in the nearby tunnel（地道）. Rumors say that it is guarded by three eagles waiting for Lfor to return to collect his treasure.
Luffness Castle
In the basement(地下室) of this castle is a huge door leading to a room. The family kept this door open at all times, but one day the door was found locked and the key was missing. The whole family was surprised. The door was so big that it could not be broken down. One day the son of the family shone of a torch the door. He discovered that the key was on the inside of the room. To this day the door remains locked from the inside.
Toddington Castle
　　This castle was built during the 13th century. This castle has a local legend that tells about a witch who was put in prison within the castle and died. It is told that her spirit remains and if you put your ear to the floor at Easter, you can hear her cooking below.
Castell Gwynionydd
A legend rests on this castle that states the devil(魔鬼) was the one who built it. It is said the devil had a problem with some people and had planned on punishing them. On his way, the devil met a cobbler（修鞋匠）.The cobbler pointed out that it was still a reasonable distance until he would reach his destination. The cobbler displayed how many shoes he had worn out. Listening to him, the devil did not think his plan was worth so much effort and gave up his plan.
50．Which of the castles mentioned in the passage is said to be guarded by several birds?
A．Castell Coch.          B．Luffness Castle.      
C．Toddington Castle.   D．Castell Gwynionydd.
51．Which of the following castles is related to the legend about a witch?
A．Castell Coch.         
B．Luffness Castle.      
C．Toddington Castle.  
D．Castell Gwynionydd.
52．We can learn from the passage that          .
A．Castell Coch is said to be built by the devil
B．Castell Gwynionydd is a great place to celebrate Easter
C．Luffness Castle was once broken down
D．Toddington Castle dates back to the 13 th century