I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps（快照）, maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?” He looked perturbed （不安）.“Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn't quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied. "There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly." Compare it with the others. "

I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

Why do we think that new options （选择）still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

1．The shop assistant insisted that the writer should __ .

A．try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it

B．compare the camera he had chosen with the others

C．get more information about different companies

D．trust him and stop asking questions

2．What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it" （Paragraph 2） ?

A．He should get a 50% discount.

B．The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

C．The quality of the camera was not good.

D．The camera would soon fall in value.

3．The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he ______ .

A．knew very little about it

B．didn't trust the shop assistant

C．wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best

D．had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers

4．It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __

A．people waste too much money on cameras

B．cameras have become an important part of our daily life

C．we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product

D．famous companies care more about profit than quality

Do you have any idea what you would like to be and do after graduation? A lot of people don’t begin thinking about careers until they reach junior or senior year, which, in my opinion, is too late.

When people are trying to decide what they want to do, it helps to know something they love. Ever since I was little, I’ve always been doing someone’s hair, make-up or nails, starting with Barbie dolls and progressing to humans. Over the years my family has really inspired me to do this and now I fix friends’ and family members’ hair for weddings, dances and other big events.

I have been thinking about what I would like to do for a career since middle school. I did some research and discovered that I might really enjoy being a cosmetologist, so I went to my hair stylist and asked her lots of questions about what it takes to reach her level and what she would recommend I do. I considered her advice and then did more research.

I used Aveda’s website to get information on the Aveda Institute and what type of credit(贷款) I would need from high school to apply. I found their institute has three parts: theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and professional business-building skills. For the past few years, I have been looking at Aveda in more and more detail. This school not only offers cosmetology, but also massage therapy. I grew up in Minnesota(美国中北部的一个州), so I plan to apply to the institute in Minneapolis that several people have highly recommended. It helps students become “future industry leaders in hair care, skin care, makeup and total body wellness”. It is affordable and everyone there is friendly and understanding.

Having done the groundwork and thinking about what I’d like to do after high school, I know that I will definitely pursue my dream of becoming a cosmetologist.

 After reading the text, we can infer the author is interested in ___________.

traveling abroad  B. service business  C. social activities  D. acting on the stage.

Why does the author think it’s too late for people to start thinking about careers in junior or senior year?

A. Because he/she began to think about them when very young.

B. Because many people are too old to learn.

C. Because a lot of people can’t grasp the opportunity.

D. Because many people have little they love.

We know from the text that a cosmetologist is __________ .

A. a chemist working at college    B. a person who works in the institute

C. a doctor in a hospital          D. a person doing all types of body care for people

The author plans to apply to the institute in Minneapolis NOT because________

the people there are good to others  B. some people advise him/her to do so

C.  the institute is free of charge       D. the institute is helpful to his/her future

45. The author of the text may be a __________.

 A. married person  B. middle school student  C. college student   D. a teacher in an institute.

   Nowadays, most of us live a busy life. What do you do to keep yourself relaxed? Besides spending time with family, having a glass of wine with friends or reading a book, how about a hobby?

   Personally, I’m a collector. I like blue and white pieces the best---blue and white anything﹗Plates，jars，vases, cups, bowls---I love them all. Collecting items is like something you can’t get enough of. You get one, and you want to have more.

   I find collecting to be a fun and inspirational hobby. In many ways, it’s like a puzzle I’m never tired of solving. I look high and low for new pieces to add to my collection. I can often be found visiting Marshell’s, looking over their inexpensive offerings. In fact, I found one of my favorite pieces there.

   I’ve mixed inexpensive pieces from Marshell’s with more expensive finds. A lot of times, it’s the piece I’m not looking for that falls into my lap; I find a way to make it part of my blue and white family. What I love about my collection is that when I get inspired, I can move them around the house, mix and match and make things look fresh and new.

Ever since I was a little girl, blue has been my favorite color. I think I got it from my aunt in Mexico. Some of my earliest memories are visiting her in Mexico and sitting on a chair in her kitchen, which had blue and white tiles(瓷砖)from the floor to the ceiling. I would spend countless hours admiring all the beautiful blue and white plates and shiny blue tiles around her kitchen. Once I had a home, I began to build my own blue and white collection.

51. We can infer that in the writer’s opinion,_____________.

  A. having a hobby can help us relax

  B. reading a book alone is really boring

  C. keeping a hobby is not easy for most of people

  D. having a glass of wine with friends is not a good idea

52. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

  A. Collecting things requires a lot of money.

  B. People always want more than they need.

  C. People may not know what they want to collect.

  D. Once you start collecting things, it’s hard to stop.

53. If something falls into your lap, it means you_________.

  A. have been looking for it             B. don’t know what it is

  C. get it unexpectedly                 D. like it very much

54. What’s the last paragraph mainly about?

  A. When the writer started collecting things.

  B. When the writer started liking blue things.

  C. What kind of thing the writer collected first.

  D. Why the writer liked her aunt’s things so much.

August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.

You might think that I don’t want to spend my summer reading, but that’s not the problem: I love reading. On the first day of my summer holidays this year, I went to the library and got “A Gathering of Old Men” by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to and spend about 30 minutes every day with the morning paper. So why do I hate summer reading for school? Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting. Teachers and librarians don’t understand that summer reading can be entertaining as well as educational. They choose books that a friend of my mother’s calls “spinach books”: good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.

This bitterness started three years ago when I was about to begin high school. As preparation, my English teacher told me to read “The Age of Innocence” by American author Edith Wharton. I’m sure there are many people who enjoyed “The Age of Innocence”—some might even say it’s their favorite book.

But I don’t think any of these people read it as a 14-year-old boy on his summer vacation.

“The Age of Innocence” is the story of a forbidden romance in New York 100 years ago. At 14, my only experience with romance was my love for baseball. I couldn’t imagine being in love, much less being in love in 1900. “The Age of Innocence” was totally different to my life.

Most of my required summer reading has been like that—books written in a style that plays up the adjectives and plays down the verbs. I guess teachers don’t think exciting plots make for “good literature”. To me, though, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.

If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” by George V. Higgins, “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value but, just as important, can also entertain kids on vacation. If the teachers could stand a little fun in the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.

1.The author thinks he will have a difficult August because _______.

A. he doesn’t like reading in summer vacation

B. he is to read the books boring and not right for kids

C. he hates the English teacher assigning homework

D. he hates August

2.What can make students interested in August reading ought to be ______.

A. romantic                                 B. out of date

C. entertaining and educational         D. pure

3.The author listed such books as “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” because he thinks ______.

A. they can change his opinion

B. he can learn a lot more from them

C. they are of literary value, and enjoyable

D. he has to do as teachers tell him to

4.In the opinion of the author of this passage, a good writer should be _______.

A. one who describes events and characters in different ways

B. one who is full of imagination

C. one who is learned

D. one who uses a way of describing that makes the reader wish to know what to happen next

5.Which of the following could be the best title of this passage?

A. Why Can’t Teachers Set Us Fun Books?

B. I Don’t Like Reading on the Vacation

C. Teachers, Don’t Set Us Any Reading Assignments

D. Teachers, Set Us Free

August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.

You might think that I don’t want to spend my summer reading, but that’s not the problem: I love reading. On the first day of my summer holidays this year, I went to the library and got “A Gathering of Old Men” by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to and spend about 30 minutes every day with the morning paper. So why do I hate summer reading for school? Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting. Teachers and librarians don’t understand that summer reading can be entertaining as well as educational. They choose books that a friend of my mother’s calls “spinach books”: good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.

This bitterness started three years ago when I was about to begin high school. As preparation, my English teacher told me to read “The Age of Innocence” by American author Edith Wharton. I’m sure there are many people who enjoyed “The Age of Innocence”―some might even say it’s their favorite book.

But I don’t think any of these people read it as a 14-year-old boy on his summer vacation.

“The Age of Innocence” is the story of a forbidden romance in New York 100 years ago. At 14, my only experience with romance was my love for baseball. I couldn’t imagine being in love, much less being in love in 1900. “The Age of Innocence” was totally different to my life.

Most of my required summer reading has been like that―books written in a style that plays up the adjectives and plays down the verbs. I guess teachers don’t think exciting plots make for “good literature”. To me, though, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.

If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” by George V. Higgins, “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value but, just as important, can also entertain kids on vacation. If the teachers could stand a little fun in the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.

41. The author thinks he will have a difficult August because _______.

A. he doesn’t like reading in summer vacation

B. he is to read the books boring and not right for kids

C. he hates the English teacher assigning homework

D. he hates August

42. What can make students interested in August reading ought to be ______.

A. romantic                                                   B. out of date

C. entertaining and educational                         D. pure

43. The author listed such books as “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” because he thinks ______.

A. they can change his opinion

B. he can learn a lot more from them

C. they are of literary value, and enjoyable

D. he has to do as teachers tell him to

44. In the opinion of the author of this passage, a good writer should be _______.

A. one who describes events and characters in different ways

B. one who is full of imagination

C. one who is learned

D. one who uses a way of describing that makes the reader wish to know what to happen next

45. Which of the following could be the best title of this passage?

A. Why Can’t Teachers Set Us Fun Books?

B. I Don’t Like Reading on the Vacation

C. Teachers, Don’t Set Us Any Reading Assignments

D. Teachers, Set Us Free