49. The writer is a student who is going to __

     A. graduate from high school              B. enter high school

     C. graduate from primary school           D. graduate from college

48. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

     A. Weather conditions.                       B. Preparing food.

     C. Protective clothing.                        D. Feelings and relationships.

C

        Does anyone else think that we are overworked these days? We have to be just perfect ill school work. Quizzes, tests, preparing for high school classes, already thinking about college, what' s next? Don' t you think we are going a little fast? I think as a whole, we need to slow down a bit, and figure out where we are exactly. Do you ever just feel confused? I do, all the time, and the strange thing is that I' m an "A" student. All this work is driving me crazy, though. Sometimes, I wonder how I' m going to make it. We are already planning our high school classes. How will I know which math class to apply for? I wish they would do it for me. Sometimes, I think having choices is too much to deal with.

      Summer is coming up fast, and I have a feeling that it' s going to be overbooked, too. After all, I have to get ready for high school, not to mention the volunteering jobs I' 11 have to do. Teachers really start to push you about seventh grade. I' m in eighth. They nag (唠叨) and bother you, or make your life miserable(痛苦) until you agree to take that class over the summer. They push you to take the extra three math sheets, just for practice, when really you already have a lot of English homework. They don' t seem to understand when to stop. Sure, I realize the need to struggle for perfection, and if anyone is a perfectionist, it' s me.

      If any teachers are reading this, I hope you understand how hard it can be to be a middle school student.  We are super busy, and have a lot going on.  No, I' m not saying you shouldn't push us to do our best. 1' m just saying that if you push us over the limit, we just stop. That' s how students are in general.  Have you wondered about those high school dropouts? I'm not going to be one, though.  At least I have a goal in mind, and I'm determined to get there.

47. The experience of the women team suggests __

     A. determination and teamwork help achieve goals

     B. women can do anything they want

     C. it is good to experience difficult conditions

     D. Arctic conditions are very bad

46. The women had to be careful to avoid ___ on their way to the North Pole.

     A. falling over on the ice                     B. damaging the sledges

     C. being left behind                       D. getting too cold at night

45. Which of the following can be the best title?

     A. Bad Conditions in North Pole.

     B. Inexperienced Women Defeated Experienced Men.

     C. Secrets to Success in Exploring North Pole.

     D. Inexperienced Women Explored North Pole Successfully.

44. It can be learned from the passage that _______

      A. Bill wanted to be a president while studying at school

      B. Boys Nation was a political summer camp

      C. members of Boys State could see the president

      D. Bill decided to enter politics after meeting John F. Kennedy

B

In 1997, a group of twenty British women made history. Working in five teams with four women in each team, they walked to the North Pole. It was incredible that apart from one experienced female guide, the other women were all ordinary people who had never done anything like this in their lives before. They managed to survive in an environment which had defeated several very experienced men during the same time period.

    The women set off as soon as they were ready. Once on the ice, each woman had to ski along while dragging a sledge(雪橇)weighing over 50 kilos. This would not have been too bad on a smooth surface. But for long distances, the Arctic ice is pushed up into huge piles two or three  metres high, and the sledges had to be pulled up one side and carefully let down the other so that they didn't become damaged. The temperature was always below the freezing point and sometimes strong winds made walking while pulling so much weight almost impossible. It was also very difficult for them to put up their tents when they stopped each night.

    In such conditions, the women were making good progress if they covered fourteen or fifteen kilometres a day. But there was another problem. Part of the journey was across a frozen sea with moving water underneath the ice and at some points the team would drift(漂流) back more than five kilometres during the night. That meant that after walking in these very bad conditions for ten hours on one day, they had to spend part of the next day covering the same ground again. Furthermore, each day it took three hours from waking up to setting off and another three hours every evening to set up the camp and prepare the evening meal.

    So, how did they manage to succeed'? They realized that they were part of a team. If any one of them didn't pull her sledge or get her job done, she would endanger the success of the whole expedition. Any form of selfishness could result in the efforts of everyone else being completely wasted, so personal feelings had to be put to one side. At the end of their journey, the women agreed that it was mental effort far more than physical fitness that got them to the North Pole.

      B. Bill Clinton was once called William Jefferson Blythe before 15.

      C. Bill' s mother and stepfather were interested in gambling.

      D. Roger Clinton Jr. was Bill Clinton' s half brother.

43. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

      A. Roger Clinton Sr. was always kind to Bill and his mother.

42. Bill Clinton once stayed in the following places EXCEPT ________

     A. the town of Hope                         B. the nursing school in New Orleans

     C. Hot Springs                             D. Ramble Elementary

41. William Jefferson Blythe moved to Hot Springs ________

     A. when he was born                       B. before he was nine years old

     C. when his mother remarried                D. when he was two