A light drizzle was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the Methodist Church, eager to get home and play with the presents that Santa had left for us and our baby sister, Sharon. Across the street from the church was a Pan American gas station where the Greyhound bus stopped．It was closed for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing outside the locked door, huddled under the narrow overhang（屋檐） in an attempt to keep dry. I wondered briefly why they were there but then forgot about them as I raced to keep up with Jill.

　 Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town，I noticed that the family were still there, standing outside the closed gas station.

　 My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, ‘‘I can't stand it!” ‘‘What?” asked my mother. ‘‘They've got children. It's Christmas. I can’t stand it.” When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children—two girls and a small boy. My father rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas,” he said.

“Howdy ,’’the man replied.

‘‘You are waiting for the bus?’’ my father asked.

The man said that they were. They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and prospects of a job.

　 “Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn is just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there and some benches”. My father said. ‘‘Why don't you all get in the car and I'll run you up there.”

　 The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.

　 Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three gloomy（郁闷的）faces gave him his answer.

　 “Well I didn't think so,” my father said, winking at my mother，“because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We'll just go to get them before I take you to the bus stop.”

　 All at once, the three children's faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.

　 When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. One of the girls spied Jill's doll and immediately hugged it to her breast. I remember that the little boy grabbed Sharon's ball. And the other girl picked up something of mine.

All this happened a long time ago, but the memory of it remains clear. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.

56. According to the passage, what do we know about the family with three children?

A．They led a thrifty and simple life．

B．They were invited to another city．

C．Their living condition was quite poor．

D．They had missed a bus to Birmingham．

57．The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to　　　　　 .

　 A．the light drizzle

　 B．the annual Christmas dinner

C．one of American gas stations

D．the family standing outside the closed gas station

58．The three children of the family were gloomy probably because 　　　　　　．

A．they didn't have new clothes to wear

　 B．they hadn't got any present for Christmas

　 C．they were unwilling to move to another city

　 D．they worried about the friends they had made

59．Which of the follow words can best describe the father?

　 A．Kindhearted．　 　 B．Enthusiastic．

　 C．Energetic．　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Determined．

60．How did the children of the author's family look at the incident?

　 A．They considered it the most valuable experience in their life．

　 B．They were a bit annoyed because their gifts were taken away．

　 C．They treasured the experience which brought them pleasure．

D．They admired their father for his generosity and kindness．

When she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education. Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic "'finishing" schools. There they learned a little about music, art, needlework, and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria or her mother. By this time, she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark.

　　Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school, something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time, there were two types of high schools: the "classical" schools and the "technical" schools. In the classical schools, the students followed a very traditional program of studies, with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, and Italian literature and history. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.

　　Maria, however, wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modern than the classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages, mathematics, science, and accounting. Most people including Maria's father believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore, they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.

　　Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school, she had to win her father's approval. She finally did, with her mother's help, though for many years after, there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to oppose her plans, while her mother helped her.

　　In 1883, at age thirteen, Maria entered the "Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti" in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modern subjects, the teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.

1.In those days, most Italian girls________.

A. went to classical schools

B. went to "finishing" schools

C. did not go to high school

D. went to technical schools

2.Maria's father probably________.

A. had very modern views about women

B. had very traditional views about women

C. had no opinion about women

D. thought women could not learn Latin

3.High school teachers in Italy in those days were________.

A. very modern                        B. very intelligent

C. quite scientific                       D. quite strict

4.We can infer from this passage that________.

A. girls usually attended private primary schools

B. only girls attended classical schools

C. girls did not like going to school

D. Maria was a girl of strong will

When she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education. Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic "'finishing" schools. There they learned a little about music, art, needlework, and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria or her mother. By this time, she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark.
　　Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school, something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time, there were two types of high schools: the "classical" schools and the "technical" schools. In the classical schools, the students followed a very traditional program of studies, with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, and Italian literature and history. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.
　　Maria, however, wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modern than the classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages, mathematics, science, and accounting. Most people including Maria's father believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore, they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.
　　Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school, she had to win her father's approval. She finally did, with her mother's help, though for many years after, there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to oppose her plans, while her mother helped her.
　　In 1883, at age thirteen, Maria entered the "Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti" in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modern subjects, the teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient

1. 1.

   In those days, most Italian girls________

   1. A.
      went to classical schools
   2. B.
      went to "finishing" schools
   3. C.
      did not go to high school
   4. D.
      went to technical schools
2. 2.

   Maria's father probably________

   1. A.
      had very modern views about women
   2. B.
      had very traditional views about women
   3. C.
      had no opinion about women
   4. D.
      thought women could not learn Latin
3. 3.

   High school teachers in Italy in those days were________

   1. A.
      very modern
   2. B.
      very intelligent
   3. C.
      quite scientific
   4. D.
      quite strict
4. 4.

   We can infer from this passage that________

   1. A.
      girls usually attended private primary schools
   2. B.
      only girls attended classical schools
   3. C.
      girls did not like going to school
   4. D.
      Maria was a girl of strong will

Chinese tennis is entering a golden time. In recent years there has been an explosion of __36__ female tennis players bursting onto the global scene. And this couldn’t have come at a _37_ time with the 2008 Beijing Olympics .
These young girls have ­_38__ strong will and talent. _39  the way is Li Na, who may have the _40_name in women’s tennis, but she has a big reputation. Li Na is China’s top ranked player and the first to have _41_into the world’s top 20.
After _42_ nearly six months of the season with a serious injury, the 25-year-old_ 43_ an impressive comeback by winning the Australian Women’s Hardcourt Tennis Championships.
In the world of professional tennis, Li’s refreshing sense of humor proved to be a hit both on and _44_ the court.
“My husband said he had a special gift for me _45_I won,” Li Na said after lifting the prize cup. “That’s _46__ I tried so hard today. I wanted a special gift.”
The Wuhan girl __47_ tennis at the age of eight after being discovered by a coach who had   _48_ her playing badminton. After years of hard training, Li Na turned __49_ in 1999 and has become one of the most successful Chinese tennis players.
With her solid groundstroke and aggressive mindset, she _50  the first Chinese tennis player to win a WTA Tour _51_. Then two years later, she was the first Chinese to make   __52_ into the last 16 of Wimbledon, which led to her being _53_ number 16 in the world last January.
Li is now looking forward to winning a _54_at the Olympics. “The Olympics are very important for us, ” she said. “I am more motivated after my recovery _55_ I feel my desire for the Olympics is bigger than ever before.”
【小题1】.

A．Knowing

B．Leading

C．Showing

D．Finding

It was about six years ago．We were at senior high schoo1．Those days in school were  1  to most Chinese students because of the college enhance examination  2  ．Not our parents and teachers didn’t love us， 3  they loved US too much．The only happiness for us was a high 4  in the exam．One afternoon after the final exam，we four girls came to a small  5  and we felt it only belonging to us that afternoon．We talked and laughed．We played all the games that we could  6 ．We felt we were on the top of the world for the first time in our  7 ．We totally forgot the unhappiness in our life and we 8    the homework and the endless exams far away out of the wood．

In the middle of the wood ran a small and peaceful  9  ．Now and then，we could see some wild ducks on the water seeking food．The water weeds   10  happily while the water passed beside them．

    The air was so fresh that we breathed it freely．

    The sun had set 11    we knew it．We had to leave the place which brought US much happiness．We agreed to come back again every time we felt  12 ．

     13  later, we went there several times．But，every time we went there with the purpose of    finding that great feeling，we  14 ．Strangely，the feeling was different from  15  of several years ago．

    I know that wonderful experience was just for once．We earl 16   find that kind of happiness again which only belonged to the special  17  in our life．That was a release of our uneasy heart．We can never go  18  to that young age or that simple life．It was our  19   ages．No matter how boring and hard the life was，it gave us something worth recalling in the rest of our life．We’ll  20  it forever．

 1．A．gray             B．pink              C．white             D．green

2．A．performance     B．graduation    C．attention          D．pressure

3．A．and                B．so                C．but              D．yet

4．A．praise             B．grade            C．school            D．spirit

5．A．wood，          B．road             C．1ake               D．party

6．A．take up           B．try out          C．think of           D．find out

7．A．school       B．class              C．youth              D．1ife

8．A．stopped          B．threw                  C．kept         D．distracted

9．A．1ake               B．stream          C．path         D．bird

10．A．1ooked         B．swam           C．danced            D．sang

11．A．before          B．when            C．after                   D．because

12．A．happy           B．excited          C．sleepy             D．dull

13．A．Years           B．Hours           C．Moments               D．Minutes

14．A．got               B．failed            C．1ost                D．won

15．A．that              B．those            C．one                 D．ones

16．A．easily    B．finally           C．never              D．nearly

17．A．age               B．afternoon      C．place              D．meaning

18．A．again            B．alone            C．back               D．freely

19．A．gray             B．golden          C．dark                      D．busy

20．A．visit              B．pay               C．regret             D．treasure