Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.

　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.

1.The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

　　A. railroad 　　B. manifestation　　 C. speed 　　D. nature

2.In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

　　A. highly enthusiastic 　 B. both positive and negative　  C. unchanging　 　D. Disinterested

3. According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A. thrillers 　 B. boys’ books　　C. romances　　D. important novels

4. The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A. largest category(类别) 　B. highest quality　  C. earliest writers 　D. most difficult language

5. Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA　

B. Major nineteenth century writers

C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D. The railroad as a subject for literature

 

For 52 years my father got up every morning at 5:30 a.m., except Sunday, and went to work. I__41__saw my father home from work ill. He had no hobbies, __42__taking care of his family.

For 22 years, __43__I left home for college, my father__44__me every Sunday at 9:00 a.m.. He was always interested in my__45__,or how my family was doing, and I never once heard him__46__about his lot (生活状况) in life. The calls even came when he and my mother were in other states.

Nine years ago when I__47__my first house, my father, 67 years old, spent three days__48__my house. He would not__49__me to pay someone to have it done. All he __50__was a cup of tea, a paint brush and to talk to him. But I was too__51__.I had a law practice to run, and I could not take__52__to hold the brush, or talk to my father.__ 53__things happened several times later.

The morning on Sunday. January 16, 1996, my father telephoned me__54__,this time from my sister’s home in Florida. But the__55__came again at 4:40 p.m. that day. My father was in the__56__in Florida with an aneurysm (动脉瘤)．I got on an airplane__57__, and on the way, I__58__of all the times I had not taken the time to talk to my father. I determined that when I arrived, I would__59__for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him.

I arrived in Florida at 11:30 p.m., my father had__ 60__at 9:12 p.m.. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or to wait for me.

1..

．A. ever　           B．never            C．always         D．often

2..

．A. except           B．rather than        C．more than       D．or rather

3..

A. because          B．before            C．although       D．since

4..

．A. visited          B．praised           C．telephoned        D．met

5..

．A. work             B．life              C．study         D．plan

6..

．A. worry           B．care             C．talk            D．look

7..

．A. built            B．found            C．bought             D．sold

8..

．A. repairing        B．painting          C．cleaning          D．decorating

9..

．A. teach            B．order            C．force              D．allow

10..

A. asked            B．kept             C．ordered        D．served

11..

．A. smart　　        B．upset            C．busy           D．tired

12..

．A. practice             B．task             C．tea            D．time

13..

．A. Different            B．Similar          C．Funny          D．Strange

14..

．A. as usual         B．in pain          C．casually       D．finally

15..

A. call               B．moment         C．situation        D．scene

16..

．A. church          B．school          C．home             D．hospital

17..

．A. immediately      B．happily         C．gradually       D．carefully

18..

．A. heard            B．spoke           C．thought         D．demanded

19..

．A .take up          B．make up         C．turn up         D．put up

20..

．A. started out       B．given in         C．passed away  D．come back

 

Andy was born with a developmental(发展的disorder. The two sides of his brain were not        normally together. The right side of his        could not communicate with the left.  At the age of three, it was      for him to walk, speak, and play. He could only echo (重复) back a few words, and walked        while someone held each of his hands.

Then came the     . He attended an all-day center where he       every unimaginable treatment. He struggled, sometimes in        , to get stronger. Andy hated it when his parents would       him there in the

mornings. However, they       —against all odds(逆境)—that he would grow up to live a       healthy life. They believed it for themselves, and for Andy.

It      .Today Andy is a successful 13-year-old high school student and has won the gold medal for his math competition. His _____ has been nothing short of a wonder. He receives special help with a few things, but _____ his friends in all the activities he loves. Andy overcame a lot of      to move from adversity (逆境) to victory.  

Ask yourself: “What are the seeds of       hidden in my struggles today? If I get up when I      , what will that make possible tomorrow? ”

“Overnight success” is the     of years of tenacity (坚韧)and continued       . 

Victory is possible for those who never give in to whatever bad       to them. They’ll find the path to their dream.      , they will accept adversities as universities that will foster (促进) strength, growth, and skills to attract the victory they seek.  

1.A.touched      B.used     C. mixed       D. joined

2.A.ear　　    B. body　  C. foot　　    D. shoulder

3.A. difficult   B.easy　   C. interesting　D. funny

4.A. fast　     B.strangely　C. strongly　 D. slowly

5.A.power　   B.attention　C. struggles  D. failures

6.A.watched　 B.followed　 C. received　 D. enjoyed

7.A. tears      B. smiles     C.excitement     D.disappointment

8.A.make　    B.leave　   C.forget　    D.put

9.A.doubted　 B.believed　  C.guessed　   D. imagined

10.A.lovely　　 B.rich　　   C.normal　　 D.colorful

11.A.paid off　　B.set out    C.ran out　  D.went off

12.A.story　　  B.problem   C. experience　D. progress

13.A. sees 　   B. visits　   C. invites　   D. joins

14.A.objects　   B.Enemies    C.habits 　  D.difficulties

15.A.flower　　 B.spirit　　 C.strength　　D.pride

16.A.lose　　   B. fail　　  C.fall　　    D.stop

17.A. mark　　   B.result　　 C. symbol　　D. sign

18.A.learning　  B. taking　   C.offering　　 D. refusing

19.A.related　   B. happened　 C.appealed　 D. referred

20.A.However　  B. Otherwise  C. Besides　　D. Rather

 

Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.

　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.

The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

　　A. railroad 　　B. manifestation　　 C. speed 　　D. nature

In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

　　A. highly enthusiastic 　 B. both positive and negative　  C. unchanging　 　D. Disinterested

According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A. thrillers 　 B. boys’ books　　C. romances　　D. important novels

The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A. largest category(类别) 　B. highest quality　  C. earliest writers 　D. most difficult language

Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A. The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA　

B. Major nineteenth century writers

C. The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D. The railroad as a subject for literature

On a hot summer day in late August, I sought shade and a cool drink at a waterfront cafe on a Greek island. Over hundred degrees in   21   air. Crowded. Tempers（脾气）of both the tourists and waiters had   22   to meet the situation, making it a rather quarrelsome environment（环境）.

At the table next to mine sat an attractive,   23  couple, waiting for   24  . They held hands, whispered, kissed, and laughed. Suddenly they stood, picked up their   25   and stepped together   26   the edge of where they were sitting to place the table in the sea water. The man stepped   27   for the two chairs. He politely   28   his lady in the knee-deep water and then sat down himself. All people around laughed and cheered.

  29   appeared. He paused for just a second, walked into the water to   30   the table and take their   31  , and then walked back to the   32   cheers of the rest of his   33  . Minutes later he returned carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. Without pausing, he went

  34   into the water to   35   the wine. The couple toasted（祝酒）each other, the waiter and the crowd. And the crowd   36   by cheering and throwing flowers to them. Three other tables   37    to have lunch in the water. The place was now filled with laughter.

One doesn’t step into water in one’s best summer clothes. Why not?

    Customers are not served   38  . Why not?

    Sometimes one should consider   39   the line of convention（常规）and enjoy   40   to the fullest.

21. A. fresh                  B. cool                       C. still                  D. thin 

22. A. managed            B. expected            C. attempted         D. risen 

23. A. lonely                B. curious　　       C. well-dressed      D. bad-tempered　　　

24. A. cheers                B. service                     C. attention           D. flowers

25. A. metal table         B. empty bottle　　C. chairs              D. bags

26. A. on                     B. off                   C. around             D. along

27. A. outside               B. forward　　      C. down                      D. back　　

28. A. led                    B. seated               C. watched            D. received

29. A. The manager      B. A friend　         C. A waiter           D. The servant　

30. A. set                     B. wash                C. remove             D. check

31. A. menu                 B. bill                  C. food                 D. order

32. A. loud                  B. anxious             C. familiar            D. final

33. A. tourists              B. customers         C. fellows             D. assistants

34. A. at last                B. in time            C. once more               D. as well

35. A. change                      B. drink　             C. sell                  D. serve　

36. A. replied　            B. insisted　          C. agreed　           D. understood　

37. A. prepared            B. joined in           C. settled up          D. continued　

38. A. with pleasure       B. in the café               C. in the sea          D. with wine

39. A. following           B. keeping            C. limiting            D. crossing　

40. A. life                    B. wine                C. lunch                      D. time