So I’m driving the lovely and patient older daughter to work. At 7 a. m., she pushes the seat

warmer button as her new Honda zooms across L. A., the City of Padded Shoulders.

"Oh, look, I’m low on gas," she says.

First, we pick up her boss, then we pick up her other boss. They are all headed to Staples Center for some awards show. My daughter does something in public relations, I’m not sure what. But when this show comes along, she gets very busy.

"In the past two nights I’ve gotten, like, seven hours sleep," she notes, the implication being that I sleep all the time, which is pretty much true.

In Los Feliz, a dashboard light confirms that we are, indeed, low on fuel. This does not perturb my daughter.

"Don’t worry, we’ll get there," she says.

My daughter says nothing about getting back home, which is my job. I’ve just agreed to drop her off, so she can avoid traffic later. My task is simple, though now full of uncertainty.

I don’t know how I ended up dropping my daughter and her bosses off at 7 a.m. on a Sunday. I just know that J.D. Salinger may now be dead, but I still feel like Holden Caulfield -- at the mercy of too many yammering adults.

Now, I’ve had mixed luck with adults.

Apparently, my daughter’s job in PR is to keep everyone happy while telling the truth as much as possible. I sent her to college to study that. Now she is an expert.

"After you drop us off, you can get gas," my daughter assures me.

I have been her chauffeur for 26 years. By the time she was 3, I’d snapped her into a car seat some 14,000 times. I took her to seventh-grade dances, ski trips, college.

Even after all that, we continue to have a civil relationship, sort of a queen-mum-and-her-

driver sort of dynamic. When I screw up, she just raises her pretty chin and snorts. It’s very British.

By the way, my daughter now has a nicer car than I do, which is a sign she is doing well. Or, as with so many young people, she is up to her hoop earrings in consumer debt.

1．Which of the following statements in NOT true about the author’s daughter?

         A．She is fashionable.     B．She always tells the truth.

         C．She is doing well in her work.    D．She lives a fast-paced life.

2．The author’s tone suggests that_________.

         A．he is feeling left behind when his daughter has grown up and begun adult life

         B．he is content with his grown daughter

         C．he does not like his daughter’s bosses

         D．he will not believe his daughter any more

3．It can be concluded from the passage that_________.

         A．the author won’t have any difficulty in getting gas

         B．the daughter cares for her father a lot

         C．the author has done a lot to help his daughter get where she is 

         D．the British people have pretty chin and snort often

4．By referring to J. D. Salinger and Holden Caulfield, the author is most probably_________.

         A．recalling his daughter’s childhood

         B．mentioning his family members who are now dead

         C．comparing his situation to a scene in a famous literary work

         D．telling a story about his daughter’s friends

5．What is the best title for this passage?

         A．A PR’s Busy Life

         B．Relationship Between Dad and Daughter

         C．A Loving Father

         D．Go Ahead and Fill Her up, Dad

Tony Bennett, the American singer recently touring Britain, can’t remember how many times he has sung his standard hit “I left My Heart in San Fransisco”. He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.

“I never get tired of singing it.” He said. “I like it too much . It’s a great city and it’s a good song.”

Bennett is to record a TV program with American singer Lens Home while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled “Listen Easy” will be published in June.. “I like it here.” He added quietly over whiskey. “I would like to live here so many months of the year.”

He already keeps a large flat in Grosenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $4000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film , which has been specially written for him called “Two Bits”, an informal expression for 50 cents. It’s about an Italian immigrant who goes to America , but he becomes a failure.

“In many ways it’s very close to my life the way the story has been written,” said Bennett. “My father, an Italian ,was ill and died when I was nine. He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success.

1.The underlined phrase “standard hit” most nearly means______

A．Bennett’s favourite song but it’s not very popular.

B．a song that is always popular

C．a song which makes him standard

D．a song which is like a heavy blow to his audience

2.What does Tony Bennett want to do?

A．Buy a house and live in England.

B．Stay with his wife and daughter in England.

C．Live part of each year in England

D．Leave American and settle in England

3.What’s Tony’s hobby?

A．Singing       B．Drinking      C．Playing        D．Painting

4. What can we learn about Tony’s father from this passage?

A．He liked his son’s singing.

B．He was born in Italy and died when Tony Bennett was a small boy

C．He was a part of Bennett’s achievement

D．He was glad that his son became famous.

5.What kind of man is Tony Bennett？

A．hardworking and humorous

B．family-centered and hardworking

C．outgoing and kind

D．ambitious and trustworthy

阅读（共两节，满分40分）
阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A , B , C , 和 D中，选出最佳选项。
A
Tony Bennett, the American singer recenlty touring Britain, can’t remember how many times he has sung his standard hit “I left My Heart in San Fransisco”. He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.
“I never get tired of singing it.” He said. “I like ti too much . It’s a great city and it’s a good song.”
Bennet is to record a TV special with American singer Lens Home while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled Listen Easy”will be published in June.”I like it here.” He added quietly over whiskey. “I would like to live here so many months of the year.”
He already keeps a large flat in Grosenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $4000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film , which has been specially written for him called “Two Bits”, an informal expresson for 50 cents. It’s about an Italian immigrant who goes to America ,but he becomes a failure.
“In many ways it’s very close to my life the way the story has been written,” said Bennett. “My father, an Italian ,was ill and died when I was nine.He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success.
41. The underlined phrase “standard hit” most nearly means______
A. Bennett’s favourite song but is’s not very popular.       
B. a song that is always popular
C. a song which makes hm standard    
D. a song which is like a heavy blow to his audience
42. What does tony Bennett want to do?
A. Buy a house and live in England.    B. Stay with his wife and daughter in England.
C. Live part of each year in England    D. Leave American and setle in England
43. What’s Tonny’s hobby?
A. Singing            B. Drinking           C. Playing            D. Painting
44. What can we learn about Tony’s father from this passage?
A. He liked his son’s singing.
B. He was born in Italy and died when Tonny Bennett was a small boy
C. He was a part of Bennett’s achievement
D. He was glad that his son became famous.
45. What kind of man is Tonny Bennett
A. hardworking and humours                     B. family-centered and hardworking
C. enthusiastic and kindly                    D. ambitious and trustworthy

This is a true story about two friends.

One day a young man said to his good friend, "I can see that some day you will become great and rich." His friend laughed, "Ridiculous! How can you know that?" The first said, "Yes, I can see it from your forehead." The second one said, "Ok, if I become great and rich, I will give you 10,000 rupees." The first friend asked. "Really? If so, then write it down."

The second one really wrote it down. The first man kept the note, but he never took his friend seriously. The agreement was made as a joke. 10 or 12 years later, the friend did become rich and great, while the other remained poor. By that time both friends had separated and were leading their own lives. Even so, the poor friend still preserved the note, although he felt that since it was a joke, he would never receive the money.

Quite unexpectedly, the poor man fell seriously ill. Just before he died, he took out the agreement and called his son, who was only seven years old, "My son, there is something very precious that I have kept for you. After I die…you go to this man and show him what he has written."

Soon the man died. Their friendship had faded so much that the rich man did not even come to see him before he left this world. But after three or four weeks' time the son took the note to the rich man. The boy gave the rich man the note. The rich man read it and asked, "Did I write this?"

The boy said, “I do not know. My father asked me to give it to you before he died." The rich man summoned one of his secretaries and explained, "I promised this boy's father many years ago that I would give him 10,000 rupees if I became rich and great. I have been rich for seven years; please calculate how much interest I have to give him in addition to the 10,000 rupees."

The secretary told him, "An additional 7,000 rupees, which makes it 17,000 altogether."

The rich man immediately issued a check for 17,000 rupees and gave it to the little boy, saying, "Take this directly to your mother.”

This is how a sincere man kept his promise.

56. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The first friend can know others’ future from his or her forehead.

B. The second friend couldn’t believe his friend’s words at first.

C. The first friend wished his friend to help his son after he died.

D. The second didn’t come to see his dying friend because of different life.

57. What do you think of the man who became rich later?

A. He had a bad memory.

B. He is very selfish and unwilling to help others.

C. He is mean with his money.

D. He is a man who keeps his promise.

58. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. The poor friend preserved the note because he knew he would get the money sooner or later.

B. The man became rich 3 or 5 years later after he signed the agreement.

C. The rich man gave the boy 17,000 rupees altogether.

D. The little boy knew something about his father’s story.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　B

Tony Bennett, the American singer recently touring Britain, can't remember how many times he has sung his standard hit "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.

"I never get tired of singing it," he said, "I like it very much. It's a great city and it's a good song."

Bennett is to record a TV special with the American singer Lena Horne while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled "Listen Easy" will be published in June.

"I like it here," he added quietly over whiskey. "I would like to live here so many months of the year."

He already keeps a large flat in Grosvenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $4,000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film which has been specially written for him called "Two Bits", an informal expression for 50 cents. It's about an Italian immigrant(移民) who goes to America, but he becomes a failure.

"In many ways it's very close to my life the way the story has been written," said Bennett. "My father, an Italian, was ill and died when I was nine. He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success."

The film is to be made by Italy's top director Vittoria De Sica.

60. The underlined phrase "standard hit" in the first paragraph most probably means "_____".

A. Bennett's favorite song that's not very popular

B. a song that is always popular

C. a song which is like a heavy blow to his audience

D. a song which makes him standard

61. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A. "Two Bits" is a musical film.

B. Tony is to star in a film.

C. "Listen Easy" is a new record by Bennett.

D. "Listen Easy" has been published.

62. What does Tony Bennett want to do?

A. Buy a house and live in England.

B. Stay with his wife and daughter in England.

C. Live part of each year in England.

D. Leave America and settle in England.

63. What can we learn about Tony Bennett's father from this text?

A. He liked his son's singing.

B. He was born in Italy and died in America.

C. He was a part of Bennett's achievement.

D. He was glad that his son became famous.