I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.

I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.

It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.

Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.

The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal—that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.

It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）.

1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

2.The author decided to write a novel ______ .

3.How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

4.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had loved a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well   16   it, he told him that was all he wanted.
As   17   drew near, the young man expected   18   that his father had bought the car. Finally, on the morning of the special day, his father called him into his study. His father told him how   19   he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped (包装好的) gift box. Curious, but a little bit   20  , the young man opened the box and found a lovely Bible (圣经).
Angrily, he raised his   21   to his father and said, “Is a Bible   22   you can give me with all your money?” He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.
Many years   23   and the young man was very successful in business, but   24   his father was very old, he thought perhaps he   25   go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.   26   he could make the arrangements (安排), he received a telegram which   27   him of his father’s death, and all the possessions (财产) willed (立遗嘱) to him.
  28   arriving at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to   29   through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had   30   it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to   31  . As he was reading, a car   32   dropped from the back of the Bible.
How many times do we   33   blessings (祝福) because they are not wrapped as we expected? Do not spoil (搞糟) what you have by desiring (渴求) what you have not; but remember what you now have was once   34   the things you hoped for. What may appear as bad fortune (运气) may   35   be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

假设你是李莉，一位18岁的女孩，英语成绩非常突出，有两年英语家教的经验，现在是“爱心俱乐部”的成员。你认为志愿者工作能使人树立自信，培养交往技能，锻炼自己的能力。看到下面这则招聘信息，你愿意利用这次机会，为需要帮助的儿童做些事情；同时增长见识，了解社会。?

A Voluntary Activity?

in the Winter Vacation?

5 Volunteers?

Wanted?

as English Teachers?

at S.O.S.Children’s Village?

      Those who are interested in taking part in the activity,please send an email to studentunion@bjsz.cn before May 10,2009 explaining your past experiences and purposes for applying.?

                                                      Students’ Union

注意：1. 根据中英文提示完成下面的英文邮件，书信的格式要完整；

       2.可适当增加细节使行文连贯；?

       3.词数120~150(开头已给出，不计入总词数)。

    参考词汇：tutor(vt. & n.)家教；Loving Heart Club爱心俱乐部

Microsoft founder  Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his fortune(财富)，largely to the cause of global health，during the course of his lifetime.With an estimated(估计)worth of more than $40 billion，according to Forbes，the project will be no small fate(功绩) for Gates.Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues，Gates said that finally his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.

So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest？Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity（机会）”in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations，he says，has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful.“National borders allow inequalities，”said Gates.“We all need  to take a more global view，rather than just saying my country is doing well.We have to step up these health issues，knowing how few resources are going into them.”

Gates said that both his parents set up an example for him as a child.His father，William H．Gates，was the head of the local Planned Parenthood，and his mother，Mary，volunteered for the United Way.As he gathered his fortune，Gates knew he would finally want to give back as well，but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole?heartedly to one project until he was about 60.

However，Gates,47，began to question his ability to wait that long.“It seemed there was a real time urgency，”Gates said.“I started to think how many lives I could save before then.”

1.Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to　　　　.

A．improve the health of population all over the world

B．improve the health of population in America alone

C．avoid leaving his children too much money

D．spare the American government the burden of health care

2.Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is　　　　.

A．to set up more foundations for them

B．to help them with natural resources

C．to put more efforts into the health issues in them

D．to help them take a more global view

3.It can be learned from the passage that Bill Gates thinks　　　　.

A．Americans can be world?famous by giving away vast fortune

B．Americans should treat fellow citizens well

C．Americans should devote themselves to certain projects

D．Americans should care about people in other countries

完形填空：（包括20个小题，每小题1。5分， 共30分）

It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man was waiting for a ride across the   36  . The wait seemed   37  .

       At last he heard the slight, steady rhythm of approaching hooves (马蹄) coming along the frozen path. Anxiously, he   38   as several horsemen came around the bend (转角处). He let the first one   39  . Then another, and another. Finally, as the   40   rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue, the old man   41   the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’t appear to be a passage way by  42  .”

       The rider replied, “Sure.” Seeing the old man was unable to  43   his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman got down and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination.

       As they neared the tiny but cozy (舒适的) cottage, the horseman’s   44   caused him to ask, “Sir, I notice that you let several other riders go by without making a(n)   45   to get a ride. Then I came up and you   46   asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider.   47   I had refused and left you there?”

       The old man replied, “I’ve been   48   here for some time. I think I know people pretty good.” He continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no   49   for my situation. But when I looked into your eyes,   50   was evident. I knew,   51  , that your gentle spirit would   52   the opportunity to give me help in my time of   53  .”

       Those heartwarming comments   54   the horseman deeply.

       “I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I   55   to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”

       With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

A. town                     B. river                 C. country                    D. island

A. meaningless    B. useless              C. careless                    D. endless

A. watched          B. asked         C. waved                   D. approached

A. come over      B. get off                  C. pass by                     D. take off

A. coming           B. leaving              C. next                         D. last

A. missed            B. caught            C. avoided                    D. saw

A. bus                B. car                    C. foot                         D. horse

A. feel                      B. push                 C. lift                           D. stand

A. honesty          B. courage             C. enthusiasm            D. curiosity

A. choice          B. stop                  C. effort                       D. scene

A. immediately  B. hurriedly           C. friendly                    D. strangely

A. What about   B. What if             C. How come                D. If only

A. in                 B. out                   C. around                         D. beyond

A. concern       B. doubt                C. chance                         D. reason

A. meaning              B. kindness            C. seriousness            D. help

A. then and there                           B. for a moment 

            C. all of a sudden                 D. sooner or later

A. offer            B. create                C. find                         D. welcome

A. need             B. danger                  C. fortune                     D. happiness

A. influenced     B. excited              C. touched                    D. hit

A. happen         B. try                    C. disagree                   D. fail