The campaign is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.
The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations.
Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times.“Kobe( the basketball player) doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”
Recent polls also suggest that Obama’s victory has given Americans new optimism about race relations. For example, a USA Today poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe relations between blacks and whites“will finally be worked out”. This is the most hopeful response since the question was first asked during the civil rights revolution in 1963.
However, it’s still too early to tell whether Obama’s presidency will begin to solve many of the social problems facing low-income black communities.
Although blacks make up only 13 percent of the US population, 55 percent of all prisoners are African-American. Such numbers can be blamed on any number of factors on America’s racist past, a failure of government policy and the collapse of the family unit in black communities.
It is unlikely that Obama will be able to reverse（扭转）such trends overnight. However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, say that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities.“That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,”he told the Los Angeles Times, “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence.”
In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.
52: For years, before Obama was elected president of the US,      .
A. Kobe was the only role model for all the blacks
B. blacks could only find role models on the basketball court
C. minorities in America couldn’t find role models in their real life
D. American blacks had no role model who was successful in political area
53. According to Bill Bank,      .
A. Obama is not the proper role model for African-Americans
B. young blacks should not be so much influenced by Obama
C. blacks should find other role models because Obama is far from their reality
D. it’s better for young blacks to find role models in those who are close to them
54. What do you think the author is probably going to talk about in the next paragraph?
A. In what ways Obama will contribute to racial relations in the US.
B. How Obama will influence Americans as a national role model.
C. How Obama will contribute to multiculturalism in the US.
D. How to choose a role model in his community as a young black.
55.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. The First African-American President
B. America’s New Role Model
C. Obama—a Successful Black
D. Choosing a Right Role Model

----Do you think the weather is good for an outing?

-----Yes,you couldn’t hope for________at the time of the year.

 ----- Do you think the Stars will beat the Bulls ?

   ----- Yes. They have better players, so I ______ them to win.

A. hope        B. prefer         C. expect        D. want

I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.
When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!
One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!
From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.
During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times, I thought to take photos but never did. Then, I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.
Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!
【小题1】 The locust tree first attracted the author most by____.

“BANG” the door caused a reverberation．“Never set foot in this house again!” shouted Father．With tears welling (涌出) up in my eyes，I rushed out of the house and ran along the street．
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space：happy and harmonious.
But now I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because Dad is getting old．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened．
I wandered the street，without a destination in my mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people in the streets，until I had only streets to keep me company. When I finally reached the high rise apartment block in which I lived, I saw that the light was still on．
I thought to myself，“Is Father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact，it was nothing．Perhaps，Dad was throwing some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．
All the lights were off except Father’s.
Dad was always 1ike this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me，he never showed any mercy or regret. After an argument he will creep(蹑手蹑脚)up in my sleep and then tuck me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature．
The light was still on. With the key in hand，I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last，I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all. Love－it is second to none．
41. The underlined word “reverberation” refers to _____________.
A．a sound forced back      B．a heavy blow      C．a shake      D. an earthquake
42. When seeing a young father with a child in his arms, the writer might have the following feelings EXCEPT _____________.        
A. He admired them very much
B. He wished that the relation between him and his father could also be so harmonious
C. He felt that happiness had been far away from him／her
D. He felt disappointed with his father
43. Why do you think the father often shouts at his child?
A．The father is getting older and older．      
B．The child had already grown up.
C．They never agree with each other．       
D．The father has got used to doing that.
44. What conclusion can you draw after reading the text?
A．The father treats his child in an unfair way.    
B．The father is actually kind to his child.
C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his child. 
D．The father is always finding fault with his child.
45. The article is ____________.
A. expository writing                         B. argumentative writing     
C. narrative writing                            D. reportage