I moved into a new house in July. Since then I have met a few of my neighbors who are very nice people. For Christmas, I thought I would do something nice for each of the neighbors I know. There were nine neighbors whom I knew by name or spoke with often when I was out in my yard. I knew which houses they lived in.
I decided to add one more to my list. This lady I decided to add lives down the street from me. I meet her every morning walking to work as I drive down the street. She always smiles to me. But I had no idea who she was and which house she lived in.
I planned to make small fruit baskets and leave them on my neighbor's front porches (门廊) on Christmas Eve. I signed the cards: “Happy Holidays from 5104 Northumberland Road.”
I saved the last for the friendly lady. I finally decided on a house where I met her each morning and guessed that it was hers.
My neighbors really appreciated the baskets and would tell me as they saw me in the yard or 
they would call, and a couple even came by to thank me.
This morning I found a small note in the mailbox. It was addressed simply: Resident, 5104 Northumberland Road.
The Thank You card really caught me by surprise. I opened it and read the message, “Thank you for the lovely fruit basket you left on our porch. It was very thoughtful. Richard Kelly passed away last week. He talked a lot about how nice it was that someone remembered him in his time of illness. He really appreciated it.”
I had no idea who Richard Kelly was and that he had been seriously ill. I had left that nice lady’s basket on his porch by mistake. I wanted to say sorry, but that would be wrong. I believe that Mr. Kelly was meant to have that basket because he was dying. I hate that the nice lady did not get to receive a fruit basket on Christmas, but I believe if she knew what had happened, she would be happy. I feel pleased to have helped Richard Kelly's last days be more cheerful. How many Christmas gifts did the author intend to send?
| A．9. | B．8 | C．10 | D．11 |
Where did the friendly lady live?
| A．She lived at the end of Northumberland Road. |
| B．Her address was 5104 Northumberland Road. |
| C．She was thought to share a house with Mr. Kelly. |
| D．The author was not sure about her address at all. |
How did the author’s neighbors respond to his gifts?
| A．They liked the gifts very much and were thankful. |
| B．They were thankful that they wanted to be friends. |
| C．They all made phone calls to say “Thank You”. |
| D．They all visited him by person to show gratitude. |
What does the author mean in the last paragraph?
| A．He was regretful that the nice lady didn’t receive his gift. |
| B．He was glad to have made Mr. Kelly's life more pleasant. |
| C．He thought Richard Kelly deserved to receive that basket. |
| D．The old lady was happy to sacrifice to make Kelly happy. |
Cameron thought of himself as merely organized．He certainly did not consider that he took great pains over anything ,he did just enough to get it right．Exactly right, of course as he was fond of telling his staff, “if it’s not exactly right, it’s wrong”．Occasionally a worker might be sad on hearing these words, because it meant another hour or so of going over the same bit of work, correcting the mistakes which Cameron had patiently pointed out．And doing the corrections exactly right of course．
Strangely enough ,his department had the reputation for performing the highest quality work in the company ,and it was seen, and not only by those who worked in the department ,as a sort of elite（出类拔萃）unit．Those programs that had to work first time, straight out of the box, Cameron’s men got those．“It’s mission（任务）critical—give it to Cameron” was almost a catch—phrase with his team．
It helped that Cameron was not merely particular about things．He wanted things done just so ,not because of a personal taste ,but because he had discovered through patient experimentation that this was the best way for it to be done．
Cameron was a ．
| A．software programmer | B．a chief scientist |
| C．quality controller | D．head of department |
“Mission-critical” work given to Cameron because ．
| A．Cameron’s work was error—free | B．Cameron was critical |
| C．he didn’t mind working late | D．he had a good team |
Working for Cameron, people felt that ．
| A．they were part of an elite |
| B．their mission was critical |
| C．Cameron was very particular about things |
| D．Cameron was patient and responsible |
According to the underlined part in paragraph 5,what is meant by someone “who couldn’t cut it”?
| A．He didn’t cut corners． | B．He wasn’t good enough． |
| C．He had the wrong measurements． | D．He was a perfection． |
What can we learn about Cameron?
| A．He never got things Wrong． |
| B．He didn’t allow for any mistake． |
| C．He encouraged work to be done in office hours． |
| D．He was often misunderstood． |
The attitude of the author towards Cameron is that of being ．
| A．positive | B．sympathetic |
| C．non-subjective | D．optimistic |
Lightning flashed through the darkness over Donald Lubeck’s bedroom skylight．The 80-year-old retired worker was shaken by a blast of thunder．It was 11 p．m．The storm had moved directly over his two-story wood home in the rural town of Belchertown, Massachusetts．Then he heard the smoke alarm beeping．Lubeck padded down the stairs barefoot and opened the door to the basement, and flames exploded out．
Lubeck fled back upstairs to call 119 from his bedroom ,but the phone didn’t work．Lubeck realized he was trapped．“I started panicking,” he says．
His daughter and young granddaughters ,who lived with him ,were away for the night．No one will even know I’m home, he thought．His house was three miles off the main road and so well hidden by pines that Lubeck knew calling for help would be fruitless．
Up a hill about a third of a mile away lived Lubeck’s closest neighbors, Jeremie Wentworth and his wife．Wentworth had been lying down, listening to the radio when it occurred to him that the sound was more like a smoke detector．He jumped out of bed ,grabbed a cordless phone and a flashlight, and headed down the hillside toward the noise．
He dialed 119“Is anyone there?” he called out as he approached the house．Wentworth knew that Lubeck lived in the house．
Then he heard ,“Help me! I’m trapped!” coming from the balcony off Lubeck’s bedroom．
“I ran in and yelled, ‘Don, where are you ?’Then I had to run outside to catch my breath．”
After one more attempt inside the house, he gave up and circled around back．But there was no way to get to him．“I shined the flashlight into the woods next to an old shed and noticed a adder,” says Wentworth．He dragged it over to the balcony and pulled Lubeck down just as the second floor of the house collapsed．
Wentworth and Lubeck don’t run into each other regularly, but Lubeck now knows that if he ever needs help ,Wentworth will be there．
Lubeck still chokes up when he tells the story．“I was alone,”he says．“Then I heard the most beautiful sound in my life．It was Jeremie．”According to the text ,Lubeck ．
| A．stayed calm in the fire | B．couldn’t find a safe way out |
| C．lived on the first floor | D．called for help in the fire |
How did Wentworth help Lubeck escape?
| A．He called 911． |
| B．He went upstairs and took Lubeck out． |
| C．He put out the fire |
| D．He used a ladder and pulled lubeck down． |
Which of the following factors was not mentioned in the text that almost caused Lubeck’s life?
| A．He was living in his wood home alone that night． |
| B．The storm was too heavy and the fire was too fierce． |
| C．He lived far from the main road and was surrounded by pines． |
| D．He was too frightened to escape from the danger． |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．A near neighbour is better than a distant cousin． |
| B．A good way to get a narrow escape． |
| C．God helps those who help themselves． |
| D．Blood is thicker than water． |
I lost my sight when I was four years old by falling off a box car in a freight yard in Atlantic City and landing on my head．Now I am thirty two．I can slightly remember the brightness of sunshine and what color red is．It would be wonderful to see again, but a calamity（灾难） can do strange things to people．It occurred to me the other day that I might not have come to love life as I do if I hadn't been blind．I believe in life now．I am not so sure that I would have believed in it so deeply, otherwise．I don't mean that I would prefer to go without my eyes．I simply mean that the loss of them made me appreciate the more what I had left．
The hardest lesson I had to learn was to believe in myself．That was basic．If I hadn't been able to do that, I would have collapsed and become a chair rocker on the front porch for the rest of my life．When I say belief in myself I am not talking about simply the kind of self confidence that helps me down an unfamiliar staircase alone．That is part of it．But I mean something bigger than that: an assurance that I am, despite imperfections, a real, positive person; that somewhere in the sweeping, intricate（错综复杂的） pattern of people there is a special place where I can make myself fit．
It took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance．It had to start with the simplest things．Once a man gave me an indoor baseball．I thought he was making fun of me and I was hurt．"I can't use this．" I said．"Take it with you," he urged me, "and roll it around．" The words stuck in my head．"Roll it around! "By rolling the ball I could hear where it went．This gave me an idea how to achieve a goal I had thought impossible: playing baseball．At Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind I invented a successful variation of baseball．We called it ground ball．
All my life I have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them, one at a time．I had to learn my limitations．It was no good trying for something that I knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited the bitterness of failure．I would fail sometimes anyway but on the average I made progress．We can learn from the beginning of the passage that _______
| A．the author lost his sight because of a car crash． |
| B．the author wouldn't love life if the disaster didn't happen． |
| C．the disaster made the author appreciate what he had． |
| D．the disaster strengthened the author's desire to see． |
What's the most difficult thing for the author?
| A．How to adjust himself to reality． |
| B．Building up assurance that he can find his place in life． |
| C．Learning to manage his life alone． |
| D．How to invent a successful variation of baseball． |
According to the context, “a chair rocker on the front porch” in paragraph 3 means that the author __________
| A．would sit in a rocking chair and enjoy his life． |
| B．would be unable to move and stay in a rocking chair． |
| C．would lose his will to struggle against difficulties． |
| D．would sit in a chair and stay at home． |
According to the passage, the baseball and encouragement offered by the man _____
| A．hurt the author's feeling． |
| B．gave the author a deep impression． |
| C．directly led to the invention of ground ball． |
| D．inspired the author． |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Miserable Life |
| B．Struggle Against Difficulties |
| C．A Disaster Makes a Strong Person |
| D．An Unforgettable Experience |
It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible．Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel．It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver's seat is another matter．
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense．It takes the most cool－headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving．On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting．A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions．But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough．Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it．
However , misplaced politeness can also be dangerous .Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time .The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to .
An experienced driver , whose manners are faultless , told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings .Unfortuanately , modern drivers can’t even learn to drive , let alone master the roadmanship .Years ago , experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give –and –take from all road users .It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart .The passage mainly talks about________．
| A．traffic jams | B．road politeness |
| C．good manners | D．modern drivers |
Troubles on the road are often caused by________．
| A．the behavior of the drivers | B．traffic jams |
| C．great speed | D．terrible road conditions |
According to the writer, a good driver should________．
| A．be able to recognize politeness when he sees it |
| B．beat back when forced to face rude driving |
| C．encourage old ladies to cross the roads whenever they want to |
| D．join in traffic stream quickly however other people feel |
The following statements are right EXCEPT that________．
| A．some modern drivers are not good at driving |
| B．road politeness is good sense as well as good manners |
| C．a friendly driver should nod or wave thanks in answer to an act of politeness |
| D．it is also right to have a tiger in the driver's seat |
It is not always right for drivers to________．
| A．master roadmanship |
| B．recognize politeness when they see it |
| C．give a friendly nod in answer to an act of politeness |
| D．encourage old ladies to cross the road whenever and wherever they want |
Swiss International Air lines（SWISS）will introduce daily non-stop flights between Beijing and Zurich．
The new service to the financial center of Switzerland is expected to start on Dec．12,2012，which marks an expansion of services for the Chinese market．In May 2008，SWISS already started direct flights to Shanghai．
The first flight to Europe has a special price of 2,680 yuan，which does not include taxes and fuel surcharges．
“I am delighted the airlines of Switzerland can contribute to growing economic ties between the two countries with new daily flights scheduled，”says SWISS CEO Harry Hohmeister．
“We are witnessing a growing demand for tourist travel in both directions．”
Apart from Shanghai and Hong Kong，Beijing will be the third Chinese destination for SWISS．
The new route marks a return to Beijing for SWISS：the airlines previously flew to the Chinese capital as late as June 2003．
SWISS will initially operate its new daily non-stop Beijing-Zurich flights with an Airbus A340-300（219 seats）and Airbu: A330-300（236 seats）air-crafts．
The modem SWISS business class offers the most suitable comforts since the seats can be adjusted into a two-meter-long bed．
Seating firmness and softness can be adjusted thanks to air cushions．
With the introduction of the new SWISS service from Beijing，the Lufthansa Group Airlines may attract more Chinese customers when traveling to Europe．
SWISS．Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines already connect five Chinese cities with Europe and beyond．
This airlines group is the leading European airlines network in the Chinese market．
In the summer of 2011，the Lufthansa Group operated 78 weekly flights from China including Hong Kong to Europe．
SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group as well as a member of the Star Alliance，the world's biggest airlines grouping．According to the passage，from Dec．12,2012， ．
| A．it will only take us a day to fly from Beijing to Zurich |
| B．we can fly directly from Beijing to Zurich |
| C．the first flight from Beijing to Europe will only cost you 2,680 yuan |
| D．the direct flight to Shanghai started by SWISS will be canceled |
Why is the new flight added?
| A．SWISS wants to offer good service to Chinese people． |
| B．SWISS wants to contribute to growing economic ties between the two countries |
| C．There is a growing demand for tourist travel in both directions． |
| D．SWISS wants to create more opportunity for people to work． |
What's special about the Airbus of the new flight?
| A．The Airbus can carry more passengers than other planes． |
| B．The seats in it can be adjusted into comfortable beds． |
| C．It offers all kinds of services for passengers to choose from． |
| D．It has two kinds of air cushions on its seats． |
What's the right relation between SWISS，Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines?
| A．SWISS is the customer of the Lufthansa Group Airlines |
| B．Austrian Airlines is a part of SWISS． |
| C．SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group． |
| D．SWISS belongs to Austrian Airlines． |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．SWISS already started direct flights to Shanghai． |
| B．SWISS adds direct flights from Beijing to Europe． |
| C．Beijing will be the third Chinese destination for SWISS． |
| D．SWISS is the world's biggest airlines grouping． |
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