When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer， no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not. He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work.
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself. He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote. But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadowland (虚幻世界) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
One day Alex got a call,“We need an assistant, and we’re paying $6,000 a year.” $6,000 was real money in 1960. It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment ,a used car and more. Besides, he could write in his spare time. As the dollars were dancing in Alex’s head, something cleared his senses. He had dreamed of being a writer--full time. “Thanks, but no,” Alex said firmly and swiftly, “I’m going to stick it out and write.”
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents. Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself, “There’s everything you’ve made of yourself so far. I’m not sure I ever felt so low.”
Finally his work was published in 1970.Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience. The shadows had turned into focus of attention.
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before. Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents. Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room. It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence(坚毅) it takes to stay the course(持续到底) in the shadowland.Why did Alex give up his job?
| A．Because he didn’t like the working conditions. |
| B．Because he couldn’t earn enough to make a living. |
| C．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer. |
| D．Because he felt he had no potential in his job. |
What did Alex express when he answered the call?
| A．He refused the job offer. |
| B．He was willing to give them a hand. |
| C．He expected them to pay him more money. |
| D．He would write in his spare time. |
What kind of person is Alex?
| A．determined | B．modest | C．shy | D．brave |
Which of the following can summarize the passage best?
| A．Look before you leap |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true. |
| D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. |
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）.
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A Scholars and researchers have tried to discover what personality characteristics go along with success in intercultural experiences. Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete. But three characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear. Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm even when things do not go as one wants them to, or hopes they will, or has even been sure they will. Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not. A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in his own reactions than a humorless person. The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to. “The awareness of being unclear” is a more difficult concept than patience or a sense of humor. Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear to the newcomers. That is, they do not know what is happening in the situation. Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can’t be sure of different people’s roles in what is going on. “It’s like I just got here from the moon,” a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said, “things are just so different here. ”56. The passage mainly tells us_____. A. some problems about communication.
B. humor- an important thing in communication. C. some characteristics in communicating with foreigners. D. three useful ways of communicating with foreigners. 57. From the third paragraph, we can infer that a humorous person_____. A. tends to treat everything carelessly B. is optimistic about things. C. likes making fun of others. D. is an impatient one .58. The underlined part “The awareness of being unclear” refers to “_______”. A. knowing the meaning of an exact situation. B. not stating clearly what happens. C. realizing the possible misunderstanding D. being aware of the unclear situations. 59. What can we know from the passage? A. It is necessary to learn a language before you go abroad. B Americans are used to the culture of other countries. C. Patience usually improves the relationship with others. D. To live in a foreign land, one should get fully prepared.
D
Weather changes when the temperature and the amount of water in the atmosphere change. We can see and feel water coming from the atmosphere when we have rain. But the water must somehow get back to the atmosphere. Meteorologists call this the water cycle.
There are many stages in the water cycle. Rain falls when water vapor in clouds condenses(凝结). Drops of water form and fall to the ground. The water soaks into the ground and feeds streams and rivers. A lot of rain falls into the sea. The heat of the sun evaporates（蒸发） some of the water in the ground and in the rivers, lakes, and the sea. It changes the liquid water into water vapor. The vapor rises onto the air. Water vapor（汽） is normally invisible. On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapor rising from a puddle(水坑) or pond in a mist above the water. Water vapor also gets into the air from living things. Trees and other plants take in water through their roots and give off water vapor from their leaves. People and land animals drink water and breathe out water vapor. In all these ways the water returns to the air. There it gathers to form clouds and condenses to form rain. The rain falls to earth, and the cycle starts again. It continues even if snow or hail(冰雹) fall instead because both eventually melt to form water. The amount of water vapor in the air depends on the temperature. The air is more moist(潮湿) in the tropics than in the cold polar regions.
68. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Water cycle. B. Water vapor. C. How rain forms. D. Water, vapor, rain.
69. How many ways of the water returning to the air are discussed in the text?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.
70. Whether water vapor can be seen or not depends on _______.
A. how much water is evaporated B. how good your eyes are
C. in which way water is evaporated D. climate or weather
C
Are you afraid of change? Whether it is you personally or the working/living environment around you that changes, change will happen, it’s one guarantee I can give you and if you want success you need to make changes too.
Throughout the history of mankind changes have happened and they will continue to do so until the end of time. I do not think I need give you a list of any of these events they are obvious to us all.
Where are you going with this Steve, I hear you saying to yourself, everyone knows that changes happen all the time and we as human beings adapt accordingly. Well, yes, I agree with you to a point, but in that case why are we all not living the life we want in the world we want?
Because some of us resist change, because we are afraid of the unknown factors that change may bring into our lives.
Stop resisting and the changes will happen automatically, that is what happened to me when I started using hypnosis（睡眠状态） and mediation （沉思）to help me come to terms with the changes I needed to make to get out of Going Nowhere Land. I honestly believe that if I had
not lost my fear of change when I did that there is absolutely no way that I would be enjoying life and the success I am having as much as I do at this moment in time.
My intention is to carry on enjoying life to the full and to successfully help others to do the same and if that means making even more changes to my life, as it surely will, then bring them on and let’s get started.
It does not matter if you start off making small changes like getting up early so that you can share breakfast with your loved ones, take some exercise or meditating before going to work, start making those changes now. By getting into the habit of making changes, you will accept change into your life, you will begin to change more of your old habits into new and better ones and even enjoy the feeling that making those changes brings and the success that comes with them.
64. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Are you afraid of change? B. Changing for success.
C. Why do you resist change. D. Change brings happiness.
65. The underlined phrase “come to terms with” in the fifth paragraph probably means “_______ “
A. reach an agreement with B. fight against
C. accept something unpleasant D. overcome the bad consequences of
66. From the fifth paragraph we can infer that ___________.
A. the author has never been afraid of changes in his life.
B. the author used to believe that changes happened automatically
C. the author is still not satisfied with his present situation
D. the author had experienced a period of frustration(挫折) in his life
67. In the last paragraph, the author intends to ________.
A. list the necessary changes we ought to make
B. advise us to make any necessary changes
C. explain what changes can bring
D. explain the progress of making changes
B.
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day，on the second Sunday in May，and Father’s Day，on the third Sunday in June．These days are to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home and more fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways．On Mother’s Day people wear carnations．A red one symbolizes a living mother．A white one shows that the mother is d
ead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents．It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home，as well as in restaurants．They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day．These are days of fun and good feelings and memories．
Another tradition is to give cards an d gifts．Children make them in school．Many people make their own presents．These are valued more than the ones bought in stores．It is not the value of the gift that is important，but it is “the thought that counts”．Greeting card stores，florists，candy makers，bakeries，telephone companies，and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays
60. What we can learn from the passage?
A. Both festivals are in May.
B. Fewer women worked outside the home past.
C. Not all the children respect their parents.
D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.
61. Which is not the reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A. Parents bring up children.
B. Parents give love and care for children.
C. Parents pass away before children grow up.
D. Parents educate children to be good persons
62. On Mother’s Day or Father’s Day ____________.
A. children always go to parents’ home. B. people usually have family parties
C. every goes to the cemetery D. hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts
63. What do you think “florists” do?
A. They sell flowers.
B. They make bread or pastry.
C. They offer enough room for having family party.
D. They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
第三部分阅读理解 (共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出最佳选项.
A
Years of storms had taken their toll on the old windmill（风车）. Its wheel, rusted and fallen, lay silent in the lush bluegrass.
I hadn‘t walked across our old farm in fifteen years. Fifteen years ago，rain or shine, I used to walk this path each day to see Greta. She always made me smile, even after my sister and I had just had a big quarrel. I would help Greta with her chores. Then we would enjoy her delicious homemade chocolate cookies and ice cream. Being confined to a wheel chair didn‘t stop Greta from being a great cook.
Greta gave me two of the greatest gifts I‘ve ever received. First, she taught me how to read. She also taught me that when I forgave Sister for our quarrels, it meant I wouldn‘t keep feeling like a victim(受害者). Instead, I would feel sunny.
Mr. Dinking, the local banker, tried to foreclose on Greta‘s house and land after her husband passed away. Thanks to Pa and Uncle Johan, Greta got to keep everything. Pa said that it was the least he could do for someone talented enough to teach me to read!
Soon folks were coming from miles around to buy Greta‘s homemade cakes, pies, breads, cookies, cider, and ice cream. Greta even had me take a big apple pie to Mr. Dinking who became one of her best customers and friends. That‘s just what Greta was. She could turn anyone into a friend!
Greta always said, "Dear, keep walking in sunshine!" No matter how terrible my day started, I always felt sunny walking home from Greta‘s house---even beneath the winter starlight.
I arrived at Greta‘s house today just after sunset. An ambulance had stopped a few feet from her door, its red lights flashing. When I ran into the old house, Greta recognized me right away.
She smiled at me with her unforgettable twinkling blue eyes. She was almost out of breath when she reached out and softly touched my arm. Her last words to me were "Dear, keep walking in sunshine!"
56. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. What Greta taught me B. Greta would never die
C. The past sunny days D. Keep walking in sunshine
57. What can we know about Greta from the passage?
A. She was kind and forgiving B. She was rich and generous
C. She was energetic and confidence D. She was practical and helpful
58. The author used to go to see Greta every day mainly because _____.
A. Greta could treat the author with delicious food
B. Greta could give the author comfort
C. the author could learn how to read from Greta
D. the author could learn something valuable from Greta
59. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Greta lived a hard and lonely life.
B. Greta was loved and respected by all the people there.
C. Greta must be a relative of the author’s family.
D. The author had been out of touch with Greta for fifteen years.
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