It is true that good writers rewrite and rewrite and then rewrite some more. But in order to work up the desire to rewrite, it is important to learn to like what you write at the early stage.
I am surprised at the number of famous writers I know who say that they so dislike reading their own writing later that they even hate to look over the publishers' opinions. One reason we may dislike reading our own work is that we're often disappointed that the rich ideas in our minds seem very thin and plain when first written down. Jerry Fodor and Steven Pinker suggest that this fact may be a result of how our minds work.
Different from popular belief ,we do not usually think in the works and sentences of ordinary language but in symbols for ideas （known as "mentalese"）, and writing our ideas down is an act of translation from that symbolic language . But while mentalese contains our thoughts in the form of a complex tapestry （织锦），writing can only be composed one thread at a time . Therefore it should not be surprising that our first attempt at expressing ideas should look so simple. It is only by repeatedly rewriting that we produces new threads and connect them to get closer to the ideas formed in our minds.
When people write as if some strict critics （批评家） are looking over their shoulder , they are so worried about what this critic might say that they get stuck before they even start. Peter Elbow makes an excellent suggestion to deal with this problem. When writing we should have two different minds. At the first stage, we should see every idea, as well as the words we use to express it ,as wonderful and worth putting down . It is only during rewrites that we should examine what we excitedly wrote in the first stage and check for weaknesses.
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What do we learn from the text about those famous writers?
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What do people generally believe about the way human minds work?
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What can we conclude from the text?
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It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. 1 was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy - nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once 1 reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents that was the best time of my life."
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life."
"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, which was the best time of my life."
"When I met my wife and fell in love, which was the best time of my life."
"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, which was the best time of my life. "
"When we came to Canada and started a family, which was the best time of my life."
"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life."
"And now, Joe, 1 am seventy - nine years old. I have my health, l feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."
46. When Joe's 30th birthday is drawing near, he feels .
A. excited B. frightened C. worried D. eager
47. Joe usually goes to the gym to .
A. take exercise B. begin his work
C. see his friend Nicholas D. do his part -time job
48. What does the underlined word vitality in the second paragraph mean?
A. strength B. Power to survive
C. Happiness D. Energy and enthusiasm
49. What is the right order of the following events?
a. Fell in love b. Grew up in Austria c. Settled in Canada
d. Escape from his country e. Got salaries
A. b a e d c B. b e a d c C. a b e d c D. b c a d e
50. The purpose of the passage is to .
A. tell the reader about Joe's experience
B. tell the story of his friend Nicholas.
C. tell people not to worry about their ages.
D. tell people to take an optimistic attitude toward life.
第三节：阅读理解 (共10小题，每小题2分，满分20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，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
Letters to the next president
Dear Mr. President:
I would like to personally thank you for your time and concern for our great country. I would like to take a few minutes to address a few concerns that I have with the United States.
First of all, I would like to address the war. In my opinion, we should have never been involved with Iraq to the extent that we are now. I believe we should pull our troops out. However, I think there should be a time table that we follow but the time table should not be released because the enemy does not need to know when we are going to pull out. Also, the war takes out a ton of our money, which leads me to my next issue.
The economy right now, in the opinion of many Americans is the biggest issue with which we are facing right now. No one can predict what will happen one day or the next. The obvious thing to do is to put 700 billion dollars in the economy, but that bill failed and was rejected by the House of Representatives(众议院). Instead of putting 700 billion dollars in, I think the money should be equally distributed among Americans to pay off their debts. I'm not sure if this would work, but I think it is a positive alternative we could take.
My final issue I would like to call to your attention is teacher's salaries. The high school students of today are America's future. In a way, America's future depends greatly on the high school teachers of America. Saying this, it is sad that teacher's salaries are where they are. While teachers are working harder and harder every day to teach high school students, CEO's of big companies that are driving our countries economy into the ground are getting bonuses. I'm not saying that teacher's salaries should be the same of CEO's of companies, but I do strongly believe that action should be taken to increase the salaries of teachers because they have one of the most important jobs in America - - preparing our country for the future.
Once again, thank you for your time and your effort you put in to making this great country a better place.
Sincerely, Walker
41. What's the author's attitude the Iraq War?
A. Supportive B. Objective C. Negative D. Positive
42. What's true about the time of pulling the troops out?
A. We should pull the troops out without delay.
B. There is no need to have a time table to follow.
C. The public has the fight to know the time table.
D. We should keep the time secret from the enemy.
43. According to the author, the 700 billion dollars__________
A. is the biggest issue with which we are facing right now.
B. has been accepted by the House of Representatives.
C. should be equally shared among Americans
D. should be put in the economy
44. When talking about high school teachers, the author thinks that____________
A. the teachers' salaries are not high enough.
B. teacher's salaries should be as high as CEO's.
C. the teachers work harder than CEO's of companies.
D. teaching is more important than any other job in America
45. Which of the topics is NOT included in the letter?
A. Election B. International affair C. Finance D. Education,
Paynes Prairie
Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21 000 acres. This protected land is called a preserve. The Florida Park Service manage the preserve.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is 
covered by marsh(沼泽)and wet prairie vegetation. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it has flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10000 B. C. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land. It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees.
William Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was 
the first person who described nature through personal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah."
Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of sand hill cranes, hawks and waterfowl are here in winter. The animal diversity is increased by the presence of pine flatwoods, ham
mock, swamps and ponds.
The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for recreation. At the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days.
Paynes Prairie is a part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida.
57. How was the Paynes Prairie basin formed?
A. By the Seminole Indians.
B. By the Florida Park Service.
C. From dissolved limestone and the ground settling.
D. From lots of flooding and wet prairie vegetation.
58. The underlined word "diversity" means “ .”
A. variety B. society C. population
D. area
59. All of the following are true EXCEPT that_.
A. Paynes Prairie has changed little through time
B. Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie grasses
C. there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie
D. William Bartram was the first person~ to visit Paynes Prairie
60. The purpose of the passage is to .
A. call on people to protect wildlife
B. attract people to this preserved park
C. show you the formation of Paynes Prairie
D. introduce the recorded history of Paynes Prairie
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Britons stranded（搁浅）at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue. Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force (SARF).
William, who is currently a Lieutenant（中尉）in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment（皇家骑兵团）, will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009.
If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain.
"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement.
"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services."
It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war.
The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year.
The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills.
William, who has spent the last year on secondment（借调）to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings （飞行勋章）following a four-month stint（持续的工作）with the service earlier this year.
However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off (挡开) criticism for allowing the prince to f
ly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
49. Prince William wanted to be a full-time pilot because _______.
A. he liked flying
B. he would like to do something in the country’s Emergency Services
C. many Britons were in danger at sea waiting for rescue
D. he had much experience in flying
50. According to the passage, _______.
A. the Falklands war broke out in 2005
B. Prince William served in the Army’s Household Cavalry Regiment in 1982
C. Prince Andrew is serving in SARF now
D. William would finish his training course in June 2010
51. The author’s opinion on William’s joining RAF is _______.
A. enthusiastic B. doubtful C. negative D. pessimistic
52. What is the purpose of the author by mentioning what the prince had done before in the last
paragraph?
A. The author wants to say that Prince William pays much attention to his family and friends
B. The author suggests that the Defense Ministry was criticized when William flew for his
private business
C. William had a hard time when he went against his leaders
D.The author has the worry that Prince William is likely to get the Defense Ministry into
trouble again.