The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff(东西) they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked
myself. I didn’t answer, In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear! ” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most unhappy creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate（绝望的） now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
64. When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________ .
A. asleep B. outside C. working in bed D. quietly laughing at him
65. Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ____ .
A. it was too late at night B. he was very tired
C. his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open
D. he hadn’t studied hard before the examination
66. What do you suppose happened to the author the second day?
A. He went to a church to pray again B. He got an A in the exam
C. He failed in the exam D. He was punished by his teacher
67. The best title for the passage would be _________ .
A. The Night Before the Examination B. Working Far into the Night
C. A Slow Student D. Going Over My Lessons
When people think of Hollywood, they think of the city where dreams come true. This did not apply to F. Scott Fitzgerald, a screenwriter who had his share of ups and downs in this land. Fitzgerald was not a successful Hollywood writer because he was not good at the career path he chose. He was an amazing novelist, but his efforts of turning them into screenplays ended in disappointment and confusion. It was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous.
Growing up as a boy, Fitzgerald went to movies a lot. He wanted to write stories that would eventually turn into movies. The problem was: just because Fitzgerald wanted to do something didn’t necessarily mean that he was good at it. He made his attempts, but most of these efforts ended in disappointment because he thought about the change from script（剧本）to screen too much. His plot was too detailed and complicated; his tone was too serious or his dialogue too sentimental（感伤的）.
Fitzgerald’s quick rise to fame also led to his fall. In life, things are not meant to happen all at once, all that the same time but it did for Fitzgerald. At his best time, three of his early stories were made into short films, including The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited. As the twenties approached, he was gradually forgotten by the reading public. He became drunk and constantly took pills both to sleep and wake up. His marriage was destroyed and his wife broke down mentally. He seemed unsure about his life.
Fitzgerald had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, including revisions of Emlyn William’s play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan. However, these were all put aside and he was right back where he started, left behind and called a “ruined man”. Fitzgerald simply wanted too much in his life. He wanted “to be both a great novelist and a Hollywood success, to write songs like Cole Porter and poetry like John Keats”. His addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer.Which is a reason that Fitzgerald failed in screenwriting?
| A．He was not talented in screenwriting. |
| B．He had a miserable family life. |
| C．He spent too much time watching movies. |
| D．He was greedy for money in his life. |
Fitzgerald’s screenwriting was _____.
| A．disappointing in ending |
| B．complex in plot |
| C．playful in tone |
| D．simple in dialogue |
Which of the following was NOT written by Fitzgerald?
| A．The Great Gatsby | B．Babylon Revisited |
| C．The Light of Heart | D．Cosmopolitan |
When Fitzgerald had another chance at success, he ______.
| A．took full advantage of it |
| B．went back home to start business |
| C．refused to make changes |
| D．started to write songs and poems |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Fallen for Fame Addiction: F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| B．An Inch into Fame: F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| C．F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Novelist |
| D．F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Screenwriter |
I was going to Paris, which I’d always wanted to see. But now I was frightened to travel alone. I arrived at the train station in Paris. I hadn’t spoken my college French for twenty years. On my first metro ride, I came across an incompetent（不胜任的）thief. I just stared at him, and he stopped his hand from my purse and disappeared into the crowd. Somewhere in this confusing city was my hotel hidden, but the directions suddenly weren’t easy to find. When I finally found the hotel, my heart was beating heavily, and I was sweating like a basketball player. I couldn’t stay. Could I? The wallpaper looked like it had been through a fire. The bathroom was downstairs, and the window looked out onto the brick wall of another building. Welcome to Paris. I sincerely wanted to die. I missed my friends. I was entering my third week away from home and my kids, and I had arrived in the most romantic city in the world, alone, lonely and frightened.
The most important thing I did in Paris happened at that moment. I knew that if I didn’t go out, right then, and find a place to have dinner, I would hide in this small room my entire time in Paris. I might never learn to enjoy the world as a single individual. So I went out. Evening in Paris was light and pleasant. I walked along a path, listening to birds sing, watching children float toy boats in a huge fountain. No one seemed to be in a hurry. Paris was beautiful. And I was here alone and suddenly not lonely. My sense of accomplishment overcoming my fear and weakness had left me feeling free. I wore out two pairs of shoes during my week’s stay in Paris. I did everything there was to do, and it was the greatest week of my European vacation. I returned home, becoming a believer in the power of traveling alone. Now when I meet difficulties I just say to myself, “If I can go to Paris, I can go anywhere.”What happened on my first metro ride?
| A．I came across a skillful thief. |
| B．I bravely caught a thief trying to steal |
| C．The thief successfully stole my purse |
| D．I scared away a thief trying to steal |
The room in the hotel where I lived ______.
| A．had just gone through a big fire |
| B．was in very poor conditions |
| C．had a good sight through the window |
| D．was very small and untidy |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．I was not lonely when I got to Paris. |
| B．I felt frightened travelling alone in Paris at first. |
| C．I then felt not lonely for the people around me in Paris. |
| D．I had a lot of walking during my stay in Paris. |
The lifestyle of French people can be considered as ________.
| A．hasty | B．relaxed | C．anxious | D．aggressive |
As to the writer, the power of traveling alone is _______.
| A．the power of being independent |
| B．the power of feeling free |
| C．the power of becoming optimistic |
| D．the power of overcoming difficulties |
I am a single working mother and going to college for a better life for my three-year-old child and myself. I am taking a nurse course called “Urban Community（社区）”. We were asked to do a major project on problems in urban communities. I chose the topic “Homeless”.
Each day I would walk down the streets of the homeless and offer them something to drink and to eat. I know it’s tough to survive on the streets. Last night I ran into a group of 30 kids who were living on the streets in New York. My heart went out to them and I just wanted to cry. But I had to be strong.
I asked about their families and if they contacted them to let them know they were alive. Most of them said, “NO!” They all looked like a happy family and they took care of one another. I tried to persuade them to get help and to contact their families but they did not want to. I did not want to make them to do it as they had their own reasons.
All these kids were very respectful. None of them was high on drugs nor were they drinking. Some of them enjoyed reading and writing. Some of them enjoyed skateboarding, dancing and playing music.
One girl asked me if I could give her a hug and I did so. She started to cry and said, “Thank you for not treating us as freaks（怪人）like everyone else does. People don’t realize that we all have our own problems and some are worse than others.” She told me that her stepfather （继父） was extremely mean to her and her mother did not believe her. She ran away. Her street name was Little Mary.
They were good kids just trying to make ends meet. I told them that I didn’t have much to offer because I was a single mother just making ends meet. I had offered them sandwiches and drinks. They were so happy to have something to eat and told me that I couldn’t change the world but at least there was someone who really cared.The author is _______.
| A．a homeless mother with a three-year-old kid |
| B．a single mother who attends college in New York |
| C．a teacher who teaches the “Urban Community” course |
| D．a full-time housewife with a three-year-old kid |
What does “My heart went out to them” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．My heart was taken away by them. |
| B．I wanted to hug them |
| C．I felt sympathy for them |
| D．I fell in love with them |
What kind of feeling did the author show when she failed to persuade the children to contact their families?
| A．Sorrow | B．Anxiety | C．Anger | D．Understanding |
Little Mary left home and became a wanderer because ________.
| A．her stepfather didn’t want to live with her |
| B．her stepfather treated her so badly that she was injured |
| C．her mother treated her so badly that she felt hurt |
| D．her mother didn’t believe her and her stepfather treated her badly. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A Story of a Single Mother |
| B．Care for the Homeless Kids |
| C．An Urban Community |
| D．How to Survive on the Streets |
Umbrella is what we easily forget and leave behind in our daily life. When the weather is fine, we certainly don’t think of it; only when it's raining, we’ll carry it purposefully. But as soon as the rain stops, most likely we’ll forget we’ve put it. It has to wait patiently and pitifully for
owner to claim it, otherwise it’ll remain alone as a deserted umbrella.
Once I suddenly found my longtime (use) umbrella “disappeared”. I really got lost and regretted quite some time
my own carelessness.
Several days later, out of my (expect), I saw it quietly stand in a corner of the house where I worked. I was extremely glad to regain it. Looking carefully at it, though it was so familiar
me, I found for the first time its wooden handle
（wear）out as a result of repeated rain-wash for years. I sought for it only when I needed it. It occurred to me that I should have paid
(much) attention to it.
It sets me thinking. Around us there are always people giving us support in silence just likeumbrella that protects us from the rain or any wretched weather. Will gou think of those individuals
have helped you get through difficlty when you are leading a comfortable life?
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。
Reuters－Apple cofounder Steve Jobs，who changed the daily habits of millions by reinventing computing，music and mobile phones，died of pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌)at the age of 56.Jobs was surrounded by his wife and immediate family when he died in Palo Alto，California. Jobs，a Buddhist，was born in San Francisco. He started Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in his parents' garage in 1976.
World leaders，business rivals and fans lamented his passing and celebrated his achievements. Apple loses a visionary leader who inspired personal computing and world-known products such as the iPod，iPhone and iPad，which made Jobs one of the greatest industry leaders of his generation. Jobs stepped down as CEO in August 2011 and handed the power to operations chief Tim Cook.
“The world has lost a genius. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented，” U．S. President Barack Obama said in a statement. “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him，it's been a great honor，” said Microsoft's Bill Gates，who once defeated Jobs but has seen the leading status replaced by the Apple cofounder in recent years. Fans paid homage to Jobs outside Apple stores around the world，from Los Angeles to Sydney.
A college dropout and the son of adoptive parents，Jobs changed the technology world in the late 1970s，when the Apple Ⅱbecame the first personal computer to gain customers. Apple Wednesday paid homage to its visionary leader by changing its website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the words “Steve Jobs：1955 －2011”．
Outside Jobs' house in Palo Alto，neighbors and friends left flowers and drew messages with markers on the sidewalk. “Thanks for changing the world，” read one. “He was special for the area，like part of the family，” said Robert Blum，who brought flowers with his eight-year-old son，Daniel.The underlined word “passing” in Paragraph 2 can be best replaced by “________”．
| A．death |
| B．achievements |
| C．suffering |
| D．wisdom |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco. |
| B．Fans remembered Steve Jobs outside Apple stores around the world. |
| C．The iPod，iPhone and iPad are Steve Jobs' creative products. |
| D．Steve Jobs graduated from college with good performance. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Apple and its excellent CEO |
| B．A man who rocked the whole world |
| C．Apple's visionary Steve Jobs died at 56 |
| D．Steve Jobs，a dear family member that never dies |