Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great break fast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the
second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition（过渡）, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
60.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules. B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work D. To plan for his future.
61.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country. B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was not satisfied with his retired life. D. He was concerned about the people there.
62.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer .
A. improved the situation in his school B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
63.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing B. Meaningful C. Promising D. Troublesome
C
FOR many of us, cartoon strips（连环画） are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.
But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much more wise and acceptable way.
He has interpreted（演绎） Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy（哲学）. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.
After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so.
The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality(个性) to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.
If popular Japanese manga is simply for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor , while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good.
"The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've devoted my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."
64．Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Tsai’s work fits today’s city lifestyle.
B．All of Tsai’s works mainly introduce eastern philosophy.
C．Tsai’s works are humorous as well as full of wisdom.
D．Tsai’s works are not involved in children’s study.
65．What’s the word “vapor” mean in the 6th paragraph?
It means .
A．a kind of food B．a form of water C．a form of solid D．a kind of people
66．From the passage we know that .
A．Tsai once stopped writing his works for ten years
B．Tsai writes his works in order to make a living
C．Tsai thinks everyone should be a scholar or a philosopher
D．Tsai doesn’t think there is a gap between him and his young readers
67．In the author’s opinion, .
A．Japanese Manga is more valuable than Tsai’s
B．Tsai’s works are more valuable than Japanese Manga
C．Japanese Manga is as valuable as Tsai’s
D．Both Japanese Manga and Tsai’s works are valueless
B
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo(竹子) trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo tree’s ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word resilience （恢复力）comes to mind. When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to snap（突然折断）? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured（忍耐） unpleasant physical symptoms（症状）.
Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don’t break!
60．When the writer talks about the bamboo trees, he wants to tell us .
A．he can’t forget those bamboo trees
B．he used to watch them bend under pressoure and return to their upright position
C．he still remembers the good days as a child
D．he admires the character of the bamboo trees
61．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．When you have overcome some depression, you show resilience.
B．When you are about to snap, we say you are resilient.
C．If you feel like you are at your breaking point, you are fortunate.
D．If you feel mentally exhausted, you are likely to experience pleasant physical symptoms.
62．What does the writer mean by saying “Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you?”
A．You should make the best of the situation.
B．You should try your best to get the best situation.
C．You should try your best not to be defeated by the situation.
D．You should try your best not to give up the best situation.
63．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．My fondest memories B．Good times and bad times
C．Enjoy the peace and quiet D．Bend, but don’t break
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
A
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable(好客的) farmer and his wife. After sharing the little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen? Why did you watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused, “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so that he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
56．Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?
A．Because she didn’t like the greedy owner.
B．Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.
C．Because the basement was too cold to stay in.
D．Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help.
57．The youngest angel was very angry because .
A．the old angel killed the farmer’s cow
B．the old angel treated the two families differently
C．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live
D．the angel of death took the cow away
58．Why did the older angel let the farmer’s cow die?
A．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow.
B．Because she wanted to teach the youngest angel a lesson.
C．Because she wanted to save the farmer’s wife.
D．Because she thinks it is unfair to the rich
59．The story tries to tell the reader that________.
A．angels are always ready to help the poor
B．what we see is not necessarily what it is
C．angles are always to help the rich
D．the young should always learn from the old
E
“A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right,” says Mollie Hunter. Born and brought up near Edinburgh, Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is always and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market is. In Mollie's opinion it is necessary to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story, which is what every writer should be doing. “If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed,” she says. With the chief function of a writer being to entertain, Mollie is indeed an entertainer. “I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language,” she says. “This love goes back to early childhood. I've told stories all my life. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and, because my family always had dogs, and I was very good at handling them, I said I wanted to work with dogs, and the teacher always said ‘Nonsense, Mollie, dear, you’ll be a writer.’ So finally I thought that this woman must have something, since she was a good teacher and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer.”
This childhood intention is described in her novel, A Sound of Chariots, which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement. Thoughts of her childhood inevitably(不可避免地)brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields—sadly now covered with modern houses.“I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,”she said. “Never.”“When I set one of my books in Scotland,”she said,“I can recall my romantic (浪漫的) feelings as a child playing in those fields, or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important, because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us.”
57. What does Mollie Hunter feel about the nature of a good book?
A. It should not aim at a narrow audience.
B. It should not be attractive to young readers.
C. It should be based on original ideas.
D. It should not include too much conversation.
58. In Mollie Hunter's opinion, which of the following is one sign of a poor writer?
A. Being poor in life experience. B. Being short of writing skills.
C. The weakness of description. D. The absence of a story.
59. What do we learn about Mollie Hunter as a young child?
A. She didn't expect to become a writer. B. She didn't enjoy writing stories.
C. She didn't have any particular ambitions. D. She didn't respect her teacher's views.
60. What's the writer's purpose in this text?
A. To describe Mollie Hunter's most successful books.
B. To share her enjoyment of Mollie Hunter's books.
C. To introduce Mollie Hunter's work to a wider audience.
D. To provide information for Mollie Hunter's existing readers.
D
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle (婴儿包) was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy … called me—a f-…freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor. Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft(移植) on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated (捐献),” the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交) service. “But I must know!” he urged his father. “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(棺材). Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.
52．The story is mainly about _______.
A．how a boy had new ears through an operation
B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child
C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person
D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy
53．From the first paragraph we know that the mother _______.
A．was determined to donate her ears to perfect her son
B．kept her husband unknown about the baby’s situation
C．felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby
D．complained of her bad luck to have a disabled child
54．The underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “_______”.
A．slow-acting person
B．ugly-looking child
C．badly-behaved student
D．strangely-shaped creature
55．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The agreement was between the donator and the family.
B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president.
C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was.
D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died.
56．What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
A．Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known.
B．It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul.
C．True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance.
D．It is a virtue(美德) for young generations to learn to be grateful.