I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied,“You mean fortunately．”He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following．This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I call get the same value for free．I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome．We cannot achieve anything with an easy life．Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree．Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote，“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened，vision cleared，ambition inspired and success achieved.” 
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity(逆境)．From time to time we all face hardships，problems．accidents、afflictions and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 193l he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was deter-mined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said,“Don't listen to any-one who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind，you'll never use crutches(拐杖)or a stick，then have a go at everything．Go to school，join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never，never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies（传记）of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
Nevertheless．there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity．
1. Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise．
B．People are silly to pay to go to the gym．
C．Those who want to achieve success can't expect to live all easy lire．
D．People's attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed．
2．By quoting what Douglas Bader said，the author intends to tell us“___________．”
A．Failure is the mother of Success．
B．A fall into the pit，a gain in your wit．
C．If you venture nothing，you will have nothing．
D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try．
3．Following this passage，the author will further talk about___________．
A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced
B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face
C．what great people have in common
D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity
4．Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
A．Face adversity with a smile B．Different attitudes towards adversity
C．Nothing is impossible D．Life is full of adversity
Protecting Copyright
Having finished her homework, Ma Li wants some music for relaxation （娱乐）. As usual, she starts her computer and goes to Baidu.com to download music files. But this time she is surprised when an announcement about protecting songs’ copyright bursts onto the screen. The age of free music and movie downloads may have come to an end as Web companies like Baidu are accused of pirating copyright. Lawsuits（诉讼） have been filed against four websites offering free downloads. In September 2005, a Beijing court ordered Baidu to pay recording company Shanghai Push compensation for their losses. Baidu was also told to block the links to the pirated music on the website. This caused a heated discussion on Interact file sharing.
“Baidu’s defeat in the lawsuit shows it is not right to get copyrighted songs without paying. Downloaders may face lawsuits or fines,” said an official.
Like many teens, Huang Ruoru, an 18-year-old girl from Puning in Guangdong Province, doesn’t think that getting music from websites is wrong. She always shares her favourite songs downloaded from Baidu with her friends. When told about the lawsuit, she began to feel a little guilty about obtaining others’ work without paying.
However, other teenagers have different ideas. Wang Yafei, a Senior 2 girl from Jinan, Shandong Province pointed out that file sharing is a good way to promote pop singers. “If I download a song and really like it, I will buy the CD,” she said. “So what the recording companies really should concentrate on is improving their music, rather than pursuing （追赶）file-sharers.”
71. Which of the following best describes the passage?
A. Music on the Internet is of better quality.
B. Downloading material can be illegal.
C. It’s good to get free music on the Internet.
D. Baidu is a popular web company.
72. The four web companies were put to court because _________.
A. they got copyrighted songs without paying
B. they downloaded copyrighted music for people
C. they make copyrighted files for free downloads
D. they offer free music on line
73. How do some of the teenagers feel while downloading free music after the lawsuit?
A. A bit guilty. B. A little sad. C. Extremely angry. D. Awfully sorry.
74. What’s the advantage of file sharing for recording companies?
A. Getting more money from web companies.
B. Enabling people to download favorite songs.
C. Helping to improve the music.
D. Making pop singers more popular.
75. It can be inferred from the text that _________.
A. Web companies are still ignoring the copyright laws
B. Teenagers haven’t got money to buy CDs.
C. Teenagers are probably still downloading free music.
D. Teenagers prefer CDs with copyright to pirated music.
A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspapers. "Last week," said he, "my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn't get it back."
"How did you write your advertisement?" asked one of the listeners, a merchant.
"Here it is," said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip（纸条） cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read, "Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings（先令） on leaving it at No.10 Broad Street."
"Now," said the merchant, "I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed is of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one."
The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: "If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn't wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No. 10 Broad Street. He is well known."
This appeared in the paper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colours that had been thrown in, and his own was among the number. Many of them had notes fastened（系牢） to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter.
66. who would receive ten shillings according to the first advertisement ?
A. Anyone who found the thief
B. Anyone who gave a message to the loser of the umbrella
C. Anyone who left the umbrella in the City Church
D. Anyone who left the umbrella at No. 10 Broad Street
67.What was the result of the first advertisement __________?
A. the man got his umbrella back B. the man wasted some money advertising
C. nobody found the missing umbrella D. the umbrella was found somewhere near the church
68.The businessman suggested that the man should______.
A. buy a new umbrella B. go on looking for his umbrella
C. report to the police D. write another advertisement
69. What did the businessman mean by saying “if it fails, I will buy you a new one.?” _________.
A. he was quite sure of his success B. he was not sure if he could get the umbrella back
C. he did not know what to do D. he was rich enough to afford a new umbrella
70 The writer of this story mainly wants to tell us __________.
A. a useless advertisement B. how the man lost and found his umbrella
C. how to make a helpful advertisement. D. what the businessman did for the umbrella owner
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl,she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind.
After she graduated from high school， she went on to college. Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes； she hopes to get a master‘s degree （M A）. With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible. She hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well.
The school day at Mrs. Blake‘s high school， like that in many high schools in the United States， is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period， which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M. Mrs. Blake must meet with parents， make out examinations， check assignments at al.， Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.
61. How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school？
A. four years B. eight years C. twelve years D. twenty years
62. According to the article，which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？
A. a doctor‘s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree
B. a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree – a doctor’s degree
C. a master‘s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree
D. a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree—a master’s degree
63. How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far？
A. one B. two C. three D. none
64. Which of the following sentences is not true？
A. Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates
B. Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality.
C. Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees.
D. The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states.
65. According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
A. lonely B. free C. funny D. busy
第三部分阅读理解（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
阅读下列短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present．On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin （顽童） was walking around the shining car．“Is this your car, Paul?” he asked.
Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised．“You mean your brother gave it to you and it cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for．He wished he had a brother like that．But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes, I’d love that.”
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little．He thought he knew what the boy wanted．He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car．But Paul was wrong again．“Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps．Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast．He was carrying his little crippled （残疾） brother． He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs．His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent．And some day I’m going to give you one just like it… Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car．The shining-eyed older brother climbed in and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.
56．The street urchin was very surprised when __________．
A．he saw the shining car B．Paul told him about the car
C．he was walking around the car D．Paul received an expensive car
57．From the story we know that the urchin __________．
A．wished to give his brother a car
B．wished Paul’s brother to give him a car
C．wished Paul could be a brother like that
D．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s
58．The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ______.
A．to show he had a rich friend B．to show his neighbors the car
C．to let his brother ride in the car D．to tell his brother about his wish
59．We can infer from the story that __________.
A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin
B．the urchin’s wish came true in the end
C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother
D．the urchin had a deep love for his brother
60．The best title for the story probably is __________．
A．A Christmas Present B．A Street Urchin
C．A Brother Like That D．An Unforgettable Ride
Marriages improve after children grow up and move out，according to an academic study，
which suggests an“empty nest”is not always a bad thing．
Popular wisdom has it that parents’relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop，
because they feel they have lost their purpose in life．However,a new study by researchers at the
University of California,Berkeley，has found that many couples actually feel happier when their
children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together．
In total，123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate
their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying,when they were bringing up babies，once their
children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61，when almost all had“empty nests”．
Although not all said they were happier in general，most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home．Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together,but because they were able to enjoy each other’s company more．
One of the participants in the study,which is published in the jourmal Psychological Science，
said：“Once the kids grow up…there’s some of that stress removed…that responsibility removed，so things are a little more relaxed．’’
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff,who carried out the investigation，said：“The take-home message
for couples with young children is‘hang in there’．”Her co-author Oliver John added：“Don’t wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner．”
However,Dr Dorothy Rowe，from the British Psychological Society，said the effects of living
in an“empty nest'”will depend on the parents’relationship with their children．“If yod’re just
waiting for them to leave home so you Can get on with your life，then of course you’11 be pleased to see them go，”she said，‘‘But if you’ve built your life around your children you’11 be terribly lonely．”For some parents，their world falls apart when their Children leave．’’
72．It is commonly believed that
A．marriages improve after children leave home
B．an“empty nest'’is always a happy thing
C．parents’relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out
D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home
73．When did many couples feel happier according to the study?
A．At age 61．when almost all had“empty nests”．
B．Shortly after marrying．
C．Once their children reached their teenage years．
D．When they were bringing up babies．
74．Marriages improve after children fly the coop not because
A．many couples are able to spend time together
B．many couples arc able to enjoy each other’s company
C．things are a little more relaxed
D．many couples needn’t work at all
75．The author ofthe passage tends to agree that．
A．parents should build their life around their kids
B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home
C．parents’relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all
D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home