Every night for a year, Neil Simons quietly went out of his house．He wanted to “talk” to an owl settling for the night at the end of his garden．He made owl cries like a real wild owl and was happy to hear the bird “hooting （大声叫嚣）” back to him．
Last year Fred Cornes moved in next door．He heard an owl hooting and answered back．For 12 months the neighbors got into the back gardens of their homes, thinking they were talking with nature．Mr．Simmons kept a diary of all his talks with his bird friend．They would both be out again tonight if it wasn’t for a chance talk between their wives．
Mr．Simmons said．“My wife Kim was telling Fred’s wife Wendy about my owl watching and described how I got the birds to boot back．She said, ‘That’s funny — that’s just what Fred has been doing．’ Then the penny dropped, I felt such a fool when I found out．The trouble is that owl calls aren’t exactly the same and it’s easy to make a mistake．”
Mr．Cornes said, “I’m really flattered （过奖）．I didn’t know I sounded so real．I love nature and I couldn’t resist hooting at the owls．I was very excited when they hooted back．I’m sorry that I was fooling my neighbor who was fooling me．”
36．After the talk between the wives, the two men would probably _________ ．
A．stop observing owls B．not stay up hooting again
C．not enter the back garden again D．make no mistakes about wild owl cries
37．“Then the penny dropped．” most probably means “Then __________．”
A．I understood B．everybody knew about it
C．I heard the noise D．no money was paid
38．Mr．Simmons felt upset about the whole thing because __________．
A．all his efforts seemed to be meaningless
B．his wife let out his secret by chance
C．garden owls hooted so differently
D．Fred had been doing the same
39．The text suggests that __________．
A．Nail seldom heard natural owl calls
B．the owl never hooted back to Neil
C．Fred was always good at pleasing owls
D．owl watching is no longer interesting to Fred
Behind the traffic noise and modernday confusion on Stoney Creek Road in Bexley lies a small but amazing piece of history.Just a century ago，Mr Harold Chapman Snr.founded Sydney’s Famous Original Doll Hospital and，although the Hospital has relocated several times，you cannot help but get a sense of days gone by when you walk through the doors.
In 1913 Sydney’s first Doll Hospital was opened in Beamish Street.Campsie by Mr Harold Chapman Snr as part of his General Store，all beginning from a simple shipping accident.Harold’s brother was in the business of importing dolls from Japan and during the shipping process the rubber bands holding the dolls together would go rotten and it was Harold who found a way to repair them.From such a small beginning grew quite a successful business as demand for doll repairs increased.
The business was taken over in the 1930’s by Harold’s son，also Harold Chapman who relocated the Doll Hospital to Her Majesty’s Arcade in Sydney where the business expanded.The real boom came in 1939 with World War Ⅱ and the extreme restrictions on production and import.Suddenly new dolls were no longer an option so little children had to have their “best friends” lovingly repaired.
In 1968 the Doll Hospital moved to its present location.It is now run by Mr Geoff Chapman，Harold Jnr’s son.The Hospital is not only in its third generation of owners，but also its third generation of “doctors”，the skills and knowledge being passed down through the family of repairers.
Flipping through the “Before and After” photo album，you can see just how many wonderful repairs have been carried out and you can just imagine the stories behind them.It is estimated that the Doll Hospital has treated over 2.5 million “patients” so far—that’s a lot of childhood memories revived!The Doll Hospital gives visitors a sense of days gone by possibly because ________.
| A．the buildings are of ageold appearance |
| B．the design of the doors suggests old times |
| C．they have already known the Hospital’s story |
| D．what they see reminds them of their childhood |
Early in 1910s Harold’ brother________.
| A．ran a General Store |
| B．shipped dolls from abroad |
| C．helped Harold repair dolls |
| D．ended his old business |
Harold Jnr refers to the________of the Doll Hospital.
| A．founder | B．second owner | C．third owner | D．present owner |
Judging from the article，________during World War Ⅱ.
| A．most people couldn’t afford new dolls |
| B．little children didn’t like new dolls |
| C．playing with dolls wasn’t allowed |
| D．new dolls were hardly available |
What can you see in the “Before and After” photo album?
| A．The three generations of the “doctors”． |
| B．The past and present of the Hospital. |
| C．The dolls before and after their repairs. |
| D．All the 2.5 million dolls repaired. |
When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow，the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady.The reporter released the secret—Ma Ke.
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke’s designs for more than a decade，a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit，accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping.The elegant and attractive Peng，formerly a popular singer，has been compared with the US’ first lady Michelle Obama and France’s Carla BruniSarkozy，since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22.Suddenly，everyone was curious to know more about the first lady’s wardrobe.
Even so，Ma prefers a lowkey approach.“If you eat a tasty egg why would you want to see the hen？” she says of all the media attention.
Ma’s relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind.Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma’s designs and had been wearing them for years.
The two naturally became friends.Ma says：“The painting reflects the painter，and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer.Someone desires fame and wealth，or love and sympathy；what you have in your heart is reflected in the design.Those who don’t share my philosophy won’t buy my clothes.Peng is a caring person，devoted to charity and environmental protection，which is exactly what I’m doing now.”
However，regardless of the brand，Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands.
“Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion，desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage，” says a western designer.
The first lady’s doublebreasted coat and her black leather handbag aren’t available at any of Exception’s shops，though Exception’s physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors.The passage mainly discusses________.
| A．the designer of the first lady Peng Liyuan’s dress，Ma Ke |
| B．the friendship between Peng Liyuan and her designer |
| C．Peng Liyuan’s clothes on her first state visit |
| D．the reactions to Peng Liyuan’s first visit to Moscow |
In the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 Ma Ke mentioned “an egg and the hen” to show________.
| A．it is hard to explain “Which came first，the egg or the hen？” |
| B．paying such great attention to her was unnecessary |
| C．the outcome was more important than the process |
| D．her dissatisfaction with the media attention on her dress |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together. |
| B．Peng’s suits can be bought in Ma Ke’s clothes stores. |
| C．Ma Ke offered to design the first lady’s clothes through her friends. |
| D．Peng had liked Ma’s designs long before she got to know her in the flesh. |
In the passage，Peng Liyuan________.
| A．often reflects on what she has in her heart before choosing clothes |
| B．is sympathetic and has a strong environmental consciousness |
| C．always desires the exceptional charm of the brand |
| D．is knowledgeable in philosophy |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Peng wears the dress designed by a Chinese designer probably to support Chinese brands |
| B．Many citizens found Peng Liyuan’s choice quite unexpected. |
| C．Black leather handbags like Peng’s are widely sold in bag stores in big cities. |
| D．After Peng Liyuan’s visit to Moscow Ma Ke’s clothes became more popular. |
At 9:00 Dick Spivak's bank telephoned and said his payment was late. "The check is in the post," Dick replied quickly. At 11:45 Dick left for a 12:00 meeting across town. Arriving late, he explained that traffic (交通) had been bad. That evening, Dick's girlfriend wore a new dress. He hated it. "It looks just great on you," he said.
Three lies in one day! Yet Dick Spivak is just an ordinary man. Each time, he told himself that sometimes the truth causes too many problems. Most of us tell much the same white lies, harmless untruths that help to save trouble. How often do we tell white lies? It depends in part on our age, education, and even where we live. According to one U. S. study, women are more truthful than men, and honesty increases as we get older.
While most people use little white lies to make life easier, the majority of Americans care about honesty in both public and personal life. They say that people today are less honest than they were ten years ago. Although it is believed that things are getting worse, lying seems to be an age-old human problem. The French philosopher (哲学家) Vauvenarges writing in the eighteenth century, touched on the truth when he wrote, "All men are born truthful and die liars (说谎者)."When the writer says "Dick Spivak is just an ordinary man", he means ______.
| A．it is common that people tell white lies |
| B．Dick could do nothing about had traffic |
| C．it is common that people delay their payment |
| D．Dick found it hard to deal with everyday problems |
According to the text, most Americans ______.
| A．hate white lies | B．believe white lies |
| C．value honesty | D．consider others dishonest |
Vauvenarges' remark suggests that ______.
| A．lying is an age-old human problem |
| B．dishonesty increases as people get older |
| C．people were dishonest in the 18th century |
| D．it is social conditions that make people tell lies |
Almost every machine with moving parts has wheels, yet no one knows exactly when the first wheel was invented or what it was used for. We do know，however，that they existed over 5,500years ago in ancient Asia.
The oldest known transport wheel was discovered in 2002 in Slovenia. It is over 5，100 years
old. Evidence suggests that wheels for transport didn't become popular for .while, though . This could be because animals did a perfectly good job of carrying farming tools and humans around.
But it could also be because of a difficult situation. While wheels need to roll on smooth surfaces, roads with smooth surfaces weren't going to be constructed until there was plenty of demand for them. Eventually, road surfaces did become smoother, but this difficult situation appeared again a few centuries later. There had been no important changes in wheel and vehicle design before the arrival of modern road design.
In the mid-1700s,a Frenchman came up with a new design of road--a base layer (层)of large stones covered with a thin layer of smaller atones. A Scotsman improved on this design in the 1820s and a strong, lasting road surface became a reality. At around the same time, metal hubs(the central part of a wheel came into being, followed by the Wheels were invented in 1967, sixty years after the appearance of tarmacked roads(泊油路). As wheel design took off, vehicles got faster and faster.What might explain why transport wheels didn’t become popular for some time?
| A．Few knew how to use transport wheels. |
| B．Humans carried farming tools just as well. |
| C．Animals were a good means of transport. |
| D．The existence of transport wheels was not known. |
What do we know about road design from the passage?
| A．It was easier than wheel design. |
| B．It improved after big changes in vehicle design. |
| C．It was promoted by fast-moving vehicles. |
| D．It provided conditions for wheel design to develop. |
How is the last paragraph mainly developed?
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following time order. |
| D．By making classifications. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The beginning of road deaign. |
| B．The development of transport wheels. |
| C．The history of public transport. |
| D．The invention of fast-moving vehicles. |
While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt nervous and anxious as he thought about the upcoming showdown. What if Mr. Larchmont refused to grant his request? Andrew had worked so hard in the last 18 months and landed some great accounts for Braer and Hopkins Advertising Agency. Of course, he deserved a wage increase.
The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally courageous enough to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the ever-frugal（一向节俭的）Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a raise!
Andrew arrived home that evening—despite breaking all city and state speed limits—to a beautiful table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office had tipped her off!
Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered note. It was from his wife. It read: “Congratulations, my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Tina was.
After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert when he observed that a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you even though you did not get the increase.”
Suddenly tears swelled in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.What was Andrew’s plan that Friday?
| A．To request a wage increase from his boss. |
| B．To get a job with the Braer and Hopkins Advertising Agency. |
| C．To celebrate his success with his wife at home. |
| D．To ask his boss to come for dinner. |
On his way back home, Andrew _________.
| A．felt weak in the knees | B．was punished by the traffic policeman |
| C．was too eager to share the news | D．couldn’t wait to enjoy a meal |
Which of the following statements about the story is FALSE?
| A．Andrew was afraid that his request would lead to disaster. |
| B．Andrew had worked very hard and done his part for the company. |
| C．Andrew’s boss agreed to his request. |
| D．One of Andrew’s colleagues had told his wife the good news. |
Why did Tina prepare a grand dinner for Andrew that day?
| A．She was confident of his getting a pay raise. |
| B．She meant to show her support whatever the result would be. |
| C．She believed that her husband was the best in his company. |
| D．She wanted to express her gratitude for his devotion to the family. |
We can conclude from the text that ______.
| A．we should never be afraid to ask for what is due to us |
| B．work hard and you will be rewarded |
| C．many fears turn out to be unfounded |
| D．unconditional love brings courage and strength |