I recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant , and ancient for a sportsman, Fifty is
a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me．Fifty is supposed to be my father’s age．but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means．
A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying, “ Fifty is what forty used to be ．”He had made an
inspirational point, Am I over the hill ?People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that he high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now．
“ Your are not getting older, you are getting better ．” says Dr．Joyce Brothers ．This, however, is the kind
of doctor who inspires a second opinion．
And so．as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net．I am moves to share some thoughts on aging with you．I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally．Getting older．of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies(悼词)．In fact , a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all :
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to me．
Whether or not Browning was right , most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for
what is ahead being as good as what has gone by．I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend ( 混合) of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher(哲学家) was right when he said ．”Old is always fifteen years from now．”
5．The author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that
A．time alone will tell B．time goes by quickly
C．time will show what is right D．time makes one forget the past
6．When the author turned fifty , people around him
A．tried to comfort him B．got inspiration with him
C．were friendlier with him D．found him more talkative
7．The author considers his fifty years of life
A peaceful B．ordinary C．satisfactory D．regretful
8．We can infer from the passage that
A．the old should led a simple life B．the old should face the fact of aging
C．the old should take more exercise D．the old should fill themselves with curiosity
“I never expected that I would be so busy. Why can’t there be 25 hours in a day?” complained Liu Ran in Hong Kong as mid-term exams were going on.
The 18-year-old was Shandong Province’s top scorer in this year’s college entrance examination. After graduating from Tai’an No.1 High School, she chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong(香港中文大学) ， although both Peking University and Tsinghua University promised her a place.
“I want to experience a more international school and social life in Hong Kong. I’m majoring in journalism, so Hong Kong will surely help widen my horizons,” Liu said.
It is two months since Liu first set foot on Hong Kong. She missed home a lot at the beginning, because of the food and language problems.
“The canteen offers mostly Western or Guangdong food, but it’s convenient to cook for ourselves in our dorm if we like. People speak Cantonese and almost all classes are in English,” Liu explained.
Her English and Cantonese are now both improving, but she still needs more time to adapt to the new environment.
“I’m happy that I made the right decision to study here. With a mix of the Eastern and Western cultures, there is so much to discover and learn,” she said.
Liu has 18 credit hours(学分) of classes every week and 23 non-credit hours every other week. She has signed up for four associations including the Chinese Language Debating Team and the drama club. Essays, book reports and presentations also take plenty of time to prepare. And , of course, there are various parties to attend.
“I wasn’t a party animal before, but that may be interesting part of college. I sense myself changing,” Liu said.Liu Ran chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong, because___________.
| A．she couldn’t be admitted to Peking University |
| B．Hong Kong is a good place |
| C．she wants to be far from her homeland |
| D．the Chinese University of Hong Kong can widen her horizons |
According to the last paragraph, we can infer______________________________.
| A．now Liu Ran is an animal |
| B．Liu Ran hates the busy life in the Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| C．Liu Ran likes the food there |
| D．the busy and full life makes Liu Ran feel good |
Liu Ran had to overcome the difficulties in many aspects EXCEPT_______________.
| A．food | B．language | C．missing home | D．no friends |
The 16-year-old girl Jessica Watson is said to be the youngest person to sail non-stop alone around the world. But her record has been questioned because someone thought that she has not sailed far enough. She will also not be recognized by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, as it was too dangerous for someone under 18 years old.
Ms Watson sailed into Sydney port on Saturday, seven months after leaving on a hard voyage. Family, friends and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have gathered to greet her. Thousands of well-wishers waited at the port and watched from boats as Ms Watson sailed her pink, 10m boat over the finishing line. Many more Australians watched the event broadcast live on television. Watson said she was just an “ordinary girl who believed in her dream”.
Ms Watson left Sydney on 18 October, despite that some people disagreed to her plan. Watson traveled northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator (赤道), south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia. The route took her through some of the world’s most changeful waters, and she battled through huge storms and suffered seven accidents of her boat.
People around the world have followed Ms Watson’s adventures on her blog, which she has daily updated (更新). On her blog, she wrote down beautiful sunrise over seas, the excitement of meeting a blue whale and the bright, terrible sight of a shooting star flying across the night sky above her boat. Ms Watson has reportedly sold her story to a news company for $700,000. She is planning to write a book on her experience. Which of the following oceans didn’t Ms Watson cross through in her voyage?
| A．The Pacific Ocean. | B．The Arctic Ocean. |
| C．The Indian Ocean. | D．The Atlantic Ocean. |
Ms Watson’s voyage will NOT be considered an official world record mainly because __________.
| A．no one can prove that her route was dangerous enough |
| B．she hasn’t applied for the record |
| C．teenagers are not encouraged to take such a dangerous adventure |
| D．girls are not allowed to take part in the dangerous sports |
We can make a conclusion from this passage that Watson __________.
| A．would make another voyage for money |
| B．made the world round voyage for money |
| C．had no way to communicate with others during the voyage. |
| D．is so confident and brave that she could overcome troubles on her own |
All the following can be inferred from this passage EXCEPT that __________.
| A．her book about her voyage is a best seller |
| B．people in Australia had much interest in her voyage |
| C．she spent more than 200 days alone at sea |
| D．people have different attitudes towards her voyage |
These days, there’s a popular cartoon named happy sheep and gray wolf. It’s an excellent Chinese cartoon, which tells the stories of happy sheep and gray wolf. The poor gray wolf is always trying hard to catch the sheep, but the sheep could always run away from the danger. The sheep are so clever and lovely that the cartoon gets all the children’s love. At the same time, the cartoon is full of humor. The children could learn more knowledge and enjoyment from it.
The cartoon is shown repeatedly on many TV channels.The Zhejiang Channel broadcasts the cartoon on weekends and the vacations; the Sichuan Channel broadcasts the cartoon for an hour in the evening; the Shandong Channel broadcasts it in the morning, while CCTV-3 broadcasts it at noon every day.
On one hand, the cartoon gets the children’s love because the happy sheep is really clever. He always has a way to work out any problem and save his friends. What’s more , there’re many things about happy sheep and gray wolf, such as the books, the toys, the pencil-box, the clothings, and so on. Children are happy to buy them. On the other hand, many adults (大人) also like the cartoon, for the gray wolf is regarded as the perfect husband with skills and effort. He invents many things just to catch a sheep for his wife. Though he is often hit by his wife, he always makes her happy without complaining (抱怨).
We can learn more from the cartoon, including the skills, the stories, the details, the humor, and so on. We could see the humor of Chinese type during the cartoon. But I don’t like its being shown so often. It may make the children spend more time on watching TV and it is bad for their health and study. The underlined word “cartoon” in the first paragraph is ________.
| A．a kind of picture | B．a kind of sheep |
| C．a kind of film | D．a kind of book |
Which channel is not mentioned in the passage.
| A．Zhejiang Channel | B．Shandong Channel | C．Sichuan Channel | D．CCTV-1 |
Why do many adults also like the cartoon Happy Sheep and Gray Wolf?
| A．Because they like men like gray wolf. |
| B．Because they are still young. |
| C．Because they want to make their children happy. |
| D．Because there are many things about the happy sheep and the gray wolf. |
The author doesn’t like its being shown repeatedly because ________
| A．he thinks children will feel bored after seeing it again and again |
| B．he is afraid that children’s health and study will be affected |
| C．he doesn’t like the cartoon himself. |
| D．he thinks it is a waste of money |
The following are the world-renewed attractions in London, so don’t miss them while touring there.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe, which officially opened in 1997, is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, built in 1599, and brings Shakespeare’s world to life. As a visitor to the exhibition，you’ll discover how shows were produced in the theatres during Shakespeare’s time. The guide-storytellers take you on a fascinating half-hour tour.
Price: Adult ￡9.00；Child(5-15) ￡6.50; Student ￡7.50; Under 5 FREE.
The Tower of London
The tower, nearly 100 feet high, with walls 15 feet thick, was built in the early 1080s. King Henry Ⅲ made this tower his home. King Edward V and his younger brother were murdered inside by their uncle. Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by her half sister Mary who felt that her throne(王位)was being threatened(威胁). In 1603, part of the tower became a museum.
Price: Adult ￡16.50; Child (5-15) ￡9.50; Under 5 FREE; Student ￡13.50; Family (two adults with three children) ￡46.00.
Banqueting(宴会) House
Banqueting House is the remains of Whitehall Palace which was built in 1529 and was home to the English kings. It was destroyed by fire. Famous for its architecture and painting, the building is also known for being the scene of Charles I’s execution(处决)。
Price: Adult ￡4.50; Child ￡2.25; Student (with ID) and senior citizen (60+) ￡3.00; Under 5 FREE.
Tower Bridge Exhibition
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the world. At the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can enjoy breath-taking views from the high-level walkways and learn about the history of the bridge and how it was built. You can then visit the Victorian engine rooms, home to the original steam engines that used to power the bridge.
Price: Adult￡6.00; Child (5-15) ￡3.00; Under 5 FREE; Senior citizen(60+) ￡4.50; Student￡4.50.Which of the following places has the longest history?
| A．Whitehall Palace. | B．The Globe Theatre. |
| C．The Tower of London. | D．Tower Bridge. |
If two parents with their 4-year-old son visit Tower Bridge, they should pay .
| A．￡12 | B．￡15 | C．￡9 | D．16 |
Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by Mary mainly because .
| A．Mary didn’t like her |
| B．she tried to steal Mary’s treasure |
| C．Mary feared she would become the Queen |
| D．she intended to murder Mary |
How many places used as a king’s home are mentioned in this passage?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
About three hundred words in the English language come from the names of people. Many of these words are technical words. When there is a new invention of discovery, a new word may be coined(杜撰) after the inventor or scientist.
It is interesting to observe how many common words have found their way into the language from the names of people. Lord Sandwich, who lived from 1718-1792, used to sit at the gambling(赌博) table eating bread with meat in between. As the Lord was the only one among his friends who ate bread in that way, his friends began to call the bread “sandwich” for fun. Later on，the word became part of the English language.
The word “boycott” means to refuse to have anything to do with somebody or something. It comes from a man called Captain Boycott. He was a land agent in 1880 and he collected rents and taxes for an English landowner in Ireland. But the Captain was a very harsh(苛刻的) man. He treated his poor tenants (佃户) very badly. His tenants decided not to speak to him at all. Eventually word got back to the landowner and the Captain was removed（免除）. The word “boycott” became popular and was used by everyone to mean the kind of treatment that was received by Captain Boycott.A few hundred ___________ come from the names of people.
| A．new inventions | B．languages | C．English words | D．new discoveries |
“Sandwich” is a word coined (杜撰) by ____________.
| A．Lord Sandwich | B．the friends of Lord Sandwich |
| C．inventors | D．scientists |
The tenants did not like ___________.
| A．to collect rents and taxes | B．the English landowner |
| C．the harsh land agent | D．to speak |