He met her at a party. She was so outstanding, with many boys around her, while he was so normal, with nobody paying attention to him.
At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed. They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, thinking, “Please let me go home.”
Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”
Everybody stared at him—so strange！His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?”
He replied, “When I was a little boy, I was living near the sea. I liked playing in the sea, and I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood. I miss my hometown so much. I miss my parents who are still living there.” While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That’s his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has responsibility of home. Then she also started to speak, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.
They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he was kind-hearted, warm and careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to the salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, then they were living a happy life… And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee.
After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you—the salty coffee.”
“Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. Actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.”
“I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.”
“Now I’m dying, I’m afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don’t like the salty coffee. What a strange bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!”
“Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.”
Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?”
“It’s sweet,” she replied.
60. After ordering some salt to put into the coffee, the young man must have felt ___.
A. touched B. satisfied C. disappointed D. embarrassed
61. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Salt coffee is more delicious and sweeter than sugar coffee.
B. The man ordered the salt coffee in order to create a chance to date with the girl.
C. The man had to have the salty coffee all his life to keep his word.
D. The woman hardly believed the man’s explanation at the first date.
62. From the passage we can see that the man is ___.
A. caring and kind-hearted B. shy and sly
C. dishonest but responsible D. warm and understanding
63. It is implied in the passage that the woman ___ when reading the letter left by her husband.
A. was cheated by his husband’s behavior
B. was touched by his husband’s white lie
C. felt sorry to know the truth too late
D. felt angry about his dishonesty
Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her demanding job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry. “We knew it had to be a specialty store because we couldn’t match the big chains dollar for dollar,” says Mary. One figure caught her attention: She’d read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries （推理小说）, and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.
The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
“The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income,” says Richard. “This has always been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”
72．When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.
A. they had to put their plan into practice
B. health was more important than wealth
C. heart trouble was a serious illness
D. they both needed to stop working
73．After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.
A. to study industrial management
B. to buy and read more mystery books
C. to do market research on book business
D. to work harder to save money for the bookstore
74．How did their bookstore do in the first year?
A. They had to borrow money to keep it going.
B. They made just enough to cover all the costs.
C. They succeeded in earning a lot of money.
D. They failed though they worked hard.
75．According to Richard, the main purpose of running the bookstore is _____.
A. to pay for their children’s education
B. to get to know more writers
C. to set up more bookstores
D. to do what they like to do
Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street comers. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion （宗教）. So what's the point?
"To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication（交流）."
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lest her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract mare people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
56. What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?
A. Chatting with people.
B. Setting up street signs.
C. Telling stories to strangers.
D. Organizing a speaker's comer.
57. What they have been doing can be described as______.
A. pointless B. normal C. crazy D. successful
58. Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?
A. They knew Liz and Bill very well.
B. They happened to meet the writer of the text.
C. They organized the get-together in the city park.
D. They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.
59. What will Liz and Bill do in the future?
A. Go in for publishing.B. Do more television programs.
C. Continue what they are doing. D. Spend more time reading books.
60. How do they like the idea of writing a book?
A. They have decided to wait a year or two.
B. They will think about it carefully.
C. They agreed immediately.
D. They find it hard to do that.
Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills（读写能力）. With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence（自信心）, according to Intermountain Therapy Animals（ITA）in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs （READ）.
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeal it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.
59．What is mainly discussed in the text?
A．Children’s reading difficulties. B．Advantages of raising dogs.
C．Service in public library. D．A special reading program.
60．Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think__________.
A．dogs are young children’s best friends
B．children can play with dogs while reading
C．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children
D．children and dogs understand each other
61．By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library ______________.
A．uses dogs to attract children B．accepts the idea put forward by ITA
C．has opened a children’s department D．has decided to train some dogs
62．A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _________.
A．a book used in Saturday classes B．a book written by the children
C．a prize for the children D．a gift from parents
"My kids really understand solar and earth-heat energy," says a second-grade teacher in Saugus, California. "Some of them are building solar collectors for their energy course." These young scientists are part of City Building Educational Program (CBEP), a particular program for kindergarten through twelfth grade that uses the stages of city planning to teach basic reading, writing and math skills, and more.
The children don't just plan any city. They map and analyze (分析) the housing, energy, and transportation requirements of their own district and foretell its needs in 100 years. With the aid of an architect ( 建筑师) who visits the classroom once a week, they invent new ways to meet these needs and build models of their creations. "Designing buildings of the future gives children a lot of freedom," says the teacher who developed this program. "They are able to use their own rich imagination and inventions without fear of blame, because there are no wrong answers in a future context. In fact, as the class enters the final model-building stage of the program, an elected ‘official’ and ‘planning group’ make all the design decisions for the model city, and the teacher steps back and becomes an adviser."
CBEP is a set of activities, games and imitations that teach the basic steps necessary for problem-solving: observing, analyzing, working out possible answers, and judging them based on the children's own standards.
63. The Program is designed _____.
A. to direct kids to build solar collectors
B. to train young scientists for city planning
C. to develop children's problem-solving abilities
D. to help young architects know more about designing
64. An architect pays a weekly visit to the classroom ______.
A. to find out kids’ creative ideas B. to discuss with the teacher
C. to give children lecturesD. to help kids with their program
65. Who is the designer of the program?
A. An official. B. An architect. C. A teacher. D. A scientist.
66. The children feel free in the program because______.
A. they can design future buildings themselves B. they have new ideas and rich imagination
C. they are given enough time to design models D. they need not worry about making mistakes
Handshaking, though a European practise is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed (无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake (hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly- There is generally a misunderstanding (误解) among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straight forward, while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people in western countries more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.
64. In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other ______.
A. to make a dealB. to greet each other
C. to show friendliness D. to reach an agreement
65. The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
A. where handshaking was first practised
B. how handshaking came about
C. about the relationship between handshaking and trade
D. about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China
66. According to the text. which of the following statements is true?
A. Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese.
B. Westerners are unwilling to shake hands.
C. We should make a judgment before shaking hands.
D. We shouldn’t shake hands with European women.
67. The main purpose of the text is ______.
A. to tell us some differences between the East and the West
B. to offer us some important facts about handshaking
C. to introduce us to some different customs in the West
D. to give us some advice before we travel abroad