I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss.
Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in more than half the subjects. I didn’t care, at least not till my dad found out about it. You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me.
Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, “Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on”. It hit me like a roundhouse kick (回旋踢) from Bruce Lee. I was jolted (震摇) out of my bones! I couldn’t comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit.
When I went back to college, I knew that if I don’t change the way I live my life I won’t be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books.
One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude (优等成绩). Life was never the same again. This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I’m about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it!The author wrote this text with the purpose of ________.
| A．introducing his university life to the teenage readers |
| B．encouraging those lazy students to study hard at school |
| C．showing you can overcome any difficulty if you take action |
| D．calling on the readers not to develop bad habits in college |
The author didn’t care about his study until _______.
| A．he entered the engineering school | B．he was in heavy debt he couldn’t bear |
| C．he decided to give up smoking | D．his allowance was cut in half |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that the author ________.
| A．paid off his debt and life wasn’t hard for him any more |
| B．removed his bad habits and didn’t lead a casual life |
| C．never hung out with his friends but studied all day |
| D．began to live a happy life due to his good grades |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Students tended to earn money for college expenses in America. |
| B．The author did well in making good friends in the school. |
| C．The author made great progress with the help of his friends. |
| D．Students were encouraged to do part-time jobs in Indian schools. |
New York State has passed the USA’s first state law banning motorists talking on hand-held cell phones. The ban will begin November 1, although drivers caught using hand-held cell phones will be given only warnings during the first month.
First-time violators(违法者) will face a ＄100 fine. A second time call for a ＄200 fine and every violation after that will cost＄500．
At least a dozen localities(地方) have established bans, starting in 1999; and 40 states have had bans proposed but not passed．At least 23 countries, including the Great Britain, Italy, Israel and Japan, ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones.
There are about 115 million cell phones in use in the United States and more than 6 million in New York State.
“To think that I’m not going to use cell phone when at the same time I can still use my laptop, I still can read a paper, I can still change my pants(裤子) while driving 65 mph. I think there’s just something wrong,” an official said．
Other critics noted that other things like eating, drinking coffee and applying make-up while driving posed(造成) at least as much of a concern. They suggested that the ban include a broader range of things.
1．How much fine will a hand-held cell phone user receive if he has been caught using it four times while driving after November?
A．$500． B．$1000． C．$1200． D．$1300．
2．We can see from this passage that _______.
A．the ban has been put into effect in most states in the U. S.
B．many of the developed countries forbid drivers using hand-held cell phones
C．over fifty localities or states ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones
D．more people in the U. S. are against the ban than for it
3．The official mentioned in this passage _______.
A．does not agree with this ban
B．doesn’t believe using hand-held cell phones while driving will cause any danger
C．doesn’t understand why hand-held cell phones alone should be banned among many others
D．believes changing pants while driving will cause greater danger
4．The writer intends to tell us in the last paragraph that _______.
A．it is not fair to have this ban passed
B．the ban will never be passed in the whole country
C．more activities of the same kind should also be banned
D．the ban will meet with more criticism
5．This article is most probably taken from_______.
A．a newspaper article B．an advertisement
C．a personal diary D．a letter
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Everybody has had at least one experience from which he knows the meaning of life. This time, which took place several years ago, but seems as if it just happened.
On an afternoon several years ago, my brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s dress and picked out a beautiful skirt. “ Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.” he said．I guess this was the occasion: it was the funeral of my sister, after her unexpected death.
He took the shirt and put it on bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the funeral. Then he closed the drawer and turned to me, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”
I’m thinking about his words, and they’ve changed the way I live my life. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a kind of experience to enjoy, not to suffer. “Someday ”and “one of these days ”are losing their importance on my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.
Ever since that day, I have been trying very hard not to put off, hold back or save anything that would add laughter and color to our lives. Every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, every breath, truly is a gift. So cherish every day and find the true meaning of your life.
56．Why did Jan buy the beautiful skirt but didn’t wear it?
A．She waited for a special occasion to wear it on.
B．She wanted to keep it for someone else.
C．She saved it till she grew up.
D．She would give it to herself as a gift some day.
57．What does the underlined word “cherish” mean?
A．Treasure. B．Waste. C．Own. D．Save
58．From his experience, the author learns that_______.
A．everybody can have a happy life through efforts
B．every day in our lives is worth cherishing
C．enjoying ourselves is the most important thing in our lives
D．everybody will have some things left to do after his death
59．What does the author write this passage for?
A．To show how to make good use of everyday in life.
B．To explain the true meaning of his brother-in-law’s words.
C．To tell people to cherish every day and find the meaning of life.
D．To encourage people to waste time and enjoy themselves in life.
60．What’s the best title for this passage?
A．Every Day IS a Gift
B．My Sister Jan
C．What Is the Meaningful Life like
D．The Most Important Time in Your Life
Only three local students won Chinese Blog（博客）Competition. And 15 of the 18 awards went to students from China.
170 students’ task: to get a fully-designed blog up and running, complete with many postings based on a theme of choice—all written in Chinese.
Themes ranged from local opinions－such as the usage of Singlish, education and whether Singapore can be a cultural centre－to food blogs.
The entries were judged on Language proficiency（熟练程度）and the quality of writing, as well as the design and level of exchanging ideas with readers.
Academics(学者) from the National University of Singapore and the SIM University IT experts, and a journalist from Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore made up the judges.
In the end, only three Singaporean students made it to the award list—the rest of the awards were swept up by students from China.
“No surprise, ” said Mr. Chow Yaw Long, 37, teachers in charge from Innova Junior College, which organized the event. “Although the topics were local subjects, the foreign students were generally better in terms of the content of the posts and their grasp of the Chinese language. ”
One of the three local students winning the first prize in the Best Language Award was blogger Christina Gao 19, from the Saint Andrew’s Junior College, who spared no effort in researching for and writing her blog. Each entry took her between five and seven days to produce, complete with pictures and even podcasts(播客).
Her advice for bloggers is: Be responsible(负责任的).
“Some bloggers out there only seek to blame(责备) the authorities and other bloggers.” Said Miss Gao. “I think they lack responsibilities and there is no value to their posts.”
72. The competition was organized by ___________.
A. the National University of Singapore B. Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao
C. the Saint Andrew’s Junior College D. Innova Junior College
73. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Not all the themes were about local subjects.
B. Chinese students won most of the awards.
C. The blogs could be written in Chinese or Singlish.
D. The judges were from universities in Singapore and China.
74. What Miss Gao said suggests that ___________.
A. she likes to blame the authorities B. she thinks highly of the others’ blogs
C. she has a sense of responsibility D. she loves to read valuable posts
75. The passage in mainly about ___________.
A. how Chinese students won the awards in the competition
B. why bloggers should take responsibility for their blogs
C. what the result of the competition was
D. how Miss Gao won the first prize in the competition
It was the first snow of winter — an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up until now, I had been able to dress myself for recess(课间休息), but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, had been through first snow days many times in her long career, but I think she may still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow pants. But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes. At least my hat and matching scarf(围巾) were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots(靴子). In her calm, motherly voice she said, "By the end of winter, you will be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot. Like most children, I expected the adult to do all the work. After much wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced，“They’re on the wrong feet.” With the grace that only experience can bring，she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again. Then I said，“These aren’t my boots, you know.” As she pulled the offending boots from my feet, she still managed to look both helpful and interested. Once they were off, I said，“They are my brother’s boots. My mother makes me wear them, and I hate them!” Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying(烦人的) little girl．She pushed and shoved, less gently this time, and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet. With a great sigh of relief, seeing the end of her struggle with me, she asked, “Now, where are your gloves?’’
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I put them into the toes of my boots.”
68. According to the passage, the little girl got from her brother.
A. the wool snow pants and the jacket B. the jacket and the boots
C. the jacket and the hat D. the boots and the gloves
69. Why does the author say Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?
A. Because the little girl played a trick on her.
B. Because it was the most exciting day of the winter.
C. Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes.
D. Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf.
70. We can learn from the text that Miss Finlayson_________.
A. was losing confidence in the little girl B. gradually lost patience with the little girl
C. because disappointed with the little girl D. was getting bored with the little girl
71. It can be inferred(推断) that before the little girl finally went out to enjoy the first snow of winter，the teacher had to help her put on her boots __________.
A. once B. twice C. three times D. four times
A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift－$7,000,a legacy(遗产) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were going under financially(经济上),” says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They thrived on(喜欢) comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before buying something.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything.” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden. “They could see things they could do to make you happier and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed(分送). It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents —should enrich the whole community (社区) and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
64. According to the text, the Fusses ____________.
A. were employed by a truck company B. worked in a school cafeteria
C. were in financial difficulty D. lost their home
65. Which of the following is true of the Hatches?
A. They gave away their possessions to their neighbors.
B. They left the family farm to live in an old house.
C. They had their children during the Great Depression.
D. They helped their neighbors to find jobs.
66. Why would the Hatches routinely go from store to store?
A. They decided to open a store. B. They wanted to save money.
C. They couldn’t afford expensive things . D. They wanted to buy gifts for local kids.
67. According to Sandy Van Weelden, the Hatches were _________.
A. mean B. childlike C. curious D. understanding