The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it in
to the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand, and it’s just as easy to throw it away. The man bought the book because _____________.
| A．he wanted to read it | B．it was very interesting |
| C．there was a secret in the book | D．he wanted to find the touchstone |
We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is _________.
| A．pure | B．cold | C．magic | D．big |
Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?
| A．Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles. |
| B．Because he didn’t want others to pick them up. |
| C．Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks. |
| D．Because he didn’t like the cold feelings. |
What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
| A．We should offer opportunities in our life. |
| B．We should seek for opportunities in the world. |
| C．We may seize opportunities when we are watchful. |
| D．We may discover opportunities when forming habits. |
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66. Which of the following is NOT included in a starter pack?
A. One hundred used stamps and hinges and album pages.
B. The Collectors Club Guide to Collecting and badge and stickers.
C. The latest Collectors Club magazine and membership card.
D. Royal Mail Stamp Calendar and Collectors Corner supplement.
67. This advertisement is written for people who want to_______.
A. make money through collecting stamps B. develop stamp collection as a hobby
C. get something free from the club D. find out where the club is located
68. From the advertisement we can learn_____.
A. Collectors Club is among the biggest clubs in this country
B. how much you must pay to become a member of the club
C. today is the last day for stamp collectors to join the club
D. members may receive a set of album pages every month
69. Where is this advertisement most probably found?
A. In a newspaper. B. On a web page.
C. In a magazine. D. On a TV program.
第三节: 阅读理解(共18小题;每小题1.5分,满分27分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A year ago，I paid no attention to English idioms，though my teacher emphasized（强调）the importance again and again.But soon,the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day,I happened to meet an Englishman on the road,and soon we began to talk.As I was talking about how I was studying English,the foreigner seemed to be astonished(惊讶).Gently shaking his head，shrugging（耸）his shoulders,he said，“You don’t say!”“You don’t say!”I was puzzled（疑惑不解）.I thought , perhaps this is not an appropriate（适当的）topic.“Well, I’d better change the topic.”So I said to him.“Well,shall we talk about the Great Wall?By the way,have you ever been there?”“Certainly,everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it.It was magnificent.”He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide.“The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world.We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted(打断) again by his words: “You don’t say!”I couldn’t help asking,“Why do you ask me not to talk about it?”“Well,I didn’t request you to do so,”he answered,greatly surprised.I said,“Didn’t you say‘you don’t say’？”Hearing this,the Englishman laughed to tears.He began to explain“‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’ It is an expression of surprise.Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.”I realized I had made a fool of myself.Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions.Remember:what the English teachers said is always right to us students.
61．A year ago,I paid no attention to English idioms because______.
A.English idioms were not importantB.I was not careful with English idioms
C.My teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them D.I had no interest in them
62．At first,on hearing “You don’t say,”I thought the foreigner meant_______ .
A. he was not interested in the topicB．he was only interested in the Great Wall
C．I had talked too muchD．I had to stop talking
63．The underlined word amusing in the first paragraph probably means_____ .
A．interesting B．important C．terrible D．unlucky
64．Which of the following is true according to the passage ？
A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.
B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.
C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.
D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.
65．After the Englishman explained the idiom,___________ .
A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool
B．the Englishman became a real fool
C．I felt very silly
D．I became more carefully in everything
Some people learn a second language easily. Other people have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks,
The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a journal, or diary, every day. You will get used to writing in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. After several weeks, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.
The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it. Write these accomplishments（成就）in your journal.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confidence in yourself.
57.To feel positive about learning English means _______.
A. if you are patient, you will learn
B. you can understand everything all at once
C. if you make mistakes, you can learn from your mistakes
D. if you believe you can learn, you will learn
58. When you learn English, you do not need to ______.
A. be patient B. make mistakes
C. express your ideas in English D. understand everything all at once
59. What is not helpful for you to enjoy learning English?
A. To communicate in English. B. To worry about taking risks.
C. To think about what has been done after each class.
D. To make a record of the achievements.
60. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. It is very important to learn a second language.
B. Some people learn a second language easily. Other people do not.
C. There are ways to help you learn a second language more easily.
D. Don't worry about taking risks when learning a second language.
Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. He knows what he wants, and his purpose is to find it and buy it; the price is a less important consideration. All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want. If the shop has it, the salesman immediately produces it, and the business of trying it is done at once. All being well, the bargain can be and often is completed in less than five minutes, with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction.
For a man, slight problems may begin when the shop does not have what he wants. Then the salesman tries to sell the customer something else—he offers the nearest he can to the thing required. He usually says, "I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it on for size? It happens to be the color you want." Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual reply is: "This is the right color and may be the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on."
Now how does a woman go about buying clothes? She does so in the opposite. She has never fully made up her mind what she wants, and she is only "having a look round." She is always open to persuasion; indeed she considers of great importance what the saleswoman tells her, even what her friends tell her. She will try on any number of things. Highest in her mind is the thought of finding something that everyone thinks suits her. Most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always trying to find an unexpected bargain. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one counter to another before selecting the dresses she wants to try on. It takes a great deal of time but gives great joy. Most dress shops supply chairs for the waiting husbands.
53. When a man is buying clothes, he ___________.
A. puts price before quality B. chooses things that others think suitable for him
C. does not mind much the price he has to pay for the right things
D. buys good quality things, so long as they do not cost too much
54. When a man cannot get what he wants, he ________.
A. buys something of the same color in a slight different style
B. usually does not buy anything
C. will try on some other clothes of the same style
D. wastes no time in buying something else
55. What does the passage tell us about women shoppers for clothes ?
A. They welcome suggestions from anyone
B. Women seldom consider buying cheap clothes
C. Women often buy things without thinking D. They listen to advice but never take it
56. The most obvious difference between men and women shoppers is ________.
A. that men do not try clothes on in a shop while women do
B. that women bargain for their clothes and men don't
C. that women do their shopping standing up but men do theirs sitting down
D. the time they take over buying clothes
When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its blood stream. If the danger continues, it will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as possible.
Something like this also happens to people. When we are excited, angry, scared or aroused by other emotions, our bodies go through many physical changes, all of which make us more alert and ready to react. We, too, get ready to defend ourselves or run．Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face. If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble. Have you ever said something in anger ― or hit somebody － and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn’t always wise to express your feelings freely.
Does this mean that it’s smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep the feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense. Physical illnesses can develop, and you can feel disturbed badly inside．It can actual1y be bad for your health.
Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don’t just go away. It’s as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard. You might not be able to see them, but before long you’d smell them. And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you’d see little fruit flies hovering all over them. They’d be rotten.
You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard. You can hide them and you can pretend they don’t exist, but they’ll still be around. And at last you’ll have to deal with them, just like those bananas.
49. By taking a cat as an example, the author wants to show us that .
A. animals can’t control their feelings
B. people can’t control their feelings
C. people’s physical reactions are like those of animals in a way
D. our bodies go through many physical changes in certain situations
50. It’s mentioned in the passage that human beings get into trouble because .
A. we are not as alert as animals
B. we sometimes can’t control our feelings
C. we always do something wrong to other people
D. we don’t pay attention to our physical changes
51. The author wants to tell us in the last two paragraphs that .
A. we won’t be able to completely get away from our feelings.
B. we should treat emotions like bananas in a cupboard
C. feelings will gradually disappear when we hold them in
D. it’s good for our health to keep pleasant feelings
52. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Frightened Cats and Human Beings B. Feelings and Bananas
C. Deal with Feelings Wisely D. Express Feelings Freely