Today I was at the mall waiting for friends, when a lady wearing a knit hat and a sweater came up to me and, shivering, said, “I’m homeless. Would you mind buying me some food?”
In that split second, everything I’d learned since kindergarten flashed through my mind. Don’t talk to strangers… Be a good citizen… People will take advantage of you… Treat others as you wish to be treated…I guess love won the debate. “Sure,” I said. “What would you like?”
She thought and then said, “I’d like to get Chinese food.” We headed upstairs. She ordered soup, an egg roll, white rice, and pepper chicken. I would normally think that was a lot, but she had probably barely eaten in the last few days. I got my usual – lo mein and General Tso’s chicken.
Meanwhile I was eating my lo mein, picking around the cabbage and the other vegetables. Joyce said, “If you don’t like it you can take it back.” I told her that I liked it, but was not fond of the vegetables. She broke into a big grin. “You don’t like vegetables, huh? Neither did I. But now I do.” I immediately felt guilty. How could I be picking at my food across from someone who barely gets to eat at all?
I tried my best to finish, but she seemed to sense my guilt and said, “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want it.” How could she know what I was feeling? I told her the dish was my favorite, but I just eat slowly.
She got up to get a to-go box. “Would you like one?” she asked, but I refused. I realized that this food would probably last her for a few days, and I was glad she had ordered a lot.
“Would you like these?” I asked, gesturing at the food I had left untouched. “Oh, no, thank you,” she said. “This is enough.” I got up to throw my tray away, feeling guilty again.
“I need to meet my friends now,” I explained. “It was so nice to meet you, Joyce.”
“You too, Claire,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
I headed to the theater, and she went back downstairs. I kept puzzling, Why is Joyce homeless? She shouldn’t need people to buy her dinner. She was a nurse. She got good grades. She took pictures for her yearbook. She was the person I hope to be in the futu
re. How could such a good life be rewarded with horrible luck?
Anyway, I wish her the best, and hope that the force that brought us together will help her find what she deserves in life. From the second paragraph we know that the writer ___________.
| A．debated with the girl over moral issues |
| B．hated having to make a quick decision |
| C．hesitated before she decided to reach out |
| D．fell in love with the girl at first sight |
The writer felt guilty for a moment because _________.
| A．she was particular about food and also wasted so much |
| B．she was a strict vegetarian who ate very little |
| C．she didn’t order enough food for the girl |
| D．she urged the girl to take her share of food |
Why did Joyce end up unemployed and homeless?
| A．She was a victim of high education. |
| B．She actually had some kind of mental disorder. |
| C．She graduated with average grades. |
| D．The reason is not yet given. |
The passage is intended to _________.
| A．arouse readers' curiosity |
| B．explore social problems |
| C．teach readers a lesson |
| D．share a personal story |
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A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项
（A）
MONTREAL (Reuters) – Crossing the US-Canada border to go to church on a Sunday cost an American ＄10,000 for breaking Washington’s strict new security（安全）rules.
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives on the Canadian border. Albert often crosses the border like the other half-dozen people of Township 15. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church. There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US, which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada as usual. The US customs（海关）station in this area is closed on Sundays, so he just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later, Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him he had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally（非法）.
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 Americans in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-mile detour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
56．We learn from the text that Richard Albert is .
A．an American working in a Canadian church
B．a Canadian living in a Quebec village
C．a Canadian working in a customs station
D．an American living in Township 15
57．Albert was fined because he .
A. broke the American security rules
B．failed to obey traffic rules
C．worked in St. Pamphile without a pass
D．damaged the gate of the customs office
58．According to paragraph 4, how can Americans in that area get home ?
A．They have to drive through the town.
B．They have to race across the fields.
C．They have to drive to the mountain area.
D．They have to drive in a roundabout(绕道的) way.
59．What would be the best title for the text?
A．A Cross-country Trip B．An Expensive Church Visit
C．An Unguarded Border D．A Special Border Pass
Like a growing number of young women in Vietnam’s northern part city of Haiphong, Pham Thi Hue was infected with HIV by her husband, one of the town’s many drug users．But instead of being shamed into silence, as Vietnamese with HIV and AIDS are, the 25-year-old tailor and mother of one went public, appearing on television and at conferences．Her business suffered and her neighbors insulted （辱骂）her, but Hue has now become the public face of Mothers and Wives, an HIV/ AIDS support group established in Haiphong by a Norwegian nongovernmental organization and her neighborhood’s People’s Committee．Last year, she founded a smaller group named after a local flower．People who need advice on treatment or help preparing bodies for burial can dial a hot line and get assistance from able and sympathetic（同情的）HIV victims．“We gather to support each other,” Hue says．“When we are sick, what we need most is encouragement and comfort from people who understand our situation and are willing to share our happiness, as well as our sadness．”
On a hot and damp night last month, Hue welcomed into her small home a very thin woman, also a tailor, who was HIV positive．The woman tearfully told Hue that she had not told anyone about her condition, fearing that she would lose customers and that her daughter would be insulted at school．Hue became the wise elder, offering medical and personal advice．
40．What did Pham Thi Hue do after she was infected with HIV?
A．She kept silent
B．She worked as usual
C．She stayed at home and cried every day．
D．She went public and gave help to others．
41．It can be inferred from the passage that the group Pham Thi Hue founded is made up of____．
A．drug users B．HIV victims
C．all kinds of patients D．poor people
42．From the passage we can learn that Pham Thi Hue is a woman who is_______．
A．weak and kind B．foolish and idle
C．brave and helpful D．cautious and energetic
When the musical sound rings you, you immediately reach for your pocket ready to have a chat．But although you probably use it all the time, have you ever stopped to think about the manners related to talking on the phone? If you haven’t, here are some tips to guide you．
●Always give the person you are calling plenty of time to get to the phone before you hang up．If the person who answers is not the one you want，give your name and ask if you may speak to the person you want．
●Think about the time you call people．Try not to call too early in the morning（before about 9:00）or too late at night（after about 9:30）．Also try not to call at mealtimes．
●If you go by plane to visit your relatives at Christmas, remember to follow airline instructions．Cell phones must be turned off as soon as the plane doors are closed and remain so until the doors open again on arrival．
●When face to face with someone, do not talk on the phone．It is rude to be on the phone when a waiter is trying to take your order in a restaurant, or when you are returning the shoes you have just been trying on in a shop．Finish any face-to-face business before taking a call．Continuing to use the phone while nodding to the person in front of you is quite impolite．
●When in a restaurant with your friends，keep phone conversations short．Make a call only if it is important．Practise speaking in a low voice．If no one looks your way, you’ve_got_it．
●If you go to a theatre, a concert or a cinema, consider the other people around you．Check that your phone is “off” before you enter．If you are expecting a very important call, put your phone on “vibrate”（振动）and run for the exit as soon as you feel it．If you forget both “off” and “vibrate” and your phone rings, don’t answer it, turn it off straight away．
36．Which is true according to the passage above?
A．You may call people anytime as you like．
B．You may talk loudly on the phone at dinner in the restaurant．
C．You may keep on talking on the phone while greeting somebody．
D．You may call people as soon as you get on the plane，but not after the doors are closed．
37．We may infer from these tips that__________．
A．some people don’t pay much attention to manners while making cell phone calls
B．you may ask to leave a message unless the person you are calling is in
C．calling people too early or too late in the morning is not polite
D．almost everyone has got a cell phone
38．What does the underlined sentence “…you’ve got it” mean in the passage?
A．You have succeeded in making a call without disturbing others．
B．You have made the phone call brief and interesting．
C．You’ve got the message you are waiting for．
D．You have made a phone call secretly．
39．From the tips given above, we can decide the writer is sure to share the opinion that______．
A．1ike the saying “clothes make a man”, nowadays cell phones make a man
B．as the old saying goes, money talks; nowadays cell phones talk
C．the way we use the cell phones tells what we are like
D．we are what cell phones we use
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process．People have generally viewed personal growth as an external （外在的） result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, and the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．
By contrast （对照）, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but rather the attitudes and feelings people have, their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends; there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is essential to our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, then we tend to take more changes and to be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and not to take a step until we know the ground is safe．Do we think we’re slow to adapt to change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge? Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．
These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we do not face and overcome these internal fears and doubts, if we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．
40．In the author’s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would __________．
A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder
B．judge his ability to grow from his own achievements
C．face difficulties and take up challenges
D．aim high and reach his goal each time
41．Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growth?
A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．
B．Little Tom won the first prize in the Speech Contest．
C．Max picked up French while he was in Paris．
D．Daddy’s salary rose from $3,000 to $3,800．
42．About personal growth, the author advocates all of the following except _________．
A．curiosity about more changes
B．quickness in self-adaptation
C．open-mindedness to new experiences
D．avoidance of internal fears and doubts
43．The best title for this passage should be _________．
A．Facing new challenges
B．Growth ―product or process
C．Unavoidable feeling of self-doubt
D．Overcoming internal fears
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