When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books. Half the students sneered（冷笑）, the 36 nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be silly, only 37 can become writers, ” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term. ” I was so 38 that I burst into tears.
That night I wrote a short 39 poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my 40 , they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and 41 writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They 42 . “Just plain dumb luck. ” the teacher said. I tasted 43 and I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was 44 with me.
During the next two years I sold dozens of 45 , letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I 46 from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks（剪贴簿） filled with my published works. I 47 mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and 48 people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their 49 .
I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. I wrote what I felt. It 50 nine months, just like a pregnant woman. I mailed it without a self addressed stamped 51 and without making a copy of the manu script.
A month later I received a（n） 52 , and a request to start working on another book. The worst year I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36, 000 dollars. 53 years I earned between five thousand and ten thousand. No, it isn’t enough to live 54 , but it’s still more than I’d make working part time. People ask what college I 55 , what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is： “None. ” I just write. I’m not a genius.
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Greece declared a national state of emergency on Saturday as scores of forest fires that have killed at least 46 people continued to burn out of control, leaving some villages trapped within walls of flames, cut off from firefighters.
Although most of the fires have been on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, some broke out on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of homes and closing a major road linking the capital to the main airport for several hours. The national fire brigade said that by evening it had brought those blazes under control, including one that came within about six miles of the city.
The country has been helpless to fire this summer because of drought and three consecutive heat waves that sent temperatures high over 100 degrees. More than 3,000 forest fires have destroyed thousands of acres of wooded areas since June; the earlier fires killed nine people.The latest wave of fires on the peninsula started Friday. Strong, hot winds have spread the flames.
Firefighters expect the death toll to rise, because they have not yet been able to search some areas that had been overrun by flames.
Hardest hit by the fires were a dozen small villages around the town of Zaharo in the western peninsula, where at least 12 people, including some who may have been trying to flee by car, were killed. Scores of other residents, including elderly and disabled people, remained trapped in their homes, phoning into local television and radio stations, crying for help.
Late Saturday, Mr. Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece appeared on national television and declared that he was mobilizing all of the country’s resources to control the fire. Mr. Karamanlis also suggested that the recent fires might have been purposely set. “So many fires sparked at the same time in so many regions is no coincidence,” he said, “We will get to the bottom of this and punish those responsible.”
The overstretched national fire services are being helped by an estimated 6,000 soldiers mobilized for the operation. A fleet of water-dumping aircraft was expected from France, Germany and Norway, after Greece appealed to the European Union for “urgent assistance.”The writer mainly wants to tell us that ______ in the passage.
| A．firefighters battles fearlessly in Greece to control the fire |
| B．constant fires in Greece have caused great life and wealth lose |
| C．Greece is facing great danger as forest fires continue to break out |
| D．Greek government is investigating the cause of recent forest fires |
According to the passage, which of the following might not contribute to the recent forest fires in Greek?
| A．Storm thunders in summer | B．Lack of rainfall |
| C．Extremely hot weather this summer | D．Hot and strong wind |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．now the fire crisis in Greece has come to an end |
| B．assistance from EU members is expected to come to help Greece |
| C．firefighters in Greece so far can still manage the situation |
| D．the number of people who die in the fire is expected not to rise any more |
Mr. Karamanlis believes the forest fires in Greece _______.
| A．is a happening by chance | B．is a natural disaster |
| C．might be caused by human on purpose | D．is a punishment of nature |
Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.
Indian’s snake charmers are to be retrained as wildlife teachers under a plan to prevent their unique skills and knowledge from being lost. The charmers， who make snakes dance to the sound of flutes， used to be a traditional feature of Indian life， performing in towns and villages， until they were banned in 1972 to control the trade in snake skins.
The government is now considering a plan to train the saperas， as they are known， to visit schools and zoos to tell children about forests and wildlife. There is also a proposal to set up a “dial a snake charmer” service to help householders to deal with unwelcome intruders.
“For generations they have been a feature of Indian life but now they can’t earn a living for fear of arrest，” said Behar Dutt， a conservationist behind the plans， “if a policeman doesn’t catch them， animal rights activists report them.”
Many snake charmers have continued to work clandestinely(暗中地) since the ban， despite the threat of up to three years in jail. But their trademark cloth-covered baskets， hung from a bamboo pole carried across their shoulders， make them an easy target for police.
The fate of Shisha Nath， 56， from Badarpur， a village just outside of New Delhi， is typical of practitioners(从业者) of the dying art. “I used to earn enough to support my family and send my children to school，” he said. “Now it’s hard to earn even $1 a day. My children want to be snake charmers. It’s our identity. We love the work. But it’s become impossible.”
Next month Dutt’s project to train 30 snake charmers will begin at a snake park in Pune， western India， where experts will enrich their home-grown skills with some formal knowledge.
More than the law， though， it is the dishonest attitude of their fellow countrymen that anger many snake charmers.
“We’re disturbed all the time but when people want a snake removed from the house， they rush to us，” said Prakash Nath， who was ordered recently to the home of Sonia Gandhi， the Congress party leader. What do snake charmers usually do in India？ (no more than 8 words) (2 marks)
How long will a saperas be in prison if he is caught during the ban？ (no more than 3 words) (2 marks)
For what purpose will snake charmers in India be retrained as wildlife teachers？(no more than 10 words) (3 marks)
According to the passage， what will make snake charmers angry？ (no more than 11 words) (3 marks)
Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information from the passage. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months. The system， called Driver Alert， aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20%—40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue(疲劳).
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband(表带). The device， worn by drivers or pilots， gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response. Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually， a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond， but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds， it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds， showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down， the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests， scheduled for six months’ time， are successful， the markets will bring the product to market within about a year.Driver Alert
Ⅰ. ：
To reduce accidents.
Ⅱ. Working principle：
● (the device) based on
● (the device) giving out a sound
● (the driver) by squeezing the steering wheel
● (the device) giving out more regular and louder sounds when response time is
● (the driver) stopping if a nonstop alarm rings
Ⅲ. Present situation：
● (the device) still
● (the device) to be brought to market within about if the tests are
Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families.
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (＝before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(预期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.
As for any family， the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However， love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties， lingering(持久的) hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However， there are ways to confront(面临) and resolve them. For example， support groups and professional counselors(法律顾问) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(压倒性的).
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.According to the passage， there are in the United States.
| A．no stepfamilies |
| B．more stepfamilies than ever before |
| C．fewer stepfamilies than ever before |
| D．fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones |
Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？
| A．The pursuit of the same careers. |
| B．Professional interventions(干涉). |
| C．The development of special interests. |
| D．Careful planning before the marriage. |
Many people believe that contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily.
| A．everlasting loyalties |
| B．open communication |
| C．kindness and mutual respect |
| D．persistent(持久稳固的) affection |
It is natural for a stepfamily to be .
| A．unrealistic |
| B．complicated |
| C．ambivalent |
| D．guilty |
According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is .
| A．impossible |
| B．satisfying and rewarding |
| C．discouraging and frustrating |
| D．a difficult and trying experience |
The history of nomenclature (命名) in Britain is so old that no one knows the beginning of the story. Since written history began， people have had names. It is therefore impossible to do more than guess at how the earliest given names were chosen. Most names appear to have had some sort of original meaning， usually descriptive， rather than being simply a pleasing collection of sounds.
These descriptive names developed both from nouns and adjectives. The Irish Gaelic people used descriptive nouns and adjectives which were meaningful. Early in prehistory some descriptive names began to be used again and again until they formed a name pool for that particular culture. Parents would choose names from the pool of existing names rather than invent new ones for their children.
With the rise of Christianity (基督教)， Christians were encouraged to name their children after the holy people of the church. These early Christian names can be found in many cultures today， in various forms. The pool of names in use in England changed basically after the Norman came in 1066. Then French names of Germanic origin became popular within three generations. As a result names like Emma， Matilda， Richard， and William， became common in English nomenclature. At the same time a few Old English names， like Edward and Alfred remained because they were names of holy people or kings； others were kept because they were used with slight changes by Germanic names from the Normans like Robert.
Surnames developed from bynames， which are additional ones used to differentiate people with the same given name. These bynames fall into particular patterns. These started out as specific to a person and were taken down from father to son between the twelfth and sixteenth century. The noble usually used taken-down surnames early or the peasants did so later.We can infer from the text that .
| A．the first given names had not any actual meanings |
| B．people probably had names when there was no written language |
| C．the history of nomenclature is shorter than written history |
| D．names began to be used long after there was written language |
The underlined word “they” (in Para.3) refers to “ ”.
| A．Old English names | B．other names |
| C．names of Germanic origin | D．names of holy people |
According to the text， which of the following statements is TRUE？
| A．Robert is a Germanic name from the Normans. |
| B．Church didn’t encourage nomenclature used in the church. |
| C．Names like Emma and William were the most popular in 1066. |
| D．Names like Edward and Alfred were French names of Germanic origin. |
Give the right order of surname development in history.
(a)People used bynames to differ people with the same given names.
(b)People chose given names from the pool of existing names.
(c)Bynames started out as specific to a person.
(d)Surnames became popular with common people.
(e)Surnames were taken down from father to son in noble families.
| A．b-a-e-c-d | B．a-b-c-d-e | C．a-b-c-e-d | D．b-a-c-e-d |
Which group of words can best describe the development of British nomenclature？
| A．Additional， Particular and Various |
| B．Meaningful， Christian and Foreign |
| C．Descriptive， Meaningful and Germanic |
| D．Old English-styled， Christian and Original |