On Christmas Eve a few years ago an English couple received a very special telephone call. It was only a 20-second call but it was very important. The Haydens’ 15-year-old daughter had disappeared six months before. On Christmas Eve she rang them. “I’m phoning to wish a happy Christmas,” she said, “I love you.”
Ronals and Edwine Hayden were so happy that they started a special telephone service called “Alive and Well”. The service helps parents to get in touch with children who have run away from home.
Young people can phone “Alive and Well” and leave a message for their parents. The telephones are answered by answering machines. So no one can speak to the child of making him return home.
Parents of runaway children who are under eighteen can ask the police to bring their children home, so children do not want to tell their parents where they are. Through “Alive and Well” they can telephone their parents without worrying about this or giving out their addresses.
The Haydens and their helpers write down the tape recorded telephone messages and connect the address given. Many of the 30,000 British teenagers who have left home are probably in London. For only two pence they can go into a telephone coin box and call their parents. They can dial (拨) 5675339 and stop a parent’s worry: Is he dead or alive?The Haydens’ daughter rang her parents .
| A．because she knew she had done something wrong |
| B．in order to give them her address |
| C．to say she was coming home soon |
| D．in order to comfort her worried parents |
If you ring “Alive and Well”, .
| A．you will get the information you want |
| B．your message will be passed over to your parents |
| C．the police will bring you home |
| D．your parents will know where you are |
From the passage, we can know that ________.
| A．the Haydens received an “Alive and Well” call before Christmas |
| B．an “Alive and Well” call usually costs a lot |
| C．30,000 British teenagers enjoyed the “Alive and Well” service |
| D．an “Alive and Well” call is very important for worrying parents |
Through “Alive and Well”, parents of runaway children .
| A．often fail to persuade their children to return home |
| B．know nothing from their children |
| C．can say nothing to their children |
| D．can ask the police to help them to find lost children |
What can we know about the Haydens’ daughter from the passage?
| A．She died six months ago. |
| B．She had a quarrel with her parents. |
| C．She worked in “Alive and Well”. |
| D．She ran away from home half a year ago. |
As a good mother to three children, I have tried never to let my passion stand in the way of being a good parent．
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe．I show up．I listen．I try to laugh．I am a good friend to my husband．I have tried to make marriage vows （誓言）mean what they say．I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me．Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today．
So here's what I want to tell you today: Get a life．A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house．
Get a life in which you are not alone．Find people you love, and who love you．And remember that love is not leisure; it is work．Pick up the phone．Send an e-mail．Write a letter．And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted．
It's so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours and our minutes．It's so easy to exist instead of to live．I learned to live many years ago．Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all．And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all．
I learned to love the journey, not the destination．I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally．And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned．
By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face．Learn to be happy．If you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived．It can be inferred from the passage that．
| A．the author doesn’t try her best to work well |
| B．the author spends all her time caring for her children |
| C．the author is a success in personal life |
| D．the author likes traveling very much |
How did the author form her view of life?
| A．Through social experience． |
| B．By learning from her friends． |
| C．From her children and husband． |
| D．Through an unfortunate experience． |
By the underlined sentence “It's so easy to exist instead of to live" in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to．
| A．work rather than enjoy life |
| B．make a living rather than live a real life |
| C．waste a lot in life |
| D．forget the most important lessons in life |
What's the author's attitude toward work?
| A．Don't let it affect your real life． |
| B．Earn enough money to make life better． |
| C．Do it well to serve others． |
| D．Try your best to get a higher position and a pay raise． |
七选五 （共5小题，每小题3分，满分15分）
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
Have you ever been in a situation where you have done something just to make someone else happy?
You think that you are making yourself happy. I have done that many times because I wanted to impress people or I thought that if I made someone else happy it would certainly make me happy. I understand that all of us want our close friends and family to be proud of us, so we work hard in school or in our careers to meet their expectations.
But if you are trying to realize other people’s dreams without keeping yourself satisfied, you will never be happy.
So you have to be clear and honest with yourself about what you want in your life. If you are honest with yourself, you will be more optimistic. You feel like you won’t need to achieve something for someone else.
__ They fear to be rejected(排斥) by others. They think and say “If I choose this job or career path, that person will think I am out of my mind”, or “I really want to start this business but those people will think that I won’t make any money”.
__ Don’t think this way. If you follow other people’s wishes but cannot be true to yourself, you will have a hard time feeling great about yourself.
| A．The truth is that you are really trying to make someone else happy. |
| B．So why don’t I follow what they say？ |
| C．And you will develop a drive from your heart. |
| D．So we should try our best to realize our dreams. |
E. But we sometimes have to meet expectations from others.
F. Why do so many people want to live their dreams for someone else?
G. There is nothing wrong with that.
Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farmers have undergone an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog(猪) producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear(修剪) sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the special barn(畜棚), then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.Which sentence carries the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．The first sentence of the first paragraph. |
| B．The first sentence of the second paragraph. |
| C．The first sentence of the third paragraph. |
| D．The last sentence of the second paragraph. |
According to the passage, computers can not help farmers decide _____________.
| A．how much money they can earn from their products |
| B．whether to plant a certain kind of crop |
| C．whom to sell their livestock to |
| D．when to sell their products |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers. |
| B．Both computers and robots have been in use on today's farms. |
| C．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present. |
| D．Farmers can do nothing without the help of computers on today's farms. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Computer—Farmers' Best Friend |
| B．Farmers in the Future |
| C．Robots in the future |
| D．Revolution on the farm |
Group–buying in China
Modeled after US hot website Groupon.com, group buying websites are now popular in China. These websites use the power of group buying to get competitive discounts （打折）for a daily deal on some best stuff to do, see, eat and buy in the cities across China. Discounts are available within just one click. Zhao lei, a software engineer in Beijing, loves the one-hour lunch break at noon, as it is the best time for him to check “today’s special” at his favorite group buying websites . Sometimes he searches for great deals at directory sites devoted to the new shopping space. Zhao spends around 800 yuan ($117.65) on group buying every month, mostly to buy food coupons （优惠劵）for eating at some nice restaurants and occasionally to find something fun to do. ‘‘I love group buying. In addition to the competitive discounts it offers, it helps me get something fun, exciting and new, and such surprises give me a reason to try something new,” he said. When he finds a really good bargain, he will send the link to friends or colleagues through MSN,QQ, or e-mail, or share the information at some social networking websites. In doing so, he often gets a certain cut off the price. At some sites, buyers are invited to leave notes about what they want to buy and the website will consider it if similar applications（申请）reach a certain number. That is how Zuo got her digital camera after waiting for two months. “It is cool. I want to buy a new digital camera for my trip to Switzerland this winter, but I never expected such cheap prices!” Zuo said.We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．China is the first country to start group buying |
| B．the price of group buying depends on the market |
| C．you can’t get the best you need through group buying |
| D．group buying is becoming popular in China |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Zhao Lei has to spend about 800 yuan on group buying per month. |
| B．Zhao Lei never surfs at other directory sites for group buying. |
| C．Zhao Lei finds it easy to do group buying. |
| D．Zhao Lei can’t buy food coupons to eat at a nice restaurant. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Zhao Lei’s online purchasing life. |
| B．Group buying |
| C．The US hot websites |
| D．A new digital camera |
Zhao Lei succeeded in getting a certain cut off the price by__________.
| A．bargaining face to face |
| B．discussing with the sellers |
| C．providing the link to others |
| D．inviting others to talk about the price |
Americans plan parties for many reasons. As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties for weddings and religious or national holidays. But some parties are especially American. For example, a group of neighbors may gather on their street to eat food, play music and visit with one another. This is called a block party. A woman might invite a group of women to a party called a baby shower for a friend who is about to give birth. Guests bring presents for the new baby.
Americans also attend tailgate parties. A tailgate is the back end of a truck or other vehicle that opens down. The tailgate parties are a big part of sports culture in the United States. Friends bring food and drink to a sports event. They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.
Birthday parties are also very popular. Many parents organize a party for their child around a theme. Birthday parties usually include gifts and a birthday cake with candles. In many parts of the United States, cupcakes have become a popular replacement for cakes.
Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly. Some parents take their children’s birthday parties very seriously, even when the child is too young to fully understand the celebration.
One group of parents started a website called Birthdays Without Pressure. They decided that some parents were under too much social pressure to plan costly parties for their children. The group sees this movement as an example of America’s culture of “too much stuff”. The group’s website gives suggestions on how to keep birthday celebrations simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money. Their advice may be very helpful during this period of economic recession (萧条)．What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Reasons for parties |
| B．Birthdays without pressure |
| C．American parties |
| D．Different parties in the world |
How many kinds of parties does the passage mention?
| A．5. | B．6. | C．7. | D．8. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Block party is especially American. |
| B．Some parties in America are the same as in other countries. |
| C．There’s a party for the mother before her new baby is born. |
| D．Birthday parties are the most popular in America. |
The purpose of Birthdays Without Pressure is to advise people to _________.
| A．relieve people’s pressure |
| B．have meaningful birthday parties with low cost |
| C．make birthday parties meaningful and costly |
| D．spread America’s culture |