Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours (绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.
For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement (限制) and have strong opinions about everything.
Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.
But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.
That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.
We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons (见识).
We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.
I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.
Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of yourself.Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents’ home?
| A．It was less tiring. |
| B．It would be faster and safer. |
| C．Her kids would feel less confined. |
| D．She felt better with other drivers nearby. |
The author stopped regularly on the country roads to _____.
A. relax in the fresh air
B. take a deep breath
C. take care of the lamb
C. let the kids play with Banner.What does the author discover from the trio according to Paragraph 6?
| A．Freeways are where beauty hides. |
| B．Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life. |
| C．Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one’s health. |
| D．One should follow side roads to watch wild animals. |
Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?
| A．To give herself some time to read. |
| B．To order some food for them. |
| C．To play a game with them. |
| D．To let them cool down. |
What could be the best title for the passage?
| A．Charm of the Detour |
| B．The Road to Bravery |
| C．Creativity out of Necessity |
| D．Road Trip and Country Life |
King Solomon, the most powerful and the most respected Israeli king, once said, “Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.” He wrote a book called Proverbs, which is part of the Bible and studied carefully even today.
There was a college graduate in Wuhan who shared his own experience about being truthful. It is a good lesson for everyone who reads of his experience.
Mr. Lou went to work for a factory making electrical machines. On the first day of his job, he accidentally broke an electrical machine because of his inexperience. Since it was very expensive, it caused Mr. Lou to become frightened about what his boss might say to him. The machine was worth his six months’ salary.
He decided to try and repair it. After working on it for about 2 hours, he could make it function, but it didn’t work as well as it should.
After spending a restless night, Mr. Lou felt he must tell his boss the truth. The next morning, he showed the broken machine to his boss nervously, for he didn’t know what the result would be. To his great surprise, the boss praised him for being truthful and even later gave him a rise.
Mr. Lou never forgot this dramatic experience. He had to make the choice of hiding his mistake by saying nothing or of telling the truth. The boss had found an honest new employee who would prove later to be of great value to the company.
Being honest makes a person worthy of trust, which is so important for a family, a company, and even a country.
60. The underlined part “honest lips” (in Paragraph 1) most probably refer to “_____”.
A. people who speak the truth B. lips of honest people
C. people loyal to their king D. lips of people loyal to the king
61. What did Mr. Lou do first after he broke the electrical machine?
A. He hid it in a secret place. B. He reported it to the boss at once.
C. He repaired it himself. D. He replaced it with a used one.
62. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Mr. Lou was excited and happy to have the machine repaired.
B. Mr. Lou told the boss the truth in order to get a rise later.
C. The boss was disappointed and sad about the broken machine.
D. The boss thought honest employees were of great value to the company.
63. By telling the story of Mr. Lou, the author wants to show that _____.
A. mistakes can sometimes bring good luck to a person
B. being truthful is a most important character of a person
C. employees should always be careful with their work
D. experience is important for an employee to do his work well
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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem! First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible. The first step is to find listening resources. The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com. The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.
Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (懊恼) by limited understanding. What should you do?
Here is some of the advice I give my students:
●Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
●Stay relaxed when you do not understand — even if you continue not to understand for a long time.
●Do not translate what you hear into your native language.
●Listen for the general idea of the conversation. Don’t concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas.
I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn’t understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts. Firstly, translating creates a wall between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that — even if I didn’t pay much attention I could usually understand what the speaker had said.
56. The best way to improve our listening is to _____.
A. practice as much as possible
B. find as many listening resources as possible
C. use the Internet like a radio station
D. speak naturally and read as much as possible
57. Which of the following is a good habit when listening?
A. Try to understand everything. B. Try to get the main ideas.
C. Pay much attention to details. D. Translate each word in your mind.
58. Why did the writer mention his / her experience in Germany?
A. To prove the importance of translating.
B. To show the problems of speaking a foreign language.
C. To tell us the importance of staying calm.
D. To point out an ineffective method of listening.
59. The underlined part “a wall” in the last paragraph refers to “_____”.
A. a communication barrierB. culture shock
C. language conflict D. a little misunderstanding
Daban town is famous for girls and windmills , while Loulan is a myth(神话) in the desert. Two thousand years ago, beside the beautiful and rich Loubu Lake, there lay Loulan ancient city of the Silk Raod. Businessmen from every country gathered and there were dancing parties. Everything shows that people in Loulan lived a rich life then.
However, two thousand years later, this rich land suddenly disappeared from the map of China. It became an area covered with sand and dead tree trunks.
Loulan was first“discovered” by a Swedish man named Sven Hedin in 1900. People from America, British , Japan and Sweden, all set foot here. Then in the 1930’s, a Chinese man named Huang Wenbi came to Loulan for the first time. He visited and studied this area and found many relics that were beautifully and carefully made.
It is recorded that the ancient city of Loulan was the capital of the Loulan Kingdom during the Han and Jin Dynasties, and covered an area of some 100,000 sq. metres. Inside the city , there are the ruins of government offices, temples and other old buildings. Outside the city there are some dried-up rivers and much farmland. In the past century, many things have been dug up there including Han Dynasty coins, mirrors and many others of Greek and Roman times. All these things show that a lot of business between the East and West once took place there.
Lying on the northwest of the Lop Nur area, the Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless area with endless “forests” of mounds( 小丘 ) which aren’t easily seen in other parts of the world. Its mystery has been attracting many people from many countries.
46.The first person to set foot in Loulan in the 20th century was______.
A. a European B. an American C. an Englishman D. a Japanese
47.Before Loulan disappeared, ________.
A. people from America and Japan had set foot there.
B. much business between the East and West had taken place there.
C. a lifeless area with lots of mounds could easily be seen there
D. there were no government offices or temples
48. We can infer from the passage that_______.
A. Loulan was destroyed by the terrible weather there
B. wars between Dynasties made Loulan disappear
C. foreigners came to Loulan and destroyed it
D. how Loulan disappeared is still unknown to us
49. What makes so many people visit the Loulan Kingdom now?
A. Its beautiful scenery . B. Its developing business.
C. Its mystery. D. The treasures.
50. The title for this passage might be_______.
A. Famous Town, Daban B. Ancient Town in the Desert
C. Business in Ancient Loulan D. Cities in Ancient China
We’re not suggesting that you should reach a permanent state called “happiness” and remain there. But there are many ways to keep away from anxiety, anger, frustration and sadness. Here are some ideas to get you started. Choose the ones that work for you.
Practice mindfulness. Focus on the present. Instead of worrying about what you should do tomorrow while you’re having dinner with your family, focus on the here and now—the food, your families, the conversation.
Sing along. Studies fine music act
ivates parts of the brain that produce happiness. In one study, older adults who listened to their choice of music during eye surgery had significantly lower heart rate and blood pressure than those who had silent surgery.
Go to sleep. We have become a nation of sleep-deprived citizens. Taking a daily nap or getting into bed at 8 p.m. at night with a good book and turning the lig
ht out an hour later can do more for your mood than any number of bubble baths or massages.
Make a list. There’s nothing like writing down your tasks to help you organize your thoughts and calm your anxiety. Checking off each item provides a great sense of fulfillment.
Visit a quiet place. Libraries, museums, gardens, and places of worship(礼拜场所) provide islands of peace and calm in today’s world. Find a quiet place near your house and make it your secret getaway.
Volunteer. Helping others enables you to put your own problems into perspective(客观判断力) and also provides social interaction. While happy people are more likely to help others, helping others increases your happiness. One study found that volunteer work enhanced all four aspects of well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem and sense of control over life.
41. According to the passage, which of the following ways can keep you away from bad moods?
A. Staying with your family. B. Having a lot of money.
C. Having enough sleep. D. Travelling.
42. As stared in the text, ______can reduce the risk of operation.
A. taking a nap when having surgery B. finding a quiet place to perform surgery
C. keeping quiet when having surgery D. listening to music when having surgery
43. Making a list of your tasks and checking them off can ________ yourself.
A. encourage B. satisfy C. improve D. change
44. You’d better not go to _______if you want to keep quiet and calm.
A. libraries B. churches C. supermarkets D. gardens
45. According to the passage, why can helping others increase your happiness?
A. Because it’s a good way to relax.
B. Because happy people are more likely to help others.
C. Because it enable you to see your own problems clearly.
D. Because it can enhance your health.
IV. 阅读理解：（共20题，每小题2分，共40分）
My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"
"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.
This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict(冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.
It seem
ed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.
"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."
36. The house the writer's family lived in was ________.
A. the best they could afford B. right for their social position
C. for showing off D. rather small
37. His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.
A. it made him feel uneasyB. it was too old to work well
C. it was too expensive to possess D. it was too cheap
38. The writer's father enjoyed being in the middle class because ________.
A. it drew attention to himB. it didn't bring him in arguments
C. it was understood as a jokeD. he disliked showing off
39. What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?
A. He was very unhappy. B. He didn't believe it.
C. He was delighted. D. He had mixed feelings.
40. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. Children who can go to Eton are very famous
B. Children can go to Eton if they will
C. It is very difficult for a child to get a chance to go to Eton
D. Children don't have the right to decide whether they will go to Eton