Family traditions were important in our house, and one was more appreciated than our annual trip to the woods for the perfect Christmas tree.
“Dad, can we watch when you trim(修剪) it?” my eldest son ,John ,asked on the way home.
“I won’t be cutting this year,” my husband said.” You and your brother Dan are old enough to measure things, fit the tree to the stand and do it by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it?”
They seemed to grow six inches in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. “We can handle it,” Dan promised. We won’t let you down.”
A few days before Christmas, Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they’d need and brought them out of yard, where the tree waited. I left the older boys to their work and brought David inside for his early supper. A moment later I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the trees into the living room. Then I heard the sound become dead silence. I hurried out to them. The tree was too short. John crossed his arm tight across his chest. His eyes were filled with angry tears.
The tree was central to our holiday, but it was not what I worried about. I didn’t want the boys to feel ashamed every time they looked at it. We had a terrible problem on our hands. I couldn’t lower the ceiling, and I couldn’t raise the floor either. There was no way to repair the damage. If I couldn’t fix the problem, maybe I could get creative with it. A thought came to my mind, which turned to the solution.
I followed them back into the living room.. “We can’t make the tree taller,” I said. “But we can put it on a higher position.” Dan turned his head sideways, measuring the distance with his eyes . “We can put it on the coffee table and put the lights and decorations on before we lift it up . Thus, we won’t need a ladder. It just might work! Let’s try it!”
When my husband got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath.
“What a good idea!” he declared, as if the boys had gone beyond all his expectations. “Why didn’t I ever think of such a thing ?”
John broke into a grin. Dan’s chest swelled with pride. David squealed.Who trimmed the Christmas trees this year?
| A．David | B．The writer |
| C．The children | D．The writer’s husband |
By “ grow six inches” ( Paragraph4), the writer means that the children might feel _____.
| A．excited | B．nervous | C．terrible | D．worried |
What was the writer worried about according to Paragraph 6?
| A．The Christmas tree | B．The husband’s health |
| C．The holiday | D．The boys’ pride |
How was the short tree turned into a perfect one?
| A．By making it taller | B．By lowering the ceiling |
| C．By placing it on a table | D．By raising the floor |
What the writer’s husband said in the end shows that ________.
| A．he expected too much of the children |
| B．he was satisfied with what the children had done |
| C．it was stupid of the children to think of such an idea. |
| D．the children shouldn’t have given up the responsibility |
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meeting, funding cuts, and many other administrative chores (杂务). I started to dream of retirement. Sitting in traffic on a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering, I would imagine spending time with my grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books. I told myself that I wouldn’t sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anything requiring a schedule.
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great break fast for my wife and me, leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends. On the
second day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper … On the third day, … This is retirement? I tried to tell myself that it was just the transition（过渡）, that those golden moments were right round the corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough, But something was missing.
A former colleague asked a favor. A group of students was going to Jamaica to work with children in the poorest neighborhoods. Would I interrupt my newfound “happiness” and return to the students, just this once? One trip. That’s all, My bags were packed and by the door.
The trip was very inspiring. I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by the sense of responsibility of the young people on the trip. When I returned home, I offered to work one day a week with a local youth organization. The experience was so positive that I was soon volunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them in their voluntary work.
Now, it seems, the tables have turned. Some days I am the teacher, other days I am the student. These young people have reawakened my commitment (责任感) to social justice issues by challenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poor and suffer because of greed, corruption and war, Most important, they have given me the opportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions. In return, I help them do their charitable projects overseas. I’ve gone from running one school to helping oversee the construction of schools in twenty-one countries!
60.What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
A. To stay away from busy schedules. B. To write some great books.
C. To do some voluntary work D. To plan for his future.
61.Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
A. He missed his students in that country. B. He couldn’t refuse his colleague’s favor.
C. He was not satisfied with his retired life. D. He was concerned about the people there.
62.The underlined part “the tables have turned”(Paragraph 5) means that the writer .
A. improved the situation in his school B. felt happy to work with students again
C. became a learner rather than a teacher D. changed his attitude toward his retired life
63.What does the writer think of his retired life now?
A. Disappointing B. Meaningful C. Promising D. Troublesome
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition(传统) of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival(节) in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.
56. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _______.
A. will be more popular than TV B. will be popular again
C. started in Wales D. are in the hands of some old people
57. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago
B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way
C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live
D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
58. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.
B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.
C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.
D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.
59. The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.
A. controlled by rich people B. grasped by good storytellers
C. taken good care of D. protected by kind people
Audrey Hepburn (奥黛丽·赫本) was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She really was blue-blood from the beginning with her father, a wealthy English banker, and her mother, a Dutch noblewoman. After her parents divorced, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girl school. Later, when her mother moved back to the Holland, she attended private schools as well. While taking a vacation with her mother in Arnhem, Holland, Hitler's army took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation. Audrey suffered from depression and poor nutrition.
After the liberation, Audrey went to a ballet school in London on a scholarship and later began a modeling career. As a model, she was graceful and, it seemed, she had found her job suitable for her in life - until the film producers came calling. After being spotted modeling by a producer, she was signed to a bit part in the European film Nederlands in 7 lessen in 1948. Later, she had a speaking role in the 1951 film, Young Wives' Tale (1951) as Eve Lester. The part still wasn't much, so she headed to America to try her luck there. Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday in 1953. This film turned out to be a splendid success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more plum roles. One of the reasons for her popularity was the fact that she was so elf-like and had class, unlike the sex-goddesses of the time. Roman Holiday was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face.In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador to the United Nations fund helping children in Latin America and Africa, a position she retained until 1993.Her elegance and style will always be remembered in film history as evidenced by her being named in Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time."
67.The underlined words “fell on hard times” in the second paragraph refer to______
A. the producers always let her act a lit role in a film.
B. parents’ being divorced brought her serious pain
C. depression and no nutrition brought her serious pain
D no good jobs were suitable to her
68. Audrey went to America to look for a new chance because_______
A. in the European films there were only little roles for her to act
B. in the Americana there were many important film roles waiting for her to act
C. in the American there were many different jobs suitable to her
D. in the European films there were all roles she didn’t like
69 Which one of the following films made Audrey win an Oscar Best Actress Award?_______
A. Nederlands in 7 lessenB. Young Wives' Tale as Eve Lester
C. Roman HolidayD. the 1957 classic Funny Face
70.This passage mainly tells us about______
A. Audrey’s struggle in the film fields and public admiration
B. Audrey’s family and her career
C Audrey’s childhood and her films won great awards
D. Audrey’s hard times and her achievement
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake at 5:46 a. rn. on January 17, 1995,Kobe (神户) and its surrounding areas suffered a killer earthquake. Only two other events in this century, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and World War II caused more deaths in Japan than this earthquake. The epicenter was at the northern tip of Awaji Island. The quake registered 7.2 on the Richter scale (里氏震级). The greatest amount of damage was seen in the Japanese port city of Kobe, and at final count 6 348 people had lost their lives.
The people of the area were quite unprepared for such a big earthquake. Experts had said that most modern buildings would be quite safe even from an earthquake as strong as the Great Kanto Earthquake. This was clearly not true. Television cameras showed the many buildings that had fallen down. The highway that ran through the city had fallen over on its side looking as if it had been pushed over by a giant.
Thousands of people were homeless, However, some of the finest human qualities were seen in the time of crises (moment of great danger). People formed long lines for water and other supplies. They shared what they had with one another. People from young to old stopped to talk to each other and give a few encouraging words. The people living in the area knew that their old life had been destroyed. They believe they can rebuild their life, and a better one,
64. Only two other events caused more deaths in Japan. They are _____.
A. the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Second World War
B. the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and World War II
C. the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995
D. the First World War and the Second World War
65. Which of the following is true?
A. The Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was the greatest in the world history.
B. The earthquake broke out in summer.
C. The center of the earthquake was in the northern end of the port city.
D. More than six thousand people lost their lives in the earthquake.
66. The passage seems to suggest that _____.
A. a giant was able to start an earthquake
B. modem buildings were strong enough to be safe from any earthquake
C. less people would have died if they had been prepared for it
D. experts always tell lies
A new research has uncovered that culture is a determining factor when interpreting facial emotions．The study reveals that in cultures where emotional control is the standard，such as Japan，focus is placed on the eyes to interpret emotions．Whereas in cultures where emotion is openly expressed，such as the United States，the focus is on the mouth to interpret emotion．
“These findings go against the popular theory that the facial expressions of basic emotions can be universally recognized，”said University of Alberta researcher Dr．Takahiko Masuda．“A person's culture plays a very strong role in determining how they will read emotions and needs to be considered when interpreting facial expression．"
These cultural differences are even noticeable in computer emoticons (情感符号)，which are used to convey a writer’s emotions over email and text messaging．The Japanese emoticons for happiness and sadness vary in terms of how the eyes are drawn，while American emoticons vary with the direction of the mouth．In the United States the emoticons ：) and ：--) show a happy face，whereas the emoticons ：( or ：--( show a sad face．However，Japanese tend to use the symbol (＾-＾) to indicate a happy face，and ( ；_；) to indicate a sad face．
“We think it is quite interesting and appropriate that a culture tends to mask its emotions． The Japanese would focus on a person's eyes when determining emotion，as eyes tend to be quite subtle (微妙的)，”said Masuda．“In the United States, where open emotion is quite common，it makes sense to focus on the mouth, which is the most expressive feature on a person's face．”
60．The text mainly tells us that______．
A. cultural differences are expressed in emotions
B. culture is the key to interpreting facial emotions
C. different emoticons are preferred in different cultures，
D．people from different cultures express emotions differently
61．If a Japanese wants to detect whether a smile is, true or false，he will probably______．
A. read the whole face B. focus on the mouth
C. look into the eyes D. judge by the voice
62．People used to believe that___________．
A．some facial expressions of emotions were too complex to be recognized
B．people in the world interpreted basic emotions in different ways
C．people could only recognize the facial expressions of basic emotions；
D．people all’ over the world understood basic emotions in the same way
63．The computer emoticons used by the Americans show that_____________．
A．they express their feelings openly
B．they tend to control their emotions
C．they are good at conveying their emotions
D．they use simpler emoticons to show their feelings