Mum，it’s me．Hopefully，this Mothering Sunday you will get to hear those three words．I will，of course，try to phone you．I hope we will be able to speak for the allowed 10 minutes．But I suspect many inmates will be using the phone，so if I don’t call and if we don’t speak，then this is what I would have said：
It’s not your fault that I am here．I know that deep in your heart you have questioned whether my current circumstance is somehow your fault，if the reckless stupidity of my past is somehow a failure on your part．It is not．Only one person is to blame，only one person should hurt — me．You have always taught me that when the room goes dark，you can wait for the lights to be switched back on or you can search in the dark and turn the light on yourself．You are my light．You always have been and always will be．There is nobody I admire more，nobody I have strived harder to please in my life，which is why my current failure hurts me so much．
I am so sorry that I will not be there to see you，but I want you to know that now，as always，you are here with me．In my darkest hours，and in the coldest loneliness of my past few months，my mind has so often wandered to the past，to when it was you and me — and I have been able to smile．Yours is the strength that I draw upon．
A parent’s job is to make sure that they pass on the best of themselves to their children．You have done that．It is the inner you in me that will get me through this．
I have failed you so epically，but you have never failed me．If I think back to the tears I shed when Dad left，all those years ago，I see you through their misty glaze．You holding me and you telling me we’d be OK，and we will be．We are and always will be the best team．
Childhood heroes such as footballers，actors and rock stars are clichéd．If the job’s done right，a child’s heroes should be their parents — you are mine．The strength you showed after the divorce from Dad to find your biological parents，to go to university and get your teaching qualifications，to begin your life again，is the strength that I draw on now．It is the belief in myself，it is the belief you have in me，that tells me that once I am released I can and will rebuild my life．I will make you proud again．I will make you happy to have me as your son．Yours is the will that gets me through every day．
I don’t believe you can judge a person for the mistakes they make，as we all make them，but you can judge them for what they do afterwards．And after this，when it is all over，you will still have a son with the same hopes and dreams．They have not diminished．If you can dream it，then you have to believe it can happen — right？
So this Mothering Sunday，please think back to that morning in the 80s，the first Mother’s Day without Dad，when a six year old me got up early and made breakfast for you．Do you remember it？Could you ever forget？A slice of bread a doorstep thick and a wedge of cheese equally dense．You didn’t have to eat it，but you did，chewing every dry mouthful．I know now why you forced yourself — because it had been made with love．Well，things don’t change this year — this letter is that bread and cheese (it sure has plenty of the cheese！)．
I love you so much．I am sorry I have let you down，but you have taught me that we will always pick ourselves up and become better than we were before．Thank you for everything and this year，more than ever：
Happy Mothering Sunday．
Love，your sonAccording to the passage，what made the author most upset at present？
| A．Losing his freedom temporarily． |
| B．Being unable to phone his mother． |
| C．Failing to live up to his mother’s expectations． |
| D．Having no chance to spend the weekend with mother． |
What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refer to？
| A．Mothering Sunday |
| B．Dark time |
| C．His mistake |
| D．Near future |
What did the author do in the loneliness of his past months？
| A．He summed up the causes of the failure in his life． |
| B．He planned to help his mother find her birth parents． |
| C．He recalled the fond memories of being with his mother． |
| D．He prepared himself to go to university for further studies． |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “clichéd” in Paragraph 6？
| A．Ridiculous |
| B．Liberal |
| C．Explicit |
| D．Common |
Which of the following can best describe the author’s mother？
| A．Selfless but stubborn |
| B．Guilty but determined |
| C．Selfish but responsible |
| D．Caring but envious |
Chaplin was one of the famous clown-style actors of the silent time. It was through Charlie Chaplin that the Hollywood comedy movies became famous.
Then in the 1920s came another trend of animated cartoons. They were the most popular Hollywood comedy movies of the time. The several popular characters of that era were Felix the cat, Krazy Kat and Betty Boop. However, the popularity of these movies was blocked out due to lack of sound and color. The end of 1920s, the Hollywood comedy industry marked a change brought about by the introduction of sound into the movies. This has allowed the industry to create dramatic new film styles and use verbal humor. These films were soon replacing silent movies. These films used dialogue of comedians such as the W.C Fields and the Marx Brothers. Charlie Chaplin was the last comedian to have acted in the silent films.
When the United States entered into World War II, Hollywood movies changed its course to themes related to the conflicts, and Hollywood comedy movies described more on military themes. The war time experienced a boom, where restrictions on the traveling made nearly a quarter of the money spent on attending movies.
In the 1950s, the interest shifted where the TV became popular. During this time the release of Hollywood comedy films declined (衰落). The 1960s saw an increasing number of broad, star-packed comedies. In 1970 Hollywood comedy movies reflected the anti-war sentiment, which was popular then.
In the 1980s the gag (笑料) based comedy Airplane was released, and Hollywood comedy movies paved its way for more of the same. The popular comedians of this time included Dudley Moore, Tom Hanks, etc. Jim Carrey, the Canadian actor and a comedian, came into Hollywood comedy movies in the late 1980s where he won the role in such a comedy, Copper Mountain.
The most popular Hollywood comedy movies were of John Hughes, which includes Ferris Buellers Day Off and Home Alone series of 1990s. The later films focused more on family audience. This was a revival (复兴) in comedy movies. Comedy movies remain popular till date. Why did Hollywood movies grow rapidly during World War II?
| A．People had more money at that time. |
| B．People couldn’t travel freely. |
| C．The government spent a lot of money on films. |
| D．People were made to see movies by the government. |
The theme of the 1970s Hollywood comedies is _______.
| A．domestic violence | B．desire for freedom |
| C．protests against wars | D．oversea military activities |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Development of Hollywood comedy movies. |
| B．Famous comedians in Hollywood history. |
| C．Outstanding comedies made in Hollywood. |
| D．Chaplin’s contribution to comedies. |
Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened to the Hollywood comedy movies?
a. Hollywood comedy movies focused on family audience.
b. Fewer and fewer Hollywood comedy films were released.
c. Animated cartoons of Hollywood comedy movies were popular.
d. Hollywood comedy movies once developed quickly during the war time.
e. The Hollywood comedy industry made a reform of applying sound to the movies.
| A．ecbda | B．dabec | C．cedba | D．decab |
Sometimes you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible． However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse （冲动 ）, but let it pass instead． You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior．
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time． Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting that it was a taboo to even talk about them． Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject．
One of the newest taboos is the topic of fat． Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that people talk about constantly． It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat． The "in" look is thin, not fat． In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, slim manager to sell their image as well as their products to the public． The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success． The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline and self-respect． After all, how can people permit themselves to become fat? In an image-consciOU6 society, thin is "in", fat is "out"．
It's not surprising that millions of people have become obsessed（着迷） with staying slim and "in shape"．The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for people's obsession with diet and exercise． Recent research has shown the importance of diet and exercise for personal health ． As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of people has changed since last century． Modern machines do all the physical labor． Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point．As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak． In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of people are spending more of their time exercising．Parks are filled with joggers and bicyclists, and many companies are providing special exercise equipment for their employees to use during the work day．What does the word "taboo" refer to in the passage'?
| A．A crime committed on impulse ． |
| B．An unfavorable impression left on other people． |
| C．A strong desire to do something strange or terrible． |
| D．A behavior considered unacceptable to the society． |
What does the underlined phrase"in" look in paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．The fashionable look． | B．The hidden look． |
| C．The usual look． | D．The inside look． |
According to the passage, the common belief is that．
| A．fat people are full of energy | B．thin people are more successful |
| C．fat people prefer to have fat bosses | D．thin people are less image-conscious |
People pay more attention to diet and exercise because of,
| A．their need to kill time | B．their love for sports |
| C．their concern for health | D．their belief in hard work |
What's the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To advertise． | B．To inform |
| C．To educate． | D．To compare |
Joe Temper should have known better． After all, he works for a large auto insurance company． It won't hurt to leave the key in the truck this once, he thought, as he filled his gas tank at a self-service gas station． But minutes later, as he was paying the money, he saw the truck being driven away．
In 2010, 1．6 million motor vehicles were stolen in the United States —one every 20 seconds． If present trends continue, experts predict vehicle thefts （盗窃） could be over two million every year by the end of the decade．
Vehicle theft is a common phenomenon, which has a direct effect on over four million people a year． The cost is astonishing．
Many police officials blame professional thieves for the large number of the thefts． It is a major moneymaker for organized crime． Typically, stolen cars are taken to pieces and the parts sold to individuals． But as many as 200,000 cars are smuggled（走私） out of the country every year． Most go to Latin America, the Middle East and Europe．
Only about 15 percent car thefts result in an arrest, because few police departments specially conduct in depth auto investigations． When thieves are arrested, judges will often sentence them to probation （缓刑）, not immediately put them in prison because the prisons are overcrowded with violent criminals．
One exception is a Michigan program that calls for 92 police officers to work full time on the state's 65,000 car theft cases a year． Since 2006, when the effort began, the state's auto theft rate has fallen from second in the nation to ninth．
How can you protect your car? If you live in a high theft area or drive an expensive model, consider a safety system． It may cost anywhere from $ 25 to $ 1,000． Some systems work automatically - simply removing the key disables the fuel pump and the starter． When cars are equipped with such systems, thefts may drop by one third． In some states, you may be able to use a device that transmits radio signals, allowing stolen cars to be tracked by police．What does the author think Joe Temper should be to blame for?
| A．He should have equipped his car with a security system． |
| B．He should not have his car refilled at the gas station． |
| C．He should not have been so sure of himself．． |
| D．He should have shut down the engine of his car． |
What is NOT a reason for the increase of car theft as mentioned in the passage?
| A．Police don't give enough attention to car theft cases． |
| B．More people parked their cars and left the keys inside． |
| C．Measures and laws against car thieves are not effective enough． |
| D．Car theft brings car thieves much money． |
It is obvious that the Michigan program .
| A．has an effect on the whole USA |
| B．involves the development of a new safety system |
| C．involves the construction of larger prisons |
| D．involves much work but proves to be quite effective |
What type （s） of safety system can help the police find a stolen car back?
| A．The device that sends out radio signals． |
| B．The device that disables the fuel pumps． |
| C．The device that disables the starter． |
| D．All of the above． |
What category should the ads in the text belong to?
| A．Recreation． | B．Music． | C．Sports． | D．Entertainment |
The word "Magnolia" in the third as most probably refers to.
| A．a theatre showing movies | B．the name of a movie |
| C．a music band | D．the director of a movie |
If you want to know more information about the Bill Autry Band, you'd better visit.
| A．www．afidallas ．com |
| B．www．ntjazzfest．unt．edu |
| C．www．bootscootandbba ．com |
| D．www．billybobstexas ．com |
Those who like movies with Academy Awards are likely to see.
| A．The Lives Of Others | B．The Usual Suspects |
| C．Notes On A Scandal | D．Color Me Kubrick |
So there you are on the phone, you ask a question, and suddenly there's silence． What is this, the phone's gone dead, the person you're talking to is dead? Possibly． But there could be another reason — the other person could be Finnish, or Japanese．
According to a handy new booklet from British Telecom （BT） for business people, in countries such as Britain and Italy "conversation is a form of entertainment． There is a continuous flow of talk．．．"． But in other countries especially Finland and Japan, "it is not only impolite to break in, but listeners will think over what has been said in silence"．
It also points out that English, when spoken by foreigners, is likely to include plenty of "false friends", where word-for-word translation fails． If a Frenchman says something is "interesting", he probably means it's profitable．If he "demands" something, he's actually just asking． If an American says your proposal is "quite good", you should be pleased, because "quite" means "very"． But if he tells you to "table" a proposal, then things are not good at all． Whereas an English person would understand tabling a proposal as putting an idea forward, to an American it means shelves it．
According to the booklet, British people are not "explicit" like the Americans, the Dutch, the Germans or the French． "If a Dutchman says an idea is interesting, he means that it is interesting． If an Englishman says it is interesting, you have to deduce（推论） from the way he says it whether he means it is a good or a bad idea．"
The Japanese, the Russians and the Arabs on the other hand, live in the land of true dioplomatic subtlety（微妙）．"If they say an idea is interesting, it may simply be out of politeness"．
It is safest to stick with plain speaking whenever possible, BT advises its British readers． And whatever you do, be careful to limit the use of the famous British sense of humor．When someone says that an idea is interesting, who don't really mean it?
| A．The Dutch． | B．The French． | C．The British． | D．The Japanese． |
While speaking in English, a foreigner seems.
| A．to use the words "false friends" quite often |
| B．to have a strong foreign accent |
| C．to have difficulty in expressing himself clearly |
| D．to keep on forgetting English words |
We may learn from the passage that the best thing to do while talking to others, especially to foreigners, is to.
| A．speak as a diplomat |
| B．be fully aware of culture difference |
| C．speak with a sense of humor |
| D．avoid being somewhat entertaining |