The annual marathon in my town usually took place in summer. My job was to   21   behind the runners in an ambulance   22    any of them needed medical attention. The driver and I were in an air-conditioned ambulance behind nearly one hundred athletes    23   to hear the sharp crack of the starting gun.
“We’re supposed to stay behind the   24   runner, so take it slowly ,” I said to the driver , Doug , as we began to creep forward .
“Let’s just hope all the runners are fast!” he laughed.
As they began to pace themselves, the front runners started to   25   . It was then that my   26  were drawn to the woman in blue silk running shorts and a baggy white T-shirt.
“Doug, look!”
We knew we were already watching our “last runner”. Her feet were turned in, but her left knee was turned out. Her legs were so crippled and bent that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk , let alone run a marathon .
Doug and I watched in   27   as she slowly moved forward. We didn’t say a thing. We would move forward a little bit, then stop and wait for her to gain some distance. Then we’d slowly move forward a little bit more.
Finally, she was the  28   runner left in sight. Tears streamed down my face as I sat on the edge of my seat and watched with amazement and even respect as she    29       forward with strong determination through the last miles.
When the    30   line came into sight, rubbishes lay everywhere and the cheering crowds had already gone home.    31  , a man waited proudly there. He was   32  one end of a ribbon (带子) tied to a post.   33  slowly crossed through, leaving both ends of the ribbon fluttering behind her.
I do not know this woman’s name, but that day she became a part of my life –a part I often depend on. For her, it wasn’t about   34   the other runners or winning a competition, it was about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter    35  . When I think things are too difficult or too time-consuming, I think of the last runner. Then I realize how easy the task before me really is.
【小题1】

A.interview B.watch C.follow D.fall
【小题2】
A.when B.sinceC.because D.in case
【小题3】
A.searching B.sitting C.wishing D.waiting
【小题4】
A.slow B.last C.wounded D.helpless
【小题5】
A.runB.missC.disappearD.lose
【小题6】 
A.attentionB.mindC.eyesD.sight
【小题7】 
A.happinessB.silenceC.disappointmentD.hope
【小题8】 
A.singleB.onlyC.lastD.careful
【小题9】 
A.pushedB.foughtC.pulledD.jumped
【小题10】
A.closeB.endC.matchD.finish
【小题11】
A.Yet B.But C.Thus D.Therefore
【小题12】
A.catchingB.handing C.holdingD.bringing
【小题13】
A.He B.SheC.I D.They
【小题14】
A.winning B.competing C.beating D.fighting
【小题15】
A.what B.where C.whenD.why

If you were to walk up to Arthur Bonner and say,“Hey,Butterfly Man,”his face would break into a smile.The title suits him.And he loves it.
Arthur Bonner works with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly(蝴蝶),once thought to have died out.Today the butterfly is coming back—thanks to him.But years ago if you’d told him this was what he’d be doing someday,he would have laughed,“You’re crazy.”As a boy,he used to be “a little tough guy on the streets”.At age thirteen,he was caught by police for stealing.At eighteen,he landed in prison for shooting a man.
“I knew it had hurt my mom,”Bonner said after he got out of prison.“So I told myself I would not put my mom through that pain again.”
One day he met Professor Mattoni,who was working to rebuild the habitat(栖息地) for an endangered butterfly called EI Segundo blue.
“I saw the sign‘Butterfly Habitat’and asked,‘How can you have a habitat when the butterflies can just fly away?’”Bonner recalls,“Dr.Mattoni laughed and handed me a magnifying glass(放大镜),‘Look at the leaves.’I could see all these caterpillars(蝴蝶的幼虫) on the plant.Dr.Mattoni explained,‘Without the plant,there are no butterflies.’”
Weeks later,Bonner received a call from Dr.Mattoni,who told him there was a butterfly that needed help.That was how he met the Palos Verdes blue.Since then he’s been working for four years to help bring the butterfly back.He grows astragalus,the only plant the butterfly eats.He collects butterflies and brings them into a lab to lay eggs.Then he puts new butterflies into the habitat.
The butterfly’s population,once almost zero,is now up to 900.For their work,Bonner and Dr.Mattoni received lots of awards.But for Bonner,he earned something more:he turned his life around.
For six years now Bonner has kept his promise to stay out of prison.While he’s bringing back the Palos Verdes blue,the butterfly has helped bring him back,too.
【小题1】When he was young,Arthur Bonner _______.

A.broke the law and ended up in prison
B.was fond of shooting and hurt his mom
C.often laughed at people on the streets
D.often caught butterflies and took them home
【小题2】Bonner came to know the Palos Verdes blue after he _______.
A.found the butterfly had died out
B.won many prizes from his professor
C.met Dr.Mattoni,a professor of biology
D.collected butterflies and put them into a lab
【小题3】From the last sentence of the text,we learn that raising butterflies has _______.
A.made Bonner famous
B.changed Bonner’s life
C.brought Bonner wealth
D.enriched Bonner’s knowledge
【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.A Promise to Mom
B.A Man Saved by Butterflies
C.A Story of Butterflies
D.A Job Offered by Dr.Mattoni

If you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a corner, you’re sadly mistaken.
Chilly (寒冷的) days and grey clouds are forecast for the week—making it far too early to pack away the winter woollies.
Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day.
People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool. Forecasters have predicted a return to chilly weather this week.
Met Office forecaster Charlie said, “It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going to be a similar affair for many.”
“Temperatures will be between 5℃and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring.”
The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday. 
Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃. But this is still two degrees below the March average for the district.
Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply, with lows of minus 3℃for the next three nights.
“It will generally stay on the cold side of average,” said Mr. Powell.
The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years.
Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK’s average 1.5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978—79.
It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February.
The agency also sadly predicted a “barbecue summer”, saying it was “quite optimistic” that it would be warmer and drier than average.
Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week.
In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain’s size and geographical position makes long-term predictions much more challenging.
It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter.
60. According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _______.
A. dry but cloudy  B. sunny but chilly  C. sunny and warm  D. cloudy and chilly
61. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. British people can put away their winter clothes now.
B. The Met Office has shortened its forecast range.
C. The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate.
D. The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions.
62. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. The big chill isn’t over yet                    B. A warm spring finally arrives
C. A heavy snow is on the way            D. The Met Office drops forecasts
63. From the passage, we can conclude ________.
A. the weather report is more and more important
B. British people become worried about bad weather
C. Britain has just experienced a very freezing winter
D. The Met Office can always predict any heavy snow falls accurately


My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired but in the barn(谷仓)there were bats(蝙蝠)and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They told us so in their own way. They hung there in the barn and seemed determined to stay for the season. Don’t worry about it, Dad, " Patrick said. They keep down the mosquitoes(蚊子).”
Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. when we had asked a person to sell the house for us he had refused to show it because of the bats. Bats are popular, “Patrick comforted me. They’re ecological(生态学的).”Isn’t there a machine you can buy that produces high frequency sounds to keep bats away?” “I don’t know,” said Patrick. But I like bats, and whoever buys this house will probably like them too. “Probably?” I hated that word. “How many bats are there ,anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick. “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more — outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out. Don’t worry about it,” he said for the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem.”
The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder, I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat eats up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’re a very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. Bats have a remarkable homing instinct(本能),”he said, “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.
Finally we managed to rent “(出租)the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. What about the bats?” I said to Patrick.
“Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.”
“Do you think they will really buy the blouse?”
“Probably.”
“Probably? Well, if they do ,I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.”
“You mean you’re going to eat your words?”
“Yes, I am.”
36.  What was the problem the author had with his house?
A.?Bats were living in the barn and wouldn't go away.
B.?The author and his son couldn't sleep well because of the bats.
C.?The author and his son might be able to stay for the season.
D.?The house was still badly in need of repair.
37.?What did Patrick suggest the author should do to stop the bats living in the barn?
A.?He should buy a high frequency machine.
B.?He should move them one hundred miles away.
C.?He should reduce the number of mosquitoes.
D.?He should close the barn in the spring.
38.?Why did the author fall silent when he talked with the bat specialist?
A.?He felt sure about the situation.
B.?He found out that it would be impossible to remove the bats.
C.?He learned that he would be able to share his luck with the expert.
D.?He liked the advice given by the expert.
39?What happened regarding the house in the end?
A.?Some people agreed to rent the house.
B.?The author failed to find anybody who wanted to live in the house.
C.?The bat expert made the decision to buy the house.
D.?The bats left the house for Mexico in the spring.
40.?Why did the author think he might have to “eat his words”?
A.?He felt sorry for the bats.
B.?He might be mistaken about being unable to sell the house.
C.?He realized he might be wrong about the bats’ actions.
D.?He was happy about selling the house.


Section B
(A)
Taiwan will finalize a plan by the end of June to open up the island to tourists from mainland China, though no date has been fixed for formal implementation(执行), an official at the Mainland Affairs Council(MAC) said on Monday.
The official said the reports in the local press on Monday that the MAC has decided to postpone its plan to announce the implementation of the new plan on July 1 were inaccurate.
The official said cooperation between different organizations was still underway.The United Daily news quoted the director of the MAC’s legal affairs department, Liu Thehsun, as saying the plan to open up to mainland tourists would not be implemented as scheduled due to a lack of cross-strait communication.
Although relevant authorities, including the Bureau of Immigration and the Tourism Bureau, have complete reports on how to deal with visitors from mainland China, the decision has been taken not to press, ahead with announcement of the plan’s implementation on the first of July, Liu was quoted as saying.
The report also said that while no restrictions would be imposed on the mainland visitors in terms of age or residence in China, the visitors would need to hold a steady job or have more than 50,000RMB(about 6,000, U.S.dollars)in bank savings before they would be eligible(有资格的)to visit Taiwan.
In addition, Taiwan bound mainland tourists would have to come as part of a tour group and would be allowed to stay a maximum of 10 days each time.
The number of mainland tourists allowed to enter the island would also initially be limited to 1,000 people a day.
Although most people from Taiwan are free to travel to China, only a small number of mainland Chinese have been able to visit the island due to restrictions imposed by both sides of the Taiwan Strait after the end of a civil war in 1949.
65.At the moment, according to the passage,     .
A.no mainland Chinese can visit Taiwan now
B.any mainland Chinese can visit Taiwan now
C.many mainland Chinese have ever visited Taiwan since 1949
D.a few mainland Chinese have ever visited Taiwan since 1949
66.When Taiwan opens up the island to tourists from mainland China,.
A.there will be no restrictions to mainland visitors
B.mainland visitors who want to travel in Taiwan must have at least ¥50,000 in the bank savings account
C.there will be no age restrictions to the mainland visitors
D.mainland visitors will be free to travel to Taiwan
67.We can infer from the passage that get(s) involved in the implementation of the plan.
A.MAC                    B.United Daily
C.several organizations        D.Bureau of Immigration
68.Which of the following statement is TRUE?
A.The implementation of the plan has not been fixed.
B.It was originally fixed on July 1 to announce the plan’s implementation.
C.For lack of cross-strait communication, the plan will not be officially completed until July.
D.When the plan is finalized, it will be announced immediately.

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