It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it,” Mom told him.

“I told that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important… Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral,” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before the had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box, He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now, I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside.

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack, Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh, My God! This is the thing he valued most…”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

 

51. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Bleser.

B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

D. His present busy life washed away his childhood memories.

52. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that ______.

A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

53. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

B. Because he had no children or relatives.

C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

54. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

55. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A. The Good Old Times                                    B. What He Valued Most

C. An Old Gold Watch                                      D. The Lost Childhood Days

Who are these people rushing by you in the street? More than 215 million people now call America “home”, but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become “American” is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of “side-by-side” living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives―such as in schools, business, and sports―but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This living “side-by-side” has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas and dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspapers.

 

64. More than 215 million people call America “home” because_______.

A. they have their houses                           B. they settle there now

C. they want to make their home there         D. they like that land very much

65. “Side-by-side” living style means _______.

A. to make friends with native people

B. to keep their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas

C. the groups of people who live nearby

D. that they get closer to American society

66. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Americans from different lands always stick to their own customs and habits.

B. “Side-by-side” living style is not suitable.

C. Americans from different lands face the society they are not familiar with.

D. The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.

67. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Advantages and Disadvantages.               B. Different Customs and Habits.

C. Home for the People.                              D. “Side-by-side” Living Style in America.

       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。

       Recently some American scientists have given a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized nations.They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago.  71  

       The scientists say that the human life has changed greatly.Our bodies have not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyle and this had led to new kinds of sicknesses.   72   So they are called "diseases of civilization".Many cancers and diseases of the blood system are examples of such diseases.

       Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none.  73   However, a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of today.

       Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic ones.They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits.They did not have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains.  74   We eat six times more salt than our ancestors.We eat more sugar.We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.

          75   But scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way the ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.

       A.Stone Age people lived a simple life.

       B.But today, we enjoy eating a lot of these.

       C.In that case, they would live much healthier.

       D.Ancient people also got lots of physical exercise.

       E.These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times.

       F.People today probably don't want to live like our ancestors.

       G.Modern people used to suffer from "diseases of civilization".

 

A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents a continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts. They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal an synoptic picture(气象图) of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time.

All students of geography should learn to interpret a weather map accurately. Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts, droughts and all climate conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day “outlook” which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These outlooks are based on an analysis of the upper air levels. With the use of electronic instruments and satellites, enormous gains have taken place recently in identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations(气象站).Experiments are also in progress for weather modification studies, although few successful results such as artificial rainmaking have been achieved so far.

 

56. Which is NOT mentioned in this passage as one characteristic of weather?

A. Fronts.                     B. Temperature change.               C. Wind speed.              D. Frost.

57. The observation of weather conditions by satellites is advantageous because_______.

A. it is modern and sophisticated         B. it used electronic instruments

C. it enables man to alter the weather D. it gives the scientists information not obtained readily otherwise

58.The word “interpret” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______

A. explain              B. present              C. modify                     D. draw

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