As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods. “The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse. If I went to a friend’s house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he’s out in the woods, ” with a tone(语气) of airy acceptance. It’s similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk.” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while.

We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring(探索). Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today. History seemed to be mostly about explorers. Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind: something usually came up along the way. Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Italian burial mound.

Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were. If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical: the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees. There were four or five trees that we visited regularly----tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in.

It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end. By then some of us has reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence(青春期). In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring. We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that were really were rather big to be up in a tree. Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria.

52. The author and his fiends were often out in the woods to _______.

   A. spend their free time

   B. play gold and other sports

   C. avoid doing their schoolwork

   D. keep away from their parents

53. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

   A. The activities in the woods were well planned.

   B. Human history is not the result of exploration.

   C. Exploration should be a systematic activity.

   D. The author explored in the woods aimlessly.

54. The underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

   A. calm

   B. doubtful

   C. serious

   D. optimistic

55. How does the author feel about his childhood?

   A. Happy but short.

   B. Lonely but memorable.

   C. Boring and meaningless.

   D. Long and unforgettable.

My mother, Marisol Torres, came with her family to Australia in the early 1960s. Then my parents’ marriage ended and Mum began the study of precious stones. Her interest in opals (猫眼石) took her to the New South Wales remote town of Lightning Ridge. There were no luxuries (奢华的享受), but she was closer to nature and had a chance to find black opals and make some money.

My mother was beautiful with dark hair and brown eyes, but she was also quiet and shy. Early in the Ridge years, she kept to herself, but later, she started going to the neighbourhood centre to make friends.

It was her dream to mine, but her get-rich-quick thinking was unrealistic. She was cheated and she was never very successful. But she kept a sense of humour and a charming smile.

Then, just as friendships began to blossom, she was diagnosed with cancer and had to return south for treatment. She had the intention of cooking Spanish food as special treat for her Ridge friends, but died too soon. In her honour, my aunt, Marisa, and I fulfilled her desire when we visited the Ridge in March last year.

People who mine the Ridge come from a cross section of society, from lawyers to travels. Looks don’t mean much: it can be hard to tell who is millionaire and who is poor. Opals attracted Sebastian and Hanna Deisenberger to Lightning Ridge. They planned a two-year stay, but became permanent residents.

Then there’s Neil Schellnegger, 45, who moved to the area with his parents when he was a child. He lives with his son, Luke. Luke is a shy 19-year-old boy who enjoys helping his dad. They haven’t had much luck over the past couple of years, but their passion for opals conquers disappointment. They love the peaceful lifestyle.

Danny Hatcher, 38, is a second-generation miner and president of the Lightning Ridge Miners’ Association. He is an optimistic man, driven by the desire to find the perfect opal. “It’s magic,” he explains. “Once you start opal mining you don’t want to do anything else… There is always the potential for finding a million dollars. Nothing beats it.”

It’s a place where dreams --- spiritual or material --- can be fulfilled; a place, for one last bet in life.

1.What made the author’s mother go to Lightning Ridge?

A.The luxurious life there.                  B.Her new marriage there.

C.Her interest in opals.                     D.Her passion for nature. .

2.After the author’s mother died, she fulfilled her desire by __________.

A.treating her mother’s Ridge friends with Spanish food

B.writing a biography about her whole life

C.decorating her house in Lightning Ridge

D.finding a lot of black opals in Lightning Ridge

3.We know from the passage that _________.

A.the rich and the poor can be distinguished by their looks

B.Luke is a successful miner, just like his father

C.Sebastian is planning to leave Lightning Ridge

D.Danny Hatcher’s parents were miners in Lightning Ridge

4.Lightning Ridge is a place where dreams can be fulfilled because __________.

A.there are precious stones and life is peaceful

B.there are people from all walks of life

C.there are rich people who can help poor people

D.there is a lot of gold hidden in the ground

5.What is the author’s purpose of giving Neil Schellnegger and Danny Hatcher as examples?

A.To show the magic power of opal mining.

B.To tell people it isn’t always hard to mine opals.

C.To warn people not to take up this kind of job.

D.To persuade people to look for more resources for the country.

 

Spring is the time to go out and enjoy the weather and scenery.Here are some events to attend in March of 2012 in Oregon!

Oregon Country Fair(OCF), 9 am to 7 pm on March 8 - 10

OCF first started in 1969, and it’s blossomed into an outstanding example of what a non - profit should be. OCF is an event of shopping & atmosphere, and food ranging from Indian & Afghani cuisine to Italian & France cuisine.Wonderful craft & music never stop.From the time you get there until the time you leave, everyone has a smile on their faces, and they wave and say hello.For tickets, go and visit www.Oregoncountryfair.org.

30th Annual Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament, 8 am to 6 pm on March 12 - 14

The Annual Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament is an amateur tournament that draws amateur volleyball players to the small town of seaside, as well as AVP Team players who are the best volleyball players.In the past years, it has drawn more than 700 teams playing on over 80 volleyball courts.Just go west, and you can’t miss it.It is about 20 miles south of Astoria.To learn more about it, visit the website www.Seasideor.com.

Hood to Coast Relay, 3:30 am to 6:45 pm on March 26 - 27

The Hood to Coast Relay is a 200 - mile - long relay that consists of 15, 000 runners and 4, 100 volunteers.It’s the largest relay in the world, which goes from Mt.Hood to Pacific Ocean in Seaside, Oregon.People of the Oregon coast fear Hood to Coast, because local towns and streets are flooded.There are audiences cheering riders on, and many people set up stations to give riders water.If you would like to get the race route maps, visit the website www. Hoodtocoast. com.

Other event information

To learn about other events, visit the website www. Aadfv. Blogspot. com.

1.OCF covers the following EXCEPT ________.

A.music

B.dishes

C.dance

D.artworks

2.When was the first Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament held in Oregon?

A.In 1982.

B.In 1986.

C.In 1988.

D.In 1992.

3.If Lisa wants to learn more about an outing in Oregon, she may visit _______.

A.www.Seasideor.com.

B.www.Hoodtocoast.com.

C.www.aadfv.blogspot.com.

D.www.Oregoncountryfair.org.

4.Locals of the Oregon coast are afraid of the relay because ________.

A.the relay will last a long period

B.they have to offer food and water

C.the weather is bad during the relay

D.too many people will go there

 

SECTION B

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and the required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

The unsteady housing market is showing a rare sign of strength: waiting home sales were up significantly in February, a report released Monday said, suggesting that Americans took advantage of a tax credit for home buyers.

Sales rose 8.2 percent in February, the National Association of Realtors(房地产经纪人) said. Analysts had expected sales to stay flat.

Economists said Monday’s data suggested buyers were re-entering the market as the April 30 deadline approached for a government tax credit of up to $8,000. The tax credit drove up sales rapidly in the fall, when it was originally set to end, but it has been slow to push the market this spring.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the association, said Monday’s report “may signal the early stages of a second wave of home sales.”

A separate report on Monday showed the service division in the United States was improving, driven in part by gains in employment.

The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing barometer(晴雨表) rose to 55.4 in March, up from 53 in February, going beyond expectations. Much of the energy came from a rush in new orders and business activity.

It was the highest reading(测量或调查的读数) for the survey since May 2006. While employment rose, it was short of the break-even point, signaling the service division was still losing jobs. Exports also rose significantly.

“This is a very encouraging report, which indicates acceleration in demand growth from both domestic and foreign customers,” Barclays Capital researchers wrote in a note on Monday.

The jump in waiting home sales was a rare bit of good news for the housing market, which remains in a deep rut(车辙). Home prices have shown little change.

Analysts expect the housing market to gradually improve as unemployment becomes less and the broader recovery gains steam. But so far, relief has been slow to come.

Monday’s report showed sales rose even in areas hit hard by poor weather in February. Sales climbed 9 percent in the Northeast and South, which were blanketed by snow in February.

The Realtors association bases its data on signed contracts, which usually take one or two months to translate into final sales.

81. What is the effect of the government tax credit? (No more than 5 words)

__________________________________________________________________

82. Who is chief economist for the National Association of Realtors? (No more than 2 words)

_______________________________________________________________________________

83. What could be a surprise according to Monday’s report? (No more than 10 words)

_______________________________________________________________________________

84. If you are asked to describe the rise in home sales in February, which word do you think is the most appropriate? (No more than 1 word)

______________________________________________________________________________

 

 

An American man from Las Vegas opened a dog and cat hotel recently. Pats can rest on soft rugs(小地毯), watch television and get to know some new friends while their masters have fun in the city

The American Dog and Cat Hotel opened officially on a Wednesday in March. There is everything a pet could want --- and more.

“We hear time and time again. ‘This is so nice, I’d like to stay here.’ ” the hotel manager said in an interview. He believed that people would want for their pets what they wanted for themselves.

Kennels(狗舍) have been around for a long time, but nowadays masters want to put their loved pets in some better places, he added.

He said the cats and dogs like to watch images(图像) on TV although they may not understand them. Anyway, they don’t have to know Britney Spears or Emimem to enjoy the pop music. Also, “The dogs don’t know it is a rug, but they know it is soft,” he said.

Pet masters can book a dog suite(套房) for $79 a night. Baths and other services are also offered.

The pet hotel manager believes that all the animal lovers in the world will love this great idea.

1. By “--- and more” in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph the writer means that ______.

A. there’re also things for the pet masters

B. some of the things are unnecessary

C. there’re things a pet cannot fully enjoy

D. all the things are plenty in amount

2. In the pet masters’ opinion, the kennels are _____.

A. not good enough                 B. too old to live in

C. just an equal choice               D. no longer in existence

3. The 5th paragraph suggests that ______.

A. some pets know some pop stars

B. “rug” is a difficult word for a pet to learn

C. pets enjoy things the same way humans do

D. pets enjoy things at a sensational level

 

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