(   ) 4. Today is a red-letter day，which will          as the greatest day in my life.

A. live out    B. speak out C. stand out    D. give out

(   ) 3. A well-written composition        good choice of words and clear organization.

A. searches for    B. heads for C. calls for    D. cares for

(   ) 2. As a matter of fact，more than 20 companies are          for the deal in producing this

kind of popular doll.

A. arguing    B. complaining C. downloading    D. competing

(   ) 1. We had made full preparations for the test so we          to pass it.

A. expected    B. deserved C. designed    D. supposed

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most? This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because

he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky，inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to my mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe;my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming,and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.

Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame,I knew I had given the perfect gift.

(   ) 8. The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was        .

A. doing shopping    B. having a debate

C. reading a message    D. leaving for Wyoming

(   ) 9.The author's inspiration for the gift came from .

A. a photo of a flower    B. a story about a kid

C. a call from the mother D. a text about Christmas

(   ) 10. The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by-

A. the father    B. the author C. William Blake    D. Edgar Allan Poe

(   ) 11. The author made the gift by        .

A. searching for the poems online    B. drawing the background by hand 

C. painting the letters in three colors  D. matching the words with pictures

(   ) 12. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.   To show how to design images for gifts.

B.   To suggest making gifts from one, s heart.

C.   To explain how computers help create gifts.

D.   To describe the gifts the author has received.

B

Experts say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. "Culture shock" is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. "There are three stages of culture shock," say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then，when the fresh experience dies，they begin to hate the city，the country，the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings

and,as a result,enjoy their life more.

There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems, the telephone, post office, or transportation may be difficult to work out. The simplest things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.

Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country，these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role,almost without an identity(身份).They have to build a new self image.

Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation(迷惘).This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick,people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment，and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term,but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.

(   ) 4. The main purpose of the text is        .

A.  to take pity on the culture shock sufferers

B.  to share his feeling about staying abroad

C.   to introduce the knowledge of culture shock

D.  to encourage and cheer up the culture shock sufferers

(   ) 5. What does the expression "adjust to" in the first paragraph probably mean?

A. Get used to. B. Get tired of. C. Protect. D. Appreciate.

(   ) 6. If one feels homesick,he should        .

A.  stay inside all the time for safety

B.  phone his parents or friends in his home country for comfort

C.  work hard to build a new self image

D.  get to know the new surroundings and gain experience

(   ) 7. Which of the following facts about culture shock is true?

A.  The successful ones in their community have less difficulty in a foreign environment.

B.  Culture shock doesn、t include such factors as customs，one, s native language and so on.

C.  Culture shock gives rise to the feeling of being lost.

D.  The specialists going abroad won't experience the stages of culture shock.

It was a very cold evening. The old man' s beard was almost frozen. He was waiting for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. The old man sat on the ground waiting.

Finally，he saw several horsemen coming. He watched them. He let the first one pass by without even asking. Another passed by，and then another. Finally，the last rider came near the old man. The old man caught the rider's eye and said, "Sir,would you mind giving me a ride to the other side?”

Stopping his horse, the rider replied, "Of course." But the old man's body was half-frozen. He could not get off the ground. The horseman helped the old man get onto his horse. He took the old man not just across the river, but to the old man's home.

As they neared the old man's house, the horseman asked, "Sir,you let several other riders pass by without even asking. Then I came up and you asked me for a ride at once. Why? What ifl had said 'no' and left you there?"

The old man looked at the rider straight in the eyes,and said, "I looked into the eyes of the other riders. I quickly saw that they didn't care. It would be useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes，I saw kindness. I knew that you would help me."

The words touched the rider deeply. 'Thank you for what you've said," he told the man, "I hope I will never be too busy to help others."

With that，Thomas Jefferson，the third president of the US，turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

(   ) 1. The first paragraph is used to        .

A. describe the cold weather    B. describe the old man's difficulty

C. stress the last horseman, s kindness D. describe the length of the old man, s beard

(   ) 2. What did the old man ask the last driver to do?

A. To take him home. B. To take him across the river.

C. To take him to the capital. D. To take him to the White House.

(   ) 3. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A.   Though I will be busy,I'll still help others.

B.   I'll not be busy forever, so I can help others.

C.   I will always be ready to help others.

D.   To help others, I will not be busy.

10. ― How was the televised debate last night?

―Super！Rarely        so much media attention. (attract)

——昨晚的电视辩论赛怎样？

——好极了！过去很少有辩论赛如此吸引媒体的关注。

9. When his father got home，the boy            . (pretend)

当他父亲到家时，这个男孩假装在做作业。

8. Later，Catherine II             a palace outside St. Petersburg where she spent her summers. (have)

后来，叶卡捷琳娜二世把琥珀屋搬到了她夏天度假的圣彼得堡外面的一个宫殿里。