一I'm afraid I have to leave now, for you see, he is waiting for me.

----Well, if you_ , at least wait till the heavy rain stops.

A. could B. should C. must D. might

The new policy allows a couple to have a second birth____either is an only child.

A. if only B. on condition that

C. unless D. until

more effectively with others, more and more people equip themselves with a higher education.

A. Compete B. To compete

C. Being competed D. Competing

The course normally attracts 20 students per year, ____up to half will be from overseas.

A.in which B. of whom

C. of which D.for whom

Ladies and gentlemen, due to an unexpected accident, one of the singers who all of you to hear____tonight,

A. had come; don't perform

B. come; won't perform

C. have come; won't be performing

D. came; wouldn't perform

The professor spoke highly of me, for what I did was better than____of any other top member on the team

A. any B. each C. that D. those

French writer Patrick Modiano, 69, devoted himself to his writing, and won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature.

A. entirely B. extremely C. gradually D. generally

If you are trying to achieve big goals in your life and work, the chances are that, from time to time, you hit rock bottom. Nothing works, nothing goes right, and nothing succeeds. At times like these, you may feel like throwing in the towel. But before you do, read the following story. It might just change your mind.

One day, a small business owner decided he'd had enough. Enough of the endless work, enough of the lack of response, enough of the disturbing loneliness.

He went into the woods to have one last talk to the wise man. "Mr. wise man," he said. "Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't give up?"

The answer took him by surprise. "Look around you," the wise man said. "Do you see the fern f蕨类植物）and the bamboo?"

“Yes:' the man replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight in spring and protected them from the storms in autumn. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In the, second year, the fern grew even better than before but nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not give up on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But l would not give up. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still would not give up."

Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout(芽)came out from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small. But day by day the sprout grew. Within six months, the sprout had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive." "Did you know, young man, that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Grow the roots that you need to produce your fruit."

"Don't compare yourself to others. All things have different purposes, and different journeys. The bamboo has a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high."

The small business owner left the forest. And never went back.

If nothing seems like it is happening in your life, despite all the work you're putting in, remember that you're probably growing roots not fruit. Stick with it. One day not far from now, there'll be a great harvest.

1.The underlined phrase "throwing in the towel" in Paragraph l probably means .

A. crying out B. showing off

C. giving up D. running away

2.After the wise man planted the fern and the bamboo,

A. he cared for the fern only

B. they didn't receive any care from him

C. he gave up the bamboo in the fifth year

D. the bamboo seed never stopped growing

3.From the passage we can conclude that the small business owner will

A. not turn to the wise man for help again

B. not give up in face of difficulties

C. give up his business later

D. grow some bamboo later

4.Which of the following best describes the story in the passage?

A. Never give up hope.

B. Practice makes perfect.

C. Time and tide wait for nobody.

D. One should try and achieve bigger goals in life.

◆Walking tall, and safely

Some women simply refuse to give up high heels, despite slush ( 雪泥) , ice and snow. Now there's Winter Trax for them, designed to fit over high-heel boots and make their walk on the wild side a little more safe. Metal coils (圈 ) wrap around rubber at the front end of the shoe, with the heel end open.

◆Snow skirt steps up into fashion

Down with snow pants. Up with snow skirts! Montreal's Fantasy Wolrd Heroes has created these skirts to layer over minis and jeans as the snow season sets in. In a range of colors and available in wool, lends and quiltings, they come in four sizes and adjustable.

◆

Doc Martens, those army-inspired leather boots, are back. They were last popular when Kurt Cobain was all the rage(风靡一时 ). So far, just a few teens and fashion people have been spotted wearing the slight fat boots, but they have already appeared on stylish models like Irina Lazareanu and Agyness Deyn.

Neon stores sold Doc Martens 15 years ago and its owner Irving Tajfel wasn't sure at first if he was ready to relive the trend.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Doc Martens at a fashion fair in Barcelona last year. Then I saw all the cool fashion kids wearing them in Paris. That got me thinking that it was about time Doc Martens came back in style here." Tajfel said.

1.We can know from the passage that WinterTrax .

A. makes women like Doc Martens more

B. protects the back end of high-heel boots

C. makes women enjoy high-heel:boots in winter

D. protects women from being robbed

2.When in Barcelona last year, Irving Tajfel probably_ .

A. wore a pair of Doc Martens

B. found Doc Martens was put on show

C. placed an order for Doc Martens

D. saw fashion kids wearing Doc Martens

3.Which of the following can be used to fill in the blank?

A. Leather boots are popular again

B. Kurt Cobain and its music

C. How to choose high-quality boots

D. Doc Martens make a brave return

4.What is this passage mainly about?

A. High-heel boots. B. Seasons.

C. Clothes fashion. D. Weather.

Bright blue Citi Bikes are becoming a fine sight in the New Yorker street. New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more pedaling（骑车的) passengers on those blue Citi Bikes. But what about local bike shops ? Is City Bike booming at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca, a manager who gave his name as "Ben W." said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program. "It's getting more people on the road, more people learning about the sport and getting involved," he said. An employee at Danny's Cycles in Gramercy said Citi Bike is a good option for people in a city famed for its traffic jams and aggressive drivers. "They can try out a bike without buying one:' James Ryan said.

Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny's Cycles. But for Frank's Bike Shop, a small business on Grand St., the bike-share program has been bad news. Owner Frank Arroyo said that his rental business has decreased by 90% since Citi Bike was launched last month. Arroyo's main rental customers are European tourists, who have since been drawn away by Citi Bikes.

However, Ben said the bike-share is good for bike sales at his shop. "People have used the bike-share and realized how great it is to bike in the city, then decide that they want something nicer for themselves," he noted.

Christian Farrell of Waterfront Bicycle Shop, on West St. said at first he was concerned about bike-share, though, he admitted, "I was happy to see people on bikes."

Farrell's early concerns were repeated by Andrew Crooks, owner of NYC Velo, at 64 Second Ave. "It seemed like a great idea, but one that would be difficult to put into use:' Crooks said of Citi Bike. He said he worried about inexperienced riders' lack of awareness of biking rules and strong negative reaction from non-cyclists. However, he said, it's still too early to tell if his business has been impacted (影响) .

While it's possible bike-share will cause a drop in business, Crooks agreed that the idea is a positive step forward for New York City.

1.What is the author's chief concern about the increasing use of Citi Bikes in New York?

A. Whether local bike shops will suffer.

B. How non-cyclists will respond to it.

C. Whether local bike businesses will oppose it.

D. How the safety of bike riders can be ensured.

2.What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike-share program?

A. It found its bike sales unaffected.

B. It changed its business to rentals.

C. It saw its bike sales on the rise.

D. It rented more bikes to tourists.

3.Why is the bike-share program bad news for Frank's Bike Shop?

A. Its customers have been drawn away by Citi Bikes.

B. It cannot meet the demand of the bike-share program.

C. Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again.

D. It has to compete with the city's bike rental shops.

4.What is the general attitude of the local bike shops towards Citi Bike?

A. Doubtful. B. Negative.

C. Uninterested. D. Approving.