It was 1:30 a.m. Monday at London’s Savoy Hotel and, with autograph books and cameras, a group of brighteyed tennis fans of all ages were waiting for just a glimpse of Maria Sharapova（莎拉波娃）.

    The 17-year-old girl defeated champion Serena Williams（威廉姆斯） 6-1 6-4 in the Wimbledon（温网）final on Saturday in London to become the first Russian to win a single title at the championships.

    A silver lining to a depressing, rain-hit Wimbledon, she has raised heated passion.

    Nobody was complaining, though, for the 1.83-metre Sharapova has created a welcome wave of interest in tennis, something missing in recent years.

    Not even Anna Kournikova（库尔尼科娃）evoked(唤起) such passion when she broke on to the scene. To look good on court is one thing, but Sharapova can actually play the game too. Extremely well.

    She proved it over 13 days at the world’s most prestigious tournament. Playing tennis of the highest quality throughout, the Russian’s triumph not only lifted the tournament from fits of rain-induced depression but also salvaged(拯救；挽回) the season for the woman’s tour.

    Sharapova was given no easy ride in the tournament, having to beat 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport（达文波特）in the semifinals and twice-champion Serena Williams for the title. Neither caused her much concern.

    “I don’t remember too much about the final,” Sharapova giggled. “I was in my own place.”

    She will find it increasingly hard to find any place to call her own from now on after advertisers identified her as the most marketable woman in sport.

    In Russia she is sensational news. She headlined the news bulletins and was telephoned by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin after her triumph.

   Sharapova will return to her adoptive Florida home knowing life will never be the same again.

    But the girl who arrived in the US aged seven with her father and just US$700 is determined not to let fame and riches detract from her number one love, tennis.

    “I know things will start coming up and that many more things will want to get involved, but I want to keep my head cool and play tennis,” she said.

61. Why is Savoy Hotel mentioned in the passage?

   A. Because the good-looking Kournikova would break on to the scene.

   B. Because the fans wanted to take a picture of Sharapova.

   C. Because Sharapova was expected to appear there.

   D. Because it gave the fanatics shelter from the rain.

62. Who has won the most times in Wimbledon?

   A. Sharapova.    B. Kournikova.   C. Serena Williams.  D. Davenport

63. Before Sharapova, there was(were) ______ Russian(s) who had won the title.

   A. Four.         B. Two.         C. One.            D. No.

64. Which of the following statements about this year’s Wimbledon is RIGHT?

   A. The rain caused depression in the tournament.

   B. Sharapova beat the 17-year-old Serena Williams with a silver lining.

   C. Sharapova won the title without effort.

   D. Lindsay Davenport met Sharapova in the final and lost the title.

65. What can be inferred from the passage?

   A. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin will phone Sharapova for her success.

   B. It’s not easy for Sharapova to keep herself away from the advertisers.

   C. Sharapova doesn’t like fame or riches.

   D. Sharapova will continue to live a quiet life in her second homeland-Florida.

Cyril was a small town. The houses there were all made of wood; almost everything in the houses were made of wood, too. And all the houses faced south. The town was never peaceful. Fire broke out once a week on summer afternoons. People were puzzled who was the real firebug (纵火犯).

One day a big fire broke out. It was said that a Negro(黑人) had jumped out of the house on fire, so the police arrested all the Negroes in the street. However, there were fires breaking out when the Negroes were in prison.

Mauson, a physics teacher, didn’t believe that the Negroes were the firebugs, and decided to find out who the real firebug was. One day, he was invited to drink in a pub and happened to notice that many bottles and plastic plates were baked by the hot sunrays. Suddenly he realized what the actual fact was. He dashed out of the pub to his friend’s house nearby, which also faced south. He made an experiment there to prove his idea.

The next Saturday afternoon, Mauson asked some policemen to come to the house. They were told that the real firebug would be shown there. At that time, the sun was shining full into the house and it became hotter and hotter inside the room. “Now,” said Mauson, “this house will soon catch fire.” People looked at each other in surprise. Mauson asked them to look at the bottles and focus on the table cloth. After a while the cloth gave off a burning smell and began to catch fire!

The mystery of fire was discovered, but the police wouldn’t believe him and insisted that Negroes had been the firebugs. Instead they arrested Mauson and put him into prison. But Mauson said he would never turn against science.

56. The town was never peaceful, for fire broke out ________.

A. on Sundays        B. on summer afternoons    C. at any time          D. on winter mornings

57. Why did the police arrest all the Negroes?

A. Because one of them had been seen to set on a fire.

B. Because they were considered to be the firebugs.

C. Because the police hated the Negroes.

D. Because the Negroes knew something about the fires.

58. Drinking in a pub, Mauson realized ________.

A. he needed to leave the pub                       B. he needed to back the bottles

C. it was too hot in the pub                      D. who was the real firebug

59. By making an experiment, it was proved that the real firebug was ________.

A. the Negroes    B. bottles       C. sunrays      D. plastic plates

60. What happened at the end of the story?

A. The Negroes were set free.                             B. The police arrested the real firebugs

C. Mauson was arrested too.                               D. Mauson made friends with the Negroes

Some dances gain more popularity than others because they can be performed to different kinds of music and the steps change accordingly. One such dance is waltz(华尔兹).

    There is a basic form for waltz, which you can see in this drawing of a dancing couple. The man places one arm around the woman’s waist and she places her opposite hand on his shoulder. Then, they stretch their other arms out from their bodies and clasp hand. If someone tries to teach you a formal kind of dancing, chances are your teacher will start with the waltz. Have you ever tried to dance like this?

     There are lots of different kinds of waltz, all performed to different types of waltz music.  The music might be fast or slow but what they all have is a regular one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm.

  The traditional form is the old-school waltz in which dancers turn all the time with a hopping(跳跃), springy step. This waltz has a slow, smooth, gliding step. There’s also the Mexican waltz, which moves much faster. Listen to this Mexican waltz music and you can imagine how fast the dancers had to move.

    Formal dancing has even become a profession, with people entering competitions. Have you ever seen a formal dance competition?

    Today, ballroom dancing is almost considered a competitive sport; professionals perform different dances, each with strict rules. Everything from where the dancers place their hands to how they move is judged. In the glide waltz, dancers are judged by how smoothly they move. “ I can dance with a glass of water on my head,” is a well known sentence used by skilled dancers in the old days. In the past, some people learned how to dance by reading books, while others studied with a teacher called the “dancing master.” How do people learn to dance today?

51. When a couple are dancing, _______.

   A. the girl places one arm around the man’s waist

   B. the man puts one hand on the girl’s shoulder

   C. they stand face to face with one of their hands held together    

   D. the man puts one arm around the girl’s waist and the other on her shoulder

52. Why do the dancers move fast in the Mexican waltz?

   A. To keep up with the music.      

   B. To show how well they perform.

   C. To catch up with the other dancers.

   D. to show the difference of the dance.

53. What do the different types of waltz have in common?

   A. They use the same kind of music.

   B. They share the same kind of steps.

   C. Their speeds are the same.

   D. They have the same kind of rhythm.   

54. If one says “ I can dance with a glass of water on my head,” we know that _______.

   A. he is a good dancer                B. he is a beginner

   C. he is practising dancing            D. he is tired of dancing

55. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

   A. To tell us to learn waltz.            B. To tell us how to dance.

   C. To tell us something about waltz.     D. To tell us the development of waltz.

My husband Mike hated Christmas. He didn’t hate the true meaning of ___31___, but the commercial aspects of it. Knowing he felt this ___32___, I decided one year to___33___the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something ___34 __just for Mike. The idea came in an unusual way.

　Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was___35___at the junior level at the school he attended and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match___36___a team sponsored（资助） by a church.

　These youngsters from the church, dressed in shoes so___37___that shoestrings(鞋带) seemed to be the only thing holding them together,___38___our son’s team were in their beautiful new wrestling shoes.

　As the match began, I was___39___to see that the other team was wrestling without a helmet(头盔) designed to___40___a wrestler’s head. They clearly could not___41___ them. Well, our son’s team ended up defeating them and took every weight class. But as the other team ___42___up from the mat(垫子), they walked around with a sense of pride that couldn’t admit___43___.

　Mike, seated beside me, shook his head___44___, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential(潜力), but___45___like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved___46___and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball. That’s when the ___47___for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and ___48___some wrestling helmets and shoes and sent them to the church.

　On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his___49___from me. His smile was the___50___thing about Christmas that year.

31. A. the gift B. an envelope C. the wrestling D. Christmas

32. A. way B. joy C. music D. fear

33. A. buy B. avoid C. wear D. give

34. A. beautiful B. expensive　　　　　　　　　　　 C. special D. new

35. A. wrestling B. weightlifting　　　　　　　　　 C. shooting D. boxing

36. A. at B. against　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. for D. on

37. A. big B. small　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. worn D. cheap

38. A. because B. if　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. so D. while

39. A. frightened B. disappointed　　　　　　　　　 C. pleased D. surprised

40. A. cover B. surround　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. protect D. hide

41. A. carry B. afford　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. design D. expect

42. A. got B. dressed　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. turned D. cheered

43. A. defeat B. evidence　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. charge　　　　　　　　　　 D. mistake

44. A. gently B. sadly C. nervously D. gladly

45. A. running B. winning　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. losing D. shaking

46. A. workmates B. parents　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. friends D. kids

47. A. invitation B. idea　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. care D. money

48. A. return B. sold　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. bought D. left

49. A. gift B. warning　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. praise D. love

50. A. brightest B. funniest　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. ugliest D. darkest

 Jenny _____ her homework, for she is enjoying herself listening to music.

A. must finish      B. must have finished   C. can finish        D. can have finished

--- Oh, no! My English novel is missing.

--- I saw Tom leaving with ______, but I am not sure whether yours was included.

　 A. one　　　　　 B. some　　　　　　 C. it　　　　　　　 D. that

 The window was forced open. The burglar ______ slipped into the house through it.

   A. immediately     B. specially         C. obviously         D. accidentally

 Several weeks had gone by _______I realized the painting was gone.

   A. as             B. before            C. since            D. when

 --- You have made the same mistake.

   --- ______ It’s none of your business.

   A. Never mind.     B. No problem.       C. So what?        D. Why not?

 During the discovery and settlement of ______ is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession.

   A. that         B. which          C. what          D. whether