Bill Javis took over our village’s news-agency at a time of life when most of us only wanted to relax. He just thought he would like something but not too much to do, and the news-a??gency was ready-made. The business produced little enough for him, but Bill was a man who only wanted the simplicity and order and regularity of the job. He had been a long-serving sailor, and all his life had done everything by the clock.

Every day he opened his shop at 6:00 a. m. to catch the early trade; the papers arrived on his doorstep before that. Many of Bill’s customers were city workers, and the shop was convenient for the station. Business was tailing off by 10 o’clock, so at eleven sharp Bill closed for lunch. It was hard luck on anybody who wanted a paper or magazine in the after??noon, for most likely Bill would be down on the river bank, fishing, and his nearest competitor was five kilometers away. Sometimes in the afternoon, the evening paper landed on the doorway, and at 4 o’clock Bill reopened his shop. The evening rush lasted till seven, and it was worthwhile.

He lived in a flat above the shop, alone. Except in the very bad weather, you always knew where to find him in the af??ternoon, as I have said. Once, on a sunny afternoon, I walked home along the river bank from a shopping trip to the village. By my watch it was three minutes past four, so I was aston??ished to see Bill sitting there on his little chair with a line in the water. He had no luck, I could see, but he was making no effort to move.

“What’s wrong, Bill?” I called out from the path.

For answer, he put a hand in his jacket and took out a big, golden object. For a moment I had no idea what it could be, and then it suddenly went off with a noise like a fire en??gine. Stopping the bell, Bill held the thing up and called back, “Ten to four, you see, and this is dead right.”

I had never known anyone carrying a brass alarm clock round with him before.

Bill Javis became a news-agent when _______.

A. he needed the money      

B. he was quite an old man

C. he decided to take up fishing  

D. he gave up clock-repairing

Bill opened the shop so early in the day because _______.

A. he liked to do as much as possible before he went to work

B. the shop had to be open when the morning papers came

C. he was never sure of time

D. it was then that he did a lot of business

From the information given in the passage, who or what do you think was wrong?

A. The bell was－it must have gone off at the wrong time.

B. Bill was－he had dropped off to sleep.

C. The writer’s watch was－it was fast.

D. Bill’s clock was－it was old.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer．

???? A busy life can be personally satisfying, but it may make you feel too tired to achieve the inner peace that will connect you with your true happiness．Begin with simplifying your life and working towards a more peaceful state of mind．

???? Recognize the differences between the things you need and the things you want．Our culture provides us with the message that materials will make our lives better．The reality is that most of these things will complicate our lives without bringing true happiness．Free yourself —learn to be satisfied with fewer materials and greater simplicity．

???? If you let someone else define your life．you're missing the chance to follow your own desires．Your inner life is weakened when you are limited by conformity （遵从）．Why do you give up your freedom and allow all of your decisions to be defined by what others think you "should" do? Think for yourself．Let your passions be your guide．

???? Life is full of opportunities to earn money and give services．Learn new skills and make new friends．Some of us want them all and fill up our timetable with all kinds of activities．Rushing from one activity to another leaves you with no time to slow down．No matter how worthy you think your activities are, rethink them．Keep the ones that are most important and leave out the ones that are adding to the pace of your life with little return．

???? Life is forever changing, and you will never reach a point of simplicity and endless happiness．But each moment you spend on the path to simplicity does have the possibility to bring happiness to your life．

190._______ popular belief that classical music is too complex, it achieves a simplicity that only a genius can create.

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.
　　It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause. Lincoln turned to a friend and said , "I have failed again." On the train back to Washington, he said sadly, "That speech was a flat failure, and the people are disappointed."
　　Some newspapers at first criticized（批评）the speech. But little by little as people read the speech they began to understand better. They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.
　　Today, every American school child learns Lincoln's Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history.
【小题1】.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was_________.

 In my whole childhood I focused on training to play professional soccer. Through the mid 90’s I  36 through Olympic training and on June 13,1997 I was  37 with a minor league team, when a 16-year-old boy ran a stop sign(闯红灯).That night 38 my life. I was on my motorcycle and got 39 by a car, partly disabling me six months. I lost most of my memory, 40 coma (昏迷)symptom and had to learn to 41  all over. During the coming 24 months of physical treatment I changed my 42 of life.

    I began making 43 as if each day was my last day 44. Before the 45 , I was studying at a university. I was taught that the 46 of life was to study career skills and pursue financial 47. After returning from near death I went 48 searching. I traveled through the native reservation of the northern USA and witnessed the most extreme 49. I slowly realized there was so much more to 50 than just doing things for myself. I started listening to the people I met and 51 to help them any way possible.

   Everywhere I stayed I met 52 people telling me stories about 53 the earth and making better use of nature’s energy. In 2005 my father quickly died from cancer and I 54 the desire to do much of anything for myself. I started looking for well-off people to aid those 55. I’ve accumulated a list of people nearing life threatening situations or those trying to make a major effect on the world and now I try to help them full time.

1.A. advanced       B. fought         C. looked        D. won

2.A. playing         B. working       C. competing     D. coming

3.A. corrected       B. influenced      C. destroyed      D. changed

4.A. run            B. hit            C. knocked       D. stuck

5.A. spread          B. caught         C. showed        D. suffered

6.A. walk           B. talk            C. eat           D. drive

7.A. duty           B. view           C. course        D. dream

8.A. decisions       B. discoveries      C. promises       D. studies

9.A. possible        B. available        C. present        D. alive

10.A. event          B. experience      C. difficulty      D. disaster

11.A. reality         B. value           C. purpose       D. content

12.A. balance        B. situation        C. stability       D. expense

13.A. head          B. spirit           C. heart         D. soul

14.A. poverty        B. anxiety         C. anger         D. simplicity

15.A. nature         B. society         C. life           D. happiness

16.A. refused        B. volunteered      C. tended        D. learned

17.A. wonderful      B. famous         C. wealthy       D. cautious

18.A. developing     B. exploring        C. respecting     D. understanding

19.A. realized        B. controlled       C. gained        D. lost

20.A. in despair      B. in need          C. in touch       D. in season