The letter was a great disappointment to me. It was from Holy Cross, the only school I really wanted to  41  . I scanned the page, “…. We had a great applicant pool this year. …We can’t offer spaces to   42   … and place you on our waiting list.”

“What does it say, honey?” my dad asked, his voice full of   43   for me.

“I didn’t get in, but I’m on the waiting list.”

“Well, at least it isn’t   44  ,” he said brightly.

“Yeah, but   45  , I don’t want to be on the waiting list; I want to be   46  . No one gets in off the waiting list. It’s a way of saying ‘Thanks for   47  ’.”

“Then let’s go out there and tell them so.”

“That sounds   48  , dad.” I said sadly, “It doesn’t work.”

Upset and annoyed, I   49   myself in my room. However，my father’s advice kept   50   in my head. I thought about it for a few days, finally coming to the   51   that he was right. And the next day I seated myself across from Mr. Luis Soto, my admissions officer.

“What can I do for you, Nacie?” he asked pleasantly.

“Well, sir, I am here to tell you that I love this school and would love a   52   to be here. I just wanted to tell you how much going here would   53   to me—it is my only dream college— and that I would use my time here to the best   54  . I wanted to let you know that if you gave me a chance and reconsidered my application, you wouldn’t   55   it.” The words had poured out  56  I could stop them or check their desperate tone.

Mr. Soto looked me over for a minute before he smiled broadly.

“OK, that is the kind of thing we love to hear. Congratulations, you’re in.”

It was so   57   and I asked, “I’m sorry?”

“We want people in the class who want to be here, who will   58   the best of this education. I’m glad you came to talk   59   to me. I’m happy to offer you a position in the Class of 2009.”

The whole experience taught me a lesson: if you truly want something, never, ever   60  .

A. attend                   B. study                       C. admit                      D. visit

A. everyone          B. anyone                  C. someone        D. no one

A. trust              B. pity                    C. anxiety          D. curiosity

A. admission          B. imagination             C. restriction        D. rejection  

A. ever               B. again                 C. also              D. still

A. recognized          B. received                 C. accepted          D. permitted

A. writing            B. trying                   C. replying           D. waiting

A. lame             B. reasonable               C. painful         D. practical 

A. enjoyed             B. comforted            C. stayed             D. buried 

A. saying            B. ringing               C. showing          D. reminding

A. point             B. conclusion              C. agreement         D. arrangement

A. chance          B. motivation         C. degree         D. change  

A. refer              B. turn                    C. mean            D. stick

A. contribution       B. condition                       C. advantage        D. result 

A. suspect              B. disappoint               C. refuse              D. regret

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

A. unbelievable         B. unforgettable           C. unbearable     D. favorable

A. take                      B. get                          C. make                D. receive

A. patiently            B. openly                     C. carefully           D. calmly

A. get through            B. give up                 C. keep on            D. try out

There is nothing else but economy that occupies the minds of Americans at present times of economic crisis（危机）. The statistics on unemployment，housing costs and consumer confidence keep coming and coming，leaving people not just scared to spend money but also very stressed and emotionally exhausted. This stress has an effect on everything，starting with our sleep，mood，physical health，relationships and eating habits.
“Time of economic stress leads to increase rates of depression(忧郁)，”says Dr. Christopher Palmer，director of continuing education at McLean Hospital in Belmont，Massachusetts. “It worsens illness in people who have been constantly depressed. But it also causes new cases of depression. Just the fear of losing one’s job can put people over the edge. ”
And，without any doubt，just depression alone can create a variety of bad health effects.
●Sleep
33 percent of Americans reported that they have lost sleep due to the economic crisis. 26 percent say they are sleeping less than 6 hours per night，which is considered to be at least one hour less than the most favorable 7 to 8 hours recommended by sleep experts.
●Mental health，stress and heart attack
80 percent of Americans reported that last year the economy is a huge source of stress; 49 percent said the situation makes them feel nervous or anxious; 48 percent reported that they feel very sad and have developed depression.
Nearly twice the risk of heart attack or death was found in patients with the highest levels of depression or anxiety. Among those individuals，a 10 percent higher rise of heart attack or death was found in those whose anxiety rose over time.
●Relationships
The chances of violent behavior are nearly 6 times higher for individuals who are left without a job. Workplace stress can lead to domestic violence.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Now Americans don’t dare to spend money.
B. Now all Americans have problems in sleeping.
C. Economy is the most troubling problem for Americans now.
D. Economic crisis has destroyed many American families.
2. How does the economic crisis affect most Americans according to the passage?
A. They sleep fewer than six hours.                  B. They sleep less than the proper amount.
C. Diseases caused by economy make them sleepless.  D. They lose sleep at night.
3. If a person is out of work，he might   __________.        .
A. become more violent   B. get divorced    C. get rid of workplace stress   D. go mad
4. The best title of this passage is probably______________  .        .
A. The World Economic Crisis Is Getting Worse
B. Economic Crisis Affects Our Health
C. Economic Crisis Causes Trouble to Sleep
D. Ordinary People Suffer Greatly in Economic Crisis
5.What does the underlined word “favorable” mean?
A. proper    B. perfect    C. useful     D. fashionable

Researchers at the University of Bedforshire have developed a new technique for powering electronic device（装置）. The system, developed by Professor Ben Allen at the Centre for Wireless Research, uses radio（无线电） waves as power.
Believed to be a world first, the team claims it could eventually eliminate (or get rid of )the need for conventional batteries. The university has now filed a patent application to secure the only rights to the technique.
Professor Allen and his team have created a system to use medium wave frequencies to replace batteries in small everyday devices like clocks and remote controls.
The new technique uses the “waste” energy of radio waves and has been developed as part of the university’s research into “power harvesting”. Professor Allen said that as radio waves have energy―like light waves, sound waves or wind waves―then, in theory, these waves could be used to create power.
“The emerging（新兴的）area of power harvesting technology promises to reduce our reliance on conventional batteries,” he said. “It’s really exciting way of taking power from sources other than what we would normally think of.”
The team is now waiting for the results of the patent application to secure recognition of the technique. Professor Allen said that the team’s achievements had all been done in their “spare time”. “Our next stage is to try and raise some real funds so that we can take this work forward and make a working prototype（模型）and maybe partner up with the right people and take this to a full product in due course,” he said.
“Power harvesting has a really important part in our future, because, just in this country, we dispose of somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes of batteries in landfill（垃圾填理）sites every single year－that is toxic chemicals going into the ground.”
He added that development of the product could also be “commercially beneficial”. “The market for this is several billion pounds. We’ve seen market predictions for 2020 which have these kinds of figures, so there’s a lot of commercial potential in this area,” he said.
Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Bedfordshire, Professor Carsten Maple, said, “This type of work is a reflection of the university’s growing reputation and experience in conducting innovative（创新的）research.”
【小题1】From the text we know the new technique for powering electronic devices_____.

Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.

   There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong

 everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing。

Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion（宗教）tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.

Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.

1.According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.

A. strike them on the bottom    B. try to help them do the right thing

C. teach them what to do      D. take them to court

2.Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?

A. It teaches the child to hit others when they offend him or her.

B. The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard.

C. Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything.

D. It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right.

3.Which of the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?

A. favorable (赞同的)           B. indifferent (不关心)    

C. interested                   D. unfavorable

4.From this passage, we can conclude that ________.

A. Good children always do the right thing.

B. Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children.

C. Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong.

D. Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked.

When Andrea Peterson landed her first teaching job, she faced the daunting task of creating a music program with almost no money for equipment or supplies in a climate where standards-based learning was the focus and music just provided a break for students and teachers.

For her drive and creativity in overcoming those challenges, she’s been name national teacher of the year.

Principal Waynes Kettler said he’s worked with many outstanding teachers in his 22 years as an educator, but Peterson is “just that one step above anybody I’ve ever worked with before.”

Kettler and others at Monte Cristo Elementary School talk about the ways she has introduced the learning from other classrooms into her music program and her creativity in working around things such as the lack of money for new music.

When students were reading S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders in their regular classroom, Peterson helped them write a 30-minute play with scenes from the book. Then they chose three Broadway tunes that focused on race, equality and social justice, the themes of the book. Peterson composed two other sons herself after classroom discussions about the play and the book.

The honor means a lot to residents of Granie Falls. It’s inspiring to know that people from small towns can even win national honors.

As national teacher of the year, Peterson will spend the next year outside classroom, as a national and international spokeswoman for education.

Not surprisingly, she is a big believer in the value of arts education. She said it’s essential for schools to offer classes such as art or music and physical education because for some kids one of those subjects is the only thing that motivates them to come back to school day after day.

The underlined word “daunting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ___ .

A. discouraging   B. interesting   C. creative   D. unbearable

When Peterson began her teaching career, _____.

A. music was focus of learning in most schools.

B. the environment was favorable to music teaching.

C. the school lacked teaching facilities for music.

D. financial support for music programs was unavailable.

What is the most important reason that Peterson won the award?

A. She concerned herself with current social problems.

B. She motivated students to learn music with her creativity.

C. She has taught music at the elementary school for 22 years.

D. She made great efforts to arouse students’ interest in literature.

Which of the following is an example of Peterson’s way of teaching music?

A. She wrote plays on themes of race, equality and social justice.

B. She made use of the contents of other classes in her teaching.

C. She organized classroom discussions of Broadway tunes.

D. She helped students compose songs by themselves.

In Peterson’s opinion, ____.

A. art, music and PE classes are all important.

B. more subjects should be offered to students.

C. students should be motivated to attend art classes.

D. arts education is more important than other subjects.

It can be inferred from the text that ____.

A. Peterson’s honor was a surprise for the local people.

B. Peterson’s art classes attracted students back to school.

C. Peterson aroused the local residents’ passion for music.

D. Peterson will change her profession next year.