D

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货)，saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.

53. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

A. From radio broadcasts.                  B. From a newspaper.

C. From TV news.                       D. From a stranger.

54. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The author used to get to work by bike.

B. Several strangers offered bikes to them, but they only accepted one of them.

C. The author’s husband often parked the bike outside the back door.

D. Somebody had stolen their bike before, but soon returned it to the author.

55. What do we learn from the couple’s experience?  

A. An act of kindness can mean a lot.       B. One should take care of their bike.

C. News reports make people famous.      D. Strangers are usually of little help.

56. Why was the bike so important to the couple?

  A. The man’s job was bike racing.      B. It was their only possession.

  C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.        D. They used it for work and daily life.

One very cold day，a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood，I quickly set out with my best friend，Bruce，to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger.
When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down，my best friend suddenly warned me，“Don’t cut down that tree！It’s too close to the power line！﹙电线﹚”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell，there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line，bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all，electricity can’t travel through wood，so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree，pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened，she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree，and when I told him I had，his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed，” he said.
So why am I still alive？It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours，the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt，my mother was still serious. After all，I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience，I learn it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock” of my life.
【小题1】The underlined word “disregard” in the second paragraph means “________”．

A high school history teacher once told me, "If you make one close friend in school, you will be the most fortunate. A true friend is someone who stays with you for life."_36__ teaches that he was right. Good friendship is just not easily_37__.
It is possible that we simply do not stay in one place long enough for a _38_ friendship to  39   . However, there can be   40   disagreement on the need for each of us to think carefully about the kind of friendship we want.
To most of us, friendships are considered very important, but we need to be clear in our __41_ the kinds of friendship we want. Are they to be close or _42 at arm's length? Do we want to   43  ourselves or do we want to walk on the surface? For some people , many friendships on the surface are __44_ enough-- and that's all right. But on some points, we need to    45  that our expectations are the same as our friends' expectations. The sharing  46  experience   47  our tears as well as our dark dreams is the surest way to deepen friendships. But it   48  be undertaken slowly and carried on only if there are   49  of interest and action in return.
What are some of the _50__ of friendship? The greatest is the attraction to expect too much time or too soon. Deep relationships  51    time. Another "major difficulty" is the selfishness to  think one "possesses" the other, including his time and attention. Similarly, friendships   52    actions in return . In   53  words, you must give as much as you take. Finally there is a question of taking care of . Unless you spend   54   time together , talking on the phone, writing letters, doing things together, friendships will die  55  .

One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood, I quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers.
When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me, “Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!” I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head. I had been shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened, she quickly called the power company. Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed,” he said.
So why am I still alive? It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours, the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was well serious with me. After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience, I learned that it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective(观点). Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the “shock of my life”.
【小题1】The underlined word “disregard ” in the second paragraph means “________”.

He's an old cobbler （修鞋匠）  with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris．When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time．Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away．”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time．Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman． “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well．”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” ­­­— without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys．They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap （鞋带） you might as well just throw away the pair．
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled．He wiped his hands on his blue apron （围裙）, looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week．”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf．
“See what I can do?” he said with pride． “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work．”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me．He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft．
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption （消费） rather than a way to realize their own abilities．In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done．
【小题1】Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?