A man died and was his way to another 36  , either the heaven or the hell(地狱).He saw an extremely 37 palace half way and the owner of the palace 38 __him to stay and live in the palace.

   The man said, “I have been working 39  during my life and now I just want to eat and sleep 40  any work.”

The owner of the palace said,“ 41  , there is nowhere else better than here for you. There is a wealth of 42  in my palace and you can eat whatever you want without anyone 43   you. 44 , you can rest assured(放心) that 45   needs to be done by you.” Then, the man settled down in the palace.

At the beginning, the man felt very 46   at the rotation(轮流)of eating and sleeping. But 47 he felt a bit lonely and empty. So he went to the owner and complained, “It is very 48 _ to live by just eating and sleeping every day. Now I show no 49  in this kind of life any more. Could you help me find a 50 ?

The owner replied,“ 51 ，there is no job here at all.”

After another several months, the man could not 52 the present life and went to the owner 53 , “I really could not stand this sort of life any more. If you do not offer me a job, I would 54   to go to the hell instead of living here.”

The owner of the palace smiled contemptuously(轻蔑地), “Do you think it is Heaven here? It is 55  the hell!”

36. A. world        B. house        C. space        D. hospital

37. A. summer      B. small         C. ordinary     D. splendid

38. A. asked        B. warned       C. forced       D. demanded

39. A. comfortably   B. hard         C. honestly     D. fruitlessly

40. A. apart from    B. besides       C. without      D. out of

41. A. If any        B. If so         C. If necessary   D. If possible

42. A. jewels        B. tastes        C. books       D. food

43. A. stopping      B. asking        C. noticing     D. meeting

44. A. However      B. Otherwise     C. Anyway     D. Moreover

45. A. anything      B. everything     C. nothing      D. something

46. A. surprised      B. happy        C. mad         D. afraid

47. A. easily        B. carefully       C. confidently   D. gradually

48. A. strange       B. enjoyable      C. boring       D. relaxing

49. A. interest       B. trust          C. patience      D. curiosity

50. A. partner       B. way out       C. meaning      D. job

51. A. Good idea    B. Cheer up       C. Sorry        D. Never mind

52. A. bear          B. lose          C. handle       D. risk

53. A. indeed        B. already        C. always       D. again

54. A. hope         B. prefer         C. promise       D. expect

55. A. no longer     B. also           C. actually       D. still

My mind went blank when I saw the gun pointing against the car window as we pulled out of the garage. This can't be happening to me. Then I felt the gun, cold, against my head, and I heard my friend Jeremy saying，“What do you want? Take my wallet，” but at the time I thought of nothing.

I remember being a little annoyed when the gunman pulled me from the car by the hair. I remember the walk to the house—Jeremy, me, the two men with two guns. I remember the fear and anger in the gunmen's voices because Jeremy was being slow, and I remember wondering why he was being slow. I did not realize that Jeremy had thrown the keys into the bush. But I remember that sound of the gun hitting Jeremy's head and the feeling as the man who had hold of my hair released me. And I remember the split second when I realized he was looking at Jeremy，and I remember wondering how far I could run before he pulled the trigger. But I was already running, and upon reaching the car across the street, I didn't crouch (蹲伏) behind it but screamed instead.

I remember thinking there was something ridiculous and illogical about screaming “Help, help！” at eight o'clock on a Tuesday evening in December and changing my plea(恳求) to the? more specific “Help, let me in, please let me in！” But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly, and I ran on until I heard Jeremy's screams behind me announcing that our attackers had fled.

The neighbors who had not opened their doors to us came out with baseball bats and helped Jeremy find his glasses and keys. In a group they were very brave. We waited for the police to? come until someone said to someone else that the noodles were getting cold, and I said politely，“Please go and eat. We're OK.”

I was happy to see them go. They had been talking of stricter sentences for criminals, of? bringing back the death penalty(处罚) and how the President is going to clean up the country. I? was thinking, they could be saying all of this over my dead body, and I still feel that stiffer? sentences wouldn't change a thing. In a rush all the anger I should have felt for my attackers was? directed against these contented people standing in front of their warm, comfortable homes? talking about all the guns they were going to buy. What good would guns have been to Jeremy? and me?

People all over the neighborhood had called to report our screams, and the police turned out? in force twenty minutes later. They were ill?tempered about what was, to them, much trouble? about nothing.? After all, Jeremy was hardly hurt, and we were hopeless when it came to? describing the gunmen. “Typical，” said one policeman when we couldn't even agree on how tall? the men were.? Both of us were able to describe the guns in horrifying detail, but the two? policemen who stayed to make the report didn't think that would be much help.

The policemen were matter?of?fact about the whole thing. The thin one said，“That was a? stupid thing to do, throwing away the keys. When a man has a gun against your head you do? what you're told.” Jeremy looked properly embarrassed.

Then the fat policeman came up and the thin one went to look around the outside of the? house. “That was the best thing you could have done, throwing away the keys，” he said. “If you? had gone into the house with them...” His voice became weaker. “They would have hurt her” ——he twisted his head toward me——“and killed you both.” Jeremy looked happier. “Look，” said the fat policeman kindly, “ there's no right or wrong in the situation. There's just luck.”

All that sleepless night I replayed the moment those black gloves came up to the car? window. How long did the whole thing last? Three minutes, five, eight? No matter how many? hours of my life I may spend reliving it, I know there is no way to prepare for the next time—no? intelligent response to a gun. The fat cop was right. There's only luck. The next time I might end up dead.

And I’m sure there will be a next time.? It can happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone.Security is an illusion(幻觉); there is no safety in locks or in guns. Guns make some people feel safe and some people feel strong, but they're fooling themselves.

1.When the writer saw the gun pointing against the car window，________.

A．she felt very annoyed

B．she lost consciousness

C．she felt very much nervous

D．she lost the power of thinking

2.What most possibly drove the two gunmen away?

A．Jeremy's fighting.

B．The author's screaming.

C．Their neighbour's brave action.

D．The police's arrival.

3.When the author called for help, the neighbors didn't come out immediately because________.

A．they were much too frightened

B．they were busy preparing dinners

C．they needed time to find baseball bats

D．they thought someone was playing a trick

4.What the author wants to tell us is that________.

A．neighbors are not helpful in moments of difficulty

B．the police are not reliable when one is in trouble

C．security is impossible as long as people can have guns

D．preventing robbers entering your house is the best choice