B
SYDNEY: As they sat sharing sweets beside a swimming pool in 1999. Shane Gould and Jessicah Schipper were simply getting along well, chatting about sport, life and anything else that came up.
Yet in Sydney next month, they will meet again by the pool, and for a short time the friends will race against each other in the 50 – meter butterfly in the Australian championships at Homebu Bay.
Gould, now a 47 – year – old mother of four, has announced she will be making a return to elite competition (顶级赛事) to swim the one event, having set a qualifying (合格的)time of 30. 32 seconds in winning gold at last year’s United States Masters championships. Her comeback comes 32 years after she won three golds at the Munich Olympics.
Schipper, now a 17 – year – old girl from Brisbane with a bright future of going to Athens for her first Olympics, yesterday recalled (回忆) her time with Gould five years ago.
“I was at a national youth camp on the Gold Coast and Shane had come along to talk to us and watch us train.” Schipper explained. “It seemed as if we had long been good friends. I don’t know why. We just started talking and it went from there.”
“She had a lot to share with all of us at that camp. She old us stories about what it was like at big meets like Olympics and what it was like to be on an Australian team. It was really interesting.”
Next time, things will be more serious: “I will still be swimming in the 50 m butterfly at the nationals, so there is a chance that I could actually be competing against Shane Gould.” said Schipper, who burst onto the scene at last year’s national championships with second places in the 100 m and 200 butterfly.
46．What is the passage mainly about?
A．Stories happening in swimming competitions.
B．Two women swimmers winning Olympic golds.
C．Lessons learned from international swimming championships.
D．Friendship and competition between two swimmers.
47．Gould and Schipper are going to____________.
A．talk about sport and life          B．go back to elite competition
C．set a qualifying time and win gold  D．take part in the same sports event
48．Gould won her three Olympic golds when she was____________.
A．15     B．17     C．22     D．30
49．The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to         .
A．the Olympics          B．the youth camp
C．the friendship          D．the Australian team
50．What Schipper said showed that she___________.
A．was no longer Gould’s friend         B．had learned a lot from Gould
C．was not interested in Gould’s stories      D．would not like to compete against Gould

More than 600, 000 tourists from the Chinese mainland visited Taiwan last year, fulfilling expectations despite the impact of H1N1 flu and the global economic downturn.
A total of 606, 100 mainland tourists visited Taiwan in the past year, with each spending nearly $1, 800 on the island, including accommodation and shopping, Shao Qiwei, chairman of the Beijing-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits, said on Friday.
“We see good cooperation between tourism industries across the Straits taking shape,” Shao said. Since July 2008, when Taiwan first opened to mainland tourists, about 660, 000 mainland tourists have visited the island and spent $1.13 billion there, benefiting local transportation as well as the retail, entertainment and health industries.
In four months starting August last year, mainland tourists spent $65.72 million through UnionPay payment cards, figures from mainland bankcard association China UnionPay showed.
“Years of isolation between the two sides have made Taiwan an attractive place for mainland tourists,” said Zheng Lijuan, deputy (副的) general manager of CITS International MICE Co. Ltd.
But under the impact of H1N1 flu since May, the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan had also dropped sharply, leading to industry insiders（内部的人）casting doubt as to whether the goal of attracting 600, 000 mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2009 could be achieved.
Despite the unfavorable conditions, a string of relaxed rules last year have spurred (刺激) the interest of mainland tourists in visiting Taiwan.
In the past year, Taiwan has opened to mainland residents in 25 provinces, up from the initial 13 provinces. Relaxed rules have also allowed five tourists to form a group to visit Taiwan, instead of the initial requirement of at least 10 tourists. Mainland tourists can also stay in Taiwan for a maximum of 15 days, instead of the initial 10 days.
Combined with mainland business groups, more than 900, 000 mainland travelers visited Taiwan in 2009, Christine Lai, director of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association, told China Daily.
Without releasing the goal for this year, Lai expressed hopes that mainland tourists would head to Taiwan on second or even third visits.
66. Why do mainlanders like to visit Taiwan?
A. Taiwan is a very beautiful island.
B. There are many shops, malls and bookstores in Taiwan.
C. The accommodation and transportation are very good in Taiwan.
D. Years of isolation between Taiwan and mainland makes it an attractive place.
67. What was the original goal of mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2009?
A. 660, 000                     B. 606, 100                      C. 600, 000                         D. 900, 000
68. The number of mainland tourists to Taiwan in 2009 was fulfilled because         .
A. the residents of 25 provinces could visit Taiwan
B. mainland tourists could stay in Taiwan for 15 days
C. the Chinese government made a string of relaxed rules
D. there were no impacts of H1N1 flu in Taiwan and mainland
69. We can infer from the text that         .
A. there may be a goal for Mainland tourists visiting Taiwan in 2010
B. Chinese mainland tourists can stay in Taiwan for a maximum of 10 days
C. the global economic downturn had not influnced Taiwan’s travel industry
D. H1N1 flu had not made the number of the mainland tourists to Taiwan drop
70. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Visitors to Taiwan will slowdown
B. Mainland tourists to Taiwan hit mark
C. More and more mainland tourists visit Taiwan
D. H1N1 and global economic influence Taiwan’s travel industry

In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them，but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport．Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications(申请). The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.
【小题1】According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.

D
Having an interview（面试）doesn’t sound like a big deal, just like getting good marks in college. You simply go in and meet someone, talk for a while, and then leave. Nothing to stress over, not the end of the world, but I’ve never been interviewed and I have my first one tomorrow for my job in Columbia.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it and have decided that it shouldn’t matter all that much. It seems that the interview would only make a difference if the company is on the fence about you, or if the interview was unpleasant and they walk away thinking that you are too, then the officers might be encouraged to think about your request again. On the other hand, if you were in the “maybe” pile, a good interview could push you onto the list of accepted candidates（候选人）.
I know I shouldn’t worry. After all, they probably have already made up their minds about me. My essay was, to say the least, unique. The interview is at Starbucks. What does that mean? My friend, who did a lot of these interviews last year (and who was accepted to the company there), told me to wear jeans and a nice sweater. I was going to go with a skirt. The fact that it’s at Starbucks, however, is making me think that jeans might be more proper. And then there’s the other problem of knowing who my interviewer is. I discussed this with my music teacher, who suggested, “They'll probably be wearing something.” That good idea hadn’t crossed my mind, which just goes to show that my brain has stopped to function. Stress is taking over my life.
Tonight I will prepare. I will choose what to wear and what, if anything, to bring. I like to talk, so this should not be a problem. Hopefully when I get there I’ll find that this is actually the part of the process I’m most comfortable with. Until then I’ll spend my time preparing and hoping.
73. Before the interview, the author feels quite       .
A. lucky           B. easy             C. hopeless             D. excited
74. The author wants to wear jeans mainly because        .
A. the interviewer is fond of them
B. her friend likes them very much
C. her music teacher suggests her doing so
D. they are proper at Starbucks
75. The author seems to feel her          can do best to the interview.
A. clothes          B. degree           C. talking ability        D. college marks
76. The best title for the passage would be “      ”.
A. My learning trouble                  B. A good college
C. An interview                        D. Stress of life

My granddaughter, Shari, owns The Berry (莓果) Factory in Sacramento, California, and her mother, Joan, and I were helping with the Valentine’s Day rush. We’d dipped (浸泡) hundreds of berries, arranged gift baskets and packaged orders to be shipped around the country.
By the end of the day, the two middle-aged women, Joan and I, were exhausted. Shari didn’t seem tired. That was typical Shari. Though she was very busy, I’d seen her give away berries to everybody — parking attendants, mail carriers and hairdressers. “For me?” they would say, bursting into a smile.
As a “thank you”, Shari took us out for dinner. But there was a 45-minute wait at her favorite restaurant. “No big deal. There’s another place just up the road,” she said, driving us there. This time we walked right in.
When the waitress came to take our drink orders, Shari reached into her handbag, pulling something out. “I want you to have these,” she said, handing the waitress a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries. “She will love those berries!” I thought. But the waitress seemed startled. She only let out a “thank you” before grabbing the box and rushing into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the waitress returned with our iced tea. “I apologize,” she said. “My best friend and I had promised to send each other something every Valentine’s Day. But she passed away last year. I didn’t know how I’d get through this day without her. Then you handed me that box.”“I’m so sorry to hear that,” said Shari. “It’s not much, but I hope you can enjoy them.”“Oh, I will,” the waitress said. “See, every year we always sent each other the same thing; a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries bought from our favourite store, The Berry Factory.”
【小题1】What can be inferred in the first paragraph?