As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son   36  a severe stomachache and died suddenly. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later,   37  him alone with his six-year- old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were _ 38 _ Al could handle, and he _ 39  to alcohol. Al began to lose everything he possessed---his home, his land, his art objects, everything.   40  he died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I reacted with the same disdain（蔑视）the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing   41 _ left. “What a complete failure!” I thought. “What a totally   42__  life!”
As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier _ 43  judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most   44  most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free   45  of the love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come   46  somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to   47  an alcoholic. One day I get up my   48  to ask him. “I’m really puzzled by something,” I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to   49  you.   50  on earth did he do that you became such a special person?
Ernie sat _ 51 _ and thought for a few moments. Then he said, “From my  _52   memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a __53  and said, “I love you, son.”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to   54  Al as a failure. He had not left any material possession behind,   55  he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.

【小题9】

A．handsome B．rich C．caring D．ordinary

【小题20】

A．so B．and C．but D．or

In a US city, a woman parked her car in an attended lot. Hoping to get a discount on the cost of parking, she asked, “Do you give validation(批准)?”“Certainly,”replied the store's manager:“You are an excellent person and I love your hair.” That might be worth the cost of parking．I mean，who wouldn't pay a couple of dollars for this kind of validation?
Author Alan McGinIlis cites an interesting study about the power of positive encouragement．A second-grade teacher complained that her children were spending too much time standing up and roaming around the room rather than working．
Two psychologists observed the behavior of the children and the teacher. Every ten seconds they noted how many children were out of their seats. They counted 360 unseated children throughout each 20-minute period．They also noted that the teacher said "Sit down!" seven times during the same period．
The psychologists tried an experiment．They asked the teacher to tell the children to sit down more often. This time they noted that she commanded her students to sit down 27.5 times in an average 20-minute period, and now 540 were noted to be out of their seats during the same average period．Her increased scolding actually made the problem worse．
Then the experimenters tried a different task．They asked the teacher to quietly praise those children who were seated and working．At this time, children's roaming was decreased by 33％．They showed their best behavior when they were praised more and blamed less．
People who motivate others to take great action are almost always those who encourage more than criticize; who praise more and blame less.
Perhaps the woman's question is the correct one after all．"Do you give validation?" I hope I can always answer “YES”.
【小题1】When parking her car in an attended lot, the woman ________.

Recently , a study on thousands of fat men and women showed that more than one in three were perfected healthy or had only slight health problems . Scientists have pointed that it may be better to stay fat than go on diet after diet.

Many people think that one has to be thin to keep fit . However , fat people are no more likely to die at any given time than those of ideal weight . Indeed , they are less likely to be killed by heart disease . They are also in better health than those who have fought a constant battle with their weight by repeatedly dieting.

Researchers say there is more to good health than how much a person weighs , and that many people who are overweight are fine as they are . Repeated dieting can do more harm than good to their health . So , rather than try to lose the extra pounds , they should simply concentrate on not putting on any more weight .

The advice comes from the researchers at Toronto’s York University who surveyed the health of more than 6000 fat men and women for an average of 16 years . They accepted medical and physical tests and their results were compared with those of thousands of people of normal weight. It clearly showed that being slim wasn’t always better , according to the journal Applied Physiology , Nutrition and Metabolism.

Those who are overweight may be healthier as they may exercise more and eat better than thin people who try to hold back their appetites (食欲). And a stressed-out , stationary (久坐不动的) person of normal weight may be in worse shape than a fat person who exercises and keeps stress levels under control.

The Canadian researchers said that doctors should look at overall health rather than just use body mass index , a measure of weight compared to height , to judge whether a person needs to lose weight.

A previous study found that retired old people who were slightly overweight lived longer than those of normal weight .

Australian researchers said a bit of extra fat might give people the reserves needed to recover from illnesses . It is also possible that concern about the health of the overweight means that problems are found and treated earlier.

66. Which of the following is TRUE about the recent study?

   A. It surveyed both fat and slim people.

B. It involved thousands of fat men and women.

C. It carried out some mental and physical tests.

D. It proved that we should try to put on weight.

67. According to the text , overweight people are less likely to die from        

A. heart disease      B. repeatedly dieting     C. too much stress   D. high blood pressure

68. The advice from Canadian researchers is probably most encouraging for       .

A. those who are suffering from disease

B. those who are in good health

C. those who have retired for years

D. those who are going on diet

69. Why are some fat people healthier than slim people according to the researchers?

A. They try to hold back their appetites.

B. They take more exercise and eat better.

C. Their excess pounds are easy to lose.

D. Their body mass index is much lower.

70. What is the text mainly about?

A. There is a relationship between overweight and ill nesses.

B. Focusing on fitness change can help people live longer.

C. Being fat may be healthier than constantly trying to diet.

D. There is no need to pay attention to our weight.

People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
【小题1】We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

For better or worse, multiple marriages aren't just for actress Elizabeth Taylor （famous for her eight marriages） anymore．

More Americans than ever are tying the knot for the third time or more．

Lynn Y. Naugle, a 53-yeap-old family therapist in New Orleans, says that people's personal needs and desires simply change as their life evolves．

"What functions well in the first part of our lives may not function well in the second or third part of our lives," she explains．The first marriage lasted 21 years, her second marriage five years．Two years ago, she wed for a third time, and she describes this union as an "extremely easy marriage"．

Today, at an estimated one of seven weddings, the bride, the groom or both are making that trip down the aisle for at least the third time．That's twice as many as a generation ago, according to the US National Centre for Health Statistics．

In part, the sudden change in multiple marriages is a side effect of the 1970s divorce increase that has supplied an ever expanding pool of divorced singles．Even the simple fact that people are living longer has opened the door to marrying more often．No fault divorce laws （meaning no one is blamed for the failure of the marriage）, and cultural changes have also meant there's less pressure than in past generations to stay in a joyless or abusive marriage．

While a single divorce didn't block either Ronald Reagan or Bob Dole from seeking the most highly demanding job in America—the US presidency—modern society still raises an; eyebrow at more than one

marriage mistake．

Indeed, there are signs that attitudes are changing．"It's coming out of the closet or becoming more accepted," says Glenda Riley, who wrote a book on the history of divorce in the US．"There's still embarrassment on the personal level, while there is growing acceptance on the public level for three or more marriages in a lifetime．"

There is no guarantee, of course, that the third time is the best．To the contrary, second and third marriages run an equal or greater risk of divorce than first marriages, which today are given 4 out of 10 odds of failing, and they tend to end more quickly．Divorce statistics show that failed second marriages typically end two years sooner than first marriages, lasting six years on average rather than eight．That leaves some doubly divorced people open for a third try at a relatively young age．

1.What does the underlined phrase "tying the knot" （Para．2） mean?

    A．Getting married．                    B．Getting engaged．

    C．Having babies．                      D．Attending funerals,

2.What is NOT the reason for the increase in multiple marriages according to the passage?

    A．People are healthier and enjoy a longer life than ever before．

    B．Many people have become single after a divorce boom in the past years．

    C．There is no divorce law restricting people to getting divorced．

    D．People have less pressure to leave a joyless marriage．

3.What can we learn from the seventh paragraph?

    A．Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole failed in seeking the job （the US presidency） because they were divorced．

    B．Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole succeeded in seeking the job （the US presidency） because they were not divorced．

    C．Modern society accepts multiple marriages completely．

    D．There is still prejudice against multiple marriages in modern society．

4.Which of the statement is WRONG?

    A．Acceptance to multiple marriages is different on personal level and public level．

    B．Because second marriages end sooner than first ones, people get married for the third time at a relatively young age．

    C．People learn from experience so that a second or third marriage is more stable

    D．The first marriage lasts eight year on average．