When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.

She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.

After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”

Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.

1.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.

A. rose from a low social class

B. had an unhappy marriage

C. lived with a dog alone on a farm

D. won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show

2. At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance

B. was attracted by her beautiful dress

C. looked down upon her

D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges   B. the Internet   C. the newspaper   D. the advertisement

4.The 4^th paragraph intends to tell us ______.

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success

B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher

C. Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA

D. Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

A friend in need

Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you  36  find in any neighborhood, these two  37 each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their own houses.

One evening, Brownie's family   38  that Brownie hadn't returned home. They went looking for him with no   39     Brownie didn't appear the next day, and despite(尽管)their  40  to find him, by the next week he was still missing. Curiously, Spotty  41  at Brownie's house alone, barking. Busy with their own lives, Brownie's family just ignored the  42  little neighbor dog. Finally, one morning Spotty   43  to take “no” for an answer any longer. He followed Ted about, barking strongly, then running towards a nearby wood, as if to say,"  44  me! It’s urgent!”

Then Ted followed the anxious Spotty. The little dog led the man to a   45  spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie   46  but one of his hind legs stuck in a steel leg-hold trap. Horrified, Ted now wished he'd taken Spotty's earlier requirement   47  Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable. Spotty had done more than simply  48  Brownie's owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the   49   dog, Ted found some dog food, which was later   50 as the remains of every meal Spotty had been fed that  51 !Spotty had been visiting Brownie   52  in a single-minded quest to keep his friend alive by offering his own comfort. Spotty had obviously 53  with Brownie to protect him from being hurt, snuggling(依偎)with him at night to keep him warm and touching him gently with its nose to keep his  54  up. Brownie's leg was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered. For many years afterward, the two   55  watched the faithful friends frolicking(嬉戏)and chasing each other down that well worn path between their houses.

14.A. injured    B. defeated      C. frightened    D, worried

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
A friend in need
Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you  36  find in any neighborhood, these two  37 each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their own houses.
One evening, Brownie’s family   38  that Brownie hadn’t returned home. They went looking for him with no   39     Brownie didn’t appear the next day, and despite(尽管)their  40  to find him, by the next week he was still missing. Curiously, Spotty  41  at Brownie’s house alone, barking. Busy with their own lives, Brownie’s family just ignored the  42  little neighbor dog. Finally, one morning Spotty   43  to take “no” for an answer any longer. He followed Ted about, barking strongly, then running towards a nearby wood, as if to say,"  44  me! It’s urgent!”
Then Ted followed the anxious Spotty. The little dog led the man to a   45  spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie   46  but one of his hind legs stuck in a steel leg-hold trap. Horrified, Ted now wished he’d taken Spotty’s earlier requirement   47  Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable. Spotty had done more than simply  48  Brownie’s owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the   49   dog, Ted found some dog food, which was later   50 as the remains of every meal Spotty had been fed that  51 !Spotty had been visiting Brownie   52  in a single-minded quest to keep his friend alive by offering his own comfort. Spotty had obviously 53  with Brownie to protect him from being hurt, snuggling(依偎)with him at night to keep him warm and touching him gently with its nose to keep his  54  up. Brownie’s leg was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered. For many years afterward, the two   55  watched the faithful friends frolicking(嬉戏)and chasing each other down that well worn path between their houses.

You must have heard these words like how happy it is to be a child． But would you  16  change places with a child? Think of the years at school: the years  17  living in constant fear of examinations and school  18 ． Every movement you make, every thought you think is  19  by some adults． Think of the  20  you had to go to bed early, you had to eat  21  thing that was supposed to be good for you． Remember  22  “gentle” pressure was given to you with words like “If you don’t do as I say, I will…”． I’m sure you will never forget!

 23  these are only part of child’s  24 ． No matter how kind and loving parents may be, children often  25  from some terrible and illogical  26  since they can’t understand the world around them． They often have such fears in the dark or in the dream． Adults can  27  their fears with other adults  28  children have to face their fears alone．

But the most  29  part of childhood is a period when you  30  to go out of it, the period when you go into adolescence（youth）．Teenagers start to be  31  their parents and this causes them great  32 ． There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time． Adolescents pay much attention to their  33  and the impression they make on others．They  feel shy, awkward and clumsy（笨拙的）． Feelings are strong and hearts  34  broken． Teenagers  35  moments of great happiness or black despair． And through this period, adults seem to be more unkind than ever．

1.A．willing    B．unhappily          C．friendly             D．honestly

2.A．spent      B．taken         C．had  D．devoted

3.A．results            B．exercises           C．reports      D．teachers

4.A．observed        B．seen           C．known       D．watched

5.A．years      B．times         C．evenings           D．days

6.A．helpful  B．harmful             C．hateful       D．delicious

7.A．what       B．why   C．that  D．how

8.A．Though            B．Even so      C．But    D．Therefore

9.A．difficulties  B．life         C．trouble      D．fears

10.A．gain      B．suffer         C．receive      D．get

11.A．troubles        B．fears          C．diseases    D．worries

12.A．enjoy  B．deliver       C．share         D．break

13.A．while    B．when         C．so      D．however

14.A．exciting         B．interesting     C．painful       D．forgettable

15.A．have     B．need          C．remember               D．begin

16.A．dislike           B．be against      C．cheat         D．be for

17.A．unhappiness  B．interests       C．happiness               D．determination

18.A．confidence            B．patience           C．appearance       D．action

19.A．really  B．truly           C．naturally           D．easily

20.A．pass      B．experience        C．face            D．take

I truly hope that at the end of this short essay(短文) you will know how to learn English.

I was born in Somalia, and Italian is my mother tongue. 31 enough, soon after I arrived in London when I was 17, I was admitted to a sixth-form college. I found caring (体贴的) teachers there, who 32  taught me English. This, I think, was a(n) 33 factor(因素) that encouraged me to learn the language. The most important thing, 34, is to work hard. So those of you who don’t have such good teachers should not 35. When I was in London, I 36 myself to English learning as I 37 to go to university very much. Mastering the language was the only 38 to achieve my goal.

Now I have 39 my master’s degree from Oxford University. Looking back, I 40 I was quite innocent (天真的),for I never imagined learning English was going to be so much 41. The more fluent I become, the 42 the language became. One can master it only 43 years of tireless efforts(努力).

Some basic 44 which I would give to people who are interested in learning the language are:

1. Buy a good dictionary. 45 English learners use their dictionaries all the time.

2.46 English newspapers. Don’t forget to 47 the new words in your dictionary.

3. Listen to the radio 48 watching TV as listening to the radio helps you more.

4. Talk, talk and talk to 49 at anytime and anywhere.

And even though at times it may be embarrassing(尴尬的) to make 50，you will finally correct them and remember them. Soon you will start to become fluent.