Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化装舞会）. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

60．The text is mainly about ________.

         A．a strange man              B．an unusual party

         C．how roller skating began     D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

61．People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.

　　A．often gave others surprises　　　　　 B．was a gifted musician

         C．invented the roller skates　　　　　　D．was full of imagination

62．Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .

A．impress the party guests　　　　　　B．arrive at the party sooner

C．test his invention　　　　　　　　　D．show his skill in walking on wheels

63．What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

         A．The roller skates needed further improvement.  B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

         C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.        D．Merlin got himself into trouble.

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。
There are many kinds of friends. Some are always ___1___you, but don't understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only ___2___friends leave footprints (脚印).
　　I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the ___3___ . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.
　　It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves ___4___  on the cool ___5___. In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves, ____6__ to the sound of them.
　　Autumn is a __7____ season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me ___8___ . But one day, the sound of a violin  __9____into my ears like a stream (小溪) flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was__10____ in playing her violin.
　　I had __11____ seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been ___12___ there for so long but my existence (存在) did not seem to disturb her.
　　Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  ___13___ I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became ___14___.  __15____ we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believe she also loved me.
　　Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly ___16___. To my astonishment (惊讶), the girl came over to me.
　　“You must like violin.” she said.
　　“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
　　Suddenly, a __17____ expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.
　　“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that _18_____ me.” she said.
　　“In fact, it was your playing _19_____ gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let's be friends.”
　　The girl smiled, and so did I.
　　I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure (身影) of the girl. She is like a __20____—so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.
【小题1】.

Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化装舞会）. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
1．The text is mainly about ________.
A．a strange man              B．an unusual party
C．how roller skating began     D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
2．People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
　　A．often gave others surprises　　　　　 B．was a gifted musician
C．invented the roller skates　　　　　　D．was full of imagination
3．Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .
A．impress the party guests　　　　　　B．arrive at the party sooner
C．test his invention　　　　　　　　　D．show his skill in walking on wheels
4．What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A．The roller skates needed further improvement. 
B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.       
D．Merlin got himself into trouble.

第一节　完形填空（共10小题；每小题２分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21－30各题所给的ABC和D项中，选出最佳选项．
The finest and most sought-after violins were handcrafted by an Italian violin maker over 250 years ago. The man’s name was Antonius Stradivarius. He was born in 1644 and began his career   21   a violin maker’s apprentice (学徒). Working on his own by 1680, he became determined to make   22   that could reproduce tones as rich as those produced by the human voice. He  23    several shapes and styles for his violins until he arrived at a design that pleased him. During his career he crafted 1,100 violins. Those in   24  have become treasured possessions.
Unfortunately, the secret of the Stradivarius violin died with its maker. During his lifetime Stradivarius kept his notes safely   25  , even his two sons, who helped him in his workshop, did not know all the steps involved in each violin’s construction.
Through the years, many experts have offered    26   explanations for the unique tone of a “Strad”. Some say it is due to the violin’s shape. Others suggests that the secret    27   the special properties(特性) of the wood, which Stradivarius obtained from native Italian trees that no longer exist. The most widely accepted explanation is that it is created by the varnish（清漆） that the    28    used to coat his violins. Chemists have analyzed as closely as possible the varnish and have found its    29    has improved the sound of many violins.   30  , no other violin maker has been able to fully reproduce the tone of the Stradivarius’s violins.
21.  A. with                B. as                 C. for             D. from
22.  A. Instruments    B. facilities            C. equipment     D. tools
23.  A. investigated     B. surveyed      C. tested          D. experimented
24.  A. fashion             B. existence        C. possession     D. use
25.  A. protected         B. buried        C. hidden        D. covered
26.  A. possible      B. accurate             C. detailed       D. persuasive
27.  A. brings in     B. takes in       C. results in      D. lies in
28.  A. master       B. violinist       C. expert          D. user
29.  A. attention            B. application    C. invention            D. foundation
30.  A. Additionally         B. Luckily        C. Therefore     D. Still

There are many kinds of friends. Some are always    36  you, but don't understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only   37 friends leave footprints.
　　I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the  38  . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.
　　It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves   39 on the cool  40 . In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves,  41  to the sound of them.
　　Autumn is a  42  season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me   43  . But one day, the sound of a violin   44  into my ears like a stream (小溪) flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was  45  in playing her violin.
　　I had  46 seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been   47 there for so long but my existence (存在) did not seem to disturb her.
　　Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  48 I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became   49 .  50 we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believe she also loved me.
Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly
   51 . To my astonishment (惊讶), the girl came over to me.
　　“You must like violin.” she said.
　　“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
　　Suddenly, a   52 expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.
　　“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that   53 me.” she said.
　　“In fact, it was your playing   54 gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let's be friends.”
　　The girl smiled, and so did I.
I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure (身影) of the girl. She is like a   55 —so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.