I know I should have told the headmaster at the time. That was my real  36 .

He had gone out of the study for some  37 , leaving me alone. In his absence I looked to see  38  was on his desk. In the  39  was a small piece of paper on which were written the  40  “English Writing Prize 1949. History Is a Serious of Biographies (人物传记)”.

A(n)  41  boy would have avoided looking at the title as soon as he saw the  42 . I did not. The subject of the English Writing Prize was kept a  43  until the start of the exam so I could not  44  reading it.

When the headmaster  45 , I was looking out of the window.

I should have told him what had  46  then. It would have been so  47  to say: “I’m sorry, but I  48  the title for the English Writing Prize on your desk. You’ll have to  49  it.”

The chance passed and I did not  50  it. I sat the exam the next day and I won. I didn’t  51  to cheat, but it was still cheating anyhow.

That was thirty-eight years  52  when I was fifteen. I have never told anyone about it before,  53  have I tried to explain to myself why not.

The obvious explanation is that I could not admit I had seen the title  54  admitting that I had been looking at the things on his desk.  55  there must have been more behind it. Whatever it was, it has become a good example of how a little mistake can trap (使陷入) you in a more serious moral corner (道德困境).

36. A. plan     B. fault   C. grade  D. luck

37. A. reason  B. course C. example     D. vacation

38. A. this      B. which C. that     D. what

39. A. drawer  B. corner C. middle       D. box

40. A. names   B. words C. ideas   D. messages

41. A. honest  B. handsome   C. friendly      D. active

42. A. desk     B. paper  C. book   D. drawer

43. A. question       B. key     C. note    D. secret

44. A. help     B. consider     C. practise      D. forget

45. A. disappeared  B. stayed C. returned     D. went

46. A. existed  B. remained    C. happened    D. continued

47. A. tiring    B. easy    C. important   D. difficult

48. A. saw      B. gave   C. set      D. made

49. A. repeat   B. defend       C. correct       D. change

50. A. take      B. have   C. lose    D. find

51. A. remember    B. learn   C. mean  D. pretend

52. A. past      B. ago     C. then    D. before

53. A. either   B. never  C. nor     D. so

54. A. by B. besides       C. through      D. without

55. A. But      B. Though      C. Otherwise D. Therefore

It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.

    Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.

    The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by his strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him a lot of questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain this question. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.

Herpin died at the age of 94.

The doctors came to Herpin’s home in order to __________.

       A. treat him for his illness

       B. find the reason why some old people didn’t need any sleep.

       C. get some proof to show his sleeplessness was not really true.

       D. help him to have a rest in some day.

After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ________.

         A. needed some kind of sleep.

         B. needed no sleep at all.

         C. was too old to need any sleep.

         D. often slept in a chair.

Al Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ___________.

       A. an unusual one                 B. a common one

       C. very healthy                     D. very funny

The main idea of this passage is that ____________.

       A. large numbers of people do not need sleep

       B. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

       C. people can live longer by trying not to sleep at all

       D. a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep

Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive (毁灭性的).

A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.

Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.

Predictions are improving. “We’ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,” Klotzback says.

    First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane.

If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “ tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.

On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher.

The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October.

According to the text, hurricanes usually ________.

 A. form off the coast of Africa and America

 B. hit parts of the world in summer and autumn

 C. cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea

 D. strike the US but cause no damage

The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “________ .”

   A. begins to move      B. gets lost      C. becomes hot   D. changes into a gas

Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?

   a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.

   b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.

   c. The vapor cools.                        

d. The ocean water is warm enough.

   e. The vapor changes back into liquid.       

f. This course gives out heat.

   A. a, d, e, b, c, f       B. a, b, c, f, d, e      C. d, a, c, e, f, b     D. d, a, b, c, e, f

There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved (演化) from ceremony. The argument for this view goes as follows.

       In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world -even the seasonal changes - as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then kept and repeated until they hardened into fixed ceremonies. Eventually stories arose which explained the mysteries of the ceremonies. As time passed some ceremonies were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, remained and provided material for art and drama.

       Those who believe that drama evolved out of ceremony also argue that those ceremonies contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium " . In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the performing of ceremonies, religious leaders usually took that task.. Wearing masks and costumes, they often acted other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and imitated the desired effect -- success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, etc. as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.

      Another theory traces(追溯) the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales (about the hunt, war, etc) are gradually developed, at first through the use of action and dialogue, and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.

Which is the best title of the passage?

        A. Religious activities in ancient Greece.        B. The ceremonies in ancient Greece.

        C. Drama theories.                          D. The origin of Greek Drama.

According to the passage, drama_______________.

        A. was played in memory of ancient Greek ceremonies

        B. was a form of ceremony played by ancient Greeks to control unknown powers

        C. evolved out of ancient Greek ceremonies with time passing by

        D. is one of the measures Ancient Greeks took to view natural forces

What do drama and ancient ceremonies have in common according to the passage?

        A. Both of them were performed in theaters.

        B. Music, dance, masks, costumes and so on were contained in both of them.

        C. Religious leaders were in charge of both of them.

        D. Both of them were concerned about natural power.

In tracing the beginning of drama, which of the following is not mentioned?

        A. Planting.                         B. Religious ceremonies.

        C. Gymnastic.                       D. Storytelling.

It can be inferred from the passage that____________________.

        A. human beings loved to tell stories

        B. people could do nothing about nature

        C. religious leaders tried to develop the effective form of drama

        D. religious activities played a very important role in the evolvement of drama

A

BEUING (Associated Press 美联社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.

    While China may be the world’s biggest toy maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough toys of high quality. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.

A US company, Baby Care, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.

    Baby Care works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals.  People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.

"We want to build a seven year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, Baby Care’s president. "It starts during pregnancy (孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest." Baby Care works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by Baby Care advise parents and explain toys that are designed for children at each stage of development to age six.

Baby Care opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.

It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.

What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

  B. Problems with China’s toy market and education.

  C. Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

  D. Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

  A. Club members buy Baby Care products for free child care advice.

  B. Doctors in Beijing help in making Baby Care products.

  C. Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.

  D. Baby Care trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

Baby Care is developing its business in China by ___________.

A. opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B. offering 18 month courses on child care

C. setting up children’s education centers

D. forming close relationships with parents

Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

  A. Mother’s Club in China.               B. Baby Care and Doctors.

  C. American Company Model.            D. Educational Toys in China.