It was a warm March evening, and I’d just taken a seat on the bus that would take me home. It was nearly 6:00 PM, but the bus was not yet full and the driver gave no ___36___ that he intended to start the bus.

A middle-aged woman took a seat opposite me. She was crying. Not speaking to anyone in particular, she ____37____ narrated her story.

She had come to the city to visit her daughter. On the way to the terminal, a thief had ____38_____ one of her bags. It had contained half of the money she’d brought with her. The other half was hidden under her blouse, so she ___39___ still had some money left. The bus conductor, driver, and other passengers listened to her tale.

At this time, an old man___40___ got on the bus. He sat in the seat directly in front of the woman.

After a few minutes, all seats were ___41____. The driver got behind the wheel and started the engine. The bus conductor collected tickets and began asking us where we were __42____. When he came to the old man’s seat, he became ___43___ and asked the old man whether he had any money. The old man___44___ that he did not. He explained that he __45____ all his money this morning when he’d accidentally got on the wrong bus and now he was trying to go home.

Upon hearing this, the bus conductor __46___ the old man to get off the bus. The old man was almost in tears as he begged the bus conductor to let him take that bus __47___ he could get home before dark. The bus driver approached the old man, and repeated the conductor’s ___48___to get off the bus.

“Stop troubling him! Can’t you see he’s only trying to get home?” she interfered. “He doesn’t have any money! ” the driver shouted. “Well, that’s no __49___to throw him off the bus,” she insisted.

Then she said, “How much is his fare?”  The bus conductor mumbled the amount. “Fine,” said the woman. She __50___ inside her blouse, took out her __51___ money, and handed the fares to the bus conductor. “Here’s his fare and mine. Just stop giving him a hard time.”

All eyes turned __52____the woman, who, just minutes before, had been crying over the money she’d lost. “It’s only money,” she shrugged.

By the time the bus rolled out of the terminal, she had given the old man bread and a dollar.  She rode the rest of the way home ____53___a Mona Lisa smile of peace and grace, and the money she’d lost __54___ was forgotten.

On the road of life, the politeness and smiles of __55___ can lighten our loads and lift our spirits. How much sweeter the journey when we make it a little smoother and richer for others!

36．A．answer              B．agreement          C．indication             D．talk

37．A．tearfully             B．excitedly              C．helplessly            D．proudly

38．A．got                  B．snatched             C．pulled                  D．caught

39．A．surprisingly        B．peacefully              C．naturally             D．fortunately

40．A．in rags             B．shyly                  C．happily               D．in disorder

41．A．had               B．taken                C．full                      D．crowded

42．A．getting on          B．getting down          C．getting off           D．getting in

43．A．conscious           B．suspicious             C．curious                D．anxious

44．A．realized              B．pretended             C．admitted             D．remembered

45．A．spend              B．has spent               C．had spent             D．was spent

46．A．asked                  B．ordered                 C．led                     D．begged

47．A．so                   B．until                  C．if                     D．when

48．A．arrangement          B．command          C．advice                 D．decision

49．A．good                 B．sense                 C．reason                  D．doubt

50．A．picked                  B．removed           C．touched              D．reached

51．A．left                B．saving                  C．borrowed           D．remaining

52．A．in                   B．to                   C．down                 D．on

53．A．owning              B．wearing               C．hating            D．losing

54．A．earlier             B．sooner             C．later                 D．former

55．A．customers         B．friends                  C．strangers            D．conductors

The bar-tailed godwit(斑尾鹬) has just broken its own record for the world’s longest non-stop flight, including humans in planes, according to a report made by Lund University Press. The bird can fly non-stop for eight days, while the most impressive man-made airplane can only remain in the sky for 82 hours without a stop.
The bar-tailed godwit’s journey, from Alaska to New Zealand, covers over 6,835 miles. It completes this trip twice a year, in autumn going to New Zealand, and in spring back to Alaska. The tireless bird ends the trip without stopping once for food or rest. All other birds can only finish trips that are twice as short as what the bar-tailed godwit travels.
One reason for the bar-tailed godwit’s success is that it has made the best use of its fuel, which is only 0.41 percent of its body weight over each hour of any given long flight. Hedenstrom, a professor from Lund University, says, “This figure is extremely low compared with other birds.” The bird also has a special body shape that helps it fly easily. It stores body fat and protein to manage its trips. It also travels fast, compared to other birds and animals.
Many questions remain about this bird record holder that never gets lost in the air. Researchers wonder whether it has an inside compass(指南针) that helps it to know the direction. Please watch how beautiful bar-tailed godwits look as they come in for a landing, along with other birds.
【小题1】For the flight from Alaska to New Zealand, the bar-tailed godwit _____.