Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond of love and commitment between two people. But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol. The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years. No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long.

The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring. In Egyptian hieroglyphics（象形文字）, a circle represented eternity because there's no beginning and no end. Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his”. The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay （which would have been changed often）, ivory, bone, or leather. Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were in the completely natural state and rough. However, the wedding rings always expressed the same eternal and lasting love.

The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein(静脉) in the left hand went straight to the heart. This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes（most people are right handed）. It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition. In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger. Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition.

It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring, it is only in the last century that men began to wear them. However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day.

Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you. There are several different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium. You can have an inscription put on the inside of the band if you like. Some people are even choosing a tattoo band. The styles vary from a simple yet elegant band to an elaborate (精巧的) ring covered with jewels. If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set, you will want to be sure the styles can match perfectly. Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity.

1. What’s the best title for this passage?

         A. History of rings.                    B. Interesting facts about rings.

         C. Different beliefs about rings.         D. The meaning of the rings.

2. What may the word “eternity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

         A. Elegance              B. Marriage      C. Wedding    D. Foreverness

3. Which is NOT true according to the passage?

         A. The meaning of the rings remained unchanged.

         B. Jewish are so faithful to their beliefs to wear rings on the fourth finger.

         C. One should be careful of choosing a ring in a shop from different kinds.

         D. Now most people in the world still follow Roman Catholics traditionally.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

         A. Men were looked down upon by women for thousands years.

         B. Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful.

         C. Women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men.

         D. You can have an inscription put on the inside the band.

James was a curious young man. Everywhere he went, he liked to observe things and to __21__ people—what they did, what they said and what they wore. Subconsciously, he was making quick __22__ all the time. He couldn’t really __23__ it; it just happened.

For example, he once saw a man whose body was __24__ with tattoos(文身). That man was strong and walked proudly. James imagined his __25__ people up, sometimes with sticks and sometimes with his hands, speaking __26__ words each time he opened his mouth. A troublemaker, perhaps, James __27__ to himself.

Sometimes James felt __28__ for judging others this way, but that feeling was __29__ and never really lasted.

Then, one day, he saw a woman seated alone in a café. The woman was __30__, quite fat, and although she was not __31__, James could tell she was a short lady. __32__, James glanced across at her, looking at her from top to bottom. As his eyes reached her __33__, he got a shock.

There she was, on her left foot, wearing a platform shoe that was at least 3 inches high. __34__ could such a little middle-aged lady who was average-looking at best be so vain as to wear high platforms? Look beautiful? In that short moment of time, __35__ thoughts flowed through James’ mind.

A second later, James’ eyes naturally moved across to the lady’s right foot. And there, he got an even bigger __36__. ----It was a flat shoe. She was not vain; she had a birth defect(缺陷) ----uneven length of her legs. If anything, she deserved __37__ and understanding, certainly not blame, not even mental ones.

James was __38__ with guilt. It was a(n) __39__ lesson he learned about not __40__ conclusions, about not judging people, especially so quickly.

A. greet                            B. watch                       C. meet                 D. cheat

A. mistakes                B. progress                   C. judgments         D. promises

A. help                      B. get                           C. accept               D. keep

A. faced                            B. covered                    C. filled                D. charged

A. cheering                B. dressing                   C. beating              D. holding 

A. humorous                     B. modest                     C. bad                   D. cautious

A. thought                 B. proved                            C. explained          D. told

A. curious                  B. guilty                       C. excited              D. happy

A. temporary                     B. strange                     C. permanent         D. deep

A. young                   B. middle-aged             C. old                   D. pretty

A. speaking                B. standing                   C. sitting               D. walking

A. Therefore                     B. However                  C. As well             D. As usual

A. feet                       B. hands                       C. eyes                  D. legs

A. When                    B. Why                        C. How                 D. What

A. inspiring                B. blaming                   C. persuading         D. defending

A. pleasure                 B. honor                       C. comfort             D. shock

A. love                      B. award                      C. sympathy          D. respect

A. hit                        B. started                      C. equipped           D. struck

A. new                      B. valuable                   C. interesting         D. difficult

A. denying                 B. reaching                   C. leading to          D. jumping to

When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your anger. But forgiveness is possible - and it can be surprisingly helpful to your physical and mental health. In??deed, research has shown that people who forgive report more energy, better appetite （胃口） and better sleep patterns. "People who forgive show less anger and more hopefulness," says Dr. Freder??ic Luskin, who wrote the book Forgive for Good. "So it can help save on the wear and tear on our system and allow people to feel more energetic."

So when someone has hurt you, calm yourself first. Take a couple of breaths and think of some??thing that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, someone you love. Don’t wait for an apology. "Many times the person who hurt you may never think of apologizing," says Dr. Luskin. "They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way. So if you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting a very long time. "Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean accepting the action of the person who upset you. Mentally going over your hurt gives power to the person who brought you pain. Instead, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you. Finally, try to see things from the other person’s perspective 视角）. You may realize that he or she-was acting out of ignorance （无知）, fear  –  even love. To gain perspec??tive, you may want to write a letter to yourself from that person’s point of view.

65. The text is mainly written to explain _______.

       A. how to keep yourself from being hurt

       B. how to stay mentally healthy

       C. how and when to remain calm

       D. why and how to pardon others

66. According to the writer, what is the right way to calm down after being hurt?

       A. Try to figure out why you get hurt.

       B. Write a letter to the person who hurt you.

       C. Persuade yourself to accept what others have done to you.

       D. Think about pleasant things and forget about the hurt.

67. Dr. Luskin advises us not to wait for an apology after being hurt because ______.

       A. we are not patient enough

       B. we’d feel worse accepting others’ apology

       C. people seldom want to apologize

       D. people don’t mean it when they apologize

 When he thought of the past, my grandfather would sometimes show us photographs of himself at school. They were brown and faded, and it was hard to believe that the blurred(模糊) figure of the little boy in the short trousers and socks could ever have been Grandfather. Besides, he wore a cap --- all the boys in the photographs wore caps pulled so far forward that half of their faces were obscured. When Grandfather asked us to pick him out from the group, we would surely point to the wrong boy.

On one such occasion my younger sister, aged six, burst into tears when Grandfather proudly guided her finger to the right boy. "How could that boy be you?" she cried. "He should have a beard." We were, of course, all convinced that grandfathers should have beards, preferably white and bushy, like our own grandfather's.

"I was a good scholar," Grandfather would say, wagging his beard over the photographs. "I should have been top of the class if I hadn't had to get up at six every morning to milk the cows and chop the wood, and again when I came home from school."

"But Saturdays? What did you do on Saturdays?"

"Saturdays, if it was fine, I'd be out all day in the fields with the men," replied Grandfather. "And if it was wet, I'd be helping my mother with odd jobs round the house. There wasn't much time for studying."

We all tried hard to imagine what it would have been like to have seen Grandfather getting up at crack of dawn and never, obviously, having a moment for himself. It seemed we had learnt something from what Grandfather had said about his childhood.

41. In the first paragraph of this passage, what the author really tells us is that ________ .

A. his grandfather used to wear short trousers, socks and a cap as well

B. it was difficult to tell which of the boys in the photographs was Grandfather

C. he didn't believe Grandfather wore a cap pulled forward when he was at school

D. it was fun to watch boys in the photographs wearing caps pulled forward

42. The author's sister burst into tears because________.

A. she did not get a chance to pick out Grandfather in the photographs

B. she was told which was the right boy before she herself could pick him out

C. other children did not agree with her that Grandfather should have had a beard

D. she found Grandfather in the photographs did not have a beard

43. When Grandfather said, "I should have been top of the class...", he meant ________ .

A. if he had had more time for studying, he would have been the best in his class

B. he should have spent more time studying rather than playing ball games

C. his school days should not have been so hard and miserable

D. he could have never been the best student even if he had studied still harder

44. In the last paragraph the author said, "We all tried hard to imagine..." because ________ .

A. the figures of the boys in the photographs were small and blurred

B. the children had never experienced life like that of Grandfather

C. the photographs Grandfather showed them were brown and faded

D. Grandfather failed to tell them about his childhood in detail

第三部分  阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

    阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Geena David knew she wanted to be a movie star when she was very young. She was not sure what gave her the idea, but she wanted to look like a movie star. “I have a lot of pictures from my childhood of me wearing sunglasses,” she says. “I used to wear them to watch TV.”

Early movie actors started wearing sunglasses not because they looked good, but because their eyes hurt. The lights used on movie sets were extremely bright and could cause a painful problem known as “Klieg eyes”. It was named after the Klieg brothers who invented the lights. Actors wore sunglasses to give their eyes a rest. But when movie stars began wearing their sunglasses in public, they quickly became a must.

Eventually actors started wearing sunglasses in their movies as well as on the street. Audrey Hephburn wore ultra-cool Ray-Ban sunglasses in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As a result, Ray-Ban sunglasses started to appear more and more in the movies. In 1979, Ray-Ban “Wayfarers” were worn by Jake and Elwood in The Blue Brothers. Tom Cruise wore Ray-Ban “Aviator” sunglasses in the 1986 hit, Top Gun. Then in 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made Ray-Ban “Predator” sunglasses famous in Men in Black.

　  Of course sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement. The main reason to wear sunglasses is to protect our eyes against UV radiation. UV radiation can damage our eyes, so people now choose their sunglasses carefully. But you don’t have to give up style for safety. The choice of frames and lenses available these days is huge. So you can protect your eyes and still be the coolest person on the beach.

1．What is mainly discussed in this passage?

     A．The use of sunglasses.                 B．The history of sunglasses.

     C．The sunglasses wearing.               D．Why movie stars like to wear sunglasses.

2．Why did Geena David like to wear sunglasses?

     A．She was a movie star.               

       B．She wanted to follow a movie star.

       C．Wearing sunglasses was good for her eyes.

     D．It was good to wear sunglasses when watching TV.

3．Early actors’ eyes hurt because ______.

    A．they wore sunglasses

    B．they went out in the sun too much

    C．the lights on movie sets were too bright

    D．their scripts were written in very small writing

4．We may know from this passage that ______.

    A．Audrey Hephburn was a famous film star

    B．Ray-Ban is the name of sunglasses maker

    C．Sunglasses made Top Gun the hit in 1986

    D．Men in Black must be an advertisement of sunglasses

5．Now people wear sunglasses ______.

    A．just to protect their eyes

    B．for fashion and to protect their eyes

    C．because of bright lights

D．because movie stars wear them