A year ago Michelle was looking forward to all the joys—and challenges—that being a young mother can bring. Instead the 26-year-old victim of a stroke (中风), was left trapped in her own body—able to see, think and hear perfectly but unable to speak or move a muscle. She was a victim of the devastating “locked-in syndrome”, －sometimes described as “like being buried alive”－a type of brain damage usually caused by a stroke, a bleed or a tumour. This means the only way she could communicate with her husband Rick and their two young children was through moving and blinking (眨眼) her eyes.

Before the tragedy, Michelle was an active mother. She suffered the stroke while bathing her baby daughter, Holly. The only warning Michelle had of the stroke was a series of splitting headache in the months before.

Following the attack, the only part of her body she could move was her eyes, meaning all she could do was look up to say ‘yes’ or close an eyelid for ‘no’. Her family have a board with the alphabet (字母表) arranged on different colored backgrounds. They painstakingly work out which letter she wants by indicating each letter on the board. It allows Michelle to explain how she is feeling and whether she is cold or warm. She sends messages to her family and even tells if her son Ryan has been naughty, giving instructions about which toys he can play with.

Rick, 24, has given up his job as a mechanic to look after their children Ryan, three, and Holly, one, and is now training to be Michelle’s full-time carer. Ryan was old enough to know his mummy was unwell but Holly was too young to understand. But she responds really well to Michelle.

To keep her involved in family life, when one of the children needs new clothes Rick will ask for her opinion using the alphabet board. Although it can take minutes to spell out each word the family and nurses wait patiently as it is her only means of communication.

Last month her best friends organized a sponsored running, which raised almost £17,000.

She has been in hospital for almost a year and has left twice, once for her brother’s wedding and once for a fund-raising event. 

Doctors say it is hard to predict her future but she is showing slight signs of improvement. She has started to gain control of her mouth and tongue and can now move her head slightly.

1.The devastating “locked-in syndrome” must be a disease caused by _________.

   A. being buried alive           B. a kind of cancer

   C. sudden brain damage        D. the problem of blood

2.It is true that Michelle ________.

   A. can no longer express herself     B. used to be a woman in poor health

   C. can manage her own message    D. is good at talking with her eyes

3.Arrange the time order of the following events.

   a. Rick gave up his job as a mechanic.

   b. Michelle suffered a series of splitting headache.

   c. Michelle’s best friends organized a running.

   d. The tragedy happened while bathing Holly.

   e. Michelle showed her yes and no by blinking

   A. a-b-c-d-e       B. b-e-c-a-d     C. d-b-e-a-c    D. b-d-e-a-c

4.The author tells the story of Michelle in order to ______.

   A. inform of a rare disease and draw attention to its victim

B. describe the terrible life condition of a patient’s family

C. show the wonderful results of family love to a patient

D. tell about the ever-lasting truth: health is above wealth 

There are numerous similarities between Muhammad Ali and his 23-year-old daughter Laila. She is the only one of his nine sons and daughters to have those genes that led to the ring(拳击场). Her father’s great status had nothing to do with Laila’s decision to pursue a boxing career. She has always been proud of his achievements, but he was never a great man to her—just dad.
What attracted her to take up boxing was the unusual sight of two women in the ring on the television screen when she was about to watch a Mike Tyson fight five years ago. She was very excited and said to herself, “I can do that. ”
Laila’s father would prefer her not to take up the dangerous sport. Johnny McClain, her husband and manager (former boxer himself) feels the same way. Even though both the men in her life worry about her, they’re 100 percent supportive. “They don’t want me to get hurt, ” she says.
Long before entering the ring, Laila was a fighter. Being the daughter of an outstanding boxer made her an easy target for high school kids to see how tough she was. They, not she, failed in the test. For the public, her biggest test took place last summer in the New York State when she took on Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, her father’s most famous opponent (对手) during the 1970s.
That fight provided the biggest shot in the arm that women’s boxing has received. News reporters poured in. Some called it “Ali/Frazier－GenerationⅡ”. No match involving women had ever attracted so much attention. Laila had a narrow victory in the fight.
Like it or not, she accepts the fact that she is the face of female boxing. And she hopes that her name and fame will help get the public to take it more seriously.
The name Ali has and always will bring her attention. But she is determined to make her own mark on opponents’ faces as well as in boxing history books. She says, “I want women’s boxing to get its due respect. ”
49. Laila took up boxing because of ________.
A. her father’s great status                        B. a Mike Tyson fight      
C. her admiration for her father               D. her interest in boxing
50. From the passage we can know ________.
A. Laila’s husband is still a boxer now
B. Laila wants to make contributions to the sport of boxing
C. Laila’s husband doesn’t think boxing is a dangerous sport
D. when Laila was in high school, she often failed in the fight with other kids
51. Which of the following is the best title for the passsage?
A. A female boxer—Laila Ali                    B. The best-known fight
C. Ali/Frazie－GenerationⅡ                   D. Muhammad Ali and his daughter

About a year ago, a couple with three children moved into the apartment next door to mine. I never heard any noise from the children, but the parents were always shouting at the kids.

    We often met in the hallway when we were coming or going. I always spoke, but the only answer I got was a hello from the four-year-old girl.

    One afternoon when I returned, they were just coming out of their apartment and the little girl was holding the door open for the others. I remained in the car doing unnecessary things. But when I looked up I saw the little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me. I hurried as much as I could and thanked her.

    I was really touched by her act of kindness. That afternoon I was at the K-Mart and I bought a white Teddy bear for her. The next day, there was a knock on the door and it was the little girl and her father. She was very proud of the bear and thanked me like I had never been thanked before.

    Now when we meet in the hall, we all speak in a friendly manner. As time passes, I don’t hear that yelling as often as before.

    Last night we had about four inches of snow. I looked out at my car and wondered how I was going to keep my doctor’s appointment. I went out to remove the snow. But when I opened my front door, I found my car was there with all the snow removed. You couldn’t imagine how I felt at that moment. I thanked that family in my heart.

    Isn’t it amazing how a small kind act of a four-year-old girl can change so many things for the better? My guardian angel says that good things come from small acts.

Who did the writer think removed the snow on his car?

A. That family next door.    B. Someone sent by his doctor.

C. Some strangers.         D. The gate keeper.

Which of the following is CORRECT according to the passage?

A. The children were very naughty and often made their parents angry.

B. Life must be very hard for the parents next door as they had a large family to support.

C. The writer put off the appointment with his doctor because of the heavy snow.

D. The little girl’s kind act changed the relationship between the writer and her family.

The right time order of these events in the passage may be         .

① I bought a white Teddy bear for the four-year-old little girl.

② A new family moved into the building next to my door.

③ The four-year-old little girl held the door for me.

④ The father came with the little girl and thanked me.

⑤We speak to each other now in a friendly manner.

A. ②-③-①-④-⑤   B. ②-④-①-③-⑤    C. ③-②-④-⑤-①  D. ③-④-②-⑤-①

III. 阅读理解（共15小题，每小题1分，满分15分）
A
"As sure as you're alive now, Peter Rabbit, some day I will catch you," shouted Reddy Fox, as he put his black nose in the hole between the roots of the Big Hickory-tree which grows close to the Smiling Pool. "It is lucky for you that you were not one jump farther away from this hole."
Peter, safe inside that hole, didn't have a word to say, or, if he did, he didn't have breath enough to say it. It was quite true that if he had been one jump farther from that hole, Reddy Fox would have caught him. As it was, the hairs on Peter's funny white tail actually had tickled Reddy's back as Peter ran wildly through the root-bound entrance to that hole. It had been the narrowest escape Peter had had for a long, long time. You see, Reddy Fox had surprised Peter eating sweet clover (苜蓿) on the bank of the Smiling Pond, and it had been a lucky thing for Peter that that hole, dug long ago by Johnny Chuck's grandfather, had been right where it was. Also, it was a lucky thing that old Mr. Chuck had been wise enough to make the entrance between the roots of that tree in such a way that it could not be dug any larger.
Reddy Fox was too shrewd (机灵的) to waste any time trying to dig it larger. He knew there wasn't room enough for him to get between those roots. So, after trying to make Peter as uncomfortable as possible by telling him what he, Reddy, would do to him when he did catch him, Reddy walked across the Green Meadows. Peter remained where he was for a long time. When he was quite sure that it was safe to do so, he crawled out and hurried to the Old Orchard. He felt that that would be the safest place for him, because there were ever so many hiding places in the old stone wall along the edge of it.
56. Where is Peter Rabbit hiding?
A. On the bank of a pond                       B. In a hole      
C. In a tall tree                                             D. Behind a room
57. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the story?
A. Reddy Fox might find rabbit hairs on him.
B. Old Mr. Chuck took advantage of the roots to dig the hole.
C. The hole could be made larger.
D. Reddy almost caught Peter this time.
58. Why did Peter Rabbit wait so long before leaving?
A. Because Reddy was trying to get him.   
B. Because it was cold outside.
C. Because his grandfather would help him dig a large hole.
D. Because the Old Orchard was not so safe as this hole.

Warm water freezes（结冰） more quickly than cold water. Sir Francis Bacon said that almost four hundred years ago. But few people believed him until 1970. In that year a Canadian scientist George Kill proved the English professor was right. Dr Kill filled an open oil pail(桶) with cold water. He filled another with warm water. He put both in the same low temperature. The warm water froze first. The lack of covers on the pails is the secret. Some of the warm water changed into vapor. This meant that less of the warm water was left to be frozen. And so the warm water froze faster than the cold water even though it had a greater temperature drop to make.
【小题1】Hundreds of years ago, Sir Francis Bacon found _______.