When I was at a loss, the thought of traveling abroad did _____ to me.

Five people are at our table, including myself. I’ve already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we’ve been at sea, although we rarely meet except at mealtimes.

First of all, there is Dr. Stone. He is a man of about sixty-five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quite country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the army and visited many countries. He’s told us a great deal about the city to which they are going.

Then there is “Grandmother”. I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks remarkable young, no more than fifty. She is on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen.

Then there is a man I don’t care for very much, the engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been on leave in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore.

The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I’ve found out hardly anything about her. She’s extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult the doctor about children’s various illnesses. She is on her way to join her husband in India.

1.What can we know about Mr. Stone?

A． He knows a lot about the city the author is going to visit.

B．He is going to give up his work.

C．He has been retired for many years.

D．He is a doctor in the army now

2.Who lives in India?

A．Mrs. Hunt         B．Grandmother       C．The doctor        D．Mr. Hunt

3.The writer calls the second person “Grandmother”because _____.

A. She looks old.           B. he can’t think of her name

C. She has three daughters  D he respects her

4.The underlined phrase“on leave”in Paragragh 4 probably means _____.

A．leaving           B．at home           C．about to leave      D．on vacation

I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which listened every morning. I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving, I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism(乐观主义), but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times”.

My responsibilities(职责) in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

1. How did the author get to know America?

A. From her relatives.     B. From her mother.    C. From books and pictures.   D. From radio programs.

2. For the first two years in New York, the author       .     .

A. often lost her way                   B. did not think about her job    

C. studied in three different schools        D. got on well with her new friends

3.What can we learn from the author from Paragraph 3 ?

A. She worked as a translator.               B. She attended a lot of job interviews.

C. She paid telephone bills for her family .     D. She helped her family with her English.

4.The author believes that     .

A. her future will be free from troubles .         B. it is difficult to learn to become patient.

C. there are more good things than bad things.    D. good things will happen if one keeps trying.

Studying volcanoes is a demanding profession. Hazel Rymer frequently has to struggle through rainforests, climb to the top of mountains, then climb 200 metres into the crater of active volcanoes. But the 38-year-old volcanologist does her best to make it sound less alarming than it is. “Driving to work is more risky,” she insists. “And the deepest I go into the crater of a volcano is about 300 metres,” she adds, trying to make it all sound as ordinary as taking the dog for a walk.
Hazel has been studying volcanoes for a long time, so it’s not surprising she is used to the danger. Her interest in volcanoes began at school. A teacher gave her a book about Pompeii. “I remember reading about the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city,” she explains. “The thought of all those people just frozen in time had quite an effect on me and I am still excited by their dangerous beauty today.”
Nowadays, volcanoes are getting more and more unpredictable. There have been many changes in sea level caused by global warming and melting ice caps. These have resulted in some dormant volcanoes erupting, so studying them is more dangerous than ever before. Hazel says that although she doesn’t take any unnecessary risk she has had some frightening moments. Her worst experience was on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, when she was slowly surrounded by lava. “I had a choice of walking ten hours to get around the lava flow or just walking across it,” she explains. She chose to pick a path across the cooler rocks in the lava stream. “I guess it was five metres. The flow was 1,000°C, so if you hesitated your boots would begin to melt. It was scary, but it really was a practical decision --- there wasn't time to do anything else.”
And what about the future? “I haven’t been to the volcanoes in Indonesia yet. And I would love to spend some time working in the Antarctic,” she says. “I would also like to know why quiet lava flows erupt from some volcanoes and why other volcanoes go bang.” In other words, Hazel Rymer won’t be exchanging her volcanoes for the relative safety of driving to work just yet.
【小题1】Hazel’s claim that “driving to work is more risky” than exploring volcanoes shows that ______.

In recent weeks , small groups of young people appeared on downtown sidewalks in Changsha, Beijing and other cities , holding signs with the words "free hugs ,and offered embraces to any passer-by who would care for one. "
Calling themselves " the hug league" ,they said they were inspired an international news story of a similar type and intended to promote human contact in the face of growing alienation(疏远）in urban china.
We Chinese ,contrary to what is shown in our love movies and television shows , rarely run into each other's arms and cry our hearts out .We are raised in a culture of emotional restraint(克制）。We mark our meetings and departures with a wave of hand and  a handshake of light touch . Not so long ago , even young lovers hugging in public places were considered rude.
But that doesn't mean we are immune(免疫的）to the wonderful feeling of human tactility(触感）。I remember my mother was visibly moved when I hold her hand for the first time while walking her across a busy street in the U.S. The circumstance made it more natural .But cultures don't evolve overnight ."It's hard to get rid of the old belief that man and woman shouldn't have any physical contact ,"some explained .In the late 1970s some feared that social dance would lead to sexual (侵扰）.But the awkwardness was overcome as more and more people came to accept dancing with partners who were not their spouses (配偶）as a perfectly normal form of recreation.
In this environment of changing social customs manners , how people act could be the working many factors ,including their personality.Some offer bear hugs to everyone they know while others would shiver at the thought of medical personnel touching them with a stethoscope(听诊器）。The line between proper and improper often shifts(移动）with the sands of circumstances.
Offering hugs to strangers on the street is too radical(激进的）a step to have any meaningful impact on our customs.If anything , the huggers should start with their loved ones.
72.The writer think that __________
A free hug is not acceptable at present
B free hug is a proper custom in china
C offering hugs to strangers is nothing new in China
D man and woman should not have any physical contact
73.According to the passage , free hug_________
A was invented by some Chinese youths
B was introduced from other countries
C was intended to find lovers among the strangers
D was beneficial to a person's emotional health
74.The words "contrary to " in Paragraph 3 mean"_______"
A opposite to    B different from    C similar to     D the same as
75.The writer give the example of the social dance to ______
A prove that we are immune to the feeling of human touch
B indicate that the society is always changing
C show that many western customs are being accepted
D show that cultures don't evolve overnight