We were on the way from Hutchinson to Chicago for a short spring break. For many years I had wanted to take my family on the train. We all had been to Chicago four years ago, and the kids loved it. Chicago is one of my favorite cities, too, so the thought struck me again last fall to ride the train to Chicago. Of course, flying would have been faster. But I don’t think flying is easier, especially these days, with all the security and waiting in lines at airports.
Though we were tired in the middle of the night, the kids got on the train with the exhilaration of this adventure. “We’re moving,” my son William shouted happily with big eyes as the train began to pull away from the Hutchinson station.
I removed my shoes and lay down to try to finish my night’s sleep. The sleeper car would have better enabled that, but the ordinary train seats were not too bad. An airline flight is a more miserable experience for me: not enough room, two hours of pain with my knees almost touching my chin, the hard seatback in front cracking my kneecaps (膝盖) with every move of the body planted in front of me. On the train I could almost outstretch all of my 6-foot-2-plus body in the generous legroom.
The journey didn’t feel at all as long as it was. We all found the train ride a joy. The car ride would have felt every minute of 13 hours. But on the train you are free to walk around, sit in the observation carriage for a while and enjoy the scenery out the windows, have a nice meal in the dining car, read a book, or play a board game.
In short, the train is all about enjoying the trip, which isn’t something I do so much when traveling by airline or by car, when the trip seems more of a mission (任务) to get there than an experience to enjoy along the way.
Chicago offers much to do for a family. This time, getting there was half the fun.
【小题1】We can learn from the first paragraph that _____.

第二部分：语言知识及运用（满分25分）
第一节完形填空(共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分)
Trees are useful to man in three very important ways. They provide him with wood and other   __21__ ; they give him shade; they help to prevent drought(干旱)and  __22__.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important.
Two thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire, but,__23__its trees, its soil became hard and poor. When the empire fell to__24__,the home country found itself faced by floods and starvation.
Even where a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees, it is difficult for__25__to persuade the villager to see this. The villager wants wood to cook his food with ; and he can earn money by making charcoal or selling wood to the townsman. He is usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after new trees. So, unless the government has a good system of control, or can__26__the people, the forests will slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that the villagers’ sons and grandsons have__27__trees. The results are even more serious; for where there are trees, their roots break the soil up—allowing the rain to sink in—and also bind(结合)the soil, thus preventing its__28__washed away easily, but where there are no trees ,the rain falls on hard ground and carrying__29__with it the rich top soil, in which crops__30__so well. With all the topsoil gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.
21．A. uses                  B. products                   C. production                D. result
22．A. floods           B. soil                         C. air                           D .sunlight
23．A. with                 B. by                           C. on                           D. without
24．A. break        B. unite                        C. bits                          D. pieces
25．A. it                  B. them                        C. he                            D. they
26．A. ask                   B. educate                    C. want                        D. remove
27．A. a few            B. fewer                       C. a little                      D. little
28．A. been             B. being                       C. is                             D. was
29．A. away            B. off                           C. with                         D. by
30．A. come            B. grow                        C. get                           D. Turn

根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping — watching TV and buying things by phone. __【小题1】__ In a number of European countries, people can turn on their TVs and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys, and many other things.__【小题2】__ For example, the biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in 15 European countries, and in one year it made $100 million. In France there are two teleshopping channels, and the French spend about $20 million a year to buy things through those channels.
In Germany, until last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for 1 hour every day. Then the government allowed more teleshopping. Other channels can open for tele-business, including the largest American teleshopping company and a 24-hour teleshopping company. __【小题3】__
Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without leaving their homes. With all the problems of traffic in the cities, this is an important reason, but at the same time, other Europeans do not like this new way of shopping. __【小题4】__ Many Europeans usually worry about the quality of the things for sale on TV. Good quality is important to them, and they believe they cannot be sure about the quality of the things on TV.__【小题5】__ They will have to be more careful about the quality of the things they sell. They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see in person.

The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children—cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances—that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".
But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.
At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either.  I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them.
I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.
Then one day I saw an ad. for foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance , I rang up the number.
I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.
【小题1】How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?

The English, as a race, are very different from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, Belgians and Dutch. It is claimed (声言) that living on an island  36  from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the  37  are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has  38  many attitudes and habits which make them  39 from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a  40  , shy and reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he  41  well. In the  42  of strangers or foreigners he often seems embarrassed. You have only to walk around a city any morning or evening to  43  the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit  44  their newspapers or have a light sleep in a corner with no one speaking.  45 , to do so would seem most unusual to many foreigners. An Englishman pretending to be giving 46  to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers”. Obviously , he was not being  47  . There is an unwritten  48 clearly understood code (规则) of behaviour which, if  49  , makes the person immediately suspect(怀疑).
In many parts of the world it is quite  50  to show openly their enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc. The Englishman is somewhat  51  . Of course, an Englishman lacks no deep feelings, in fact , no less deeply than any other nationality, but he tends to display his 52  far less. This is reflected in his use of  53 . Imagine a man making a comment on the great  54  of a young girl. A more emotional man might  55  her as “extremely beautiful,” “precious”, however, an Englishman might just say, “Um, she is all right.” The girl who heard this should not be angry because "not bad" and " all right" very often have the same meaning as "first class" " excellent" and this unique style of language use is common in England.