We don’t know how different our life will be in the future . We can only try to imagine it .
At first we think about human relationship . In the year 2050 , we will use computers almost every day . We will be making new friends through the Internet—even our husbands or wives will be met in this way . It will be much faster and easier for us . On the other hand , our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today—we will feel a little lonely .
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050 . For example , they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier . In addition , there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers , like robots which will do the housework for us .
Spending holidays will also be completely different . Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone . Means of transport will , of course , change , too . we will be using solar-powered cars , which will be much more environmentally friendly .
We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment . But it isn’t true .We will pay more attention to protecting the environment . And , scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases , like cancer or AIDS . Therefore , our surroundings as well as health will be in a better condition .
Although we can’t predict the exact changes which will be made in the world , we often think about them . We worry about our and our children’s future ; we have expectations , hopes as well as fears . But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future . We should be happy and believe good things will happen .
1. Why will people probably feel a little lonely in 2050 ?
A. Because the number of people will become much smaller .
B. Because there will be less face-to-face communication .
C. Because people won’t like making friends with each other .
D. Because people won’t communicate with each other much often .
2. The third paragraph mainly tells us_________.
A. that computers will do all the things for human beings
B. how people will use computers to communicate with each other
C. that machines like computers and robots will help people a lot
D. how people will use robot to do the housework
3. According to the passage , which of the following will happen in 2050 ?
A. The relationship between people will be more important than that of today .
B. The way of spending holidays will be the same as that of today .
C. It won’t be difficult for people to travel to other planets .
D. Our environment will be much more polluted with a growing number of cars .
4. What does the passage mainly talk about ?
A. How peoplewill communicate in the year 2050 .
B. What our life will be like in the year 2050 .
C. How people will travel and spend their holidays in the year 2050 .
D. What high technology will appear in the year 2050 .

I used to think that a good vacation meant staying in fancy hotels, eating at the nicest restaurants, and coming back with a darker skin and a suitcase filled with   36  . I also thought in order for it to be great, it had to be  37 . A few years and ten countries later, I now realize that  38  could be further from the truth.

Something tells me that Wu Jiangping—a Chinese girl who recently travelled across      Europe on just 15,000 yuan — would  39  my change of heart. Many would think it is  40  to design a 20-day trip through 9 European countries on such a meager budget, but that’s exactly what Miss Wu did! The success of her adventure boils down to three things — planning,  41  and attitude.

Wu Jiangping made a careful and detailed  42  well in advance, which included booking her flights with a low-cost budget  43 . It’s important to research various transportation options when travelling on a tight budget. What is easiest and fastest usually isn’t  44 .

When it  45  to priorities, a budget traveller must value the experience of travelling over the expensive luxuries that one might desire on vacation. This might mean trading a cozy bed in a hotel for a  46  bunk in a hostel.  47 , this often means that you get to share a room with like-minded fellow travellers, and, in my experience, you are likely to make lifelong friends in the process.

Of course, travelling often involves challenges and unexpected problems.  48 , Miss Wu found herself trapped in Florence, Italy when the cold current  49  Europe in February. Even when there are no real problems,  50  arriving in an unfamiliar country where you don’t speak the language and you can’t even ask for directions  51  be a discomforting experience. However,  52  you have a spirit of adventure, getting lost may  53  fascinating discoveries! When travelling, simply wandering the streets, trying the local food, and taking in the sights, sounds and smells around you can make for an extraordinary and unforgettable day. When you return home, your  54  — good, bad and bittersweet — are  55  you treasure the most. There is no greater souvenir than the lingering memory of your adventure.

36. A. books         B. souvenirs          C. clothes             D. food

37. A. cheap          B. alone         C. expensive D. faraway

38. A. nothing       B. anything           C. something         D. everything

39. A. agree with   B. deal with    C. put up with       D. come up with

40. A. simple         B. impossible C. essential           D. inevitable

41. A. traditions     B. advantages        C. privilege           D. priorities

42. A. decision      B. judgment          C. plan          D. conclusion

43. A. airline          B. company   C. shop         D. railway

44. A. the favorite B. the best     C. the worst   D. the cheapest

45. A. takes           B. comes              C. goes          D. means

46. A. luxurious     B. fantastic           C. comfortable      D. simple

47. A. Similarly      B. Definitely          C. Obviously D. Fortunately

48. A. At a time     B. In some time         C. At one point      D. Beside the point

49. A. swept         B. pushed             C. attracted    D. rolled

50. A. absolutely    B. occasionally      C. frequently D. simply

51. A. can             B. shall                     C. need          D. ought

52. A. as far as      B. as well as          C. as long as D. as good as

53. A. arise from   B. result from        C. subscribe to      D. lead to

54. A. thoughts      B. memories          C. minds               D. insights

55. A. that             B. which                   C. whatever          D. what

I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not 　16 . I had a severe spinal cord disorder (脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much 　17 than others.

I hated going to school and I hated people 　18 at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing 　19 and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the 　20 and seeing an ugly hunchback (驼背).

My friends found me 　21 because I didn’t let others get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life 　22 Angela appeared.

That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school — a spot where no one would 　23 me. That’s when I first heard her voice.

“Hi. Can I sit down?”

I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“Ants.”

“What are they doing?”

“No 　24 .”

“I bet they’re playing games and making friends. Don’t you think so?”

That was how our 　25 started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun — the ants, the clouds, my little niche (处境) — until it was sunset.

Then suddenly, she saw my 　26 . She just stared.

My heart 　27 . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would

28 me now.

She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know 　29 your back is hunched.”

I closed my eyes like a criminal (罪犯) waiting to be 　30 . I begged in my heart for her to

31 , but she just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”

“No,” I answered 　32 .

She bent and whispered in my ears.

“Your back is hunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”

I was 　33 . I looked into her eyes and her 　34 touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to 　35 myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend.

16. A. them　　　　　　　　 B. it　　　　　　　　　　 C. me　　　　　　　　　 D. her

17. A. sadder　　　　　　　 B. shorter　　　　　　　　　　 C. weaker　　　　　　 D. slower

18. A. looking　　　　　　　 B. smiling　　　　　　 C. aiming　　　　　　　 D. glaring

19. A. still　　　　　　　　　　 B. alone　　　　　　　　 C. straight　　　　　　 D. together

20. A. street　　　　　　　　 B. sun　　　　　　　　　 C. corner　　　　　　　 D. mirror

21. A. distant　　　　　　　 B. stubborn　　　　　 C. hopeless　　　　　 D. unfortunate

22. A. after　　　　　　　　　 B. before　　　　　　　 C. since　　　　　　　　 D. until

23. A. disturb　　　　　　　 B. seek　　　　　　　　 C. interrupt　　　　　 D. ignore

24. A. wonder　　　　　　　 B. idea　　　　　　　　　 C. sign　　　　　　　　 D. action

25. A. connection　　　　 B. competition　　　 C. conversation　　 D. comprehension

26. A. face　　　　　　　　　 B. back　　　　　　　　 C. eyes　　　　　　　　 D. shoulders

27. A. sank　　　　　　　　　 B. beat　　　　　　　　 C. broke　　　　　　　 D. ached

28. A. care for　　　　　　　 B. rely on　　　　　　 C. look down upon　　　 D. put up with

29. A. that　　　　　　　　　 B. how　　　　　　　　 C. whether　　　　　 D. why

30. A. blamed　　　　　　　 B. arrested　　　　　　 C. punished　　　　　 D. sentenced

31. A. relax　　　　　　　　　 B. leave　　　　　　　　 C. stop　　　　　　　　 D. pause

32. A. shyly　　　　　　　　 B. weakly　　　　　　 C. proudly　　　　　　 D. firmly

33. A. astonished　　　　　 B. ashamed　　　　　 C. annoyed　　　　　 D. amused

34. A. wisdom　　　　　　　　　　 B. generosity　　　　 C. honesty　　　　　　 D. kindness

35. A. control　　　　　　　 B. like　　　　　　　　　 C. comfort　　　　　 D. enjoy

King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once , ‘‘I love gold . I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well , tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold .”Saying this, the fairy disappeared.

    The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy ,everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.

    Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand . ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.

    Just then his daughter came running in . ‘‘Why are you so sad , dad ?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this ,he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him.  ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘ Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘ give me back my daughter.”  ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.” The king ran quickly to the nearby river.

The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because_____

she hoped to make the king the richest in the world.    B. She loved gold too.

She wanted to teach the king a lesson. 

D. She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold gold.

When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was _____

   A. excited  B. hungry  C. worried   D  happy

Which of the following might have happened afterwards?

A. The king died in the river.

B. The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl.

C. All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones.

D. Both B and C

What do you think the story tries to tell us?

A. Gold makes people unhappy.   

B. More gold , more happiness.

C. Gold is not the thing that makes life happy.

D. People feel happy if they have not gold.