A very strict officer was talking to some new soldiers whom he had to train. He had never seen them before, so began, “My name is Stone, and I’m even harder than stone, so do what I tell you or there’ll be trouble. Don’t try any tricks (诡计) with me, and then we’ll get on well together.”

    Then he went to each soldier one after the other and asked him his name, “Speak loudly so that everyone can hear you clearly,” he said, “and don’t forget to call me ‘sir’.”

    Each soldier told him name, until he came to the last one. This man remained silent, and so Captain Stone shouted at him, “ when I ask you a question, answer it! I’ll ask you again: What’s your name, soldier?”

    The soldier was very unhappy, but at last he replied, “My name’s Stonebreaker, sir,” he said nervously (紧张地).

51. The officer was strict _________.

   A. because the soldiers were new.    

B. with any of his soldiers, new or old.

   C. because he was named Stone.     

D. only when he was before soldiers.

52. According to what the officer said, _______________.

   A. obeying his orders would sometimes bring no trouble.

   B. trouble would come if anybody made tricks.

   C. he always got on well with his soldiers.

   D. he often had trouble with his soldiers.

53. The last soldier remained silent because _______________.

   A. he didn’t like the way the officer spoke to them.

   B. he wanted to see what would happen if he disobeyed his order.

   C. the question was difficult for him to answer.

   D. he was afraid the officer would be angry when he heard his name.

54. According to the officer, how to answer the question, “How old are you?”

   A. (sadly) Twenty, sir.           B. (clearly) Twenty.

   C. (loudly)Twenty, sir           D. (quickly)Ten years younger than you, sir

A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.

We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.

We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.

Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.

With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”

“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.

Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!”

The writer starts the text by describing________.

A. the beautiful scene of the morning  

B. his or her preparations for a jogging

C. a lively dog named Nika

D. the growth of crops at the farm

The writer mentioned the newspaper and coffee to suggest that he or she _______.

A. liked reading newspapers while drinking coffee

B. had an intention to give up running

C. would treat himself or herself to coffee after running

D. might appear on the newspaper for the long running

The writer decided to continue running _______.

A. after he or she found the dog was still energetic

B. because they came near the top of the hill

C. when he or she noticed the tired dog

D. before they arrived at the bottom of the hill

What does the writer expect to show by telling the story?

A. Words are powerful than deeds.

B. Beasts in life aren’t easily to conquer.

C. Dogs are the best friend of humans.

D. Try it one more time before giving up.

D

I grew up in a small town. I was only ten years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable (马厩). He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace. I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged.

One night, a woman executive (董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I had my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man.

68. Why was the writer once known as a singing cook?

A. He was a cook at a country music club.

B. He sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C. He often sang while cooking.

D. He liked singing better than cooking.

69. Who first recognized the writer’s talents and helped make him successful?

A. His brother.      B. His manager.     C. His father.            D. A businesswoman.

70. It can be inferred from the passage that the ______.

A. writer’s success is partly due to his father     B. writer’s family was very poor

C. writer succeeded easily                   D. writer’s first record was a total failure

When I was young,my parents ran a snack bar in our small town.

One evening in early April,my mother told me to fill in at the snack bar 36　 a worker who had the flu.I told her I would mess it up, 37 I had never worked at the bar before.I 　38　

that instead of making money,I would end up owing it.

“You can do it,”said my mother.“　 39　 ,you won’t get much business until lunch.”

“But I’ll never remember the orders,and I’m no good ___40_ money.Please,Mom,don’t

　 41　 me.”

“Then I’ll help you,”she said.

I shrugged my shoulders.I thought my mother’s　　 42　　 was a bad one,but I 　　 43　　 .

When I got to the bar the next day,I found my mother was　 44　 .Because the weather that day was rainy and cold,people wanted hot snacks and drinks.　 45　 ,I was really slow at taking the orders and making change.The line of people grew,and everybody seemed　 46　 .I was so nervous that my hands shook,and I 　 47 a cup into pieces.What a mess!Then my mother came to　 48 me,and she also showed me how to make　 49　 .If someone gave me $5 for something that cost $3.25,I handed over　 50　 quarters and a dollar and said,“75 cents makes four dollars,plus one dollar makes five.”Things went more　 51　 after that.

By the end of the day,I could remember orders,　 52　 the bill,and make change quickly with a smile.I was even a little　 53　 when the sun came out and dried up business.My mother said she was proud of me,and when she　 54　 that I work at the snack bar again next year,I did not even shrug.I was too busy　 55　 the restaurant I would open one day.

36.A.to　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.for　　　　　　　　　　 C.after　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.over

37.A.because　　　　　　　 B.though　　　　　　　 C.until　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.while

38.A.promised　　　　　　　　　　 B.noticed　　　　　　　 C.worried　　　　　　　　　　 D.hoped

39.A.Therefore　　　　　　 B.However　　　　　 C.Besides　　　　　　　　　　 D.Yet

40.A.of　　　　　　　　　　　 B.on　　　　　　　　　　 C.about　　　　　　　　　　　 D.with

41.A.blame　　　　　　　　　 B.fool　　　　　　　　　 C.frighten　　　　　　　　　　 D.make

42.A.idea　　　　　　　　　　 B.bar　　　　　　　　　　 C.day　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.answer

43.A.guessed　　　　　　　 B.obeyed　　　　　　　 C.begged　　　　　　　　　　 D.admitted

44.A.angry　　　　　　　　　 B.sad　　　　　　　　　 C.wrong　　　　　　　　　　　 D.ashamed

45.A.At least　　　　　　　　 B.At last　　　　　　　 C.At most　　　　　　　　　　 D.At first

46.A.surprised　　　　　　　　　　 B.impolite　　　　　　 C.pleased　　　　　　　　　　 D.impatient

47.A.damaged　　　　　　　 B.destroyed　　　　　 C.broke　　　　　　　　　　　 D.ruined

48.A.scold　　　　　　　　　 B.help　　　　　　　　　 C.beat　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.save

49.A.money　　　　　　　　 B.lunch　　　　　　　　 C.coffee　　　　　　　　　　　 D.change

50.A.two　　　　　　　　　　 B.three　　　　　　　　 C.four　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.five

51.A.smoothly　　　　　　　　　　 B.fairly　　　　　　　　 C.simply　　　　　　　　　　　 D.conveniently

52.A.turn in　　　　　　　　 B.count out　　　　　 C.take over　　　　　　　　　 D.add up

53.A.discouraged　　　　 B.disturbed　　　　　 C.disappointed　　　　　　 D.distrusted

54.A.thought　　　　　　　　 B.stated　　　　　　　　 C.announced　　　　　　　　 D.suggested

55.A.imagining　　　　　　 B.preparing　　　　　 C.examining　　　　　　　　 D.describing

When I was a little girl, my father loved to play the game of “catch the ball” with me. I wasn’t good at it 21  he didn’t mind at all. He was always telling me to 22  my eyes on the ball; otherwise I would not be able to 23  it when he threw it to me.
As I got older, we didn’t play the game as 24  as before. If I had a   25  , I would go to my father and   26   his advice. He would try to make a joke and say, “Keep your eyes on the ball.” We would both laugh   27   that advice was not usually able to   28   the problem, but he would just try to make me   29  .
My father became   30   in 1995 when I was 23. There were not any more conversations, as he was   31   from a terrible disease. He couldn’t   32  ; he could only move his   33   without making a sound, which was sometimes   34   to understand. I seemed to be   35   good at reading his lips after a while, even better than the nurses that were   36   him.
During one of our last   37   I was telling him about a difficulty I was   38  . Once again, I could read his lips. “Keep your eyes on the ball,” he said. We both smiled. That was the last time I saw my father   39   he passed away.
Sometimes now, all those years later when I get into a   40   situation, I just tell myself, “Keep your eyes on the ball.”