The dirty, homeless man sat on the pavement, staring at the atones. He thought back more than twenty years to when he was a boy living in a small red brick house on this very street. He recalled the flower garden, the swing his dad made, and the bike he had saved up for months to buy.

         The man shrugged impatiently, for the brightness of those pictures hurt him, and his memory travelled on another ten years. He had a job by then, plenty of friends and started to come home less. He did not really want to remember those years, nor the day when, because o' debts, he had gone home planning to ask for money. He felt embarrassed, but he knew exactly where his dad kept the money. When his parents stepped out of the room, he took what he wanted and left.

         That was the last time he had seen them. Ashamed, he went abroad, and his parents knew nothing about the years of wandering or time in prison. But locked in his cell he often thought of home. Once free, he would love to see his parents again, if they were still alive, and still wanted to see him.

         When his prison time was up, he found -a job, but couldn't settle. Something was drawing him home. He did not want to arrive penniless, so he hitchhiked most of the long journey back. But less than a mile from his destination he started to feel sick with doubt. Could they ever accept this man who had so bitterly disappointed them?

         He spent most of that day sitting under a tree. That evening he posted a letter which, although short, had taken him hours to write. It ended with:

         I know it is unreasonable of me to suppose you want to see me ... so it's up to you. I'll come early Thursday morning. If you want me home, hang a white handkerchief in the window of my old bedroom. If it's there, I'll come in; if not, I'll wave good-bye and go.

         And now it was Thursday morning and he was sitting on the pavement at the end of the street. Finally he got up and walked slowly toward the old house. He drew a long breath and looked.

         His parents were taking no risks. ________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

         The man threw his head back, gave a cry of relief and ran straight through the open front door.

1. Why did the man shrug impatiently (paragraph 2) while he was thinking of his childhood?

   A. The thoughts made him angry.

   B. He felt he had wasted time.

   C. He was anxious to go home.

   D. The sweet memory caused him much pain.

2.Why did it take him hours to write the letter?

   A. He doubted if his parents still lived in that house.

   B. He had much news to tell his parents.

   C. He felt ashamed to ask for forgiveness.

   D. He was longing to return home and felt excited.

3. In what order did the following events take place?

   a. He took the money from his parents.

   b. He bought a bicycle with his savings.

   c. He was sentenced to prison.

   d. He wrote the letter home.

   e. He sat on the pavement.

   f. He hitchhiked back home.

   A. b, a, c, d, e, f                            B. b, a, c, f, d, e

   C. a, c, b, d, f, a                            D. a, d, b, c, e, f

4.Which of the following best fits into paragraph 8 ?

   A. Every inch of the house was covered in white. Sheets, pillowcases and table clothes had

      been placed on every window and door, making it look like a snow house.

   B. The house before him was just as he remembered: the red bricks, the brown door and

      nothing else.

   C. A colourful blanket was over the front door. On it, in large letters, was written, "Welcome

      home, son

   D. A police car was parked in the drive way, and two officers stood at the front door.

5.The best title of the passage is _______.

   A. Sweet Memory              B. White Handkerchief

   C. Abandoned Son              D. Leaving Home

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved,   21 plans for their nine children and themselves to   22   to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally    23   enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the    24    family on a new liner to the United States.

The entire family was    25    with excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their   26   , the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy   27   hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door.   28    the possibility of rabies (狂犬病), they were being quarantined (隔离)for fourteen days.

The family’s dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America   29  they had planned. Watching the ship leave    30   his family, the father, filled with disappointment and anger, cursed both his son and God for their    31    .

Five days later, the tragic news spread    32   Scotland---the mighty Titanic had sunk. The  33  ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family    34  have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left    35     in Scotland.

When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for    36  the family. He thanked God    37 saving their lives and turning what he had left was a tragedy into a    38   .

Although we may not   39  understand, all things happen for a     40   .

Leehom Wang（王力宏）is different from other pop singers. He has a lot of musical talent. He can play the violin, the drums and the piano.

However, this time it is his environmentally-friendly behavior that is making him stand out. When his latest album Change Me came out, Wang used recycled paper rather than plastie to package his album and went by bicycle to the press conference.  “Everyone can make the world a better place on a daily basis,” he said.

Wang gives 10 pieces of advice in his new album. For example, he suggests that the temperature of an air-conditioner（空调）should not be lower than 28 ℃.

Wang has Captured the hearts of millions of fans by singing, dancing, acting, composing songs, and working as a producer of many major records.  “I admire Wang for his sense of duty, responsibility and hard work,” said Li Xiaoshan, 17, who traveled from Nanjing to see Wang when he was in Beijing to promote （促销）his new CD.

Wang has established himself as a versatile （多才多艺的）musician in the pop scene and a good role model for Chinese youths around the world. He grew up in New York and first became fascinated at the sight of a violin at the age of six. His ambition has always been to be a musician. However, this was not what his parents’ wanted. They hoped he would be a doctor, which they saw as a steady and well-paid job.

Decisions about what Wang should do when he was older created tension in his family. So Wang decided to study biology at university to please his parents. But while he was studying, he continued practising singing and dancing and finally landed a record contract, which was the beginning of his career.

1. Wang rode a bicycle to attend the press conference ________.

A. to avoid the traffic jams              B. to show off his cycling skills

    C. to cut down on the cost of trips        D. to show his environmental awareness

2. Li Xiaoshan travelled to Beijing ________.

    A. to buy Wang’s latest album           B. to promote his own new CD

    C. to welcome Wang’s new album        D. to make friends with Wang’s fans

3. Why did Wang’s parents intend him to become a doctor?

A. Doctors have a big and stable salary.   

B. Doctors enjoy a high social status.

C. It is easy for doctors to become famous.

D. It is doctors’ duty to save lives.

4. What can we learn from Leehom Wang’s story?

    A. Diligence is the mother of good fortune.

    B. The wisest men follow their own direction.

    C. Determination today leads to success tomorrow.

D. Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，从1---20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该选项标号涂黑。

    One day, an expert in time-management was speaking to a group of business students. To make the point 1  , he used an illustration.

    As he stood in front of the group, he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” He then pulled out a wide-mouth jar and set it on the table. Then he    2    placed about a dozen fist-sized rocks, one by one, into the jar.

    When the jar was filled to the    3    and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar    4  ?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.”

    “Really?” Then he    5   under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel（沙砾，石子），dumped some in and   6   the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space    7   the big rocks. Then he asked the group the same question. “Probably not.” One of them answered. “Good!” he replied.

    He reached under the table and    8    a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the    9    left between the rocks and the gravel.    10    he asked the question. “No!” the class shouted. “Good!” Then he grabbed a can of water and began to pour it in    11    the jar was filled to the brim.

    Then the expert in time-management looked at the class and asked, “What is the    12   of this illustration?” It is such a seemingly easy question that one   13    student raised his hand and said, “It is, however full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always   14    some more things in it.”

“No,” the speaker replied, “The truth it teaches us is that you will    15    get them in at all if you don’t put the big rocks in first.    16    the big rocks in your life are, do things that you love and    17   for yourself. In your schedule if you value the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with    18    things and you will never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff. So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are   19    on this short story, ask yourself what are the ‘big rocks’ in your life? Then put those in your    20    first.”

1. A. harder                             B. rougher                      C. clearer                        D. wiser

2. A. carefully                          B. firmly                          C. actively                       D. unwillingly

3. A. edge                                B. bottom                       C. wall                             D. top

4.A. full                                     B. pure                            C. enough                       D. smooth

5.A. sent                                  B. reached                      C. managed                   D. felt

6.A. delivered                         B. shook                          C. dropped                     D. held

7.A. beneath                           B. across                         C. beyond                       D. between

8.A. put out                             B. came out                   C. brought out               D. set out

9. A. spaces                             B. caves                          C. blanks                         D. holes

10.A. At last                            B. Shortly after              C. Later on                     D. Once more

11.A. unless                            B. until                             C. before                         D. while

12. A. meaning                       B. opinion                       C. point                           D. comment

13.A. calm                               B. awkward                    C. nervous                      D. eager

14.A. add                                 B. fit                                 C. include                        D. collect

15. A. never                             B. even                            C. still                              D. ever

16.A. Whether                        B. However                    C. Whatever                  D. Which

17.A. conclude                        B. encourage                C. fresh                           D. time

18.A. more                              B. little                            C. much                           D. less

19.A. reflecting                      B. counting                     C. deciding                     D. insisting

20.A. packet                            B. can                              C. jar                                D. luggage

Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

　　On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

1.The text is mainly about ________.

2.People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.

3.Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .

4.What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?