People like to look in the mirror often when they have a young and beautiful face. However, when one grows old, nobody wants to see their wrinkled old face in the mirror any more. So, many old people seldom look at their faces in the mirror. This is completely wrong.
According to Wu Zhenyun, a professor from the Psychological Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a person’s willingness to look in the mirror can reflect his or her mentality. When people don’t care too much about their age, they will try to carry themselves with ease and natural poise (姿态). They don’t mind looking in the mirror to see their own faces. Some people even love to look in the mirror from time to time to see whether they keep a good appearance. In this way, mirror becomes their best friend that help them to look confident.
On the other hand, some people are afraid of being old. They don’t want to see the wrinkles on their face and their hair turning grey. So they don’t want to look in the mirror. This actually reflects a negative attitude they hold towards life. In the long term, they might suffer from psychological pressure or some sort of depression, which is actually not a wise act.
“ Everyone can make themselves look charming at every age stage. If one is confident, one will always look beautiful, it shows that they accept themselves.” professor Wu said.
Mirror cannot only give confidence to one. By looking in the mirror, one can even find the traces of some diseases from one’s own face.
【小题1】Why does the mirror become the best friend for some people?

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

第三节：阅读理解（共25小题; 每小题2分, 满分50分）
It was 3:12 a. m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the crackling（爆裂声）of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn (草坪).
The nine-year-old raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother’s room. He found it impossible to woke her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later, “acted with all the self-control of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother’s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan: “The string will lead you to mother.” Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1．Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A．He wanted to find out what was happening.  
B．He was worried about his mother’s safety.
C．He wanted to save his sister and brother.    
D．He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2．How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A．By throwing water all over her and her bed.    
B．By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C．By pushing and pulling at her.              
D．By tying a string to her hand.
3．Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A．Glenn.    B．Glenn’s father.     C．Glenn’s sister.    D．Glenn’s neighbor.
4．What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A．He put a wet cloth around his head.      B．He threw water all over himself.
C．He hid himself in the bathroom.         D．He rushed out to the lawn.
5．Glenn saved his family because___________.
A．his father had taught him to do so on the phone   
B．he had learned something about first aid
C．he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely 
D．he had followed his mother’s instruction

E
To: manger @ tastytreat.com
Date: Monday, 7 October, 3:34 p.m.
From: raymondyuen@ canada.net
Subject: Complaint
Dear Mr. Price,
I have eaten in your restaurant many times and have always been happy with the food and service. This makes what happened last Saturday even more disappointing.
It was my son’s birthday so we booked a non-smoking table at your restaurant for 7:30 p.m. We arrived on time but were told that our table was not yet ready. At 8:00 p.m., we were given a table in the smoking section. I asked to move but I was told that there were no other tables. A lot of people were smoking so it was uncomfortable and unhealthy.
Our first waitress, Janet, was very polite and helpful. She gave us free drinks for waiting so long. Our food also came quickly and looked fresh and tasty. When my wife had eaten most of her meal, she found a dead cockroach (蟑螂) in her vegetables. She was shocked and wanted to leave. At first, the waitress told us it was a piece of garlic. When we told her that garlic does not have legs, she apologized and took the food away.
We asked for the bill, expecting not to pay for my wife’s meal. Nobody came. After 15 minutes, I asked to see the manager. The head waiter told us that you were on holiday I complained again about the horrible cockroach. He told me Janet had finished work. He didn’t believe my story and gave me a bill for three meals. I argued with him but was forced to pay.
The waitress, Janet, was always friendly, but I would like an apology from your impolite head waiter and a full repayment for our meal. It cost $68. Until then, I will not be eating at your restaurant or recommending it to anyone.
You can contact me at 742-3254 or through e-mail if you want more information.
Thank you for your attention.
Yours Sincerely,
Raymond Yuen
72．We learn from the text that, before Saturday, Mr. Yuen _________            .
A. was satisfied with the restaurant B .was disappointed with the restaurant
C .had to wait for his table   D .rarely ate at the restaurant
73．The head waiter didn’t believe Mr. Yuen because _________            .
A．the waitress stopped working and hadn’t told him about it
B．he believed that the cockroach was garlic
C．he didn’t want to pay Mr. Yuen back
D．the manager was on holiday
74．Mr. Yuen demanded that Mr. Price _________            .
A．say sorry to his family   
B．let the head waiter stop working in the restaurant
C．get the head waiter to say sorry
D．get the head waiter and Janet to say sorry
75．What does Mr. Yuen want to pay for now?
A．Two meals.      B．Their meals.     C．Nothing.   D．Only the drinks.

Two years after the First World War (1914-1918), a small group of soldiers left the army and returned to their hometown in France. Most of them lived well, but one of them was poor. His name was Clinton. Once a year they had supper in Barton’s house. Barton was very rich.
One evening Barton showed his friends a large gold coin at the supper table. The coin was passed around and praised by everyone. At the same time they were talking and talking. They soon forgot about the coin. After supper, Barton asked for his coin, but nobody could tell where it was. It was lost. One man said that everyone must be searched. One by one they turned their pockets inside out. Only Clinton refused, however.“I didn’t steal the coin, and I will not be searched,” he said.After that, people turned their heads away from Clinton when they met him. He grew poorer. Soon his wife died.
A few years later, Barton had his house repaired. The lost coin was found under the floor. Barton felt sorry and went to Clinton to apologize. “But,” he asked, “you knew the coin was not in your pocket. Why did you refuse to be searched?” “Because I was a thief,” Clinton answered. “My pockets were full of food at that time. I had taken some food from the table to carry to my hungry wife and children.”
【小题1】The story took place ________.