SECTION B

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and the required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

The unsteady housing market is showing a rare sign of strength: waiting home sales were up significantly in February, a report released Monday said, suggesting that Americans took advantage of a tax credit for home buyers.

Sales rose 8.2 percent in February, the National Association of Realtors(房地产经纪人) said. Analysts had expected sales to stay flat.

Economists said Monday’s data suggested buyers were re-entering the market as the April 30 deadline approached for a government tax credit of up to $8,000. The tax credit drove up sales rapidly in the fall, when it was originally set to end, but it has been slow to push the market this spring.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the association, said Monday’s report “may signal the early stages of a second wave of home sales.”

A separate report on Monday showed the service division in the United States was improving, driven in part by gains in employment.

The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing barometer(晴雨表) rose to 55.4 in March, up from 53 in February, going beyond expectations. Much of the energy came from a rush in new orders and business activity.

It was the highest reading(测量或调查的读数) for the survey since May 2006. While employment rose, it was short of the break-even point, signaling the service division was still losing jobs. Exports also rose significantly.

“This is a very encouraging report, which indicates acceleration in demand growth from both domestic and foreign customers,” Barclays Capital researchers wrote in a note on Monday.

The jump in waiting home sales was a rare bit of good news for the housing market, which remains in a deep rut(车辙). Home prices have shown little change.

Analysts expect the housing market to gradually improve as unemployment becomes less and the broader recovery gains steam. But so far, relief has been slow to come.

Monday’s report showed sales rose even in areas hit hard by poor weather in February. Sales climbed 9 percent in the Northeast and South, which were blanketed by snow in February.

The Realtors association bases its data on signed contracts, which usually take one or two months to translate into final sales.

81. What is the effect of the government tax credit? (No more than 5 words)

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82. Who is chief economist for the National Association of Realtors? (No more than 2 words)

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83. What could be a surprise according to Monday’s report? (No more than 10 words)

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84. If you are asked to describe the rise in home sales in February, which word do you think is the most appropriate? (No more than 1 word)

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I was feeling a little blue because my mother had been laid off from her job and she had lots of bills to pay. It left me wondering what was going to happen to us now. But it reassured me some when my mother told me she was relieved to be leaving since her boss wasn't the nicest person to be around.
I got off the college shuttle bus and started walking. That's when I heard piano music and singing rising above the noise of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower so I could find out where it was coming from. Through the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a carriage next to her.
She was singing songs about love, keeping on trying, and not underestimating the power within yourself. The way she was singing comforted me a bit. I stood there watching her play for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take courage to perform on your own in the middle of a crowded New York ferry terminal. 
So I stood there listening.
She must have felt my presence because she would occasionally look in my direction. By now I was telling myself that if she could perform in front of hundreds of people she didn't know then I could at least tell her how good she sounded. I walked over and put some money in her carriage and she said, "Thank you." Instead of continuing my way home, I said to her, "I have been going through a rough time lately, but you've made me hopeful again."
"I'm happy that I could help," she replied. "Why are you so sad?"
"Well, my mum told me she had got fired from her job, and that made me sad. I'm not so sure what to do ..."
"You see, here's the problem," she explained. "The way you were walking, your head was down. Don't look defeated, because opportunity comes in different ways and if your head is down you might never see it. You should smile more ... lift your head up."
I smiled faintly, amazed by how she was encouraging me. So, I asked her, "Why are you playing the piano in the middle of a crowded place? I've seen you do this more than once."
She explained to me that she sees a lot of negative people in the world and she tries to alleviate the pain and bring more positivity by sharing motivational music. She told me that when she wasn't making music she studied psychology. So, that was how she knew some of the things she was telling me.
I smiled a little wider because I knew that she was doing a good thing. So, after that we parted, my heart touched and lightened by a musical soul!
【小题1】We can learn from Paragraph 3 that the young lady sang to _________.

阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题(请注意问题后的词数要求，并将答案写在二卷答题纸上)。
Paris is the capital of France. It is also one of the most famous cities in the world.
Paris is called “the City of Light”. It is also an international fashion center. What modern women are wearing in Paris will soon be worn by many women in other parts of the world. Paris is also a famous center of education. For example, the headquarters of UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, is in Paris.
The Seine (塞纳河) divides the city into two parts. Thirty-two bridges cross this scenic river. The oldest and perhaps most well-known is the Pont Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, lies on the left bank of the river. The beautiful white church Sacre Coeur lies on top of the hill called Montmartre on the right bank of the Seine.
There are         in Paris, such as the famous museum, the Louvre, as well as the cathedral of Notre Dame. However, the most famous landmark in this city must be the Eiffel Tower.
Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lle de la Cite, is where Notre Dame is located. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area.
【小题1】 What’s the best title for this passage?
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【小题2】Which word in the passage can be replaced by “chief office”?
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【小题3】 Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Paris got its name from a group of people called the Parisii.
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【小题4】 Please fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.（Please answer within 10 words.）
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【小题5】 Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
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An Italian couple are to become the world's oldest divorcees, after the 99 - year – old husband found that his 96 - year - old wife had an affair（婚外情）in the 1940s．
The Italian man, called by lawyers in the case as Antonio C, was looking through an old drawer when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas．    
In spite of the time that had passed since the affair, he was so upset that he immediately asked his wife of 77years, named as Rosa C, whether it was true, and demanded a divorce．
Stricken by the guilt, she reportedly admitted everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision, though her children also did much more work．
She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week, which made people know the truth．
The couple are now preparing to split; though the marriage they built has lasted over nearly eight decades－ they have five children,  a dozen grandchildren and one great – grand child．
The discovery of the letters was the final problem for their marriage which had already run into difficulty－10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later．
The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the couple's southern blood 一 he is originally from Olbia in Sardinia: while his wife was born in Naples． The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio served as a young officer．
The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest figures – the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK．
That pair ended their 36 - year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their l00th birthdays．They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972, having both ended previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later．
【小题1】Which is true according to the text?   

“If it rings one more time, I’ll hang up,” Amy thought hopefully, as she waited for someone to answer. Apologizing wasn’t an easy thing to do. 

“Hello,” a woman’s voice said. There was no backing out now. 

“May I speak to Missy, please?”

“Just a minute.”

In much less than a minute, Missy was on the phone. “Hi, who’s calling?” asked the cheerful voice. 

“It’s Amy. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about what I said to you. I didn’t really mean it.” Amy paused, trying to think of what to say next. 

“Thank you, Amy. No hard feelings.”

“Missy, you’re a very nice person. You’re a lot nicer than I am!”

Missy laughed. “You’re not so bad, Amy. By the way, I’ve got some great news. Mr. Grumbell said that you were the only candidate for class president. He talked me into being a candidate too. Isn’t that cool?”

Amy didn’t think the news was cool. Missy was very popular; she’d get a lot of votes. Fortunately, Amy was in a gracious mood. “You’ll be a tough opponent, Missy,” she said. “May the best woman win.” “Thanks, Amy,” Missy replied. “But you might even win.”

Amy had to laugh. “Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to make comments like that!”

Amy called Missy on the phone to _______. 

A. tell her that the Titanic sank     B. tell her she needed a brain

C. apologize for insulting her       D. ask her to run for president

Amy was hoping that no one would answer the phone because _______. 

A. she was too tired to talk

B. she felt uncomfortable about apologizing

C. she was afraid she had dialed the wrong number

D. she was wearing pajamas

If one of the following statements is true, which is it?

A. Missy was home alone. 

B. Missy’s mother answered the phone. 

C. Missy’s father answered the phone. 

D. Missy’s little sister answered the phone. 

Which word best describes the girls’ conversation?

A. Nasty. B. Uncomfortable. 

C. Sad.    D. Friendly. 

Missy let Amy know that she wanted something that Amy wanted. What was it?

A. She wanted to have the most friends.

B. She wanted her own telephone.

C. She wanted mushrooms on her pizza.

D. She wanted to be class president.