Anthony Horowitz was miserable as child. He was, as he put it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded(恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was, It’ll be good for him,” he recalled.

It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five years. “My teachers couldn't have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn't even smart enough to rebel . The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”

Now, at age of 55, Horowitz is one of the world's most successful children's book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, came out this month.

The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency M16.

Horowitz said he doesn't try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling it's to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.

The style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it's all about entertaining people with a good story.

Now, Horowitz couldn't be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”

1.In the boarding school, Horowitz’s teachers           .

    A．often criticized him             B．showed great concern for him

    C．taught him how to write stories  D．thought little about his ability

2.Which of the following is true of Anthony Horowitz?

    A．He was the beloved child of his family.

    B．He benefited a lot from boarding school.

    C．He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories.

    D．Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy.

3.What advice does Horowitz have for readers?

    A．Confidence is the key to success.                  B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons.

    C．Interest is the best teacher.    D．Industry is the parent of success.

4.In which section can you most probably read the passage?

    A．Campus Trends                    B．Culture & Leisure

    C．Our World                        D．Science Life

There is a saying in France that states, "The government could fall, the Louvre （卢浮宫）could be broken into or creatures from other planets could land on earth, but if any of these things happened during the Tour de France, no one would notice．" The Tour de France is the most famous cycling race in the world．It begins in July and runs for three weeks．Cyclists who race in the Tour de France ride in six legs or stages of the race, and they have between one to four days of rest between each leg of the race．The rider who completes all six legs of the race in the shortest overall time wins．
The Tour de France began as a publicity stunt（惊人的表演） for the French sports newspaper, L’Auto．Hcnri Desgranges, who worked for L’Auto,  came up with the idea for "the greatest bike race in the world, "and on July 1,1903, the first Tour de France began．Sixty cyclists began that first leg of the race which started in front of the Alarm Clock Cafe just outside of Paris．This first leg took them 467 kilometers to Lyon．The first Tour de France received an astonishing 2,000 francs．Maurice Garin, the most popular cyclist in France at that time, won the first Tour de France．It took him 94 hours and 33 minutes to ride all 2,428 kilometers of the race．This time was three hours faster than the second -place rider．Over the weeks during which the race was run, the idea of the Tour de France slowly caught the imagination of the people of France．The race has been run every year since that time, except during the years of World War I and World War Ⅱ．
The Tour de France has developed several special honors for which racers compete．Above all, the highest honor is the " yellow jersey"．Mr．Desgranges introduced the yellow jersey in 1919 to show the leading racer each rider's total time in order to find the racer with the lowest time．That racer wears the yellow jersey during the day's race．Other honors include the "green jersey " which is given to the rider who sprints the best by riding the fastest over short distances, and the "polka dot jersey" for the best rider in the mountains along the route．
【小题1】Who wins the Tour de France?

Anthony was sad. He was, as he put it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Anthony was sent away to a boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded with（恳求）his parents year after year not to send
him. “The thought was ,it would be good for me,” he recalled.
It was not. Anthony did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied for five years. “My teachers couldn’t have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn’t even smart enough to rebel. The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was the desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at 55, Anthony is one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies，and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, has come out.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency M16.
Anthony says he doesn’t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way.“ I have a feeling that it has something to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
The style has also made Anthony a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it’s all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Anthony couldn’t be happier with his life. He sums up his success:“…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”
【小题1】Which of the following is true of Anthony?

       It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man was waiting for a ride across the   36  . The wait seemed   37  .

       At last he heard the slight, steady rhythm of approaching hooves (马蹄) coming along the frozen path. Anxiously, he   38   as several horsemen came around the bend (转角处). He let the first one   39  . Then another, and another. Finally, as the   40   rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue, the old man   41   the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’t appear to be a passage way by  42  .”

       The rider replied, “Sure.” Seeing the old man was unable to  43   his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman got down and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination.

       As they neared the tiny but cozy (舒适的) cottage, the horseman’s   44   caused him to ask, “Sir, I notice that you let several other riders go by without making a(n)   45   to get a ride. Then I came up and you   46   asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider.   47   I had refused and left you there?”

       The old man replied, “I’ve been   48   here for some time. I think I know people pretty good.” He continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no   49   for my situation. But when I looked into your eyes,   50   was evident. I knew,   51  , that your gentle spirit would   52   the opportunity to give me help in my time of   53  .”

       Those heartwarming comments   54   the horseman deeply.

       “I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I   55   to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”

       With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

     A. town                 B. river                 C. country                    D. island[来源:学&

  A. meaningless B. useless              C. careless                    D. endless

  A. watched             B. asked        C. waved                    D. approached

A. come over             B. get off              C. pass by                     D. take off

A. coming               B. leaving       C. next                         D. last

A. missed                B. caught C. avoided                    D. saw

A. bus                    B. car             C. foot                         D. horse

A. feel                      B. push          C. lift                           D. stand

A. honesty              B. courage      C. enthusiasm            D. curiosity

A. choice             B. stop             C. effort                       D. scene

A. immediately  B. hurriedly    C. friendly                    D. strangely

A. What about      B. What if        C. How come                D. If only

A. in                    B. out              C. around                     D. beyond

A. concern    B. doubt           C. chance                     D. reason

A. meaning         B. kindness        C. seriousness        D. help

A. then and there                           B. for a moment  

                    C. all of a sudden                   D. sooner or later

A. offer              B. create            C. find                         D. welcome

A. need               B. danger           C. fortune                     D. happiness

A. influenced       B. excited          C. touched                    D. hit

A. happen           B. try                C. disagree                   D. fail

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

It was a bitter, cold craning in evening Virginia years ago. An old man was waiting for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became stiff the cold wind.    

He heard the faint, steady   31   of approaching hooves (马蹄) coming along the frozen path,   32  , he watched as several horsemen   33   the bend. He let the first one pass by, then another and another. Finally, the last rider neared the sport where the old man sat like a snow   34  . As this one drew near ,the old man   35  the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a   36   to the other side?” There appear to be passage way by foot." 

Reining his horse, the rider replied, “Sure. Hop aboard.” Seeing the old man was unable to   37   his half – frowned body from the ground, the horseman dismounted and helped the old man  onto the horse. The horse took the old man not just across the fiver ,but to his   38  .

As they neared the cottage, the horseman’   39  caused him to inquire ,"Sir ,I notice that you let several other riders   40  without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you   41  asked me for a ride. I'm curious. What if I had   42  and left you there?" 

The old man   43  himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and replied, "I’ve been around here for some time .I   44  I know people pretty good. The old – timer continued. I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no   45  for my situation. It would have been   46  even to ask them for a ride. But when looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were   47  . I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me   48  my time of need.”

Those heartwarming comments   49  the horseman deeply.

“I'm most grateful for what you have said.” He told the old man .''May I have get too   50  in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion ."      

With that Thomas Jefferson turned his around and made his way back.

31．A．rhythm     B．nonce       C．voice D．singing

32．A．Excitedly  B．Anxiously C．Angrily    D．Desperately

33．A．cut    B．rounded    C．traveled    D．repaired

34．A．hall   B．wall  C．statue       D．pile

35．A．hit    B．attracted   C．cleaned     D．caught

36．A．rest   B．ride   C．hand  D．way

37．A．raise  B．build C．expose      D．set

38．A．office       B．town C．car    D．destination

39．A．curiosity   B．determination   C．courage    D．confidence

40．A．pass by     B．east sway  C．turn around      D．slow down

41．A．suddenly   B．occasionally     C．slowly      D．immediately

42．A．refused     B．flown       C．escaped     D．rehabbed

43．A．put    B．lowered    C．laid   D．supported

44．A．admit       B．imagine    C．think D．hope

45．A．warmth    B．kindness   C．concede    D．consideration

46．A．useless      B．worthless  C．uninteresting    D．disappointing

47．A．hidden      B．evident     C．great D．strong

48．A．money      B．clothes      C．assistance  D．horse

49．A．influenced       B．spoilt C．encouraged      D．touched

50．A．lazy  B．tired  C．busy  D．proud