I am one of the many city people who are always saying that given the choice we would prefer to live in the country away from the dirt and noise of a large city. I have managed to convince myself that if it weren’t for my job I would immediately head out for the open spaces and go back to nature in some sleepy village buried in the county. But how realistic is the dream ?

Cities can be frightening places. The majority of the population live in massive tower blocks, noisy, dirty and impersonal. The sense of belonging to a community tends to disappear when you live fifteen floors up. All you can see from your window is sky, or other blocks of flats. Children become aggressive and nervous - cooped up at home all day, with nowhere to play; their mothers feel isolated from the rest of the world. Strangely enough, whereas in the past the inhabitants of one street all knew each other, nowadays people on the same floor in tower blocks don’t even say hello to each other.

Country life, on the other hand, differs from this kind of isolated existence in that a sense of community generally binds the inhabitants of small villages together. People have the advantage of knowing that there is always someone to turn to when they need help. But country life has disadvantages too. While it is true that you may be among friends in a village, it is also true that you are cut off from the exciting and important events that take place in cities. There’s little possibility of going to a new show or the latest movie. Shopping becomes a major problem, and for anything slightly out of the ordinary you have to go on an expedition to the nearest large town. The city-dweller who moves to the country is often oppressed by a sense of unbearable stillness and quiet.

What, then, is the answer? The country has the advantage of peace and quiet, but suffers from the disadvantage of being cut off: the city breeds a feeling of isolation, and constant noise batters the senses. But one of its main advantages is that you are at the centre of things, and that life doesn’t come to an end at half-past nine at night. Some people have found（or rather bought）a compromise between the two: They have expressed their preference for the “quiet life” by leaving the suburbs and moving to villages within commuting distance of large cities. However, this is a strange idea about change and improvement which they force on to the unwilling original inhabitants of the villages.

What then of my dreams of leaning on a cottage gate and murmuring “morning” to the locals as they pass by? I’m keen on the idea, but you see there’s my cat, Toby. I’m not at all sure that he would take to all that fresh air and exercise in the long grass. I mean, can you see him mixing with all those hearty males down the farm? No, he would rather have the electric imitation-coal fire any evening.

51. We get the impression from the first paragraph that the author___.

A. used to live in the country        B. used to work in the city

C. works in the city                            D. lives in the country

52. In the author’s opinion, the following may cause city people to be unhappy EXCEPT___.

A. a strong sense of fear                  B. lack of communication

C. housing conditions               D. a sense of isolation

53. According to the passage, which of the following adjectives best describes those people who work in large cities and live in villages?

A. Original.          B. Quiet.       C. Proud.             D. Stupid.

54. Do you think the author will move to the country?

A. Yes, he will do so.                  B. No, he will not do so.

C. It is difficult to tell.                       D. He is in two minds.

55. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Country life--- a realistic dream

B. The longing for life in the country

C. Where to live---in the city or in the country?

D. A compromise between city life and country life

One day, when I was a freshman （一年级学生）in high school, I saw a kid named Kyle from my class walking home from school with all of his books. I thought to myself, “ 36   would anyone bring home all his books for the weekend? He must really be   37  .”

     As I was walking, I saw several kids running toward him. They ran at him,   38   all his books out of his arms and he fell down in the dirt. His glasses went flying and   39   in the grass about ten feet away from him.

    I ran over to him. As I handed him his glasses, he looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!”

    I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it   40 , he lived near me. We talked all the way home. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

    Kyle was the  41  student of our class, one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. He had to prepare a speech on the graduation day, and I could see that he was  42   about his speech. So, I patted him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, don’t worry. You'll be   43  !” He looked at me and smiled.

    At graduation, he cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to  44   those who helped you make it through those   45   years. Your parents, your teachers…, but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best  46   you can give them. I am going to tell you a   47  .”

    I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to   48   himself over the weekend and was carrying his stuff home. He looked at me and gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”

    Not until that moment did I realize that you should never underestimate(低估) the   49   of your actions. With one small gesture you can    50   a person’s life, for better or for worse.

36.  A. What              B. When                    C. Why                     D. Where

37. A. stupid              B. reliable                   C. confident               D. violent

38. A. throwing          B. knocking                C. taking                   D. rolling     

39. A. hung               B. moved                   C. broken                  D. landed

40. A. passed by        B. turned out              C. went on                D. came up

41. A. top                  B. hardest                  C. favorite                 D. luckiest

42. A. excited            B. nervous                 C. proud                    D. certain    

43. A. great               B. famous                  C. moved                                     D. surprised    

44. A. reward            B. remember              C. thank                    D. congratulate

45. A. happy              B. amazing                 C. old                        D. tough     

46. A. chance            B. gift                        C. help                      D. favor      

47. A. secret              B. tradition                 C. story                     D. theory

48. A. kill                   B. enjoy                     C. test                       D. worry

49. A. service            B. purpose                 C. power                   D. meaning  

50. A. arrange                      B. change                     C. save                        D. understand

One day, when I was in high school, I saw a kid named Kyle walking home from school with all his books, I thought to myself, “   11   would anyone bring home all his books for the weekend? He must really be   12  .” As I was walking, I saw several kids running toward him. They ran at him,   13   all his books out of his arms and he fell down in the dirt. His glasses went   14   and landed in the grass.

My heart went out to him. So, I ran over to him.  15   I handed him his glasses, he looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!”

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it   16   , he lived near me. We talked all the way home. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

Kyle was the   17  student of our class, one of those guys that really found  themselves during high school. Therefore he had the   18   to prepare a graduation speech. On the graduation day, I could see that he was   19  . So, I patted him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!” He looked at me and smiled.

He cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to   20   those who helped you make it through those   21   years. Your parents, your teachers… but mostly your friends, I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best  22   you can give him.”

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to   23   himself over the weekend and was carrying his books home. “Thankfully, nothing happened. My friend   24   me from doing the unspeakable.”

Not until that moment did I realize that you should never underestimate(低估) the  25   of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person’s life. For better or for worse.

A. How         B. When        C. Why            D. Where

A. stupid        B. clever        C. wonderful        D. anxious

A. throwing      B. knocking     C. taking           D. snatching

A. lost          B. sending       C. broken          D. flying

A. While        B. As           C. Because         D. Once

A. passed by     B. came up       C. went on         D. turned out

A. top          B. hardest        C. favorite         D. luckiest

A. pride         B. honor         C. pleasure        D. chance

A. excited       B. nervous        C. proud          D. crazy

A. reward      B. remember      C. thank           D. congratulate

A. happy       B. exciting        C. old            D. tough

A. chance      B. gift            C. help           D. favor

A. kill         B. enjoy          C. test            D. hurt

A. protected    B. freed           C. warned         D. saved

A. price       B. use             C. power          D. meaning

One day, when I was in high school, I saw a kid named Kyle from my class walking home from school with all his books, I thought to myself, “__36__ would anyone bring home all his books for the weekend? He must really be 　37__.”As I was walking, I saw several kids running toward him. They ran at him, 　38 all his books out of his arms and he fell down in the dirt, His glasses went 　39　 and landed in the grass.

My 　40 went out to him. So, I ran over to him. 41 I handed him his glasses, he looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!” I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it 　42　 , he lived near me. We talked all the way home. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

Kyle was the 43 student of our class, one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. Therefore he had the 　44 to prepare a 45 speech. On the graduation day, I could see that he was 46　 .So, I patted him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be 　47 !” He looked at me and smiled.

He cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to　 48 those who helped you make it through those　 49 years. Your parents, your teachers… but mostly your friends, I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best 　50　 you can give him.”

I just looked at my friend with 　51 as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to 52 himself over the weekend and was carrying his books home. “Thankfully, nothing happened. My friend 　53 me from doing the unspeakable.”

　 Not until that moment did I realize that you should never underestimate(低估) the 　54 　　of your actions. With one small gesture you can　 55 a person’s life. For better or for worse.

【小题1】 A. How 　　　　　B. When 　　　　　　C. Why 　　　　　　 D . Where

【小题2】. A. stupid　 B. clever　　　　 　　C. wonderful　　　 　　D. Anxious

【小题3】. A. throwing 　 B. knocking 　C. taking　　　　 　　D. Snatching

【小题4】 A. lost 　 B. sending　　　 C. broken　　　 　　 　　D. Flying

【小题5】 A. heart 　B. head　　　　 　　 　　C. hands　　　 　　 D. thought

【小题6】 A. While　　　 　　　　　 B. As　　　　　 　　 C. Because　　　 　 D. Once

【小题7】 A. passed by 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. came up C. went on　　　 　　D. turned out

【小题8】 A. top 　 B. hardest　　　 　　 　　C. favorite　　　 　　 D. Luckiest

【小题9】 A. pride 　B. honor　　　 　　 C. pleasure　　　 　　　 D. Chance

【小题10】A. class　 　B. school　　　 　　　 C. graduation　　 　 D. College

【小题11】A. excited B. nervous　　　 　 　　C. proud　　　　 　　 D. Crazy

【小题12】A. great　 B. famous　　　 　　　　 C. praised　　 　　　D. Honored

【小题13】A. reward 　B. remember 　　　 C. thank 　 D. Congratulate

【小题14】A. happy 　 B. exciting　　　 　　　　 C. old　　　　　 　　 D. Hard

【小题15】A. chance　 　B. gift　　　　　 　　　　 C. help　　　　　 　　 D. Favor

【小题16】A. wonder 　　B. anxiety　　　　 C. disbelief　　 　　 D. Pride

【小题17】A. kill　　　　 　B. enjoy　　　　 　　 C. test　　　　　 　 D. Hurt

【小题18】A. protected B. freed 　　C. warned　　　　 　　　 D. Prevented

【小题19】A. price B. use　　　　　 　　C. power　　　　 　 D. Meaning

【小题20】A. destroy 　B. change 　 C. save　　　　　 　 D. understand

One day, when I was in high school, I saw a kid named Kyle from my class walking home from school with all his books, I thought to myself, “__21___ would anyone bring home all his books for the weekend? He must really be    22___.”As I was walking, I saw several kids running toward him. They ran at him,   23 all his books out of his arms and he fell down in the dirt, His glasses went   24 and landed in the grass.

My   25 went out to him. So, I ran over to him. 26 I handed him his glasses, he looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!”

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it   27 , he lived near me. We talked all the way home. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

Kyle was the   28 student of our class, one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. Therefore he had the   29  to prepare a 30 speech. On the graduation day, I could see that he was 31 . So, I patted him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be  32!” He looked at me and smiled.

He cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to   33 those who helped you make it through those   34  years. Your parents, your teachers… but mostly your friends, I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best   35 you can give him.”

I just looked at my friend with   36 as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to 37 himself over the weekend and was carrying his books home. “Thankfully, nothing happened. My friend   38  me from doing the unspeakable.”

Not until that moment did I realize that you should never underestimate(低估) the   39 of your actions. With one small gesture you can   40 a person’s life. For better or for worse.