One morning I wasted nearly an hour watching a tiny ant carry a huge feather．Several times, it   36    several obstacles in its path．And after a momentary pause it would make the necessary detour （绕道）．  37   one point, the ant had to cross a crack about 10mm wide．After some   38    thoughts, the ant laid the feather over the crack, walked   39   it and picked the feather up on the other side, then continued on its way．I was   40   by the cleverness of this ant．It was only a small insect, lacking in   41   yet equipped with a brain to reason, explore, discover and overcome．  42    this ant, like the other two-legged creatures   43   on the earth, also shares human failings．

       After some time the ant   44   reached its destination --- a flower bed and a small hole that was the entrance to its   45   home．It was there that the ant met its   46  ．How could that large feather possibly   47   such a small hole? Of course, it couldn’t．So the ant, after all this   48   and using great brightness, overcoming problems a1l along the way, just gave up the   49   and went home．The ant had not thought the problem through   50   it began its journey and in the end the feather was   51   more than a burden．Isn’t our   52   like that?

       We worry about our families; we worry about the   53   of money; and we worry about all kinds of things．These are all burdens --- the things we pick up along life’s path, and drag them around the obstacles and over the cracks that life will bring, only to   54   that at the destination they are   55   and we can’t take them with us．

A．came across        B．came about      C．got over        D．dealt with

A．For               B．At              C．To              D．With

A．brave            B．tiring        C．short            D．magic

A．through          B．across           C．beside         D．behind

A．satisfied           B．frightened       C．annoyed      D．attracted

A．height             B．size             C．depth         D．length

A．Therefore       B．Otherwise        C．But             D．Moreover

A．living             B．working        C．sleeping      D．walking

A．finally             B．probably       C．suddenly     D．easily

A．lonely            B．comfortable   C．underground    D．big

A．partner          B．parent        C．match         D．friend

A．fix            B．fit              C．fill             D．suit

A．trouble        B．pleasure         C．decision         D．matter

A．insect         B．problem      C．feather          D．hole

A．before            B．after           C．until            D．once

A．everything        B．anything      C．something    D．nothing

A．study           B．aim          C．dream          D．1ife

A．waste           B．lack            C．worth        D．danger

A．think           B．wonder          C．warn            D．find

A．bad           B．useless          C．meaningful      D．practical

A handsome middle??aged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat down. Before he ordered，he couldn’t help but notice a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him and it wasn’t until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon(丝带) on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.

The man pretended not to notice it，but the whisper and laughter began to get to him. He looked one of the rude young men straight into the eye，placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked，“This？”

With that the young men all began to laugh out loud. The man he spoke to said，“Hey，sorry，man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little pink ribbon looks against your blue jacket！”

The middle??aged man calmly invited the joker to come over to his table, and politely seated him. As uncomfortable as he was, the young guy had to, not really sure why. In a soft voice，the middle??aged man said, “I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.”

“Oh, sorry. She died of breast cancer？”

“No, she didn’t. She’s alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as a baby，and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’m very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and her health.”

“Umm,” the young replied “yeah.”

“And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife” the man continued.

“And she’s okay, too？”the young guy asked.

“Oh, yes. She’s fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us，and with them she nurtured and nourished our daughter 23 years ago. I’m grateful for my wife’s breasts，and her health.”

“Uh, huh. And I guess you wear it to honor your daughter, also？”

“No. It’s too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now...”

Shaken and ashamed，the young guy said, “Oh, I’m so sorry，mister.”

“So, in my daughter’s memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. And here...”With this，he reached in his pocket and handed the young man a little pink ribbon. The young guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, “...？”

The young men joked about the middle??aged man’s________.

A．looks       B．ribbon      C．attitude     D．clothes

What may have happened to the man’s daughter?

A．She died of breast cancer.                 B．She was ill with cancer.

C．She had gone abroad.                     D．She got married.

What will the young man probably ask at the end of the story?

A．May I give it to my mother?            B．Can you help me put it on?

C．Will you please forgive me?             D．Shall we have some drink together?

What is the best title for the passage?

A．An Unusual Meeting                B. An Impressive Lesson

C．Be Grateful to Your Beloved     D. A little Pink Ribbon

A

    Adrian’s “Amazing Race” started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn’t hear a thing, not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired (听觉受损的)，he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words.

     Later on, Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular school couldn’t take care of a special needs students. His parents were determined to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work everyday because they wanted to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge. The pace （节奏）was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn’t always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school.

    The efforts made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06--- being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so.

But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother.” “If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great results.” She often said.

How did Adrian communicate with other children in the special school?

A. By speaking.            B. By using sign language

C. By reading lips           D. By making loud noises

Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school because          .

A. they wanted him to live a normal life

B. they wanted to prove the headmaster wrong

C. he wouldn’t mix with other disabled children

D. he wasn’t taken good care of in the special school

How did Adrian finally succeed in his study?

A. He did a lot of outdoor activities.

B. He was pushed hard to study every day.

C. He attended private classes after school.

D. He worked very hard both in and after class

Why is Adrian’s life described as an “Amazing Race”?

A. He did very well in his study

B. He succeeded in entering a regular school

C. He reached his goals in spite of his disability

D. He took part in the World Yacht Race 05/06

One night last summer, my neighbor Debbie came over and knocked on my door. “I’m leaving for   21, Jim,” she said. “Would you mind dropping by my house in a bit and   22 on my mother?”

“Not a problem,” I said.

I’d lived next door to Debbie and her 84-year-old  23  , Nan, for about six months, and we’d become fast friends. Debbie always worked at night. She  24  leaving her mom alone, so she asked if it was okay if she rigged (装配) up one of those baby monitors and  25  me a receiver.

I was 26  to help. After all, I’ve been blind since infancy(婴儿期) and out of work for years. In fact, at 54, I’d come to wonder if I had much   27 anymore.

Like me, Nan was   28 ―and was also hard of hearing. That evening Nan and I chatted for a bit 29.

“If you’re okay,” I said, “I think I’ll turn in.” Before I 30, I made sure the baby monitor was working.

“Good night, Nan,” I said. I 31  my stick and headed out the door. “See you tomorrow,” Nan called behind me. I locked the door and 32  my way home.

Several minutes 33 I heard a sound. It was Nan on the 34  . “Jim! Jim!” I heard over the monitor. “The house is 35 ! Help! ”

I went as   36   as I could to Debbie’s. I got to the front door. I could 37 a heavy, thick smoke. I put my hand on the doorknob(门把手), and reached for my key and 38  the door. “Here, Jim. Help!” Her voice was weak.

“Let’s get out of here!” I shouted. Grabbing her hand, I started to move on. I tapped with my cane 39 we found the front door. We felt our way down the steps, 40 in the sweet, fresh summer air, and to the gate of her yard. Thank you, Lord. We’re all safe.

One cold night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco．There I was walking home around one o’clock in the morning after a  1 practice at the theatre. With the opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines by heart. I was having   2 handling my part-time job at the bank in the daytime and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about  3 both acting and San Francisco. I had  4 too much of city life.
As I walked down the  5 streets under the tall buildings, I felt very small and cold, so I began  6 both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my  7 , I heard a sound behind me. I   8  quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me  9 ，so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I   10 what the noise had been. It had been my wallet  11 to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk   12 for 15 minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to quit the  13 , I heard the garbage truck stop to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice came from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened and out jumped a small blonde man with an  14 look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” He asked, holding up a wallet.
It was already 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I couldn’t get much sleep, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some  15 of city life. I realized the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
1．A．comfortable   B．serious  C．tiresome D．fortunate
2．A．comfort   B．desire   C．pain D．trouble
3．A．setting up    B．giving up    C．holding up   D．picking up
4．A．expected  B．changed  C．controlled   D．possessed
5．A．deserted  B．crowded  C．busy D．wild
6．A．running   B．jumping  C．moving   D．marching
7．A．bank  B．theatre  C．apartment    D．office
8．A．stood B．walked   C．turned   D．left
9．A．satisfied B．confused C．frightened   D．annoyed
10. A．turn out B．figure out   C．give out D．pull out
11. A．belonging    B．adding   C．sticking D．falling
12. A．aimlessly    B．anxiously    C．skillfully   D．delightedly
13. A．discovery    B．research C．hunt D．finding
14. A．amused   B．unpleasant   C．uneasy   D．embarrassed
15. A．production   B．judgment C．friendship   D．appreciation