This old building is said _____ two years ago and a new high building now stands where the old one used to lie.

A. to have puller down                              B. be pulled down        

C. pull down                                             D. to have been pulled down

“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’ s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed(叹息), knowing that his life was to be unfortunate. He cried to his mum “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人)．”
He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’ re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’ s a secret.” The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.
Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”
The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’ s casket棺材. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”
【小题1】Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

第二部分：阅读理解 (共45分)

第一节（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项

A

If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis. From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit.

But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee(被提名): public education.

At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world. Yet in terms of its core mission(核心使命)---turning teenagers into educated college graduates--- much of the system is failing.

The United States does a good job enrolling (招生) teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree.

So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that. Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos. The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching. It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into. They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive. About half of the low-income students with an average of at least 3.5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have. “I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr. Bowen.

In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates. Meanwhile, lower-income students -–even when they are better qualified—often go to colleges that excel（擅长）in producing drop-outs. “It’s really a waste,” Mr. Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country.” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students. Instead, it appears to have fallen.

What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer.

41.Which of the following would people first think of as a factor responsible for the American financial crisis according to this passage?

A. The government.                      B. Public education

C. The Detroit automakers.                       D. The Wall Street firms.

42. What is a big problem with American higher education?

A. It is hard to enroll enough students into college.

B. Many colleges are experiencing low rate of graduation.

C. Many college students stay away from classes.

D. It is hard for many colleges to get financial aid from the government. 

43. The title of the book Crossing the Finish Line probably means______.

A. running to the end of the line                B. going to college

C. finishing college education                    D. working hard in college

44. Why do some students under--match ?

A. Because they have financial difficulty.  B. Because they face ambition crisis.

C. Because they lack confidence.             D. Because they can’t get guidance.

45. The passage is mainly about _______.

A. problems with secondary American education and possible solutions

B. America’s financial crisis, its cause and influence

C. low rate of American college graduation, its cause and its influence

D. relationship between American education and its economy

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　B

Tony Bennett, the American singer recently touring Britain, can't remember how many times he has sung his standard hit "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night.

"I never get tired of singing it," he said, "I like it very much. It's a great city and it's a good song."

Bennett is to record a TV special with the American singer Lena Horne while he is here. And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled "Listen Easy" will be published in June.

"I like it here," he added quietly over whiskey. "I would like to live here so many months of the year."

He already keeps a large flat in Grosvenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna. It has a studio where he likes to paint. Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for $4,000. At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film which has been specially written for him called "Two Bits", an informal expression for 50 cents. It's about an Italian immigrant(移民) who goes to America, but he becomes a failure.

"In many ways it's very close to my life the way the story has been written," said Bennett. "My father, an Italian, was ill and died when I was nine. He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success."

The film is to be made by Italy's top director Vittoria De Sica.

60. The underlined phrase "standard hit" in the first paragraph most probably means "_____".

A. Bennett's favorite song that's not very popular

B. a song that is always popular

C. a song which is like a heavy blow to his audience

D. a song which makes him standard

61. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A. "Two Bits" is a musical film.

B. Tony is to star in a film.

C. "Listen Easy" is a new record by Bennett.

D. "Listen Easy" has been published.

62. What does Tony Bennett want to do?

A. Buy a house and live in England.

B. Stay with his wife and daughter in England.

C. Live part of each year in England.

D. Leave America and settle in England.

63. What can we learn about Tony Bennett's father from this text?

A. He liked his son's singing.

B. He was born in Italy and died in America.

C. He was a part of Bennett's achievement.

D. He was glad that his son became famous.