In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.

In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to _31_the cause of her illness, so she _32_ to London and admitted to Hammersmith Hospital, where specialist help was _33 _. She was then only half-conscious（半昏迷） and on the “Dangerously Ill” list. A team of doctors hurried to _34_the baby only to discover that they,  35_, were puzzled by the very unusual symptoms. While they were discussing the baby’s case, a nurse asked to __36 to them.

“Excuse me,” said nurse Marsha Maitland, “_37_ I think the baby is __38_ from thallium poisoning.”

“_39 _ makes you think that?” Dr. Brown asked. “Thallium poisoning is extremely _40_.”

“A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse __41__ Agatha Christie,” Nurse Maitland explained. “In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and _42_ the symptoms are _43_. They are exactly the same as the baby’s.”

“You’re very observant and you may be right,” another doctor said. “We’ll _44_some tests and find out _45_ it’s thallium or not.”

The _46_ showed that the baby had  47_ been poisoned by thallium, a rare metal used in making optical（光学的） glass. _48_ they knew the cause of illness, the doctors were able to give the correct treatment. The baby soon _49_ and was sent back to Qatar. Inquiries（调查）showed that the poison __50_ from an insecticide（杀虫剂）used in Qatar.

Dear Tom,
I was surprising to receive your letter a few days ago. Since I came to the new school, I had planned to write to you. Therefore, the busy life of the school spared me no time. After came to the school, I made up of my mind to study hard. To tell you the truth, that was Miss White, my new English teacher, who changed my mind. She suggested that I give in my bad habits. Although he is very strict with us, all the students fond of her.
I have to stop here. I am looking forward to hear from you soon.
Yours,
Li Hua

I believe that my country,Poland,is a perfect example for a place where food is particularly important.When we were little children,we began to understand how much a loaf of bread meant to our parents—to some it might sound silly but for me the custom of kissing bread before you started cutting it was simply amazing.It’s not so common nowadays to treat food that way,since you hardly ever bake your own bread.Besides,everyone would call you crazy if you tried to kiss every bread roll before you ate them!But though we no longer make our food from scratch(起点),some customs have been kept—that’s why I feel so sorry every time I have to throw any food away—even though I no longer live with my parents and nobody would blame me for this anymore!

Many people of our nation are still working as farmers,eating what they grow and harvest and therefore enjoying everything more.It’s widely known that you value more anything that needs your effort in the first place.In most homes in Poland,especially those of farmers,the whole family would try and have their meals together—extremely difficult now,but so rewarding(值得)!You can share other members’ troubles and successes,give your children some attention,or just sit down for a moment instead of rushing through life aimlessly.Furthermore,your body,and stomach in particular will be very grateful(感激) for such a time!

In Poland,a wedding,Christmas or even a birthday is celebrated with a great meal.Women in the house get together and cook,sometimes for a few days before the event,and the extremely good or unusual food will be remembered and widely talked about.

You cannot over-value the importance of food in the country.What’s more,almost everyone in Poland will be as interested in the topic as I am.

When the writer was a child,he/she ______.

A.found people were crazy about bread

B.began to realize the importance of food

C.thought that cutting bread was amazing

D.learned people hardly baked their own bread

The writer feels very sorry when he/she has to throw away any food because ______.

A.he/she makes food from scratch

B.his/her parents would blame him/her

C.some customs still have effect on him/her

D.many people are still working hard as farmers

From the text,we can learn that,in Poland,_______.

A.most meals can be interesting topics for a long time

B.the whole family often have meals together nowadays

C.it’s common for women to get together to cook for a few days

D.family members can know more about each other by having meals together

SECTION B

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with word or phrase that best fits the context. （10分）

It was a Sunday afternoon. I was waiting outside the classroom where my son was about to take a(n)    31  . The boys and girls were busy discussing the exam, while their anxious parents were watching them outside. There was a lot of  32   .

I noticed one boy who was standing alone in silence, with fear written all over his face. He did not join other children  33   the discussion and he looked puzzled. He wanted to mix with the others;  34   , he didn’t seem to be confident enough. He 35   me deeply. I moved towards him and smiled at him. He smiled back warmly. Then I started to encourage him and told him that he would do well in the exam. This helped him  36   his fear and he told me something about himself: his parents never cared about him and did not  37    him even if he was always a top student. I told him that his education was preparation for later life that should never be   38   . He became encouraged and said he would try to fight against all the difficulties in his life and be successful. He then went into the   39  and we lost touch.

A few days later, I happened to be in the school and I saw him again. He looked different. He gave me a broad smile and came to me with    40   steps. He said happily that he had got first place in the test and that those few minutes with me was really important to him. He thanked me for the words I had said. It was a great moment for me.

31. A. class          B. exam        C. lecture        D. meeting

32. A. voice          B. noise        C. sound         D. fun

33. A. to             B. into         C. together       D. in

34. A. though         B. besides       C. therefore      D. however

35. A. excited         B. delighted      C. impressed     D. appealed

36. A. restart          B. promote      C. remove       D. keep

37. A. support         B. control       C. share          D. rescue

38. A. given out       B. given up      C. given away     D. given in

39. A. restroom        B. classroom     C. waiting room   D. dining room

40. A. certain          B. ready        C. hopeful        D. confident

I want to use the same tools _______used in your factory a few days ago.

A. as was    B. which was      C. as were  D. which