Walking around the corner and into the hall at three in the morning, lost in thought and dragging a mop bucket, I raised my eyes to the front counter in indifference. A man, looking to be in his mid 40’s, stood in a pink dress. A wide-edged hat stuck out over his massive frame resembling an umbrella that was a little too shabby and worn-out, making him look like a woman. The shock at seeing such a strong proud man in a cheap disgusting dress broke my heart, as well as frightened me.

  Dropping my mop on the floor in surprise and picking up my face that had temporarily fallen off, I confidently walked over to the desk.

  “I’m sorry,” I began to say but was confused on whether sir or madam was appropriate. “Can I help you?”

  “I need a room,” he said in a gruff (粗哑的) powerful voice.

  “Sure thing,” I said bringing up the registry. “Can I get your last name?”

  “Hurgan,” he said briefly.

  “And your first name?”

  “Amanda.”

  Suddenly I had to direct all of my concentration on holding back a smile. A ten second pause of silence passed while I tried to stay calm.

  “Okay,” I said getting back to the job, “can I get your phone number, Amanda?”

All of the information was acquired and stored and Amanda received her room key for the night. All was well as I returned to the neglected mop bucket. Suddenly a low throaty cough drew me out of my temporary mental disorder. Looking over at the desk where Amanda stood touching her thick biceps (二头肌) I once again dropped the mop in shock.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I said coming around to the desk. Amanda stared with unease twisting her sleeve with her right index finger.

  “I have a cat,” she said in a low voice.

  “I’m sorry you what?” I asked leaning in closer. She drew back a bit as if I was some kind of threat.

  “I have a cat.”

  Looking up into her tall frame, I replied, “That’s fine. We just need to add an extra $10 fee.” She handed me her credit card once again. I swiped it, returned it, and grabbed the printing receipt.

  “You just need to sign here,” I said handing over the pen. She hesitantly grabbed it from my hand and signed. As she began to return it, my hand came a bit too close to connecting with hers. Scared and possibly a little disgusted she dropped the pen, causing it to bounce off the counter and onto the floor.

  “Sorry,” she said, looking down. “I have to go get my cat.”

  While Amanda was getting her cat, an unpleasant thought was circling around my head. Here I was just doing my job and this, this WO-MAN was acting as if I was the monster! He was wearing a pink dress! And I was the monster? Was he even still a man? The sliding doors opened and in came Amanda passing the front desk without even giving me a polite nod. 

The story most probably happened at a ________.

A. pub              B. hotel                C. hospital         D. shop

We can conclude that the author’s attitude towards the man is _______.

A. objective            B. indifferent          C. critical             D. considerate

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. The author was on the edge of smiling when he heard the man’s first name.

B. When the man checked in, he tipped the author $10.

C. After signing, the man grasped the author’s hand and thanked him.

D. The man gave the author a friendly nod while going toward his room.

What might be the best title of this passage?

A. A disgusting cat                         B. A considerate waiter

C. A fierce monster                         D. A strange-looking WO-MAN

阅读理解：

　　A cowboy wears a big hat and rides a strong horse under the wide, open skies of the American west. He can rope a cow and jump the top of a building onto a waiting horse. He is a man of few words, a man of lonely independence and complete freedom. That is the motion picture image of an American cowboy, but not all the images are true.

　　A real cowboy of the old west was simply a farm worker who rode a horse. He worked twelve or fourteen hours a day. The work was dirty, tiring and not well paid. He usually worked with eight or ten other men. He rarely carried a gun. Cowboys played a huge part in the cowboy lasted only thirty years from 1865 to 1895. The cattle farming grew to be a big business. New ways to keep meat fresh had beaten a big demand for beef cattle. At the same time, railroads had been built across much of the country. Cattle farming could raise cattle at low cost in the west and send them east by rail. The main job of the cowboy was to move the cattle the road behind a huge herd of cattle. Some newspaper reporters went west. They discovered the cowboys and began to write about them. Artists drew picture of cowboys for the magazines. Authors wrote stories and books about brave, lonely cowboys. Cowboys quickly became a sensation.

　　You can still find cowboys in the United States. Today there are one million of them. But the life of the cowboys has changed greatly since the late 1800s. Modern cowboys still ride horses, but they also use truck and helicopters. Most modern cowboys are young men, but today you can find cowgirls, too.

1．The life of a cowboy of American west in the film is ________.

[　　]

2．Why did the cowboys of the American west become popular? Because ________.

[　　]

A．the reporters, artists and authors made a sensation of them

B．they were the national heroes

C．they rode horses to drive cattle

D．they rode helicopters to drive cattle

3．The main job of a cowboy in the old times was ________.

[　　]

A．to kill cattle for people who wanted to eat them

B．to drive cattle to those who needed them

C．to raise cattle to those who needed them

D．to sell cattle to those who needed them

4．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．In old times people liked the cowboy films.

B．In modern times people dislike the cowboy films.

C．Most of the cowboy stories in motion pictures are true.

D．Most of the cowboy stories in motion pictures are false.

5．Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Some girls want to be cowgirls in modern times.

B．The American cowboys in old times only used horses.

C．Modern cowboys only ride horses to work.

D．The life of old cowboys was hard and difficult.

Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.

These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate. But there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We've talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”

At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist（专栏作家）really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.

Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.

Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers' imagination and creativity, thousands of young people's pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.

How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?

A. Many young people asked them to do it

B. They did it just for pleasure

C. They thought out the idea by chance and imagination

D. They did it in order to honor pirates

Why are the holiday become more and more popular？.

A. You can have fun and relax yourself freely.

B. young people can exchange ideas and dreams on the day

C. young people can have fun and be relaxed.

D. you can play the role of the pirate in the movie on the day

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. It was Dave Barry who made more people know the holiday.

B. Talk Like A Pirate Day is a young, active and lively holiday

C. Thanks to John Baur and Mark Summers’ imagination and creativity, a lot of people realize their pirate dream.  

D. The holiday has been popular since the birth of it.

According to the passage, which of the following can show that the holiday is special?

A. It has a long history.  

B. It is a wonderful and instructive holiday.

C. It is a brand new holiday invented and celebrated by the youth themselves. 

D. People can make their dream come true on this day.

Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage？

A. Can you talk like a pirate?

B. Young people’s pirate dream

C. John Baur and Mark Summers

D. September 19th ,—a day in honor of pirates

Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.
These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate, but there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We’ve talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”
At first, this day was only known by a few people. In 2002, Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to Dave Barry. This columnist（专栏作家）really liked their idea. He promoted the holiday and made it known to more and more people. Now, it has really become an international holiday. On Talk Like A Pirate Day, you need to dress like a pirate. You should wear a big hat or maybe cover one of your eyes. You can pretend to be any kind of pirate that you can find in any story or movie.
Having fun and being relaxed are not the only best things about the holiday. Young people share the same interest and childhood dreams that day. That's why it is welcomed by so many people, especially young people.
Unlike traditional holidays, International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a brand new holiday which is invented by the youth themselves and celebrated by themselves too. Because of Baur and Summers’ imagination and creativity, thousands of young people’s pirate dream come true. Next time, when you have a good idea, why not share it with your fiends and insist on your belief? Maybe you can create another wonderful holiday for the youth in the future.
【小题1】How did John Baur and Mark Summers invent the special holiday?

Are you a big fan of pirate（海盗） stories? Do you know how to talk like a pirate? You can have fun on September 19th. This special holiday is called International Talk Like A Pirate Day. It was invented in 1995 by two young Americans, John Baur and Mark Summers.

These two good friends came up with this idea when they were playing racquetball, and began to talk like pirates. At that moment, they thought, “Young people are interested in pirate. But there is no such a chance for people to get together to share it. Why not have a day when everybody talks like a pirate?” They decided to make September 19th the date. Since then, Baur and Summers have tried hard to promote Talk Like A Pirate Day. As Baur said, “We've talked like pirates, and encouraged several of our friends to do so every September 19th.”