A while ago my family and I went sledding（滑雪橇）and as I watched my children climbing up the slope I started thinking.

Many people are   1   that most of today’s social problems are because of the “me” generation. Youngsters are just out for themselves and pay no   2   to others or their needs. Indeed, a common belief is that today’s youngsters won’t do anything   3  there is something in it for them.

Yet, while sledding, I saw a   4   side. I watched my two oldest children （then five and four） take my youngest （then two years old） by the hand to help her up the slippery slope   5   they went up. They would have been   6  without her, but not once did they try to sneak by her without helping. And when the sled  7   my two daughters was aimed toward the edge, it was my five year old son who ran to them to   8   them falling and hurting themselves.

These children sometimes  9  among themselves and, on occasion, behave horribly. But I can   10   them shopping and know that they won’t ask for anything, I can talk to them about tsunami or hurricane victims and know that they will offer to   11   some of their own money to the cause, and I can ask them to play with those children   12   on the sideline （作为旁观者）and know that they will befriend them.

Perhaps, therefore, the “me” generation is to blame   13   much of society’s problems – not the youngsters who want everything,   14   the adults who have taught them to selfishly   15   only of themselves.

Most adults have been   16   at some time or another, sadly, many   17   that disappointment down to their children. Then the children learn to put themselves first!

Most young children want to help. We can   18  that feeling by teaching the lesson my children learned while sledding: Life is a slippery slope with   19   of bumps （撞伤） and bruises （擦伤）, but we can all make it to the   20  if we remember to help those who need it.

1．A．convinced             B．confirmed            C．informed             D．approved

2．A．thought                 B．attention              C．permission           D．pleasure

3．A．if                          B．as                       C．while                  D．unless

4．A．same                    B．different              C．strange                D．moral

5．A．some time             B．any time              C．each time            D．the time

6．A．faster                    B．slower                 C．easier                  D．lighter

7．A．containing             B．loading                C．driving                D．carrying

8．A．keep                     B．stop                    C．help                    D．warn

9．A．cry                       B．cooperate            C．assist                  D．fight

10．A．take                    B．drive                   C．accompany          D．guide

11．A．lend                    B．send                    C．collect                 D．pay

12．A．forgotten             B．missed                C．left                     D．ignored

13．A．of                       B．within                 C．on                      D．for

14．A．and                     B．but                      C．thus                    D．though

15．A．consider              B．speak                  C．sacrifice              D．think

16．A．depressed            B．awkward             C．disappointed        D．embarrassed

17．A．extend                 B．transfer               C．pass                    D．spread

18．A．encourage           B．prohibit               C．discourage           D．approach

19．A．opportunities        B．occasions            C．promises             D．fates

20．A．top                     B．bottom                C．middle                 D．tip

While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.

The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to compete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.

I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold – his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.

I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.

But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.

No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.

A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.

Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.

From the passage we can learn that the young man         .

      A．made his turn to start back pitifully         B．was skillful in freestyle in the game

       C．swam faster than the average swimmer      D．was not capable enough to win the medal

The crowd changed their attitudes because          .

       A．they felt sorry for the young man        B．they were moved by the young man’s courage

       C．they wanted to show their sympathy     D．they meant to please the young man

What’s the best title for the passage?

       A．Compete for Gold!        B．Try again!   C．Break a Record!   D．Go for it!

While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.

But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles (柴油机) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.

“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them,” said an official.

Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions (排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.

Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index (指数) gave just 100 days as good.

“I am glad to see an improvement,” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in frog.”

In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.

Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes (烟) and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.

The passage is mainly about ________?

A. a programme to improve Beijing’s air quality

B. progress made in Beijing’s air quality

C. Beijing’s air pollution

D. the difference between Hainan and Beijing

Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air?

A. Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation.

B. Some factories have been asked to cut production.

C. Some construction sites have been told to be closed.

D. A display show of airplanes has been called off.

We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological (生态的) city by the 2008 Olympics, ________.

A. far more still needs to be done  

B. nothing else needs to be done

C. all traffic has to be closed           

D. the development of the city has to be slowed down

Which is not correct according to the passage?

A. Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse.

B. Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality.

C. Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing.

D. The government is making every effort to stop air pollution.

While attending a conference, I returned to my hotel room late one rainy evening．The overhead light outside my door was   36  and I had difficulty finding the keyhole．When I finally  37   to open the door, I  38    around the wall for a light switch．I found a  39   where a switch was once installed… but no switch．

No discouraged easily, I remembered seeing a   40   by the bed when I put away my luggage   41   in the day．I found the bed in the dark and felt around until I found the lamp, but when I switched it on,   42   happened! Now what?

Though I knew that it was dark outside my window   43   the outdoor light was burned out, I thought that   44    if I opened the curtains I might be able to use the light from the   45   to find another lamp．So I   46    my way slowly across the room to the curtains and… no draw-string!

I finally stumbled（跌跌撞撞） around until I found a desk lamp that actually   47  ! That evening I discovered in a whole new way just how dark the world can be and how necessary   48   is．

But even more necessary than   49   light is the light that shines from people — the light of love, sympathy and   50  ．Because, for many people, the world is a dark and   51   place．

It is the shining that is important, for someone today just may be stumbling in discouragement or fear and in   52  of some light．

So let your light shine．Whatever light you  53  may be a beacon（灯塔）of hope and encouragement in someone’s darkness．And if you feel that your light is   54   a candle in a forest, remember this — there isn’t enough darkness in the world to   55   the light of one small candle．

A．burning      B．broken         C．shining    D．smooth

A．managed      B．attempted        C．succeeded D．meant

A．touched       B．turned          C．felt        D．looked

A．light          B．plate            C．lamp        D．signal

A．lamp          B．switch          C．desk        D．window

A．later          B．earlier          C．sooner      D．first

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

A．when          B．unless           C．since        D．although

A．certainly     B．surely           C．absolutely D．perhaps

A．star           B．street         C．room     D．shop

A．forced         B．struggled       C．made     D．pushed

A．worked        B．failed           C．did        D．closed

A．love          B．thinking         C．dream       D．light

A．spiritual       B．physical         C．mental      D．inner

A．faith          B．soul            C．help        D．attention

A．mixed         B．fancy         C．lonely       D．complicated

A．lack           B．need            C．favor       D．face

A．devote         B．receive          C．offer        D．throw

A．only          B．even            C．ever      D．much

A．give out       B．leave out        C．take out    D．put out

A morning rarely began so perfect. I took in the fresh air and felt my heart run into an enthusiastic rhythm. Though cool, the sun warmed my back as it rose over the horse from not far from my house. The slightest wind danced on my skin. Just enough to keep a runner form overheating. My ever-faithful jogging partner, a black dog named Nika pulled my leg with her mouth, mirroring my eagerness to start our run.

We raced forward with determination, ready to leap tall buildings and race against speeding trains. We pushed harder and ran faster, demonstration our skill and impressing passing motorists and neighbors.

We kept on running until we hit the Beast, a name for a very difficult, nearly two-mile long steep climb.

Only a few paces into the Beast, I gasped for air. Far short of superhero status, my enthusiasm and active steps were lost somewhere at the base of the hill. A vision of the newspaper and a cup of coffee waiting in my kitchen appeared, attracting me to turn back toward home.

With a glance I noticed Nika wasn’t doing any better. She continued to faithfully follow me, putting one paw in front of the other, but without her former eagerness. Her tiredness touched me. And in that moment, I felt a sudden spark of renewed determination to press on. I couldn’t allow this mountain to get the better of us. To improve both our spirits, I managed to shout, “Good girl, Nika! Keep going…you can do it!”

“I’m encouraging a dog, for heaven’s sake!’’ I needed to pull myself together. With a few simple words, I changed our course. One moment we were on the edge of quitting. The next, our feet picked up the pace and we continued. Though tired and discouraged myself, with a few kind words I impacted a dog’s ability to go further. I’m sure I could have completed the opposite with ill-chosen comments and an unpleasant tone. Instead, the Beast was defeated and we flew like heroes the rest of the way home.

Life is full of beasts to conquer. For some, it is the seemingly impossible climb of cancer. For others, their beast takes the shape of parenting a child or a teenager. Uphill climbs come in all shapes and sizes, common only in their ability to defeat, discourage and tempt tired travelers to quit. Sometimes all that’s needed is a few spoken, well-timed words of encouragement from a fellow runner – someone who sees the struggle, dares to jogs alongside, and cares enough to say, “Keep going! You can do it! You’re not alone. I believe in you!”

The writer starts the text by describing________.

A. the beautiful scene of the morning  

B. his or her preparations for a jogging

C. a lively dog named Nika

D. the growth of crops at the farm

The writer mentioned the newspaper and coffee to suggest that he or she _______.

A. liked reading newspapers while drinking coffee

B. had an intention to give up running

C. would treat himself or herself to coffee after running

D. might appear on the newspaper for the long running

The writer decided to continue running _______.

A. after he or she found the dog was still energetic

B. because they came near the top of the hill

C. when he or she noticed the tired dog

D. before they arrived at the bottom of the hill

What does the writer expect to show by telling the story?

A. Words are powerful than deeds.

B. Beasts in life aren’t easily to conquer.

C. Dogs are the best friend of humans.

D. Try it one more time before giving up.