（甘肃省天水一中2010届高三上学期第三阶段考试）

B

Dear Jane, Barbara and Roger,

As you know, we’ve been looking for a new house for some time. Now that all our children have left home, we find that the house is too big for us. Also, since your father retired, there has been no reason for us to stay in this district. Although we like our neighbors, we’ve decided to move south for two reasons. First, the weather will suit us better, and second, we’ll be a little nearer to you, Uncle George and Auntie Hilda. It will make visiting each other much simpler.

We stayed with your uncle and aunt last weekend and saw several houses. One of them sounded as if it were just what we wanted. The right number of rooms, a small garden, etc. When we saw it, we nearly died! It was in a terrible condition and would have cost a fortune to make it habitable (宜居的). The roof and all the walls needed repairing and the whole inside redecorating. After that, we were very cautious about believing details from the estate (房地产) agent. The next two we saw were not much better, but the fourth house was exactly what we wanted. It was empty, so we’re going to move in immediately. We’ll put all your things in boxes and take them with us.  You’ll have to sort them out, throwing away what you don’t want. 

Can you all come next weekend? You can have a nice rest in the country. Telephone on Wednesday at the new number to let us know.

Lots of Love,

Mum and Dad

45. The parents decided to move south because ______.

A. they didn’t like traveling

B. they wanted to go back to their hometown

C. they both retired and they wanted to live with their children

D. they wanted to be nearer to their relatives and they liked the weather in the south

46. What is the meaning of the underlined sentence in Para 2 “When we saw it, we nearly died!”?

A. We were at a loss for words when we saw the house.

B. We were so tired since we had been to several houses.

C. We were so excited because the house was exactly what we wanted.

D. We were greatly disappointed because the house was in a poor condition.

47. From the passage, we can understand that the estate agent ______.

A. overstated the exact condition of the house

B. did not have enough houses for people to choose from

C. tried to persuade people to buy houses in a poor condition

D. usually could not understand the need of their customers

48. The purpose of the parents writing this letter is to ______.

A. ask their children to help them move house

B. express their regret for not being with their children

C. inform the children that they will move to a new house

D. ask their children for suggestions about moving to a new house

Dear Jane, Barbara and Roger,

As you know, we’ve been looking for a new house for some time. Now that all our children have left home, we find that the house is too big for us. Also, since your father retired, there has been no reason for us to stay in this district. Although we like our neighbors, we’ve decided to move south for two reasons. First, the weather will suit us better, and second, we’ll be a little nearer to your Uncle George and Auntie Hilda. It will make visiting each other much simpler.

We stayed with your Uncle and Aunt last weekend and saw several houses. One of them sounded as if it were just what we wanted. The right number of rooms, a small garden, etc. When we saw it, we nearly died! It was in a terrible condition and would have cost a fortune to make it habitable. The roof and all the walls needed repairing and the whole inside redecorating. After that, we were very careful about believing details from the estate（房地产）agent. The next two that we saw were not much better, but the fourth house was exactly what we wanted. It was empty, so we’re going to move in immediately. We gave details of our house to the estate agent only last week, but it’s already been sold. We’ll put all your things in boxes and take them with us. You’ll have to sort them out, throwing away what you don’t want.

Can you all come next weekend? You can have a nice rest in the country. Telephone on Wednesday at the new number to let us know.

Lots of love,

Mum and Dad

P.S. Bring some old clothes, because between the rests, you’ll be sorting out your belongings and digging the garden!

65. What is implied in the sentence “When we saw it, we nearly died!”？

A. We were so excited because the house was exactly what we wanted.

B. The house was in such an unexpected poor condition that we were greatly disappointed.

C. We were puzzled when we saw the house.

D. We were so tired since we had been to several houses.

66. We understand from the passage that the estate agent _________.

A. lied about the exact condition of the house             

B. did not have enough houses for them to choose from

C. persuaded them to buy a house in poor condition        

D. could not understand their needs

67. The children were not supposed to__________.

A. help their parents move out of their old house                B. bring some old clothes

C. sort out their belongings                                        D. work in the garden

68. Which of the following is not a purpose in writing this letter?

A. Explaining to the children the reason for moving.

B. Informing the children that they will move to a new house.

C. Inviting the children to visit the new house.

D. Expressing their regret for not being with their children.

Are you happy? Do you remember a time when you were happy? Are you seeking happiness today?

Many have sought a variety of sources for their feelings of happiness．Some have put their heart and efforts into their work．Too many have turned to drugs and alcohol．Meanwhile, untold numbers have looked for it in the possession of expensive cars, exotic（异国的）vacation homes and other popular “toys”. Most of their efforts have a root in one common fact: people are looking for a lasting source of happiness.

Unfortunately, I believe that happiness escapes from many people because they misunderstand the journey of finding it. I have heard many people say that, “I’ll be happy when I get my new promotion,” or “I’ll be happy when I lose that extra 20 pounds.” It is dangerous because it accepts that happiness is a “response” to having, being or doing something.

       In life, we all experience stimulus（激励） and response．Today, some people think that an expensive car is stimulus．Happiness is a response．A great paying job is stimulus．Happiness is a response．A loving relationship is stimulus．Happiness is a response．This belief leaves us thinking and feeling：“I’ll be happy when…”

It has been my finding that actually the opposite is true．I believe that happiness is a stimulus and response is what life brings to those who are truly happy．When we are happy, we tend to have more success in our work．When we are happy, people want to be around us and enjoy loving relationships．When we are happy, we more naturally take better care of our bodies and enjoy good health．Happiness is not a response but a stimulus．

Happiness is a conscious choice we make every day of our lives．For unknown reason to me, many choose to be painful, unsuccessful and angry most of the time．Happiness is not something that happens to us after we get something we want—we usually get things we want AFTER we choose to be happy．

61．From the second paragraph, we know too many people           .

         A．are not happy when they work hard

         B．are not happy when they drink or take drugs

         C．are happy when they possess their own expensive cars

         D．all desire exotic vacation homes

62．Generally speaking, most people feel happy because          .

         A．they think happiness is rooted in their deep heats

         B．they get what they want to have

         C．they get a great paying job

         D．they get an expensive car

63．Which f the following is right according to the author?

        A．If you want to get what you want, you first choose to be happy.

         B．We should try to get more and then we’ll be happy.

         C．Most people today are happy.

         D．Work is a necessary part in our daily life.

64．From the viewpoint of the author, happiness is        .

         A．based on our needs   B．unconditional

         C．out of reach                 D．linited 

I wonder if he_____us, and I think if he_____us we’ll be able to complete the task ahead of time.

“Where is the bus?” I asked myself. I was going to be late and the manager wasn’t going to be pleased. Thank God, here it is! The bus__1__round the corner and I got on. Ten minutes later I was walking into the__2__ where I work. “Twenty-five past nine. I__3__ the manager doesn’t notice.” But no __4__luck! “Smith!” shouted the manager. “Late again. What’s your__5__ this time?”. “ I’m afraid the bus was late, Mr. Brown.” “Get up earlier tomorrow! Anyway, go to your__6__ at the counter, we’ll be opening in a few minutes.”
My first customer was a pretty girl wearing a red dress. Behind her was a young man of about 25. He seemed very__7__, and every few seconds he looked __8__the main entrance. The girl__9__about opening a bank account. I gave her the necessary __10__and she walked out. __11__, I noticed a tall man by the door, carrying something__12__with brown paper. Turning to my next customer, I was terrified to see a gun__13__ out of his coat. The moment a loud noise __14__ my ears. Everything went black. I was falling…. After__15__seemed a very long time, I opened my eyes and found in bed! __16__shaking from the memory of this terrible dream, I got dressed and ran out of the house. As usual, the bus wasn’t on time, and I got to the bank at 9:25.
“Smith!” the manager cried out in a voice like thunder. “__17__of your excuse! Go start work at once!” To my__18__, the first customer was a girl __19__ a red dress and behind her stood a man carrying something wrapped in brown paper. The __20__! Wasn’t that the surprise of my life?