As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods． “The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse． If I went to a friends house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he’s out in the woods, ” with a tone（语气） of airy acceptance． It is similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk．” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while．
We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring（探索）． Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today． History seemed to be mostly about explorers． Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind: something usually came up along the way． Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Indian burial mound．
Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were． If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical: the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees． There were four or five trees that we visited regularly—tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in．
It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end． By then some of us had reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence（青春期）． In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring． We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that we really were rather big to be up in a tree． Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria．
【小题1】The author and his friends were often out in the woods to _______．

As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods． “The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse． If I went to a friends house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he’s out in the woods, ” with a tone（语气） of airy acceptance． It is similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk．” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while．

We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring（探索）． Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today． History seemed to be mostly about explorers． Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind: something usually came up along the way． Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Indian burial mound．

Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were． If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical: the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees． There were four or five trees that we visited regularly—tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in．

It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end． By then some of us had reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence（青春期）． In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring． We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that we really were rather big to be up in a tree． Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria．

1． The author and his friends were often out in the woods to _______．

　 A． spend their free time　　　　 B． play golf and other sports

　 C． avoid doing their schoolwork　 D． keep away from their parents

2． What can we infer from Paragraph 2 ?

　 A． The activities in the woods were well planned．

　 B． Human history is not the result of exploration．

　 C． Exploration should be a systematic activity．

　 D． The author explored in the woods aimlessly．

3． The underlined word “skeptical” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______．

　 A． calm　　　　 　　　 　　　　　 B． doubtful　　 　 　

　 C． serious　　　 　 　　　　　　 D． optimistic

4． How does the author feel about his childhood?

　 A． Happy but short．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B． Lonely but memorable．

　 C． Boring and meaningless．　　　 D． Long and unforgettable．

Italy is one country where beauty is prized more than any other virtue. That is, except in the small town of Piobbico, the self-declared World Capital of Ugly People. The road sign at the edge of the town even warns visitors that they are entering the ugly zone. People who consider themselves ugly have been gathering in Piobbico since the 1960s. That’s when Ugly Club president Telesforo Lacobelli established a dating agency for women who believed they were too ugly to attract husbands. Lacobelli believes that he is ugly himself because he has a short nose in a country where long or large noses have always been considered beautiful.

? People from around the world travel to Piobbico to tell their sad stories of ugliness. During the annual Festival of the Ugly, which occurs on the first Sunday of every September, hundreds of people gather in Piobbico’s town square to elect the president of the Ugly Club. Lacobelli wins the election every year. The Ugly Club has over 20, 000 members. They carry ID cards that grade their ugliness from bearable to extreme. A prize is awarded to Ugly Club members who qualify as extremely ugly.

? The Ugly Club president insists that ugliness is a virtue. Since beautiful people get a lot of attention for their beauty alone, they have to work hard to prove their other virtues. Ugly people, on the other hand, are genuine and do not have to prove anything to anybody, according to Lacobelli.

? Lacobelli is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere. He believes that the uglier one is, the better life can be. Though the club enjoys making fun of beauty, especially beauty contests, Lacobelli has a serious side as well. He believes that too many people suffer from financial and emotional pressures because they don’t meet society’s standards of beauty. The fact that beautiful people are more successful in the workforce is a problem that Lacobelli has attempted to bring forward to the Italian public and government.

1.Piobbico is rather special in that????? .

A. it is a very small town?????? B. it is home to ugly people

C. it receives no visitors?????? D. it is the capital of Italy

2.Why is Lacobelli elected the president of the Ugly Club every year?

A. Because he is the ugliest person in the whole world.

B. Because his ugliness is always graded as bearable.

C. Because he is a spokesperson for ugly people everywhere.

D. Because he has won the members’ trust and admiration.

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

A. Ugly people are most respected in Italy.

B. The Festival of the Ugly is held every two years.

C. Ugly people are unfairly treated in society.

D. The uglier one is, the better life he or she lives.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The Ugly Capital of the World????? B. The Ugliest Person of the World

C. Festival of the Ugly????? D. Beauty Contests Should be Banned

Since long ago,greeting cards have been considered a time-saver.More than 150 years ago,a busy Englishman,Sir Henry,asked a friend to design a card so that he didn't have to labour to write holiday letters to his friends at the end of the year.Those paper cards are now the tradition.
But time,like sunlight,is still in short supply for December.That's why the Internet is ready to make a change in holiday greeting customs.Already,those,who are always busy,like sending video greetings by e-mail.So,don't be surprised to find a lively card in your electronic mail box at the end of the year or at any time you should have one.
A recent survey by the Shared Greetings Company found 50 percent of all the Internet users will send online cards especially during the holiday seasons.“That is a lot easier,and it is lively,”said Carol,a New Yorker,who had stopped at the Shared Greetings Company demonstration() online.With her children's help,she sent her first e-card before Thanksgiving Day.“It was the first time I had done something like this;it's quite enjoyable,”she said.
“I will send online Christmas cards to my friends,”said Marcos,a 22-year-old student.“It costs so little and you can even send numbers of greetings at a time.”But he added “the e-card also has its limits,and I don't think it is ready to replace the paper card for the more formal or traditional occasions.For some people,I would rather buy paper cards and mail them traditionally.I believe it is more personal and respectful in that way,”he said.
Well,for those who are very busy but still prefer to do a lot of greetings to different receivers in the holiday season,the Internet may have another way.“Now you can use the Net to decide and send as many as 50 beautiful cards,which allows the buyer to choose the inside saying,as well as the ink colour and typeface,only costing about 30 minutes,”said Julie,vice-president of marketing for an electronic card company-Hallmark Company.“And if you are in less of a hurry,you can spend another 30 minutes sitting in your home or office to create a photo card,showing off your kids,your pets or even your new house-anything as your favorite design for your relatives and friends.”

1. 1.

   How can we understand “But time,like sunlight,is still in short supply for December”in Paragraph 2?

   1. A.
      December cannot supply enough time for people because the sunlight in this month is short.
   2. B.
      People are always busy at the end of the year,so time is precious like the sunlight in winter.
   3. C.
      Time is short at the end of the year,like the sunlight in December.
   4. D.
      Time passes quickly like the sunlight in winter as December comes.
2. 2.

   According to the 22-year-old student,he would probably mail e-cards to everyone except_________.

   1. A.
      the members of his family
   2. B.
      his girlfriend
   3. C.
      the teachers who have taught him
   4. D.
      his schoolmates
3. 3.

   If you are quite busy,but having many greetings to send,which of the following is your best choice?

   1. A.
      Ordering a lot of cards you like online and sending them from the post office.
   2. B.
      Getting as many cards from your electronic mail box and mailing them on the Net.
   3. C.
      Sitting and writing lots of beautiful cards at home and sending them just in a traditional way.
   4. D.
      Choosing personalized cards in numbers and mailing them directly on the Net.

I was fat kid who grew into an overweight adult. I was      laughed at for being heavier than the other kids,      me feeling shy. I tried several diets, but      worked, and I     gaining weight. Another factor        my weight gain was my love for cooking, especially rich, high-fat desserts, which I enjoyed preparing and, of course, eating. 　 
　When I finished high school at the age of 18, I weighed 215 pounds.       the self-confidence to go to a new, faraway school, I decided to stay close to home      going away to college. I continued with my unhealthful eating habits and felt more miserable as the weight came on, but I did nothing about it except buy larger plus-size clothes. 　 
My turning point came 10 years later at a friend's New Year's Eve party when I was at my all-time highest weight of 330 pounds. I caught my       in a mirror and the truth      me: I was overweight and unhealthy, and unless I did something about it now, I would only get bigger and       . 　 
After leaving the party, I thought about my past weight-loss     and realized they didn't work because they required me to abandon foods I loved. Then I would constantly think about food and binge,       the diet      my hunger and not feel deprived. 　 
　My biggest       was finding a way to fit my passion for cooking into my healthier lifestyle. At first, I tried to stay away from the kitchen to         myself thinking about food. The result: Food was all I thought about.       had to be some way to combine cooking with healthful eating. I found the     after reading several low-fat cookbooks. With some trial and error, I could modify my favorite foods and make them low in fat, yet delicious.　 
　The pounds started coming off, and when I started exercising (usually cardio and weight training five times a week), they seemed to melt away. I didn't feel deprived, and I felt free to give my body the care and attention it     .　 
I lost 165 pounds over the next two years. I had many ups and downs. I was determined to go on. Another challenge to me was not to beat myself up if I ate something that was unhealthy and to take it as a sign to abandon my healthful habits.      I vowed to start again and always keep my goal in mind.　 Thanks to losing weight and becoming fit I am         my body and myself. I have finally found myself. 　 

1.A．hardly???? B．frequently???? C．immediately???? D．instantly

2.A．left???? B．to leave???? C．leaving???? D．having left

3.A．nothing?? B．no one?? C．none?? D．anything

4.A．ended up??? B．ended over??? C．ended up with?? D．was ended up

5.A．contributing to? B．resulted in? C．resulting from? D．led to

6.A．lacking of B．lack of C．lacking D．lacked in

7.A．or rather? B．instead of C．together with D．as well as

8.A．reflection B．infection C．imagination D．attention

9.A．laughed B．hit C．knocked D．beat

10.A．unfamiliar B．unhappier C．unfriendly D．unfit

11.A．efforts B．affords C．effects D．infects

12.A．giving out? B．giving in ? C．giving up ? D．giving away

13.A．satisfy ? B．decrease ? C．increase ? D．fill

14.A．challenge ? B．success ? C．energy ? D．work

15.A．keep ? B．have ? C．prevent ? D．make

16.A．It ? B．They C．There ? D．I

17.A．solution ? B．secret ? C．answer ? D．road

18.A．deserved ? B．focused ? C．caught? D．paid

19.A．Instead ? B．However ? C．Therefore ?? D．So

20.A．keep up with? B．in line with? C．put up with? D．catch up with