I take the train into work every morning from a train station near my house. I can get to the station quite  31  because there’s a short cut(捷径) to the station. But in the summer, it can get quite smelly because of all the  32 . So I always try to  33  through it. Today I was trying to do so as usual when something made me stop for a moment. I saw the most beautiful  34  by an old woman walking in front of me with the help of a white stick.
She was short and  35  and had white hair. She was walking  36  as each step took some effort. I hadn’t specially noticed her at first, until she stopped near a rubbish bin.
She slowly placed her walking stick   37  the rubbish bin. Then she leaned(倾斜) on it with her right hand. She bent down and reached for the rubbish. She clearly found it difficult and it took her a while. She   38  some rubbish with her left hand and slowly straightened herself up again. All the while she used the rubbish bin to   39  herself. She threw the rubbish inside the bin and then  40  walking. It all took her great effort.
There’s so much rubbish and no one ever does  41  about it. I was moved to see this old woman make such a great effort to keep even a small part of it clean! I haven’t been able to   42  thinking about that all day.
I want to follow her example. I’ve decided to pick up rubbish off the ground if I meet from now on. I hope people will do the same as I do.

It took her a long time to _________ the skills she needed to become a famous player．

1. A.
   acquire
2. B.
   inquire
3. C.
   require
4. D.
   request

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils （水仙花）before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.

    The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible （看不见的）in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”

    My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

    After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.

    We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio （庭院）, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

    The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs （鳞茎）,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

    I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.

The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because _________.

    A. she was not interested in them

    B. they were growing on the mountain top

    C. the weather was not good enough

    D. it was not easy for her to drive there

What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?

    A. She must be out of mind.

    B. She acted as a gardener there.

    C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.

    D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.

What could the author probably learn from this experience?

    A. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.

    B. We must put the interests of others above our own.

    C. We can change the world by growing flowers.

    D. It’s never too late to learn.

What would be the best title for the passage?

    A. An Unforgettable Experience.         B. Beautiful Daffodils.

C. One Bulb at a Time.                 D. I Love Daffodils.

I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries.  Being a PhD student without a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date

     We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversations between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile—warm and reassuring(令人宽慰的)-and I returned her gift by smiling back.

     “Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.

     “Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out. “It’s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s ‘the one,’” jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”

     “Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said .”My husband used to bring me flowers every week—even when times were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and—of course— I miss him since he’s passed away.”

      I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.

      It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. “May you have a wonderful evening ,”I said. I left het with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.

      I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her—that was the night that I won her heart .

41．Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A. He was to meet his girlfriend.             B. He had to go back to school soon.

C. He was delayed by an elderly lady.          D. He had to pick up some groceries.

42．What does the underlined phrase “her gift” (Paragraph 2 ) refer to?

A. Her words.                 B. Her smile.        C. Her flowers.             D. Her politeness.

43．Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A. She told him a nice story.                       B. She allowed him to pay first.

C. She gave him encouragement.                  D. She liked flowers very much.

44．What is the message conveyed in the story?

A. Flowers are important for a date.        B. Small talk is helpful.

C. Love and kindness are rewarding.         D. Elderly people deserve respecting.

I was in a rush as always，but this time it was for an important date I just couldn't be late for ! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries.A PhD student with not a lot of money，I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers.I was in a huge rush，thinking of my upcoming evening.I did not want to be late for this date.

We were in Boston，a place not always known for small conversation between strangers.The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me.She smiled.It was a nice smile—warm and reassuring—and I returned her_gift by smiling back.

“Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers，”she said.

“Yes，she's special，”I said，and then to my embarrassment，the words kept coming out.“It's only our second date，but somehow I am just having the feeling she's‘the one.’”jokingly，I added，“The only problem is that I can't figure out why she'd want to date a guy like me.”

“Well，I think she's very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her.”the woman said.“My husband used to bring me flowers every week—even when times were tough and we didn't have much money.Those were incredible days；he was very romantic and—of course—I miss him since he's passed away.”

I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries.There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her.I touched her on the shoulder and said，“You were right，you know.These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.”I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.

It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased.“You have a wonderful evening.”I said.I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.

I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story.A couple of years later，when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me，she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her—that was the night that I won her heart.

64．Why was the writer in a hurry that day?

A．He was to meet his girlfriend.

B．He had to go back to school soon.

C．He was delayed by an elderly lady.

D．He had to pick up some groceries.

65．What does the underlined phrase“her gift”(Paragraph 2 ) refer to?

A．Her words.     B．Her smile.

C．Her flowers.  D．Her politeness.

66．Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady?

A．She told him a nice story.

B．She allowed him to pay first.

C．She gave him encouragement.

D．She liked flowers very much.

67．What is the message conveyed in the story?

A．Flowers are important for a date.

B．Small talk is helpful.

C．Love and kindness are rewarding.

D．Elderly people deserve respecting.