Dear Volunteers，
The service you will provide to elderly individuals in Abilene as a Meals on Wheels volunteer is deeply appreciated. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the many miles you will travel and all of the hours you will contribute to help make this one of the best programs in the entire state.
We have our staff members make a home visit before adding each person to the program and try to visit everyone at least once every year. That is hardly enough, and we depend on your contact a great deal! It is important that you report back when you do not get an answer to your knock on the door. The person inside may be hurt or ill. They may be in hospital or out of town and fail to inform us. If they are frequently absent, we may need to determine if they still need meals.
If you find someone with a medical emergency, please call 911 to request medical assistance, and then call the Meals on Wheels office. If you find someone who needs assistance other than for a medical emergency, please call the Meals on Wheels office at 6725050, and we will try to find the appropriate agency or individual to call.
Let us know when a certain person needs extra food. We have a food preparation room of shelf stable items to share with them. Please feel free to take a few magazines when you deliver meals. Many of those we serve cannot afford magazines and enjoy reading. If someone is interested in getting books from the Abilene Public Library, let us know. We can sign them up for the Books on Wheels program. Call if you smell gas strongly when you deliver meals, or if someone needs a space heater, a blanket, or an electric fan. Please convey all needs to us, and we will try to see that they are met. Some of the elderly people who we offer our service may have cancers, liver diseases, AIDS, etc. If you do not want to deliver meals to the people with certain types of health problems, such as these, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Betty L. Bradley, LBSW,
Executive Director
【小题1】Why does the author write this letter?

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分, 满分30分）

It was a rainy day and I was riding on a bus downtown to go to work. I was_36_next to a man in a business suit and J paid little attention_37_ we both got off at the same stop and walked to the same news-stand to get a morning_38_.

The man running the stand was obviously having a_39_day. He was rude and unsmil­ing as we bought our papers，which only_40_ more gloom (郁闷) to my day. The business­man_41_my gloomy feeling and smiled brightly，_42_the news-stand owner for the paper and for being open on such a( n) _43_to make sure we were able to get our papers.

    As we_44_away，I asked this man why he was so_45_to the newsman when he didn't _46_his expression of thanks and friendliness. The businessman smiled at me and said,"Why would I let someone else _47_what I say and what I feel?"

    We then_48_to go to our own work places. To this day，I still don't know who that businessman was，or_49_he worked. He appeared briefly in my life and disappeared just as_50_. But I've never forgotten the words he said and his_51_which seemed like a ray of light on a gloomy day.

That was a good 25 years_52_，but the effect this had on my life has lasted. I_53_had a chance to thank him personally，but the way I look at life has changed _54_those words. I have learnt that we cannot control people and_55_that come to us， but we can always control our response to them. 

1. A. whispering       B. sitting      C. driving         D. weeping

2. A. since            B. after        C. unless          D. until

3. A. paper            B. suit         C. call            D. coffee

4. A. good             B. nervous      C. bad             D.long

5. A. provided         B. offered      C. added           D. returned

6. A. breathed         B. called       C. noticed         D. took

7. A. thanking         B. envying      C. asking          D. blaming

8. A. evening          B. afternoon    C. morning         D. midnight

9. A. turned           B. passed       C. drove           D.ran

10. A. cruel           B. serious      C. pleasant        D. rude

11.A. stick to         B. refer to     C. get used to     D. respond to

12.A. explain          B. understand   C. control         D. correct

13. A. attempted       B. sought       C. continued       D. separated

14. A. where           B. why          C. whether         D. how

15. A. gently          B. quickly      C. regularly       D. strangely

16.A. humor            B. smile        C. business        D. help

17. A. ago             B. before       C.later            D. after

18. A. often           B. seldom       C. once            D. never

19. A. in search of    B. in memoryof C. for the purpose of D. as a result of

20. A. situations   B. statements   C. possibilities    D. positions

One winter during college in New York, I took an 8: 00 a.m. history class. The professor was very __36  in class. He just looked at his lecture notes and __37__ looked up at us. I felt that I needed to get rid of my boredom, so I created a little __38__ for myself. I tried to find something from his lecture to ask a question about, forcing me to __39__ rather than letting my eyes close. The first time I raised my hand, he was surprised, but obviously pleased to have a question to answer. __40__ , his answers were always interesting. I continued to do this every day in the course and found my-self actually __41__ the material. The professor became a bit more __42__ and some other students also joined me in asking questions. My little game had __43__ me from being bored, __44__ it was expected to do. I learned a lot about world history in the discussions with him. The professor obviously knew his material, but had a hard time __45__ it on to his undergraduates in an interesting way. On the last day of class we gathered our books and headed for the door for the last time. The shy professor stepped directly in front of me as I reached the door. "Thank you for making this class so interesting,"

he said. I was so surprised. To me, it had been a pleasant way to pass the time; I had no idea that my asking questions had an effect on him and the others at all. That moment has stayed with me for 30 years. Each of us can have a(n) __46__ not just on our own experiences, but on those of others, and I’ll never forget the professor who taught me a lesson about the power of acts of kindness, intended __47__ not.

A. peaceful      B. accustomed           C. nervous          D. absent

A. frequently     B. suddenly             C. nearly           D. rarely

A. game           B. prize                C. toy                  D. advantage

A. stare         B. concentrate          C. comment          D. present

A. Therefore     B. Otherwise            C. In fact          D. On the contrary

A. improving     B. writing              C. misunderstanding     D. enjoying

A. relaxed         B. graceful             C. serious              D. clever

A. separated          B. saved           C. awoken           D. avoided

A. which           B. since                C. as               D.what

A. carrying      B. passing              C. bringing             D. putting

A. idea           B. effect               C. effort               D. power

A. and            B. so                   C. or               D. but

三、完形填空（每小题1分，共20分）
In the clinic, I asked if Michael could be retested, so the specialist tested him again. To my
36   , it was the same score.
Later that evening, I    37    told Frank what I had learned that day. After talking it over, we agreed that we knew our    38    much better than an IQ test. We    39    that Michael’s score must have been a    40    and we should treat him    41    as usual.
We moved to Indiana in 1962, and Michael studied at Concordia High School in the same year. He got    42    grades in the school, especially    43   biology and chemistry, which was a great comfort.
Michael    44    Indiana University in 1965 as a premedical student. Soon afterwards, his teacher permitted him to take more courses than    45   . In 1968, he was accepted by the School of medicine, Yale University.
On graduation day in 1972, Frank and I    46    the ceremony at Yale. After the ceremony, we told Michael about the    47    IQ score he got when he was six. Since that day, Michael sometimes would look at us and say    48   . “My dear mom and dad never told me that I couldn’t be a doctor, not until after I graduated from medical school! ” It is his special way of thanking us for the     49     we had in him.
Interestingly, Michael then    50   another IQ test. We went to the same clinic where he had    51    the test eighteen years before. This time Michael scored 126, an increase of 36 points. A result like that was supposed to be     52   .
Children often do as    53    as what adults, particularly parents and teachers,   54 
of them. That is, tell a child he is “   55   ”,  and he may play the role of a foolish child.
36.  A. joy                         B. surprise                    C. dislike               D. disappointment
37.  A. tearfully                  B. fearfully                   C. cheerfully          D. hopefully
38.  A. student                    B. son                          C. friend               D. doctor
39.  A. argued                    B. realized                    C. decided             D. understood
40.  A. joke                        B. mistake                    C. warning            D. wonder
41.  A. specially                 B. strictly                            C. naturally           D. carefully
42.  A. poor                       B. good                        C. average             D. standard
43.  A. in                           B. about                       C. of                     D. for
44.  A. visited                    B. chose                       C. passed               D. entered
45.  A. allowed                   B. described                  C. required            D. offered
46.  A. missed                    B. held                         C. delayed             D. attended
47.  A. high                       B. same                        C. low                   D. different
48.  A. curiously                 B. eagerly                     C. calmly                     D. jokingly
49.  A. faith                       B. interest                     C. pride                 D. delight
50.  A. looked for               B. asked for                  C. waited for         D. prepared for
51.  A. received                  B. accepted                   C. organized          D. discussed
52.  A. imperfect                B. impossible                C. uncertain           D. unsatisfactory
53.  A. honestly                  B. much                       C. well                  D. bravely
54.  A. hear                        B. learn                        C. expect               D. speak
55.  A. wise                       B. rude                         C. shy                   D. stupid

Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.

During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare's play "The Comedy of Errors" Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play "Macbeth", Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.

Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare's knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.

It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of "critic", "mountaineer” and "eyeball". Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including "pomp and circumstance（装腔作势）"from "Othello", "full circle（绕圈子地）" from "King Lear", etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every major language in the world.

Shakespeare became a well??known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.

What can we infer from the passage？

       A.Many of Shakespeare's works were influenced by earlier writings.

       B.Shakespeare was hard??working when he was a student.

       C.The experience of living in London helped a lot with Shakespeare's works.

       D.Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works.

Shakespeare might have learnt some information from ancient Roman works in　　　　.

       A."King Lear"     B."The Comedy of Errors"   C. "Macbeth"    D."Othello"

Why could Shakespeare's works survive his time？

       A.Because there were so few people writing plays in his time.

       B.Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do.

       C.Because he was a rich and influential person of his time.

       D.Because his works were rich in imagination and language.

Shakespeare's greatest influence should be on　　　　.

       A.the English language  B.paintings       C.television    D.music and dance

The passage is mainly about 　　　　.

       A.an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works

       B.the main features and styles of Shakespeare's plays

       C.how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture.

       D.Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture.