A businessman, with a large amount of money, was walking through a remote (偏远的) area. Upon    31   this, a thief followed him, planning to    32   his money at a certain time. The businessman noticed something was   33  , and he started to pay much more   34  to the thief.

The businessman soon asked the thief if he  35   help find some water nearby, and when the thief went to   36   the water, the businessman put all of his   37   into the thief’s bag. Then the thief returned and told the businessman    38   the water was.   39   the businessman left to get some water, the thief quickly    40   the businessman’s bag. Certainly, there was nothing that the thief    41  .

The thief was    42  , but he still did not give up hope. After some time, the businessman returned and they both    43   for a long time. Then the businessman got tired and    44   under a big tree. The thief again checked the businessman’s bag and still did not find any money. So the thief    45   that the businessman did not actually have any money with him.

Finally, they arrived at a city. When the thief went after a job and left his own bag behind, the businessman    46   in and took back all of his own money he had put there    47  . When the thief came back, he was surprised to see that the businessman was    48   some jewels with the money in his bag. The thief couldn’t    49   asking the question, “I didn’t know you had money on the    50  .” The businessman smiled to him, “Of course you didn’t, because it is not yours.”

1.                A．talking         B．learning        C．thinking  D．speaking

2.                A．keep           B．borrow         C．steal D．put

3.                A．new           B．common        C．strange   D．dangerous

4.                A．care           B．mercy          C．need D．attention

5.                A．would          B．could          C．should   D．must

6.                A．carry on        B．look for         C．watch over    D．bring along

7.                A．goods          B．food           C．money   D．clothes

8.                A．how           B．what           C．that  D．where

9.                A．As soon as      B．As far as        C．As well as D．As long as

10.               A．hid            B．searched       C．explored  D．changed

11.               A．saved          B．planned        C．owned    D．wanted

12.               A．frightened      B．angry          C．surprised  D．nervous

13.               A．drank          B．walked         C．rested D．discussed

14.               A．sat            B．stood          C．slept  D．stopped

15.               A．agreed         B．wished         C．doubted   D．believed

16.               A．put            B．got            C．reached   D．broke

17.               A．rightly         B．luckily          C．really D．formerly

18.               A．buying         B．wearing        C．having D．showing

19.               A．keep          B．help           C．enjoy D．avoid

20.               A．trip            B．visit           C．holiday    D．business

PART THREE: READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive.” John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . .”

A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri’s Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成层). Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure (低气压) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. “The record fits pretty close,” says Guyette. “We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there.”

Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, “Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.” Others gave different answers. One stated that a “flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.

New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.

56. New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by         .

A. the pink color of the sun      B. the darkened sky at daytime

C. the Last Judgment on Friday       D. the American War of Independence

57. What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19, 1780?

A. Prayers remained silent and attentive.

B. Night birds no longer came out to sing.

C. People’s ears became sharper than usual.

D. Midday meals were served by candlelight.

58. According to the researchers, the origin of the event was         .

A. an east wind                  B. a severe drought

C. some burning fuel                 D. low barometric pressure

59. What can we know about the debates after the dark day?

A. They focused on causes of the event.

B. They swept throughout the Western world.

C. They were organized by scientific institutions.

D. They improved Americans’ ability to communicate.

60. What can be the best title for the text?

A. New England’s dark day.     B. Voices of angry prediction.

C. There is no smoke without fire.  D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.

PART THREE: READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive.” John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . .”

A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri’s Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成层). Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure (低气压) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. “The record fits pretty close,” says Guyette. “We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there.”

Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, “Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.” Others gave different answers. One stated that a “flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.

New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.

56. New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by         .

A. the pink color of the sun       B. the darkened sky at daytime

C. the Last Judgment on Friday    D. the American War of Independence

57. What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19, 1780?

A. Prayers remained silent and attentive.

B. Night birds no longer came out to sing.

C. People’s ears became sharper than usual.

D. Midday meals were served by candlelight.

58. According to the researchers, the origin of the event was         .

A. an east wind                B. a severe drought

C. some burning fuel            D. low barometric pressure

59. What can we know about the debates after the dark day?

A. They focused on causes of the event.

B. They swept throughout the Western world.

C. They were organized by scientific institutions.

D. They improved Americans’ ability to communicate.

60. What can be the best title for the text?

A. New England’s dark day.  B. Voices of angry prediction.

C. There is no smoke without fire.       D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.

PART THREE: READING COMPREHENSION (30分)
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
A
At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that “The people were very attentive.” John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that “Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . .”
A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri’s Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered “fire scars” on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree’s cambium (形成层). Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure (低气压) helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. “The record fits pretty close,” says Guyette. “We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there.”
Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, “Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes.” Others gave different answers. One stated that a “flaming star” had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.
New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.
56. New Englanders crowded into churches because they were frightened by         .
A. the pink color of the sun      B. the darkened sky at daytime
C. the Last Judgment on Friday    D. the American War of Independence
57. What can we infer about the event in New England on May 19, 1780?
A. Prayers remained silent and attentive.
B. Night birds no longer came out to sing.
C. People’s ears became sharper than usual.
D. Midday meals were served by candlelight.
58. According to the researchers, the origin of the event was         .
A. an east wind                B. a severe drought
C. some burning fuel            D. low barometric pressure
59. What can we know about the debates after the dark day?
A. They focused on causes of the event.
B. They swept throughout the Western world.
C. They were organized by scientific institutions.
D. They improved Americans’ ability to communicate.
60. What can be the best title for the text?
A. New England’s dark day.  B. Voices of angry prediction.
C. There is no smoke without fire.       D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.

Little Hossein was the first person I knew who died. We started calling him Little Hossein when Big Hossein moved down from the mountains to live with his brother Mohammed, our cook. Little Hossein was older than me, but just my size. His head was shaved. His father, Mashala, our gardener, spent the whole day, every day, watering the rose bushes, because the minute he stopped they got dusty. Little Hossein’s skin was the color of the dust and smelled like kerosene(煤油). One day, Big Hossein found him stealing Kool Pops from our refrigerator and hit him on the head with his flip-flops. Over and over. Harder and harder. Little Hossein started to cry, and so did I.

After that I guess we were friends, except that I spied on him and he spied on me. He crept onto the terrace and looked through my bedroom window. I told him the picture of President Kennedy on my dresser was the Shah of Emrika. He stared through my window at that picture a lot. Or maybe he was looking at my piggy bank right next to it.

He’d stand outside my window where my bike was parked. It was a three-speed from the States, but finally I let him borrow it. He rode it outside the gate to the village. He didn’t let the village boys ride it, but he rode it round and round the square while the boys tried to push him off. Every morning I had to walk past the sand dunes on my way from the gate to the school bus. The village boys hid behind the sand dunes. They threw stones that hit the gravel near my feet. One day when I came back from school Little Hossein was hiding with them.

56. Little Hossein’s father watered the rose bushes every day because ________.

     A. he loved the roses so much                           B. the rose bushes do not stay clean for long

     C. he was required to do so                               D. he would get better paid in this way

57. Why did Little Hossein get hit on the head of shoes?

     A. He ate something without asking.                   B. He didn’t follow instructions.

     C. he made me cry over and over.                      D. He covered his skin with dust.

58. Which of the following things did the writer share with Little Hossein?

     A. The picture of the president.                          B. His piggy bank.

     C. His three-speed bicycle.                                D. His bedroom.

59. In the story that followed, the author might probably________.

     A. ride to school instead of taking the school bus

     B. ask Little Hossein to go to school together

     C. fight back against the village boys who threw stones

     D. be unfriendly to Little Hossein