Two years after the First World War (1914-1918), a small group of soldiers left the army and returned to their hometown in France. Most of them lived well, but one of them was poor. His name was Clinton. Once a year they had supper in Barton’s house. Barton was very rich.
One evening Barton showed his friends a large gold coin at the supper table. The coin was passed around and praised by everyone. At the same time they were talking and talking. They soon forgot about the coin. After supper, Barton asked for his coin, but nobody could tell where it was. It was lost. One man said that everyone must be searched. One by one they turned their pockets inside out. Only Clinton refused, however.“I didn’t steal the coin, and I will not be searched,” he said.After that, people turned their heads away from Clinton when they met him. He grew poorer. Soon his wife died.
A few years later, Barton had his house repaired. The lost coin was found under the floor. Barton felt sorry and went to Clinton to apologize. “But,” he asked, “you knew the coin was not in your pocket. Why did you refuse to be searched?” “Because I was a thief,” Clinton answered. “My pockets were full of food at that time. I had taken some food from the table to carry to my hungry wife and children.”
【小题1】The story took place ________.

Despite its center　　　　nowhere near the islands， Morakot(the typhoon) is being blamed for 25 deaths in the Philippines.

A. was             B. being                C. is          D. has been

　　What comes into your mind when you think about robots? Do you imagine armies of evil metal monsters planning to take over the world? Or, perhaps of mechanical men who have been created as guards or soldiers by a mad genius? Or maybe you think of man- like robots who act, think, and look like human beings. In fact robots like these have more to do with science fiction films than with real life. In the real world robots are machines that do jobs which otherwise have to be done by people. Robots either operate by themselves or under the control of a person.
　　In a car factory, for example, robot machinery can put together and paint car bodies. On the sea bed remotecontrolled（遥控）underwater machines with mechanical arms can perform tasks too difficult for divers. Robot spacecraft can explore the solar system and send back information about planets and stars.
　　Many robots have computer brains. Some robots are fitted with cameras , sensors, and microphones which enable them to see, to feel, and to hear. And some robots can even produce electronic speech.
　　All this does not mean that a robot can think and behave like a human being. Present day robots have to be programmed with a good deal of information before they can carry out even simple tasks.
　44．Robots in real life________.
　　A. can behave like human beings   B. have the ability to control the world
　　C. can think by themselves        D. can help us with a lot of work
　45．According to this article, which of the following is not true about robots in the real world?
　　A. Some robots are as creative as artists.     B. Some robots can help manufacture cars.
　　C. Some robots can see and hear.       D. Some robots can explore outer space.
　46．Robots can perform many tasks for man because________.
　　A. they have intelligence    B. they are supplied with computer programs
　　C. they can imitate human beings    D. they have the ability to learn new things
　47．The robots in science fiction films and those in real life differ mainly in________.
　　A. mentality　　 B. appearance　　 C. material　　　 D. size

The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of September 2, 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. Over one hundred people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives .
　　The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker（面包师）in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window into the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery（面包房）into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
　　By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them .
　　Samuel Pepys , the famous writer, writer about the fire, “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat .”
　　The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path（路径） of the fire.With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
　　After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone．In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among which was the new St Paul’s
　　The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
【小题1】The underlined word‘family’in the second paragraph probably means____.

When I was young, I really doubted whether there was love between my parents. Every day they were busy earning money so that they could   41  the high tuition my brother and I needed. They didn’t   42  in the romantic ways that I read in books or saw on TV.

One day, Mom was sewing a quilt（被子）. I  43 sat down beside her. “Mom, I have a  44  here,” I said after a while. “Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very　45 voice.

Mom stopped her work and raised her head with   46  in her eyes. She didn’t answer immediately. She bent her head and continued to sew the quilt. I was   47  if I had hurt her. I was in great embarrassment and I was at a loss what to do. But at last she said, very   48  , “Susan, look at this   49 . Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and lasting. If   50  is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen, but it’s really there.   51  is inside.”

I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until years later.

One day, Dad accidentally got　  52  while on duty. Ever since then he could no longer　  53　properly. Every morning and dusk Mom would help Dad walk slowly on the country road. Along the country road, there were beautiful flowers, green grass and trees. The leaves were gently glistening（发光）   54  the sun shining upon them. All of these made up the most beautiful   55  in the world.

“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day. “Susan, don’t worry about me,” he said gently. “I just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life.” Looking into his eyes, I  56　what they meant.

The doctor had said Dad would   57 in two months. But that day never came. He   58 away in peace.

59 I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this   60 , I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life, which makes life strong and warm…

1.                A．afford          B．cost            C．spend    D．offer

2.                A．go             B．live            C．act  D．walk

3.                A．happily         B．silently         C．secretly  D．nervously

4.                A．request        B．problem        C．message  D．question

5.                A．loud           B．light           C．low  D．clear

6.                A．surprise        B．anger          C．stress    D．horror

7.                A．amazed         B．confused        C．shocked  D．ashamed

8.                A．quickly         B．excitedly        C．bitterly   D．gently

9.                A．quilt           B．needle         C．thread   D．sewing

10.               A．belief          B．work           C．experience D．life

11.               A．Warmth        B．Thread         C．Cotton    D．Love

12.               A．tired           B．drunk          C．ill    D．injured

13.               A．talk            B．walk           C．work D．think

14.               A．with           B．as             C．for   D．by

15.               A．signs           B．symbols        C．pictures   D．reflections

16.               A．read           B．doubted        C．translated  D．recognized

17.               A．retire          B．recover        C．regain D．remove

18.               A．passed         B．escaped        C．faded D．turned

19.               A．Again          B．Once          C．Then D．Later

20.               A．word          B．account        C．experience D．accident