.Papa made a __________ of agreement though his face clouded at the mention of Grandma’s name.

A.point   B.sign     C.example             D.mark

B

The name “cowboy” conjures up many different images from movies, songs and TV. These imagined cowboys range from white-hat-wearing heroes to gun-shooting hooligans(流氓).But, cowboys are actually real people from US history.?

When the US Civil War ended, many soldiers had no place to call home. So, they began to drift to the country's rural West. Ranchers(农场主) hired these men to take care of the cattle and work around the ranch. When the ranch owner wanted to sell the cattle, the cowboys would round up the herd from the open prairie(牧场) and drive the cattle miles to the market.?

With the invention of barbed wire(铁丝网),the cowboy era(1865-1890) began to come to an end. But people in the East had always been curious about their lifestyle. Many country/western songs during this time tried to capture the true cowboy spirit. Newspapers published cowboy tales in serial form and adventure novels followed. The bigger the fiction, the better the sales. These novels often portrayed cowboys as cruel and violent men. Cowboys carried the bad reputation for many years afterwards.

When movies began to be popular in the 1920s,the cowboy image changed again. Now, a cowboy became the great white knight(骑士) that loved his horse more than the beautiful ladies he rescued. As the cowboy of the “Old West” spent more time with his horse than the ladies, this era's image was not entirely false.

Then, in the 50s,Hollywood began producing so-called “spaghetti westerns(意大利西部片)”.They earned the nickname because Italian companies financed the films and TV shows. This started the decade's “Cowboy Craze”.While this didn't last long, it made modern country/western music, fashion and dance extremely popular.?

In recent years, with the help of musicians, radio stations and bars, cowboy nostalgia(怀旧情绪) has returned. Even though his image is still changing—somewhere between ballad singing country boy and bar?room fighter—there's one thing for sure, you can't keep the cowboy down.?

During “the cowboy era” mentioned in the story, _______.?

A. the cowboy often came to the rescue of ladies in newspaper tales?

B. the distant Wild West appealed to people in the East?

C. cowboys were shown as cruel and violent men on the silver screen?

D. country music started the cowboy craze which swept the whole country

By saying “you can't keep the cowboy down”,the writer means that _______.

A. cowboys are real people in history   B. cowboys still fascinate people?

C. you can't make cowboys unhappy     D. you can't grasp the cowboy spirit?

Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A. The cowboy has been presented in different lights in different eras.?

B. Cowboys are gun-shooting hooligans, without doubt.?

C. Cowboys have always been a passing phenomenon.?

D. Cowboys enjoy Italian foods, for example, spaghetti.

完形填空 （共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

       阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑

       There was a stranger at my doorstep this morning. I was a little __36__ at first because my parents warned me not to talk to strangers, __37__ he seemed to be a fellow student in my college so I began to calm down soon after.

__38__ in old but neatly pressed clothes, the tall boy began explaining his __39__. He told me about his school fees and said that the time __40__ his exam was approaching. Though his grades were excellent, he would not be __41__ to take his exams if he failed to __42__ the money for all of the tuition fees. He was studying Computer Applications in my city. __43__ I had friends studying the same course in my college, __44__ meant that I could ask them all about him.

       The boy was still $ 2,500 short of the $ 30,000 that his tuition __45__. He was having a hard time, and he had a bad family situation __46__. I didn’t have much money, so I gave him an __47__ foreign book on computer languages. I thought that he __48__ could not afford such a textbook. I also remembered that I had won $ 500 in a contest. I __49__ the entire $ 500 to my newly made friend and __50__ him good luck with his exams.

       When you are in college, __51__ is very important __52__ to buy new textbooks or to hang out with friends. When I saw this fellow, I was __53__ of my other friends, many of whom were excellent, but were __54__ to pay for their education. This replaced all the hesitation and __55__ in my mind with generosity.

       Since then, I have never wasted even a single coin on anything that I don’t need.

36．A．amused     B．interested  C．scared       D．satisfied

37．A．but    B．therefore   C．besides     D．now that k+s-5#u 

38．A．Dressing   B．Dressed    C．To dress    D．To be dressed

39．A．question   B．study C．aim   D．problem

40．A．of     B．in      C．for    D．to

41．A．suggested  B．allowed    C．asked D．required

42．A．catch hold of    B．come up with   C．make up for     D．take possession of

43．A．Fortunately      B．Simply     C．Sometimes       D．Quickly

44．A．where       B．what  C．that   D．which

45．A．used  B．needed      C．cost   D．took

46．A．as usual    B．as well      C．as yet       D．as a whole

47．A．informal   B．ordinary   C．extra D．expensive

48．A．surely       B．finally      C．probably   D．regularly

49．A．handed in B．handed over     C．handed down    D．handed out

50．A．wished     B．hoped       C．wanted     D．told

51．A．friendship B．luck  C．money      D．health

52．A．whether    B．how  C．if      D while

53．A．charged             B．accused               C．warned              D．reminded           

54．A．struggling B．studying   C．willing     D．unwilling k+s-5#u 

55．A．excitement       B．doubt       C．belief       D．faith

— John seems happy, even though his wife left him and he lost his job.

— I think he __________ to put on a brave face.

A．will try            B．has tried          C．had tried          D．is trying