He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention.

“Is your taxi  1  ?” I asked when he finally looked  2  at me. He nodded, then said  3  as I settled into the back seat, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a  4  .” He  5  as if he had a cold .

“I am not in a hurry,” I told him. “Go ahead and finish your letter.” He  6  his head. “I've read it several times already. I guess I  7  know it by heart.”

“Letters from home always mean a lot,” I said. “From a child?”

“This isn't  8  ,” he replied. “Although it  9  just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old Friend' when we'd meet. I'm not much good at  10 .”

“I don't think any of us keep  11  our correspondence (通信) too well,” I said. “I know I don't. But I take it he's someone you've  12  quite a while?”

“All my life. We were kids together, went to school together and all the  13  through high school.”

“There are not too many people who've had such a long friendship,” I said.

“ 14 ,” the driver went on, “I hadn't seen him more than once or twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I  15  away from the old neighbourhood and you kind of lose touch  16  you never forget.”

“You said 'was'. Does that mean—?” He nodded. “ 17  a couple of weeks ago.”

“I'm sorry,” I said. “It's no fun to lose any friend—and losing a real old one is  18  tougher.”

He didn't  19  to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: “I should have kept in touch.”

“Well,” I agreed, “we should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things  20  and we just don't seem to find the time.”

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. First I had to write a letter and mail it.

1. available    B. acceptable          C. beneficial       D. occupied

2. A.       down      B.    up    C.    to    D. off

3. A.       unexpectedly      B. curiously        C. apologetically D.  definitely

4. A.       booklet       B. novel              C.       book          D. letter

5. A.       sounded   B. spoke  C.    seemed    D. continued

6. A.       hung      B.       nodded       C. shook       D. kept

7. A.       anyhow   B.    hardly     C.    almost     D. really

8. A.       friendship       B.    family     C.    leadership       D. colleague

9. A.       could      B. might  C.    maybe     D. would

10. A.     writing    B.    reading    C.    talking    D. earning

11. A.      up    B.    with C.    on    D. in

12. A.     found      B.    written    C.    known     D. seen

13. A.     curriculum      B.    coincidence     C.    life  D. way

14. A. Eventually   B.    Actually  C.    Additionally   D. Besides

15. A. removed      B.    left  C.    headed    D. moved

16. A.     even though    B.    as though C.    when       D. whereas

17. A.     Died       B. Suffered     C. Choked      D. Survived

18. A.     ever B.    even C.    fairly      D. quite

19. A.     appeal          B. reply    C.    adapt       D. talk

20.   A.    take up         B. pick up          C. come up             D. break up

阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求)。

If the name Marissa Mayer doesn't sound familiar, Google it-that's probably what she'd want you to do, anyway.

But now Mayer, 37, is trading in (跳槽）her executive title at Google to be the new CEO of Yahoo, it was widely announced on July 16, 2012. Here are four things to know about Yahoo's new leader.

1. She Made History

When she started working for Google in 1999~years before Google became an everyday verb, Mayer was the company's first female engineer. But "Googirl" nickname aside, "I'm not a woman at Google. I'm a geek at Google," Mayer, who was the company's 20^th employee, told CNN in April. "If you can find something that you're really passionate about, whether you're a man or a woman comes a lot less into play.

2.She's Glamorous (富有魅力的）

Add this title to her resume: Woman of the year. In 2009, Mayer was one of the leading ladies highlighted by Glamour magazine in its annual special issue. Photographed in a striking red dress, Mayer said, "When people think about computer science, they imagine people with pocket protectors and thick glasses who code all right. I do code all night!

3.And So Is Her Apartment

If Google is your homepage, you're familiar with its clean-cut style and simple color scheme-just like Mayer's home. "People used to come over to my apartment and say, ‘Does your apartment look like Google or does Google look like your apartment?" She told The New York Times. "I can't say it clearly anymore. I really love color. I'm not very cluttery. My place has very clean simple lines. That has always appealed to me.”

4._______________

Ready to take on yet another important role, Mayer, who married financier Zachary Bogue in 2009, tweeted (写博文）out yet another announcement the same day word broke of her move to Yahoo. "Another piece of good news today-zackbogue and I are expecting a new baby boy in October! I am going to be a mom!"

1.What does "Google it" in the first paragraph mean ？(no more than 6 words)

___________________________________

2.Which company is Marissa Mayer working for now? (no more than 2 words)

___________________________________

3.How do you find Marissa Mayer's apartment ？ (no more than 5 words)

___________________________________

4.On which day did Mayer announce her another important role?(no more than 4 words)

___________________________________

5.What is the best title for the last paragraph? (no more than 7 words)

___________________________________

Listening to music can help me focus better. Since I discovered it two years ago，I've used music to get through boring work or to focus creatively. I've found that it can make even the dullest jobs enjoyable and help clear mental blocks to creativity.
I first noticed the good effects of music while playing video games. It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 and I was playing online video games. My parents had just given me a new MP3，so I decided to listen to music through the headphones while I played. After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play. I was playing more naturally. The music relaxed me，and，to a certain extent，distracted me from the game，allowing my subconscious(潜意识的)talent to come through. The music also helped me block out the outside world. With those headphones on I was like a machine，moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions.  
Music can also have a great effect on mood. If I'm in a bad mood at work，I'll listen to some of Bob Marley's and get down to business. It always takes my mind off what I'm doing and makes me a happier person. The same is true for classic rock. One summer，I did a boring job collecting bottle openers by hand. Without a radio playing classic rock in the background，I would have hated life.
Listening to music with relaxing rhythms and a positive message helps you forget your work and think happy thoughts. But the results you see will depend heavily on your personal tastes. Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks. By trial and error you'll finally discover your best choice.
I'm always looking for new concentration aids，so I'd love to know what type of music works best for me.
【小题1】We can infer that the passage was written in ________.

I’ve taken someone else’s green sweater by mistakes. It ______ Harry’s. He always wears green..

There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another device out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business policy, though, Apple probably isn’t going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.

“If you’re Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), you’re thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases in the best way they can work for us. Apple usually does things in their own time ，and I’m having a hard time buying this May or June timeline.” Llamas told Mac News World.

While it，s probable that Apple is definitely in a testing stage for its next smartphone , consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.

“It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it’s possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I’m not expecting to see it until a little later in the year,” he told Mac News World.

When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. “Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored devices when it revamped(更新，翻新）its iPod line last fall, so it’s not too much of a stretch to believe it would want the new twist with its smartphone, as well”.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors，’’ he said. “That could be done pretty cheaply ，and it would give Apple a new marketing angle.”

1.According to Ramon Llamas, Apple always______.

A.tries to pleases its investors

B. does things as planned

C.ignores the fierce market competition

D. rushes to put new products to market

2.As for the next iPhone, Colin Gibbs didn’t mention______    

A.the stage of its being tested

B.the rough time of its being released

C.the wide variety of its color

D.the function to be improved

3.What’s Colin Gibbs ，attitude towards the next iPhone?

A. Disapproving. B. Casual

C. Objective.     D. Doubtful.

4.This passage is presented in the form of______.

A.stories   B.comments      C.advertisements D.debates