There’s a man in the habit of hitting me on the head with an umbrella. At first I couldn’t stand it, now I’m used to it.

I don’t know his name. I know he’s average in appearance, wears a gray suit, and has a common face. I met him five years ago one hot morning when I was sitting on a tree-shaded bench in Palermo Park, reading the paper. Suddenly I felt something touch my head. It was the very same man who now, as I’m writing, keeps hitting me, mechanically (机械地) and impassively, with an umbrella.

On that occasion I turned around filled with anger. He just kept on hitting me. I asked him if he was crazy, he didn’t even seem to hear me. Then I threatened to call a policeman. Calmly, cool as a cucumber, he stuck with his task. After a few moments of hesitation, and seeing that he was not about to change his attitude, I stood up and hit him on the nose. The man fell down, but he immediately got back on his feet, obviously with great effort, and without a word again began hitting me on the head with the umbrella. His nose was bleeding and, at that moment, I felt sorry for him. I felt regret for having hit him so hard. After all, the man wasn’t exactly hitting me; he was merely tapping me lightly with his umbrella, not causing any pain at all. Of course, those taps were extremely bothersome. As we all know, when a fly lands on your forehead, you don’t feel any pain; what you feel is annoyance. Well then, that umbrella was one huge fly that kept landing on my head time after time.

Convinced that I was dealing with a madman, I tried to escape. But the man followed me, wordlessly continuing to hit me. So I began to run (I should point out that not many people run as fast as I do). He took off after me, trying to land a blow. The man was out of breath so that I thought, if I continued to force him to run at that speed, he would drop dead right then and there.

When the man began to strike the author with an umbrella, the author ________.

A. became angry

B. called the police

C. turned around and escaped

D. turned around and fought back

The author would most probably agree that the man was ________.

A. deaf          B. blind           C. dead           D. mad

The author felt sorry for the man because ________.

A. the man formed a bad habit of beating others

B. he hit the man so hard that his nose bled

C. the man couldn’t catch up with him

D. there was a fly on the man’s head

It can be learned from the passage that the man ________.

A. shouted loudly while hitting the author

B. wanted to tell the author something

C. ran after the author breathlessly

D. acted as if he were a fly

Andrew Carneigie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and, in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted partly from his ability to sell the product and partly from his policy of expanding during periods of economic decline, when most of his competitors were reducing their investments. Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, but he also felt strongly that the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity, preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to help themselves. “He who dies rich, dies disgraced”, he often said. Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name, including the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and a museum of national history. He also founded a school of technology that is now part of Carnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthropic(慈善的) gifts are the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute of Washington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts. Few Americans have been left untouched by Andrew Carnegie’s generosity. His contributions of more than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout the country and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.
【小题1】The author quoted(引述) “he who dies rich, dies disgraced” in the passage to show______.

A．Few Americans have touched Andrew Carnegie’s generosity.

B．Many Americans have touched Andrew Carnegie’s generosity.

C．we all enjoy Andrew Carnegie’s generosity today.

D．Many Americans were given Andrew Carnegie’s generosity.

The website “FarmersOnly.com” calls itself an online dating and friendship finder. The idea started in the mind of a man, Jerry Miller in Ohio. He wondered how farmers could meet new people who understand the life of a farmer. Jerry Miller is not a farmer but he represents a lot of farmers.
As he tells it, the idea for the site was planted when a farmer told him one day that she was recently divorced and would like to date. But someone would invite her to meet for coffee at nine o’clock at night, when she had to start her day at five the next morning.
So, in 2005, Jerry Miller launched his website. “You don’t have to be a farmer to be on FarmersOnly.com, but you do have to have the good old-fashioned traditional values of America’s Heartland.” 
You also have to live in the United States or Canada to be a member of the site. Some services are free, but a full membership costs fifty dollars for a year. As of last week the site listed more than 58,000 members. Many of them are farmers in the United States. Others are students or workers involved in some way with agriculture. Jerry Miller tells us about thirty marriages in the last year have resulted from his website.
Some farmers have also found love through a group, Singles in Agriculture, which was formed as a nonprofit organization in 1986. It organizes gatherings that usually end with a dance, but is not a dating service. The purpose is to support educational and social activities that offer people a chance for friendship. Its website, singlesinag.org, says there are more than 1,000 members across the nation and as far away as France.
【小题1】Jerry Miller started singlesinag.org in order to     .

He could have been president of Israel or played violin at Carnegie Hall, but he was too busy thinking. His thinking on God, love and the meaning of life graces our greeting cards and day-timers.

Fifty years after his death, his shock（乱蓬蓬的一堆）of white hair and hanging moustache still symbolize genius. Einstein remains the foremost scientist of the modern time. Looking back 2,400 years, only Newton ,Galileo and Aristotle were his equals.

Around the world , universities and academies（研究院）are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s “miracle year” when he published five scientific papers in 1905 that basically changed our grasp of space, time ,light and matter. Only he could top himself about a decade later with his theory of relativity.

Born in the age of horse-drawn carriages, his ideas launched a technological revolution that has made more changes in a century than in the previous two thousand years. Computers, satellites, telecommunications, lasers, televisions and nuclear power all owe their invention to ways in which Einstein exposed a stranger and more complicated reality underneath the world.

He escaped Hitler’s Germany and devoted the rest of his life to human rights and peace with an authority unmatched by any scientist today, or even most politicians and religious leaders. He spoke out against fascism（法西斯主义）and racial prejudice. His FBI (美国联邦调查局)file ran 1,400 pages.

His letters expose a disorderly personal life ─ married twice and indifferent toward his children while absorbed in physics. Yet he charmed lovers and admirers with poetry and sailboat outings. Friends and neighbors fiercely protected his privacy.

The first paragraph implies that Einstein __________.

A. had the gift for politics and music

B. had run for president before he worked at his research

C. was an excellent violinist

D. was more a political leader of a musician than a thinker

When you think of Einstein, what typical appearance was formed in your mind?

A. Funny and humorous, with an air of a musician.

B. Wearing very wide trousers and a moustache, with an image of an actor.

C. Rough untidy mass of white hair and hanging moustache, with an image of thinking .

D. Black long hair and moustache, with his eyes deep set.

Why was 1905 called Einstein’s “miracle year”?

A. Because he topped himself with the theory of relativity.

B. Because he made important discoveries of space, time, light and matter.

C. Because he published five papers on his theory of relativity.

D. Because he wrote five important articles to help people understand space, time , light and matter better.

Which of the following is not true about Einstein according to the passage?

A. When he was absorbed in his research ,he didn’t care for his family.

B. He tried to amuse his family and friends in his spare time.

C. He was so busy with the physical research that he showed no interest in politics.

D. His theory led to much improvement in many technological fields.

七．阅读理解 (20分)   
At first, the earth’s surface layer (层 ) was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks.There slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally stones, pebble(卵石) and grains of sand were formed. Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth. Their remain mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil. The outmost layer of the earth is soil.
There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break into smaller ones. Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks. When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layer of the rock are slowly worn away. These leave holes and crack(裂缝) in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces.
The moving water of streams and rivers also help to break up rocks. As the water moves along, it carries with it small pieces of rock. These rub the larger ones, Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces.
The heat of the sun also help to breaking up rocks. When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot. If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack. Ice also plays a part in making soil.  Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather. As this happens, it becomes bigger and cracks become wider, and finally break into smaller pieces.
1. According to the passage, soil _________ .
A. forms very slowly
B. is a mixture of stones, pebbles and sand
C. make up the layer of the earth
D. is becoming smaller and smaller
2. How many factors are mentioned in helping the forming of soil ?
A. Three         B. Four             C. Five              D.More than five
3. Which of the following speeds up the breaks of rocks most ?
A. Hot weather                          B. Cold water
C. Sharp changs in temperature             D. More dead plants in the cracks
4. Which of the following is NOT true ?
A.The remains of many plants of animals formed soil.
B. If a large rock never moves, it will never break up.
C.Even if a large rock never moves, it will break up.
D. Ice in the cracks helps to break up rocks.
5. The best titl for this passage should be ________ .
A. Soil from Rocks                    B. Ways to Break Rocks
C. Soil on the Earth                    D. Soil, Outmost Layer of the Earth