It is said that usually people learn from their experiences and the mistakes they make throughout their lives. This is correct because life teaches us what is correct to do and what is not.

Let’s consider a mistake that one has made while trying to learn to drive. It is true that, for a beginner, it is common to make mistakes, but after doing something wrong once, twice or three times, it is quite impossible to make the same mistake a fourth time. Everyone tries their best in order to improve their skills and they will be very pleased to notice that these improvements really happen.

On the other hand, being successful in everything he does, one cannot know what failure means. He would always see only the best side of things and it would be difficult for him to face the difficulties to come in the future. Here we can mention the case of a very successful football player, who has known what fame (名声) is from the very beginning of his career. We have to admit that most of his luck originates from the great talent that he was born with. But some fellow players can also work to achieve the same thing because they make mistakes in their games and they learn from each mistake that they make.

In the end, we can say that one needs to make mistakes in life in order to better appreciate things. And at the same time, mistakes teach us how important it is to fight for something we wish for in life. Of course, moments of happiness will come in return when we see the changes or improvements.

1.The author mentions learning driving in the second paragraph to ______________.

A．make a comparison

B．explain that learning is a slow process

C．show that driving is a very difficult skill

D．prove that success results from failure

2.What is the author’s attitude towards someone that is always successful at something?

A．He thinks they are lucky.                  B．He is bored with them.

C．He wants to learn from them.              D．He believes their success is a bad thing.

3.Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

A．  B．  C． D．

Count Me Out

Call me old-fashioned. Call me old. Call me what you want, but I refuse to become part of this new Internet world.

I do not possess a computer at home or at the office. Actually, I stopped going to an office 35 years ago, when all communications were done with a pen, a typewriter, or, if the matter was of world-shaking importance, over the telephone. Likewise, if you like something advertised in a newspaper or magazine, you visited the shop selling it at the given address, or you phoned the number shown. Then you spoke to the fellow and asked for further details.

Tell me what you think of the following ad that appeared the other day in the newspaper. It was for a cure for cancer and this is what it said: “Awareness is the key. Visit spfulford. com at the awareness site.” There was no address or telephone number for the site. So what do unfortunate people without a computer do if they are seeking a cure for their illness?

There are, I am told, certain advantages in having access to the Internet. You can, for example, send love messages across the world or even get married to someone that you meet online. This bit doesn’t interest me; I have been happily married for 60 years. There are, of course, other activities for Internet users besides finding love. They can pay bills, order groceries, or discuss with their doctors.

And this is by no means all. More amazing things are yet to come in the near future. I read a newspaper report recently that quoted Stephen Hawking, an important British scientist. “The complexity of a computer as it exists today is probably less than the brain of an earthworm,” he said. “But, as technology advances, computers will become more complex, and a time may come when the Internet may develop ‘consciousness.’ In other words, the Internet will be able to think, have feelings, and may well be able to act on its own.”

If Professor Hawking is right, I may change my attitude to computers. As I grow older each day, I would like one of those that not only thinks for me but also accepts responsibilities for all my mistakes.

1.

What’s the meaning of the title “Count Me Out”?

2.

According to Paragraph 2, the author thinks computers are         .

3.

What might the author like about the future computer?

Britain and France are separated by the English Channel, a body of water that can be crossed in as few as 20 minutes. But the cultures of the two countries sometimes seem to be miles apart.
　　Last Thursday Britain and France celebrated the 100th anniversary(周年纪念) of the signing of a friendship agreement called the Entente Cordiality. The agreement—signed in London on April 8, 1904—marked a new beginning for the countries following centuries of wars and love-hate partnership.
　　But their relationship has been ups and downs over the past century. Just last year, there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war—which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite(不管, 尽管) French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it. This discomfort is expressed in Blair and Chirac's body language at international meetings. While the French leader often greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug (拥抱), Blair just receives a handshake.
However, some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties. “The British population was against war, ” said Francois Heisbourg, director of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research(战略基金研究会). “So it could have actually helped bring the two sides closer. ”
　　The history of divisions(分割, 区分) may well be because of the very different ways in which the two sides see the world. “The French think Britain is not doing its best to become part of Europe by not introducing the single European currency(货币), ” said Geoff Hare, a former lecturer in French politics and language at Newcastle University in Britain. “France has spent the past 15 to 20 years making itself seen as part of the European Union. ”
　 But this doesn't stop 12 million Britons taking holidays in France each year. However,only 3 million French come in the opposite direction. Surveys show that most French people feel closer to the Germans than they do to the British. And the research carried out in Britain has found that only a third of the population believes the French can be trusted.Perhaps this bad feeling comes because the British dislike France's close relationship with Germany. Or because the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.
　　Whatever the answer is, as both sides celebrate 100 years of “doubtful friendship”, they are at least able to make jokes about each other. Here's one:What's the best thing about Britain's relationship with France? The English Channel.
1. For centuries, the relationship between England and France is______.
A. friendly
B. impolite
C. brotherly
D. a mixture of love and hate
2. The war in Iraq does ______ to the relationship between France and England.
A. good
B. harm
C. neither good nor harm
D. both good and harm
3. The British are not so friendly to ______ and the French are not so friendly to ______.
A. Germany;America
B. America;Germany
C. Germany;Germany too
D. America;America too
4. What does the last sentence mean?
A. As long as the English Channel exists, no further disagreement will form between France and Britain.
B. The English Channel can prevent anything unfriendly happening in both France and Britain.
C. France and Britain are near neighbors, and this will help balance the relationship between them.
D. The English Channel is the largest enemy between France and Britain.
5. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The British differ greatly from the French in culture, origin and custom.
B. The British and The French are against each other because of the very different ways in which they see the world.
C. The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the signing of a friendship agreement mark-ed the mixture feeling of love and hatred over the last century between Britain and Franc-e.
D. The British dislike France's close relationship with Germany, while the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.     

Little Bit
"Meow, meow, meow," is what I heard as I walked. I went to the noise and found there was a
  36  black and white cat under a piece of wood. I picked him up and   37  he must be freezing to death. I   38  home with the cat held in my jacket.
My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost     39     when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tail. Little Bit' s small size had a great advantage -- he   40  perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made  41  him everywhere very easy. Any time I was home, he wouldn' t leave my   42  . He was always eager to play with me. When I fell asleep at night, he would always roll up around my head to keep me   43 .
Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life   44  my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast pace (节奏) that I stopped making time for him. My free time was spent with my   45      instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not   46  him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn' t his fault that he   47  his best friend back.
Time had caused a   48  to Little Bit. His body began shutting down and by the time I realized   49  was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and   50  this day I still remember the  51  look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医), but there was nothing he could do. The last time I   52  him he wasn' t the same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day.
Little Bit' s  53  made me realize how much he meant to me. He was always there for me when I   54  him. I regret our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him. I will always   55  the special memories we made.

No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting.

For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if the weather is fine, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.

Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.

1.Which is true about weather forecasting?

A．Weather forecasting is a way of telling what the weather will be like.

B．Weather forecasting is a report about the weather.

C．Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain.

D．People can change the weather forecasting.

2.Which of the following can be used here to replace the underlined phrase “on the way”?

A．continuing         B．reducing.          C．coming.           D．disappearing.

3.Which of the following signs can tell the weather will probably be rainy?

A．Some birds fly high.

B．A rainbow appears in the morning.

C．The sunset is mostly red in colour.

D．Fogs appear in the morning just above a river.

4.The best title of the passage is _______.

A．Weather forecasting plays an important role in our life

B．Weather forecasting can bring people some signs of weather

C．Weather is forecasted only by eyes and brains.

D．People can predict weather by experience in daily life