The annual marathon in my town usually took place in summer. My job was to   21    behind the runners in an ambulance   22     any of them needed medical attention. The driver and I were in an air-conditioned ambulance behind nearly one hundred athletes    23    to hear the sharp crack of the starting gun.

“We’re supposed to stay behind the   24    runner, so take it slowly ,” I said to the driver , Doug , as we began to creep forward .

“Let’s just hope all the runners are fast!” he laughed.

As they began to pace themselves, the front runners started to   25    . It was then that my   26   were drawn to the woman in blue silk running shorts and a baggy white T-shirt.

“Doug, look!”

We knew we were already watching our “last runner”. Her feet were turned in, but her left knee was turned out. Her legs were so crippled and bent that it seemed impossible for her to be able to walk , let alone run a marathon .

Doug and I watched in   27    as she slowly moved forward. We didn’t say a thing. We would move forward a little bit, then stop and wait for her to gain some distance. Then we’d slowly move forward a little bit more.

Finally, she was the  28    runner left in sight. Tears streamed down my face as I sat on the edge of my seat and watched with amazement and even respect as she    29        forward with strong determination through the last miles.

When the    30    line came into sight, rubbishes lay everywhere and the cheering crowds had already gone home.    31   , a man waited proudly there. He was   32   one end of a ribbon (带子) tied to a post.   33   slowly crossed through, leaving both ends of the ribbon fluttering behind her.

I do not know this woman’s name, but that day she became a part of my life –a part I often depend on. For her, it wasn’t about   34    the other runners or winning a competition, it was about finishing what she had set out to do, no matter    35   . When I think things are too difficult or too time-consuming, I think of the last runner. Then I realize how easy the task before me really is.

1.

A．interview          B．watch          C．follow         D．fall

2.

A．when               B．since          C．because        D．in case

3.

A．searching          B．sitting        C．wishing        D．waiting

4.

A．slow               B．last           C．wounded        D．helpless

5.

A．run                B．miss           C．disappear      D．lose

6. 

A．attention          B．mind           C．eyes           D．sight

7. 

A．happiness          B．silence        C．disappointment D．hope

8. 

A．single             B．only           C．last           D．careful

9. 

A．pushed             B．fought         C．pulled         D．jumped

10.

 A．close             B．end            C．match          D．finish

11.

  A．Yet              B．But            C．Thus           D．Therefore

12.

 A．catching          B．handing        C．holding        D．bringing

13.

 A．He                B．She            C．I              D．They

14.

  A．winning          B．competing      C．beating        D．fighting

15.

A．what               B．where          C．when           D．why

We’ve all been hurt by another person at one time or another. This pain causes problems. It not only causes us to be unhappy, but can ruin relationships, distract(使分心) us from work and family and other important things, make us unwilling to open up new things.
We need to learn to let go. We need to be able to forgive, so we can move on and be happy. Forgiveness does not mean you erase（忘却；抹去）the past, or forget what has happened. All it means is that you are letting go of the anger and pain, and moving on to a better place.
It’s not easy, but you can learn to do it.
Think about the advantages and disadvantages. Think of all the problems this pain causes you, and realize you need to change. Then think of the benefits of forgiveness—— how it will make you happier, free you from the past and the pain, and improve your relationships and life in general.
Try to put yourself in that person’s situation. Try to understand why the person did what he did. What could he have felt as he did it, and what did he feel afterward? How does he feel now? You aren’t saying what he did is right, but are trying to understand instead.
Understand your responsibility. Try to figure out how you could have been partly responsible for what happened. This isn’t to say you’re taking all the blame, or taking responsibility away from the other person, but to realize that we are not victims(受害者) but participants in life.
Allow peace to enter your life. As you focus on the present, try focusing on your breathing. Imagine each breath going out is the pain and the past, and imagine each breath coming in is peace, entering you and filling you up.
Title:  How to let go and forgive

We’ve all been hurt by another person at one time or another. This pain causes problems. It not only causes us to be unhappy, but can ruin relationships, distract(使分心) us from work and family and other important things, make us unwilling to open up new things.
We need to learn to let go. We need to be able to forgive, so we can move on and be happy. Forgiveness does not mean you erase the past, or forget what has happened. All it means is that you are letting go of the anger and pain, and moving on to a better place.
It’s not easy, but you can learn to do it.
Think about the advantages and disadvanges. Think of all the problems this pain causes you, and realize you need to change. Then think of the benefits of forgiveness—— how it will make you happier, free you from the past and the pain, and improve your relationships and life in general.
Try to put yourself in that person’s situation. Try to understand why the person did what he did. What could he have felt as he did it, and what did he feel afterward? How does he feel now? You aren’t saying what he did is right, but are trying to understand instead.
Understand your responsibility. Try to figure out how you could have been partly responsible for what happened. This isn’t to say you’re taking all the blame, or taking responsibility away from the other person, but to realize that we are not victims(受害者) but participants in life.
Allow peace to enter your life. As you focus on the present, try focusing on your breathing. Imagine each breath going out is the pain and the past, and imagine each breath coming in is peace, entering you and filling you up.
Title:  How to let go and forgive

Be Brave With New Things

   The old advertising slogan, “so simple a child can do it ,” has taken on new meaning to me. A few weeks ago I got a computer, but I an mechanically illiterate. I knew that children had no fear of the future, so that seemed a good place to seek help. I asked my nephew, twelve years old, at an elementary school, to help me.

   My nephew took the machine for granted and has simply accepted the fact that computers are now a way of life. He plays with them and does his homework on them and even creates programs for them. I , on the other hand, are terrified by what this equipment can do. It can interchange paragraphs, switch words around and even correct my spelling. It informs me of Its limitations, takes commands and asks questions. It even seems to have a sense of communication. Rather than accusing me of making an error, it prints “One of us has made a mistake!” It never gets tired and is always patient and ready to go when I am.

   I think it was somewhat normal for me to be suspicious of computers. They represent a break with some very familiar habits and traditions. It is only human to instinctively avoid anything that shifts thoroughly from the acceptable, comfortable past. But the world is governed by ceaseless change and we must therefore establish links with the present and future as well as the past. Computer technology is an excellent case in point, as the newest systems grow out of date in only a few years, or even months.

   This ability to see, experience and accept the new is one of our saving characteristics. To be fearful of tomorrow, to close ourselves to possibilities, to resist the inevitable, to advocate standing still when all else is moving forward, is to lose touch. If we accept the new with joy and wonder, we can move gracefully into each tomorrow. More often than not, the children shall lead us.

19．What is the new meaning of  “So simple a child can do it” for the author?

A．computers are so easy to operate that even a child can play them well

B．A child can always do more complex things than an adult.

C．It is easier for a child to accept new things than for an adult.

D．A child has greater ability than an adult in operating computers.

20．According to the second paragraph, which of the following statements is true?

A．The nephew thought it is natural to accept the fact that computers are now a way of life.

B．The nephew believed that machines were made for people to do whatever they wanted.

C．computers are not only used to communicate, but also to remove their limitations.

D．It is a fact that both adults and children have accepted computers as a way of life.

21．Which of the following doesn’t the author’s computer do ?

A．It asks the author if she has made a mistake.

B．It accuses the author of making mistakes.

C．It corrects the author’s spelling mistakes.

D．It informs the author of her mistakes.

22．According to the third paragraph, it is human nature that we resist those things which   

A．only represent the comfortable and acceptable past

B．change thoroughly into the comfortable and acceptable past

C．make people stand still when all else is moving forward

D．change completely from the acceptable and comfortable past

第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40 分）
第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Before I started school, people felt that 1 was not going to be successful．At the age of four I started speech lessons because basically I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me．The story goes downhill from here．
The first grade was a struggle．I not only had difficulty speaking, but also felt nervous about the fact that I was expected to learn to read and I just couldn't do it．The second grade was not much better．I still struggled with the inability to read．It was in the third grade that the school district built a new school close to my home．I remember going there with my parents and helping to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one．However, things were still not much better as far as my schooling was concerned and did not get better for the next two years．
It was in the fifth grade．Mi-s．Wakefield was my teacher, and if ever there was a teacher that deserved a gold star, it was her．She did not make me feel defeated．On the contrary, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be．And that is just what I did．
For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher．Because of Mrs．Wakefield's influence on my life, I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can overcome any difficulty and become someone．I have won numerous awards up to now, such as Teacher of the Year．I owe it all to one fifth grade teacher who believed in me and challenged me to be all that I could be．
56．The writer ______ when he was in the third grade．
A．did better in reading                      B．began speech lessons
C．went to a new school                D．received a high award
57．We can learn from the passage that the writer ______．
A．is a very successful teacher now
B．thinks teaching is a challenging job
C, has solved problems with his own effort
D．works in the same school with Mrs．Wakefield
58．What is the writer's purpose in writing the passage?
A．To express his devotion to his work．
B．To show his respect to a special teacher．
C．To share his leaching experience with us．
D．To tell us his story of overcoming difficulties．