C

Perhaps you have never heard of Katherine Lawes．Katherine was the wife of Lewis Lawes, warden （监狱长） at Sing Sing Prison from 1920 to 1941．In these 21 years he made many reforms --- and an important part of his success was due to his wife Katherine．

Katherine took seriously the idea that the prisoners are human beings ,worthy of attention and respect ．She regularly visited inside the walls of Sing Sing．She encouraged the prisoners, took things to them and spent time listening to them．Most importantly, she cared about them．And as a result, they cared deeply about her．

Then one night in October of 1937, news was "telegraphed" between the prison cells that Katherine had been killed in an accident．The prisoners asked the warden to allow them to attend her funeral．He agreed to their strange request and a few days later the south gate of Sing Sing swung slowly open．Hundreds of men who had committed almost every crime imaginable marched slowly out of the prison, later gathered again at the gate and returned to their cells．There were so many that they proceeded unguarded．But no one tried to escape．If he had, the others might have killed him immediately．So devoted were they to Katherine Lawes, the woman who daily walked into Hell to show the men a piece of Heaven．

Katherine' s strength was to see the men less as prisoners and more as individuals．Thomas Moore once said, "We can only treat badly those things or people whose souls we show no respect for．"

54．When Katherine's husband was the warden at Sing Sing Prison, she did the following things EXCEPT_______________．

A．encouraging the prisoners               B．visiting the prison houses

C．doing some writing for the prisoner    D．spending time in listening to the prisoners

55．Why did the prisoners ask the warden to allow them to attend Katherine’s funeral?

A．Because Katherine didn't look down upon them and cared about them．

B．Because Katherine was the wife of the warden．

C．Because Katherine made reforms in the prison．

D．Because Katherine had been killed by one of them．

56．Whom does the underlined part “the others” refer to?

A．The policemen at the funeral．           B．The other prisoners．

C．The guards．                            D．The policemen from other prisons．

57．The best title of this passage is_________．

A．Katherine Lawes' s Life                        B．Reforms at Sing Sing Prison

C．To Honor Their Souls                           D．To Meet Their Requirement

  Lifeguard, sportscaster, movie star, governor, president——there wasn’t much Ronald Reagan didn’t do in life.

    “The world was a vast opportunity for him,” Lou Cannon wrote in his biography（传记） of the former US president, who died on June 5，2004， aged 93.

    Reagan’s final years saw him fight a losing battle against Alzheimer’s disease（老年痴呆症）. But his positive attitude toward life has given hope to many people.

    Born in 1911 to a poor family in a small town in Illinois, his father was a failed salesman who drank too much. It was in these difficult times, though, that Reagan developed the powerful optimism（乐观） that would serve him so well. He always believed better times lying ahead, and this was reflected in his high school yearbook entry. “Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music,” he wrote.

    As a teenager, Reagan spent summers working as a lifeguard at a local beach, saving 77 lives in seven years. He graduated from college in 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology. But America was still in the middle of the Great Depression, and jobs were hard to find. Reagan finally found work as a radio sports announcer and this road led him to Hollywood in 1937.

    During the 20---year film career, he never became a leading star. As in his lifeguard days, Reagan loved to play the hero and only took the role of a bad guy once in more than 50 films.

    A talented speaker who was always able to connect with his audience, Reagan became involved in politics in the 1950s. This popular touch led to him being elected the governor of California in 1967.

    All the while Reagan was in California, he had his eye on the White House. In 1980, aged 69, he became the oldest man ever elected president.

    He held office from 1981 to 1989, the first president to serve two complete terms after World War Ⅱ. When he left, aged 77, he held the highest popularity rate of any retiring president in US history.

    He remained positive even when he discovered he had an illness that would destroy him. “I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal（永恒的optimism(乐观) for its future,”he wrote.

1.Reagan can be best described as a man with ______.

A. firmness  B. humour   C. optimism  D. talent

2.What didn’t Reagan do in his life time?

A. Playing the role of a bad guy.

B. Being a leading star of the film.

C. Saving people’s lives.

D. Working as a radio sports announcer.

3.Which is the correct order of events described in the passage?

a. Reagan fought a losing battle against Alzheimer’s disease.

b. Reagan became an actor.

c. Reagan worked as a lifeguard.

d. Reagan graduated from college.

e. Reagan was elected the governor of California.

A. a, c, d, e ,b           B. e, c, d, b, a

C. b, a, c, d, e           D. c, d, b, e, a

4.When the writer of Reagan’s biography says “The world was a vast opportunity for him,” he really means that _______.

A. Reagan achieved much in his whole life

B. Reagan could have done much better

C. Reagan did much for America and the world

D. Reagan was a very lucky man

The Neutrality of American in the Early World War II

       The establishment of the Third Reich influenced events in American history by starting a chain of events which culminated in war between Germany and the United States. The compete destruction of democracy, the persecution of Jews, the war on religion, the cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis, and especially the plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war. While speaking out against Hitler’s atrocities, the American people generally favored isolationist policies and neutrality. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the President was empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his discretion.

       American opinion began to change somewhat after President Roosevelt’s “quarantine the aggressor” speech at Chicago (1937) in which he severely criticized Hitler’s policies. Germany’s seizure of Austria and the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia (1938) also aroused the American people. The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March, 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the Third Reich. In August, 1939 came the shock of the Nazi-soviet Pact and in September the attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war. The United States attempted to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted “cash and carry” exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed (1940) to strengthen the military services. A Lend Act (1941) authorized the President to sell, exchange, or lend materials to any country deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August, 1940 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter which proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war. In December, 1941, Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. Immediately thereafter, Germany declared war on the United States.

One item occurring before 1937 that the author does not mention in his list of actions that alienated the American public was

A the burning of the Reichstag.   B German plans for conquest.

C Nazi barbarism.             D the persecution of religious groups.

The Lend-Lease Act was designed to

A help the British.

B strengthen the national defense of the United States.

C promote the Atlantic Charter.

D avenge Pearl Harbor.

American Policy during the years 1935-1936 may be described as being

A watchful.  B isolationist.  C peaceful.   D indifferent.

The Neutrality Act of 1939

A permitted the selling of arms to belligerent nations.

B antagonized Japan.

C permitted the British to trade only with the Allies.

D led to Lend-Lease Act.

We entered the war against Germany

A because Germany declared war.

B because Japan was an ally of Germany.

C after Germany had signed the Nazi-soviet Pact.

D after peaceful efforts had failed.

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities^①. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.

A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer^②, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

Notes:

charity  n. 慈善，慈善团体

reindeer  n. 驯鹿

According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.

        A. can offer the children some gifts        B. help adults look after their children

        C. have ability to make children happy     D. should be perfect in the mind of children

The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.

        A. lots of money   B. many gifts    C. loves for children    D. gifts from children

The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.

        A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas       B. earned money from its students

        C. train perfect Santas for the world         D. show the world’s concern to the poor

According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.

        A. Weir was short of experience            B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

        C. Weir did very badly in the game         D. Weir was not a good student in school

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.”

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer(驯鹿). What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ______.

A. can offer the children some gifts  

B. help adults look after their children

C. have ability to make children happy

D. should be perfect in the mind of children

The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ______.

A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas  

B. earned money from its students

C. train perfect Santas for the world

D. show the world’s concern to the poor

According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ______.

A. Weir was short of experience 

B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

C. Weir did very badly in the game  

D. Weir was not a good student in school