A lesson in caring

It was a cold evening. My daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora    36    . She wasn’t even four, but she   37    at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, can we take him home?”

    I don’t remember my   38    . But I do remember a sudden   39    feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her   40     , whether it was     41    flying or children playing. But now she was noticing   42    and beggary.

    A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and   43     it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I signed us up. Nora was   44    about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how   45    our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to    46    myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge (强烈愿望) to turn    47    . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this?   48    , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She   49    us right over.

    The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed.   50     inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home    51    .

Professionals call such a(n)   52    “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities and I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something    53     that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and   54     clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve    55     her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?

1.A. did                    B. was                          C. has            D. had

2.A. pulled　　　　    B. replaced                   C. waved        D. aimed

3.A. debate                   B. reply                        C. explanation D. expression

4.A. general　　　　    B. funny                       C. heavy         D. magical

5.A. web　　　　　    B. dream　　　　　    C. castle         D. world

6.A. insects                   B. animals　　　　      C. plants　　　D. birds

7.A. coldness 　　　    B. illness 　　　       C. suffering　　D. appearance

8.A. sent 　　           B. returned　　　      C. devoted　　 D. posted

9.A. concerned              B. sorry　　　　         C. worried      　D. excited

10.A. creative　　　    B. valuable　　　      C. shocking　　D. simple

11.A. warn　　　　　  B. stop　　　　  　    C. allow 　　　D. push

12.A. back 　　　　    B. away　　　　          C. up　　　　 D. out

13.A. Therefore　　　  B. But     　　          C. Anyhow　　D. Also

14.A. requested      　　    B. promised　　　      C. invited 　　 D. helped

15.A. Although                 B. Once　　　　　      C. Because 　　D. Though

16.A. in tears                B. in surprise                C. in reality      D. in disappointment

17.A. stay                         B. visit 　　　　         C. reception　　D. challenge

18.A. fair                         B. famous　　　　       C. difficult　　 D. enjoyable

19.A. collect                 B. make　　　　　      C. order 　　　D. design

20.A. let                       B. made　　　　　      C. watched 　　D. affected

书面表达（满分25分）

最近的一项研究表明，北京大约有50%青少年有不吃早餐的习惯。请根据表格内容用英语写一篇题为 “Top Meal of the Day”的短文刊登在 21^st Century 报上。

注意：①.　短文须包括所有要点，可以适当增加情节，使内容连惯。

词数100 – 120.

参考词汇： slim 苗条的　　creative 创造性的

Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree could find a good career quite easily．Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to select graduates．However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong competition in the search for jobs．

Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a suitable career：recognizing abilities, matching these to available jobs and presenting them well to possible employers．

Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities．One area of assessment should be of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area．Graduates should also consider their own personal values and attitudes．An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought．

The second stage is to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future．To do this, graduates can study job and position information in newspapers, or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession．After studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers．

Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career．Job application forms and letters should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors．Where additional information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with examples if possible．They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer’s needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities．

When graduates go to an interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can about the possible employer．Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also important．Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions about anything they are unsure about．This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an unsuitable answer．

“Those days are gone, even in Hong Kong” in Paragraph 1 suggests that__________．

       A．finding a good career used to be easier in Hong Kong than elsewhere

    B．now everyone in Hong Kong has an equal chance of finding a good job

　　C．graduates now face stronger competition in Hong Kong than elsewhere

    D．even in Hong Kong companies tour universities trying to select graduates

It is implied in Paragraph 3 that graduates should_____________．

    A．aim to give a balanced account of what the employer needs

    B．consider careers which suit their values, interests and abilities

    C．stress their personal attitudes and values in job applications

    D．recognize their own abilities regardless of what the employer looks for

According to Paragraph 4, graduates should______________．

    A．find a good position and then compare it with other careers

    B．ask friends or relatives to secure them a good job

    C．get information about a number of careers before making comparisons

    D．study the opportunities and the kinds of training that will be available

In the last paragraph, the writer seems to suggest that ________________．

    A．interviewees should appear humble if they can’t give an answer

    B．dressing properly is more important than being able to give an answer

    C．it is better for interviewees to be honest than to pretend to understand

D．it is a good idea for interviewees to be boastful in their answers

She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
　　    When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
　　    Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
　　    Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
　　    The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
　　    Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
　　    So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
　　    Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
【小题1】 What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?