Move off the box, please．It stands ________．

1. A.
   in my way
2. B.
   on my way
3. C.
   by the way
4. D.
   in a way

On the day of a big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.

The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.

The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel of the mountain. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.

John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what had happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. “I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.”“Bring me a cool drink of water,”he said. Then he took his last breath.

His friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death.

Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families to look for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.

What does the big event mentioned in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.John Henry’s work on a machine.

B.A competition between John Henry and a salesman.

C.John Henry’s work with his hammer and the steel.

D.A competition between John Henry and a drill.

The underlined word “tunnel ”in Paragraph 3 probably means “           ”.

A.flat ground                B.big rock             C.underground passage         D.hard metal

What happened to John Henry when he fell to the ground?

A.He was tired and had to have a rest.

B.He had heart trouble and was dying.

C.He was thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

D.He was injured slightly and was bleeding.

What do we know about John Henry?

A.He won the competition finally.        B.He was buried under the mountain.

C.He loved his work very much.          D.He said nothing before his death.

What can we infer from the passage?

A.Humans can never beat machines.            B.John Henry was regarded as a hero.

C.Laborers hated machines very much.        D.It was easy for laborers to find work.

On a hot day, I decide to mow our extremely hilly lawn. It was likely to    21    a jungle（丛林）with weeds growing wildly. I need to mow it at once.

After several false    22      , I had to examine it and finally got our old lawn mower     23      . I was mowing and trying hard to push the machine uphill, which was really a hard job, for the machine was too old to work well. I was so   24  that I complained under my breath, so I decided to take a short break.

At the top of a rise, I   25  to see my 12-year-old John Thomas standing there, with a smile on his face and a glass of    26   in his hand.  "Here, Mom, "he said, "have a drink, Want me to help you? Dad   27  me work on hte flat places."

I  28   the ice water and went to sit in the      29   of a tall tree. As I took my drink, I   30     my son. To my surprise, he didn't seem to be    31    the normal mowing pattern. And he kept smiling at me   32    he worked. I wondered    33  made him so happy? I thought to myself.

After a while, he    34   mowing and looked in my direction. "Hey, Mom. Could you  35  here? "   "He's always　naughty like this, lazy again?" I said to myself    36     .  Then I stood up and walked across the lawn, noticing that he had missed a sizable spot. "John, you didn't..."  My angry words gradually became      37      , for the spot I thought he'd missed had been       38     mowed into the shape of a（an）   39   , suddenly I felt something warm and gentle rising from inside.

"Like it, Mom? It's mine and it's for you."  he asked with a big    40  .

"Now I'll finish the job."

21. A. turn on B. turn into     C. turn down  D. turn up

22. A. starts    B. words C. ends    D. behavior

23. A. work    B. move  C. going  D. flying

24. A. cheerful       B. tired   C. cared  D. boring

25. A. looked through    B. looked over       C. looked after       D. looked up

26. A. hot tea  B. chocolate    C. milk   D. ice water

27. A. asks      B. allows C. lets     D. agrees

28. A. drank   B. heated C. accepted     D. received

29. A. shade    B. leaves C. root    D. top

30. A. saw      B. watched     C. observed    D. noticed

31. A. feeling  B. finding       C. following   D. feeding

32. A. if  B. since   C. whether      D. as

33. A. what     B. that     C. all      D. it

34. A. continued     B. went on      C. stopped      D. finished

35. A. go over B. turn over    C. driver over D. come over

36. A. happily B. angrily       C. eagerly       D. anxiously

37. A. heavier B. thicker       C. louder D. quieter

38. A. carefully      B. carelessly   C. casually      D. comfortably

39. A. heart                  B. apple  C. hand   D. foot

40. A. sign      B. smile  C. surprise      D. sigh

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea markets(跳蚤市场). These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded. They hunt and search for something they can reuse. Americans love secondhand merchandise (商品) which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use. In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated.

    For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards. They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can. be restored with, a little care and used again. Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price. Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck. The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value. One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay.

    Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture. These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good. Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale. More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully. The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell. Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis. If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth.

What's the attitude many Americans have for flea markets?

    A) They don't like them because it's a waste of time.

    B) They suspect the goods sold there.

    C) They don't trust the sellers of the goods.

    D) They like them very much especially for good bargains.

What do Americans like to do with secondhand goods?

    A) Resell them at a higher price.

    B) Restore them and make them look new.

    C) They use them as furniture in their homes.

    D) They use them for a while and then discard them.

When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?

    A) They can question their value.

    B) They can compare with the other sellers.

    C) They can bargain on a price acceptable to both.

    D) They can expect a fifty percent discount.

Which of the following is TRUE about the garage sales?

    A) Only in spring and fall can people enjoy them.

    B) The goods orb display are all totally useless.

    C) All the goods are selling far below their true worth.

    D) One may buy a TV on a regular basis.

On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.

   China became the world’s second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China’s participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.

   The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.

   Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.

   Even worse is the environmental impact（影响）caused by cars. According to a national report, on a “smog day”, 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.

   The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.

   108 cities’ participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.

   On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.

   With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year.

From the passage, we can know that China ______.

A. has the world’s highest number of road deaths

B. has the world’s largest auto market

C. is the world’s largest greenhouse gas producer

D. is the world’s second-largest car-maker

Which of the following is discussed in the passage?

A. The causes of car growth in China.  

B. The effects of car growth in China.

C. The history of World Car-Free Day. 

D. The popularity of World Car-Free Day.

On Car-Free Day in 2007, 108 cities in China ______.

A. didn’t allow people to drive   

B. didn’t have air pollution

C. called on people to drive less  

D. called on people to drive freely

Car-Free Day in China will ______.

A. be held all the year round

B. stop air pollution and traffic jams

C. attract more people to join in

D. reduce the production of cars