In 1953, the New Zealander Edmund Hillary, then 33, joined a British Qomolangma expedition led by Colonel John Hunt. Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans were the first team to attempt the summit (顶峰). Despite a violent storm, they reached the South Summit — at 28,700 feet (8,748 meters) — by 1 p.m. on May 26. But both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on. They agreed to turn back.
Two days later, Hillary and Norgay, set out from Camp IX at 25,900 feet to make the next attempt. At 27,900 feet they made a temporary camp on a six foot wide rock to spend the night. At 6:30 the next morning, cheered by clearing skies, the team moved out. Roped together, cutting steps with their ice axes, they inched up a steep, knife-edged ridge (山脊) southeast of the summit. They reached the South Summit by 9:00 a.m.
Farther up, they met a 40-foot icy rock face, which was later named the Hillary Step. “…looking up at the rock step at 29,000 feet, it really did look extremely difficult to overcome,” said Hillary. But they found a narrow crack on the surface of the rock, just large enough to move inside on hands and knees, and managed to climb it by supporting feet against one side and backs against the other. Hillary said, “That was really the first moment during the whole of the expedition that I was confident that we were going to get to the top.” 
The last few yards to the summit were relatively easy. “Then I realized that the ridge, instead of rising ahead, now dropped sharply away,” Hillary said. “I looked upward to see a narrow ridge running up to a sharp point. …and we stood on the summit.” It was 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953.

1. 1.

   What is the passage mainly about? 

   1. A.
      The climbing history of Qomolangma.
   2. B.
      The life and achievements of Edmund Hillary.
   3. C.
      How Hillary and Norgay conquered Qomolangma.
   4. D.
      How the Hillary Step got its name.
2. 2.

   At what height did Hillary and Norgay set out on May 29? 

   1. A.
      25,900 feet.
   2. B.
      27,900 feet.
   3. C.
      28,700 feet.
   4. D.
      29,000 feet.
3. 3.

   According to Paragraph 2, one of the main advantages to Hillary and Norgay was        .

   1. A.
      fine weather conditions
   2. B.
      good rest the night before
   3. C.
      enough food supplies
   4. D.
      good climbing skills
4. 4.

   When looking back, Hillary described the Hillary Step as        .

   1. A.
      much easier to climb than she expected
   2. B.
      impossible for her to overcome again
   3. C.
      easy to climb up but hard to climb down
   4. D.
      one of the biggest barriers before the summit

In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.

In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious (半清醒状态) and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms (症状). While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them.

"Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning. (铊中毒)"

"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."

"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."

"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."

Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.

The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.

A. a doctor in Qatar               B. Nurse Maitlan

C. Dr. Brown                    D. Agatha Christie

The baby was sent to London because _____.

A. she was born there

B. the hospitals in Qatar were full at that time

C. she was the daughter of a doctor in London

D. the Qatar doctors were not sure whether they could cure her

As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.

A. had never met this baby

B. had spent a long time studying the baby's case

C. visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith

D. gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone

It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.

A. a dangerous pair of glasses

B. the water in Qatar

C. a harmful substance used to kill insects

D. a dead writer

When the baby was sent to the hospital in London, her case was considered to be _____.

A. an urgent one               B. quite a simple one

C. a usual one                 D. the result of thallium poisoning

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition（试镜）for My Kind of People, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn’t perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Susan was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Susan suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Susan put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother, Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan’s possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain’s Got Talent. We used to watch it together,” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Susan used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo（样本唱片）tape, which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Susan began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O’Neil.

In 2007, her mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”. She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O’Neil urged her to try out for Britain’s Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Susan auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables（《悲惨世界》）, in the first round of the show, which was aired on April 11, 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast（对比）to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

Bridget Boyle’s attitude towards her daughter’s musical talent can be described as ___.

   A. critical    B. doubtful     C. indifferent     D. confident

From Paragraph 4, we can learn that Susan _____.

A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coac B. entered Britain’s Got Talent to prove her ability

C. decided to give up her singing career    D. was deeply affected by her mother’s death

Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008. B. Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

C. She has never stopped singing since 1995.  D. She was the winner of Britain’s Got Talent. 

We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. Susan Boyle was convinced by her brother that her plain looks were disadvantageous to her success

B. It was at the age of forty that Susan Boyle established a student-teacher relationship with O’Neil.

C. Susan Boyle was so struck by her father’s death that she shut herself out from the neighborhood.

D. The online views of Les Miserables numbered over 40 million within a week in 2009.

In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ______.

A. tell us how Susan’s dream come true       B. let us know more about Susan’s personal life

C. show how Susan was influenced by her family D. explain how to enter and win a talent show

On May 27, 1995, our life was suddenly changed. It happened a few minutes past three, ___36___ my husband, Chris, fell from his horse as it ___37___ over a fence. Chris was paralyzed(瘫痪) from the chest down, ___38___ to breathe normally. As he was thrown from his horse, we entered into a life of ___39___ with lots of unexpected challenges(挑战). We went from the “haves” to the “have-nots”. Or so we thought.

___40___ what we discovered later were all the gifts that came out of ___41___ difficulties. We came to learn that something ___42___ could happen in a disaster. All over the world people ___43___ Chris so much that letters and postcards poured in every day. By the end of the third week in a ___44___ center in Virginia, about 35,000 pieces of ___45___ had been received and sorted.

As ___46___, we opened letter after letter. They gave us ___47___ and became a source of strength for us. We used them to ___48___ ourselves. I would go to the pile of letters marked with “Funny” if we needed a ___49___, or to the “Disabled” box to find advice from people in wheelchairs or ___50___ in bed living happily and ___51___.

These letters, we realized, had to be shared. And so ___52___ we offer one of them to you.

Dear Chris,

My husband and I were so sorry to hear of your___53___ accident last week. No doubt your family and your friends are giving you the strength to face this ___54___ challenge. People everywhere are also giving you best wishes every day and we are among those who are keeping you ___55___.

Yours Sincerely,

Nancy Reagan

36.A.since      B. before C. when  D. while

37. A. walked B. climbed      C. pulled D. jumped

38. A. able     B. unable C. suitable      D. unsuitable

39. A. disability     B. possession  C. convenience       D. experience

40. A. So       B. For     C. Or      D. Yet

41. A. sharing B. separating   C. fearing       D. exploiting

42. A. terrible B. similar       C. wonderful  D. practical

43. A. wrote for     B. cared for    C. hoped for   D. sent for

44. A. medical       B. postal  C. experimental      D. mental

45.A. news     B. paper  C. equipment  D. mail

46. A. patients       B. a family     C. nurses D. a group

47. A. effect   B. effort  C. comfort      D. explanation

48. A. encourage    B. express       C. control       D. treat

49. A. cry       B. laugh  C. chat    D. sigh

50. A. much   B. never  C. even   D. seldom

5l. A. bitterly  B. fairly  C. weakly       D. successfully

52. A. here     B. there   C. therefore    D. forward

53. A. driving B. flying C. running      D. riding

54. A. technical      B. different     C. difficult     D. valuable

55. A. nearby  B. close   C. busy   D. alive

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (试演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (样本唱片) tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil.

In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (对比) to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as      .

A. critical      B. doubtful     C. indifferent        D. optimistic

From Para. 4 we learn that Boyle      .

A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coach

B. entered Britain's Got Talent to prove her ability

C. decided to give up her singing career

D. was deeply affected by her mother's death

Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008.

B. Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

C. She has never stopped singing since 1995.

D. She was the winner of Britain's Got Talent.

In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to      .

A. tell us how Boyle's dream came true

B. let us know more about Boyle's personal life

C. show how Boyle was influenced by her family

D. explain how to enter and win a talent show