A few years ago I had an“aha!”moment regarding handwriting．

    I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task．It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting，and then I realized whose it must be．I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year，maybe two，and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point．

    It was a very important event in the computerization of life―a sign that the informal．friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails．There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters，and we recognized one another's handwriting the way we knew voices or faces．

    As a child visiting my father’s office，I was pleased to recognize，in little notes on the desks of his staff，the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge― except that those notes were signed“dad”instead of“RFW”．

    All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The Rise and Fall of Handwriting，a book by Florey．She shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well，but many others argue that people in a digital age can’t be expected to learn to hold a pen．

    I don’t buy it．

    I don’t want to see anyone cut off from the expressive，personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does．For many a biographer，part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting．

    What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th―century Italy．That may sound impossibly grand―as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings．However，they have worked in many school systems．

51．Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague’s handwriting?

    A．He had worked with his colleague long enough．

    B．His colleague’s handwriting was so beautiful．

    C．His colleague’s handwriting was so terrible．

    D．He still had a lot of work to do．

52．People working together in an office used to ____________．

    A．talk more about handwriting

    B．take more notes on workdays

    C．know better one another's handwriting

    D．communicate better with one another

53．The author’s father wrote notes in pen _________．

    A．to both his family and his staff

    B．to his family in small letters

    C．to his family on the fridge

    D．to his staff on the desk

54．According to the author，handwritten notes _______．

    A．are harder to teach in schools

    B．attract more attention

    C．are used only between friends

    D．carry more message

55．We can learn from the passage that the author __________．

    A．thinks it impossible to teach handwriting

    B．does not want to lose handwriting

    C．puts the blame on the computer

    D．does not agree with Florey

So far great effort has ________ to develop a new type of personal computer.

1. A.
   been taken
2. B.
   been made
3. C.
   done
4. D.
   made

阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的字数要求）。

   ［1］To most Chinese students, studying abroad could be hard work. There are lots of difficulties they should face every day—the language barrier, culture shock, gaps between Eastern and Western lifestyles, expensive tuition fees and endless research projects.

  　［2］To Song Yinan, a 19-year-old Shenzhen girl, however, studying abroad was an unforgettable experience. In her book, “Kiki’s London Diary”, she tells her stories in an optimistic way.

  　［3］Probably the biggest difficulty Chinese students will meet is ___________. For example, in a story written at the beginning of her first term in London, Song suffered some embarrassment during a welcome party, where she was introduced to some dizzy drinks. However, she found that she couldn’t read most of the English names of the drinks and drank only cola and fruit juice. She described how red her face was and also the impatience of some other students as they stared the poor girl.

   ［4］Song says in an interview that it is still a good experience for her anyway. Although it sounds like “losing face” to most Chinese students, she says it is normal when you study abroad and she is happy to share the story with others.

  　［5］During her stay in Britain, Song was like an explorer. She discovered happiness in London everyday. She found happiness in a computer on which she could search for information on Chinese websites, at a low-price grocery, and form making friends with Britain students.

  　［6］Song was a high school student then and had never traveled abroad alone before. This is why Song’s parents say in the book’s forward that they were a little bit worried about their daughter.

  　［7］However, throughout the book, readers can feel the optimism and persistence of this strong-willed girl. Her study and life experiences in London are to delight any Chinese studying abroad or who plans to do so.

What’s the main idea of the passage? (no more than 10 words)

Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

It is certain that Song’s stories will give encouragement to those Chinese who are studying abroad or those who are going to.

Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words or phrases. (no more than 5 words)

What problems may you face if you go abroad according to the text? (no more than 12 words)

   ①____________________; ② ___________________;  ③ ____________________

Translate the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 into Chinese.

完成句子（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）

阅读下列各小题，根据括号内的汉语提示，用句末内的英语单词完成句子，并将答案写在答题卡上的相应题号后。

____________________ (虽然很恼怒), the headmaster listened to us with great patience. (as)

When the American war of Independence ____________________ (使得不可能) for England to send prisoners to North America, Australia was chosen as a new place where prisoners and criminals were sent. (make)

In order to apply for the 2008 Olympic Games, they did _______________________________

(他们所能做的) to show that Beijing is suitable to host the world’s largest athletic event over the past 2 decades. (what)

____________________ (被分离) from other continents for millions of years, Australia has many plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. (separate)

I’m trying to catch up with my classmates. If only I ____________________ (没有落后) them! (fall)

With each classroom ____________________ (装上) a computer, the students have easy access to whatever information they are in want of. (equip)

There are many kinds of birds on the island, and over 140 species of snakes, _______________ (其中许多) are extremely dangerous. (many)

In later years, the question arose who was the first ___________________ (登上顶峰) of Mount Qomolangma. (reach)

The town has changed beyond recognition; now it is ____________________ (五倍大) what it was 20 years ago. (size)

As is reported in the newspaper, dozens of people were arrested but none of them ___________ (被指控) the robbery. (charge)