I know I should have told the headmaster at the time. That was my real    21 .

He had gone out of the study for some   22  , leaving me alone. In his absence I looked to see what was on his    23  . In the   24  was a small piece of paper on which were written the    25  “English Writing Prize 1949. History Is a Serious of Biographies (人物传记)”.

A(n)   26  boy would have avoided looking at the title as soon as he saw the  27   . I did not. The subject of the English Writing Prize was kept a    28   until the start of the exam so I could not  29   reading it.

When the headmaster     30  , I was looking out of the window.

I should have told him what had    31  then. It would have been so  32  to say: “I’m sorry, but I  33  the title for the English Writing Prize on your desk. You’ll have to   34   it.”

The chance passed and I did not take it. I sat for the exam the next day and I won. I didn’t mean to cheat, but it was still    35   anyhow.

That was thirty-eight years ago when I was fifteen. I have never told anyone about it before, nor have I tried to explain to myself why not.

“Yes, madam, your husband ran into some trouble,” he replied. “They were caught in a heavy storm.” .Storms often cause trouble. When I was a baby, Dad had to spend long weeks at sea as a fisherman. One day, I suddenly began to cry loudly. No matter how Mom comforted me, I just kept crying. Mom felt uneasy. A feeling told her that something bad would happen. Then a word hit her----“Mayday”. Mom called the Coast Guard, asking the man on duty about my Dad and his ship.

Father and his crew radioed for help when water started pouring in his ship. We flew out there about an hour ago and dropped them a pump. “Take it easy. He will be back soon.” “What if the pump doesn’t work?” Mom questioned. “You should do another fly-over.” The man tried to comfort Mom, “He must be all right now, Mrs Hemingway, or we would have heard a radio signal from him.” “You haven’t got a Mayday?” “No, but we will let you know if we hear the radio signal.” Mom hung up.

I remained crying. Mom called the Coast Guard again. Finally, they said they would send out a rescue plane.

At midnight the phone rang. It was the Coast Guard. They had found my father and all his crew floating in sea 15miles off Jamaica. Dad’s ship had sunk, but fortunately all were safe.

“The pump they dropped didn’t work fast enough,” Dad said. “I radioed a Mayday, but I couldn’t get through.”

Dad didn’t get through to the Coast Guard because of the storm, but he got through to us. Really, there is something that can’t be seen but exists, as is said but can’t be explained, between us, the families. 

55. The underlined word “Mayday” in the first paragraph probably means “_________”.

A. a radio program                                        B. the signal for help   

C. the holiday in May                                           D. a sign of feeling sick

56. Why did the man on duty say the author’s father would return soon?

A. The pump they dropped was of high quality.

B. The author’s father called him and told him so.

C. The plane waited until the pump worked.

D. He thought no news was good news.

57. We can infer from the text that _________.

A. the man on duty in the Coast Guard was careless

B. the plane failed to find the ship which was in danger

C. the author’s father was in charge of the ship

D. the pump saved the author’s father finally

58. What may be the explanation for the author’s (as a baby) crying?

A. He might feel hungry in the evening

B. He might see something terrible in the room.

C. He might be afraid when left alone in room

D. He might have a feeling of uneasiness.

--I’m afraid I’ll come back in an hour.

-- There is no need to rush back. Just _________ .

A．take it easy        B．take your time      C．help yourself       D．feel at home

The UK has a well-­respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing.

October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life．

However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect（前景）of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-­wracking（令人头痛的）. Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?

Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.

Here is some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week：

●Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette（礼节）. Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.

●Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.

●Be sociable. The more active you are, the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than those who never leave their room.

●Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.

So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s new recruits．

1.Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage？

2.The underlined word “recruits” in the last paragraph refers to 　　　　．

3.We can infer from the 4th paragraph that 　　　　．

4.Why does the author suggest having wine glasses and snacks handy？

5.The main purpose of the passage is to 　　　　．

-Would you mind if I take the seat?

         -         .

A．Yes, sit down, please                                               B．Surely, never mind

C．No, not at all                                                    D．No, you can’t take it