B
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo(竹子) trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo tree’s ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word resilience （恢复力）comes to mind.  When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to snap（突然折断）? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
　　During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured（忍耐） unpleasant physical symptoms（症状）.
　　Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
　　If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don’t break!
60．When the writer talks about the bamboo trees, he wants to tell us          .
A．he can’t forget those bamboo trees
B．he used to watch them bend under pressoure and return to their upright position
C．he still remembers the good days as a child
D．he admires the character of the bamboo trees
61．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．When you have overcome some depression, you show resilience.
B．When you are about to snap, we say you are resilient.
C．If you feel like you are at your breaking point, you are fortunate.
D．If you feel mentally exhausted, you are likely to experience pleasant physical symptoms.
62．What does the writer mean by saying “Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you?”
A．You should make the best of the situation.
B．You should try your best to get the best situation.
C．You should try your best not to be defeated by the situation.
D．You should try your best not to give up the best situation.
63．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．My fondest memories     B．Good times and bad times
C．Enjoy the peace and quiet       D．Bend, but don’t break

D

A team of scientists proved that seals had a very good sense of hearing. These men trained blind seals to expect food when they heard sounds. The seals always began snapping(猛咬) when a strong signal was sounded.

It was proved that even a soft signal, a considerable distance away, could make these sea animals respond. That should make the fisherman who makes much noise while working, or talks loudly, start thinking.

The same team of scientists also trained seals to recognize different sounds. One bell-tone meant food ,two bell-tones meant no food. In the beginning, the seals made mistakes when the two bell-tones were sounded. They were given a light tap after each mistake. The seals were good learners. They easily learned to tell the difference between the sounds.

67.Why was it necessary to use blind seals? Because they______.

A. were unable to use sight for clues    B. had better hearing

C. were waiting to be fed             D. were the only animals to be found

68. To those seals strong signal meant_____.

A. snapping     B. nothing      C. food       D. a light tap

69. The article doesn’t say directly but suggests that fishermen usually think______.

A. seals have no good sense of hearing   B. seals have good sense of hearing

C. seals can only recognize bell sounds   D. seals can not hear soft or long distant sounds

70. Which title will be the best to suit the article?

A. Clever Seals                      B. Smart Learners 

C. An Underwater School             D. An Unknown School

D

A proverb(谚语) is a short , well-known saying that expresses a common truth or belief. Proverbs are popular around the world. Many proverbs give advice on how to live. Some proverbs are hundreds of years old, but they are still used today.

For example, my son is just like his father in many ways. We often say the two of them prove the proverb that the apple does not far from the tree.

My daughter is very short. She would like to be taller. But I tell her that good things come in small packages. Some valuable things are very small, like diamonds and other jewels. But I also tell my children that all that glitters is not gold. Something may look valuable, but may not really be valuable. Also, I tell them do not judge a book by its cover. You should not judge something only by its appearance.

Sometimes I tell my children to cooperate to solve a problem. After all, two heads are better than one. But another proverb says too many cooks spoil the soup. If too many people try to do something, then the job will not be done well.

I also tell my children that two wrongs do not make a right. You should not do something bad just because someone did the same to you.

Some people are pessimists while other people are optimists. Pessimists always think about how bad things are or will be; optimists might say that every cloud has a silver lining and they always look on the bright side. Other people are both pessimists and optimists. They hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Some people often worry about what they will do in a situation that might happen in the future. We could tell them do not cross that bridge until you come to it.

It is usually much better to prevent a problem from happening than it is to find ways to solve it. So we say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

63. The author often comforts her daughter with the proverb that ____.

A. the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

B. good things come in small packages

C. too many cooks spoil the soup

D. two heads are better than one

64. If someone says “two heads are better than one”, he means____.

A. jobs will be done better if two work together

B. a problem will be solved easily by many people

C. jobs won’t be done well if there are too many people

D. you can’t do something bad even if someone else does it

65.The underlined word “pessimists” in the sixth paragraph refers to those people_____.

A. who always look on the bright side

B. who always expect bad things to happen

C. who are always full of hope for the future

D. who always make preparations for the worst

66. Which of the following are optimists likely to say?

A. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

B. We hope for the best and prepare for the worst

C. Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.

D. Every cloud has a silver lining

B

One cold morning in winter, when I was a little boy, a smiling man with an ax on his shoulder stopped me, saying: “My pretty boy, has your father a grindstone（砂轮）”

“Yes, sir,” said I．

“You are a fine little fellow!” said the man． “Will you let me grind（磨） my ax?”

Pleased with the flattery, I answered, “Oh, yes, sir． The grindstone is down in the shop．”

Patting me on my head, he said, “Will you get me some hot water?” I ran and brought the hot water．

“How old are you, and what is your name?” he asked without waiting for a reply, “I’m sure you are one of the finest boys I have ever seen． Will you turn the grindstone a few minutes for me?”

Hearing the flattery again, I went to work with a will． It was a new ax, and I worked hard until I was almost tired to death． The school bell rang, but I could not get away, because the ax was not half ground．

At last, however, it was sharpened． Then the man turned to me and said, “Now, you little rascal(小坏蛋), you’ve played truant(逃课)! Run to school, or you’ll be sorry!”

“Alas!” thought I． “It was hard enough to turn a grindstone this old day, but now to be called a rascal is too much．”

The memory of turning the grindstone that winter morning sank into my mind． I have thought of it since． Now, whenever I hear words of flattery, I say to myself． “That man has an ax to grind．”

60．In this passage, the word “flattery” means _____．

A．an order or direction

B．nice words used beyond truth

C．kind words spoken by elder people to children

D．good manners

61．The man asked the boy many questions because _____．

A．he liked the boy very much

B．he wanted to know the boy’s name

C．he wanted to sharpen his ax

D．he wanted to know how old the boy was

62．The man called the boy “rascal” because _____．

A．his ax was damaged by the boy

B．he didn’t like the boy’s play truant

C．he didn’t need the boy any more

D．he thought that boy should go to school on time

63．Today in the writer’s vocabulary “That man has an ax to grind” means _____．

A． that man has some selfish reasons for his actions

B． that man works with an ax

C． that man is very kind and polite to boys

D． that man needs to sharpen his ax

                                  D

A husband-and-wife team from California reached the Pacific Ocean after a 4,900- mile-cross

-country walk, becoming the first to backpack the American Discovery Trail in one continuous

walk. 

  Marcia and Ken powers, of Pleasanton, started the travel across 13 states, through 14 national parks and 16 national forests on Feb. 27 from Cape Henlopen in Delaware. Nearly eight months later, the excited couple walked through water into the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes, a day ahead of time. 

“We are a little sad that a great adventure is over. It was a fantastic adventure. And now we go home and just do housework. It's really sad.” Marcia, who said she's in her 50s, and her 60-year-old husband traversed cities, desert, mountains and farmland before reaching the Pacifics alone with arms around each other' s backpacks.

They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Mid- west and strong desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off. But they enjoyed the French history of St. Louis' the beauty of the Colorado Rockies and the kindness of strangers they met along the way. They particularly remember two brothers ---- a

doctor and dentist-------who put them up in their homes, after terrible days, and a motorcyclist who gave them water after they failed to find any on Utah's lonely Wah Wah Desert.

  “Americans are truly warm-hearted and wonderful people.” Marcia Powers said. “We got to meet people that we would never meet in our daily living at home. We got to touch it with our feet and hands and smell all its scents and hear its wildlife. It' s an amazing country,” she added.

68. Which of the following about couple's walk is TRUE?

 A. The walk covered more than 13 states.

 B. The walk lasted about half a year.

 C. The walk didn't meet any desert.

 D. The walk might end before October 27.

69. The underlined word “traversed” in the third paragraph means “____________.”

 A. enjoy                       B. move across, through or over

 C. overcome                    D. look at

70. According to the text, we can infer that during the walk the couple __________.

 A. were treated warm-heartedly by the local people

 B. never stopped to have a rest

 C. were ever caught in a heavy rain and became ill

 D. felt the quicksand in Utah was very interesting

71. The couple went through many places except ____________.

 A. big rivers       B. desert      C. hills       D. fields