阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

Animals perform many useful and amusing jobs. Dogs are particularly valuable in guiding the blind,   31   property(财产), finding   32   people, and hunting criminals(犯人). Horses are used in guarding herds(牧群)，carrying men in lands where there are no roads, and helping farmers work their land. Pigeons(鸽子)  33   to carry messages. Wild animals from the jungles, forests and seas are very popular performers in   34   and motion pictures(电影). People realize that,   35   animals may not have the same intelligence(智慧) as   36  , they are clever enough to learn certain things.

   The first thing a dog is taught is to  37  . It should not  38   too 1ong for him to learn commands. Simple orders, such as “sit, lie down，stay there, come here, ” can  39  be taught by a child.

   Training a dog to be a watchdog often produces unexpected results. Some dogs quickly learn the difference   40   unwanted people and friends. This is   41   their masters welcome friends and invite them into their houses. However, some dogs will always   42   the postman who comes to   43   letters. One explanation for this behavior is that, although the postman comes to the house often, he never   44   the house. Therefore, the dog thinks the postman is someone   45   is not wanted, but keeps   46   back anyway.

   Dogs are extremely useful as   47   for blind people. When a dog has been properly trained, he will lead his blind master in the right direction and keep him   48    danger. For example, seeing eye dogs   49   a busy road when cars are coming,   50   their masters command(命令) them to do so.

A. saving         B. helping          C. making           D. protecting

A. lost           B. losing           C. loss             D. missed

A. have long used                     B. have long been used 

 C. have long been using                    D. are long being used

A. cinemas        B. theatres        C. museums          D. circuses(马戏团)

A. although       B. as               C. since            D. because

A. children       B. human being          C. human beings    D. students

A. obey          B. order            C. do               D. study

A. spend          B. take             C. use              D. want

A. still          B. though               C. enough           D. even

A. from           B. between          C. among            D. with

A. because of         B. due to               C. why              D. because

A. beat            B. protest          C. attack           D. eat

A. deliver        B. give             C. post             D. fetch

A. enters         B. enters into          C. gets                 D. arrives to

A. he             B. who              C. whom             D. which

A. come           B. to come          C. from coming      D. coming

A. companies      B. companions(同伴)   C. men            D. colleagues(同事)

A. out from       B. out              C. out of           D. out by

A. learn never to across                  B. learn to never cross

   C. never learn to cross                      D. learn never to cross

A. even           B. if               C. even if              D. because

EBay will launch an online group gift-buying service today designed to make it easier for several people to chip in, buy and pay for gifts using their social-network and e-mail contacts．

EBay North America Vice President Christopher Payne says it is going to be a major step forward in social commerce, which is the still-small practice of selling products through social networks．Online retail experts aren't as certain, but eBay says the new tool makes it easier for friends and relatives to chip in （凑钱） for gifts because it eliminates the headache of collecting contributions．It can also be used for family members to pitch in to buy, say, an expensive child seat for a mother．

Anything on eBay that's available immediately, rather than up for bid, can be purchased this way starting today at groupgifts．eBay．com．If members of an extended family wanted to buy a gift for one member, one person would choose a gift — or have one recommended by eBay — and invite family members to chip in using Facebook or e-mail．Those who wanted to join in would choose an amount to contribute （or agree to pay a requested amount） and pay using either PayPal or a credit card．They could also add a personal note．

If enough people don't chip in, the organizer can ask people to contribute more or choose a less expensive gift．

"I see myself using this most in cases when I typically might not buy someone what they want because of price," says Nitzan Shaer of Boston, who was part of an online test of the site．

EBay, with its 200 million products, millions of sellers and mobile commerce proficiency, is a logical place to pull together the products, groups of buyers and payment tools, Payne says．

At least 12 sites, such as FrumUs．com and eDivvy．com, facilitate （便于,利于） group purchases but don't sell products．Although a handful of retailers, including Victoria's Secret and 1-800-Flowers, sell products through Facebook, Payne says he expects social commerce will take off as rapidly as shopping using mobile devices．EBay did more than $600 million in sales on mobile devices last year and expects mobile sales to increase to $1．5 billion this year．

Although one in five consumers surveyed said they'd used Facebook for shopping in the past year, 88% said they would not be buying holiday gifts through a social network, mobile phone or smartphone．Of these, 26% were reluctant because of security or privacy concerns, and 20% were unclear about the benefits of using phones or Facebook to shop．

1.What procedure should be followed if your extended family intends to buy your grandpa an 80^th birthday gift?

①Asking family members to contribute more money if enough members don’t chip in

②Choosing a gift at groupgifts．eBay．com

③Paying using PayPal or a credit card

④Contributing or agreeing to pay a requested amount of money via Facebook or e-mail

2.Where can we most probably read this text?

3.What does “it” mean in the 2^nd paragraph?

4.It can be inferred from the text that ______．

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Invitation

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She thought they were hungry and invited them in to have something to eat.

They refused because her husband was out.

  71 “Go to tell them I am home and invite them in!” The woman went out and invited them in. “We do not go into a House together,” they replied. “Why is that?” she wanted to know.

One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. He said “  72  Let him come and fill in our home with wealth!”

His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love?   73 ”

The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”

Love got up and started walking toward the house.  74  Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love. Why are you coming in?”

The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him.  75 ”

E.         Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!

F.         He loved money badly.

G.        Let us invite Wealth.

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men sitting in her front yard. She said, "I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." 
"Is the man of the house home?” they asked. "No", she replied, "He’s out." "Then we cannot come in", they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go to tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in. "We do not go into a house together," they replied. "Why is that?" she asked. 
One of the old men explained that their names were Wealth(财富), Success and Love. Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home." 
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed and he suggested inviting Wealth to fill their home with wealth. And his wife wanted to invite Success; but their daughter-in-law suggested they should invite Love so that their home would be filled with love. At last the husband said to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest."
The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." 
Love got up and started walking toward the house. 
The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?" 
The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would have stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!" 
【小题1】The best title for this passage would be __________.

More than a hundred adults and kids gather for the Star Party on a cold evening, chattering excitedly as they stand in the dark on a Virginia hillside. The odd thing is, no one has turned on a flashlight, and no streetlights or house lights wink(闪烁) on around them.
These people have traveled to the countryside more than an hour from Washington, D. C., to get away from the glow of city lights.  That's because they are attending a star party. Star parties are gatherings where professional and amateur astronomers set up their telescopes and invite people to come learn about the night sky. Getting away from light pollution, or artificial skylight from buildings for example,  helps stargazers (看星星的人) see objects in the sky much better.
At this star party, Sean O'Brien of the National Air and Space Museum’s Einstein Planetarium starts off by asking the crowd to simply look up and take in all they can see. He points out plenty of things that can be seen without special equipment. Stars, satellites, and even the Andromeda galaxy(仙女座) can be found if you know where to look.
After that, several dozen astronomers offer close-up views. Each has focused their telescope on a different part of the sky. As kids take a look, the owner gives a mini-lesson.
O’Brien says you can have your own star party at home and learn a lot just by paying attention to what's happening up above. "Watch the sky as the seasons pass, and you will see that it changes," he says. "Or start with the moon. Notice when and where you are seeing it—maybe even in the early morning while you wait for the school bus. "
【小题1】What was it special about the Star Party ?