I made a pledge (誓言) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical（圣经的）passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”

“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.

After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her. k*s5u

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress (悲痛), “do you know something I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup（体检）I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me？Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

1.

 From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage __________.

A. with his family   B. with Evelyn  C. alone            D. with his children

2.

During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because __________.

A. she looked lovely in her new clothes

B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C. he was determined to be a good husband

D. she was seriously ill

3.

The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.   

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

4.

By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that __________.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

第三节：完形填空 （共 20 小题；每小题 1分，满分 20 分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

Not long ago, I had a hard week at work. __16__ just kept popping up(出现) everywhere and I was struggling to keep from __17__ my cool. I felt like I was at the __18__ point.

One day, I made a trip across town to the store. After I __19__, I realized I had left my purse with credit cards at home. __20__, I had a small amount of cash in my pocket, so I __21__ it, my coupons(优惠券) and went inside. The store was really __22__, but I just found what I needed, waiting for the cashier(收银员) to check out my __23__. I waited and waited, meanwhile my anger grew. I had a bad day and all I wanted to do was go home, but I was __24__ in the line.

Finally, I got to the front, but the cashier didn’t __25__ my coupons. I was upset because I had used __26__ coupons there before. It didn’t __27__ me. I would just pay in cash. Then the cashier said it was 10 dollars. SHOCK! I was a little __28__. Now I was mad at myself for forgetting my purse and only taking a small amount of cash. Without a credit card or anything else, I __29__ my things and started to go back out to my car, wondering to myself why everything had __30__ for me.

Just as I was headed out, an employee __31__ me and said a lady in the __32__ had paid the difference for me and left. __33__ the amount she paid was small, the act was huge. A stranger, whom I had never met, completely changed my attitude with her __34__. Maybe next time I see someone having a __35__ day, I’ll do the same as her. After all, you never know whose day you might change.

16. A. Problems         B. Chances          C. Stories          D. Suggestions

17. A. enjoying         B. gaining          C. losing            D. continuing

18. A. growing          B. boiling          C. turning           D. beginning

19. A. adjusted         B. practiced        C. returned          D. parked

20. A. Finally          B. Thankfully       C. Gradually         D. lately

21. A. opened           B. closed           C. grabbed          D. found

22. A. quite            B. big              C. clean             D. busy

23. A. purses           B. goods            C. cards           D. pockets

24. A. stuck            B. served           C. followed        D. defeated

25. A. pay             B. use              C. accept          D. fill

26. A. extra            B. different        C. ordinary        D. similar

27. A. disappoint       B. change           C. move            D. surprise

28. A. foolish          B. short            C. proud           D. curious

29. A. made             B. did              C. collected       D. left

30. A. ended            B. failed           C. passed          D. disappeared

31. A. stopped          B. recognized       C. saw             D. helped

32. A. room             B. corner           C. line            D. company

33. A. Unless           B. Once             C. Although        D. Since

34. A. intelligence     B. humor            C. smile           D. generosity

35. A. tough            B. lonely           C. lucky           D. simple

　A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess（女家庭教师）Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ”I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”

　　“Forty.”

　　“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”

　　“Two months and five days.”

　　“Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.

　　“Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct？”

　　Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but - still not a word.

　　“Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect （疏忽）, Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”

　　“You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.

　　“But I made a note of it.”

　　“Well... if you say so.”

　　“Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”

　　Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!

　　“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”

　　“Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is !”

　　I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.

　　“Merci （法语: 谢谢）,”she whispered.

　　I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.

　　“For the money. ”

　　“But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you ! I have actually stolen from you ! Why this‘merci’？”

　　“In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”

　　“They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless （懦弱）?Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws（爪）—to be such a fool?”

　　Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”

　　I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world !”

While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her ________.

　　A. a protest　　　　　　　　　　　B. gratitude

　　C. obedience　　　　　　　　　　 D. an explanation

What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.

　　A. nervousness in front of her boss

　　B. acceptance of injustice

　　C. shyness when talking about money

　　D. reluctance to express herself

The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.

　　A. to be more aggressive

　　B. to be more careful in her work

　　C. to protect her right

　　D. to live independently

At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”to show ________.

　　A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety

　　B. his worry about Julia’s future

　　C. his concern on the living condition of working - class people

　　D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited

How can Omar’s class help?
Omar’s class at school learned about taking care of our planet. Children in his class worked hard at collecting newspapers, cans, and bottles. Their teacher took what they collected to a company where the things would be recycled（回收）and used again. Omar hoped that doing his would make progress toward cleaning up our Earth. Omar wished that they could do more. Then Omar’s teacher gave the class this form.

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.

    When I was a kid in New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed, almost nobody worked, and the highways, as a result, were not desperate steeplechases(障碍赛跑) they have become today. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.

The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for an hour of devotion, an opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there was no housework that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, different from the other days of the week, because everyone seemed to be on the same schedule, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.

Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to find that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association. In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visiting someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to DO this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall, to participating in a road race, to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such an answer would feel strange, which sounds like an echo from another era.

I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land and tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural feature still keeps at least remnants(残余部分) of the moral of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries(反复无常的情况) and a challenging environment.

1.The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when＿＿.

A. everyone was paying a visit to some relatives far away

B. everyone seemed to be free for others

C. Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house

D. nearly every adult would go to church and children weren’t at school

2.In the fourth paragraph, the writer compares the response “I’m making a Sunday visit to family” to an echo from another era because_____.

A. people nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday

B. such answers are rarely heard in our modern society

C. people in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday

D. visiting someone on Sunday was routine in the past

3.From the last paragraph we may infer that_____.

A. people in Maine suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment

B. people in Maine have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolutely new life

C. land in Maine is short, thus the relationship between people is tense

D. people in Maine tend to help each other out of necessity

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Doing many activities on Sunday is beneficial.

B. We should often travel a long distance to visit some friends and relatives.

C. Nowadays, Sunday has almost lost its association as a day of rest.

D. We should abandon some old tradition.