A strong wind was blowing hard, thunder was rumbling (雷声隆隆地响), and lightning flashed across the dark sky. Rain was   1   down; it looked as if heaven had been broken open.

Gleams of light appeared from windows of faraway houses, ___2___ like jewels in all the dark.

A   3   woman dressed in rags and trembling with cold was   4   on a lonely road, while the merciless rain was   5   her without pause.

She knocked at a door, and a  6  answered it. She begged him to let her stay a while   7  . The boy then let her into the sitting room and   8   her sitting by the fire.

The woman  9  old and tired under the bright electric light,   10  she was only in her early thirties. She sat   11  for a moment, and then her eyes began to look about the   12  . When her wandering eyes rested on the picture of a young man, she   13   up, looking thunderstruck.

Just then, the boy came with his  14. The man at once recognized the woman as his   15  . They had   16   touch with each other during the war, and he thought he had lost her forever.

17   words needed to be spoken. They ran into each other’s arms  18   the boy stared at them, puzzled.

The storm was over and the sky cleared. Feeling very   19  , the couple stood face to face with their child between them, watching the rain as it gradually   20  .

1．A. pouring      B. falling        C. dropping         D. flooding

2．A.blowing     B.breaking         C.shining           D. flying

3．A. rich         B. beautiful           C. poor         D. ugly

4．A. crying  B. wandering        C. struggling               D. wondering

5．A. striking  B. hitting         C. flowing                    D. beating

6．A. girl       B. woman                    C. man              D. boy   

7．A. out             B. near               C. inside            D. outside

8．A. left           B. made            C. asked                   D. told

9．A. became         B. appeared           C. showed            D. sounded

10．A. so           B. though              C. however               D. and

11．A. still         B. thirsty            C. hungry           D. straight

12．A. house            B. picture           C. room               D. fire

13．A. picked        B. came              C. stood               D. looked

14．A. brother       B. mother           C. friend               D. father

15．A. sister                B. wife          C. mother       D. girlfriend

16．A. kept         B. got                 C. made                 D. lost

17．A. Much         B. Many               C. No                     D. Not

18．A. as           B. while               C. when                D. since

19．A. disappointed          B. sorry          C. happy        D. sad

20．A. began             B. stopped             C. ended           D. went

1．在国外

A．aboard         B．abroad         C．board           D. broad

2．适应，改编

 A．adore          B．adopt          C．adapt            D. adjust

3．优点，好处

 A．afford          B．profit          C．benefit          D. advantage

4．欺骗

A．cheat           B．cheap          C．check           D. cheer

5．食堂，餐厅

A．canteen         B．captain         C．capital          D. candy

6．毕竟

    A．above all        B．at all           C．all around       D. after all

7．（感到）厌烦的，无聊的

 A．bore            B．bored          C．boring          D. border

8．教育，抚养

 A．bring back       B．bring up        C．break out       D. break down

9．要求，需要

 A．call for          B．call in          C．carry on        D. carry out

10．负责，主管（主动意义）

 A．make certain        B．for certain       C．in the charge of  D. in charge of

Make Up Your Mind to Succeed

Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winter.” And their report cards sounded more positive(正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
    Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years．Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:
    A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent(才能) is genetic—you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, it’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
    On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego(自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, it’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, it enjoys this experience.
    We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.

68. What does the author think about the present generation?
       A. They don’t do well at school.              B. They are often misunderstood.
       C. They are eager to win in sports.            D. They are given too much praise.

69. A fixed mind-set person is probably one who               .
       A. doesn’t want to work hard              B. cares a lot about personal safety
       C. cannot share his ideas with others          D. can succeed with the help of teachers

70. What does the growth mind-set believe?
       A. Admitting failure is shameful.               B. Talent comes with one’s birth.
       C. Scores should be highly valued.             D. Getting over difficulties is enjoyable.
71. What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?
       A. Encourage them to learn from failures.      B. Prevent them from making mistakes.
       C. Guide them in doing little things.             D. Help them grow with praise.

I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese. For Christmas I prayed for the boy, Robert. When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried in panic. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners?

On Christmas Eve, my mother created abundant Chinese food. And then they arrived—the minister's family and all my relatives. Robert greeted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.

Dinner threw me deeper into disappointment. My relatives licked (舔) the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table. Robert and his family waited patiently for a large plate to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert made a face. Then my father reached his chopsticks just below the fish eye and picked out the soft meat. “Amy, your favorite.”he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear.

At the end of the meal, my father leaned back and burped(打嗝) loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking. “It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied.”explained my father to our astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddish face. The minister managed to bring up a quiet burp. I was shocked into silence for the rest of the night.

After everyone had gone，my mother said to me，“You want to be the same as American girls on the outside.”She handed me an early gift.It was a miniskirt.“But inside you must always be Chinese.You must be proud that you are different.Your only shame is to have shame.”

It was not until years later that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the purpose behind her particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen excellent Chinese food.

64. When the writer found out the minister's family　 would come for Christmas Eve dinner, she cried　 mainly because ________.

A. she worried about their shabby Chinese Christmas

B. she worried about their Chinese relatives lacking American manners

C. she worried about meeting the minister's family

D. she worried about being laughed at

65．What does “he was not worthy of existence” probably mean? It means________.

A. the writer was not interested in his existence

B. he was worthless

C. he should not exist

D. the writer expected his coming

66．The dinner threw the writer deeper into disappointment mainly because________.

A. her relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks

B. her father reached his chopsticks to pick fish for her

C. her father leaned back and burped loudly

D. she childishly expected all of them to act in the same way as Americans at table

67．We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. the writer appreciated her mother's lesson years later

B. the writer must be proud that she is different

C. the mother prepared to show Chinese different food culture

D. the minister's family really enjoyed the food

Speed up or slow down? That was the question Wang Xueliang thought about as he approached the traffic lights. The 45-year-old driver hesitated for a few seconds before stepping on the brakes and stopping his car at a crossing on Beijing's Chang'an Avenue, even though the traffic light was still green. The light turned yellow a second later. For many drivers, passing through traffic crossings has become a guessing game since New Year's Day.

From Jan 1, new traffic laws mean all drivers in China that run a yellow light will have six points deducted (扣除) from the 12 given to their license. Drivers who run yellow lights will receive the same six-point punishment as those who run red lights. Those who forfeit 12 points over a calendar year will have to attend training courses and take exams organized by the local traffic management bureau. The rule was named "China's harshest traffic rule" by many online observers. The new rule also gives strict punishments for speeding, covering up the license plate, making phone calls while driving, and drunken driving. The punishment for covering up a license plate is 12 points.

"On the day the new rules came into force, drivers followed the rules and commonly seen violations, such as ignoring traffic lights , were seen less frequently," according to a report by Xinhua News Agency. The report said the number of accidents decreased sharply on Tuesday in five major cities — Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Jinan — from the previous day. Moreover, no severe accidents were reported.

Although the ministry said on Wednesday that some major cities reported a sharp decrease in urban traffic violations, the new law remains controversial ( 引起争议的)because drivers find it difficult to predict yellow lights and stop their cars in good time.

64. What can we conclude from the first paragraph?

A. Drivers find it hard to decide whether to speed up or slow down while driving.

B. Drivers find it hard to predict when the light turns yellow.

C. Drivers should stop their cars before the light turns red.

D. Drivers should make a guess about the light when passing through a crossing.

65. The underlined word “forfeit” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to_________.

A. increase　　 B. decline　　　 C. lose　　　 D. multiply

66. The following statements are false EXCEPT　　　 ．

A. You will be given a warning if you run yellow lights.

B. You will lose six points if you cover up the license plate.

C.A driver making phone calls while driving will have to attend training courses.

D. Since the new rules were carried out, the number of accidents has greatly decreased.

67. What do you think will be talked about after the last paragraph?

A. The effects of the new traffic rules.

B. Different people’s opinions of the new traffic rules.

C. The benefits of the new traffic rules.

D. The disadvantages of the new traffic rules.