B

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

       The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

       In nutrition(营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

       Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.

We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ______.

   A. green outside and sweet inside         B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside    D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.    B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.         D. It was used as medicine.

The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.

   A. that people enjoy eating             B. that is always present

   CV. that is difficult to get                     D. that people use as a gift

We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte ______.

   A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples

 B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies

Not many people know that U.S. President Calvin Coolidge did not always live in the White House. Sometimes he lived in the nearby Willard Hotel.

Once, in the middle of a night, the President awoke to see a thief searching his clothes. Coolidge calmy spoke up from the darkness, “I wish you wouldn’t take that watch.”

“Why?” asked the shocked man.

Coolidged answered, “Take it near the window and read what is engraved on the back of it.”

The man read, “Presented to Calvin Coolidged, Speaker of the House, by the Massachusetts General Court.” He was very surprised!

“Are you President Coolidge?” he asked. He had never thought he would find the president sleeping in a hotel!

“Yes, I am” Coolidge said. Then he asked, “Why are you doing this,Son?”

The young man explained that he and a friend traveled to Washington during their college vacation. They spent all of their money and had no money to pay the hotel bill and the train tickets back to school.

Coolidge added up those fees. It came to $32.  That may not sound like much now, but it was a big sum then. “I’ll give you the $32 as a loan,” the President said, “And I expect you to pay me back.”

The youth thanked him. Coolidge left him with this warning: “Son, you are a nice boy, you are better than you are acting. You are starting down the wrong road. Just remember who you are.”

It wasn’t until after the death of Mr.Coolidge that this story was allowed to come out. It was first published in the Los Angeles Times. And the most interesting of all is that the President’s notes show that the young man was indeed better than he was acting. He repaid the $32 loan in full.

.The president stopped the youth from stealing the watch because          

 A. It was his favorite watch.

 B. He wanted to give some money to the youth

 C. He wanted to help the young man from getting into trouble

D. He used it for work and daily life

It can be inferred from the passage that      

   A. the youth’s family was in financial difficulty

   B. hotel fees were rather expensive at that time

   C. the youth never connected with the president again

   D. the youth learned a lesson from his experience with the president

How did people first get to know the story of the president with the youth?

   A. From the president himself

   B. From a newspaper

   C. From the youth’s notes

   D. From the youth himself

We can learn from the passage that      

A. possessions can be given up when necessary

B. generosity should be encouraged in some cases

C. people can benefit from their unforgettable experiences

D. an act of kindness may change a person’s life

A little girl lived in a small, very simple, poor house on a hill and as she grew she would play in the small garden. There, she was able to see over the garden fence and across the valley to a wonderful house high on the hill. This house had golden windows, so golden and shining that the little girl would dream of how magic it would be to grow up and live in a house with golden windows instead of an ordinary house like hers. Although she loved her parents and her family, she yearned to live in such a golden house and dreamed all day about how wonderful and exciting it must feel to live there.
When she got to an age when she gained enough skill and sensibility to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother if she could go for a bike ride outside the gate and down the lane. After pleading with her, her mother finally allowed her to go, insisting that she should keep close to the house and not wander too far. The day was beautiful and the little girl knew exactly where she was heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until she got to the gate of the golden house across on the other hill.
As she dismounted her bike and leaned it against the gate post, she focused on the path that led to the house and then on the house itself. She was so disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house that was derelict.
So sad she didn't go any further and turned, and heart broken as she remounted her bike. As she glanced up she saw a sight to amaze her. There across the way on her side of the valley was a little house and its windows glistened golden as the sun shone on her little home.
She realized that she had been living in her golden house and all the love and care she found there was what made her home the 'golden house'. Everything she dreamed was right there in front ofher nose!
【小题1】Why did the girl long for the house on the hill?

A few years ago, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, where I was employed. purchased Norand Corporation. Pioneer's sales representatives in the field used Norand hand-held terminals to upload daily sales information and download new price and sales incentive information. Pioneer bought so many of these hand-held-terminals, the economies made the purchase of Norand look interesting. Owning Norand also allowed Pioneer to explore high-technology markets outside agriculture.
But after a few years, the emerging laptop PC technology made the hand-held units obsolete (已废弃的). Pioneer sold Norand at a loss. Pioneer always took a given percent of the annual profits to divide equally among all employees, so our profit-sharing checks were lower than if Pioneer had not purchased Norand. Additionally, my Pioneer stock was lower than it had been before the purchase of Norand. I was not pleased.
The CEO of Pioneer, Tom Urban, made annual formal visits to each of the Pioneer divisions to talk about the state of the business and to listen to employees' concerns. When he walked into the meeting room for his first visit after the sale of Norand, he acknowledged the group, remove his jacket, and neatly folded it across the back of the chair. He loosened his tie, undid his collar and rolled up his sleeves.The next thing he said was the last thing I ever expected to hear a CEO say.
He said, "I made a mistake buying Norand and I am sorry. I am sorry your profit-sharing was lower because of the purchase, and I am sorry your stock was hurt by the purchase. I will continue to take risks, but I am a bit smarter now, and I will work harder for you."
A great man and leader stood before us that day. As I sat listening to him, I knew I could trust him, and that he deserved every bit of loyalty I could give to him and to Pioneer. I also knew I could take risks in my own job.
In the brief moment of silence before the questions started, I recall thinking that follow him into any battle.
【小题1】All of the following are the results brought by Pioneer's purchase of Norand except     .

C.
Here are two letters from our readers expressing their concern about school assessment (评价):
(l)
Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades (学习成绩). Fortunately, most educators realize that students have different interests and abilities. However, grade-based assessment is still very common. Grades often hold back creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to go in for music, drama and sports. Grades are also an unfair measure of a student’s ability. I do not demand, as some extremists do, that grades should no longer be recorded. However, I do believe that less importance should be placed on. grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional(可选择的) at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith, President
Drama Club
(2)
Let’s face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions( 功能). First, grades get students to work at their highest level of competence  (能力 ). Second, they act as an encouragement for hard-working students and as a warming to those who are not. Finally, grades are an effective standard by which to measure students' achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university.
I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired mainly because of their grades. My grades helped me get a part-time job and will help me into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper, Member,
Science Club
64. Simon Harper writes from the viewpoint of someone who      
A. insists grades should become optional in the near future
B. believe in the advantages of assessment based on grades
C. is concerned about improving students' creativity
D. supports using students' interests to measure their abilities
65. Magdalena Smith thinks it is important for       .
A. educators to assess the students by grades
B. educators to pay more attention to grades
C. students to compete for better grades
D. students to take part in music, drama, and sports
66. According to the letters, which of the following is TRUE about Village High School?
A. Grades are effective in every way.    
B. Grades hold back students' creativity. .
C. Grades bring about unnecessary worries.
D. Grades are still in use at present.    .
67. What are the two letters mainly about?
A. The role that grades should play in assessing students.
B. The importance of art and music in students' life.
C. The need to have a standard measure for students' success.
D. The reasons why grades shouldn't be used to assess students.