I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.

When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!

One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!

From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.

During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times, I thought to take photos but never did. Then, I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.

Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!

The locust tree first attracted the author most by____.

A. the way it blocked the view     B. its height

C. the smell of its flowers         D. its green leaves

In which season do you think the author paid the least attention to the locust tree?

 A. Spring.    B. Summer    C. Autumn.    D. Winter.

Which of the following statements is true of the author according to the passage?

 A. He would have regretted if the locust tree had died as he had thought it had.

 B. The locust tree turned out to be a lovely memory for him.

 C. He felt unhappy as he had forgotten to take the photos with him.

 D. His work in the office changed with the seasons every year.

It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

 A. the locust tree died soon after the author left the office

 B. the author worked in the office for at least a few years

 C. it was summer when the author took his job in the office

 D. the weather was dry when the author first saw the tree

What advice does the author intend to give us?

 A. Treasure what we've owned.                B. Look before you leap.

 C. Treat everything calmly.                   D. Never forget the past.   

I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.
When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!
One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!
From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.
During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times, I thought to take photos but never did. Then, I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.
Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!
【小题1】 The locust tree first attracted the author most by____.

A research found that people shown silent videos of piano competitions could pick out the winners more often than those who could also hear the music. It underlines the importance of our sense of vision, say scientists. Their study concludes that the best predictor of a winner’s musical performance was the visible passion they displayed, followed closely by their uniqueness and creativity.

Chia-Jung Tsay, from University College London, UK, is the study’s author and herself a concert pianist. She was interested in how music was judged and found that even professional musicians were unaware of how much they were using visual information over sound. “For the last two decades, I’ve taken part in various competitions. Through this experience, I found that depending on what type of evaluations were used, the results might vary widely. This led me to wonder about how much visual information really affects these important decisions,” she explained.

More than 1,000 participants in the study were given samples of either audio, silent video or video with sound, and asked to rate the top three finalists from 10 international classical music competitions. The actual competition winners were only correctly identified by those who were randomly assigned(分配) the silent videos.

Dr Tasy said the findings were quite surprising, especially because both trained musicians and those without training had stated that sound was most important for their evaluation. “Regardless of levels of expertise, we still seem to be led primarily by visual information, even in this field of music,” she said. “Classical music training is often focused on improving the quality of the sound, but this research is about getting to the bottom of what is really being evaluated at the highest levels of competitive performance. She added, “We must be more mindful of our inclination(倾向) to depend on visual information at the expense of the content that we actually value as more relevant to our decisions.”

1.According to the study, who would most probably win a piano competition? 

A. One who plays with great passion.

B. One who plays unique music.

C. One who plays creatively.

D. One who has a sense of vision.

2.The participates in the study were asked to__________.

A. watch classical music competitions

B. assign the silent videos

C. pick out the best three competitors

D. decide who the winner is

3.What probably led Dr Tsay to carry out the study?

A. Her love for music.

B. Her desire to explore.

C. Her experience as a competitor.

D. Her curiosity in musical education.

4.Where does this text probably come from?

A. A text book.                                                                   B. A sports magazine.

C. A story book.                                                                 D. A science website.

Mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years I would   ­­1  ­­­ at the correct answer. When I was younger, I thought   2   very important to us, so I said, “My ears, mum.” She said, “No, many people are   3  . But think about it and I’ll ask you again.”

Since making my first   4  , I had often thought over the question. So the next time I told her, “Mum, it must be our eyes.” She said, “You are   5   fast, but the answer isn’t correct because there are blind people.”

   6   the years, mother asked me a couple more   7   and always her response was, “No, but you are getting   8  , dear.” Last year, my Grandpa   9  . Everybody was heartbroken, crying. When it was our   __10   to say our final good-bye to Grandpa, Mum asked me, “Do you know the important body part yet, my dear?”

I was   11   when she was asking me. I always thought this was a    12__ between us. She saw the   __13   look on my face and told me “This question’s very important. It shows you have really   14   your life.” I saw her eyes full of tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your   15  .” I asked, “Is it because they hold up your head?” she replied, “No, it is   16   on them a crying friend or a loved one can   __17   their head. I hope you’ll have a shoulder to cry   18   when you need it.”

Then and there I understood the most important body part is not a   19   one. It is being sympathetic(同情的) to the pain of   20  .

1.A. guess          B. believe                   C. doubt                D. notice

2.A. love           B. health           C. sight                   D. sound

3.A. blind                   B. invisible                  C. deaf                    D. thoughtful

4.A. discovery B. decision                 C. advice                D. attempt

5.A. thinking      B. learning                  C. growing                  D. changing

6.A. Over           B. Till                      C. Beyond                    D. Before

7.A. times          B. things            C. questions               D. ways

8.A. stronger    B. taller                 C. nicer                    D. smarter

9.A. left out      B. got ill             C. passed away          D. got wounded

10.A. turn          B. duty                    C. pity                     D. chance

11.A. satisfied   B. shocked                  C. interested             D. excited

12.A. test           B. secret                C. match             D. game

13.A. worried B. regretted                C. puzzled          D. pained

14.A. lived                  B. found            C. disliked                  D. enjoyed

15.A. feet          B. shoulders               C. hands            D. hair

16.A. how                  B. why                    C. because          D. whether

17.A. put                    B. carry                 C. leave                   D. rest

18.A. on             B. by              C. above             D. for

19.A. valuable B. selfish                C. useful                  D. precious

20.A. Grandpa  B. the deaf            C. others            D. the blind

I used to think that a good vacation meant staying in fancy hotels, eating at the nicest restaurants, and coming back with a darker skin and a suitcase filled with   36  . I also thought in order for it to be great, it had to be  37 . A few years and ten countries later, I now realize that  38  could be further from the truth.

Something tells me that Wu Jiangping—a Chinese girl who recently travelled across      Europe on just 15,000 yuan — would  39  my change of heart. Many would think it is  40  to design a 20-day trip through 9 European countries on such a meager budget, but that’s exactly what Miss Wu did! The success of her adventure boils down to three things — planning,  41  and attitude.

Wu Jiangping made a careful and detailed  42  well in advance, which included booking her flights with a low-cost budget  43 . It’s important to research various transportation options when travelling on a tight budget. What is easiest and fastest usually isn’t  44 .

When it  45  to priorities, a budget traveller must value the experience of travelling over the expensive luxuries that one might desire on vacation. This might mean trading a cozy bed in a hotel for a  46  bunk in a hostel.  47 , this often means that you get to share a room with like-minded fellow travellers, and, in my experience, you are likely to make lifelong friends in the process.

Of course, travelling often involves challenges and unexpected problems.  48 , Miss Wu found herself trapped in Florence, Italy when the cold current  49  Europe in February. Even when there are no real problems,  50  arriving in an unfamiliar country where you don’t speak the language and you can’t even ask for directions  51  be a discomforting experience. However,  52  you have a spirit of adventure, getting lost may  53  fascinating discoveries! When travelling, simply wandering the streets, trying the local food, and taking in the sights, sounds and smells around you can make for an extraordinary and unforgettable day. When you return home, your  54  — good, bad and bittersweet — are  55  you treasure the most. There is no greater souvenir than the lingering memory of your adventure.

36. A. books         B. souvenirs          C. clothes             D. food

37. A. cheap          B. alone         C. expensive D. faraway

38. A. nothing       B. anything           C. something         D. everything

39. A. agree with   B. deal with    C. put up with       D. come up with

40. A. simple         B. impossible C. essential           D. inevitable

41. A. traditions     B. advantages        C. privilege           D. priorities

42. A. decision      B. judgment          C. plan          D. conclusion

43. A. airline          B. company   C. shop         D. railway

44. A. the favorite B. the best     C. the worst   D. the cheapest

45. A. takes           B. comes              C. goes          D. means

46. A. luxurious     B. fantastic           C. comfortable      D. simple

47. A. Similarly      B. Definitely          C. Obviously D. Fortunately

48. A. At a time     B. In some time         C. At one point      D. Beside the point

49. A. swept         B. pushed             C. attracted    D. rolled

50. A. absolutely    B. occasionally      C. frequently D. simply

51. A. can             B. shall                     C. need          D. ought

52. A. as far as      B. as well as          C. as long as D. as good as

53. A. arise from   B. result from        C. subscribe to      D. lead to

54. A. thoughts      B. memories          C. minds               D. insights

55. A. that             B. which                   C. whatever          D. what