I will never forget what my old headmaster told me. Normally when you are only 15years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.

        It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:

        An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.

        His house was filthy, and a stench (恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbours could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.

        The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

        He said nothing at all: he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.

        Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment(专心，敬业). We should remain true to our course, although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally disapprove. Just keep it in mind that commitment attracts wealth.

Why did the headmaster tell us the story?

      A. To enjoy ourselves.

      B. To teach us how to make money.

      C. To tell us the importance of commitment.

      D. To tell us not to look down upon beggars.

According to the passage which of the following is true?

      A. The old man made a living by begging.

      B. The old man was excited to be a millionaire.

      C. The old man became a millionaire by begging every weekday.

      D. The old man planned to became a millionaire.

Why did the police officer clean the old man’s house?

      A. Because the old man hired them to do so.

      B. Because they wanted to know how much money the old man had begged.

      C.Because the old man wanted to live comfortably.

      D. Because the neighbours could not bear the smell coming out of the oldman’s house.

What can we learn from the passage?

      A. Where there is a will, there is a way.

      B. Keep the general goal in sight while tackling daily tasks.

      C. Commitment attracts wealth.

      D. Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass.

第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分）
(A)
It is easier to start to learn a new language than to become good at it. I’ve started to learn many new languages, such as French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Afrikaans (南非荷兰语), and so on. I can’t speak them yet, but I’ve started picking up a few words and phrases that help me when I’m visiting. Most importantly, I’ve had fun doing this.
I’ve started to learn Italian, but I haven’t learned any Italian grammar, and when I visit Italy I’m not able to speak Italian correctly. My aim is just to communicate at a very basic level when I visit a country, to make an effort, and to show appreciation of the language and culture. I’m not trying to talk about politics or explain my views on life. I pick key or useful words and phrases that I want to learn. For example, as a visitor to another country, the key words in a foreign language are the words which will be of the most use to you and which you will use most often. These key words and phrases will vary from visitor to visitor, depending on the purpose of their trip.
It is worth remembering that it is easier to start a task than to finish it, and the same goes for learning a new language. The better you are at it, the slower your rate of progress will be, as you have to learn grammar, words and so on. If you are only trying to learn a few foreign words and phrases, you will make faster progress, have more fun, and won’t have to spend too much time on any given language.
61. From the second paragraph, we can infer that ______.
A. the writer is good at Italian, although it is rather difficult
B. the writer doesn’t like learning Italian because it is no fun
C. discussing politics or explaining one’s view requires an advanced language level
D. it is great fun to communicate with the local people in another country
62. Which of the following does the writer prefer to learn?
A. Sentence structure.        B. Important words and phrases.
C. Complicated sentences.        D. Grammar.
63. You can make faster progress ______.
A. if your language level is advanced  B. if you only try to learn some basic words
C. once you speak the language well 
D. once you have mastered several other languages
64. Which of the following would be the best title of this passage?
A. Starting Learning a New Language Is Easier than Becoming Good at It
B. How to Visit a Foreign Country
C. The Importance of Learning a Foreign Language
D. Why You Should Learn Several Foreign Languages

.

Dear Cassy,

Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. Although you are only 12 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application（申请）if you can meet(满足) a few requirements:

1）Send us three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow instructions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in your homework on time.

2）Send us a note from two doctors who will prove that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and never will be sick.

3）Send us a document from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than four minutes, climb an oiled rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without injury.

4）Send us notarized（得到公证的）letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had an envious thought towards other people.

5）Play and defeat five expert chess players while blindfolded（蒙着眼睛）after going without sleep for 48 hours.

6)Wait patiently（耐心地）for two years while we have investigators（调查）certify（确保）that all your documents（文件）are real

Your loving and trusting friends,

The Smiths

40. The Smiths send their message to Cassy by     .

A. e-mail       B. a letter        C. a newspaper    D. a report

41. According to the first paragraph,        .

A. the Smiths must have had an advertisement made, saying that they want someone to look after their children

B. the Smiths have informed Cassy that they need some children

C. the Smiths have promised to provide what Cassy asked for

D. the Smiths would be very glad if Cassy can meet their requirements

42.What is the attitude of the Smiths about hiring the 12-year old girl to look after their baby?

A. The Smiths try to tell her how to baby-sit children.

B. The Smiths don’t think a girl is good for the job.

C. The Smiths don’t want to hire her.

D. The Smiths are willing to offer her the job.

43. Which of the requirements mentioned by the Smiths do you think Cassy can meet?

A. All of them               B. Half of them  

C. None of them             D. Most of them

（一）根据下列句子所给汉语意思写出空缺处单词，或根据所给词写出正确形式。
【小题1】If you want to go to the party with me, you should        (表现好) well.   
【小题2】There were several new          (arrive) at the hotel last night.       
【小题3】It's illegal to read people's private letters without        (允许). 
【小题4】You are only         (稍微) underweight for your height.
【小题5】The Prime Minister has formed a new       (内阁).
（二）根据下列句子所给汉语意思完成句子。
【小题6】It’s going to rain. Xiao Feng, will you please help me                (收衣服) on the line?
【小题7】                 （已经确认）that the 31^st Olympic Games will be held in Brazil.
【小题8】Is it __________(在步行距离内)or do I need to take a bus？
【小题9】Firstly, we should                  life. (养成对…的好态度)
【小题10】In recent years, many of my friends have come to big cities to               .(追求幸福与成功)

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。

Every student has tests when they are at school. But have you ever been so worried about the tests that you can’t fall asleep at night? Have you ever felt sick or had a headache during a test?1. _____  This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid, which can give you a stomachache or a headache.

      2.   Good or normal stress might happen when you are called to answer a question in class or when you have to give a speech. This kind of stress can help you to get things better done.3.   

     But bad stress can happen if the stressful feelings keep going over a long time. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is ill, if you are having problems at school, or if you are going through anything else that makes you upset every day.4.  

      5.   That means making good decision about how to spend your time. If you are only dealing with school stuff and have no time to play, you can get stressed. Make sure you keep your SELF in mind: Sleep, Exercise, Leisure and Food. If you take care of yourself and get enough sleep and food, and if you exercise and leave time for fun stuff, you will probably be less stressed out!

A. However, there are two different kinds of stress.

B. Can you tell a kind of stress from another one?

C. The best way to keep stress away is to have a balanced life.

D. That kind of stress isn’t going to help you, and it can actually make you sick.

E. Since bad stress is harmful to us, you’d better try to change it into good stress.

F. If so, then you know what stress is. Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something.

G. For example, you may do a better job on your test if the stress pushes you to prepare well before the test.