Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南针). While he was alive, he  36  me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important  37 : “Believe in yourself.”

If there was one phrase my dad  38  liked to hear, it was “I can’t.” He never got to finish high school and  39  two jobs to support his large family,  40  he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.

When I was in high school, I had a  41  time with math. He tried to help me, but I  42 struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for  43  help. I told Dad, “That’s  44 ! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the  45 . Despite (尽管) working 12 hours every day, Dad never once  46  driving me to school.

After months of  47 , I was facing the final exam. I was so  48 . On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke,  49  yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my  50  and in the hours of work I’d  51 . When I got my  52  proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it!”

Even now, whenever I  53  that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how  54  something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever  55  to Dad for that lesson.

1.                A．understood     B．forgave         C．guided   D．impressed

2.                A．history         B．lesson          C．skill  D．language

3.                A．always         B．almost          C．ever D．never

4.                A．took           B．lost            C．left  D．finished

5.                A．so             B．or             C．but  D．and

6.                A．good           B．free           C．terrible   D．short

7.                A．still            B．nearly          C．hardly    D．probably

8.                A．real           B．practical        C．immediate D．extra

9.                A．wonderful      B．crazy           C．expensive D．necessary

10.               A．house          B．school         C．office D．farm

11.               A．suggested       B．risked          C．enjoyed   D．missed

12.               A．meeting        B．testing         C．learning   D．interviewing

13.               A．excited         B．nervous        C．happy D．shocked

14.               A．stand for       B．hold back       C．believe in  D．look after

15.               A．teacher        B．luck           C．time  D．ability

16.               A．wasted         B．ignored         C．picked up  D．put in

17.               A．answer         B．grade          C．pay   D．gift

18.               A．hope          B．forget          C．worry D．promise

19.               A．different       B．important       C．hard  D．interesting

20.               A．grateful        B．sorry          C．polite D．useful

At sixty, Maugham decided to withdraw from the theater and wrote The Summer Up, in which he tried to review what he _______ from his life and literature.

A. had learned  B. has learned   C. was learning D. would learn

"Super Dan", as top-seeded Lin Dan of China is better known in the badminton（羽毛球） world, had his Olympic dream come true after claiming the men's singles gold by beating Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia on August 17 in the Beijing Olympics.

His father, Lin Jianbin, said "Super Dan"has waited for four years to get this championship and he felt very proud of his son, as well as his prospective daughter-in-law Xie Xingfang, who is also a badminton player and won silver in women's singles at the Beijing Games.

An SMS: The beginning of a love story

Lin was born in Shanghang County, Longyan in Fujian Province. He first met Xie Xingfang when he was 14-years-old. 16-year-old Xie was attending a national youth team badminton training camp in Jinjiang, Fujian and Lin was also there.

Tall and beautiful, Xie became the Snow White in the heart of Lin Dan, and he tried to please her and get chances to chat with her after the training sessions. He did not go beyond that.

Before the Spring Festival in 2004, Lin finally mustered（召集，聚集） the courage and sent Xie Xingfang a text message - I LOVE YOU. In fact, Xie Xingfang had already realized Lin Dan was fond of her. And covertly（秘密地） , she began to pay attention to Lin's movement and performance on the court. "He is very interesting, got a lot of ideas, and is a lovely boy."

Two Kisses

In May 2004 at the Thomas Cup in Jakarta, their love relationship was first known to the public. Xie sat with her teammates and watched the men's team playing. When Lin Dan won the match, he rushed to the bench and kissed Xie, a move that Xie did not expect Lin to do in public. A photographer captured this moment.

At the All England Open in 2007, Lin kissed her again in public, making Xie feel like the happiest woman in the world.

After Lin won his third title at the Open, he did not stay to watch Xie play. Xie defeated her opponent and won the championship. When she was called to accept the trophy（奖品，战利品） , Lin suddenly emerged at the central venue, holding red roses and gave her the flowers, and a passionate kiss.

Nine Roses

Earlier, on February 14, 2006, Lin and Xie were with the national badminton teams at a training camp in Jinjiang. The teams had their rules – not going out of the training camp. Xie thought she would spend the Valentine's Day without flowers.

But Lin still managed to give her a surprise – giving her a Dior wallet as a Valentine's gift and nine roses. With the teams' rule in place, Lin asked his local friend to buy the roses and gave her a pleasant Valentines surprise.

A 200-square-meter apartment

Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang's love has been through four years of tests, and Xie's father also said that they should consider marriage after the Olympics.

In fact, Lin Dan has already prepared for this. He has bought a 200-square-meter apartment in downtown Beijing, with 4 rooms and 2 living rooms. Paying about 20,000 yuan per square meter for the apartment, it is reported the apartment is now valued at 8 million yuan.

"After the Olympics, we really want to live our own lives, go on vacation, go to school, get married, I am really looking forward to it," Xie said happily.

With two kitchens, one Chinese and one Western style, Xie said she wanted to be the person preparing soup at home and enjoy family life.

1.How old was Lin Dan when he first met Xie Xingfang?

2.What does Xie Xingfang specialize in?

3.What did Lin Dan give Xie Xingfang as a gift for the Valentinge’s Day in 2006?

4.When are the plans of this couple after the Olympic except _____?

Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.

The First Theft:  

The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.

The Most Famous Theft:

The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.

It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.

While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.

The Biggest Theft in the USA:

The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.

As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.

1. How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___

A．Thirty six months                        B．Thirty months

C．Half a year                             D．Around two years

2.What does the underlined sentence, “he tried to make the best out of his stolen good” mean?

A．Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting.

B．Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting.

C．Valfierno was tired of waiting.

D．Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully.

3. Which case among those mentioned in the passage is still a mystery?

A．Mona Lisa case

B．Last Judgment case

C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case

D．none

4.People from the country of _____ is not involved in the passage.

A．China            B．France            C．Dutch            D．Vantican

5. Which statement is WRONG according to this article?

A．Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect.

B．Art thieves normally not work alone.

C．The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates.

D．The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies.

6. The passage is not finished, which subtitle could be the next?

A．The Economic Value of Art Theft            B．The Loss to Art Lovers

C．The Most Sought After Painting             D．Boston Mob and French Art Dealers

When I walked into the house after school, the first thing I noticed was a box with items I recognized from my dad’s office.

“What are you doing at home?” I asked casually.

“Andrew, I was       today,” he answered quietly.

I was sure he was joking. “No, you weren't. Why are you      at home?”

Then I noticed his      and realized he was telling me the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career.     our family has been his joy, and I guess I have     his work for granted.

My father’s unemployment      many changes in our lives. For starters, he was at home all the time, which meant my bed had to be     , my room cleaned up, and my      done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer      jobs. I began to notice how     he seemed, and how losing his job affected his self-esteem, though he tried to be     . For the first time, I     my dad as vulnerable (易受伤的). He asked my brother and me to     less. I gave up my pocket money,      it wasn’t much. I felt I was doing the right. I also found a part-time job.

After several difficult months of searching, my dad     to go in a totally different direction. He     that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him      it, and I admired how much time and    he expended. I      knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really affected me.

Although this was one of the    experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity (逆境), and will be my foundations for success.

1.A. taken off    B. put off  C. laid off  D. called off

2.A. finally         B. really    C. frequently     D. especially

3.A. happiness  B. kindness        C. loneliness        D. seriousness

4.A. Supporting          B. Providing       C. Offering         D. Shooting

5.A. regarded   B. taken    C. viewed D. looked

6.A. came out   B. brought about       C. gave off         D. let out

7.A. made B. sold       C. banned D. applied

8.A. job     B. homework    C. fun              D. time

9.A. falling into B. putting up     C. keeping on       D. searching for

10.A. depressed        B. patient  C. smart            D. honest

11.A. disappointed    B. optimistic      C. anxious          D. appropriate

12.A. considered       B. remembered         C. refused          D. predicted

13.A. earn         B. enjoy    C. spend   D. find

14.A. even so    B. if only   C. even though D. as if

15.A. hoped      B. decided         C. dreamed       D. expected

16.A. advised    B. informed       C. explained      D. insisted

17.A. form         B. open     C. set         D. build

18.A. strength   B. power   C. force     D. energy

19.A. never       B. seldom C. always   D. hardly

20.A. worst        B. best       C. most      D. least