“Now ,”Mrs. Virginia DeView said, smiling, “we are going to discover our professions .”
The class seems to be greatly surprised. Our professions? We were only 13 and 14 years old! The teacher must be _36 _. “Yes, you will all be searching for your future  37 . Each of you will have to   38  someone in your field, plus give an oral report.”
Each day in her class, Virginia DeView reminded us about this. Finally, I picked print journalism. This _39_ I had to go to interview a true-blue newspaper reporter. I was extremely nervous. I sat down in front of him_40_ able to speak. He looked at me and said, “Did you bring a pencil or pen?”
I shook my head.  “How about some   41_ ?” I shook my head again .
Finally , I thought he realized I was   42 , and I got my first big tip as a  43 : “Never,never go anywhere without a pen and paper. You never know what you’ll run into. ”After a few days, I gave my oral report totally from   44  in class. I got an A on the entire project.
Years later, I was in college looking around for a new career, but with no success. Then I _45 _Virginia DeView and my desire at 13 to be a journalist. And I called my parents. They didn’t __46__me. They just reminded me how competitive the field was and   47  all my life I had to run away from competition. This was true. But journalism did something to me; it was in my blood. _48__gave me the freedom to go up to total strangers and ask what was   49 .
For the past 12 years, I’ve had the most satisfying reporting career, __50 __ stories from murders to airplane crashes and   51  choosing my strongest area.  52 _ I went to pick up my phone one day, an incredible wave of memories hit me and I realized that had it not been __53__Virginia DeView, I would not be sitting at that desk.
I get  54  all the time: “How did you pick journalism?”
“Well, you see, there was a teacher…”I just wish I could  55 her.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, carrier, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of the dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.” Memories fleshed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

“Jack, did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. it’s been so long since I thought of him. I’m sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,” Jack said.

“Well, he didn’t forget you. Every time I saw him he’d ask how you were doing. He’d reminisce (回忆) about the many days you spent over ‘his side of the fence’ as he put it, ” Mom told him.

“I loved that old house he lived in,” Jack said.

“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man’s influence in your life,” she said.

“He’s the one who taught me carpentry. I wouldn’t be in this business if it weren’t for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I’ll be there for the funeral.” Jack said.

Busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser’s funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time, which was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture … Jack stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” his Mom asked.

“The box is gone,” he said.

“What box?” Mom asked.

“There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he’d ever tell me was ‘the thing I value most’,” Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

“Now I’ll never know what was so valuable to him,” Jack said sadly.

Returning to his office the next day, he found a package on his desk. The return address caught his attention.

“Mr. Harold Belser” it read.

Jack tore open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack’s hands shook as he read the note inside,

“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bernett. It’s the thing I valued most in my life.” A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, and tears filling his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the fine cover, he opened it.

Inside he found these words carved: “Jack. Thanks for your time! Harold Belser.”

“Oh. My God! This is the thing he valued most …”

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his assistant and cleared his appointments for the next two days. “Why?” his assistant asked.

“I need some time to spend with my son,” he said.

66. Why did Jack think Mr. Belser died years ago?

   A. College and career prevented him from remembering Mr. Belser.

   B. Jack was too busy with his business and family to think about Mr. Belser.

   C. Jack was too busy realizing his dreams to think about Mr. Belser.

   D. His present busy life washed away his children memories.

67. Jack’s mother told him on the phone about Mr. Belser EXCEPT that _________.

   A. Mr. Belser often asked how Jack was doing

   B. Mr. Belser’s funeral would take place on Wednesday

   C. Mr. Belser had asked for Jack’s mailing address

   D. Mr. Belser had pleasant memories of their time together

68. Why did Belser send Jack his gold watch?

   A. Because he was grateful for Jack’s time with him.

   B. Because he had no children or relatives.

   C. Because he thought he had to keep his word.

   D. Because Jack had always wanted it during his childhood.

69. Why did Jack say he needed some time to spend with his son?

   A. He was very tired of his work and wanted to have a good rest.

   B. He had promised to spare more time to stay with his son.

   C. He had missed his son and his family for days.

   D. He came to realize the importance of the time with his family.

70. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. The Good Old Times                    B. What He Valued Most

   C. An Old Gold Watch                      D. The Lost Childhood Days

--- Alice looks sad. Did you tell her about her brother’s accident?
--- Sorry, I ________ her just before her final exams.

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选
项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The Blind Boy
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat(帽子) by his feet. He held up a __36__ which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few __37_  in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his _ 38 _ and dropped them into the hat. He __39__ took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words. He __40__ the sign __41__ everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to __42__. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had __43__ the sign came to see __44__ things were. The boy __45__ his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said in a different way, __46__ .” What he had written was: “Today is a(n) __47__  day and I cannot see it.”
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
__48__ both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so __49__ that they were not blind.
Should we be surprised that the second sign was more __50__?
Be thankful for what you have. __51__ life gives you 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to __52__. Face your past without regret. __ 53___ your present with confidence (自信). Prepare for the __54__ without fear. Keep the faith and __55__ the fear.
36. A. cover                        B. sign                         C. board                            D. note
37. A. cashes                      B. treasures              C. pennies               D. coins
38. A. pocket                      B. can                          C. backpack             D. case
39. A. still                            B. then                        C. already                D. yet
40. A. put on               B. put out                 C. put off                  D. put back
41. A. in case                      B. now that               C. so that                 D. as though
42. A. mix up                      B. show up                 C. fill up           D. make up
43. A. changed                            B. prepared               C. supported           D. reached
44. A. what                         B. why                         C. where                  D. how
45. A. realized                    B. recognized            C. felt                        D. discovered
46. A. though                     B. but                          C. yet                        D. still
47. A. average                   B. successful             C. harmonious        D. beautiful
48. A. After all         B. In the long term   C. Of course          D. As a matter of fact
49. A. happy                       B. disappointed        C. lucky                     D. strange
50. A. effective                  B. brave                      C. surprising           D. scientific
51. A. Once                         B. When                     C. While          D. Because
52. A. smile                         B. exist                       C. survive                 D. prove
53. A. Look into                  B. Search for             C. Deal with            D. Depend on
54. A. tomorrow                B. adventure             C. future                  D. sunrise
55. A. preserve                  B. charge                   C. run                        D. drop