I went into Harrods in London (a huge department store I am sure you have heard of) to buy some Minton china plates for a wedding anniversary which was to be a group gift from friends to other friends in Geneva.
Having only 30 minutes between meeting. I whizzed there in a taxi from the office and battled through the milling people on the 2nd day of the sales on the ground floor up to the 5th to the china department. There was a man standing there who was obviously a sales person who I rushed up to and asked if he had this particular china in stock and if it would take long to wrap, etc. He was amazing. He got the plates in seconds, wrapped them up and asked me if I wanted a store card, to which I replied no, because I lived in Switzerland, to which he replied asking if, as I lived abroad, would like a tax rebate form(退税表). After that he showed me what to do, produced a map of the store and told me where I should go for the formalities(程序). That was fabulous! I thanked him and said what wonderful service he had given me. I even asked if he gave this to everyone, to which he answered: “I’m just doing what is required at Harrods”. With that, a tall man in a gray suit approached me and offered his hand to shake mine saying, “Can I introduce myself? I am the Chief Executive of Harrods and what an interesting conversation I have just heard…” He had been wandering through the store (as you should do as a hands-on CEO) and had overheard me thanking this salesman, whose face, I can hardly describe, was frozen in a mixture of delight awe and astonishment!
Can you imagine the salesman going home to his family and friends recounting what the CEO spoke to him after overhearing him being praised by a customer?

1. 1.

   The writer went to Harrods to __________

   1. A.
      kill time
   2. B.
      buy some gifts
   3. C.
      go sightseeing
   4. D.
      shop for her wedding
2. 2.

   What does the underlined word “whiz” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

   1. A.
      drive
   2. B.
      arrive
   3. C.
      rush
   4. D.
      leave
3. 3.

   Which of the following sentences can best replace “I’m just doing what is required at Harrods” in the second paragraph?

   1. A.
      “I’m an honest man.”
   2. B.
      “I must obey the rules.”
   3. C.
      “Harrods is strict with its employees.”
   4. D.
      “Anybody will receive our good service.”
4. 4.

   As soon as she bought what she wanted, the writer________

   1. A.
      went to a meeting
   2. B.
      flew back to Geneva
   3. C.
      visited one of her friends
   4. D.
      attended a wedding ceremony
5. 5.

   The writer wrote the above passage because she thought what she had experience was so ____

   1. A.
      pleasant
   2. B.
      strange
   3. C.
      exciting
   4. D.
      amusing

Two friends visited the zoo together. The zoo was very large and it was   36  to go everywhere. They had to decide where and which animal to visit as their time was   37 . So both of them agreed not to   38  after choosing a   39  at every fork (岔路口).
A road sign at the first fork   40  one way to the lion quarters and the other to the tiger hill. They decided on the   41  after a   42  discussion because lions were “the king of the grassland”. The second showed a division (路口) going separately to the panda and peacock. They   43  panda as it was the nation’s treasure and went its way. Thus they made choices all along the way and each choice meant   44  what they could regret. But they had to make it  45 , for it brooked (容忍) no delay. If they hesitated they would miss  46 . Only   47  decision could offer more chances for sightseeing and   48  possible regret.
Life is  49  like this—choices often occur that one has to make, for example, between two  50  jobs, two fascinating wooers (追求者). To get one you   51  give up the other—you can get half of it. If you   52  weighing the pros and cons(权衡利弊) and calculating gains and losses, you will most likely   53  empty-handedness. Don’t be sad about it.  54  you have got half of the desirable things in life—something that is   55  to get.

Harry Houdini was a man who astonished and attracted many people during his life. Whether he was escaping from a locked box or making things disappear and reappear, he surely was entertaining. People thought that he must truly have some supernatural powers, but in fact, what Harry really had was drive.

Harry was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874. His real name was Ehrich Weiss, the third of five children. His family moved to Wisconsin not long after his birth and when he was nine, he was tying ropes all over his backyard and learning amazing tricks to show his friends and neighbors. He visited the local locksmith, and when he had reached his teens he could pick almost any lock that was made. He also learned how to do card tricks. He and his brother, Theo, would often entertain at local parties and clubs for extra money.

When Ehrich was 16, he came across a book that would actually change his life: the biography of France’s greatest magician, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. It showed Ehrich that his hobby of magic and tricks could also be a career. Immediately, he changed his name to Harry Houdini. He and Theo headed out to make a living as magicians.

In 1893, they performed at the Chicago World’s Fair, and after that they traveled around giving magic shows for anyone willing to listen and pay. Theo grew restless, however, as the jobs became scarce, so he left. His timing was perfect since Harry had just fallen in love with a lovely woman named Bess who was just the right size for slipping in and out of the trunk they used in their magic tricks. They married immediately and then off they went, traveling with circuses and other road shows. Harry learned more and more tricks and spent much of his time reading and studying all kinds of locks, especially handcuffs. However, no matter what tricks they did or how hard they tried, Bess and Harry were not doing well. They tried to sell their shows for seven years and finally, in desperation, they went to Europe.

　　　 It was the right move. Harry’s persistence and constant practice were about to pay off. To get people’s attention, he walked into police stations and offered to be handcuffed by all the policemen. They were shocked when he was loose only seconds later. Soon, everyone in Europe was talking about Houdini’s astounding skills. He was in high demand and found himself doing more and more dangerous acts. He escaped from a straitjacket hanging upside down over the street; he escaped from locked boxes of all kinds; and, of course, he got out of any kind of handcuffs put on him.

　　　 After several years in Europe, Bess and Harry returned to the United States in victory. Harry was doing such amazing tricks that people felt he must have special powers. However, few realized how much time he spent practicing and studying. He would do special exercises to keep his body strong, and he would do tricks with his fingers to keep them flexible. He would spend large amounts of time tying and untying knots — with his toes! For his underwater tricks, he would get in the bathtub and practice holding his breath for longer and longer times. Since many of his tricks involved being deep in icy water, he would pour buckets of ice in the tub to get accustomed to working in the cold.

The reason that Harry Houdini was such a success was that he practiced and prepared for whatever might happen. When a college student punched him in the abdomen in 1926, however, he wasn’t prepared. The punch did internal damage that not even this magician could get out of. Harry died in 1926 at 52 years of age — a master of his trade and a true legend.

56. Houdini decided to become a magician after ______.

A. he read a book about a famous magician 　　　 B. he learned to pick a lock

C. he started entertaining at local parties 　　 D. he learned to do card tricks

57. The author supports the argument that Houdini was a hard worker by describing ______.

A. his famous tricks　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. his childhood　　

C. how he prepared　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. how he became popular

58. Which of the is true according to this passage?

A. His brother left him because he was doubtful of the future.　

B. He went to Europe after an argument with his brother.

C. Bess was a great help in his career before they were married.

D. He succeeded because he had special powers.

59. It can be inferred that Houdini’s death was ______.

A. a plotted murder　　　 B. another performance　　　　 C. a legend　　　　　 D. an accident

完形填空

　　Two friends visited the zoo together. The zoo was very large and it was 1 to go everywhere. They had to decide where and which animal to visit as their time was 2 . So both of them agreed not to 3 after choosing a 4 at every fork(岔路口).

　　A road sign at the first fork 5 one way to the lion quarters and the other to the tiger hill. They decided on the former after a 6 discussion because lions were“the king of the grassland”. The second showed a division(路口) going separately to the panda and peacock. They 7 panda as it was the nation's treasure and went its way. 8 they made choices all along the way and each choice meant 9 what they couldn't help regretting. But they had to make it, and 10 , for it brooked(容忍) no delay. If they hesitated(犹豫不决) they would miss 11 . Only 12 decision could offer more chances for sightseeing and 13 possible regret.

　　Life is 14 like this--choices often occur that one has to make, for example, between two 15 jobs. two fascinating wooers(追求者). To get one you 16 give up the other--you can get half of it. If you 17 weighing the pros and cons and calculating gains and losses, you will most likely 18 empty-handedness. Don't be sad about it. 19 you have got half of the desirable things in life--something that is 20 to come by.

1．

[　　]

A．easy　　　　　B．eager

C．impossible　　 D．possible

2．

[　　]

A．enough　　　　B．limited

C．tight　　　　　D．plentiful

3．

[　　]

A．return　　　　 B．come

C．go　　　　　　D．go back

4．

[　　]

A．main road　　　B．branch

C．crossing　　　 D．highway

5．

[　　]

A．showed　　　　B．pointed

C．intended　　　 D．made

6．

[　　]

A．brief　　　　　B．long

C．no　　　　　　D．heated

7．

[　　]

A．hoped　　　　　B．wanted

C．favored　　　　D．got

8．

[　　]

A．Happily　　　　B．Thus

C．Then　　　　　D．Finally

9．

[　　]

A．getting　　　　B．taking

C．grasping　　　D．giving up

10．

[　　]

A．slowly　　　　B．immediately

C．timely　　　　D．easily

11．

[　　]

A．less　　　　　 B．more

C．most　　　　　D．least

12．

[　　]

A．high　　　　　B．slow

C．short　　　　　D．rapid

13．

[　　]

A．increase　　　 B．cause

C．reduce　　　　D．raise

14．

[　　]

A．just exactly　　B．more or less

C．hardly　　　　D．most

15．

[　　]

A．unwanted　　　B．rejected

C．enjoyable　　　D．desirable

16．

[　　]

A．wish　　　　　B．want

C．must　　　　　D．have to

17．

[　　]

A．spend time　　　　　B．kill time

C．have a hard time　　 D．hope for

18．

[　　]

A．start with　　 B．get up

C．succeed in　　D．end up in

19．

[　　]

A．By no means　　B．Not in the least

C．At most　　　　D．At least

20．

[　　]

A．stupid　　　　 B．delighted

C．hard　　　　　D．supported

完形填空

　　Two friends visited the zoo together. The zoo was very large and it was 1 to go everywhere. They had to decide where and which animal to visit as their time was 2 . So both of them agreed not to 3 after choosing a 4 at every fork(岔路口).

　　A road sign at the first fork 5 one way to the lion quarters and the other to the tiger hill. They decided on the former after a 6 discussion because lions were“the king of the grassland”. The second showed a division(路口) going separately to the panda and peacock. They 7 panda as it was the nation's treasure and went its way. 8 they made choices all along the way and each choice meant 9 what they couldn't help regretting. But they had to make it, and 10 , for it brooked(容忍) no delay. If they hesitated(犹豫不决) they would miss 11 . Only 12 decision could offer more chances for sightseeing and 13 possible regret.

　　Life is 14 like this--choices often occur that one has to make, for example, between two 15 jobs. two fascinating wooers(追求者). To get one you 16 give up the other--you can get half of it. If you 17 weighing the pros and cons and calculating gains and losses, you will most likely 18 empty-handedness. Don't be sad about it. 19 you have got half of the desirable things in life--something that is 20 to come by.

1．

[　　]

A．easy　　　　　B．eager

C．impossible　　 D．possible

2．

[　　]

A．enough　　　　B．limited

C．tight　　　　　D．plentiful

3．

[　　]

A．return　　　　 B．come

C．go　　　　　　D．go back

4．

[　　]

A．main road　　　B．branch

C．crossing　　　 D．highway

5．

[　　]

A．showed　　　　B．pointed

C．intended　　　 D．made

6．

[　　]

A．brief　　　　　B．long

C．no　　　　　　D．heated

7．

[　　]

A．hoped　　　　　B．wanted

C．favored　　　　D．got

8．

[　　]

A．Happily　　　　B．Thus

C．Then　　　　　D．Finally

9．

[　　]

A．getting　　　　B．taking

C．grasping　　　D．giving up

10．

[　　]

A．slowly　　　　B．immediately

C．timely　　　　D．easily

11．

[　　]

A．less　　　　　 B．more

C．most　　　　　D．least

12．

[　　]

A．high　　　　　B．slow

C．short　　　　　D．rapid

13．

[　　]

A．increase　　　 B．cause

C．reduce　　　　D．raise

14．

[　　]

A．just exactly　　B．more or less

C．hardly　　　　D．most

15．

[　　]

A．unwanted　　　B．rejected

C．enjoyable　　　D．desirable

16．

[　　]

A．wish　　　　　B．want

C．must　　　　　D．have to

17．

[　　]

A．spend time　　　　　B．kill time

C．have a hard time　　 D．hope for

18．

[　　]

A．start with　　 B．get up

C．succeed in　　D．end up in

19．

[　　]

A．By no means　　B．Not in the least

C．At most　　　　D．At least

20．

[　　]

A．stupid　　　　 B．delighted

C．hard　　　　　D．supported