I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps (快照), maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?” He looked perturbed (不安).“Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn't quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied. "There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly." Compare it with the others. "

     I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

     But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

      Why do we think that new options (选择) still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

1. The shop assistant insisted that the writer should __ .

     A. try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it

     B. compare the camera he had chosen with the others

     C. get more information about different companies

     D. trust him and stop asking questions

2. What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"  (Paragraph 2) ?

     A. He should get a 50% discount.

     B. The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

     C. The quality of the camera was not good.

     D. The camera would soon fall in value.

3. The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he __ .

     A. knew very little about it

     B. didn't trust the shop assistant

     C. wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best

     D. had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __

     A. people waste too much money on cameras

     B. cameras have become an important part of our daily life

     C. we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product

     D. famous companies care more about profit than quality

第二节完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

“Dad, I’m sure I can do it well this time, I promise.” I said to myself and went up to the stage and began my play ...

Finally I __36__ from my piano and took a bow to the people in the hall. There was a __37__ and then loud applause (掌声) burst out. I knew I __38__ it. Tears filled my eyes. Then I __39__ three years ago right here when it was my turn to play. I __40__ the hall and saw my dad. He sat at the end of a __41__ with a serious face.

Suddenly I became __42__. I had practiced my piece for months, __43__ then it seemed there was something wrong with my fingers. I forced out some __44__ tune and left the stage in tears. I __45__.

On the way home my father didn’t say even a word. He just __46__ the car in silence. I didn’t say anything either. What could I say, really, after what I’d done? I knew how __47__ Dad worked to earn enough money __48__ my piano. That time he was __49__ to come to a competition(比赛), but I let him down.

I didn’t remember how we got home. Dad never said a word the entire way home, and he never __50__ one of my competitions again. I never got over the hurt of having __51__ the person I most wanted to make proud. I’d __52__ more than my competition that afternoon. I felt as if I’d lost the key to my father’s heart, and he died before I could __53__ it again.

“God, why didn’t you give me a __54__ to make it up to him?” I’d often asked.

I won first prize in the contest now. How I wish my father could share the __55__ moment with me!

36.   A. dropped     B. rose       C. turned         D. slid

37.   A. silence    B. noise      C. laughter        D. shout

38.   A. got        B. missed          C. made         D. caught

39. A. thought      B. realized      C. understood     D. remembered

40.   A. looked up   B. looked around    C. looked out  D. looked over

41.   A. seat       B. row       C. group         D. team

42.   A. nervous      B. excited       C. sick           D. tried

43    A. and       B. though      C. but            D. so

44.   A. soft       B. moving      C. nice           D. terrible

45.   A. succeeded   B. won       C. failed         D. disappeared

46.   A. drove     B. started     C. washed          D. repaired

47.   A. quickly      B. hard       C. warmly         D. happily

48.   A. on         B. in              C. for             D. with

49.   A. sad        B. happy     C. able           D. unable

50.   A. attended     B. noticed       C. heard         D. cared

51.   A. pleased      B. surprised    C. disappointed      D. satisfied

52.   A. felt        B. lost        C. made         D. learned

53.   A. open      B. close      C. forget         D. find

54.   A. piano     B. duty       C. chance              D. contest

55.   A. exciting     B. surprising   C. interesting     D. relaxing

   At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible sites(地点) for a house. I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices.

   The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place. But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However, I let him keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.

   The real attractions of the Hollowell farm to me were its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded(相邻) on one side by the river, and separated from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apples trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.

   I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden, but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted (无牵挂的). It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.

51. What do we know about the author?

   A. He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he lived.

   B. He made a study of many farms before buying.

   C. He made money by buying and selling farms.

   D. He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.

52. Why did the author decide to buy the Hollowell place?

   A. It was of good market value.

   B. It was next to the highway.

   C. It was in a good position.

   D. It was behind a nice garden.

53. Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?

   A. He was afraid the owner might changes his mind.

   B. He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.

   C. He wanted to keep the farm as it was.

   D. He was eager to become a farm owner.

54. The underlined words “the loss” in the last paragraph refer to ___.

A. the money the author lost in buying the farm

B. the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place

C. the removal of the trees around the house

D. the failure to possess the Hollowell place

55. What does the author believe as important in life?

A. To own a farm

B. To satisfy his needs

C. To be free from worries

D. To live in the countryside

(D)
At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible site for a house. I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices.
The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place. But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However, I let him keep the dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.
The real attractions of the Hollowell farm to me were its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded(相邻) on one side by the river, and separated from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apple trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.
I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden, but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted(无牵无挂). It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.
57.What do we know about the author?
A. He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he lived.
B. He made a study of many farms before buying.
C. He made money by buying and selling farms.
D. He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.
58.Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?
A. He was afraid the owner might change his mind.
B. He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.
C. He wanted to keep the farm as it was.
D. He was eager to become a farm owner.
59.The underlined words “the loss” in the last paragraph refer to _____?
A. the money the author lost in buying the farm
B. the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place
C. the removal of the trees around the house
D. the failure to possess the Hollowell place
60.What does the author believe as important in life?
A. To own a farm               B. To satisfy his needs
C. To be free from worries.       D. To live in the countryside.

After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack, my world crashed around me. I was overwhelmed (不知所措) with the   1.  of earning a living,   2.  the little children.

One  3.  evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd (牧羊犬) on our  4.. This wonderful strong animal   5.  to enter the house and make it his   6. . The children took an instant liking to “German” and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement until the next day,   7. we could inquire around the neighborhood for his  8.. That night I slept  9.  for the first time in many weeks.

The following morning we   10.  to find German’s owner, but with no results. On Sunday I took the children on a picnic and we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were   11.  to see German racing to the gas station after us. 12.  was he going to be left behind.

On Monday morning I let him out for a run when the children got ready for school. As evening came and German didn’t appear, we were all   13. . The next Friday evening, German was back on our doorstep. Again we took him in, and again he stayed   14.  Monday morning. This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more   15.  of German. We stopped thinking about   16.  he belonged — he belonged to us. As German became part of the family, he considered   17.  his duty to take up his position by the front door and remained there until the morning.

Each week, between German’s visits, I grew a little stronger, a little braver; every weekend I enjoyed his   18. . Then one Monday morning we   19.  his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. I believe German was sent because he was needed, and because no matter how   20. and alone we feel, somehow, somewhere, someone knows and cares. We are never really alone.