After lunch,I walked back home. I was just to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but,as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.
The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on pavement is an attention-getter．It Can be nothing more than a penny．Whatever the coin is，no one ignores the sound of it．It got me thinking about sounds again．We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention．
People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine，a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street．When I’m in New York，I’m a New Yorker．I don’t turn either．Like the natives，I hardly hear a siren(警报)there．
However，at home in my little town in Connecticut，it’s different．The distant sound of a police car, all emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed．It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us．not the loudest．In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away thigh three closed doors．I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imaginnation turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house．How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?
I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are,I’ve turned against whistling，for instance：I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been associating the whistler with a nervous person making unconscious noises．The tapping，tapping，tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me．I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it．
41．The sound of a coin dropping makes people         ．
A．think of money    B．look at each other
C．pay attention to it    D．stop crossing the street
42．The author dislikes whistling because         ．
A．he has got tired of it    B．it reminds him of tense people
C．he used to be happier D．he doesn’t like workers
43. What kind of sound does the author find pleasant?
A．Tapping sound of his typewriter．    B．Clinking sound of keys．
C．Tinkling sound of a coin dropping．D．Creaking sound of footsteps．
44．How does the author feel about sounds in general?
A．They make him feel al home．      B．He thinks they should be ignored．
C．He prefers silence to loud noises．D．He believes they ale part of our life．

“This Friday we'll have the yearly Egg Drop Challenge,” said our science teacher, Mr. Baker. “You can work alone or with a partner.”

My friend, Cassie, and I smiled at each other. We always worked on projects   36  .

The   37   of the challenge was simple—to build a protective container to keep an egg from breaking when   38   the stadium wall.

I made my sandwich that afternoon while waiting for Cassie.   39   the butter-cream gave me an idea.

“I have a brilliant design for our   40   container!” I said when Cassie arrived. “We can 41 the egg with some butter-cream.”

“Why not put the egg in a basket with a parachute   42  ?” Cassie rolled her eyes. “The parachute is better than that stupid idea.”

I couldn't believe it. Of course we'd had our little   43   in the past, but she'd never called any of my ideas “  44  ” before.

“Then I’ll build mine and you build yours!”

  45   words had been out, our friendship was challenged.

When Friday finally arrived, I had to   46   Cassie’s Egg Force One looked pretty good. 47, my Egg-cellent Egg Cream didn't look quite scientific. We kids carried our containers up three stadium steps and dropped them over the side wall. Those whose eggs broke were out; those whose eggs survived   48   three more steps and dropped them again. This would go on till the last egg broke.

After four rounds, only Cassie and I were   49  . I let go of my box. I heard someone say “ew” after seconds. Had my egg broken? I raced down the   50  . The sidewalk was dotted with egg shells(蛋壳) from those   51   drops. Finally I found my little Egg-cellent Egg Cream.

“That looks like egg drop soup, Laura,” Cassie said. She was holding her Egg Force One. My 52   raced. Had she won? I looked at her basket.   53  .

“My egg bounced (弹起)   54  ,” she explained, pointing to a broken shell.

“A tie（平局）,” Mr. Baker said.

Cassie looked at me, and her glare（瞪眼）  55  . I laughed. She smiled…

1.A. patiently          B. silently         C. together         D. alone

2.A. function           B. goal             C. reason               D. result

3. A. rolled down       B. pushed against   C. thrown at            D. dropped over

4.A. Spreading          B. Boiling          C. Baking           D. Holding

5.A. butter         B. sandwich         C. cream                D. egg

6. A. protect           B. replace          C. carry            D. mix

7. A. followed          B. covered          C. attached         D. supported

8.A. ideas              B. fights               C. worries      D. challenges

9.A. wrong          B. stupid               C. brilliant        D. scientific

10. A. Since                B. While                C. But          D. And

11.A. explain           B. deny             C. admit                D. prove

12. A. Therefore            B. Anyway           C. Otherwise        D. Besides

13.A. paced down        B. turned around        C. walked up        D. went back

14. A. left             B. wanted           C. chosen           D. discovered

15.A. steps             B. way              C. wall             D. sidewalk

16.A. intended          B. unexpected           C. failed       D. desired

17.A. eyes              B. hands                C. feel         D. heart

18.A. Lost              B. Dirty                C. Broken       D. Empty

19.A. around            B. out              C. in                   D. down

20. A. returned         B. remained         C. increased        D. softened

One day last month after I received my salary, I went shopping with my little son.  21   in the  22   store, I had my pocket  23  and my whole salary was gone with it. I was so angry that I almost lost  24  of myself. What could I do? We were not very rich. The money was really not a small sum for my family. It would  25  our life greatly. How could I tell my wife?

I felt very sad and even  26  for losing the money then I got home. To make up for my 27   mistake, I gathered all my strength to give our house a thorough cleaning and then prepared a wonderful meal and cooked a special dish my wife loved to  28   her.

When she came home, I  29   a smile to 30   her. She was  31   to see the neat house and delicious meal. We sat at the table and began to eat. I told my story   32   . She did not 33   .It was as if she had not heard my words.

“I’ve lost my salary,” I murmured to her again.

“I see,” she did not shout at me as I had  34   . She didn’t lose her  35   . So I was afraid she was trying hard to  36  her anger.

A moment later, my wife was still  37   and seemed to be enjoying her favourite dish. At last I could not keep asking, “I’ve lost the money. Why not shout at me?”She  38   her eyes, looking at me and said, “oh, on the contrary, I’m thinking about how to  39  you. It’s  40  who is to blame.

My sister and I grew up in a little village in England. Our father was a struggling 1, but I always knew he was  2 . He never criticized us, but used  3 to bring out our best. He’d say,” If you pout water on flowers, they flourish. If you don’t give them water, they die.” I  4 as a child I said something  5 about somebody, and my father said, “ 6 time you say something unpleasant about somebody else, it’s a reflection of you.” He explained that if I looked for the best  7 people, I would get the best  8 . From then on I’ve always tried to  9  the principle in my life and later in running my company.
Dad’s also always been very  10 . At 15, I started a magazine. It was   11  a great deal of my time, and the headmaster of my school gave me a  12: stay in school or leave to work on my magazine.
I decided to leave, and Dad tried to sway me from my decision,  13  any good father would. When he realized I Had made up my mind, he said, “Richard, when I was 23, my dad  14  me to go into law. And I’ve  15  regretted it. I wanted to be a biologist,  16 I didn’t pursue my  17 . You know what you want. Go fulfill(实现) it.”
As 18  turned out, my little publication went on to become Student, a national 19 for young people in the U.K. My wife and I have two children, and I’ d like to think we are bringing them up in the same way Dad  20  me.

第二节 完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项

Wings of Angel

    I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not   31  . I had a severe spinal cord disorder(脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much  32 than others.

I hated going to school and I hated   33   at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing   34  and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the   35  and seeing an ugly and hunchback(驼背).

My friends found me   36  because I didn’t let other get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life   37  Angela appeared.

That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school—a spot where no one would

  38  me. That’s when I first heard your voice.

“Hi. Can I sit down?”

I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.

“What are you looking at?” you asked.

“Ants.”

“What are they doing?”

 “No   39 .”

“I bet they’re playing games and make friends. Don’t you think so?”

That was how our   40  started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun—the ants, the clouds, my little niche(处境)—until it was sunset.

Then suddenly, you saw my   41 . She just stared.

My heart   42  . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would   43   me now.

She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know   44__ your back is hunched.”

I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be   45  . I begged in my heart for her to   46  , but you just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”

“No,” I answered   47  .

She bent and whispered in my ears.

“Your back is bunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”

I was   48  . I looked into your eyes and her   49  touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to   50  myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind – hearted friend.

31．A．them B．it         C．mo     D．her

32．A．sadder        B．shorter       C．weaker       D．slower

33．A．looking       B．smiling       C．aiming        D．glaring

34．A．still     B．alone C．straight      D．together

35．A．street         B．sun     C．corner        D．mirror

36．A．distant       B．stubborn    C．hopeless    D．unfortunate

37．A．after  B．before        C．since  D．until

38．A．disturb       B．seek   C．interrupt    D．ignore

39．A．wonder      B．idea   C．sign    D．action

40．A．connection         B．competition       C．conversation      D．comprehension

41．A．face   B．back   C．eyes   D．shoulders

42．A．sank   B．beat   C．broke D．ached

43．A．care for      B．rely on        C．look down upon D．put up with

44．A．that   B．how   C．whether     D．why

45．A．accused     B．arrested    C．punished    D．sentenced

46．A．relax  B．leave C．stop   D．pause

47．A．shyly  B．weakly        C．proudly       D．firmly

48．A．astonished         B．ashamed   C．annoyed     D．amused

49．A．wisdom      B．generosity C．honesty      D．kindness

50．A．control       B．like     C．comfort      D．enjoy