Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her three-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new baby. They found out that it was going to be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael          to his sister in Mommy’s tummy(肚子). He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.

The pregnancy progressed       for Karen. In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five minutes ... every minute. But something serious        during delivery. Finally, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in serious        . With siren(警报) howling in the night, the ambulance         the infant(婴儿) to the Intensive Care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee.

       inched by. The little girl got worse. The doctors told the parents, “There is very little hope.” Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery (墓地) about a burial plot. They had        a special room in their home for the new baby — now they planned a funeral.

After two weeks in Intensive Care, it looked as if a funeral would come       the week was over. Michael, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister, “I want to sing to her,” he said. Kids were never          in Intensive Care. But Karen made up her mind to take Michael        they liked it or not. If he didn’t see his sister now, he may never see her alive.

She        him in an oversized suit and       him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse         him as a child, “Get that kid out of here now!” The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually         lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse’s face, saying in a         tone of voice, “He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!” Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside. He gazed at the tiny baby       the battle to live. And he began to sing.         the pure hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray…”    the baby girl responded. The pulse rate began to         down and became steady.

“Keep on singing, Michael.” encouraged Karen. “You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away…”As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's breath became as smooth as a kitten’s purr.

“Keep on singing, Michael.” “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping…” Michael’s little sister relaxed as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her.

Funeral plans were        . The next day — the very next day — the little girl was well enough to go home!

The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God’s love!

1.A. talked            B. sang          C. played        D. whispered

2.A. quietly           B. peacefully         C. hopefully          D. normally

3.A. arose           B. raised               C. rose               D. aroused

4.A. situation        B. place                   C. condition           D. position

5.A. took            B. sent                 C. carried     D. rushed

6.A. The years       B. The months          C. The weeks             D. The days

7.A. fixed up         B. made up     C. built up             D. set up

8.A. until            B. before     C. after              D. when

9.A. asked           B. allowed                 C. admitted       D. acquired

10.A. no matter             B. even if                 C. whether           D. as if

11.A. put          B. dressed    C. wore                 D. fit

12.A. marched             B. forced       C. hid                D. followed

13.A. required     B. replied              C. recognized         D. regarded

14.A. warm-hearted        B. well-managed       C. mild-mannered     D. cold-blooded

15.A. firm                  B. strong               C. hard       D. tough

16.A. losing                 B. lost                  C. to lose                 D. having lost

17.A. In                     B. On                  C. At            D. With

18.A. Finally                 B. Instantly             C. Patiently             D. Interestingly

19.A. calm                  B. quiet                C. slow          D. fast

20.A. erased        B. scratched           C. abandoned        D. switched

  F . Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24,1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St.Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.

  His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary:“ My own happiness in the past often got such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”

  This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was the novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.

  However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda had an effect on his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The love of the last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to(沉迷于) alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.

How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage ?

 A. 5      B. 6        C. 7        D. 8

Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?

a. He became addicted to drinking.

b. He studied at St.Paul Academy.

c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.

d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.

e. He failed to reorder his life.

f. He joined the army and met Zelda.

A. f-c-e-a-b-d     B. b-e-a-f-c-d     C. f-d-e-c-b-a   D. b-f-c-d-e-a

We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            .

  A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.

  B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army

  C. would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down

  D. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital

The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about          .

 A. Zelda’s personal life

 B. Zelda’s illness and treatment

 C. Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham

 D. Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
 
F . Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24,1896, an American novelist, w  as once a student of St.Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary :“ My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”
This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925,which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection lf short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The love of the last Tycoon in 1940. while his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.
56. How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage ?
A. 5            B. 6            C. 7               D. 8
57. Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St.Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A.f-c-e-a-b-d       B. b-e-a-f-c-d        C. f-d-e-c-b-a      D. b-f-c-d-e-a
58. We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            .
A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C. would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down
D. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
59. The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about          .
A. Zelda’s personal life
B. Zelda’s illness and treatment
C. Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham
D. Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.

His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary: “My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”

This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quickly brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.

  However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The love of the last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.

1.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?

A. 5                  B. 6                            C. 7                   D. 8

2.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?

a. He became addicted to drinking.

b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.

c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.

d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.

e. He failed to reorder his life.

f. He joined the army and met Zelda.

A.f-c-e-a-b-d            B. b-e-a-f-c-d               C. f-d-e-c-b-a        D. b-f-c-d-e-a

3.We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald            .

A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.

B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army

C. would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down

D. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital

4.The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about _______.

A. Zelda’s personal life

B. Zelda’s illness and treatment

C. Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham

D. Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world

American author Mark Twain once noted that “life would be surely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.” Twain’s words were only one of many complaints about aging. The ancient Greek poet Homer called old age “hateful”, and William Shakespeare termed it “terrible winter”.
Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world before he died around 323 B.C., may have been looking for a river that healed the ravages of age. During the 12^th century A.D., a king called Prester John ruled a land that had a river of gold and a fountain of youth.
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16^th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. He thought it would be found in Florida. In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there’s a tourist attraction. It is said to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513. However, elderly visitors who drink the spring’s water don’t turn into teenagers.
But the tale of the search for a fountain of youth is so appealing(有吸引力的) that it survives anyway, says Ryan K. Smith, a professor of history. “People are more attracted by the story of looking and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere.”
Still, a few grains of truth have helped to support the story. Kathleen Deagan, a professor of archaeology, says a graveyard and the remains of a Spanish mission dating back to St. Augustine’s founding in 1565 have been discovered near the so-called fountain of youth. Michelle Reyna, a spokesperson for the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine, says the fountain has been a tourist attraction since at least 1901 and may have been attracting visitors since 1860.
【小题1】According to the passage, who searched for a fountain of youth?