Liu Xiang, athlete, born in 1983

Liu Xiang made his name by winning the 110-meter hurdles gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This was the first time an athlete of non-African descent (血统) had gone under 13 seconds for the event. In the same year, Liu set a new 110-meter hurdling world record at the Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, with a time of 12.88 seconds.
Lang Lang, pianist, born in 1982

Lang Lang began piano lessons at age three. His father quit his job to accompany his boy to Beijing. At 11, Lang Lang was awarded first prize for his outstanding performance at the Fourth International Young Pianists Competition in Germany. In 1995, at 13, he won first place at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians’ Competition in Japan. At 17, Lang Lang made his breakthrough in the West and has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras since then.
Li Yuchun, singer, born in 1984

Born into a middle-class family, Li was not encouraged by her parents to pursue a career in entertainment. The turning point came when she entered the Super Girl contest in 2005. This competition drew the largest audiences in Chinese television history. She rose above 120,000 applicants with her tomboy style and Latin-flavored performance. Her win came as a surprise to many people because she didn’t fit the stereotype of female singers. She has millions of fans of all ages all over the country. Her haircut and manners have been copied by tens of thousands of girls. Her first album sold more than 430,000 copies in the first month.
Ding Junhui, snooker player, born in 1987

Ding quit school at 13, after his father insisted he concentrate on snooker. His parents then sold their house to help Ding kick-start his career. In March 2005, he celebrated his 18th birthday by reaching the final of the China Open in Beijing, along the way beating world top-16 ranked players Peter Ebdon, Marco Fu and Ken Doherty. In the final, he defeated the then world No 3, Stephen Hendry, ranking first in the tournament. After shooting to fame, questions were raised over the father’s decision for Ding to quit school.
【小题1】Who is the passage intended for?

LONDON Thursday July 26 (Reuters)―Eddy missed his girlfriend Anna so much he flew back to Britain from Australia to propose（求婚）to her. The problem is she did the same in the opposite direction.

       He and Anna even managed to miss each other when they sat in the same airport waiting room in Singapore at the same time to wait for connecting flights.

       Anna, heartbroken when she arrived at Eddy’s Sydney flat to find he had flown to London, told The Times: “It was as though someone was playing a cruel joke on us.”

       “He is the most romantic person I have ever known .I think our problem is that we are both quite impulsive（冲动的）people. We are always trying to surprise each other.”

       After an 11,000-mile flight across the globe, she was greeted by Eddy’s astonished roommate asking what she was doing there.

       Eddy, a 27-year-old engineer ,had taken a year off to travel round Australia .But he was missing Anna ,a 26-year-old secretary, so much he got a job on a Sydney building site（工地）and started saving for a surprise.

       He then flew home to Britain and went to her flat armed with an engagement（订婚）ring, wine and flowers.

       “I really missed Anna and I’d been thinking about her all the time. I was so excited when she phoned me from Australia,” he said.

       Eddy then asked Anna to marry him on the phone. “I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but I accepted,” she said.

       Anna was given a tour of Sydney by Eddy’s friends before going back home .Eddy had to stay in Britain for two weeks because he could not change his ticket.

45．What does the last sentence of the first paragraph tell us?

       A．Anna flew to Britain from Australia to marry him.

       B．Anna flew to Australia from Britain to marry him.

       C．Anna flew to Britain from Australia to propose to him.

       D．Anna flew to Australia from Britain to propose to him.

46．The underlined word “miss” in paragraph 2 most probably means      .

       A．escape from                                        B．fail to understand

       C．fail to meet                                          D．long to see

47．Eddy got a job on a Sydney building site because he      .

       A．wanted to travel round Australia

       B．needed money to pay his daily cost

       C．was an engineer at this building site

       D．hoped to make money from this job

48．Which of the following is TRUE about Eddy and Anna according to the text?

       A．Eddy proposed to Anna on the phone and Anna accepted.

       B．Anna stayed in Australia waiting for Eddy’s arrival.

       C．Anna had a good time touring Sydney with Eddy.

       D．Eddy met Anna in the airport waiting room by chance.

On my birthday this year, I decided to do something very different. I had been   31   so much and I wanted to reach out to bring happiness to someone else. So, that   32  , I bought some flowers and went to a hospital. I had no   33   who I was going to present the flowers to, but I would find someone who needed   34  .

I asked the nurses in the hospital, who thought it   35   that I didn’t have anyone in particular to see.   36  , they gave me the room number of a(n)   37   lady, who needed some comfort.

I entered the room with the flowers. The elderly woman looked up, staring at me   38  . She was greatly moved when I told her about my   39   in being there. She was an amputee(被截肢者) and she explained to me that she was very worried   40   they were going to fit her with prosthetic leg(假肢). She knew that as she was getting used to the “  41 ”leg, she would be in  42  .

Later, in the following two hours, we  43  a lot and both felt very happy. I  44   until it was dark. I will always remember how   45   she was the moment she received the flowers from me—a   46  . She called me her angel and said she had no more   47  .

I   48   that story with my neighbor and she   49  that she was going to do the same thing on her birthday. And I hope that she will   50  others to be kind and do the same thing. You never know you might be considered someone’s angel one day.

A. shown            B. told                  C. given                D. bought

A. week             B. afternoon          C. hour                 D. night

A. belief            B. sense                C. message            D. idea

A. paying attention to              B. cheering up

          C. looking after                  D. looking down upon

A. strange        B. lucky              C. difficult         D. true

A. Instead        B. Still               C. Besides          D. Therefore

A. young         B. old                C. happy           D. strong

A. angrily        B. suddenly        C. quickly          D. confusedly

A. purpose       B. experience      C. failure            D. trouble

A. unless         B. but                     C. because         D. until

A. thin          B. long                    C. short            D. new

A. surprise       B. pain                    C. need            D. sight

A. talked         B. asked             C. imagined        D. smiled

A. worked        B. stood             C. stayed          D. rested

A. busy          B. shy               C. disappointed   D. moved

A. stranger     B. friend             C. relative       D. doctor

A. fun             B. interest              C. fear                  D. challenge

A. repeated     B. shared            C. learned       D. changed

A. agreed         B. forgot            C. joked         D. promised

A. force          B. warm                   C. allow         D. encourage

It was an afternoon Truman would never forget．
Rayburn and his friend were talking in the office before Truman arrived. The telephone rang. It was a call from the White House asking whether Vice-President Truman had arrived yet. No, Rayburn replied. The caller asked to have him telephone the White House as soon as he arrived.
Truman entered a minute later. He immediately called the White House. As he talked, his face became white. He put down the phone and raced out of the door to his car.
Truman arrived at the White House within minutes. An assistant took him to the president’s private living area. Eleanor Roosevelt, the president’s wife, was waiting for him there. “Harry,” she said, “the president is dead.” Truman was shocked. He asked Mrs. Roosevelt if there was anything he could do to help her. But her reply made clear to him that his own life had suddenly changed. “Is there anything we can do for you ?” Mrs. Roosevelt asked the new president, “You are the one in trouble now.”
Truman had been a surprise choice for vice-president at the Democratic Party nominating convention in nineteen forty-four. Delegates considered several other candidates before they chose him as Roosevelt’s running mate. That was at a time when presidential candidates did not make their own choices for vice-president．
Harry Truman lacked the fame，the rich family and the strong speech-making skills of Franklin Roosevelt．He was a much simpler man．He grew up in the Midwestern state of Missouri．Truman only studied through high school but took some nighttime law school classes．He worked for many years as a farmer and a small businessman，but without much success．
Truman had long been interested in politics．When he was almost forty，he finally won several low-level positions in his home state．By nineteen thirty-four，he was popular enough in Missouri to be nominated and elected to the United States Senate. And he won re-election six years later．
Most Americans, however, knew little about Harry Truman when he became president．They knew he had close ties to the Democratic Party political machine in his home state．But they had also heard that he was a very honest man．They could see that Truman had strongly supported President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs．But they could not be sure what kind of president Truman would become．
At the center of all the action was Harry Truman．It was not long before he showed Americans and the world that he had the ability to be a good president．He was honest，strong and willing to make decisions．
【小题1】When Mrs. Roosevelt said”You are the one in trouble now”，she really meant that         ．

School was over and I was both mentally and physically tired. I sat at the very front of the bus because of my ____1___ to get home. Sitting at the front makes you __2_____ out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies.

   Janie, the driver, tries to break the ____3____ atmosphere by striking the match of ___4_____ . I try to mind my manners and ____5____ listen, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day. On this day, ___6_____, her conversation was worth listening to.

   “My father’s sick,” she said to no one in ___7___. I could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes. With a sudden change of attitde and interest, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?” With her eyes wet and her voice tight from ____8____ the tears, she responded, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes lowered as she ____9____. “I’ve already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can stand losing him.”

   I couldn’t respond. I was ____10____. My heart ached for her. I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great ____11____ my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, ____12____ still is, for her. I wouldn’t like anyone to go ____13___ that.

   Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver. That was ____14____ her job. She had a whole world of family and concerns too. I had never thought of her as __15______ but a driver.

I suddenly felt I was very ___16____. I realized I had only thought of people as__17____as what their purposes were in my life. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by job and brushed her off as ____18_____.

For all I know, I’m just another person in ____19_____ else’s world, and may not even be important. I ___20_____ not have been so selfish and self-centered. Everyone has places to go, people to see and appointments to keep. Understanding people is an art.

1.A. anxiety        B. determination       C. decision        D. attempt

2.A. find           B. make              C. think          D. stand

3.A. unpopular    B. uncomfortable    C. unusual   D. unforgettable

4.A. fire            B. topic      C. conversation    D. discussion

5.A. politely     B. devotedly     C. carelessly      D. sincerely

6.A. however      B. therefore      C. thus          D. otherwise

7.A. surprise      B. common       C. silence        D. particular

8.A. fighting        B. avoiding        C. clearing       D. keeping

9.A. told           B. lasted         C. repeated      D. continued

10.A. for sure        B. at ease         C. in shock       D. in despair

11.A. mercy        B. pain         C. pity           D. disappointment

12.A. but           B. yet           C. and           D. or

13.A. over          B. round       C. through       D. without

14.A. almost       B. nearly            C. ever            D. just

15.A. something    B. anything       C. nothing         D. everything

16.A. sad          B. embarrassed     C. selfish      D. worried

17.A. far           B. long          C. much         D. well

18.A. unfit    B. unselfish      C. unnecessary      D. unimportant

19.A. everyone     B. someone     C. anyone          D. no one

20.A. must          B. may             C. can             D. should