In 1865, a creative engineer, John Roebling, decided to build a bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge experts throughout the world thought that this was impossible and told Roebling to forget the idea.

However, Roebling thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington that the bridge in fact could be built.

With great excitement and inspiration, and great hardships before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge in 1869.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move. In spite of his handicap, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

Now all he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By touching his wife’s arm with that finger, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, telling the engineers what to do, until the bridge was finally completed.

60. To build a bridge between New York and the Long Island _______.

A. was a dream of many bridge experts

B. was a terribly difficult task

C. was supported by the American government

D. sounded creative to many bridge building experts

61. As a result of an accident, Washington lost the following abilities EXCEPT _____

A. speaking      B. walking    C. writing     D. thinking

62. When was the bridge between New York and the Long Island completed?

A. Around the early 1880s               B. In the late 1860s

C. Around the middle of 1870s        D. In the early 1870s

63. The construction of the bridge was mainly under the guide of _____

A. John Roebling                             B. Washington

C. a group of top bridge engineers    D. Washington’s wife

If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities.  More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
【小题1】The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________.

If Confucius(孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
【小题1】The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ______.

Bamboo（竹） is one of the nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe（欧洲）. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters（厘米）wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.
Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables(绳索) hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.
In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills(钻) can help to make the poor thirsty fields be watered.
【小题1】How is bamboo like grass?

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
This is a real life story of the engineers building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA back in 1870. The bridge was completed in 1883, after 13 years. In 1869, a creative engineer named John Roebling was   16  by an idea to build a spectacular bridge   17  New York with the Long Island.   18 , bridge-building experts throughout the world thought that this was impossible and told Roebling to forget the idea.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he   19  to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge   20 could be built. The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway, a tragic accident took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which   21  him not being able to talk or walk.
  22  his handicap, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning   23  to complete the bridge and his mind was still as   24  as ever. He didn’t want to   25 . Suddenly an idea   26  him. All he could do was move one   27  and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he   28  developed a code of communication with his wife.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his   29  with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands for his determination not to be   30 by circumstances. It stands too as a monument to the love and   31  of his wife who for 13 years long   32  decoded（解码）the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves a(n)   33  goal. Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles(障碍) seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that   34  that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence(坚持), no matter what the   35 are.