My first performance in front of an audience was coming up soon.

　 I tried as hard as I could to remain 36　 , but I had an empty feeling in my stomach. I stared down at my sweat-covered, 37　 hands.

　 I looked up again at the audience, realizing that these were 　38 people. They were not just my mum and dad, who 　39 say, "Good job!" even if I messed up the entire piece.

　 What if I had the wrong music? What if I played the wrong notes?

　 As it 　40 , I was never able to answer these questions because the spotlight was 　41 for me. I grasped my hands tightly together, drying off the sweat.

　 Slowly I walked to the mulberry piano in the 42 of the room. It contained 88 demanding keys, which were waiting impatiently to be played．I swallowed the golfball-sized lump（隆起的） in my throat and sat down. 43 , I opened the music. Next, I rested my still shaking hands on the ivory keys.

　 As my fingers played across the keys, I was becoming more 　44 of my preparation for this moment. But the memory of my year of training came flooding back. I knew that I had practiced this piece 　45 that I could play it backwards if 　46 .

　 Although at one point I accidentally played two keys　 47　 the intended one, I continued to move my fingers automatically. My eyes burned holes into the page in front of me.

　 There was no　 48　 that I was going to lose my concentration. To keep this promise to myself, I leaned　 49 and focused carefully on the music.　 50 1 came to the end of the page, a warning 　51 inside my head: DON' T MAKE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU TURN THE PAGE!

　 Needless to say, I 52　 myself with all my heart and mind. And, proud of my "page- turning" feat (技艺), I finished the 53　 of the piece without making a single mistake.

After the final note died away, a celebration went into action 54　 my head. I had finished. I had mastered the　 55 .

36．　 A．unknown 　　　　 B．still 　　　　　　 C．calm 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．quiet

37．　 A．shaking　　 　　 B．moving　 　　 C．waving 　　　　　　　　 D．wandering

38．　 A．true　 　　　　　　 B．real　 　　　 C．young　 　　　　　　　　 D．old

39．　 A．will 　　　　　　　　 B．can　　 　　 C．could　 　　　　　　　　　 D．would

40．　 A．turned out 　　　 B．turned up 　　 C．turned back 　　　　　　 D．turned down

41．　 A．looking　 　　　 B．searching 　　 C．expecting 　　　　　　　 D．waiting

42．　 A．corner　　 　　 B．cross 　　　　　 C．center　 　　　　　　　　 D．passage

43．　 A．Slowly　 　　　 B．Happily　 　　 C．Quickly 　　　　　　　　　 D．Suddenly

44．　 A．sure 　　　　　　　　 B．unsure 　　　　 C．certain 　　　　　　　　　 D．confident

45．　 A．so much time　　 B．so hardly 　　 C．such a lot of time　　　 D．so many times

46．　 A．requested　 　　 B．told　　 　　 C．demanded 　　　　　　 D．ordered

47．　 A．in spite of 　　　　 B．instead of 　　 C．in the way of 　　　　　 D．in the shape of

48．　 A．way 　　　　　　　　 B．need　 　　　　 C．use 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．sense

49．　 A．backward　　　　　 B．forward　　　　 C．upward　　　　　　　　　　 D．downward

50．　 A．Then　　　　　　　　 B．Next　　 　　 C．When　 　　　　　　　　 D．While

51．　 A．appeared 　　　　 B．had　 　　　　 C．raised　　　 　　　　 D．went

52．　 A．told　 　　　　　　 B．asked　　 　 C．obeyed 　　　　　　　　　 D．refused

53．　 A．other　 　　　　　 B．part　　 　　 C．left 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．rest

54．　 A．inside 　　　　　　　 B．outside 　　　　 C．out of 　　　　　　　　　　 D．on

55．　 A．musical 　　　　　　 B．piece 　　　　　 C．impossible　　　　　　　　 D．possible

“What is the most important thing you’ve done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers.

　　 The answer came to me in an instant. It’s not the one I gave, because the situation was not right. As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people, but here’s the true answer:

　　 The most important thing I’ve ever done occurred on October 8,1990. I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn’t seen for a while. Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other’s lives. He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night.

　　 While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts. It was my friend’s father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital. In a flash my friend was in the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

　　 For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡). Then I tried to figure out what I should do. Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself. My friend’s son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome. Be there for moral support? Well, maybe. But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they’d be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened. All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way. Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home. So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later.

　　 As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts. I now faced another problem. I couldn’t leave the keys in the truck. So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys.

　　 When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting. As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife. I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next. Soon a doctor appeared. He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died.

　　 For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence. After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son.

　　 My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families. When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner. He came over and hugged me and started to cry. My friend’s wife hugged me, too, and said , “Thanks for being here.”

　　 For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye.

　　 It’s the most important thing I have ever done. The experience taught me two lessons.

　　 First: The most important thing I’ve ever done happened when I was completely helpless. None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation. Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome. All I could do was standing by and watching it happen. And yet it was critical that I do just that--- just be there when someone needed me.

　　 Second: The most important thing I’ve done almost didn’t happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life. Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organize them. These skills are critical for lawyers. When people come to us for help, they’re often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically. But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel. Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital.

　　 From that experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn’t the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve. The most important thing in life is the kids’ team you coach or the poem you write----or the time when you’re just somebody’s friend.

55. When he was asked about the most important thing he had done in life at a presentation, the author _______.

A. felt it was not an interesting question　　　　 B. thought for a while and spoke his mind

C. gave an answer from a lawyer’s point of view　 D. didn’t give the real answer

56. When he saw his friend rush to the hospital, the author could not decide whether to follow mainly because he thought _______.

A. He had to stay with his family　　　　　　　 B. His friend did not need his help.

C. He would not be of much help　　　　　　　 D. the baby would be in the doctor’s care

57. What can we infer from the author’s description of the scene at the hospital?

A. He found out that he was in the way.

B. He would have felt guilty if he had not been there.

C. He regretted that he went too later.

D. His friend would have felt better if he had not been there.

58. Which of the following is conveyed in this story?

A. Family and relatives can not take the place of friends.

B. More people are a great comfort when one is in trouble.

C. It is best to be here when someone needs you.

D. You can certainly help a friend if you want to.

59. The author learned from his own experience that_______.

A. what is taught in school is usually of no use.

B. a lawyer cannot learn much in classrooms

C. a lawyer should know people’s feeling first

D. he needs to be able to feel as well as think logically

60. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggests that the author_______.

A. is fond of writing poems

B. is going to coach the kid’s team

C. is determined to make friends with everybody

D. is fully aware of the importance of being helpful to those in need

完形填空：

Mr Parker was living in the country , and he wanted to go to an office in the city one day . He 1 the address on a letter, got 2 his car and 3 to the city . He drove straight to the office without any 4 and stopped his car 5 the office. He locked his car and 6 to go into his office, but suddenly he turned around and went back to his car . He remembered that he 7 his keys in it ! He telephoned his wife and said, “ 8 , I ’ve locked my keys in my car . Please 9 me your keys .”

Mrs Parker got into their 10 car and drove twenty miles to 11 her husband. But 12 Mr Parker was waiting for his wife, he walked 13 his car and tried the other 14 . It was not locked ! Mr Parker locked it 15 before his wife arrived.

阅读理解

　　For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV．Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They’re called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work and their bad condition has become a subject of concern (关心). Lynette Long was once the principal of an elementary school. She said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of the kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys that it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.

　　She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents had on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by the children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to are reported to be scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.

　　The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall under a bed, in a closet. The second is TV． They'll often play it at high volume.

　　It's hard to get statistics (numbers) on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.

1．Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?

[　　]

A．We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.

B．A lot of kids had chains around their necks.

C．I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts.

D．She learned they were house keys.

2．The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is ________ .

[　　]

3．The word“nightmare”in the third paragraph probably means ________ .

[　　]

4．We may draw a conclusion that ________ .

[　　]

A．latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone

B．latchkey children try to hide their feeling

C．latchkey children often watch TV with their parents

D．it's difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are