D

For John and Amy Cervantes, birthdays have always been a big deal — a welcome excuse to celebrate life. When their eldest son, Alex, turned three, in 2005, they invited 20 friends to a nearby park and hired a clown to paint faces and make balloon animals.

Not long after that, the couple were brainstorming ways to teach Alex about giving to others. “That’ s when a spark went off,” says Amy. “We wanted to do something that would have a strong effect on our community, that wasn’t already being  done, and that our young children could participate in. I started wondering what less fortunate kids do on their birthdays. The next day, we called a local shelter.” What they learned is that homeless children typically don’t do anything to celebrate. No cake. No gifts. No party.

Several weeks later, the family threw a party at the shelter for the children who had birthdays that month. They decorated, served cake, and led 50 kids in the uncertain situation. Alex helped fill and pass out goody bags and presents. Since that first party, the couple have turned their simple idea into Birthday Blessings, a nonprofit that hosts monthly parties at ten shelters in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. The group also delivers baby supplies to new moms in the shelters. And it considerately sends treats to elementary schools so homeless kids can celebrate their birthdays with friends.

To date, Birthday Blessings has thrown more than 500 parties and handed out over 22,000 favors to nearly 4,000 homeless children. The idea is spreading fast, with additional chapters set to start in Atlanta, Cincinnati, and northeast Indiana. Birthday Blessings is operated entirely by volunteers with Amy, a stay-at-home mom, in charge. John attempts his career as an investment adviser while setting up the group’s similar network and running its capital campaign. The charity will take almost anything — toys, baby items — as long as it’s not used. “These kids never get anything new,” John says. “It makes a big difference to them psychologically.”

Being part of this“labor of love,” as Amy puts it, is already making an impression on the boys. When Alex turned seven, his grandparents sent a birthday check. “The first thing he said when he opened it,” Amy recalls, “was that he wanted to give half to the birthday kids.”

63. “a spark went off,” in Para 2 is closest in meaning to_______ .

A. Something was burning        B. there was a little hope

C. they were excited.            D. some good idea flashed into their mind.

64. The couple held a party at the shelter because_____ .

A. The children had birthdays that month

B. They felt sympathy for the homeless children

C. They wanted to make good impression on the children

D. They wanted to show that they were generous and kind

65. From the passage we can learn_______ .

A. The homeless children typically receive gifts and eat cakes on their birthdays

B. The group carefully sends treats to all the children in elementary schools

C. Birthday Blessings has performed different activities to aid the homeless children.

D. The couple are responsible for their own community in North Carolina

66. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Labor of Love                B. Nonprofit Organization 

C. Warm-hearted Volunteers.      D. Fortunate Children

John Fisher, a builder, and his wife Elizabeth wanted more living space, so they left their small flat for an old 40-meter-high castle tower. They have spent five years turning it into a beautiful home with six floors, winning three architectural prizes.

“I love the space, and being private,” Elizabeth says. “You feel separated from the world. If I am in the kitchen, which is 25 meters above the ground floor, and the doorbell rings, I don’t have to answer it because visitors can’t see I am in!”

There are 142 steps to the top so if I go up and down five or six times a day, it’s very good exercise! But having to carry heavy things to the top is terrible, so I never buy more than two bags of shopping from the supermarket at a time. Except for that, it’s a brilliant place to live.

“When we first saw the place, I asked my father’s advice about buying it, because we couldn’t decide. After paying for it, we were a bit worried because it looked awful. But we really loved it, and knew how we wanted it to look.”

“Living here can be difficult—yesterday I climbed a four-meter ladder to clean the windows. But when you stand on the roof you can see all the way out to the sea on a clear day, and that’s a wonderful experience. I am really glad we moved. ”

1.What is the writer trying to do in the text?

    A. describe how to turn an old tower into a house

    B. recommend(推荐) a particular builder

    C. describe what it is like to live in a tower

    D. explain how to win prizes for building work

2.Which of the following best describes Elizabeth’s feelings about the tower?

    A. She wanted it as soon as she saw it.

    B. She likes most things about it.

    C. She has been worried since they paid for it.

    D. She finds it unsuitable to live in.

3.What problem does Elizabeth have with living in such a tall building?

    A. Her visitors find it hard to see if she is at home.

    B. She feels separated from others.

    C. She cannot bring home lots of shopping at once.

    D. It is impossible to clean any of the windows.

4.How will John and Elizabeth advertise their tower if they sell it?

A.

B.

C.  

D.

请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Charles and I used to hang out all the time, together with a few other guys, but he seemed too cool for us lately. We couldn’t understand the   36  _, and we didn’t ask him for an explanation.   37   , we decided to   38    him a lesson in the way he treated us.

Once we started giving Charles the   39    shoulder, almost everybody was taking no notice of him. He looked so   40   , especially at lunchtime when he sat alone in the cafeteria (自助餐厅). Now and then he nodded and said, “Hey!” when   41   passed his table, but all he got   42   return were mean looks and silence.

At first I was glad my plan had   43   , but Charles’ unhappiness made me upset. I only wanted him to know   44   it felt like to be blown off, but I hadn’t thought about how badly my “lesson” would   45   him.

During one lunch period, I   46   as Charles repeatedly glanced at his watch, obviously   47   the minutes until he could leave the cafeteria. I suddenly realized I had done wrong.

 “Hey! Man. I’m terribly sorry.” I called out.

Charles turned around   48  , clearly wanting to avoid eye contact.

 “Oh, so you are talking to me now?” he asked.

 “I’m so sorry,   49   I had thought that you wanted to end our friendship.” I said.

“What?” he nearly shouted, looking much   50  . “I’ve left you alone because I thought that was what you wanted.”

“Oh, my God! Why would I want   51  ?” I shouted , completely puzzled.

Clearly, we both had been   52    each other wrong.

At first Charles couldn’t accept my   53  . I knew he needed time to   54   all the hurt I’d caused him. But eventually, he did forgive me. We even started hanging out together   55  . And our friendship wasn’t destroyed at all.

A. situation       B. change                 C. action                D. appearance

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

A. take           B. teach                  C. give                        D. attend

A. serious       B. friendly            C. warm                 D. cold

A. sad               B. angry               C. happy                D. high

A. nobody            B. anybody             C. they                        D. someone

A. at               B. in                  C. on                  D. by

A. helped             B. operated            C. worked               D. done

A. what                   B. that                 C. as                   D. how

A. worry       B. touch           C. hurt                  D. disappointed

A. imagined          B. listened             C. recalled               D. watched

A. counting        B. guessing             C. waiting              D. checking

A. fast             B. slowly              C. finally               D. willingly

A. and                     B. so                 C. thus                  D. but

A. interested         B. pleased             C. surprised              D. moved

A. one                  B. those               C. that                  D. such

A. understanding  B. regarding           C. knowing             D. treating

A. explanation     B. attitude            C. suggestion                   D. apology

A. get through  B. get over                 C. get across             D. get along

A. seldom          B. once               C. again                D. also

C

　　Several years ago I worked in an office, which I had a locust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull, unfortunately this happened to be the room assigned to me and I was depressed by it for quite some time.

　　When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree. Secretly, I was very happy because I had thought it had died.

　　One morning when I opened the window for fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office but I couldn’t name it. Suddenly, I realized it was the locust tree! The tree that I thought dead was blossoming in full glory.

　　From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms and every year was eager to see spring again.

　　During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned into many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times I thought to take photos but never did. Then I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life it became a great regret that I had not done so.

　　Actually, many times in our lives, we think we own something, therefore we don’t cherish it. We don’t feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don’t want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!

59．The author of the passage employed a writing way ________.

A．of holding and releasing            B．that released first, then held

C．that held first, then released         D．that was not holding or releasing

60．What the author wanted to tell us is that ________.

A．not being delighted for what you have got and not feeling pity on the lost

B．think twice before you leap

C．treat everything calmly

D．cherish what you’ve owned

61．The reason the author came to the office early is ________.

A．to enjoy the dew                 B．to finish her work early

C．to do some cleaning              D．to avoid the burning sun

62．The underlined word “so” in the fifth paragraph perhaps refers to ________.

A．that I couldn’t see the tree any longer    B．that I should have taken some photos

C．that I had to leave                   D．that the tree died

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Perhaps you’ve attended some parties. But like New York，where a party or dinner often __36__ business with pleasure, a Washington party is a __37__ part of the business of politics, the business of making __38__ connections.

Some Washington parties have a __39__ aura (气氛) about them, depending on who gives them and who is there, but most parties are open-house __40__ in fact, with the hosts not knowing most of the __41__ who are there.

I went to a few of these parties __42__ I wanted to see the inside of some of the Washington mansions (公馆) I had __43__ so much about. Almost every time during the evening some man would come close to talk with me __44__, we didn’t know each other at all. Such a __45__ exchange clearly proves “a gathering of friends” __46__ Washington party standards. You don’t even need an __47__ to attend many Washington parties. You just have to know about them. No Washington hostess would __48__ her servants to ask you who you were. Most of the bigger parties, those with 300 or 400 guests, __49__ to impress somebody, and Washingtonians  __50__.

Most members of the Congress ,for example, __51__ middle-class backgrounds in smaller communities __52__ the country. They are dazzled (眼花缭乱的) by __53__. They are dazzled by big names. They are ready to help Washington __54__ hostesses. They go along with them because they are good friends or they don’t notice that they __55__ or they don’t care if they are.

. A. follows         B. connects           C. mixes            D. goes

. A. daily           B. necessary          C. chief             D. cheap

. A. still            B. cruel              C. mental           D. important

A. social          B. nervous            C. terrible           D. simple

A. events          B. affairs             C. conferences       D. games

A. guests          B. customers          C. guards           D. guides

A. so that          B. in order that        C. as if            D. because

A. found           B. noticed           C. heard           D. wrote

A. since           B. though            C. when           D. whether

A. common        B. strict              C. public          D. special

A. including       B. comparing with      C. according to     D. depending on

A. invitation       B. envelope           C. instrument       D. acceptance

A. refuse          B. allow              C. agree           D. warn

A. are given        B. give              C. are supplied      D. supply

A. easily forget     B. hardly remember    C. easily impress    D. are easily impressed

A. hear from       B. write to            C. come from      D. call out

A. over           B. below             C. between        D. across

A. money         B. equal              C. freedom        D. discussion

A. strange         B. famous            C. poor           D. stupid

A. are using        B. are being used      C. are obeying     D. are being obeyed