If I ever end up in a police missing-persons report, it will be because I went out to run some errands （跑差事） for my wife and never returned．

My adventure begins when I announce that I am going out to get a haircut, or to pick up my suit at the cleaner’s, or to do something that shouldn’t take very long．

As I look for my car keys, my wife utters （说出） those terrible words: “While you’re out …” This is a signal for me to make sure the car has enough gas for a cross-country trip because God knows when I will come back．

Of course my wife runs 95 percent of the errands, or that she is the one who keeps the household running smoothly．If it were up to me, the whole family would come to an end．The simple reason is that I am not good at doing anything more complicated than going out to get a haircut．

Here is what often happens:

“I’m going out to get a haircut,” I announce．

“While you’re out,” my wife says, “can you drop off the movie we rented last week? It’s due back today and I don’t want to pay a late charge．” “Sure,” I say．

Then she adds, “And stop at the post office for a book of stamps．” At last, I become nervous．I can handle a haircut and two errands．One more errand and I’m finished．

“And stop at the vet’s to pick up a bag of dog food．”

It doesn’t matter if all of these places are in the same shopping center （they aren’t）．Three errands are more than my brain can process （处理）．So I write them down．

“You mean you can’t remember three little errands?” my wife asks unbelievably．

Sadly, I can’t．I can remember to return the movie because it will be in the car． But with no visible reminders of my other two errands, I will almost certainly forget one of them．

I have to figure out where to go first．Should I get a haircut and then run my errands?

Should I stop at the post office first, get a haircut and then go to the video store and the vet’s on my way home?

Later in the day, I return home．With no small amount of pride, I hand her the book of stamps and the bag of dog food．She holds up a small box and says, “You forgot to give the movie back．”

It’s the story of my life: In one ear and out of the other．

1．The use of the word “terrible” in paragraph 3 shows that the writer ______．

A．does not love his wife

B．has deep hatred for his wife

C．gets frightened by his wife’s voice

D．is anxious about his wife’s request

2．The wife asks her husband to do three things after his haircut because ______．

A．she thinks they are easy errands

B．she likes to do housework at home

C．she is not satisfied with her lazy husband

D．she does not want to do these things herself

3．Why does the husband write down the three things?

A．He is serious．                          B．He is joking．

C．He is forgetful．                        D．He is foolish．

4．When the husband returns home, he is ______．

    A．rather tired       B．very happy          C．rather proud               D．very nervous

I ran across an old photo of him the other day, thinking of some old things. He’s been dead for 25 years. His name was Rex.

36  was his favorite recreation(娱乐). He had so much 37 in the water as any person I have known. You didn’t have to throw a stick in the water to 38 him to go in. Of course, he would bring back a stick to you if you 39 throw one in.

That 40 me of that night, 41 he brought back a small box that he found somewhere--- how 42 nobody ever knew. Since it was Rex, it 43 easily have been half a race. The box wasn’t a good one. It was just a 44 old piece that somebody 45. Still it was something he wanted, probably 46 there was some difficulty in transportation（运输）. And that he thought could test his courage. We first knew about his achievement when, deep in the night, we 47 him trying to get the box up onto the porch(门厅). It sounded 48 two or three people were trying to tear the house 49 . We came downstairs and turned on the 50 light. Rex was on the top step trying to pull the thing up, but it had 51somehow. And he was just holding his own(坚持着). I suppose he would have held his own 52 dawn if we hadn’t helped him. The next day we carried the box miles away and threw it out. If we had thrown it out in a 53 place, he would have brought it home again, as a small token(象征)of his strength in such matters. 54, he had been taught to carry heavy wooden objects about and he was 55 of his skill.

When I was growing up in the suburbs of New York, our first local Earth Day was organized around a drive to a town field where families were urged to empty items from their basements （地下室）for recycling rather than dropping them in the dustbin. It was an eye opening idea for a kid in 1970.

But as an environmental reporter, I'm bored of the large amount of deals and promotions that arrive by email or in my office or home mailbox on Earth Day. Like Valentine's Day, Earth Day has become a huge marketing opportunity—a way to promote consumption.

In fact, Earth Day is such a good sales opportunity that some shops, like Target, have expanded Earth Day into Earth Month.

There isn't time to give you a variety of the Earth Day shopping opportunities I was informed of this past week. They included deals on buying bottled water and earth-friendly wipes.

My award for the silliest promotion: a plan to gift 25 of the most environmentally conscious stars with unique, useful and “green” products and services, including skin care products, cheese-

cake and artwork. My guess is most of the stuff will end up in celebrities' garbage.

Is buying and selling a good way to celebrate and protect the environment? I would argue that Earth Day might be an occasion to consider giving up purchases or habits that are environmentally questionable or that we could happily do without. How about not buying bottled water, but refilling a water bottle? How about not buying foods—even “organic” foods—that are packed in non-recyclable plastic?

Don't get me wrong. The company of Bridgestone is celebrating Earth Day by promising to repurpose a spent tire（利用废旧轮胎）for every tire that it sells. Verizon will plant a tree for each cell phone you trade in. Some coffee stores will even refill reusable cups at no charge. Target is giving out free reusable carrier bags without requiring a purchase.

But few shopkeepers are taking the next step－charging a fee at the cash register for disposable plastic bags, a common practice in Europe－to encourage customers to use those new reusable carriers.

Earth Day is transient（短暂的）. If you only showed love on Valentine's Day, would that really mean anything at all?

67. The author's first local Earth Day was celebrated by ___________.

A. driving to the town field                                  B. emptying waste for recycling

C. looking for good ideas for reuse                      D. clearing items from their basements

68. Why do some people expand Earth Day into Earth Month?

A. Because many activities are organized for the day.

B. Because they intend to make many sales strategies.

C. Because they want to have more selling opportunities.

D. Because they have to deal with too much waste.

69. According to the author, it's environmentally friendly to        .

A. buy packed organic foods                               B. offer stars green products

C. refill water bottles                                                 D. ask for free plastic bags

70. It could be inferred from the text that Bridgestone and Verizon        .

A. are likely to misunderstand the author

B. have a good way to celebrate Earth Day

C. are devoted to making money on Earth Day

D. make wrong promotion plans on Earth Day

阅读理解

(A)

Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska. At first glance it does not look like much. It is a woman’s shoe of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique(独特的) about this shoe is where it was found. It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known. Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1500 stairs carved outface? Or did she throw away goods that she didn’t need in order to travel lighter?

Over 100, 000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires. Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh wildness. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather.

The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks(背包) each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure, but what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century.

1. The ordinary woman’s leather shoe is considered unusual because _______. 

A. it was an important clue to life in the past B. it was found on a famous trail

C. it at one time belonged to a VIP             D. it was a fashionable shoe at that time

2. According to this passage, many people who went to Alaska _______. 

A. eventually became millionaires              B. brought with them many shoes

C. had conflicts with the Eskimos               D. were not properly equipped

3. The Canadian government made gold seekers bring one year’s supplies with them so that _______.

A. they would not die of hunger and cold

B. the army would have enough food for fighting a war

C. they would change these goods with the Eskimos

D. the supplies would make Alaska rich

4. No matter what happened to the woman who owned the shoe, _______. 

A. she must have lived a happy life

B. she certainly dropped the shoe on purpose

C. her adventurous spirit is definitely admired

D. her other shoes were equally fashionable

(B)

Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!

It’s “no”.

What do you ask? We’ll say it again: “No”.

Sweet and simple “no”.

Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears.

“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.

“Time is precious. People are spending money buying time. And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’.”

Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(内疚)or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(强制的) ‘yes’, ” she said.

Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut. “Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’… My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”

Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time… Other people are happy to use up your time, ” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend.

“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”.

“No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.

But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything. In return you should learn to hear ‘no’.”

5. The sentence “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself” means _______.

A. you can have more time to play with others

B. you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy

C. you are selfish and treat others rudely

D. you can deal with your business as you have planned

6. When you say “no” to others you should say it in a _______.

A. secret way　　　B. polite way

C. proud way　　　　　D. guilty way

7. In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that _______.

A. they say “no” at a suitable time

B. they say “no” as much as possible

C. they are afraid of saying “no”    

D. they make others angry at them

8. If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receive may be that he or she _______.

A. enjoys a wonderful life     B. makes a lot of money

C. faces difficulty in life　　D. forgets to say “yes” in the end

(C)

A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.

    This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.   

9. From paragraph 1, we can know that in America _________.

A. people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man

B. people can always rise to the top through their won efforts

C. college professors win great respect from common workers

D. people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors.

10. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because _________.

A. servants in American are hard to get

B. she takes pride in what she can do herself

C. she can hardly afford servants

D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food

11. The expression “ wait on table” in the second paragraph means “_________”.

A. work in a furniture shop         B. keep accounts for a bar

C. wait to lay the table                D. serve customers in a restaurant

12. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?

A. A Respectable Self-made Family       B. American Attitude toward Manual Labor

C. Characteristics of American Culture      D. The Development of Manual Labor

(D)

TODAY, Friday, November 12

JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.

DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682—1158.

SATURDAY, November 13

JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.

MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.

FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.

JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.

THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536

SUNDAY, November 14

DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.

FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626.

HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.

THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.

13. Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?

A. At the Derby Arms on Friday.

B. At the Black Horse on Friday.

C. At the Star and Garter on Saturday.

D. At the Derby Arms on Sunday.

14. You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?

A. 789—6749.             B. 789—4536.            C. 682—1158.  D. 688—4626.

15. You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?

A. Disco at The Lord Napier.

B. The sing-along at The Black Horse.

C. The electric accordion at The Derby Arms.

D. Jazz at The Bull’s Head.

16. You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?

A. The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head.

B. The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms.

C. Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull.

D. Musical Hal lat The Star ＆Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier.

(E)

With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种). That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.

Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.

It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.

The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.

“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.

“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”

17. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.

A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas

B. save endangered animals from dying out

C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study

D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another

18. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.

A. available panda eggs         B. host animals

C. qualified researchers            D. enough money

19. The best title for the passage may be _______.

A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning                                 

B. The First Cloned Panda in the World

C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas

D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever

20. From the passage we know that _______.

A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog

B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit

C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches

D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century