Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality (理性), but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any reasonable student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, many famous professors and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that’s not what I did.
I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn’t even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my job. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by communicating with people who weren’t studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a wise choice. They told me I was wise and grown-up beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.
　I headed off to the college and sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn’t care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical expert and excellent humanist all in one.
　Now I’m not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideas crashed into reality, as all noble ideas finally do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.
　The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don’t mix as easily as I supposed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.
【小题1】Why did the author choose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university?

A couple of years ago, I went to a lady’s house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I 　 31　 that there was an electronic keyboard on a stand, leaning　 32　 the wall. Being a piano music lover and 　 33 , I asked, if the woman played. She nodded and added that she had been 　34　 lessons—at age 54! I told her that it was very　 35　 that she was pursuing （追求） her passion（热情） to play the piano.

　 Then she asked me　 36　 question.

　 “I have been playing for 8 years now, ” I answered.

　 “Then you must play a song for me before you leave, ” she　 37 . I thought she was joking and I simply smiled. At the end of the deal of the vitamins, she　 38　 me of our musical “ 39　 ”. She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room, 40 asked me to play a song for her. I thought　 41　 and decided to play David Lanz’s “Return to the Heart”, since she had so much passion for　 42　 , and it was my soul-searching song.

　 I played the song to the best of my ability, and with my emotions　 43　 into it as possible. She loved it. 　 44　 I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling out, “Young man! ”

　 I turned around. And there was an old lady　 45　 one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to　 46　 you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to　 47　 my bed, but your music made me feel good, ”she said. With that, she turned around and walked　 48　 back to her room.

　 I was deeply　 49　 by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s　 50　 for peace and joy.

31. A. observed 　　　B. watched

C. noticed 　　　　　D. caught

32. A. on 　　　B. at

C. over 　　　 D. against

33. A. player 　　　B. teacher

C. composer 　　　D. starter

34. A. giving 　　　B. attending

C. teaching 　　　 D. reviewing

35. A. interesting 　　　B. wonderful

C. moved 　　　　　　D. impressive

36. A. another 　　　B. a different

C. the same 　　　　D. other

37. A. advised 　　　B. ordered

C. demanded 　　　D. requested

38. A. warned 　　　B. reminded

C. asked 　　　　　D. required

39. A. course 　　　B. task

C. discussion 　　　D. deal

40. A. and 　　　　 B. but

C. as a result 　　　D. what’s more

41. A. for the moment 　　　B. at the moment

C. for a moment 　　　　　D. at a moment

42. A. music 　　　B. songs

C. the piano 　　　D. vitamins

43. A. dropping 　　　B. falling

C. pouring 　　　　　D. running

44. A. Since 　　　B. As

C. While 　　　　 D. Because

45. A. taking 　　　B. making

C. having 　　　　 D. moving

46. A. thank 　　　B. praise

C. admire 　　　　D. owe

47. A. get on 　　　B. get up

C. get off 　　　　 D. get down

48. A. quietly 　　　B. calmly

C. happily 　　　　 D. slowly

49. A. shocked 　　　B. touched

C. delighted 　　　　D. disturbed

50. A. world 　　　B. heart

C. brains 　　　　 D. dreams

　　I have traveled all over the world. Here is a little advice on“wise traveling”. I have learned, often the hard way, that there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey. First of all, always check and double-check the departure time. It is amazing how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50. I walked calmly to the departure desk, thinking I still had a little time to spare. I hadn't bothered to take a good look at the ticket. The clerk at the desk told me politely but firmly that the departure time was 10:50 and that the flight was, according to international regulations,“now closed”. I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.

　　The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important have at least a little of the local currency with you when you arrive in a country. This can be absolutely necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago I was sent to Tulsa. Oklahoma. I flew there from London via Dallas, with very little time to change planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and since I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead.

　　“Listen, buddy! I only take real money!”the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing.

　　The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave, especially if you can take only a little luggage with you. I feel sorry for some of my colleagues who travel in heavy suits and raincoat in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day. Few people understand just how important it is to have the right sort of clothes with you in these days of rapid air travel.

(1)According to the passage, it is obvious that ______.

[　　]

A．the writer has learned these rules of traveling from his own experience

B．the writer is a careless man

C．Englishmen like to be in heavy suits wherever they travel

D．the American driver never travels to England

(2)Before setting off you should check and double check ______ times.

[　　]

(3)The writer wants people to ______.

[　　]

A．live a happier life

B．give him some rules about“wise traveling”

C．pay enough attention to the weather conditions when they travel

D．stay at home avoiding the trouble during the journey

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

     One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered．and they all admired his heart for it was 　41　. There was not a scar in it. Suddenly, an old man appeared and said, “Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as 　42　.”

　　The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s 　43　. It was full of scars, it had places 　44　 pieces had been removed and other pieces 45　 in, but they didn’t fit quite right, and there were several 　46　 edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gaps where whole pieces were missing.

　　The young man laughed. “ 　47　 your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars.”

　　“Yes,” said the old man, “Yours  48　 perfect but I would never trade with you. You see, every　49　 represents a person 　50　 I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they 51　 me a piece of their heart that fits into the  52　 place in my heart. But because the pieces aren’t exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we 　53　.

　　“Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart 　54　, and the other person hasn’t returned a 　55　 of his or her heart to me. These are the empty gaps—giving love is 　56　 a chance. Although these gaps are painful, they 　57　 open, reminding me of the love I have for those people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have been waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?’’

　　The young man walked up to the old man, 　58　 his perfect heart, and tipped a piece out. He 　59　 it to the old man.

　　The old man placed it in his heart, then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart. It 　60　, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.

　　The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into his.

　　They embraced and walked away side by side.

1.A．ugly　　　　　B．perfect　　　　　 C．beautiful　　　　D．hurt

2.A．mine　　　　 B．his　　　　　　　 C．theirs　　　　　D．ours

3.A．coat　　　　　B．appearance　　　　C．face　　　　　 D．heart

4.A．that　　　　　B．which　　　　　　C．where　　　　　D．whose

5.A．cut　　　　　 B．set　　　　　　　C．put　　　　　　 D．brought

6.A．smooth　　　 B．rough　　　　　　C．broken　　　　　D．pretty

7.A.Comparing　　　B．Compared　　　　C．Compare　　　 D．Compares

8.A．looks　　　　 B．seems　　　　　　C．is　　　　　　　D．fits

9.A．one　　　　　 B．heart　　　　　　 C．piece　　　　　 D．scar

10.A．on whom　　 B．in whom　　　　　C．with whom　　  D．to whom

11.A．take　　　　 B．give　　　　　　　C．lend　　　　　　D．pass

12.A．empty　　　 B．full　　　　　　　 C．original　　　　 D．first

13.A．had　　　　  B．gave　　　　　　 C．shared　　　　　D．owned

14.A．in　　　　　 B．away　　　　　　 C．off　　　　　　D．up

15.A．lot　　　　　 B．sheet　　　　　　 C．piece　　　　　D．pile

16.A．making　　　 B．taking　　　　　　C．keeping　　　　D．bringing

17.A．keep　　　　　B．cut　　　　　　　C．come　　　　　D．stay

18.A．carried away　　B．reached into　　　C．took out　　　 D．brought up

19.A．offered　　　　B．took　　　　　　C．passed　　　　　D．served

20.A．fit　　　　　　B．hit　　　　　　　C．beat　　　　　　D．set

Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality (理性), but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any reasonable student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, many famous professors and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did.

I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my job. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by communicating with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a wise choice. They told me I was wise and grown-up beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.

　I headed off to the college and sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical expert and excellent humanist all in one.

　Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideas crashed into reality, as all noble ideas finally do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.

　The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I supposed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.

1.Why did the author choose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university?

2.According to the author, by communicating with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can ___________.

3. Which word below can replace the underlined word “reconcile”?

4.The underlined sentence in 1st paragraph means ___________.

5. The author suggests in this passage that ___________.