The other day I was talking to a stranger on the bus; he told me that he had a good   36   in Chicago and he wondered if, by any chance, I   37   to know him . For a moment, I thought he might be   38   ,but I could tell from the expression on his face that he was not. He was   39  . I felt like saying that it was ridiculous (可笑的) to   40   that out of all the millions of people in Chicago I could possibly have ever bumped into his friend. But,   41  , I just smiled and reminded him that Chicago was a very   42  city. He nodded, and I thought he was going to be content to drop the subject and talk about something else. But I was wrong. He was silent for a few minutes, and then he   43   to tell me all about his friend.

His friend’s main   44   in life seemed to be tennis. He was an excellent tennis player , and he   45    had his own tennis court. There were a lot of people with swimming   46  , yet there were only two people with private tennis court; his friend in Chicago was one of them. I told him that I knew several   47   like that, including my brother, who was a doctor in California. He   48   that maybe there were more private courts in the country than he   49   but he did not know of any others. Then he asked me   50   my brother lived in California. When I said Sacramento, he said that was a coincidence   51   his Chicago friend spent the summer in Sacramento last year and he lived next door to a   52   who had a tennis court in his backyard. I said I felt that really was a coincidence (巧合) because my next-door neighbour had gone to Sacramento last summer and had   53   the house next to my brother’s house. For a moment, we stared at each other, but we did not say anything.

   “Would your friend’s name happen to be Roland Kirkwood?” I asked finally. He   54   and said, “Yes. Would your brother’s name happen to be Dr Rey Hunter?” It was my   55   to laugh. “Yes,” I replied.

1.A. brother                                 B. teacher                           C.      friend                  D. neighbour

2.A.  happened                          B. managed                        C. tried                                         D. wanted

3.A. expecting                              B. lying                      C.      talking                           D. joking

4.A. funny                                     B. serious                            C. careful                                     D. disappointed

5.A.  find                                 B. think                                C. realize                                      D. see

6.A. indeed                                   B. actually                           C.      exactly                  D. instead

7.A. famous                                  B. interesting           C. big                                D. noisy

8.A. began                                    B. stopped                          C. refused                                    D. failed

9.A. problem                                 B. choice      C. interest                                    D. work

10.A. just                                                B. ever                                C. even                               D. surely

11.A. suit                                                B. habit                      C.      river              D. pools

12.A. people                                 B. players                           C strangers                                  D. friends

13.A. advised                      B.     admitted          C.      argued                                D. announced

14.A. recognized                         B. realized                          C. visited                             D. found

15.A. how                                           B. whether                          C. where                        D. when

16.A. if                                     B. because                            C. then                                          D. though

17.A. doctor                                B. friend                     C. neighbour                      D. player

18.A.visited                                   B. hired                                C. designed                                  D. sold

19.A. smiled                                 B. laughed                           C. cried                          D.nodded

20.A. chance             B. pleasure                C.      turn                                    D. time

Most, if not all, Chinese have become richer thanks to 28 years of reform and opening up. But are we any happier?

　　Various surveys attempt to answer this question. Though experts have presented varying percentages based on different standards, their answers tend to find we are generally happier, and the number of optimists rises each year. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ 2006 Blue Book on social progress says 70 per cent of rural and urban citizens surveyed in 2005 reported a feeling of happiness and were optimistic about their futures.

　　But each survey shows a worrisome fact that 10 per cent, at the lowest, of citizens were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future. We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy.

　　Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury（奢望）for many of our countrymen because of poverty, we agree wealth is not the only factor of happiness. For most of us, except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists, there simply are too many variables (可变物) that may kill the feeling of happiness. These include, but are not limited to, rising housing prices, tight and instable job market, back-breaking schooling expenses and medical bills.

The most common one, however, is a low sense of security (安全). Some experts pointed that in the low-and-middle income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment, income, housing, medical situations, and education. How can you feel happy when you always have to prepare yourself for the unexpected?

It may be beyond the government’s reach, not to mention duty, to guarantee (保证) higher income for every citizen. But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security.

From the second paragraph we learn _____________________.

A. 70 % of Chinese people feel happy and optimistic about their future

B. the data and the conclusions of the surveys are the same

C. the surveys about the sense of happiness were carried out in 2006

D. the purpose of the surveys is to find out the percentage of rich people

The following factors of happiness are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT _________.

A. security           B. environment             C. wealth            D. employment 

The underlined word “countrymen” in Paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

       A. people from the countryside                   B. people from cities

       C. people from all countries                       D. Chinese citizens

According to the passage, the author tends to hold the view that _________.

A. the wealthier we get, the happier we become

B. though we get wealthier, we do not feel happier

C. it is the government’s duty to raise every citizen’s income

D. the government should make sure all citizens feel a good level of security

By the time our teacher arrives tomorrow, all the work _____,with which he will be content.

    Everyone should visit a lighthouse at least once.

    The most important reasons for such a visit is to realize how our ancestors(祖先) battled nature with the basic tools they had. They had only basic ways of creating light, and yet they found a way of using this simple technology in isolated（孤零零的）places to save ships from hitting rocks.

    Secondly, visiting lighthouses will help us to understand the lives of lighthouse keepers. By their very nature, lighthouses were built on some rocks of cliffs. Thus, the lighthouse keepers often lived lonely lives. To walk around their small home, and imagine the angry storm outside beating against the walls, is to take a step towards understanding the lives they had.

    The reasons for a visit to a lighthouse are not all so backward-looking in time. It is true that lighthouses were built in out-of-the-way places. But on a pleasant sunny summer day, this very isolation has a natural beauty that many people will love to experience. Therefore, with the gentle waves touching all round the lighthouse, the visitor is likely to think it is a world preferable to the busy and noisy modern life.

    Another reason for considering a visit is that the lighthouses themselves can be very attractive buildings. Mankind could often not be content just to put up a basic structure, but felt the need, even in such an isolated place, to build with an artistic touch. The result is a view for tired eyes to enjoy.

    Finally, lighthouses have a romantic attraction, summed up by the image of the oil-skin coated keeper climbing his winding stairs to take care of the light to warn ships and save lives.

67. What is the reason to look back into the past of a lighthouse?

   A. To escape from the busy and noisy city.

   B. To look for the tools used by our ancestors.

   C. To experience the natural beauty of a lighthouse.

   D. To learn about the living condition of lighthouse keepers.

68. The underlined phrase “out-of-the-way” in Paragraph 4 means ____________.

   A. far-away     B. dangerous      C. ancient       D. secret

69. Lighthouses were often built with an artistic touch _________.

   A. to attract visitors       B. to guide passing ships

   C. to give a pleasant sight  D. to remember lighthouse keepers

70. How many reasons are mentioned for a visit to lighthouse?

   A. Three        B. Four         C. Five          D. Six

I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have eggs and toast. Others had cokes and candy for lunch while I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace(丢脸) because she made our clothes herself, just to save money.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning. So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years, our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, however, would merely be content with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout.
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background, I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.
【小题1】From the passage we can learn that the writer’s mother was          .