“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity，” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’ s probably worth listening to.

Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’ re a Chinese，you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump (树桩) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.

A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’ s not about going to a temple to burn some incense (香) in hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’ s practical advice you can follow each day.

Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups：those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper，” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not  spot  the message.

It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “lucky”， in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.

I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners，my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence(巧合)? After reading about Professor Wiseman’ s studies I think not.

As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational (理性)thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential （潜在）problem.

Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.

1.Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’ s point?

A. Make the best of a bad job.

B. Rome was not built in a day.

C. All is not gold that glitters.

D. A good heart conquers ill fortune.

2.What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?

A. She became famous through her family background.

B. She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks （挫折）in her life.

C. She is a British talk show host.

D. She became successful by her own effort.

3.The writer quoted（引用） the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show________.

A. luck is in your own hand

B. bad luck can turn into good

C. you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you

D. man can conquer nature

4.From the experiment Wiseman drew the conclusion that________.

A. lucky people are quick-minded

B. unlucky people are slow to read

C. lucky people often have an open mind

D. unlucky people are more creative

5.The underlined word “spot” is the closest in meaning to“________”．

A. discover         B. mark   C. make               D. receive

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity，” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to.

Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’ re a Chinese，you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump (树桩) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.

A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’ s not about going to a temple to burn some incense (香) in hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’ s practical advice you can follow each day.

Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups：those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper，” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.

It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “lucky”，in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.

I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners，my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’ s studies I think not.

As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.

Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.

57．Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’s point?

A. Make the best of a bad job.                      B. Rome was not built in a day.

C. All is not gold that glitters.                       D. A good heart conquers ill fortune.

58．What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?

A. She became famous through her family background.

B. She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks in her life.

C. She is a British talk show host.

D. She became successful by her own effort.

59．The writer quoted the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show________.

A. luck is in your own hand

B. bad luck can turn into good

C. you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you

D. man can conquer nature

60．From the experiment, Wiseman drew the conclusion that________.

A. lucky people are quick-minded                B. unlucky people are slow to read

C. lucky people often have an open mind         D. unlucky people are more creative

The students at Sandy’s high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had  36 himself. The suicide note read: “It’s hard to  37 when nobody cares if you die.”

Glen, a teacher, realized this was a  38 moment about the importance of making people feel

39 . He asked his class to imagine they were about to  40  and to write a note “telling someone how and why you  41 him or her.”

Sandy, who had a  42  relationship with her mother, decided to write her  43 . Her letter read: “We’ve had some  44 times and I haven’t always been a very good 45 ,but I know I’m lucky to have you in my life. You’re the  46 person I’ve ever known, And even when I disagree with you, I never  47 you love me and want what’s best for me. Thanks for not  48 up on me”.

When her mom read the note, she cried and hugged Sandy  49 but said little.

The next morning, Sandy found a  50  on her mirror: “Dearest Sandy, I want you to know being your mother is ,by far, the most important thing in my life.  51 I got your note, I thought I had lost your love and  52 . I felt like such a failure. I intended to  53 it all last night. Your note saved my  54 .”

Be careful not to underestimate the  55 of expressed appreciation. It won’t always save a life, but it will always make someone’s life better.

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The students at Sandy's high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had __36  himself．The suicide note read: “It’s hard to  37  when nobody cares.”

Glen, a teacher, realized this was a  38  moment about the importance of making people feel _39 ． He asked his class to imagine they were about to  _40  and to write a note "telling someone how and why you _ 41 him or her."

Sandy, who had a   42_  relationship with her mother, decided to write her  _43  . Her letter read: "We've had some  44_ times and I haven't always been a very good _ 45  , but I know I'm lucky to have you in my life． You're the _ 46_ person I've ever known．And even when I disagree with you, I never _ 47 _you love me and want what's best for me．Thanks for not   48  up me.”

When her mom read the note, she cried and hugged Sandy   49 but said little．

The next morning, Sandy found a  50 on her mirror:  "Dearest Sandy,  I want you to know being your mother is, by far, the most important thing in my life． 51_ I got your note , I thought I had lost your love and  52 .  I felt like such a failure．I intended to  53 it all last night．Your note saved my  54 .”

Be careful not to underestimate(低估) the  55 of expressed appreciation. It won't always save a life, but it will always make someone's life better．

1.                A．sacrificed       B．defeated        C．abandoned    D．killed

2.                A．live            B．imagine         C．struggle  D．think

3.                A．sad            B．final           C．teachable D．great

4.                A．ashamed        B．valued          C．excited   D．scared

5.                A．die            B．fail            C．retire    D．survive

6.                A．miss           B．hate           C．admire   D．appreciate

7.                A．close          B．casual          C．bad  D．personal

8.                A．classmate       B．mom           C．father    D．teacher

9.                A．free           B．delightful       C．pleasant  D．rough

10.               A．daughter       B．student         C．friend D．trainer

11.               A．best           B．wisest          C．luckiest   D．bravest

12.               A．trust           B．doubt          C．consider   D．predict

13.               A．taking          B．going          C．giving D．looking

14.               A．coldly          B．hesitantly       C．shyly D．tightly

15.               A．note           B．gift            C．notice D．reminder

16.               A．Since          B．Until           C．Though    D．When

17.               A．confidence      B．courage        C．respect   D．heart

18.               A．end           B．make          C．get   D．fall

19.               A．life            B．time           C．money    D．honor

20.               A．push           B．price          C．meaning   D．power

PART THREE   READING COMPREHENSION (30%)
Directions: Read the following three passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage
They say a cat has nine lives, and I think that possible since I am now living my third life and I’m not even a cat. My father died when I was 15, and we had a hard struggle to make a living. And my mother, who was seriously ill in her last years, died while still in her 60s. My sister married soon after, and I followed her example within the year.
This was when I began to enjoy my first life. I was very happy, in excellent health. I had a good job in San Jose and a beautiful home up the peninsula (半岛) in San Carlos. Life was a pleasant dream. Then the dream ended. I became afflicted (使苦恼) with a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first my right arm and leg, and then my other side. Thus began my second life...
In spite of my disease I still drove to and from work each day, with the aid of special equipment installed in my car. And I managed to keep my health and optimism (乐观), to a degree, because of 14 steps. Crazy? Not at all. Our home was an affair with 14 steps leading up from the garage to the kitchen door. Those steps were a standard measure of life. They were my yardstick, my challenge to continue living. I felt that if the day arrived when I was unable to lift one foot up one step and then drag the other painfully after it ---repeating the process 14 times, I would be through---I could then admit defeat and lie down and die.
Then on a dark night in August, 1971, I began my third life. It was raining when I started home that night; strong winds and slashing rain beat down on the car as I drove slowly down one of the less-traveled roads. Suddenly the steering wheel jerked (猝然一动). In the same instant I heard the bang of a blowout. It was impossible for me to change that tire! Utterly impossible!
I started the engine and thumped slowly along until I came to the dirt road, where I turned in and where I found lighted windows welcomed me to a house and pulled into the driveway and honked the horn.
The door opened and a little girl stood there. When she knew what happened to me, she went into the house and a moment later came out, followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting. I sat there comfortable and dry, and felt a bit sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm.
About an hour later, the man’s voice was heard, “This is a bad night for car trouble, but you’re all set now.” “Thanks,” I said. “How much do I owe you?” He shook his head, “Nothing. Cynthia told me you were a cripple. Glad to be of help. I know you’d do the same for me. There’s no charge, friend.” I held out a five-dollar bill, “No! I like to pay my way.” He made no effort to take it and the little girl stepped closer to the window and said quietly, “Grandpa can’t see it.”
56. “A cat has nine lives” here means ___________.
A. a cat can live nine times longer than any other animal  B .a cat can die ninth
C .a lucky man can not die easily                     D the writer will live nine times
57. What do you think of the man who helped change the tire?
A. Old, warm-hearted but pitiable             
B. Blind, but warm-hearted and happy
C. A blind old man that has nothing to do every day.
D. A poor old man that is always ready to help others.
58. How will the story be ended?
A. The writer paid the little girl but the old man did not accept.
B. The writer drove away with tears running down his cheek.
C. The writer stayed there, without knowing what to do and how to do it.
D. In the next few frozen seconds the writer felt the shame and astonishment he had never felt
before.
59. How do you understand the underlined sentence “I followed my sister’s example?”
A.  He listened to his sister carefully.
B  Mother told him that he must get the agreement from his sister for whatever he would do.
C  His sister got married. He, too.
D  His sister was a great woman.. He must learn from her.
60. The best title for this passage perhaps will be _____.
A.The Old Man and His Daughter              B. Heart Leaping Up
C.Never Lose Heart                        D. Good Will Be Rewarded Good