MIANYANG—At a corner of the city’s Jiuzhou Stadium, one of the biggest camps set up for those left homeless in the earthquake, 62-year-old Liu Yaorong was leaning against a window on Thursday.

Pointing to a quilt and clothes he received from the local government, he said: “These are all I have. My home collapsed in the quake, and everything in the town was flooded.”

He used to live in Xuanping town of Beichuan county which was destroyed by the quake. Adding to his misery, rivers blocked by landslides(山崩) led to flooding in the town.

But Liu said he was lucky because he was healthy, otherwise he would not have the energy to walk 10 hours on damaged and dangerous mountainous roads to escape the flood on Monday. He said the trip used to take him about 90 minutes when the roads were in good condition.

The journey was difficult and “rocks kept falling,” he said, showing injured legs and black, split toenails.

Liu said his three sons were working in eastern cities as migrant workers.

“I’ve been living alone in the mountains for more than 20 years. My wife died 30 years ago,” he said in a low voice.

During his journey to Mianyang, Liu said he saw many elderly people who chose to stay.

“Soldiers were persuading them to leave for fear of floods,” he said.

Talking about his home before the quake struck, Liu’s mood lifted. “I raised pigs and chickens, and grew vegetables. I could have rice, meat and greens almost every day,” he said.

“But now, I have only biscuits and instant noodles.”

Liu said one of his sons returned home from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, after the quake, but left because the father refused to go with him.

“I don’t want to leave home. And I know it is difficult for them out there. How could I add to their burden?” he asked, his eyes red.

“I still want to go back to my home. Given a small piece of land, I could live by myself.”

It is learnt that resettlement plans for displaced people have not been finalized.

However, not every elderly person is as strong-willed as Liu.

Psychologists said the elderly need as much comfort as children. Lu Jianguo, a psychologist from Chengdu Medical College, said “We will first let them cry and tell their stories, and then help them regain confidence.”

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

2.The underlined word “ misery  ”in the third paragraph most probably means “      ”.

3.What’s Liu Yaorong’s attitude towards self-relief after the earthquake?

4. What would be the best title for the news report?

I used to believe in the American Dream, which meant a job, a mortgage (按揭)，credit cards, success. I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us   36   chasing the same thing.

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell   37   . I found myself homeless and alone. I had my truck and $56. I   38   the countryside for some place I could rent for the   39   possible amount. I came upon a shabby house four miles up a winding mountain road   40   the Potomac River in West Virginia. It was   41   , full of broken glass and rubbish. I found the owner, rented it, and   42   a corner to camp in.

The locals knew nothing about me,   43   slowly, they started teaching me the   44   of being a neighbor. They dropped off blankets, candles, and tools, and began   45   around to chat. They started to teach me a belief in a   46   American Dream—not the one of individual achievement but of   47   .

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were   48   for a civilized life, were nonexistent in this place.   49   on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my   50   with my neighbors.

Four years later, I moved back into   51   . I saw many people were having a really hard time,   52   their jobs and homes. I managed to rent a big enough house to   53   a handful of people. There are four of us now in the house, but over time I’ve had nine people come in and move on to other places. We’d all be in   54    if we hadn’t banded together.

The American Dream I believe in now is a shared one. It’s not so much about what I can get for myself; it’s about   55   we can all get by together.

36. A. separately         B. equally             C. violently           D. naturally

37. A. off                     B. apart                C. over                 D. out

38. A. crossed             B. left                   C. toured              D. searched

39. A. fullest                B. largest             C. fairest              D. cheapest

40. A. at                      B. through            C. over                 D. round

41. A. occupied           B. abandoned      C. emptied            D. robbed

42. A. turned               B. approached     C. cleared            D. cut

43. A. but                    B. although          C. otherwise         D. for

44. A. benefit               B. lesson              C. nature              D. art

45. A. sticking              B. looking             C. swinging           D. turning

46. A. wild                    B. real                  C. different           D. remote

47. A. neighborliness B. happiness        C. friendliness      D. kindness

48. A. unique               B. expensive        C. rare                  D. necessary

49. A. Up                     B. Down               C. Deep                D. Along

50. A. cooperation       B. relationships    C. satisfaction      D. appointments

51. A. reality                B. society             C. town                 D. life

52. A. creating             B. losing               C. quitting             D. offering

53. A. put in                 B. turn in              C. take in              D. get in

54. A. yards                 B. shelters            C. camps              D. cottages

55. A. when                 B. what                 C. whether            D. how

Coming home from school that dark winter day so long ago, I was filled with excitement of having the weekend off. But I was   41  into stillness by what I saw. Mother, seated at the far end of the sofa, was   42  with the second-hand green typewriter on the table. She told me that she couldn’t   43  fast and then she was out of work. My shock and embarrassment at finding Mother in tears was a perfect proof of how   44  I understood the pressure on her. Sitting beside her on the sofa, I began very slowly to understand. “I guess we all have to   45  something,” Mother said quietly. I could   46  her pain and the tension of   47  the strong feeling that were interrupted by my   48 . Suddenly, something inside me lit up. I reached out and put my arms around her. She broke then. She put her face   49  my shoulder and sobbed. I held her  50    and didn’t try to talk. I knew I was doing what I should, what I could and that was   51  . At that moment, feeling Mother’s   52  with feelings, I understood for the first time her being easy to   53 . She was still my mother,   54   she was something   55  : a person like me, capable of fear,   56  and failure. I could feel her pain as she must have felt mine on a thousand occasions when I sought  57  in her arms.
A week later Mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station __58 .
“It’s a job I can do, though.” She said simply. But the evening practice on the green typewriter continued. I had a very   59  feeling now when I passed her door at night and heard her   60   away across the paper. I knew there was something more going on in there than a woman learning to type.

When I was 19，I had got a job in my local bookstore. Living in the large city，I usually saw many strange customers(顾客)，most of  1  were teenagers. They didn’t come often；I forgot all the customers  2  two. One night a 15-year-old girl came in looking for a book with a boy. They seemed to find what they wanted to buy. But  3  they came to the counter（柜台），the girl found she was a dollar or two short to buy the book，and she took
4 all her money to prove it. She looked so disappointed. Just then I remembered my discount card and 5  was still active，so I told the girl   6  to worry. I put in my code（密码），being happy that I could help them with this card. With the book in her hand she gave me  7   thankful smile，and then she and the boy got out of the store happily，leaving me feeling content，too.  8 fact, sometimes a little thing can also make one’s world beautiful.

My partner and I were staying in Beruwela on the Southwest coast of Sri Lanka when the tsunami(海啸) hit. We   1  from the first floor of our hotel. At that time, a wall of water swept in and tore the ground floor apart underneath us.   2  to be moved out to Colombo was very frightening because everyone was afraid that another and possibly bigger   3  would come. At one stage we heard that another wave was coming and there was   4 . Surprisingly, a fleet of small vehicles driven by local people arrived outside the hotel and we just  5  a minibus.
We were taken up a hill to a place of   6  where we were welcomed by a family who told us that we could stay as   7  as we needed to. Among all this death and   8 , these people were trying to help us! We were shown to the local Mosque where hundreds of locals were cooking, collecting and distributing food and supplies for those less   9 . In the three days we were waiting to leave, we saw many examples of ordinary Sri Lankans, many of whom had lost friends,   10  and livelihoods（生计，谋生方式）, trying to help others who were worse off. It was a very moving experience.
We have since been   11  the family who took us in and they are saying that what their country needs most urgently is practical help, doctors, nurses and medicines, helping to   12   roads and rebuilding electricity and water supplies. These people would have done anything to help us, it is time for the British Government to do more to help them.