I was interested to read a newspaper article about a new concept in old people's homes
in France. The idea is simple,but revolutionary-combining a residential home for the elderly
with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together
and share activities. In the afternoons,the residents enjoy reading or telling stories to the
children,and if a child is feeling sad or tired,there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle.
There are trips out and birthday parties,too.
      The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because
they get a lot more individual attention,and respond well because someone has time for
them. They see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because
they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the
children are around and they take more interest in their appearance,too.
     Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many
reasons for this,including the breakdown of the extended family,working parents with no
time to care for ageing relations,families that have moved away,and smaller flats with no
room for grandparents. But the result is the same-increasing numbers of children without
grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people
who are lonely and feel useless,along with more and more families with young children
who desperately need more support. It's a major problem in many societies.
     That's why intergenerational_programmes,designed to bring the old and the young
together,are growing in popularity all over the world. There are examples of successful
attempts all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one
obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another,perhaps
reading with children who need extra attention.

1．Anurseryschoolisaplacewhere_______.

A．futurenursesaretrained
B．theelderlylive
C．childrenaretakencareof
D．theoldjoininactivities

2．Whichistrueaccordingtothepassage? ______

A．Anumberofassistantsareemployedtotakecareofthechildren.
B．Thenewconceptbenefitsboththeelderlyandthechildren.
C．Thechildrenbecomestrongeraftergettingmoreindividualattention.
D．Thechildrenlearnthatsickpeoplewilldie.

3．WhatismainlytalkedaboutinParagraph3?______

A．Thereasonwhytheoldandtheyoungareseparated.
B．Onereasonwhychildrendon'tlivewiththeirgrandparents.
C．Thesupportchildrenneed.
D．Theproblemthattheoldandtheyoungareseparated.

4．Whatdoesthe"intergenerationalprogrammes"inParagraph4referto? ______

A．Combiningelderlyhomeswithnurseryschools.
B．Lettingthechildrenandtheresidentseattogether.
C．AskingyoungpeopletoteachITskillstoolderpeople.
D．Usingoldpeopleasvolunteerassistantsinschools.

5．Whatisthebesttitleforthepassage? ______

A．Oldpeople'shomesinFrance
B．Buildingbridgesoflife
C．Asolutiontotheelderlyproblem
D．Children'snewhappylife

     Beginning college is exciting: new ideas to explore,new challenges to be met and many decisions to be made. Your future begins here.
     However,you will find college life is different from your previous school environment. Many of us can
be easily overwhelmed by the details of running a wellbalanced life. While some of us may have the
knowhow,I guess there are more of us who can benefit from learning about the experiences of others who have walked the college halls before you.
     The following you may find of use about life on campus.
     ●Plan well. There are so many new things to do at a new college or university. Give yourself time to
make new friends and become familiar with the campus,but don't forget why you are there. Give some time for social activities and manage your time wisely.
     ●If you don't have a "system" for planning your time now (like a day timer,a computer date book),get
one. Most of all,don't depend on your memory.
     ●Don't miss the guidelines. The restrictions,rules and regulations of all kinds can usually be found in
your student's handbook. Consider them wellbalanced food for thought. What dates are important? What pieces of paper need to be handed in? What can/ can't you do in your student residence(住处)? Who has the right for what? What do you need to complete to graduate?
     ●Write the word "STUDY" on the walls of our bedroom and bathroom,and maybe it will help to write
it on a piece of paper and stick it on the telephone,TV and the kitchen table. Consider this-you are paying
thousands of dollars for your courses. You pay every time you have to repeat or replace a course.
     ●Build your identity. This is the time for you to decide what to do and what not to do. Take as much
time as you need to explore new ideas. Do not be afraid of the beyond. This is learning to make good
choices.

1. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To offer advice on college life.       
B. To explain why college life is exciting.
C. To describe the importance of college life.  
D. To persuade you to go to college.

2. According to the passage,why is it exciting to begin college life?

A. Because you will have more freedom at college.
B. Because you will no longer be afraid of the beyond.
C. Because you prepare for your future career and life there.
D. Because professors there will provide you with many new ideas.

3. The underlined word "knowhow" refers to ________.

A. an understanding of how things are going at college
B. practical knowledge about how to behave and what to do at college
C. college halls where rules and regulations are presented
D. an environment completely different from the one you're used to

4. According to the passage,college students ________.

A. needn't learn from those who went to college before them
B. spend as much time as possible on social activities
C. should know what they have fought for on campus
D. are supposed to repeat or replace at least one course

5. According to the passage,all the following statements are true EXCEPT ________.

A. at college you should take an active part in social activities
B. the author advises you to get a computer data book
C. you are reminded of study by making a sign everywhere
D. you are given a suggestion that you make a identity card first

     At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possihle site(地点) for a house. I have
thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms,
one after another, and I knew their prices.
     The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when l bought the Hollowell place. But before
the owner completed the sale with me. his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered
me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However,l let him keep the additional dollars and sold him
the farm for just what I gave for it.
     The real attractions of the Hollowell farm to me were its position,being about two miles from the
village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor , bounded(相邻)  on one side  by  the river , and  separated
from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn't been
used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden
behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks,
cutting down the apple trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I
wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.
      I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden,but I don't think I was ready for a
large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted (无牵挂的) . It
makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.

1. What do we know about the author?   

A. He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he lived.
B. He made a study of many farms before buying.
C. He made money by buying and selling farms.
D. He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.

2. Why did the author decide to buy the Hollowell place?   

A. It was of good market value.
B. It was next to the highway.
C. It was in a good position.
D. It was behind a nice garden.

3. Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?   

A. He was afraid the owner might change his mind.
B. He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.
C. He wanted to keep the farm as it was.
D. He was eager to become a farm owner.

4. The underlined words "the loss"  in the last paragraph refer to __________.

A. the money the author lost in buying the farm
B. the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place
C. the removal of the trees around the house
D. the failure to possess the Hollowell place

    Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction.  However,merchants passed silk , gold ,
fruit , and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the
famous Silk Road.
     The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It
started from eastem  China , across  Central  Asia and the  Middle East.and ended in the Mediterranean
Sea. It was used from about 200 BC to about 1300 AD, when sea travel offered new routes (路线). It  
was  sometimes  called  the  world ' s  longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many
routes.not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed
mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced
traders could return safe.
     The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes
or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold. silver, and glass from Europe were much
found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China.
Indian merchants traded salt and other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on
the West. Apples traveled from Central Asia to Rome. The Chinese  had learned to graft (嫁接) different
trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others ,including the Romans.
The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business
2 ,000 years before the
     World Wide Web.
      The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk
Road provided pathways for leaming ,diplomacy(外交)  and religion.

1. It' s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed_________.   

A. to remember the entire trade route
B. to know the making of products
C. to receive certain special training
D. to deal with a lot of difficulties

2. The Silk Road became less important because ___________.    

A. it was made up of different routes
B. silk trading became less popular
C. sea travel provided easier routes
D. people needed fewer foreign goods

3. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people __________. 

A. learned from one another
B. shared each other's beliefs
C. traded goods along the route
D. earned their living by traveling

4. What is the best title for the passage?   

A. The Silk Road : Past and Present
B. The Silk Road : East Meets West
C. The Silk Road : Routes Full of Dangers
D. The Silk Road : Pathways for Learning

     When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness , who possess wings of their
own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate (照亮) me and train me up for
love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours , too good not to share.
     When I was in the eighth grade.l had a friend. We were shy and "too serious" about our studies
when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said
little at school,but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and  paper , and
one of us  would  say , " Let's start with a train whistle today. " We would sit quietly together and write
separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end
of that school year,we, too, were changed into social creatures and the
stories and poems stopped.
     When I lived for a time in London,l had a friend. He was in despair (失望) and I was in despair. But
our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this
great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many
excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted.We gave London to each
other.
     For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose ilnagination illuminates mine. We write
long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears,sometimes in a funny way,
in  the other's  dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times,we seem to be parts of the same mind. In
my most interesting moments,l often think "Yes . I must tell. . ." We have never met.
      It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me
than the lifetime services  of a psychologist (心理学家 ) , who will only fill  up  the. healing(愈合的)
silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

1. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to________.   

A. become serious about her study
B. go to her friend's house regularly
C. learn from her classmates at school
D. share poems and stories with her friend        

2. In Paragraph 3, "We gave London to each other" probably means _________.   

A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
D. we parted with each other in London

3. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend_________.   

A.call each other regularly
B. have similar personalities
C. enjoy writing to each other
D. dream of meeting each other

4. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to________.  

A seek professional help        
B. be left alone
C. stay with her best friend      
D. break the silence

5. What is the best title for the passage? ________.

A. Unforgettable Experiences
B. Remarkable Imagination
C. Lifelong Friendship
D. Noble Companions

                                                          The Value of Tears
     Tears can ruin make-up, bring conversation to a stop, and give you a runny nose. Tears leave you
embarrassed and without energy. Still, crying is a fact of life, and your tears are very useful. Even when
you're not crying, they make a film over the eye's surface.   1   
     When tears fall, they reduce stress. But we tend to fight them for all sorts of reasons. "People worry
about showing their emotions, afraid that once they lose control they'II never get it back. "     2    After
we cry , the feelings that caused the tears often disappear.
    Sometirnes people become much stressed and can't cry. Whatever emotion  they  are  feeling-shock ,
anger, fear , or sadness-is being held back.
      But everyone has the need to try. Psychologist Vera Diamond explains that her treatment often
consists of giving people permission to cry.   3   Patients practice crying just to become used to expressing emotions. She suggests safe , private  places  to  cry , like  under the  bedcovers or in the car.
     Crying is a way of reducing tension, but people don't like it when others cry because it makes them
tense.   4   And they'll do just about anything to make you stop.
     In certain situations, such as at work, tears are not appropriate. It's good not to cry during a tense
business discussion.   5   You should also act out the whole situation again and be as noisy and angry as
you Iike. It will help you feel better. "And,"  she adds, "once your tears have taken away the stress , you
can begin to think calmly of ways to deal with the problem. "
     Tears are a sign of our ability to feel. If you find yourself near someone crying, deal with it. And never
be afraid to cry yourself.
A. They too may be holding back a need to cry.
B. They cry for different reasons.
C. She gives crying exercises.
D. It contains a chemical against infection.
E. The fact is that no emotion lasts forever.
F. It forms in response to the stress on the surface of the eye.
G. But once you're safely behind closed doors,don't just cry.