---Since you can't find a better job, why don't you stick to the present one?

    ---Well,_____.

A.I believe not     B.I don't care  C. Never mind    D. I might as well

Knowing how long the test would last, the students who finished ____ back and waited until the end of the exam.

A. settle     B. settled    C. settling    D. to settle

However, at times this balance in nature is disturbed, ____ a number of possibly unforeseen effects.

A. lying in    B. calling in C. taking in  D. resulting in

The rescue team ______to help but failed to get there in time.

A. had wanted  B. have planned C. were expecting  D. hoped

 Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. So far as the children were concerned, they had a mystery about him that stirred their imagination. He stirred Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband, “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”

In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Instead, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie.” Such was his regard for her.

Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’s voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was mean. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.

Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had, in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third, ” They wondered about those two unfortunate lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.

 The underlined word “mercy” in the text most probably means _______.

A. loss      B. wonder

C. lucky thing D. terrible thing

Maggie never prepared anything special for James because _______.

A. he was a man difficult to please

B. she never knew when he was coming

C. she was too busy looking after her children

D. he never stayed long enough for a meal

What do we know about James’ behavior?

A. He was a kind man, with love for the family.

B. He was generous, especially towards his brother.

C. He was anxious to please the family, especially the kids.

D. He was rude to his sister-in-law.

Maggie felt pleased when _______.

A. she paid James the money that she owed him

B. James gave some money to the children

C. she had to wake James up to catch his train

D. James thanked her for the nice supper

The children did not realize that two of James’ wives _______.

A. had been dead    B. suffered from loss of memory

C. had run away from him    D. might appear again one day

You ________ to leave until you _______ your work.

      A. won’t be allowed; have finished      B. won’t allow; finish

       C. won’t be allowed; will finish           D. won’t allow; will finish

Just after putting the baby onto bed, Mrs. White suddenly caught sight of the pet cat and didn’t know how long it________ on the table for the family dinner.

       A. had been laying; lying                    B. had been lying; laid

       C. had been laid; laid                          D. had lain; laying

—Have you heard from Janet recently?

   —No, but I ______ her over Christmas. 

       A. saw                                              B. will be seeing

C. have seen                                      D. have been seeing

 Time is very important in our lives. It  16  our everybody moments. However, time never had any  17  in my life until I received a watch from my father that organized my life and made me more  18 .

     It’s round in the center with two silver bands that go around my wrist. And all of it is made of silver. This  19  tells me the importance of time in my life.

     I received this  20  on a gray-sky day. I had to go to the airport at 9:00 am to  21  up my uncle Ali and take him to my father’s house  22  , I was late because I was  23  out with my friends. Later on that day, around 11:00 am, I  24  my uncle, but I was very  25  for him. He had  26  the airport and taken a taxi to my father’s house.

     I got to my father’s house at 2:00 pm on the same day and looking at my angry father’s face I felt  27  of myself at that moment. After I said hi to my  28  father and tired uncle, my father asked me to sit next to him where he handed me this watch as a gift from him. Then he said, “Essa, did you have  29   with your friends today?” I answered, “Yes, father, and I’m sorry about not picking up my uncle Ali.” He said, “What you  30  was not very nice and you should be sorry for your  31  .” I was ashamed and said, “Father, I’ll never do it again, I promise.” He said, “I hope today you learned something important, and this watch will be a  32  for you.” He told me to take this watch and use it as an organizer of my 33   .

I learned a very important lesson from my father: to  34  time and never be late to get someone. This watch is  35  to me, not because of its price, but because of the lesson that I learned from it.

16. A. appreciates                 B. organizes               C. orders               D. explains

17. A. importance                 B. similarity                 C. necessity           D. interest

18. A. confident                   B. independent              C. efficient            D. responsible

19. A. object                       B. belonging                 C. matter               D. stranger

20. A. card                       B. letter                        C. gift                   D. thing

21. A. call                       B. pick                         C. put                   D. bring

22. A. Otherwise                  B. Fortunately               C. However           D. Hopefully

23. A. going                        B. hanging                    C. standing            D. leaving

24. A. forgot                        B. remembered             C. saw                   D. visited

25. A. anxious                    B. nervous                    C. early                 D. late

26. A. reached                    B. recognized                C. left                   D. found

27. A. ashamed                    B. frightened                C. disappointed      D. shy

28. A. kind                       B. happy                      C. angry                D. doubtful

29. A. pleasure                    B. fun                          C. appointment      D. quarrels

30. A. said                        B. did                          C. thought             D. forgot

31. A. ideas                       B. words                      C. actions                     D. promises

32. A. wonder                     B. hope                        C. requirement              D. reminder

33. A. life                        B. day                          C. way                  D. thought

34. A. waste                      B. respect                            C. neglect              D. enjoy

35. A. useful                       B. necessary                  C. different            D. important

People in Britain often talk about their homes: their mortgages (按揭), the interest rates, and rising prices. Here’s a guide to some of the words and phrases you might come across.

        It’s a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford.

        The next step is to go to an estate agent and see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself.

        If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The vendor (卖家) can accept or decline this offer, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don’t pay any money at this point, the offer isn’t legally binding (具有约束力), and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like.

        Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified surveyor will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems.

        If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a lawyer to do the legal paperwork, if you already own a house you might also be busy trying to sell it Many house owners prefer to sell to first-time buyers (those people who don’t already own a home), as they are not in a chain (waiting for other people to buyer house before they can buy their next house).

        Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a house-warming party. Congratulation!

Which of the following shows the right order of what happens before the people in the UK move into a new house?

      a. ask for a company which represents others of properties

      b. decide how much to borrow from the bank

      c. examine the structure of the house

      d. hire a lawyer and make a contract

      e. offer the seller the right money

      f. visit the house and discuss a price with the seller

       A. b, a, f, d, c, e                                B. b, a, f, e, d, c

C. b, a, f, c, d, e                                     D. b, f, d, e, c, a

According to the passage, these statements are correct EXCEPT ___________.

       A. After getting the keys, the owners sometimes have a party.

       B. People care for mortgages, interest rates and the prices &house.

       C. The sellers are more interested in the first-time buyers.

       D. People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

       A. Collectors.                             B. Owners.

C. Lawyers.                                   D. Surveyors.

The passage is maybe one that _______________.

       A. give some advice on the house         B. give some tips to buyers

       C. introduces a book on travelers         D. introduces a guide to visitors