I used to work in an office, which had a Iocust tree growing outside the window. It had grown into a tall tree and must have been there for a long time. The tree blocked the view and made the office seem dull. Unfortunately, this happened to be the room assigned to me, and l was depressed by it for quite some time.

When the first spring came, everything was green except the locust tree.I felt very happy because I had thought it had died!

One morning, when I opened the window for some fresh air, I unexpectedly smelt a familiar sweet scent floating into my office which I could not name. Suddenly,I realized it was the locust tree!The tree that I thought dead was in full bloom!

From then on, I usually came to the office very early to see dew forming on the locust tree blossoms, and was eager to see spring again every year.

During summer, the green leaves provided shade protecting me from the harsh sunlight, but allowing enough light in to make it pleasant. In autumn, the leaves turned many different colors. Its beauty touched my soul. Many times, I thought to take photos but never did. Then, I had to leave in a hurry. Later in life, it became a great regret that I had not done so.

Actually, many times in our lives we think we own something and thus do not value it. We don't feel regretful until we lose it one day! Moreover, sometimes, we have to accept the things we don't want and need to discover the hidden beauty to find unexpected joy!

The locust tree first attracted the author most by____.

A. the way it blocked the view     B. its height

C. the smell of its flowers         D. its green leaves

In which season do you think the author paid the least attention to the locust tree?

 A. Spring.    B. Summer    C. Autumn.    D. Winter.

Which of the following statements is true of the author according to the passage?

 A. He would have regretted if the locust tree had died as he had thought it had.

 B. The locust tree turned out to be a lovely memory for him.

 C. He felt unhappy as he had forgotten to take the photos with him.

 D. His work in the office changed with the seasons every year.

It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

 A. the locust tree died soon after the author left the office

 B. the author worked in the office for at least a few years

 C. it was summer when the author took his job in the office

 D. the weather was dry when the author first saw the tree

What advice does the author intend to give us?

 A. Treasure what we've owned.                B. Look before you leap.

 C. Treat everything calmly.                   D. Never forget the past.   

I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did. On arriving at the beach cottage, I kissed Evelyn meeting me at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “ I don’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”

It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.

A. with his family     B. with Evelyn    C. alone      D. with his children

During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.

A. he was determined to be a good husband

B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C. she looked lovely in her new clothes

D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill

The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?

A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ______.

A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

假设你是Mr Hunter , 某英语报社的主编。下面是Jimmy 写给你的一封信，请仔细阅读这封信，并就他所提的问题给写封回信。

Dear Sir ,

I’m a Senior 3 student this year . Facing the College Entrance Examination , I feel a lot of pressure . But unfortunately , my mother cannot understand me . Every time I turn on the TV set  , she will switch it off . Therefore ,we often quarrel about whether I can watch TV after school . You know , through my window , I can see so vivid pictures from across the window of my good friend’s house , which is opposite ours. How exciting the football match always is ! Even worse , my mobile phone was taken back yesterday just because of my failure in my maths for the first time . Also , recently I am often wanted by my teacher to his office .In all , I feel stressed out .I don’t know what I can do . Please help me .

    Looking forward to your reply .

                         Yours ,

Jimmy

I am very busy with urgent things ____ every minute of the day.

     A．to fill              B．filled        C．filling     D．fill

If you feel tired and sick of fat foods, that is ___________ you have to go to the hospital for a medical examination．

       A．why               B．what               C．when              D．whether

The theory he ____ about black hole isn’t understood by most of people.

A .put up       B put down       C put off        D put forward

The old man is badly ill and he needs ___________ to hospital at once.

A. to be taken               B. to take                     C. be taken     D. taken

Today is my first day at Merchiston Castle School,and I was really nervous about it, because I have never visited the school before and didn’t take any summer course. Despite my anxiety,I soon relaxed once I arrived; the staff were so nice that I felt my spoken English was better than it actually was! As soon as I walked into the dayroom of my boarding house,I was absolutely(完全地) amazed by the friendly atmosphere; everyone was so friendly that a boy as shy as I had no difficulty in setting in,and I made many new friends on my very first day,although I was struggling to remember all the names.

Also I realized there were other international students in the house from all over the world,such as South Korea,Japan and Russia.Although their English was not so fluent,it didn’t take long for us to understand each other at all.In some ways,it was even better to practice Enlgish by speaking to the international students,because we were both learning.

As a boarder,the quality of food is something I consider very important,and Merchiston has not let me down.The school kitchens are run by a professional catering company,and the quality of food is excellent,also they take the issue of a healthy diet really seriously.I remember once I was asked to take more salad for my meal by a member of the kitchen staff for I did not have enough vegetables.This brings to another point of being a boarder:you need to learn how to look after yourself and be responsible for yourself.One of the huge advantages of being a boarder is that we can have breakfast in the school,which means we don’t have to pull ourselves out of the bed as early as the daypupils!

Why was the writer nervous when he was at Merchiston Castle School on the first day?

  A.Because he had no friends and relatives there.

  B.Because he didn’t know the school well.

  C.Because he was not good at English.

  D.Because he was shy.

On the first day,         .

  A.though the writer was anxious,he soon relaxed

  B.he found the dayroom of his boarding house terrible

  C.he made many new friends,but he didn’t remember any of their names

  D.he thought he spoke English better than the staff in the school

Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?

  A.In the boarding house,there are only students from South Korea,Japan and Russia.

  B.The international students in the boarding house don’t speak Englsih very fluently.

  C.The food in Merchiston doesn’t make the writer disappiointed.

  D.The professional catering company thinks the issue of a healthy diet is very important.

The underlined word“boarder”in the first paragraph means“       ”.

  A. a student who is from abroad    B. a student who lives at school

  C.a student who is good at English  D. a student who used to be shy

在下列的空格里填写括号里单词的正确形式(共8小题, 每小题1分共8分)

The whole world seemed ___________ (shock) at the news of the death of the famous American singer, Michael Jackson.

Much to their delight, their hometown was found __________ (change) a lot after such a long time.

Mary got blamed by her boss because she had left the office with all the lights _________ (burn).

The book fair, ____________( open) last week, has attracted a large number of people including many little children.

No witnesses could give the police a detailed ______________ (describe) of the murder happening in that district.

While staying in England, he was always _____________ (enthusiasm) about making friends with the local people.

There is no ____________ (possible) that he will win the game even though he has got much trained.

I keep the reference books on the desk for ______________ (convenient) because I frequently use them.

I could hear their voice, but I couldn’t _____ what they are saying．

      A．make for       B．make up       C．make out      D．make off