Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant and life was going well — she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through." she said. "After everything I'd done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn't feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life."

Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in north-west Wales. Zoe jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.

"The moment I arrived at Kathy's farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay." said Zoe. "Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless."

Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. "It's a hard life, physically very tiring." she says. "In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy's wonderful dinners."

Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing — watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says, "It's one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I could never go back to city life now."

When working as a PR consultant in London, Zoe thought she lived a______life.

A. satisfying         B. tough                      C. meaningless       D. boring

The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy's farm is that______.

A. Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant     B. Kathy persuaded her to do so

C. Zoe got tired of the city life                   D. Zoe loved Wales more than London

How does Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?

A. Tiresome and troublesome.                    B. Romantic and peaceful

C. Mentally exhausting but healthy             D. Physically tiring but rewarding.

Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?

A. A friend in need is a friend indeed.        B. Where there is a will, there is a way.

C. A misfortune may turn out a blessing.     D. Kill two birds with one stone.

It was only when I reread his poems recently__________ I began to appreciate their beauty.

 A. until               B. in which            C. that                   D. so

Lillian Hanson, a college student, expects to graduate in about two years．What makes Mrs．Hanson different from her classmates is her age-----73 years．She has been studying at college, a few courses at a time, for 27 years．

       When Lillian Hanson graduated from high school, she went to the bank to borrow money for further education．The banker gave her no encouragement．He didn’t think that a country girl should borrow money to go to college．He thought she should be at home doing work in the house or around the farm．So Lillian Hanson went home and raised a family of nine children instead of going to college．Mrs．Hanson never forgot her dream of getting a higher education．When her children were grown, she tried again．

       She finds that it is the hardest part of going back to school at her age to sit in class for long periods of time．Because she is not as quick as she used to be, Mrs．Hanson often gets up and walks around classes to keep from getting stiff（不灵活）．At the beginning of a course in using the computer, the other students all stood up to give her a warm welcome when she introduced herself and explained why she was there and what her aims were．

Mrs．Hanson couldn’t go to college immediately after she graduated from high school because ____

       A．she hadn’t got enough money

       B．she was a country girl

       C．the banker ordered her not to borrow any money

       D．the banker thought she should raise a family of nine children

The computer students welcomed Mrs．Hanson warmly because ______．

       A．she had got an excellent result in the exam

       B．she was good at telling funny stories

      C．they wanted to get her help in their studies          

       D．they were deeply moved by her spirit

Mrs．Hanson is the sort of person who ________．

       A．cares for study very much                   

       B．likes to borrow money from the bank

       C．never misses a chance to talk                

       D．tries to save any money for her family

In which order did Mrs．Hanson do the following things?

       a．she began her studies at college．  

       b．She finished high school．

       c．She got married and gave birth of nine children．

       d．She had her 73 rd birthday．

       e．She went to the bank to borrow money．

       A．a c b e d B．b e c a d   C．b c e d a   D．e d a c b

After the earthquake, the injured were cared ________in the hospitals or taken by air to the hospitals in the neighbouring cities．

       A．of     B．for    C．after  D．with

--- Why does the lake smell terrible?

---Because large quantities of water         .

       A．have polluted                 B．is being polluted

       C．have been polluted            D．has been polluted

Have you ever dreamed _______ in front of thousands of people at a concert, with everyone ________ your singing.

A. of…clapping and joining         B. of being…clapping and joined

C. of being…clapping and joining    D. of being…clapped and joined

Mrs. Johnson, our neighbor, often ______ the dog in the park after supper.

A. watches                B. takes                   C. keeps                     D. walks

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.

My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult (成年人)I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.

On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions.（面部表情） Gone was my father’s critical（挑剔的）air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend.

My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.

Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?

 A. He was silent most of the time.

 B. He was too proud of himself.

 C. He did not love his children.

 D. He expected too much of her.

When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel_______.

 A. nervous   B. sorry   C. tired   D. safe

What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A. More critical        B. More talkative （健谈的）

C. Gentle and friendly   D. Strict and hard-working

The trousers cost _______. What’s more, they are ________ short for me.

A. much too; too much         B. too much; much too

C very much; very            D. very much; much

My sister was against my suggestion while my brother was ______ it.

   A. in favour of                                B. in memory of 

   C. in honour of                                D. in search of