“It’s my own fault.” Carl Fenter pulled his jacket closer against the abnormal bite of cold morning wind.“The rest of the family is home, where it’s   1  .”

       Just another on of his   2   ideas – a big tamale(玉米粉蒸肉)feast after tonight’s Christmas Eve service at church – and look where it landed him: waiting in a line 50 people deep.

       Who would have guessed that every tamale shop in the city would be sold out the day before Christmas? But they   3  , as Carl knew.He had been driving all over El Paso that morning.

  4  to bring home the tamales, Carl tried one last shop, an old favorite out in Canutillo.

       When he arrived, a fresh batch(一炉)was   5   off the steamer in 45 minutes.  6   at the end of the snaking line of tamale seekers, he watched the woman in front of him   7   her jacket to cover her shivering youngster.It wasn’t long before she, too,   8   in the biting wind.After only a moment’s   9  , Carl took off his own jacket and offered it to the   10   mother.

       Together, they   11   when the line slowly moved forward at last, and smiling people exited the shop carrying steamy bags.  12  , Carl got inside the door and  13   closer to the counter, the woman now first in line.“   14  !” Carl groaned(抱怨)with everyone else   15   behind him.

    “   16  ,” stressed the man at the counter, “we’ll have a final batch ready   17  , oh, about two hours.”

       Defeated, Carl backed away, but the young mother grabbed his arm.

    ‘You’re leaving?”

       “I   18  , ” Carl glanced at his watch.“I promised to put up luminarias(传统圣诞灯)at my church.”

       “I’ll get your order of tamales and bring them to your house.”

       Carl’s brow furrowed(皱眉) “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

       “But it’s  19   I can do.You lent me your coat.” Her smile overrode(推翻)his objections.“Just give me your address.” She and her little girl settled in for the long wait.

       And at   20   noon on Christmas Eve, they delivered four dozen fragrant tamales – along with Carl’s brown jacket – to his home.

1.A.harmonious           B.warm                  C.happy                 D.pleasant

2.A.brilliant                 B.bad                     C.stupid                 D.common

3.A.were                     B.did                      C.could                  D.had

4.A.Decided                B.Determined          C.Wanted               D.Expected

5.A.ready                    B.prepared              C.soon                   D.due

6.A.Finding his way     B.Taking his road    C.Taking his place   D.Finding his place

7.A.move                    B.reject                  C.abandon              D.remove

8.A.waved                  B.froze                   C.shook                 D.shocked

9.A.assumption            B.appreciation         C.hesitation             D.attention

10.A.grateful               B.respectful            C.hopeless              D.shameful

11.A.cheered               B.congratulated       C.shouted               D.screamed

12.A.Immediately         B.Hopefully             C.Lastly                 D.Finally

13.A.shouldered his way                              B.forced his way

C.felt his way                                         D.inched his way

14.A.No problem         B.No way               C.No doubt             D.No wonder

15.A.lined up               B.held up                C.looked up            D.waited up

16.A.So                     B.But                     C.Then                   D.Besides

17.A.before                 B.for                      C.in                       D.after

18.A.plan to                B.intend to              C.have to                D.ought to

19.A.the least              B.the most              C.the last                D.the best

20.A.just                     B.exactly                C.accurately           D.right

In Yemen, you always see one type of vehicle on the road: the water truck.They travel mountain roads and cross deserts to bring Yemanis a good more valuable than oil.It is one that only the rich can afford, with the supply regularly being cut off.Others must rely on scarce rain or charity to fight thirst.

Experts say Yemen is gong to be the first country in the world to run out of water.The capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025, says a report by the World Bank.

Hannan, an 18 – year – old from Lashej, said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply.“In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week but then the following week there will be water only for a day or two,” she said.

She and her husband, a factory worker, pay 3000 riyals (99yuan) for a week’s supply of water from a touring water truck when the taps run dry.With an income of only 20,000 riyals (660 yuan) a month, this means the family often spend half their money on water.

“There are a lot of people who can’t afford it and they have to rely on their neighbors to help,” she said.

The average person in Yemen survives on one –fifth of what the World Health Organization considers to be enough water.

In Taiz, in the south, tap water is available only once every 45days.In the mountainous Malhan district in the north, women and children climb a 1,500 – m mountain to collect water from a spring, often in the small hours to avoid long queues.

Yemen is located in South – west Asia, bordering the Arabian and the Red seas.Yemeni people have lived on scarce water supplies for thousands of years but that  problem has been made serious by conflict in the area, the fast – growing population and the use of water to grow a drug called qat.With one of the world’s highest rates of population growth – 3.46 percent, Yemen is the poorest Arab country.

The government is considering desalinating (淡化) seawater, but this would be expensive and it may now be too late.The only other solution is to cut down on farming, but that means importing even more food.

1.The passage aims to         

      A.analyze the reasons why Yemen lacks water

B.suggest some solutions to the water issue in Yemen

C.present how serious the water problem is in Yemen

D.encourage the world to help Yemenis who are suffering from water shortage

2.When Hannan said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply, she meant that       

       A.rich people drank more water than the poor

B.rich people could buy water from the water trucks if there was a water supply cut

C.she had a rich neighbor who often helped her during water supply cut

D.the rich were not affected by water supply cut

3.Which of the following may be a reason why Yemen is short of water?

       A.The country has had no rain for a long time.

B.The population of Yemen is growing fast.

C.The government has failed to reduce farming.

D.People can’t afford the water from government water trucks.

4.The best title for the passage is         

      A.Never take water for granted

B.The water truck – the commonest sight in Yemen

C.The first country to run out of water in the world

D.No water for Yemen

Have you ever been to an Irish wedding? I have just returned from one.It is a quarter to five in the morning:the sun has already climbed about the horizon;the birds are busy celebrating the new day and have eagerly been in search of food.But some of the guests have not yet left.They are still prolonging the night:dancing,singing,gossiping,putting off the unfortunate necessity of undertaking a day’s work in the fields after a sleepless night.

Throughout most of her life,Bridget Mary,the bride,has been living in the small whitewashed thatched(茅草屋顶)cottage I have just left.Twelve children have been brought up there but only two are still living at home.The eldest son,heir(继承人)to the small farm, is helping his father with the farm work(they employ no farm laborers):the youngest daughter is still at school.Two years ago,Bridget Mary went to England to take up domestic work in a hospital and it was while she was living there that she met her future husband,Terry.He himself is an Irishman who used to live in Dublin and now has a well-paid job in a light engineering works in England.They got engaged and started saving.Now they are thinking of buying a small house near Terry’s factor.

The wedding ceremony was performed in the church in the nearest town at half past eight yesterday morning.Another couple were being married at the same time.Nobody worried about the cost of the celebrations:four luxurious cars brought bride,bridegroom,family and friends home,and forty people were crowded into the tiled kitchen and the tiny living—room,hung with framed school certificates and religious pictures.A big meal was given;the wedding cake was cut and toasts were drunk in whisky or sherry(葡萄酒)。And while the remains of the feast were being cleared away and the rooms swept,the four cars set out again,taking the married couple and relations for a drive round the country—side.

1.What makes it clear that this is a country wedding?

       A.People get up so early.                       B.Birds are busy searching for food.

       C.The bride is one of a large family.       D.The people’s occupations.

2.From the passage, we know that         

       A.nobody worried about the cost of the wedding because the two couples who got married at the same time would share the cost

       B.the family is too poor to employ any farm workers

       C.the author thought much of the country wedding

       D.the author left the moment the wedding ceremony was completed

3.The young couple will not live on the farm after their marriage because          

       A.Terry gets used to living in Dublin

       B.they are both employed elsewhere

       C.it’s the bride’s brother who will inherit(继承)the farm

       D.they have a house in England

4.Why were the guests taken for a ride round the countryside?

       A.To give them an opportunity of seeing the surroundings.

       B.To enable the neighbors to see the married people.

       C.To get them out of the way.

       D.As a way of passing the time.

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