The Story of the Farmer and His Donkey (驴子)

    One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway and it just wasn’t worth to save the donkey. So, he decided to bury（埋） it!

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all took shovel（铲子）and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly, then slowly he quieted down till nothing more was heard.

A few shovels later, the farmer finally looked down into the well, and was surprised at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something wonderful—he would shake it off and take a step up!

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was surprised as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and went off quickly!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping, never giving up, shaking it off, and taking a step up!

1. The donkey quieted down, because ________.

  A. it was dead                           B. it was tired

　C. it had given up trying                   D. it had a good way to survive

2. We know from the story that ________.

  A. all the donkeys in the world are clever         

B. it is easy for donkeys to fall into a well

  C. the neighbors helped bury the donkey

D. the owner pushed the donkey into the well

3. The writer of the passage is most probably ________.

  A. an optimistic person                  B. a pet lover

   C. an animal protector                   D. a cold-hearted man

4. The writer wants to tell us “________”.

   A. A cat has 9 lives                 　  B. Facing difficulties, never give up

   C. A friend in need is a friend indeed       D. No pains, no gains

第Ⅱ卷（两部分 共35分）

第四部分：写作（共两节，满分35分）

第一节 任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：每空限填1个单词。

Snowboarding（滑板滑雪） became a Winter Olympic event in 1998 but many people still don’t think it’s a “real” sport. I asked ten of my friends about this and eight of them said it shouldn’t be an Olympic event. Snowboarders must be skilful and strong, just like other athletes(运动员), and they train just as hard. So, why do people have this opinion?

Well, I think there are a few reasons. First of all, snowboarders believe that having fun is part of the sport. Maybe people think they’re enjoying themselves too much. I guess they feel that “real” sports should look like hard work. Secondly, snowboarders believe it’s of importance to show their personal style. They like to be dressed in modern clothes and often have interesting haircuts. In some people’s eyes, a well-trained athlete just doesn’t wear a funny hat or a nose-ring. Thirdly, it’s a new sport and many people haven’t tried it yet. This might make them think it’s easy, when, in fact, it’s not. Snowboarding is just as difficult, if not more difficult, than skiing.

Whatever the reasons, I think it’s time we accept that having fun doesn’t mean you’re lazy and that someone with blue hair can be a champion(冠军).

第二节：书面表达（共1小题，满分25分）

假定你叫王华，你的英国笔友James在给你的e-mail中询问你上高中以来学习生活情况。 请给他写一封回信，信的内容包括以下要点：

◇ 你所就读学校的情况；

◇ 学生老师的情况：学生勤奋、老师敬业；

◇ 学习情况：课程增多、作业量变大、娱乐活动减少；

◇ 你未来的打算。

注 意：

1、开头已给出，不计入总词数。

2 包括上述所有要点, 要求连贯流畅，不要逐字逐句翻译。

3. 词数：100词左右。

Dear James,

Thanks for your e-mail. I’m glad to tell you something about my life and study at senior high school.                                                                         

_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________                                                                             

Best wishes.                                         

Yours,

I think ______ information of this kind is       help when you look for a job.

-- When do you need to pay the balance?

-- ______  December 31.

 -- Why didn't you go camping with us?

-- But I ______ all about it!

Honey, stay outside and ______ a few minutes; then we'll go to church together.

 -- I think we'll give Bob a ring.

-- We ______ . We have been out of touch with him for ages.

 -- The classroom looks like a mess!

-- Yes, but who left the waste paper ______ around?

The road becomes so crowded during rush hours, ______ it becomes a very slow route.