is believed that improvement in health care will lead to a stronger , more prosperous economy .

A. As           B. That          C. This            D. It

It was         back home after the experiment.

A. not until midnight did he go         B. until midnight that he didn’t go

C. not until midnight that he went       D. until midnight when he didn’t go

Mary and her friends paid_____visit to _______Summer Palace yesterday.

A. the; /       B.a; the   C.a;  /         D. the; a

----I am sorry to have ____ too much of your time.

    ----That's OK, and I am glad to help you.

A. taken up          B. taken on     C. taken off          D. taken in

_____ the government agrees to give extra money , the theatre will have to close.

A. Until            B. Unless      C. Since       D. While

___ I know he will stay here for half a year.

A. as soon as       B. as long as        C. so far as           D. as well as

---- How long ____ at this job?

    ---- Since 1990.

A. were you employed           B. have you been employed

C. had you been employed        D. will you be employed

One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, “Are all people the same even if they are different in color?”

I thought for a minute, and then I said, “I’ll explain, 21 you can just wait until we make a quick 22 at the grocery store. I have something 23 to show you. ”

At grocery store, we 24 some apples --- red, green and yellow ones. Back home, I told Adam, “It’s time to 25 your question.” I put one apple of each 26 on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a 27 look on his face. 

   “People are like apples. They come in all 28 colors, shapes and sizes. On the 29,  some of the apples may not 30 look as the others. ” As I was talking, Adam was 31 each one carefully. 

Then, I took each of the apples and peeled（削皮）them, 32 them back on the table, but 33 a different place. 

   “Okay, Adam, tell me which is which.”

He said, “I 34 tell. They all look same now. ” “Take a bite of 35. See if that helps you 36 which one is which. ”

He took 37, and then a huge smile came across his face. . ”People are 38 like apples! They are all different, but once you 39 the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside. ”

He totally 40 it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else. 

1.. A. although   B. so            C. because           D. if        

2.. A. stop               B. star         C. turn       D. stay

3.. A. expressive B. encouraging C. informative    D. interesting

4.. A. bought     B. counted       C. saw            D. collected

5.. A. check             B. mention      C. answer          D. improve

6.. A. size              B. type         C. shape     D. class

7.. A. worried   B. satisfy       C. proud           D. curious

8.. A. ordinary  B. normal       C. different        D. regular

9.. A. outside   B. whole        C. table           D. inside

10.. A. still        B. even         C. only           D. ever

11.. A. examining  B. measuring    C. drawing         D. packing

12.. A. keeping  B. placing      C. pulling          D. giving

13.. A. on         B. toward          C. for          D. in

14.. A. mustn’t B. can’t            C. shouldn’t   D. needn’t

15.. A. each one B. each other        C. the other  D. one another

16.. A. admit B. consider             C. decide        D. believe

17.. A. big bites  B. deep breaths C. a firm hold    D. close look

18.. A. just       B. always          C. merely        D. seldom

19.. A. put away B. get down          C. hand out      D. take off

20.. A. made       B. took            C. got            D. did

I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”

At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone! ” And she swept it into the wastebasket.

I stood watching her, speechless .What on earth?

She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room-if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”

Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.

After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood（情绪）had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.

1.. Why did the author shout at the telephone?

A. He was mad at the telephone.

B. He was angry with his agent.

C. He was anxious about his wife.

D. He was impatient with the secretary.

2.. What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?

A. She said nothing.

B. She shouted at him.

C. She called the agent.

D. She threw the phone away.

3.

4.

A businessman had two sons. While he gave the younger son a lot of love and gifts, he neglected (忽视) the elder son. It was completely puzzling (令人费解) and no one knew why.

When the boys grew up, they were asked to manage the father’s business. The elder son was absorbed in the business. From morning till late in the evening, he was busy working. Within a few years, he ran the business very well and even expanded (扩大) it.

What about the younger son? He didn't have much to do except have a good time. But the father believed that his favorite son would be a success. If the elder son could be a successful businessman, surely the younger one, with a higher education, would do much better.

A few years later, the results of his decision became clear. Uninterested in business, the younger son continued spending his time enjoying himself. And he went out of business. But the elder son’s far smaller share (份) of business had expanded and he had proved himself to be a good decision maker.

Ashamed at the turn of events, the father met the elder son and was angry with the younger one. The elder son, who was listening to all this quietly, suddenly said he wanted to set up an independent business and live on his own.

“Why?” asked the father.

“I blame (责备) one person for the way my brother has turned out, and it’s not him. You can’t blame children for the faults (过失) of their parents, can you?” asked the elder son.

1.. Before the younger son went into the father’s business, he______.

A. was interested in business          B. had achieved great success

C. often looked down upon his brother  D. was well-educated at school

2..Why did the father treat the two sons differently?

A. the elder son didn’t work hard       B. no one knew why he did it

C. the younger son was hardworking    D. he wanted to do an experiment

3.. Which is NOT the reason for the younger son’s going out of business?

A. he himself didn’t work hard

B. his father didn’t educate him properly

C. he was not interested in business at all

D. he was busy working every day

4... What does the text really want to teach us?

A. Parents are responsible for children’s development.

B. Once something is done, you should do it well.

C. Interest is the most important for success.

D. One has responsibility for what he himself has done.