It was not until she had arrived home _______ her appointment with the doctor.

Aria Ricardo was a beautiful, slim young woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. She used to work as a model and earn as much as $ 2,000 in one day in front of the camera. She modeled for top magazines in Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and throughout the United States.

Aria’s father, now retired because of a disability, was a police officer who really loved his work. Aria would rather follow in her father’s footsteps than pursue her modeling career. She remembered listening to her father tell stories when he came home after a day on the beat. The excitement, tensions and risks of police work appealed to her.

   Aria got started in the modeling business quite by accident. She accompanied a friend to an interview at a modeling agency. Her friend wanted the job, while Aria didn’t. The people at the agency were impressed with Aria’s appearance and poise. They knew she’d be brilliant in front of the camera. So they sent her on her first modeling job—for Seventeen magazine—right away.

   While she was successful as a model, Aria never gave up her dream of being a police officer. She passed the written exam for the New York Police Department. She planned to enter the Police Academy as quickly as possible. Her family and friends thought she was out of her mind even to consider such a thing. Police work was dangerous and the pay couldn’t compare to a top model’s income. But Aria knew what she wanted, and she went for it. She had never really intended to be a model anyway. Finally she hooked her fish. 

Aria’s success as a model resulted from _______.

     A．her desire to succeed in it           B．her looks and shape

     C．the help of her father             D．the competition with her friend

Aria went into modeling because _______.

   A．she wanted to earn more money            

       B．she wanted to accompany her friend

     C．she was given an unexpected opportunity

     D．she was very beautiful

Aria’s family would like her to _______.

     A．remain a model                      B．do whatever she liked 

     C．find something challenging             D． follow her father’s footsteps

Aria Ricardo probably is a ______ now.

     A．photographer working for a magazine   B．student of the Police Academy

     C．top model of a world company        D．woman police officer

Not until _______ home _______ her appointment with the doctor.

A. she arrived; did she remember         B. did she arrive; that she remember

C. she arrived; when she remembered     D. did she arrive; had she remembered

As the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, she quickened her pace. She didn’t want to turn around as the memory of that morning’s newspaper headline made her afraid of what she would see: “City Killer Claims Fourth Victim.”

“Why did I stop for a few drinks in the bar after work?” she thought to herself. Now it was dark and the streets deserted. She was alone and a sitting duck.

She felt as if she was walking in the rain. Her clothes were damp from nervous sweat and as each short hot breath hit the night air, it turned to steam, coating her glasses in a thin film so all she saw seemed covered in fog.

The footsteps were closer now. She needed to get off this street. Her eyes began a useless search for an open store or lighted window. Passing a small lane she looked through, for a possible escape route. But the lane was a dead - end and she laughed to herself at the irony ( 具有讽刺意味的事 ).

The sound of a car behind her turning onto the street interrupted her self – pity. Escape was at hand. But as she was about to throw herself onto the road and shout for the car to stop, the car’s headlights cast a shadow that paralyzed ( 使瘫痪 ) her with terror.

It was the footsteps’ owner. The figure was huge and in its raised arm it held what looked like a lead-pipe, no doubt the one that was about to claim victim number five.

The shadow dissolved as the car passed by and disappeared into the distance. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was all happening as if in slow – motion. She was waiting for her life to flash before her eyes like all those novels said it would – but it didn’t. The only thing she thought of was her dear husband. She recalled phoning him from work that very afternoon and joking about, of all things, the city killer. It was a night full of ironies.

There was a voice talking to her now but she was lost in thoughts of her fate and didn’t respond. The hand then began turning her around. It was surprisingly gentle given what was about to come. She allowed it to guide her without resistance ( 抗拒 ).

She looked up. She recognized the face, but she didn’t know from where. Its mouth was still talking to her but she couldn’t understand. Then she remembered. The face belonged to the foreign looking man who had served her at the bar. She looked down to his hand and saw in it not a lead – pipe but a rolled up copy of a work report she had been correcting in the bar as she drank.

His words suddenly started to register in her brain and she could hear him. “Miss, Miss. Are you OK? You left this in the bar and it looked important so I thought I’d better give it to you.”

71. The woman was feeling nervous because        .

A. she had left her report in the bar

B. there was a killer in the city

C. she was being followed by someone

D. the streets were dark and empty

72. The underlined expression “a sitting duck” (paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “        ”.

A. an easy target              B. a frightened person

C. a foolish animal            D. a still position

73. What is the correct order of events that happened to the woman on the day of the story?

a. She went for a drink in a bar.       b. She corrected the report.

c. She heard loud footsteps.    d. She read the newspaper.

e. She called her husband.       f. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

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

74. Why did the woman laugh when she looked into the lane?

A. She was excited because she thought it may be a way to escape.

B. She felt bitter because she had no chance to escape.

C. She was becoming more and more nervous.

D. She realized that she was behaving foolishly.

75. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. It was raining when she left the bar.

B. The woman had felt nervous about the city killer for days.

C. The temperature was very low that evening.

D. The woman was behaving unreasonably.

Once upon a time there was a great man who married the woman of his dreams. With their love, they created a little girl. She was a bright and cheerful little girl and the great man loved her very much.

  When the little girl was growing up, the great man would hug her and tell her, “ I love you, little girl.” The little girl would shout and say, “ I’m not a little girls anymore.” Then the man would laugh and say, “ But to me, you’ll always be my little girl.”

  The little girl who- was- not- little- anymore left her home and went into the world. As she learned more about herself, she learned more about the man. She saw that he truly was great and strong, for now she recognized his strengths. One of his strengths was his ability to express his love to his family. It didn’t matter where she went in the world, the man would call her and say, “ I love you, little girl.”

  The day came when the little girl who-was- not- little-anymore received a phone call. The great man was damaged. He had had a stroke(中风 ). He couldn’t talk anymore and they weren’t sure that he could understand the words spoken to him.

  And so she went to the side of the great man. When she walked into the room and saw him, he looked small and not strong at all. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not.

  The little girl did the only thing she could do. She climbed up on the bed next to the great man. Tears ran from both of their eyes and she drew her arms around the useless shoulders of her father.

  Her head on his chest, she thought of many things. She remembered the wonderful times together and how she has always felt protected. And then she heard from within the man, the beat of his heart. The heart where the musid and the words had always lived. The heart beat on, steadily unconcerned about damage to the rest of the body. And while she rested there, the magic happened. She heard what she needed to hear.

  His hear beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say…

   I love you

   I love you

   I love you

   Little girl

   Little girl

   Little girl

   And she was comforted.

In the 2^nd paragraph, the little girl showed her ____ by pouting.

 A. displeasure   B. disappointment   C. agreement   D. excitement

The following except ____ can be inferred as the consequences of the father’s stoke.

 A. the loss of speaking ability   B. the inability to move around

 C. that his arms could no longer function properly  D. the beat of his heart

The girl felt _____ when she returned home and saw her father in bed.

 A. she was protected just as before   B. she could never have left home

 C. the difficulty of being old and sick  D. the need to show him her love

Which statement is true according to the story?

The daughter left her home because she had a fight with her father.

The girl returned home when she got a letter from his father about his illness.

The father recovered as if by magic soon after the daughter’s return.

D．From the father’s example, the daughter learned how to express her love.