The woman at the airline ticket counter in Munich, Germany, just shook her head. “I’m sorry, but there’s no more availability on this flight,” she said. God, I thought. My husband, Bob, and I had enjoyed every moment of our dream vacation, two weeks in Europe, but I was ready to go home to Shreveport, Louisiana, and sleep in my own bed. Bob could see how frustrated I was. “We’ll just have to try to get on the flight tomorrow,” he said. “Let’s enjoy the extra day.”

My son Joe, a First Lieutenant (中尉) in the Army 82nd Airborne Division (空降师), would be returning to Ft. Bragg in North Carolina for a short rest and recovery from his tour of duty in Baghdad, and we weren’t sure we’d be able to see him in the little time he’d be stateside. Plus, the time was so up in the air! Back at our hotel, I checked my e-mail to see if our daughter-in-law Monica had any news on when Joe was due to arrive. Sure enough, there was a message. “Joe’s been delayed again,” it read.

The next morning we made it onto our flight back to the States. Unfortunately, we had to stop in Atlanta. Our connecting flight there was delayed because of bad weather. The hours passed. I felt the frustration building. “That’s it!” I finally said. “I just want to get home!”

That’s when I saw a group of soldiers coming down the ramp(通道) from one of the gates. I thought of Joe. They’re coming back from a war, I reminded myself, while I’m coming back from vacation. What right do I have to be frustrated? Maybe the troops were God’s way of reminding me to trust in his time. Bob grabbed my arm. “Look at those soldiers coming down the ramp.”

“I see them,” I said. Bob persisted, “Do you see who’s in front?” Suddenly, all those delays across all those miles made perfect sense. I rushed toward my son Joe’s open arms.

73. Why did Bob say “Let’s enjoy the extra day”?

       A. To stay one day more.                           B. To cheer his wife up.

       C. To visit other attractions.                       D. To meet his son there.

74. In the second paragraph the author mainly tells us        .

       A. her son was a First Lieutenant in the Army 82nd Airborne Division

       B. when her son would return to the US for a short rest and recovery

       C. she didn’t know the exact time when her son would return to the US

       D. she saw if her daughter-in-law Monica knew when Joe would arrive

75. The author felt frustrated because        .

       A. their flight couldn’t land as a result of bad weather

       B. the bad weather caused their flight to be put off an hour

       C. they didn’t wait for their son Joe to match on the airport

       D. the bad weather had made their connecting flight delay

76. Where did the author happen to run into her son Joe?

       A. At the airport of Atlanta.                         B. At the airport of Shreveport.

       C. At the airport of Ft. Bragg.                     D. At the airport of Baghdad.

I had looked forward to this day for a long time. Finally, I, Kirsty Sturart, would stand on the top of Mount Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. Although I climbed often in my native Scotland, this was my first trip to the Alps. My companions — Jean Pierre Barton, Maurice Gautier, and Mary Sargent — and I left our camp early and planned to reach the top by late morning.

As we neared the top, large clouds gathered and it began to snow. We found shelter and decided to wait for the snow to stop. After three hours, however, we decided to go back and try again the next day. We started down the mountain in the thick snow. Jean Pierre forgot his sunglasses and went back to look for them. As he was returning to us, he started to fall.

His fall started an avalanche (雪崩) and it was falling towards us! I was swept away by the heavy snow. Jean Pierre hurried down to me. “Are you OK?” he asked.

“I think I broke my leg,” I answered.

“I’d better radio for help!” he said. “Where are the others?” We couldn’t see Maurice or Mary anywhere.

Jean Pierre called the emergency radio number, and the police said they would send help right away. It seemed like hours, but only minutes later we heard the welcome sound of a helicopter (直升飞机). The helicopter couldn’t land on the mountainside, so they lowered two men, two dogs and a stretcher (担架). One man ran to me, but I told him to search for the others. The dogs were trained for rescue and soon began to dig crazily in the snow.

Bernardo, the lead dog, found Mary’s scarf and led the rescuers to her. Maurice was nearby. The men gave us hot drinks and warm blankets and then prepared to lift us into the helicopter. Two men inside the helicopter pulled us up with the ropes. I went first on the stretcher.

Once we were safely inside, the helicopter flew to the hospital in Chamonix. Our poor rescuers and their dogs had to climb all the way back down the mountain. Later we would find these brave men and thank them for saving our lives.

36. What prevented the climbers from reaching the top?

A. The terrible weather.

B. The loss of the sunglasses.

C. The injury of the team members.

D. The unexpected height of the mountain.

37. How did the writer break his leg?

A. The road was covered with snow.

B. His companion knocked into him.

C. The avalanche caused a fall for him.

D. The heavy clouds blocked his view.

38. How did the writer feel while waiting for help?

A. Anxious.           B. Crazy.               C. Sorry.               D. Angry.

39. What do we learn from the passage?

A. Mary was the leader of the team.

B. The team was upset about their failure.

C. It was several hours before the rescue team arrived.

D. The writer was excited thinking of climbing Mount Blanc.

A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes
Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川）of ice up to 12 metres thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)
of water between glacier and the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what is happening today.
Now airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects.
【小题1】What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes?

—You seem to show interest in cooking.

—What? _________, I'm getting tired of it.

　　A. On the contrary　　　　B. To the contrary

　　C. On the other hand　　　D. To the other hand

—You seem to show interest in cooking.

—What?_________,? I’m getting tired of it.

A. On the contrary B. To the contrary? C. On the other hand??? D. To the other hand