阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The first day of college I met a little old lady. I was __36__. “Why are you here at such a young age?” I asked.

“To meet a rich husband, __37__, have children, and then retire and travel!” she replied __38__.

I laughed, but we became close friends. For the whole __39__ we would leave class together and __40__ nonstop. I was always listening as she __41__ her wisdom and experience.

At the end of the term Rose was invited to make a __42__. I’ll never forget her words. “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old __43__ because we stop playing. The only __44__ of staying young is being happy and achieving success. You have to find humor and __45__. You’ve got to have a(n) __46__. When you lose dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are __47__ and don’t even know it! Growing older doesn’t __48__ growing up. Anybody can grow older doing __49__. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. My idea is that one grows up by always finding __50__ in life. Have no regrets. The elderly don’t have regrets for what we did, __51__ for things we didn’t do. The only people who fear death are those with __52__.”

The college year ended. Rose got her __53__ but passed away one week after graduation. Many students attended the funeral (葬礼) of the __54__ woman who taught by __55__: never too late to be all you can possibly be.

A. happy                    B. sorry                        C. active                       D. curious

A. make money        B. get married               C. earn a degree            D. find work

A. briefly                   B. happily                    C. jokingly                   D. seriously

A. term                    B. month                      C. week                        D. day

A. talk                         B. work                        C. race                         D. smile

A. shared                 B. enjoyed                    C. admired                   D. imagined

A. decision               B. speech                      C. wish                        D. bet

A. slightly                B. possibly                   C. hardly                      D. simply

A. skill                    B. secret                       C. plan                         D. style

A. stop                     B. rest                          C. wonder                    D. laugh

A. try                      B. chance                            C. dream                      D. education

A. weak                   B. dead                        C. old                          D. ill

A. include                B. need                        C. mean                       D. escape

A. nothing                     B. anything                   C. something                D. everything

A. solutions              B. faults                       C. secrets                      D. opportunities

A. but rather           B. in turn                            C. and yet                     D. if not

A. talents                 B. abilities                    C. regrets                            D. dreams

A. respect               B. degree                      C. fame                        D. disease

A. attractive             B. funny                       C. easy-going                D. impressive

A. direction              B. promise                    C. example                   D. theory

Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Quite simple because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.

   Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child’s hastily made table as “Perfect!” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to shift(转移)blame. If John fails science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.

   The trouble with failure prevention is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party, who doesn’t make the honour roll on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick comfort, prize or say “It doesn’t matter.” because it does. The young should be allowed to experience disappointment and be helped to master it.

Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grownups and children alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask “Why did it fail? Don’t blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about inquiring. Success, which encourages repetition of old behaviour, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a bad party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems definitive can cause fresh thinking, a change of direction. After twelve years of studying ballet, a friend of mine applied for a professional company. She asked. That ballet master shook his head. “You will never be a dancer,” he said,” you haven’t the body for it.”

In such cases, the way to use failure is to take stock bravely asking “What have I left? What else can I do?” My friend put away her shoes and moved into dance treatment center, a field where she’s both able and useful. Failure frees one to take risks because there’s less to lose. Often there is recovery of energy — a way to find new possibilities.

1.The first paragraph tells us ______.

  A. failure is very natural for every person

  B. the reason why we don’t know how to fail

  C. the reason why so many people are afraid of failure

  D. one should be ready to face failure at any time

2.How many preventions may parents use when a child fails according to the passage?

  A. only two  B. no more than three  C. less than three  D. more than three

3. Which statement below does the writer support?

  A. Failure is as good an experience as success.

  B. Failure is the mother of success.

  C. Failure is far from a good teacher like success.

  D. Definitive failure gives us nothing but fresh thinking.

4. We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.

  A. failure is the recovery of energy

  B. failure makes one free to do something dangerous

  C. failure should be forgotten in our life

  D. failure is likely to do us good in life

Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant (无关的) and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature，humidity，air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high- rise or a complex （建筑群） in the Saudi desert. It may be an answer to the world’s food problems.
The world already is having trouble feeding itself. Half the people on Earth live in cities, and nearly half of those – about 3 billion – are hungry or ill–fed. Food prices, currently increasing, are badly affected by dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it. And prices will only get more unstable. Climate change makes long-term crop planning uncertain. Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop. And the world is getting more crowded: by mid-century, the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.
To feed so many people may require expanding farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to greatly increase crop output.
Gertjan Meeuws and three other Dutch bioengineers grow vegetables and house plants in closed and regulated environments. In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and the temperature is kept constant. Lights go on and off, creating “day” and “night”, but according to the rhythm of the plant.
Meeuws says a building of 100 square meters and layers of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire population of Ken Bosch, about 140,000 people. Their idea isn’t to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.
Sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful. Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow. Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions. They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture. And city farming means producing food near the consumer, so there’s on need to transport it long distances.
【小题1】According to the text, Gertjan Meeuws’ farming _______.

 Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant (无关的) and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature，humidity，air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high- rise or a complex （建筑群） in the Saudi desert. It may be an answer to the world’s food problems.

The world already is having trouble feeding itself. Half the people on Earth live in cities, and nearly half of those – about 3 billion – are hungry or ill–fed. Food prices, currently increasing, are badly affected by dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it. And prices will only get more unstable. Climate change makes long-term crop planning uncertain. Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop. And the world is getting more crowded: by mid-century, the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.

To feed so many people may require expanding farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to greatly increase crop output.

Gertjan Meeuws and three other Dutch bioengineers grow vegetables and house plants in closed and regulated environments. In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and the temperature is kept constant. Lights go on and off, creating “day” and “night”, but according to the rhythm of the plant.

Meeuws says a building of 100 square meters and layers of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire population of Ken Bosch, about 140,000 people. Their idea isn’t to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.

Sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful. Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow. Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions. They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture. And city farming means producing food near the consumer, so there’s on need to transport it long distances.

1.According to the text, Gertjan Meeuws’ farming _______.

2.What is the second paragraph mainly about ?

3.What is the purpose of the text ?

Organizing for a smooth journey takes a lot of planning．Just a bit of foresight will help you truly 　11　 and enjoy what holidays have to offer．

Before you travel, you need to first　 12 your needs．Sit down together with the people with whom you will be traveling．What are the needs this trip 　13 ? Rest, cultural discoveries, work, or sports? Then, set a（n）　 14 for yourself．Vacations that far exceed （超出） the money available will give you stress, which is 15　 to what you're looking for． 　16　 think over all those important　 17　 you need, and begin early the　 18 needed to obtain them before leaving．Whether it is your passport, an international driving license, traveler's checks, or train tickets, all these need time to be 　19 　for．

During the journey, enjoy yourself! There are so many people who　 20　 all that they've left back home．What can you do anyway, sitting on your island paradise ? You can solve problems, if any, when you　 21 ．Learn to awaken your 　22 ．Listen to new songs of birds．Touch the　 23　 and warm sand．Watch a sunset splitting itself into all kinds of colors．Delight in the good 　24　 of the food on your plate． 25　 every second available to you and consider yourself blessed to be there at that time．

If you were 　 26　 abroad, when you come back, visit your doctor without delay．Above all, don't　 27　 the end of the holiday．That'll cause you to lose whatever good you got out of it．28 you were lucky to have had one, and continue to live a better life．29 is stopping you from choosing to continue life a little slower, a little 30 ．and much happier!

11．A．study　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．relax　　　　　　　　　　 C．hide 　　　　　 D．understand

12．A．plan　　　　　　　　　　　 B．meet　　　　　　　　　　　 C．list 　　　　　　　　　　 D．realize

13．A．lies in　　　　　　　　　　 B．calls for　　　　　　　　　 C．results in 　　　　　　 D．waits for

14．A．budget　　　　　　　　　 B．order　　　　　　　　　　　 C．date 　　　　　　　　　 D．intention

15．A．sensitive　　　　　　　　 B．opposite　　　　　　　　　 C．similar 　　　　　　　 D．obvious

16．A．Especially　　　　　　　 B．Therefore　　　　　　　　 C．Finally 　　　　　　　 D．Still

17．A．meetings　　　　　 B．tools　　　　　　　　C．clothes 　　　　　　　 D．documents

18．A．steps　　　　　　　　　 　 B．movements　　　　　　 C．classes 　　　　　　　 D．incidents

19．A . paid　　　　　　　　　　　 B．applied　　　　　　　　　　 C．arranged 　　　　　　 D．begged

20．A．tell about　　　　　　　　 B．worry about 　　　　　 C．talk about 　　　　　 D．learn about

21．A．leave　　　　　　　　　　 B．come　　　　　　　　　　　 C．stay 　　　　　　　　　 D．return

22．A．emotions　　　　　　　　 B．happiness　　　　　　　　 C．senses 　　　　　　　 D．memory

23．A．soft　　　　　　　　　　　 B．wet　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．hot 　　　　　　　　　　 D．special

24．A．qualities　　　　　　　　 B．tastes　　　　　　　　　　　 C．designs 　　　　　　　 D．feelings

25．A．Make the most of　 B．Get prepared for　C．Be engaged in　 D．Get hold of

26．A．nervous　　　　　　　　 B．violent　　　　　　　　　　 C．ill 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．sad

27．A．judge　　　　　　　　　　 B．affect　　　　　　　　　　 C．trust 　　　　　　　　　 D．destroy

28．A．Expect　　　　　　　　　 B．Admire　　　　　　　　　 C．Admit 　　　　　　　　 D．Find

29．A．Everything　　　　　　 B．Nothing　　　　　　　　　 C．Anything 　　　　　　 D．Something

30．A．calmer　　　　　　　　　 B．longer　　　　　　　　　　 C．harder 　　　　　　　　 D．wealthier