I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and there are some homeless people in the downtown. I used to give a lot of money to the   1  feeling sorry for them. However, after becoming a single mom with no home, a huge   2  and hardly any income, I   3   giving.

       Through working hard, things started to change for the better. I   4   a home for me and my daughter, and plenty of food, and I started to   5   myself out of debt. One day I saw a homeless person with a   6   "will work for food". I passed by. My daughter said, "Mommy, you used to give to those people in need. But now..." I replied, "Honey, they just use that money for drugs or other   7   things." But when I said that, I didn't feel   8 .

       Three days later, 1 was driving to   9   my daughter from school. A man was   10   on the comer looking worried, and suddenly something deep inside me said, "Just help the guy." So I 11   down my window, and he ran   12   with joy. He said, "Kind lady, I only need 77 cents for the bus ticket." I reached into my pocket and found that I didn't take my   13 .I, with a red face, spread out my hands to show that I was in no   14   to help him. But just when he   15  away, I called to him, "Wait a moment!" I found in my ashtray （烟灰缸） there sat three quarters and two pennies.   16   enough, it was the very 77 cents.

       Tears in eyes, he burst out with   17  , "Wow, you just made it possible for me to see my mom   18   Christmas! Thank you so much!"

       It is the moment that I'll never forget, because I am the one who gets the best gift in life— 19 . It also strikes me that nothing happens by accident, and giving has meaning,   20  it is only 77 cents.

1．A．poor                 B．old              C．homeless        D．sick

2．A．debt                B．chance            C．check             D．problem

3．A．continued         B．forgot             C．hated              D．stopped

4．A．earned              B．sold                 C．designed          D．built

5．A．push               B．pull                C．force            D．leave

6．A．mark             B．notice               C．sign             D．card

7．A．dangerous         B．bad               C．great              D．good

8．A．sad               B．happy            C．wrong            D．right

9．A．dress up          B．pick up             C．bring up          D．call up

10．A．lying              B．smiling           C．standing          D．crying

11．A．rolled            B．took               C．put                 D．brought

12．A．away            B．in                  C．over              D．out

13．A．phone           B．purse            C．food             D．chequebook

14．A．doubt            B．time             C．hurry             D．position

15．A．ran               B．flew             C．drove             D．turned

16．A．Naturally         B．Impossibly        C．Surprisingly        D．Luckily

17．A．joy             B．shock            C．disappointment    D．satisfaction

18．A．for             B．until             C．in              D．after

19．A．RECEIVING       B．SHARING         C．HELPING          D．GIVING

20．A．unless         B．although           C．because         D．whether

       If you say “The cat’s out of the bag” instead of “The secret has been given away”, you’re using an idiom．The meaning of an idiom is different from the actual meaning of the words used．“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a proverb．Proverbs are old but familiar sayings that usually give advice．Both idioms and proverbs are part of our daily speech．Many are very old and have interesting histories．See how many of these sayings you know．

       “Save by the bell．”

       About 400 years ago in England, a guard at Windsor Castle was on trial for falling asleep at his post．He said he could prove that he hadn’t done so．He had heard the church bell strike thirteen times at midnight．The town’s people supported his claim and he was not punished．Today we think of the bell that ends a round in boxing, often saving the boxers from injury, or the bell at the end of a class period, saving you from more work．

       “He who pays the piper calls the tune．”

       In medieval times, about AD 1000 to AD 1450, people were entertained by traveling musicians．Whoever paid the price could choose the music．The proverb means that whoever pays is in charge．

       “The pen is mightier than the sword．”

       In the 17th century in England, a free press was banned by the government．This meant that people who disagreed with the government and printed their views were punished．In spite of this, people published their ideas and opinions in illegal small books that were handed out to the public．The proverb means that the written expressions of ideas cannot be stopped by physical force．

1．“Saved by the bell” actually means________．

       A．that you won’t be rescued until the bell rings

       B．that we can save a lot of money by ringing the bell

       C．saving a lot of trouble by ringing the bell

       D．being rescued from a situation at the last moment

2．The writer wants to make the readers know that_______．

       A．proverbs are more common than idioms in spoken and written English．

       B．proverbs and idioms play an important role in our daily life．

       C．you’d better not use idioms in your writing．

       D．idioms help people a lot in their daily life．

3．According to the passage, which of the following expressions is a proverb?

       A．Try to make ends meet．

       B．Believe it or not

       C．Don’t put all your eggs in one basket．

       D．Don’t go against nature．

4．From the passage, we can know_______．

       A．proverbs are usually used to give advice．

       B．we’d better use as many ideas as we can while talking with others．

       C．using idioms while you are talking can make yourself understood better．

       D．we’d better use neither idioms nor proverbs while talking with others．

In Asia, there are special competitions where kites have complex designs and are fitted with instruments that make musical sounds as the wind blows through them. Although all kites have a similar structure （结构）, they are widely different in size and shape. Kite-fighting competitions are also held, in which competitions us their kites to attack and bring down their opponents’（对手）kites or cut their strings（线）.

For more than 15 years, the Big Wind Kite Factory has been giving kite-making and kite flying classes for the children on an island in Hawaii. In its kite-making lessons, students can make kites in as little as 20 minutes! Children as young as four years old can learn how to fly a kite. Jonathan Socher and his wife Daphne started the kite factory in 1980. Their kites are made of nylon（尼龙）.Their designs are Hawaiian themes created by Daphne. The designs are cut out of the nylon with a hot knife that seals the edges and then fastened directly onto the kite. 

The kite that is used to give lessons is regular diamond kite with a rainbow pattern. The difference between this kite and the ones they make during the lessons is that it is a two-string controllable kite. Big Wind employees fly the kite and for a few minutes show students how pulling on one line and then on the other controls the direction the kite goes in. Then the controls are given to the students.

Jonathan insists that it is not necessary to make a huge impressive kite to have fun making and flying kites. Even the simplest structure can work, and can give hours of fun. Go on, give it a try!

1.Which of the following is true according to the text?

2.What is different about the kite used for flying lessons?

3.According to Jonathan, what do you need to have fun with kites?

4.What is mainly described in the text?

III 阅读（共两节，满分40分）

第一节阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

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

Valentine’s Day has its origins in the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, a yearly festival held on Feb. 15 to help keep dangerous wolves away from townspeople and their crops. On the eve of the festival, Feb. 14, the young women of the town would write their names on small pieces of paper, put them in a jar, and every young man would pick out a name at random. The pair would then be partners for the rest of the festival.

It was 270 B.C. when St. Valentine stood up for love, after Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade Roman soldiers to get engaged or married, believing that married men would rather stay at home than go to war. The priest named Valentine, in defiance(对抗) of Claudius’ orders, secretly married young couples, and on Feb. 14, was punished for his “crime”, thereby becoming the patron saint（守护神） of lovers.

Besides this story, there are some old beliefs about this day:

During the Middle Ages, Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each year on Feb. 14.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin fly overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor; if she saw a sparrow, she’d marry a millionaire.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will know how many children you will have.

And some charming Valentine’s Day Customs.

In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Feb. 14.

Heart, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations, which meant “you unlock my heart!”

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They’d wear these names on their sleeves for one week—hence the term “to wear your heart on your sleeve”.

41.According to the story, Valentine was originally the name of a ________.

A. lover     B. priest     C. ruler     D. feast

42.   The Roman emperor forbade soldiers to get married because he thought        .

A. married soldiers are not loyal to the country

B. married soldiers are less willing to fight

C. there was no time for soldiers to get married

D. marriage is a crime

43. Why was the priest punished?

He didn’t join the army.

He helped people escape from being sent to the battle field.

He married couples despite the prohibition from the ruler.

He openly defied the ruler’s order to end his marriage.

44. Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?

Feb. 14 and 15 were originally a time for keeping wolves.

People used to believe that birds chose mates on Valentine’s Day.

People believed that the birds they saw on Valentine’s Day predicted what         kind of person they would marry.

D. The Welsh used to give out wooden spoons on Feb.14.

45. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you _________________.

A. openly express your feelings or emotions to others.

B. hardly take your feelings or emotions very seriously.

C. officially announce that you have been married

D. proudly show your choice of sleeve pattern

“It’s the best…uhh…What? You don’t want it?...,”the inexpertienced young man uttered,his hope dashed.
“Again,you disappointed me,Andrew.When are you going to learn? You have to be sure and confident. And think how best to make him part with his money. Apply yourself, Son. All your college education will not help if you don’t put your mind to selling. Think on your feet. Use psychology,” Andrew spoke with diffidence overwhelmed by his father’s criticism.
“You’ve been in this shop for six months and you haven’t succeeded in selling a single computer. I tell you what. I’ll give you one more chance. I’ll give you another three more weeks. If you still can’t make one sale, I’ll call in your elder brother to replace you. He will also take over the shop when I retire. There. I’ll just give you one last chance to prove yourself,” said Mr. Whitely, his patience wearing thin.
Andrew’s heart missed a beat. This time he would have to do it. Do or Die! A sense of urgency gripped him. Somehow he must prove himself to his father.
It was now the end of the day and the shop was being closed. The assistant employed by his father, called Mike, chuckled and put his arms round poor Andrew to comfort him,“ Sort it out yourself. It’s gotta come from yourself.” he said.
The shop was located in a bustling shopping center. Andrew left the shop and walked round the complex aimlessly and by chance entered a large bookstore. He glanced at the books and was about to leave when his eyes caught some interesting titles:‘ How to increase your confidence,’‘ The art of communication,’‘How to sell well’amongst others.
The next minute he was out of the store with the shopping bag bugling with books. In his apartment (for he loves separately from his parents and little sister),he settled himself in his easy chair and devoured the contents of the books, one by one. His keen intelligence enabled him to focus the details that matter and pick out the ideas and techniques expounded.In a week his image underwent a transformation. Gone was the stubble that used to give him an untidy image likened to a heroin addict.He was also smartly dressed now. Instead of his usual slurred speech and incoherence ,he spoke with clarity, purpose and forcefulness.He was more convincing and persuasive. Above all, confidence flowed from his being and he seemed to have learned a few tricks of the selling trade. He worked hard at his sales pitch and one day he succeeded in selling a computer. His first sale. He had finally achieved the quota of one sale within the given time frame of three weeks. The job, the shop, was his. He had to thank Mike for it. And now he had to go beyond his first successs and score, consistently and persistently. Nevertheless he had proved himself at last and the future looked bright and promising.
【小题1】
We learn from the story that at the beginning Andrew’s father_________.