D
I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”
This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors; one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) — if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.
“But thank God, I had one child left — a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to gave in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”
“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy now that I have no time for worry.”
No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.”
53. The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _____.

阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从1—25各题所给的四个选项中, 选出一个最佳答案。

    China is one of the oldest countries in the world. She has a　　 1 of over forty-four thousand years. No one is　　 2 where the first people 3 came from. Yes, we know that bones of some of the　　 4 people have been found near Beijing, the capital of China, and near the Yellow River,　　 5 runs across North China 6 a huge dragon (龙) and　　 7 its way from west to east. There are many　　 8 about how the world began and who the first kings　　 were. One story tells of how ten suns shone in　　 9 and how Hou Yi shot down 10 of them. Another story tells about how Huang Di, the Yellow　　 Emperor (皇帝), 11 Tsi You and united different parts of the country　　 into one 12 . The ancient Chinese did a lot of wonders,　　 13 was the Great Wall. It came 14 in the 220's B.C. It took many years to build.　　 Seeing the Great wall,which is 15 enough for ten soldiers to march　　 16 along its top. You can't help 17 how all the work was done　　 18 .

    People in ancient times 19 in magic (魔法) used to say that　　 Emperor Qin Shihuang 20 across the mountains 21 magic horse. The wall　　 22 under him as he went along. Wherever the horse　　 23 its foot heavily, a watch-tower appeared. But the wall was not made by　　 24 . It was made 25 and lives of thousands of men.

D
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route．He replied, "You mean fortunately．" He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided．
My attitude to the hill has now changed．I used to complain as I approached it but now I tell myself the following; This hill will exercise my heart and lungs．It will help me to lose weight and get fit．It will mean that I live longer．This hill is my friend．Finally as I wend my way up the incline I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free．I have a smug smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill．
Problems are there to be faced and overcome． We cannot achieve anything with an easy life, Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a University degree．  Her activism and writing proved inspirational．She wrote, " Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet．Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved．"
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity．From time to time, we all face hardships, problems, accidents, and difficulties．Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own．While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it．
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying experts in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war．He said, "Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that．That's nonsense．Make up your mind, you’11 never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything．Go to school, join in all the games you can．Go anywhere you want to．But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible．"
The biographies of great people are filled with examples of how they took kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced．The common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed．They chose their attitude．They chose to be positive．They took on the challenge．They won．
68．The writer has a smug smile of satisfaction as he reaches the top of the hill because________．
A．he was actually killing two birds with a stone
B．compared with those silly people, he was smarter
C．he lost weight by cycling to the town center every day
D．he was informed of a short route from his house to the town
69．The writer quoted Helen Keller and her saying as an example to demonstrate_________．
A．one cannot achieve anything with an easy life
B．only disabled persons can experience hardship deeply
C．one' s success is determined by nothing but his/ her attitude
D．it' s rare for a deaf and blind person to gain a University degree．
70．From this passage we know that Douglas Bader was a person of___________．
A．individual and creative character        B．stubborn yet charming personality
C．great bravery and strong will           D．excellent speaker with great influence
71．In writing style, the last paragraph serves as____________
A．an explanation        B．a demonstration    C．an introduction  D．a summarization

D
I grew up in a small town. I was only ten years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable (马厩). He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace. I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged.
One night, a woman executive (董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I had my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man.
68. Why was the writer once known as a singing cook?
A. He was a cook at a country music club.
B. He sang for guests while he worked as a cook.
C. He often sang while cooking.
D. He liked singing better than cooking.
69. Who first recognized the writer’s talents and helped make him successful?
A. His brother.      B. His manager.    C. His father.           D. A businesswoman.
70. It can be inferred from the passage that the ______.
A. writer’s success is partly due to his father     B. writer’s family was very poor
C. writer succeeded easily                   D. writer’s first record was a total failure

阅读理解

　　Mark Twain and Chauncey M. Depew once went abroad on the same ship. When the ship was a few days out they were both invited to a dinner, and when speech-making time came, Mark Twain had the first chance. He spoke twenty minutes and made a great hit. Then it was Mr. Depew's turn.

　　“Mr. Toastmaster and Ladies and Gentlemen,”said the famous speaker as he rose“Before this dinner Mark Twain and myself made an agreement to trade speeches. He had just delivered[di'liv+d],演讲) my speech, and I thank you for the pleasant manner in which you received it. I regret to say that I have lost the notes of his speech and can not remember anything he was to say.”

　　Then he sat down, and there was much laughter.

1．What did Mark Twain and Chauncey M. Depew to abroad for?

[　　]

A．They were going to make important speeches

B．They were going to have important dinner

C．They were going to attend an important meeting

D．The writer of the passage didn't tell us about it

2．From the first paragraph, we can see that, on the ship ________.

[　　]

A．Mark Twain made a well - liked speech

B．Mark Twain was not pleased with his own speech

C．The listeners thought that Mark Twain's speech was well worth listening to but it was too long

D．Mark Twain was happy to get the first chance to speak

3．From this passage, we can see that Chauncey M. Depew ________.

[　　]

A．was a famous speaker but had a poor memory

B．lost the notes of the speech but made a wonderful speech

C．was a famous speaker indeed

D．felt unhappy because Mark Twain broke his promise

4．What did the listeners think of the speech made by Chauncey M. Depew?

[　　]

A．His speech was more interesting than Mark Twain's.

B．His speech was less interesting than Mark Twain's.

C．His speech was a wonderful speech made in a funny way.

D．His speech was not a speech but a laughing matter.

5．The best title for the passage is ________.

[　　]

A．Mark Twain and Chauncey M. Depew

B．Funny Speeches

C．An Agreement to Trade Speeches

D．I Cannot Remember Anything He Was to Say