The Roman Emperor Claudius II was fighting many wars. He wanted a strong army, but many men did not want to be soldiers. Claudius thought the men wanted to stay at home to be with their wives and children instead of leaving to fight wars.

Claudius thought of an awful solution to his problem. He decided to cancel all marriages! No one in all of Rome could get married. Claudius thought that if the men couldn’t get married, the men would ignore the women and want to be soldiers.

Valentine, who was a priest (牧师), believed that people needed to get married. He thought it was wrong for people to live together without being married. So he secretly and illegally married couples anyway. He performed the weddings in secret places, so the Roman soldiers would not find out.

But they did find out. Valentine was arrested and brought before the Emperor. The Emperor thought Valentine was a well-spoken and wise young man, and encouraged him to stop being a Christian (基督徒) and become a loyal Roman. Valentine would not deny his beliefs, and he refused. He was sent to prison and was finally killed. While he was in prison, he sent out letters to his friends and asked to be prayed (祈祷) for by writing Remember your Valentine.

Valentine was killed on the 14th or the 24th of February in the year 269 or 270. We celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th in honor of St. Valentine.

The Emperor Claudius II wanted men to __________.     

A. live at home and work for the empire            

B. become loyal Roman citizens

C. go to other countries and raise families   

D. fight wars in other lands

The underlined word “awful” in the second paragraph probably means __________.

A. terrible       B. wonderful         C. possible         D. friendly

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?     

A. Valentine believed in marriage and risked death to marry people.

B. Claudius wanted to stay at home with his wife.

C. Claudius thought Valentine was a man with a bright future.

D. Valentine broke the law.

     Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work, a move scientists say can be good for productivity, workplace morale (士气)，and the well-being of animals.

     A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet. Sue Chaseling of Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets. “On the pets’ side, they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said. A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的), while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

     Xami Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington. “My customers love them. They are their favorites,” she said. “They are not troublesome. They know when to go and have a sleep0 in the sun.”

     Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain. Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years. “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass,” he said.

     Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation. But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable.

．The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is __________.

A．73%  B．27%  C．25%  D．15%

．We know from the text that “BJ”_____.

       A．works in the Global Hair Salon

       B．often greets the passers-by

       C．likes to sleep in the sun      D．is a two-year-old cat

．The best title for this text would be _____.

A．Pets Help Attract Customers    B．Your Favorite Office Pets

       C．Pets Join the Workforce        D．Busy Life for Pets

Scientists have determined it's not advisable to hurry marriage. But what’s the best age to wed?

When Avril Lavigne announced she was splitting from her husband, comments from her friends suggested that she was only 21 when she tied the knot and later she said that she realized she'd been too young to make such a life-altering decision. Could fellow young celebrity divorcées(离婚者) Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, and Britney Spears have also hit the same age-related issue?

The Magic Number

There are practical reasons for the mid-20s dividing line, and most of them boil down to two biggies: education and money. 

It turns out that the more years of higher education a woman has under her belt on her wedding day, the lower the chances that she'll get divorced ... and by 25, you're more likely to have earned a degree or two. Educated women tend to be more confident about who they are and less willing to settle for a man who doesn't meet their standards.

Odds(可能性) are that by 25 you're also supporting yourself, so there's less incentive（刺激; 鼓励）for you to rush into marriage because you're seeking financial security from him. But the marriage-related benefits of working and having money of your own go beyond feeling secure. Learning to budget your cash carefully when you're single will help you avoid financial problems—one of the main causes of couple fights—for the rest of your life.

Knowing the Real You

At 25, you've had time for some crucial life experiences, including a relationship or two that may have improved your Mr. Right radar. You've probably dated enough to have a better idea of what you don't want in a man, which makes it easier to know what you can live with and can't live without. 

Perhaps the most important aspect of waiting is that you'll know what your goals and values really are. While you don't want to marry someone just like you, marriage is a lot easier if you two share a similar outlook on life.

Twenty-four and already married to the man of your dreams? Don't worry: Many young marriages survive. But given the choice, you might consider putting off the big day until your mid-20s or later.

What main factors influence the mid-20s dividing line? (No more than 3 words)

_________________________________________________________________

According to the author, why does a couple probably fight？(No more than 4 words)

_________________________________________________________________

How do you know what you don’t want in a man? (No more than 5 words)

________________________________________________________________

What suggestion does the passage mainly give? (No more than 10 words)

_________________________________________________________________

阅读下面短文,  从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,  选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,  并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

When I was about 13, my father would take me on short outings on Saturdays. On the way home, Dad _36_ stopped at the Dairy Queen for 10-cent ice creams. I couldn’t _37_ it, but I could pray from the _38_ we started heading home to that corner where we would either go straight for the ice cream or _39_ and go home empty-handed. That corner _40_ either mouth-watering excitement or _41_.

On one special day, we were heading home, and again I was praying for the _42_ sound of his offer. It _43_. “Would you like an ice cream today?” “That sounds great, Dad!” But then he said, “How would you like to _44_ today?”

Twenty cents! My mind reeled(震惊). I could afford it. I got a weekly allowance of 25 cents, plus some _45_ for odd jobs(零活). But _46_ it was my money, ice cream wasn’t a good use of it. In a fit of _47_, I said, “Well, in that case, I guess I’ll _48_.” My father just said, “Okay, Son.”

But as we headed home, I realized how wrong I was and begged him to _49_. But he just said, “That’s okay, we don’t really need one.” I felt _50_ for my selfishness and ungratefulness. He didn’t mind, or _51_ act disappointed.

I _52_ that generosity（慷慨）goes two ways and gratefulness sometimes costs more than “thank you”. On that day gratefulness would have cost 20 cents and it would have been the _53_ ice cream I’d ever had.

I’ll tell you one more thing. We _54_ another trip the next week. As we _55_ the corner, I said, “Dad, would you like an ice cream today? My treat.”

A. never                 B. hardly             C. frequently     D. strangely

A. expect               B. mention           C. wait                       D. get         

A. month                   B. day                 C. weekend          D. moment        

A. finish                B. drive                C. turn                 D. return       

A. indicated              B. meant               C. suggested          D. instructed    

A. anger                    B. shame              C. happiness         D. disappointment

A. funny                    B. surprising         C. interesting        D. beautiful    

A. came                   B. spoke              C. went                D. flew       

A. serve                     B. treat                       C. buy                 D. provide    

A. extra                  B. limited            C. little                D. easy      

A. after                    B. while               C. when             D. although 

A. sadness                B. regret                      C. curiosity          D. selfishness 

A. accept                  B. pay                 C. pass              D. eat      

A. turn back            B. keep up           C. stop by           D. give in    

A. unsatisfied           B. awful                      C. frightened     D. crazy     

A. even                  B. never                      C. only               D. somehow  

A. knew              B. learned            C. acknowledged         D. found    

A. dearest                 B. worst              C. cheapest           D. best       

A. made out             B. prepared for     C. went on           D. took up  

A. crossed               B. left                C. saw            D. approached

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded．” “I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor (牧师) as he walked by．Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor guessed the reason, and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class．The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus．

Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements．As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump．Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School．”

For two years she had saved for this offering of love．When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do．Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion．

A newspaper learned of the story and published it．It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands．When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents．

Church members made large donations．Checks came from far and wide．Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000, a huge sum for that time．

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained．Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time．

41．Why did the girl have a purse with 57 cents?

       A．To save money for her future career．

       B．To build a large building for more children to live in．

       C．To help build a church big enough for every child to go to．

       D．To remind people to make remarkable history．

42．How did a Realtor help the church?

       A．He made the story known to the public by publishing it．

       B．He sold a land to the church for free．

       C．He offered the church a piece of land for 57 cents．

       D．He raised money for the church．

43．What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．Church members donated because of their desire for a big church．

       B．The girl’s unselfish love was rewarded at last．

       C．The pastor found 57 cents saved by the little girl．

       D．Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, Good Samaritan Hospital and a Sunday School building all belong to the small church the little girl went to．

44．What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．57 Cents                B．A little girl’s wish

       C．Pastor and Girl              D．A bigger Church