My son and a bunch of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald’s on report card day last year. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A’s, and Laurie got a cell phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she’s only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $ 10 for each A.”
I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell phone, and the portable DVD player?
I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes — no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything!
I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal attained by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns, runs-batted-in? What about orchestra? Would first chair pay more than second? I’d be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.
“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that’s about it.”
Don’t you just hate that? We’re all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation.
46．Why did the writer suddenly become concerned?
A．Because many kids were getting very good grade at school.
B．Because he was worried about the current reword system.
C．Because he wasn’t making enough money to buy things for his kids’ good grades.            D．Because kids were having too many parties after school.
47．The underlined sentence “As the homework load increased, my income would decrease.” (in
Paragraph 3) probably means that _________.
A．taking care of the children would influence my work
B．I would spend more money on my children’s homework
C．reducing children’s homework load would cost me a lot
D．more rewards would be needed as the children grew up
48．The example of the author’s neighbor shows that _________.
A．pizza is the best way to encourage children
B．the author’s neighbor was very poor
C．reward is not the only way to encourage children
D．the son of the author’s neighbor’s didn’t like reward
49．It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A．children would think that you should if you pay them for good grades
B．children would work harder if you buy them pizza for good grades
C．children would not ask for rewards when they enter high school
D．children would not ask for rewards when they enter university
50．What is the author’s attitude toward paying children reward for good grades?
A．Helpful.            B．Uncertain.                C．Unpleasant.        D．Unknowable.                                    

Planet Hunter
When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.
“What excited me most was whether there were planets（行星）in other solar（太陽的）systems where life might exist, ”he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting（沿…軌道運(yùn)行）other stars like our Sun.”
And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995, ”Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it, and our patience paid off. ”
Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first “family”of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like（像木星一樣的）planet orbiting star 55 Cancri.
At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55 Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about the same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.
Why is this important? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features（特征）in our solar system. The first is Jupiter.
“Because it’s so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids（小行星）, or they all come and hit the Earth. ”Dr. Marcy explains. “Without Jupiter, life on Earth would likely have been destroyed. ”
A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life, can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55 Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, “We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life! ”
59. What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage?
A. He is fond of watching Jupiter.
B. He is from a scientist family.
C. He dislikes working with Paul Butler.
D. He is interested in finding life in outer space.
60. Which of the following is true of the recent discovery?
A. The planet is not as protective as Jupiter.
B. The planet is close to star 55 Cancri.
C. The planet proves to be a gas planet.
D. The planet is as large as Jupiter.
61. How many planets orbiting other stars have the two scientists discovered so far?
A. 100                B. 69                    C. 66                       D. 65
62. Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55 Cancri system because ______.
A. he has found the system similar to the solar system
B. he has discovered an Earth-like planet there
C. he has discovered a rocky planet there
D. he has found signs of life in the system
63.“But we stuck with it”（in Paragraph 3）means ______.
A. they felt discouraged
B. they carried on with it
C. they failed in their attempt
D. they made some progress

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. 1 was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy - nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once 1 reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents that was the best time of my life."
"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life."
"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, which was the best time of my life."
"When I met my wife and fell in love, which was the best time of my life."
"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, which was the best time of my life. "
"When we came to Canada and started a family, which was the best time of my life."
"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life."
"And now, Joe, 1 am seventy - nine years old. I have my health, l feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."
46. When Joe's 30th birthday is drawing near, he feels               .
A. excited             B. frightened          C. worried              D. eager
47. Joe usually goes to the gym to            .
A. take exercise                     B. begin his work
C. see his friend Nicholas             D. do his part -time job
48. What does the underlined word vitality in the second paragraph mean?
A. strength                         B. Power to survive
C. Happiness                       D. Energy and enthusiasm
49. What is the right order of the following events?
a. Fell in love                b. Grew up in Austria       c. Settled in Canada
d. Escape from his country     e. Got salaries
A. b a e d c             B. b e a d c          C. a b e d c            D. b c a d e
50. The purpose of the passage is to                   .
A. tell the reader about Joe's experience             
B. tell the story of his friend Nicholas.
C. tell people not to worry about their ages.
D. tell people to take an optimistic attitude toward life.

第二節(jié)、完形填空（本題共20小題，每題1分，滿分20分）
閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的A、B、C和D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。
Mr. West wanted to buy his wife a Christmas present, but he was always very   21   , so he was never able to find time to go to the shops. At last, when it was the week   22   Christmas, and the shops were very crowded, he decided that he could not   23  any longer. He worked in an office, and usually  24  lunch in a restaurant, but one day he bought some sandwiches, ate 25  quickly and went out to a big shop near his  26 during his lunch hour.
The shop was full of women, who were also buying   27   during their lunch hour. Mr. West stood   28   at the edge of a crowd of 29  who were pushing forward to try to get to the people who were  30   necklaces and earrings. He tried to move forwards slowly, taking his turn with the others, but more and more women were 31 into the shop the whole time and pushing selfishly (自私地) 32  him. After half an hour, he was just as 33    from the people who were selling the necklaces as he had been when he came in, and his lunch hour was coming to 34   , so he decided to change his 35   of doing things: he put his head down, gave a sudden loud shout and started to  36  his way towards the 37     of the crowd as hard as he could.
The women around him became very 38   when they saw what he was doing, and began to scold (責(zé)備) him. “Why can’t you behave (做事) like a  39  ?”, they shouted.
“Ladies,” he answered them, “I have been behaving like a gentleman for the past half hour, and it has got me   40  , so now I am starting to behave like a lady!”
(   )21. A. lazy            B. unwilling           C. busy              D. forgetful
(   )22. A. before         B. around           C. behind             D. after
(   )23. A. work           B. stay                C. wait               D. think
(   )24. A．had             B．have               C．eat                           D．took
(   )25. A. it                B. them               C. that                            D. those
(   )26. A. car                 B. house              C. restaurant          D. office 
(   )27. A. presents        B. sandwiches          C. clothes            D. food           
(   )28. A. alone           B. quietly             C. politely            D. freely
(   )29. A. women          B. children            C. men              D. strangers
(  )30. A. examining     B. selling              C. choosing           D. buying
(   )31. A. going              B. entering            C. coming            D. running
(   )32. A. behind             B. past              C. over             D. against
(   )33. A. near          B. up                C. far               D. out
(   )34. A. a top           B. an end              C. measure           D. the limit
(   )35. A. idea            B. measure            C. way              D. plan
(   )36. A. step            B. push               C. go               D. pull
(   )37. A. front           B. edge               C. center            D. back
(   )38. A. surprised        B. afraid              C. angry             D. nervous
(   )39. A. gentleman           B. lady              C. woman                 D. man
(   )40. A. anywhere        B. nowhere            C. somewhere        D. everywhere

二. 完形填空
A kindergarten teacher let her class play a game. She told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag   1   a few potatoes. Each potato would be given a   2   of a person the child   3  , so the number of potatoes in their bags would   4   on the number of people they hated.
So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the names of some people on them. Some had two potatoes; some three   5   some up to five. The teacher then told the children to __6   with them the potatoes   7   they go (even to the toilet) for one week.
As days passed   8  , and the children started to   9   about the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes.   10  , those having five potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After one week, the children were   11   because the game had finally ended.
The teacher asked about their feelings of carrying the potatoes. The children   12   out their frustrations(沮喪) and started complaining of the trouble they had to   13  . Then the teacher told them the   14   meaning behind the game. She said:“ This is exactly the   15   when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench(惡臭) of hatred will contaminate(玷污) your heart and you will always carry it with you. If you cannot   16   the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine   17   it is like to have the hatred in your heart for your lifetime?”
Moral of the story:   18   away any hatred for anyone from your heart   19   you will not carry it for a lifetime. __20   others is the best attitude to take!
1．A．including       B．seating          C．containing         D．growing
2．A．character       B．secret              C．picture           D．name
3．A．hated         B．loved          C．a(chǎn)ppreciated        D．struck
4．A．live            B．depend         C．wait             D．keep
5．A．when         B．while          C．a(chǎn)s               D．unless
6．A．bring         B．take           C．fetch             D．carry
7．A．however        B．whenever      C．wherever         D．whatever
8．A．by             B．a(chǎn)way          C．on              D．out
9．A．wander          B．spread          C．complain         D．breathe
10．A．Besides        B．However       C．Therefore          D．Instead
11．A．disappointed     B．relieved        C．possessed          D．reserved

2,4,6

12．A．gave         B．left            C．broke             D．let

13．A．go through       B．pick up         C．turn to           D．put away
14．A．skeptical      B．terminal        C．hidden           D．ignored
15．A．information     B．identification    C．tradition         D．situation
16．A．hold         B．tolerate         C．a(chǎn)lter                  D．combine
17．A．how         B．whether        C．that             D．what
18．A．Cast         B．Click          C．Cross             D．Cure
19．A．in case         B．so that         C．a(chǎn)s though          D．now that
20．A．Abandoning     B．Blessing        C．Consulting        D．Forgiving

第一節(jié) 完形填空（共10小題；每小題2分，滿分20分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從21～30各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Recently divorced in my 30s, I had no job and was on my way downtown on a rainy day to go to the employment offices. I had no umbrella, for my old one had   21   apart, and I couldn’t afford another one.
I sat down in the streetcar — there against the   22   was a beautiful silk umbrella with a silver handle inlaid with gold and bright enamel(琺瑯). I had never seen anything so lovely. I
23   the handle and saw a name on it. The   24   procedure would have been to turn in the umbrella to the conductor, but I decided to take it and find the   25   myself.
I got off the streetcar in a downpour and   26   opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a telephone book for the   27   on the umbrella and found it. I called and a lady answered. Yes, she said in   28  , that was her umbrella, which her parents, now dead, had given her as a birthday present, but it’d been   29   from her locker at school years before.
She was so excited that I forgot I was looking for a job and went   30   to her house. She took the umbrella, her eyes filled with tears. I was only too happy to see her get back the lost umbrella, and get a job she offered me.
21．A．taken                      B．torn                        C．broken                    D．fallen
22．A．seat                        B．door                       C．engine                    D．floor
23．A．watched                  B．shook                     C．examined                D．tested
24．A．usual                      B．ordinary                 C．normal                   D．odd
25．A．thief                       B．owner                     C．robber                    D．keeper
26．A．hopefully                B．helpfully                 C．carefully                 D．slowly
27．A．name                      B．number                   C．a(chǎn)ddress                   D．brand
28．A．happiness                B．disappointment        C．laughter                  D．surprise
29．A．robbed                   B．stolen                     C．taken                      D．hidden
30．A．simply                    B．calmly                    C．directly                   D．suddenly

閱讀下面短文，掌握大意，然后從各小題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)
When I was a girl, in the deserts of Somalia（索馬里）, my family was nomadic（游牧的）,   36 with our animals, and leading a happy life．
I was about thirteen  37 my father called me at the end of a hot day．“Come and  38  here．” He said．“I’ve found you a  39 ! We have arranged that he will  40  me five camels．“ That night I ran away．I was  41．For almost three weeks, I walked 42 the desert, and finally I got to my auntie’s house in Mogadishu．Auntie’s husband was an ambassador（大使）, and in a few months I  43 Britain to work at his London house．
One day a  44  called Michael Goss saw me in the street．He took my picture and the photographs were  45 ．“You should try and do  46 ,” he told me．When my aunt and uncle  47 Africa, I stayed in London．I found a place to stay and got  48  at McDonald’s before I  took Michael Goss’s photographs to an agency one day．They  49  me to a studio, and my picture appeared  50 of the Pirelli calendar．Soon after that, the agency got me  51  in the James Bond film The Living Daylights．
That was seven years ago．Since then I’ve done modeling all over the world and I’ve had frequent 52  in magazines such as Vogue and Elle．I have  53  hosted the US music program Soul Train．
Once  54 five camels, now I can  55  up to ?5000 for one day’s work．I have gone from the bottom to the top．

小題1:	A．working hard B．living together C．looking after D．moving around

小題2:	A．when B．a(chǎn)fter C．a(chǎn)s D．before

小題3:	A．listen B．sit C．work D．see

小題4:	A．business B．boss C．husband D．chance

小題5:	A．support B．provide C．share D．give

小題6:	A．excited B．worried C．frightened D．surprised

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)round B．through C．inside D．beyond

小題8:	A．flew to B．stayed in C．chose D．left

小題9:	A．director B．editor C．photographer D．writer

小題10:

A．satisfied B．beautiful C．well-mannered D．young

小題11:

A．designing B．photographing C．dressing D．modeling

小題12:

A．moved to B．changed for C．returned to D．started for

小題13:A．something to eat                     B．a(chǎn) job          C．a(chǎn) bedroom       D a workroom

小題14:

A．sent B．wanted C．ordered D．informed

小題15:

A．in the list B．on the cover C．in the ads D．on the page

小題16:

A．a(chǎn) rise B．a(chǎn) job C．a(chǎn) part D．a(chǎn)n actress

小題17:

A．interviews B．performances C．visits D．a(chǎn)ppearances

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)lready B．even C．yet D．still

小題19:

A．looking after B．feeding C．worth D．a(chǎn)s much as

小題20:

A．pay B．spend C．give D．earn

It has been said that Lincoln was always ready to join in a laugh at himself. There is one particular story that he always told with great delight.
In his early days as a lawyer, Lincoln went from town to town to hear and judge legal(法律的)cases. During one of these trips, he was sitting in a train when a strange man came up to him. The stranger looked at the tall clumsy(笨拙的)lawyer and said that he had something he believed belonging to Lincoln. Lincoln was a bit puzzled. He had never seen the man before. He didn’t see how a total stranger could have something of his. Lincoln asked how this could be. The stranger pulled out a penknife and began to explain. Many years before, he had been given the pocketknife. He had been told to keep it until he was able to find a man uglier than himself.
Lincoln’s eyes always sparked when he reached this part of the story. The story always brought smiles to the faces of those who heard it. The tale itself was funny. But even more delightful was the fact that a man as great as Lincoln could still laugh at himself.
小題1:This passage is about        .

A．a(chǎn) stranger and his strange knife

B．Lincoln’s favorite story

C．meeting stranger in a train

D．Lincoln’s favorite penknife

小題2:From the story we can infer that the stranger in the train         

A．liked to make friends	B．liked to tell jokes
C．collected penknives	D．was not handsome

小題3:Lincoln was given the pocketknife for        

A．his appearance	B．a(chǎn) good laugh
C．being a lawyer	D．being good-humored

小題4:Which of the following statements is right?

A．Lincoln, even though great, was not proud.

B．Lincoln was a great and proud man.

C．Lincoln lacked self-respect.

D．Lincoln had a good sense of humor.

小題5: What does the word “sparked” in the last paragraph mean?

A．閃耀

B．暗淡

C．無神

D．憂傷

Mr. Briggs got a job with an insurance company(保險(xiǎn)公司) after he left school and went around visiting people in their homes to sell them life insurance. One day, after he had been working for the company for about a year, the insurance manager sent for him and said, “Mr. Briggs, I have been looking at your record as a salesman with our company, and there is one thing that surprises me about it. Why have you been selling insurance only to people over 95 years old, and why have you been giving them such generous（寬厚的）conditions? You’ll ruin our company if you go on like that.”
“Oh, no, sir,” answered Mr. Briggs at once, “Before I started work, I looked at the figures(數(shù)字) for deaths in this country during the past ten years, and I can tell you that few people die at the age of 95.”
小題1: Before he worked in an insurance company, what was Mr. Briggs?______.

A．He was a worker.	B．He was an official.
C．He was a student.	D．He was a businessman.

小題2:The word “ruin” in the second paragraph means       .

A．lose

B．break

C．leave

D．destroy

小題3: Which of the following is true according to the passage?      

A．Mr. Briggs had studied the figures for deaths for several years.

B．Mr. Briggs began to look at the figures after he started work.

C．A great number of very old people die every year.

D．The number of the very old people who died every year is small.

Robert is nine years old and Joanna is seven. They live at Mount Ebenezer. Their father has a big property. In Australia they call a farm a property.
Robert and Joanna like school very much. At school they can talk to their friends but Robert and Joanna cannot see their friends. They live 100, perhaps 300, miles away and like Robert and Joanna, they all go to school by radio.
Mount Ebenezer is in the center of Australia. Not many people live in “The Center”. There are no schools with desks and blackboards and no teachers in “The Center”. School is a room at home with a two-way radio. The teacher also has a two-way radio. Every morning she calls each student on the radio. When all students answer, lessons begin… Think of your teacher 300 miles away!
小題1: The children in “The Center” do not go to a school because ______.

A．they live too far away from one another	B．they do not like school
C．they are not old enough to go to school	D．their families are too poor

小題2: In order to send their children to school, parents in “The Center” of Australia must have ______.

A．a(chǎn) property	B．a(chǎn) car
C．a(chǎn) school room at home	D．a(chǎn) special radio

小題3:Teachers in “The Center” of Australia teach ______.

A．not in a classroom but at the homes of the students

B．by speaking only and not showing anything in writing

C．without using any textbooks or pictures

D．without knowing whether the students are attending

小題4: A “property” in Australia is a ______.

A．house

B．school

C．farm

D．radio