Though we found _____difficult to avoid economic and financial crisis, we must take measures to reduce its negative impact.

A．it      B．one   C．that   D．how

So difficult _______it to work out the problem that I decided to ask Tom for some advice.

A．I did find     B．did I find     C．I’ve found           D．have I found

I have been living in the United States for twenty years ,but seldom _____ so lonely as now.

A. have I felt   B. I had felt   C. I have felt    D. had I felt

—Will you join us in the game?

   —Thank you, ______.  

   A. but why not?      B. but I’d rather not.

   C. and I won’t.     D. and I’ll join.

On Wednesday afternoon Annie took the bus into town to shop in the market. For an hour or so she would walk up and down between the stalls looking at everything, buying here and there, and  1  a sharp lookout for the bargains that were something to be haD. And then, with all the   2  she needs bought she would leave the market for the   3  of the town to spend another hour   4  she liked best, looking in furniture-shop windows.

One Wednesday she found a  5  shop full of the most delightful things, with a   6  inviting anyone to walk in and look round without   7  they had to buy something. Annie hesitated a moment   8  stepping through the doorway where, almost at once, she stopped   9  before a green armchair. There was a card on the chair which  10  ,“This fine chair is yours for less than a pound a week,” and very small at the bottom, “Cash price eighty-nine pounds fifty.” A pound a week …Why, she could almost pay that out of her housekeeping money and never   11  it!  

A voice at her shoulder made her   12  .“Can I help you, Madam?” She looked   13  at the assistant who had come softly to her  14 

“Oh, well, no,” she said, “I was just   15  .”

“We have chairs of all kinds in the   16  . If you'll just come up, you will find something to  17  you.”

Annie, worried at the thought of being   18  to buy something she didn't   19  , left the shop   20  .

1. A. taking    B. making      C. fixing D. keeping

2. A. chairs　 B. furniture　 C. things D. bargains

3. A. shops　  B. streets    C. delightful things       D. bus station

4. A. in the way　  B. by the way　　 C. in a way     D. in one way

5. A. new　　       B. noisy  C. large   D. strange

6. A. message　     B. notice C. note    D. flag

7. A. arguing　      B. declaring    C. frightening D. feeling

8. A. when　　      B. before C. after   D. while

9. A. doubted　　  B. surprised　 C. puzzled      D. delighted

10. A. wrote　　   B. told    C. informed    D. said

11. A. lose      B. miss    C. pass    D. make

12. A. jump　　    B. run     C. laugh  D. surprise

13. A. round　　   B. straight      C. behind       D. up

14. A. place    B. back   C. side    D. front

15. A. thinking　　       B. looking      C. walking      D. passing

16. A. doorway　   B. storehouse　      C. showroom　　  D. market

17. A. suit      B. fit       C. serve   D. match

18. A. advised　　 B. made  C. persuaded　　   D. cheated

19. A. like      B. afford C. pay     D. need

20. A. slowly　　  B. thoughtfully　   C. hurriedly    D. carefully

The very wealthy English Baron Fitzgerald had only one child, a son, who understandably was the apple of his eye. His wife died when the child was in his early teens. So Fitzgerald devoted himself to fathering the kid. Unfortunately the son died in his late teens.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald’s wealth greatly increased. He spent a lot on art works of the masters. Later Fitzgerald himself because seriously ill. Before his death, he had carefully prepared his will as to how his wealth would be settled—to sell his entire collection at an auction (拍賣).

Because of the large quantity and high quality of his collection, a huge crowd of possible buyers gathered for the auction. Many of them were museum directors and private collectors eager to bid (出價).Before the auction, the art works were shown, among which was a painting of Fitzgerald’s son by an unknown artist. Because of its poor quality, it received little attention.

When it was time for the auction, the auctioneer gaveled (敲槌) the crowd to attention. First the lawyer read from Fitzgerald’s will that the first art work to be auctioned was the painting of his son.

The poor-quality painting didn’t receive and bidders...except one—the old servant who had served the son and loved him, and who for emotional reasons offered the only bid.

As soon as the servant bought the painting for less than one English pound, the auctioneer stopped the bidding and asked the lawyer to read again from the will. The crowd became quiet, and the lawyer read from the will:“Whoever buys the painting of my son gets all my collection.”Then the auction was over.

The English Baron Fitzgerald was ______.

A. a museum director      B. a master of art      C. an art collector       D. an art dealer

Why did the old servant bid for the painting of Fitzgerald’s son?

A. He was devoted to the family.          B. He saw that no one bid for it.

C. He knew the content of the will.        D. He found it cheap for him to buy.

Fitzgerald’s will showed ______.

A his desire to fool the bidders                  B. his invaluable love for his son

C. his sadness at the death of his son             D. his regret of having no children to take over his wealth

. When we visited my old family home, memory came ________ back..

A. flooding     B. to flood

C. flood  D. flooded

Any mistake made in the printing of a stamp raises its value to stamp collectors. A mistake on one inexpensive postage stamp has made the stamp worth a million and a half times its original value.

The mistake was made more than a hundred years ago in the British colony of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean. In 1847 an order for stamps was sent to a London printer — Mauritius was to become the fourth country in the world to issue stamps.

Before the order was filled and delivered, a ball was planned at Mauritius’ Government House, and stamps were needed to send out the invitations. A local printer was instructed to copy the design for the stamps. He accidentally inscribed the words “Post Office” instead of “Post Paid” on the several hundred stamps that he printed.

Today there are only twenty-six of these misprinted stamps left fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds and twelve Two Penny Blues. Because of the Two Penny Blue’s rareness and age, collectors have paid as much as ＄16 800 for it.

Over a century ago, Mauritius _______.

A. was an independent country

B. belonged to India

C. was one of the British colonies

D. was a small island in the Pacific Ocean

The mistake on the stamps was made _______.

A. in Mauritius      B. at Mauritius Government House

C. in a post office   D. in London

Stamp collectors have paid 16 800 for _______.

A. fourteen One Penny Orange-Reds

B. twelve Two Penny Blues

C. one One Penny Orange-Red

D. one Two Penny Blue

The rules of our school don’t allow ______ at school. That is to say, Nobody is allowed _____ here.

A．to smoke; to                B．smoking; smoking    

C．to smoke; smoking           D．smoking; to smoke

“The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful,” says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (沖動) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral (道德上的) freedom.

A single angry word has lost many a friend. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.” “Keep cool”, says George Herbert, “for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.”

To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. “Anger,” says Pythagoras, “brings with folly(愚蠢) and ends with regret.” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.

Self-control is man’s last greatest victory.

If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also.

What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?

A. The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself.

B. One’s moral freedom is based on the control of himself.

C. To control oneself is the most difficult in one’s life.

D. If a person is too stubborn, he will feel most shameful.

What is the correct interpretation of “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad” ?

A. If the gods want to kill you, they make you crazy first.

B. If you always lose your temper, you will soon be finished.

C. If you cannot control yourself, you will become crazy.

D. If you are mad, you will be punished by the gods.

If a man lacks self-control, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT _______.

A. the very backbone and nerve of character 

B. the patience and power to control himself

C. strong feelings

D. self-confidence

The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to _______.

A. explain that self-control is the key to success

B. teach people how to control everything in order to make a great success

C. distinguish all kinds of self-control and suggest ways for keeping it

D. advise people not to lose temper so as to make and keep more friends