My father's reaction to the bank building at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York city was immediate and definite: "You won't catch me putting my money in there!" he declared, "Not in that glass box !"

Of course, my father is a gentleman of the old school, a member of the generation to whom a good deal of modern architecture is upsetting, but I am convinced that his negative response was not so much to the architecture as to a violation of his concept of the nature of money .

In his generation money was thought of as a real commodity (實物)that could be carried, or stolen. Consequently, to attract the custom of a sensible man, a bank had to have heavy walls, barred windows, and bronze（青銅）doors, to affirm the fact, however untrue, that money would be safe inside. If a building's design made it appear impenetrable（難以滲透的）, the institution（公共機構(gòu), 協(xié)會, 制度）was necessarily reliable, and the meaning of the heavy wall as an architecture symbol dwelt in the prevailing attitude toward money.

But the attitude toward money has, of course, changed. Excepting pocket money, cash of any kind is now rarely used; money as a tangible（切實，實在）commodity has largely been replaced by credit. A deficit (赤字) economy, accompanied by huge expansion, has led us to think of money as product of the creative imagination. The banker no longer offers us a safe: he offers us a service in which the most valuable element is the creativity for the invention of large numbers. It is in no way surprising, in view of this change in attitude, that we are witnessing the disappearance of the heavy-walled bank.

Just as the older bank emphasized its strength, this bank by its architecture boasts of imaginative powers. From this point of view it is hard to say where architecture ends and human assertion (人們的說法)begins.

61、The main idea of this passage is that ________.

A．money is not as valuable as it was in the past

B．the architectural style of the older bank is superior to that of the modern bank

C．changes have taken place in both the appearance and the concept of banks

D．prejudice makes the older generation think that the modern bank is unreliable

62、How do the older generation and the younger one think about money?

A．The former thinks more of money than the latter.

B．The younger generation values money more than the older generation.

C．Both generations rely on the imaginative power of bankers to make money.

D．To the former money is a real commodity but to the latter it is a means to produce more money.

63、According to this passage, a modern banker should be _____.

A．imaginative and creative             B．reliable and powerful

C．sensible and impenetrable                     D．a(chǎn)mbitious and friendly

64、It can be inferred from the passage that the author's attitude towards the new trend in banking is ______. 

A．cautious         B．regretful           C．positive           D．hostile(敵意的)

65、Cash is rarely used nowadays because _______.

A. it is no longer needed                  B. it is no longer useful

C. it is often replaced by credit cards        D.credit cards took place.

The easy way out isn’t always the easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug, my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cook book and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time. I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Doug loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn’t have to face Doug laughing at my work. I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out, I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in our rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast(酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the living thing was and why it was there. I don’t know who was more embarrassed by the whole thing—Doug or me.

56、The writer’s purpose in writing this story is ________.

A. to tell an interesting experience       

B. to show the easiest way out of a difficulty

C. to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman

D. to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books

57、Why did the woman’s attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?

A. The canned orange had gone bad.     

B. She didn’t use the right kind of flour.

C. The cookbook was hard to understand.        

D. She did not follow the directions closely.

58、Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?

A. She didn’t see the use of keeping it.    B. She meant to joke with her husband.

C. She didn’t want her husband to see it.          D. She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.

59、What made the dough in the bin looks frightening?

A. The rising and falling movement.            B. The strange-looking marks.

C. Its shape.                                    D. Its size.

60、When Doug went out the third time, the woman looked out of the window because she was

________.

A. surprised at his being interested in the bin

B. afraid that he would discover her secret

C. unhappy that he didn’t enjoy the meal    

D. curious to know what disturbed him

Life is like potato salad; when it’s shared it becomes a picnic.

     When my three children were young, my husband，Roy ，and I were very  36  .

“Can we go on a picnic, Mom?” my six-year-old daughter, Becky  37  . “Please.”

I had said no so many times in the  38   months, and I decided the usual Saturday morning chores (日常工作) could wait. To her  39  , I agreed.

I prepared a few sandwiches and  40  a cooler with ice and drinks and called Roy  41  . My eleven-year-old twin sons put the cooler and the picnic basket in the trunk and off we went to spend some  42  time together as a family.

About the time I got the lunch  43  out on the table, Roy arrived on the  44  .

That was one of the happiest meals we ever shared together. The meal was filled with  45  . We felt a closeness that had been hidden by work and school  46  for so many months. Roy and the boys  47  rocks into the lake. Becky fed the ducks and I sat quietly on the picnic table,  48  God for blessing me with such a wonderful family.

That night as our  49   went to bed, I kissed their cheeks and realized what a wonderful life I had.

As I walked out of the room it dawned on me that even the busiest  50   could become a picnic when it’s shared with the ones you  51  .

Even though the kids have now grown up and  52  from home, I can still remember how I felt that day while sitting at the picnic table.

Maybe today would be a good time to  53  potato salad, call all of my grown kids, feed some hungry  54  and skipped a few rocks into the lake. Since life is like potato salad, let’s make it a  55  .

36、A. old               B. poor                  C. busy                 D. miserable

37、A. begged            B. asked                    C. doubted                D. wondered

38、A. coming            B. recent                   C. following              D. later

39、A. doubt              B. disappointment      C. sadness                D. surprise

40、A. supplied        B. provided         C. combined             D. filled

41、A. off work       B. at home             C. at work                D. on business

42、A. unhappy       B. quality                  C. quantity                D. sad

43、A. spread             B. taken                    C. made                D. cooked

44、A. scene              B. view                     C. event             D. landscape

45、A. sadness           B. expectation            C. hope                 D. laughter

46、A. orders          B. charges              C. activity                 D. responsibilities

47、A. missed             B. took                   C. skipped                D. left

48、A. praying          B. praising              C. thanking               D. trusting

49、A. family        B. children             C. friends             D. parents

50、A. lifestyle       B. time                C. world               D. family

51、A. enjoy               B. own                      C. have                    D. love

52、A. left alone       B. passed away       C. ran away              D. moved away

53、A. supply             B. cook                C. watch                  D. plant

54、A. ducks              B. children             C. family              D. people

55、A. salad            B. life                    C. picnic               D. hope

According to a recent study, people who speak two or more languages were _____ to

develop memory problems compared to those who only spoke one language.

   A. less than five times likely                           B. five times less likely

   C. less likely five times                               D. five times likely less

－Shall we _____for twenty minutes and have a cup of coffee?

      －I can’t agree with you any more.

    A. break off               B. break down           C. break up      D. break out

Lucy asked for a separate room so that she could avoid ______ with Tom alone.

A. to leave                 B. to be left                C. being left        D. leaving

_______ fully the historical achievement of Barack Obama’s victory, it is worth recalling

what America looked like in 1961, the year of his birth.

      A. To measure              B. Measured         C. Measuring        D.Having measured

A little of _________, and _______ at all.

A. everything; nothing                     B. nothing; everything

C. anything; nothing                       D. nothing; anything

The Federal Reserve, _____ is the US central bank, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, an independent agency of the government ____ backs bank deposits, will have an active role in providing the needed cash.

A. which;  /               B. that; that                       C. that; which               D. which; that

It won’t be quite a long time ________ your son is back, so don’t be worried.

A. that                         B. since                       C. before                     D. until