Dear Alfred，

       I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.

       Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150 at 17, I’m anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADIID(注意力缺陷多动障碍). Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.

       However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.

       While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn’t . So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.

       Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I’m learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.

       Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job—Data Analyst—this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.

       Thank you. You’ve given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I’m doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole. This is why you’re saving my life.

Yours,

Tanis

25. why did’t Tanis go to college after high school?

   A.She had learned enough about computer science

   B. She had more difficulty keeping foucesed

   C.She preferred taking online courses

   D.She was too slow to learn

26. AS for the working environment,Tains prefers____.

   A .working by herself                           B.dealing with the public

   C.competing against others                      D.staying with ADHD students

27.Tanis wrote this letter in order to_____.

 A.explain why she was interested in the computer    

 B.share the ideas she had for her profession

 C .show how grateful she was to the center         

 D.describe the courses she had taken so far

I was working on my usual Sunday afternoon shift at the bakery. The flow of   36   rushed to finish weekend shopping in order to return home   37   to prepare supper or watch the football game. I focused on my job of   38    hundreds of bags for the coming holiday weekend    39   I heard a weak voice, “Excuse me, miss.” I   40    up to see an elderly man standing before me. He  41    asked if he could have a tart (果陷饼). I went to fetch the tart and placed it in a box.

   “Three dollars, please.” I told him. The man looked   42   and began shaking his head. This is one of the most awkward   43   , because you want to give the dessert away, but cannot. He apologized, saying he would not   44    more than expected on a tart.

    45___ I felt upset, I waited on (照顾) the customer behind him, a woman who asked for various breads and desserts   46   a dinner party she was hosting. After finishing her_  47  , she asked if I would   48  adding a tart to her bill and placing it in a  49  box. My   50__   grew as I handed it to her. She paid, _ 51   me and walked away.

   I   52   to stamping bags, but I couldn’t concentrate. I could not stop thinking about the little old man who could not, or _ 53    not, spend three dollars on a dessert. Just then, I saw the woman giving the man   54 _ much-desired tart. His face lit up , brilliant and appreciative.        ___55   her kindness, he reached into his pocket and gave her the only thing he had: a piece of candy.

36．A．workers         B．women               C．housewives        D. customers

37．A．whether         B．either                 C．as                 D. while

38．A．wrapping           B．packing                C．stamping           D. collecting

39．A．then            B．that                  C．which             D. when

40．A．looked          B．got                  C．came               D. covered

41．A．politely          B．loudly               C．proudly             D. rudely

42．A．angry           B．disappointed           C．happy              D. poor

43．A．moments        B．persons             C．manners            D. ways

44．A．pay            B．use                 C．spend              D. waste

45．A．Because         B．Since               C．Before             D. Although

46．A．for            B．in                   C．from              D. to

47．A．question         B．order                C．shopping           D. need

48．A．try                B．like                 C． mind           D. consider

49．A．similar          B．usual                C．divided             D. separate

50．A. patience              B. curiosity                   C. temper                     D. anger

51．A. thanked          B．excused            C．greeted           D. left

52．A．ran             B．turned               C．returned            D. walked

53．A．dared           B．would               C．should             D. must

54．A．her             B．his                 C．my                D. their

55．A．In honor of      B．In addition to         C．In place of          D. In return for

 Instead of blaming the child who had broken the vase, she gave him a ______ smile and let him go.

A. cautious                     B. grateful               C. tolerant                    D. wild

 —To solve her hearing problem, Jenny had one operation after another last year.

—She 　　　 through a lot of pain. 

A. might go        B. could have gone            C. would go       D. must have gone

1. He decided to apply for a patent on his latest invention.

A. 专利      B. 潜力      C. 效益      D. 名誉

2. He waited and waited for a long time until he finally lost his patience.

A. 能力      B. 耐心      C. 知觉      D. 感情

3. All the doctors and nurses in this hospital look after the patients very well.

A. 仆人      B. 老人      C. 病人      D. 工人

4. No buses or trucks are allowed to drive along the pavement.

A. 公路      B. 河岸      C. 园陵      D. 人行道

5. The lorry driver hit a pedestrian and sent him to the nearest hospital immediately.

A. 柱子      B. 路人      C. 路牌      D. 车辆

6. When you retire, you can get a pension from the company you’ve worked for.

A. 养老金    B. 财产      C. 赔偿      D. 机会

7. The audience was attracted by his wonderful performances on the stage.

A. 露面      B. 演出      C. 工作      D. 面貌

8. Only true love is permanent. In other words, only true love lasts long.

A. 临时的    B. 有效的    C. 秘密的    D. 永久的

9. He was bitten by a poisonous snake and it was not long before he lost his life.

A. 无害的    B. 巨大的    C. 有毒的    D. 狡猾的

10. Tom fell ill the other day and he is going to see a physician.

A. 专家      B. 学者      C. 医生      D. 物理学家

11. Each morning he polishes his shoes to make them look newer and brighter.  

A. 穿上      B. 擦亮      C. 拿出      D. 清洗

12. It’s convenient for me to take this portable plastic box when we go out.

A. 明亮的    B. 美观的    C. 轻便的    D. 沉重的

13. Because of the heavy fog, many flights were postponed.

A. 取消      B. 登记      C. 推迟      D. 起飞

14. We should go against racial prejudice because everyone is born equal.

A. 歧视      B. 主义      C. 观点      D. 支持

15. The physician made a prescription against car-sickness for him.

A. 治疗      B. 形式      C. 外观      D. 药方

16. Primitive people hunted wild animals and ate raw meat.

A. 高级的    B. 不幸的    C. 原始的    D. 开明的

17. Education is not a privilege to some people. Everyone should have access to it.

A. 劣势      B. 特长      C. 先进      D. 特权

18. Please tell me the procedure of production. I wonder how it operates.

A. 程序/过程 B. 结果      C. 原因      D. 开始

19. The programmes were so fantastic that I couldn’t tear myself away from the TV.

A. 节目      B. 频道      C. 机会      D. 活动

20. You can’t do well in your study unless you arrange your time properly.

A. 正式地    B. 长期地    C. 恰当地    D. 频繁地

21. Nick finished his speech and walked down from the platform of the classroom.

A. 阶梯      B. 站台      C. 讲台      D. 凳子

22. It’s very cold at the South Pole and the North Pole of the globe.

A. 杆子      B. 极；顶端  C. 方向      D. 位置

23. He said that the picture was his most valued possession.

A. 所有物    B. 宝藏      C. 文化      D. 位置

24. He ignored the potential danger and therefore got into trouble.

A. 难忘的    B. 潜在的    C. 预先的    D. 永久的

25. Thanks for your presentation. I’ve learned a lot of useful information about your products.

A. 礼物      B. 书信      C. 介绍      D. 表演

Hello Kitty, one of the most famous imaginary   41   (character) in the world, greets us everywhere.   42   she was born, she has gained impressive popularity —she is  43  international fashion queen.

2014 was the character’s 40^th birthday. Fans from around the world gathered   44  (cheerful) to celebrate their love of Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty   45   (design) as a character to attract pre-teenage girls. The designers could not   46   (dream) that she would become such a   47  (globe) star as she is today.

Helen McCarthy, an author and expert on Japanese cartoons, explained  48   the character is so popular. “Because Hello Kitty is all about happiness and friendship and fun.women and girls all over the world are happy  49  (buy) into the image of the trusting, loving childhood represented by Hello Kitty.”

And the imaginary character does not only appeal   50  females. There are also Hello Kitty products for boys and men, such as neckties and golf bags.

假定英语课上英语老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中至多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。

      2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

 It’s reported that there have eighty million disabled people in our country. If our government has done a lot for them, it’s not enough.

As student, what should we do for the disabled? To begin with, we should respect them and treat them good. We shouldn’t look down them or ignore their value to the society. Additionally, we should care or them and try our best to help them, make their life easier. Lastly, it’s necessary for us to help develop our confidence, which is the first step to succeed.

In conclusion, if everyone odes his or her best, the disabled are sure to live a happy life but they will make a great contribution.

一家英语报社举行英语征文活动，主题是“我的高中生活”。请根据以下要点完成短文。

1. 校园生活；

2. 收获；

3. 感谢。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头语已为你写好，但不计入总数。

High school is a golden time in one’s life with great fun and fond memories.

Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy—they’re given after all. Choice can be hard．

I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2300 percent per year. I’d never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I’d been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn’t work since most start-ups don’t and I wasn’t sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I’d been a garage inventor. I’d always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion．   

I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job. ” That 1ogic made some sense to me，and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light,it really was a difficult choice, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn’t think I’d regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.

After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I’m proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choice．

21．What inspired the author with the idea of building an online bookstore?

         A．His dream of being an inventor．                B．The support of his wife．

 C．The greatly increasing usage of the Internet．  D．Millions of exciting titles

22．Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．The idea of not trying would keep coming to his mind and disturb him．

B．He would be very excited if he tried it out．   

C．He would be always having a doubt if he didn’t try．

D．The decision to not try the online bookstore would terrify him．

23． Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Cleverness and Kindness          B．The Starting of Amazon

 C．Following My Passion                 D．We Are What We Choose

One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about  61   (be) late for school. There were many people waiting at the bus stop,   62   some of them looked very anxious and  63   (disappoint). When the bus finally came, we all hurried on board. I got a place next  64   the window, so I had a good view of the sidewalk. A boy on a bike  65   (catch ) my attention. He was riding beside the bus and waving his arms. I heard a passenger behind me shouting to the driver, but he refused  66  (stop) until we reached the next stop. Still, the boy kept  67  (ride). He was carrying something over his shoulder and shouting. Finally, when we came to the next stop, the boy ran up to the door of the bus. I heard an excited conversation. Then the driver stood up and asked, “  68   anyone lose a suitcase at the last stop.”  A woman on the bus shouted, “Oh, dear! It's  69   (I)”. She pushed her way to the driver and took the suitcase thankfully. Everyone on the bus began talking about what the boy had done, and the crowd of strangers  70  (sudden) became friendly to one another.

        A machine that takes sweat-laden (浸满汗水的) clothes and turns the sweat into drinking water is in use in Sweden. The machine makes the clothes turn round quickly, heats them to remove the sweat, and then passes the steam through a kind of special material to make purified water.

Since it has been brought into use, its creators say more than 1000 people have drunk others’ “sweat” in Gothenburg. They add the liquid is cleaner than local tap water.

The device was built for the United Nations’ child-focused charity UNICEF to promote a campaign highlighting the fact that 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water.

The machine was designed and built by the engineer Andreas Hammar, known locally for his appearances on TV tech show “Mekatronik”. He said the key part of the sweat machine was a new water purification part developed by a company named HVR.

“It uses a technique called membrane distillation (膜蒸馏),” he told the BBC. “We use a special kind of material that only lets steam through but keeps bacteria, salts, clothing fibers and other things out. They have something similar to the International Space Station, but our machine is cheaper to build. The amount of water it produces depends on how sweaty the person is, but one person’s T-shirt typically produces 10ml, about a mouthful.”

The device has been put on show at the Gothia Cup-the world’s largest international youth football tournament. Mattias Ronge, chief executive of Stockholm-based advertising agency Deportivo, said the machine had helped raise awareness for UNICEF, but in reality had its limitations.

“People haven’t produced as much sweat as we hoped – right now the weather in Gothenburg is lousy,” Mattias Ronge said. “So we’ve equipped the machine with exercise bikes and volunteers are cycling like crazy. Even so, the demand for sweat is greater than the supply. And the machine will never be produced in large numbers, since there are better solutions out there such as water purifying pills.”

24．Which of the following is the disadvantage of the sweat machine?

A. It takes too long for the machine to produce water.

B. The amount of water the machine produces is rather limited.

C. It costs a large amount of money to build the machine.

D. The water processed by the machine is not clean enough.

25．UNICEF is mentioned in the text to ________.

A. show how the sweat machine works

B. explain why the sweat machine was invented

C. show the importance of the United Nations

D. tell us who invented the sweat machine

26．What did Mattias Ronge think of the sweat machine?

A. It could only be used in summer.

B. It did not work at all.

C. It was not worth popularizing.

D. The water it produced tasted sweet.

27．The text is written mainly to tell us that ______________.

A. a machine which turns sweat into drinking water is invented

B. 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water

C. a better solution to purifying dirty water is discovered

D. the pill which turns dirty water into clean water is produced

    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    41    to make homemade

    bread.  Knowing the bread would take time, I    42    it as soon as Doug left for work.

    As l was not    4 3    in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would

    be better, so I    44  .everything. As Doug loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange

    and    45    it all into the bowl.  Soon there was a sticky dough（面团）covered with

    46    yellowish marks.  Realizing I was  47    ，I put the dough in the rubbish bin

    outside so 1 wouldn't have to    48    Doug laughing at my work.  I went on preparing

   the rest of the    49    ,and when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with

    rice.  He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed    50  .  Twice he got up and went outside,

    saying he heard a    51  ．

  

       The third time he left, I went to the window to see what he was doing. I saw Doug

    standing about three feet from the    52    ,holding the lid up with a stick and looking

    53  .When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there

    was something  54    in our rubbish bin.  Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up.

    enough for me to see.  I felt    55    .But I stepped. closer and looked harder. Without

    56  it was my work.  The hot  57  had caused the dough to double in size and the

    fermenting yeast（酵母})made the surface.  58    and sigh as though it were breathing.

    I could see why Doug was shaken.  I had to admit what the“    59    "was and why it

    was there.  I don't know who was more 60    by the whole thing---Doug or me.

   41. A. chose    B. managed    C. had    D. remembered 

   42. A. looked for    B. got ready for    C. started on        D. worried about  ，

   43. A. weak    B. interested    C. successful    D. experienced 

   44. A. used       B. collected    C doubled  _    D. tried 

   45.A. poured    B. watered    C. dipped    D. threw  

   46.A.pleasant    B. ugly      C. big         D. light    

   47. A. defeated        B. injured    C. dropped..  ,..  D. lost.

   48.A.feel    B. keep    C. face..    D. stop  

   49.A. bread    B. orange'       C．rice  D. meal

   50.A.disappointed    B. disturbed.    C. frightened.   D. ashamed

   51. A. voice    B. cry    C. shout    D. noise

   52.A.window    B. house    C. rubbish bin    D. door

   53. A. around    B. upward    C. inside    D. out

   54. A. alive    B. important    C. new    D. different

   55. A. happy    B. cold    '    C. angry   D. inspired

   56. A. hesitation    B. doubt    C. delay    D. exception

   57. A. pot    B. floor  '    C. earth    D. sun

   58. A. burn    B. walk    C. shake    D. work

   59. A. art    B. work    C. trouble maker    D .living thing

    60. A. embarrassed    B. nervous    C. regretful    D. awkward

Self-motivation

Self-motivation occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(内在地)motivated to do it.

__36  . There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book．The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit．So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals?   37    

  ●Decide what you want

It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind.   38  Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming．（势不可挡）

  ●Keep track of your progress．

Keep a journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished．  39 

●Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight．

It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for．It makes it attainable．Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need．    

  ●  40  

Once you have accomplished your objective, e．g．becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore．

A. Make it a habit

B. Support yourself with slogans.

C. Our natural tendency is to put off

D. Here are some tips on how to get moving.

E. In modern society people tend to become forgetful.

F. Set a goal and decide how you are going to do about it.

G. Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing further.

How Technology Can Help Language Learning

Intelligence, according to Howard Gardner, is of eight types—verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. This is the first in a series of posts that explore and understand how each of the above forms of intelligence is affected by technology-mediated education.

Verbal-linguistic Intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish goals. Such intelligence is developed by three specific activities: reading, writing and interpersonal communication—both written and oral. The traditional tools that have been used to efficiently develop verbal/linguistic intelligence—textbook, pencil, and paper—are giving way to technology in many schools. E-books, Internet lesson plans, online assignments and word processing software, or a subset of the above, are now common in schools. Technology allows addition of multisensory (多种感觉的) elements that provide meaningful contexts to help comprehension, thus expanding the learning ground of language and linguistics.

Research into the effect of technology on the development of the language and literacy skills vis-à-vis reading activities of children has offered evidence for favorable effects of digital-form books. A study shows that digital reading materials have become common in developing countries in early childhood classrooms to support engagement in storybooks while enhancing the emergent literacy (早期读写能力) among children. E-books are also being increasingly used to teach reading among beginners and children with reading difficulties.

Technology can be used to improve reading ability in many ways. It can enhance (加强) and sustain the interest levels for children by allowing immediate feedback on performance and providing added practice when necessary. Recent research shows that students are able to improve their sight word vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension through computer-based reading.

Technology can also help in improvement of writing skills. Word processing software promotes not only composition but also editing and revising in ways that streamline the task of writing. Desktop publishing and web-based publishing allow the work to be taken beyond the classroom into a virtual world that allows more constructive interactions.

Technology enhanced oral communication is indeed useful in that it allows students from remote locations, or from all over the world to communicate orally through video and audio conferencing tools. For example, students of languages in Australian universities overcome the problem of insufficient contact with native language speakers by using online audio and video tools that allow the development of aural, vocal and visual-cognition skills that are important in verbal and linguistic education. Oral group discussions in the form of video conferencing can help non-native speakers of a language with natural language negotiation and cultural intonations in ways that have not been possible due to geographic isolation.

Computer definitely aided language learning and computer mediated communication enhance teaching and learning experiences in the areas of linguistics and language intelligence. Although there have not been comprehensive studies on the use of technologies to aid K-12 English-language learners, there have been many individual computer programs and other technologies that accelerate the acquisition of phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and reading-comprehension skills and other language building blocks.

Title: How Technology Can Help Language Learning

Paragraph outline	Detailed information
Brief introduction to Verbal-linguistic Intelligence	●Howard Gardner thinks that intelligence is of eight types,       56．________ from verbal-linguistic to naturalistic intelligence. ●Verbal-linguistic Intelligence, 57．________ of three aspects, is developed by three specific activities. ●Technology is 58．_______ traditional tools used to develop verbal/linguistic intelligence efficiently. ●The learning ground of language and linguistics has been       59．_______ by adding multisensory elements to language learning.
Effects on language and literacy skills	Digital reading materials have been used to help children in developing countries get 60．________ in storybooks, enhancing the emergent literacy among them.
Effects on reading ability	Technology can enhance and sustain children’s interest levels by providing immediate feedback and extra practice.
Effects on writing skills	Technology allows our work to be taken in a virtual world with more constructive61．________.
Effects on oral communication	Technology allows students to communicate orally through video and audio conferencing tools62．________ geographic isolation.
Conclusion	●There is no63．________ that technology enhances teaching and learning experiences concerning linguistics and language intelligence. ●Although there is a 64．_______ of comprehensive studies on the use of technologies to aid K-12 English-language learners, there have been  other technologies that65．________ the acquisition of language building blocks.

  I was living a life in my screen and hardly noticed what  61  (be)around me. I was always checking the time and thinking of future  62   (plan). My thought was: “Who’s going to text me now? What will I do next?” My bedtime routine was usually centered  63  one thing: my phone.  64   I went to sleep, I browsed through news websites and checked my emails. When I woke up in the middle of the night. I did the same thing. The problem with this was that I felt anxious every night.

  So when my friends invited me   65   (go) for a long weekend camping without the cell service, I though this was  66   (exact)what I needed. Here’s how  67   (keep) away from my phone for 48 hours changed me and my way of life.

   Without my phone, I   68   (fall)asleep listening to the songs of frogs and crickets. In the morning, I woke up energetically. Sitting by the river, riding a bike, or singing the old songs, I  69   (true)enjoyed what I was doing.

   I felt free without my phone at weekend camp,  70   changed me completely. I listened to. What my body wanted instead of what my phone was telling me to do.

假定英语课课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。 文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。

      2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

   I am good at all the subjects, and always ready help others. At school I get along well with my classmates. Therefore, I have a problem that troubles myself all the time. It’s the relationship among my deskmate and me. He is a hard-working student, who keeps school rule well. But he was a person with few words. What’s more, he gests anger easily. I don’t know how to deal with him. Maybe that’s why we’ve seldom sat down to exchange our feelings and thoughts. I value our friendship. I hope we can know more about with each other and understand each other well.

 However occupied you are with study, try to ______ at least 15 minutes each day to have some exercise.

A. put out        B. put through        C. put off       D. put aside

 Have you ever shouted, “The rent is too damn high”? Shaking wall and hidden disgusting bugs? You’re not ___61___. The ancient Romans experienced the same ___62___ with their apartments. From ___63___  landlords to sanitation problems, pests to smells, Roman urban living was no walk in the park. 

Even in the very early days of Rome, people were crowded together in uncomfortable ___64____.  This collection of animals of every kind mixed together, made life miserable for common citizens. And the close contact spread diseases.

Roman rented residence were called insulae, or islands, because they occupied whole blocks, with the roads flowing around them like water around an island. The insulae, often consisting of six to eight apartment blocks built around a staircase and central courtyard, __65___  poor workers who couldn’t afford a traditional domus, or private house.

 By the fourth century A.D., there were around 45,000 insulae in Rome, as ___66___ to fewer than 2,000 private homes. Many people were ___67___ into their quarters. Apartments on the lower floor would be the easiest for entry and exit – and therefore belong to the wealthy renters – while unfortunate individuals were___68___  on higher floors in tiny rooms.

Though made of concrete brick, insulae were usually weakly built, ___69__ poor craftsmanship and little fund. They usually collapsed and killed passers-by. As a result, emperors restricted how high ___70___ could construct insulae. The maximum building height was 60 feet.

According to law then, builders were supposed to make walls at least an inch and a half thick, so as to ___71____ the safetyof the building. However, it didn’t work so well, especially since building ___72___ were ignored by the landlords in order to save on the construction cost, and most renters were too poor to ____73___  landlords. Therefore, the life-threatening accidents usually happened.  Even if insulae didn’t fall down, they could be so ___74___ as to be washed away in a flood. That's about the only time their inhabitants would have access to clean natural water, since there was rarely in-home plumbing(水管)in an apartment.

What’s more, the insulae caught fire frequently leaving Rome with a vicious（恶意的）___75___ of houses burning down and collapsing, sales, then immediate reconstruction and fire once more time. Indeed, rather than being at the nature’s hands，some collapses were ___76___since the greedy landlords keep on tearing down the existing insulae and replacing them with higher and larger monsters in pursuit of more rents.

61. A. lonely                       B. alone                       C. unique                  D. special

62. A. annoyance         B. complaint           C. history          D. consequence

63. A. unfair                       B. gracious                  C. mean                    D. terrified

64. A. basements               B. mansions                 C. seasons               D. quarters

65. A. housed                    B. lived                         C. reserved               D. organized

66. A. exposed                   B. opposed                  C. switched               D. related

67. A. mixed                       B. filled                         C. invited                  D. squeezed

68. A. arranged                  B. assigned                  C. thrown                  D. banned

69. A. instead of           B.thanks to           C. regardless of       D. except for

70. A. builders            B. architects           C. landlords         D. renters

71. A. insure                      B. make sure               C. assure                  D. ensure

72. A. codes                       B. limitations                C. reservations         D. emphasis

73. A. defeat                      B. alert                         C. charge                  D. object

74. A. cheap                      B. vacant                     C. insignificant          D. shaky

75. A. cycle                        B. punishment              C. treatment              D. fate

76. A. unexpected              B. intentional                C. restless                D. thorough

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

How difficult it is these days for us    41    (find) someone to come and fix our fridge, our TV set or our washing machine if    42    breaks. Everybody wants to sell us new fridges, new TV sets or new washing machines, but nobody wants to fix them when they stop    43    (work). One day Mrs. Richard discovered that her washing machine didn’t work,    44    she telephoned a workshop. Three days later,    45    man from the shop came to see    46    was wrong with her washing machine. But Mrs. Richard was not too glad and said, “Well, you’ve finally arrived. I called you three days ago”. The man    47    (pay) no attention to what she said. He     48        (simple) took a piece of paper out of his pocket and looked at it. Then he said, “Three days ago？ That was the 21^st, wasn’t it? Well, I am sorry. I’ve come to the wrong place. I’m looking for Mrs. Robber’s house, not    49   . She telephoned me    50    the 20^th.”

 Were in not for the fact that he___________ his work, he_________ enjoying himself by the seaside.

  A. completed; wouldn’t been          B. had completed; wouldn’t have been

  C. has completed; wouldn’t be         D. completes; wouldn’t be