—Excuse me, which movie are you waiting for?

—The new Star Wars. We ________ here for more than two hours.

A. waited                  B. wait

C. would be waiting        D. have been waiting

Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success. ____36__ With that in mind, here are some suggestions that will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:

      __37____ . If there’s any big truth about life, it's that it usually lives up to your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: “Something wonderful is going to happen today.” Guess what? You're probably right.

Take time to plan and prioritize(优先处理). The most common source of stress is the thought that you've got too much work to do. Rather than worry about it, pick one thing that will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.

Eat high quality food slowly. ____38______ . Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Taste it, focus on it and enjoy it.

Let go of your results. The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you've taken action, there's usually nothing more you can do. ___39___ .

End each day with gratitude. Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal.  ___40____

     A. Start each day with expectations.

     B. Give a gift to everyone you meet.

     C. Thinking about that thing makes your head hurt.

     D. It’s impossible to make others happy if you're not happy.

     E. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.

     F. Sometimes we can't avoid eating something quickly and running.

     G. Focus on the job at hand rather than some fantasy that might happen.

Many people trying to sell homes find that an increase in home prices has turned the market in their favor. But sellers can still get the short end of the deal if they aren’t careful. Here are a few tips for you:

       Don’t test your luck. Of course you think anyone who moves into your lovely home should be willing to pay top dollars, especially if you’ve recently invested in some improvements. But listing a home at a price that’s too high above the market price could turn away some buyers.

       Buyers noticing that the home still hasn’t sold may begin to assume there’s something wrong with the house and use that as a reasonable excuse for offering a lower price. And if a home hasn’t received any offers after two weeks, it might be time to reset the price.

       A price that’s too low can bring about an undesired outcome. Listing your home at or slightly below the market price can have the effect of drawing in a large group of buyers and increase the chances that a home will receive multiple offers. But setting the price too low comes with several risks. One possibility is that buyers will get skeptical of the home that is listed for $ 15,000 to $ 20,000 less than similar homes in the area, especially if it’s not properly marketed. Once again, people might assume there is something wrong with the home and may not bother to look at it.

       Spy on the competition. Going to other people’s open houses can give you a better sense of how your home compares to others on the market. Check out the finishes in their kitchens, the size of their backyards and use the information to figure out where your home should fit in the range of the price. But don’t set your pricing just on what you see elsewhere.

24. What does the underline part in paragraph 1 probably mean?

  A. To be at a disadvantage                     B. To get the upper hand

  C. To have control over the situation       D. To be unable to fit in

25. What should home sellers do according to the passage?

  A. Price your house on the basis of its geographic location.1111]

  B. Price your house slightly above the market price after decorating it.

  C. Change the price if no offer has been received within a week.

  D. Change your house at a price slightly below the market price.

26. If you set the price of your house too low, _____.

  A. buyers might think it not worthwhile to go to have a look

  B. you are likely to come into conflict with the neighborhood sellers

  C. your house will be crowded with buyers within a couple of days

  D. chances of your house being sold at a better price will be greatly increased

27. What is the benefit of going to other people’s open house?

  A. You can pick up some useful lessons on house selling.

  B. You can get your pricing mainly based on what you see elsewhere.

  C. You can work out how much money you should ask for your home.

  D. You can know how to make your house stand out against other houses.

With a large part of the world's population living close to the oceans, rising sea levels bring the potential for destructive (破坏性的)results. But scientists are stilt unable to make predictions exact enough for people to plan to handle the loss of land and the threat to coastal communities expected over this century.

“We know sea level is going to rise, but how much, and how fast, and where, we really still don’t know," said Josh Willis, a climate scientist.

The ocean isn't like water in a bathtub. It doesn’t rise all the same as more water pours in. As global warming raises sea levels, some places are expected to see higher-than-average increases, and a few places, may even see decreases.

It’s repotted that over the course of this century, sea levels will rise between 8 inches and 6.6 feet around the planet. Scientists know this increase will be driven by the expansion of water as it warms—warmer water takes up more space—and the melting of ice. But the effects of warming water and melting ice on sea-level rise are expected to vary from area to area. And the melting of ice of the Antarctic and Greenland presents the largest uncertainty for the future, but air, land and water also play roles in changes to sea level. For example, sea level near the ice getting melt actually decreases, because the ground under the melting ice rises as the heavy ice disappears.

Climate change is expected to change ocean currents and the winds that help drive ocean currents. These changes will affect the distribution of heat within the oceans, and, as a result, affect changes in sea level.

Nowadays, scientists use two types of models to make predictions about the future of sea levels, but the two don’t agree. If scientists can't accurately predict sea-level increase for the coming years, the least we can do is measure what happening today with the help of the satellite, Jason-2, but it’s reaching the end of its operational life.

4.The first paragraph implies that_______ .

A. the rising sea levels mainly happens near the coast

B. people living in coastal communities have to move

C. scientists have ways to handle the rising sea levels

D. coastal cities are easily affected by the rising sea levels

5.What does the writer mean by saying "The ocean isn’t like water in a bathtub" in the third paragraph?

A. The rising sea level is hard to tell.   B. The ocean can be easily controlled.

C The ocean isn’t equal to a bathtub in size.  D. There is too much water for us to control.

6.According to the text, which of the following shows the right cause and effect?

①climate change; ②ocean currents; ③the winds; ④changes in sea level; ⑤the distribution of heat

A. ①→②→③→④→⑤   B. ①→③→②→⑤→④

C.③→④→⑤→②→①  D. ①→⑤→③→②→④

7.What problems will scientists meet with in predicting future climate changes?

A. It's too difficult to measure what's happening.

B. Types of models for prediction are difficult to set up.

C. There will probably be no satellites to help the scientists.

D. There aren’t enough scientists studying the changes of sea levels.

Bob Dylan, born on May 24，1941，is an American songwriter, singer, artist and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when his songs showed social unrest. Early songs such as Blowing in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changing promoted the American civil rights and anti-war movements.

Dylan’s songs include a wide range of political, social and literary influences. They challenged existing pop music conventions and appealed to the growing counterculture. His recording career, spanning more than 50 years，has explored the traditions in American song，from folk，blues，and country to rock and roll, and to English, Scottish, and Irish folk music, even jazz and the Great American Songbook. He has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been called the Never Ending Tour. His accomplishments as a recording artist and performer have been central to his career, but songwriting is considered his greatest contribution.

As a musician, Dylan has sold more than 100 million records, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has also received numerous awards including eleven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. The Pulitzer Prize jury in 2008 awarded him a special citation (引言）for his influence on popular music and American culture，marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power”. In May 2012, Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. In 2016, Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.

29. Which word best describes Dylan ’ s music according to Paragraph 2 ?

   A. Various.        B. Talented.     C. Personal      D .Popular

30. What is Dylan better recognized as?

   A.   A performer.    B. A singer.     C. An artist      D.A songwriter

31. What made Dylan get the Nobel Prize ?

   A . His poems about music.

   B. His American song tradition.

   C. His language style of the songs

   D. His influence on America culture.

It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.

Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.

 “We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”

On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.

“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”

Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.

He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”

The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.

50. The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.

A. to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy

B. to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information

C. to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos

D. to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo

51. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time.

B. Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously.

C. Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time.

D. Apple and Google have decided to make a change.

52. Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.

A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently         

B. can be used if permitted

C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information

D. causes personal information to be posted online without permission

53. If the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.

A. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy

B. The companies will be closed

C. The companies will be fined

D. The senators will turn to legislation

54. Where can we read about the passage?

A. In a newspaper.                    B. In a travel brochure.

C. In a science report.                 D. In a textbook.

It looked as if time hadn’t had any effect on him：he ________ so healthy and active.

       A．remained                               B．was remained

       C．was remaining                             D．had remained

When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station. When other teens were studying or going out, she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry to Harvard University. And her amazing story has inspired a movie, “Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story”, shown in late April.

Liz Murray, a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination. Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house. Liz was the only member of the family who had a job. Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old. The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died, she decided to do something about it.

Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was homeless. At night, she lived on the streets. “What drove me to live on had something to do with understanding, by understanding that there was a whole other way of being. I had only experienced a small part of the society,” she wrote in her book Breaking Night. 

She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on. She used the benefits that come easily to others, such as a safe living environment, to encourage herself that “next to nothing could hold me down”. She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University. But Liz decided to leave her top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed AIDS.“I love my parents so much. They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they love me all the time.”

Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is “as simple as making a decision”.

1. In which order did the following things happen to Liz?

a. Her mother died of AIDS.                                   b. She worked at a petrol station.

c. She got admission into Harvard University.        d. The movie about her life was put on.

e. She had trouble finding a place to sleep.

A. b,a,e,c,d       B. a,b,c,e,d                  C.e,d,b,a,c        D.b,e,a,d,c

2. The main idea of the passage is 　　　. 

A. how Liz managed to enter Harvard University  

B. what a hard time Liz had in her childhood

C. why Liz loved her parents so much    D. how Liz struggled to change her life

3. What actually made her go towards her goal?

A. Envy and encouragement.          B. Willpower and determination.

C. Decisions and understanding.    D. Love and respect for her parents.

4. When she wrote “What drove me to live on...I had only experienced a small part of the society”, she meant that 　　　. 

A. she had little experience of social life     B. she could hardly understand the society

C. she would do something for her own life  D. she needed to travel more around the world

The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness, which is a plague that man receives.

The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated Arctic regions, explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.

During the First World War, soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches, cold and wet, seldom caught colds.

In the Second World War, prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp, naked and starved, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.

At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in a room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. No one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.

If then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in winter? Despite the hardest research, no one has yet found out the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and that makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.

No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and painkillers such as aspirin, but all that they do is to relieve the symptoms.

67. The writer offered 　　　 examples to support his argument. 

A.4                    B.5                    C.6                    D.3

68. Arctic explorers may catch colds when 　　　. 

A. they work in the isolated Arctic regions

B. they write reports in terribly cold weather

C. they are free from work in the isolated Arctic regions

D. they come into touch with people with colds from the outside world

69. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit 　　　. 

A. suffered a lot B. never caught colds

C. often caught colds                   D. became very strong

70. The passage mainly discusses 　　　. 

A. the experiments on the common cold                 B. the false belief about the common cold

C. the reason why people catch colds     D. the continued spread of the common cold

 The company needs to improve its communication system to show that it ______ all its staff.

  A. consults                            B. values                     C. educates                D. attaches

     My earliest bee experience took place at a summer camp. One day our teacher told us to head up the hill nearby. We all began to race our destination. The girls took the concrete(混凝土的)   11   , but the boys ran straight up the grassy hill, at the top of which sat a long wooden fence. Without    12    the boys ahead of me jumped over the fence bravely.
    What should I do? Take the stairs and  13  a girl, or jump the fence and look ___14  _? Then I took my chance with the fence. I placed both   15    on the top and jumped, feeling uneasy.
    I didn’t   16  it. As I tried, my foot    17  _on the top of the fence. Down I went! I landed on my backside. I tried to   18    off the accident, but then I felt something moving   19  me. Just then I saw what seemed like hundreds of bees 20   toward me. I had landed on a beehive(蜂巢)! I   21   up and rushed as fast as I could. But the bees flew faster. What a(n)   22   situation I was in!
    My clothes were covered with   23   . I parked  24   in the camp and I was at a loss. At this, my teacher quickly took   25  all my clothes but underwear. Bees flew out of my clothes and   26   out of my mouth!
    I had gained the   27  of all the campers, but I didn’t feel cool. I had been   28   almost 40 bees stings(蛰) all over my body. I learned a most __ 29  _lesson that day. When we are led by the _  30  _ to show off, we might find ourselves sitting on a beehive.

11. A. stairs            B. floors              C. road           D. land

12. A. fear                 B. fun                 C. help                D. luck

13. A. look after         B. look like                C. care about        D. wait for

14. A. excited             B. worried                C. strong            D. cool
15. A. hands             B. feet                C. arms             D. legs 

16. A. do           B. climb             C. make               D. succeed

17. A. arrived           B. got                 C. caught              D. stepped

18. A. fall                 B. laugh             C. put                 D. take

19. A. above             B. beside               C. for                D. under

20. A. driving           B. flying                 C. shooting          D. running

21. A. sat                 B. put               C. picked            D. jumped

22. A. difficult              B. hopeless              C. embarrassing     D. pleasing

23. A. bees                B. grass               C. dust            D. tears

24. A. itself               B. myself           C. herself            D. himself

25. A. off                   B. on                 C. in              D. up

26. A. almost              B. again             C. even            D. still

27. A. attention             B. experience        C. knowledge            D. respect

28. A. got                 B. given            C. found           D. put

29. A. successful         B. deepest           C. difficult       D. valuable

30. A. courage           B. desire             C. goal          D. teacher

三、根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能够填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项

Everybody in this world is different from one another. But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?
    As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. __31___

Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances. This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money.
    __32____They are: the ant, the cricket and the snail.
    The ant—works first
   ___33____They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.
    The cricket—fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. ___34____These people have little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.
    The snail—lives under pressure
    ___35___They take big long-term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure whether they can afford them. 

A. Many young people now belong to this group.

B. On the other hand, many old people belong to this group

C. According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.

D. The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.

E. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.
F. Different from ants, crickets are those who make their life overburdened.

G. Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment.

When my father was a boy, he had a dog named Laddie. Laddie stayed constantly by my dad’s side---fishing, playing ball, and even following him to school. In fact, my grandmother had a habit of waiting until my father had arrived at school before sending Laddie outside. However, this was no problem for Laddie because he would simply follow his boy’s smell and track him all the way to Howard Junior High School.

 Arriving after all the doors closed, Laddie would sit outside the school and wait patiently. Eventually, someone would open a door and Laddie would slip in after him. Once inside, the dog would walk from room to room until he found his master. Of course, Dad’s teacher would immediately demand that the dog be removed. “School is no place for dogs,”  he would angrily say. My father would obey, leading Laddie outside and firmly commanding, “Go home!” Every time this happened, though, Laddie would soon reappear under my father’s desk. Finally, Dad’s teacher relented, and from that point on, whenever Laddie appeared in class, Dad would say, “Lie down,” and the dog would lie quietly under the desk while he boy wet on with his work.

  Years later, my father went to join his five brothers in World War II, but Laddie continued to atted school, lying quietly each day at the feet of my dad’s younger brother, Dick. Laddie’s attendance was so consistent that Howard Junior High School awarded him an honorary title(荣誉称号)when Dick graduated.

  There was also another cute dog called Casey in my dad’s life.

  Casey, a dog who’d remind you of Wilbur, the pig in Charlotte’s Web, entered the world in an unplanned litter of seven puppies. His mother, Dagmar, belonged to my Aunt Betty and Uncle Bob. Like most dogs, Casey was sweet and gentle—the perfect dog for a house full of kids.

21. When the author’s father went to school as a little boy, _________

   A. the author’s grandmother would wait for him at home.

   B. Laddie would follow him or his smell to his school

   C. Laddie would follow the author’s grandmother home

22. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

   A. The author’s father was often punished by his teacher.

   B. Laddie was a smart and lovely dog

   C. Laddie strictly observed the school rules.

   D. Almost everyone was frightened by Laddie

23. The underlined word “relented” in Para. 2 probably means “_________”.

   A. insisted on          B. gave in          C . shouted out       D. put away.

24. Laddie got an honorary title at last because__________.

   A. his master Dick graduated from school successfully

   B. he was regarded as the cleverest dog

   C. his master Dick required that for him

   D. he attended school consistently

 Only after he was brought to the police station did the young man____that he had stolen some purses from other passengers.

A. participate         B. acknowledge      C. summarize        D. realize

Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients (contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.

Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.

Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.

32. All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 except _____.

A. ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural”

B. ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands

C. producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items

D. the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands

33. What does the writer think about ads?

A. They are believable.                                 B. They are helpful to consumers.

C. They are full of misinformation.             D. They are attractive.

34. One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is ____________.

A. not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural”

B. to make full use of advertisements

C. to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch

D. to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands

35. The author implies that _________________.

A. going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to

B. the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low

C. discount clothing stores are good places to go to

D. ads sometimes don’t tell the truth

---I get at least half an hour of exercise almost every day.

--- oh, great!  _________  .
A. Good luck         B. Cheer up         C. Same to you       D. Keep it up

A CCTV journalist succeeded in arousing a heated discussion among netizens by asking people whether they were happy. The responses to the question were various, even some quite funny ones   61  ___ (include). Although people played jokes   62   the answers, it did not take long   63  __ they began to figure out the true meanings of happiness.

It is certain that people’s views on happiness   64  ___(affect) greatly by their own life experience. Unfortunately, too many people refer to being rich as happiness and there is no sign of   65   decrease in the number of those who are voluntarily at the mercy of wealth. Some people whose   66  ____(intend) is to make big money appreciate being given any chance to multiply their income, believing that is __67_____ their happiness lies. Some are eager to inherit their parents’ property, especially those who   68  __(be) known as silver-spoon kids. Even worse, some would rather break the law to satisfy their financial desire or seek their fortune __69_____(legal).

In my opinion, happiness is not about pursuing wealth merely but about admiring the beautiful things in life. Therefore, live your life ___70_____the fullest and be happy.

Our vicar (师) is always raising money for one cause or another, but he has never managed

to get enough money   61   (have) the church clock repaired. The big clock which used to strike 

the hours day and night was damaged many years ago and has been   62    (silence) ever since. 

One night, however, our vicar woke up with a start: the clock was striking the hours!

  63  (look) at his watch, he saw that it was one o'clock, but the bell     64    (strike) thirteen

times before it stopped.     65    (arm) with a torch, the vicar went up into the clock tower to 

see what was going on. In the torchlight, he caught sight of a figure   66    he immediately 

recognized as Bill Wilkins, our local grocer. “Whatever are you doing up here Bill?” asked the 

vicar     67    surprise.  

“I'm trying to repair the bell,” answered Bill. “ I've been coming up here night after night for 

weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise.”

“You certainly   68    give me a surprise!” said the vicar. “You've     69   

(probable) woken up everyone in the village as well. Still, I'm glad the bell is working again.” 

“That's    70   trouble, vicar,” answered Bill. “It's working all right, but I'm afraid that at

one o'clock it will strike thirteen times and there's nothing I can do about it.”  “We'll get used

 to that, Bill,” said the vicar. “Thirteen is not as good as one but it's better than nothing. Now 

let's go downstairs and have a cup of tea.”  

  How to Become an Effective Leader

The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. 36________ It takes time to become a trustworthy leader.

As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

l         Don’t be self-centered.

The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. 37________ Perhaps that is why Lawrence Bell remarked, “A man who cannot bother to do little things for others are unlikely to become a good leader.”

l         38________

Rare is the effective leader who didn’t learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first.

l         Work with excellence.

No one respects and follows mediocrity（平庸）. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. 39________

l         Give your power away.

What makes leadership so special is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. 40________ If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

A. Become a good follower first.

B. You are meant to be a river, not a pool.

C. They lead in order to serve other people.

D. Leaders help people to reach their potential.

E. Leadership isn’t learned or earned in a moment.

F. Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.

G. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

    Extremely handsome and athletic, William looked and dressed like a fashion model. Everything seemed to be easy to him. With his charm,  1  　(intelligent), and talents, his business was lively and success was a way of life. So when    　       ___2_　(face) with a lawsuit (诉讼)one day, William assumed  3　_the case would work out as   4　(easy) as everything in his life and he didn’t worry about it. But it didn’t and the suit finally led to the breakup of his company. He tried for months afterwards to get   5　_job, but no one would hire him.

   William had to learn that his talents were wonderful but were damaged by an attitude of arrogance (傲慢). He looked down on people_  6　didn’t have his gifts,_____7　(treat) them with impatience and annoyance. He felt better  8　them and judged them as worthless or stupid. William made sense of his situation and chose ___9　(learn) the lesson of modesty and at last he turned his circumstances around.

    Have pride in who you are and what you   10　_(achieve) so far. However if you find yourself having secret thoughts of arrogance, remind yourself of the lesson of modesty before the universe does it for you.

Whether it’s joining a school club, going to a friend’s birthday party, or travelling by train, we can meet new people anywhere and anytime in our lives. However, many of us feel awkward when meeting people for the first time, especially when we aren’t quite sure what to say. The situation feels cold, even icy.

“Breaking the ice” is a term widely used in the English-speaking countries to describe a small talk technique that can help rescue a conversation from certain failure.

So where do you even begin? Well, a good start is to accept that it is perfectly normal to feel a little nervous when talking to someone for the first time. They might look grumpy or scary, but they could turn out to be the nicest person you’ve ever met.

You might think that breaking the ice is difficult. But sometimes just a simple “hello”, followed by a three-second smile, can make all the difference.

Complimenting someone on their garment or accessories(饰品) is also a great, easy way to break the ice. You might say: “I love your jacket. Where did you buy it from？”

Being in an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation with someone new might feel terrible, but it can actually be one of the best icebreakers. By focusing on the situation, you come together to fight the common enemy: the long bathroom queue, for example, or the overcrowded bus.

You can make observations too. “What kind of drink is that?” “That’s a lovely name. What does it mean?” “Do you study here too?” There are opportunities all around you to ask questions that don’t seem weird, as long as you have some follow-up questions in mind.

If you’re feeling extra bold, make a joke. Jokes can be difficult to master but if you get them right, they show the likeable, witty side of your character. “What’s your name?” “Well, people usually call me Mike, but you can call me tonight.”

29.  Which is the best title for the passage? 

A. How to develop friendship with a stranger

B. Advice on breaking the ice when we communicate with a stranger

C. How to become a successful public speaker

D. How to start a conversation with a person

30.  The underlined word “grumpy” can be replaced by______.

    A. easily annoyed       B. gentle       C. low-spirited      D. cheerful

31. What can we learn from the passage?

    A. “Breaking the ice” is a small talk technique widely used in our daily communication all    over the world.

    B. As long as you can smile at others, you will make some friends.

    C. Realizing that it’s normal to feel nervous in front of a stranger is a good start to break the   ice.

    D. Being in an uncomfortable situation with some strangers can be the best icebreakers.

32. According to the passage, making a joke________.

    A. can be done with ease.

    B. leads to many new friends.

    C. can show your wisdom and lovely character.

D. makes you enjoy your life happily.