I stayed for a while in Costa Rica years ago. One morning I was  21  in a local market. I had parked my car a few blocks away at Firestone. An hour into my shopping, I  22  in my purse for my phone. I dug  23  searching and searching ... no phone! Perhaps my phone fell out 24  got stolen by somebody.

    I went around to all the venders (摊主) I had visited asking if they had  25  a lost iPhone, but  26  . Disappointed, I  27  out of the market with all my fresh produce. In front of me was an old lady in her late seventies walking  28  with a heavy bag in each hand. I observed many people passing her. At first I thought of doing the  29  , as I was  30  about my phone. But then I heard a voice in my heart saying “  31  her”. I asked the old lady  32  I could give her a hand. She gladly  33  me a bag and we walked on. As we came to a street corner, we had to walk in opposite  34  . My mind  35  for a moment and then I decided to go on helping the lady. I saw a warm smile of  36  on her face, which  37  warmed my own heart. After a few more blocks we came to her  38  . I couldn’t  39  her walking so far with two heavy bags all alone!

     I walked all the way back to my car. I unlocked my door and sitting between the seats right in view was my  40  !

 21. A. selling                           B. shopping                C. wandering                     D. delivering

 22. A. reached                 B. held                        C. hunted                           D. arrived

 23. A. up                          B. down                       C. around                          D. away

 24. A. and                        B. so                           C. but                          D. or

 25. A. put forward                    B. come across           C. run out                   D. broken down

 26. A. as usual                 B. at all                       C. in vain                           D. at risk

 27. A. pulled                            B. walked                    C. drove                      D. dashed

 28. A. merrily                    B. quickly                    C. effortlessly                     D. slowly

 29. A. other                      B. opposite                 C. deed                       D. same

 30. A. worried                   B. curious                   C. excited                    D. optimistic

 31. A. challenge               B. help                        C. leave                      D. comfort

 32. A. if                             B. how                         C. what                       D. when

 33. A. fetched                   B. offered                    C. handed                   D. showed

 34. A. purposes                B. reactions                C. reasons                  D. directions

 35. A. wondered               B. occupied                 C. went crazy                     D. went wrong

 36. A. elegance                B. confidence                     C. concern                  D. gratefulness

 37. A. still                         B. otherwise                C. also                        D. ever

 38. A. car                         B. destination                     C. assistance                     D. market

 39. A. believe                   B. tolerate                   C. imagine                  D. afford

 40. A. iPhone                          B. block                       C. bag                         D. purse

Tensions have erupted over some barren rocks in the Pacific that you may never have heard of, but stay tuned—this is a boundary dispute that could get ugly and some day have far-reaching consequences for China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States．

The islands in dispute are called the Senkaku chain by Japan, the Diaoyu islands by China, and the Diaoyutai by Taiwan．All three claim the islands, which are really just five small islands and three barren rocks northeast of Taiwan, 200 miles off the Chinese coast．

The latest conflict occurred when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships trying to stop it near the islands．The Japanese prevented the Chinese captain from leaving the place for questioning and the two countries have been exchanging angry protests．

The reason to worry is that nationalists in both China and Taiwan see the islands as unquestionably theirs and think that their government has been weak in claiming this authority．

So far, wiser heads have generally won the argument on each side, but at some point a weakened Chinese leader might try to gain the legal right with the public by pushing the issue and recovering the islands．It would be a dangerous game and would have a disastrous impact on China-Japan relations, but if successful it would raise the popularity of the Chinese government．

In reality, of course, there is zero chance that the U．S．will honor its treaty（条约） with Japan over a few barren rocks．We're not going to risk a nuclear conflict with China over some islands that may well be China's．But if we don't help, our security relationship with Japan will be at the breaking point．

So which country has a better claim to the islands? My feeling is that it's China, although the answer isn't clear-cut．Chinese navigational records show the islands as Chinese for many centuries, and a 1783 Japanese map shows them as Chinese as well．Japan purported to "discover" the islands only in 1884 and took control of them by force only in 1895 when it also grabbed Taiwan．

The best approach would be for China and Japan to agree to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, but realistically that won't happen．And since some believe that the area is rich with oil and gas reserves, the claims from each side have become more insistent．

As Chinese nationalism grows, as China's navy and ability to project power in the ocean gains, we could see some military conflicts over the islands．

Taken from NewYork Times

56．The underlined word "purported" （in Para．5） is closest in meaning to "_____"．

       A．claimed            B．happened       C．pretended         D．intended

57．The latest conflict referred to in the passage occurred because _____．

       A．the Japanese government has bought the Diaoyu Islands from the Liyuans

       B．two Japanese naval ships sailed in the Chinese sea around the Diaoyu Islands

       C．A fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships by design in the Japanese sea

       D．the Japanese kept the captain of a fishing boat from returning for questioning

58．Which of the following is the author's personal idea?

       A．It is the two Japanese naval ships that are to blame for the conflict．

       B．It is the Chinese captain of a fishing boat that is to blame for the conflict．

       C．It is China that has a better claim to the islands because of its navigational records．

       D．It is the U．S．that will honor its treaty with Japan over a few barren rocks．

59．Why does the author think neither China nor Japan will agree to refer the dispute to the international Court of justice?

       A．because Japan has navy and ability to power the Diaoyu Islands．

       B．because the claim from both sides has become more insistent．

       C．because China is developing so quickly that it will declare a war on Japan．

       D．because the U．S．won't be involved in the dispute between China and Japan．

Life is to be lived. No excuses. No reservations (保留). No holding back.

A story about the violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once   41    a beautiful instrument he wanted to acquire. When he  42      raised the money for the violin, he returned to   43     it and learned that it had already been sold to a(n)     44      .

He went to the new owner’s home in order to try to   45      him to sell the violin.    46   , the collector said it was one of his prized possessions and he could not let it go. Kreisler felt    47    and turned to leave, but then asked a favor, “May I play the instrument once more    48     it is put away?”

     49   was given and the great musician began to play. The   50     sang out a quality of music which was so beautiful that the collector himself could only listen in   51    . “I have no   52     to keep that to myself,” he said after the musician finished. “The violin is yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into world, and let people  53     it.”

You and I are excellent violins-our    54      is meant to be heard.

I want to live my    55    that way-to take it into the world and live it fully. I’d rather burn out than rust out. I’d rather be      56      than die not having done whatever I could.

I’m not talking about     57    ourselves by doing too much. Happiness is never found in overmuch busyness. But it is found in investing our lives in others. Say yes when asked for a hand..    58     to work for a worthwhile organization. Spend an hour with a     59    relative.

In the end, I know that my happiness is not about by my ability or my inability. It is about how much I   60    to others.

41. A. found out              B. came across                C. came to                      D. picked out

42. A. slowly                  B. actually             C. eventually             D. regularly

43. A. buy                   B. play                        C. pick                   D. get

44. A. musician              B. performer           C. player                D. collector

45. A. force                 B. persuade              C. advise                  D. ask

46. A. Therefore             B. Besides                 C. However                       D. Otherwise

47. A. disappointed                B. angry                    C. helpless                      D. desperate

48. A. unless                 B. after                     C. until                              D. before

49.A. Judgment               B. Permission            C. Award                   D. Appreciation

50.A. violin                           B. musician               C. singer                   D. collector

51. A. amazement             B. agreement            C. puzzlement           D. embarrassment

52. A. freedom                       B. right                      C. interest                 D. money

53.A. play                               B. know                     C. feel                       D. hear

54. A. story                      B. sound                    C. music                    D. message

55. A. life                                B. dream                   C. hobby                   D. reality

56. A. hung up                        B. put up                   C. used up               D. dressed up

57. A. exhausting             B. requesting            C. fighting                        D. changing

58.A. Struggle                B. Volunteer              C. Manage                       D. Promise

59. A. special                        B. close                    C. tired                     D. lonely

60. A. turn                            B. treat                    C. give                     D. adapt

 Most of the students in the Occupy Central movement in Hong Kong ______ have participated for more rights, but what they did caused serious effects on people’s living.

   A. should    B. might      C. would    D. can

The speech can help solve problems and draw attention to situations ________（需要帮助）.(need)

 “Well done, John! Not a single mistake____in your exam paper this time!”said the teacher．

A.you made          B. did you make     C. had you made    D. you have made

  What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed(展示)at  the entrance? Or the soft background music?

But have you ever noticed the smell? Unless it is bad，the answer is likely to be no．But while a shop’s scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds，it is certainly there．And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase．

A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance via scent machines．A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air．One sports goods company once reported that when it first introduced scent into its stores，customers’ intension to purchase increased by 80 percent．

When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs，scent is just as important to a brand’s success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales．That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be．

Some years ago，the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales  assistants’ disproving attitude and don’t-touch-what-you-can’t-afford displays．Now the rise of electronic commerce(e-commerce)has opened up famous brands to a wider audience．But while e-shops can use sights and sounds，only bricks-and-mortar stores(实体店)can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave．Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop，but rather a destination．And scent is just one way to achieve this．

Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department，and coconut (椰子)scent in the swimsuit section．A department store has even opened a new lab，inviting customers on a journey into the store’s windows to smell books，pots and drawers，in search of their perfect scent．

32．According to the passage，what is an increasingly powerful tool in the success of some brand store?

  A．Friendly assistant    B．Soft background music

  C．Unique scents．          D．Attractive window display．

33．E-shops are mentioned in the passage to________．

  A．urge shop assistants to change their attitude

  B．show the advantages of brick-and-mortar stores

  C．push stores to use sights and sounds

  D．introduce the rise of e-commerce

34．The underlined word  “destination”  in Paragraph 5 means_____．

  A．a place where customers love to go        B．a spot where travelers like to stay

  C．a platform that exhibits goods               D．a target that a store expects to meet

35．The main purpose of the passage is to______．

  A．compare and evaluate          B．inform and explain

  C．argue and discuss                     D．examine and assess   

  No one knows how much money Dr. Lyle Tullis gave away to students. I was his colleague for nearly a decade and I never stopped being amazed at his generosity. Our college has a program of providing cross-cultural experiences for students. Lots of students take advantage of summer experience oversea. I discovered that no group left for overseas with some of its members receiving financial help from Dr. Tullis.

  It wasn’t that he made a lot of money. For one thing, he taught in a church-run school. There, his salary was half of what those people earned in a tax-supported school.

  Other colleagues occasionally complained about the low pay. Not Lyle Tullis. Occasionally some professors would leave our campus for a better-paid position. They told me they did so because, with better pay, they could provide for their families.

  The size of Lyle Tullis’ paycheck never seemed to be the most important thing to him. I realized that one day when I was thanking him for helping a student, his eyes shone as he said to me, “I’ve got so much money that I don’t know what to do with it. So, I just give it away.”

  Most people wouldn’t have thought that way. Dr. Tullis drove one of the oldest cars on campus. It was even older than almost any of the students’ cars. His home, while comfortable, was not fancy at all. But Lyle Tullis lived with the feeling that he had so much money that he needed to give it away.

  He was one of the favorite on campus. Cynics(愤世嫉俗) might say he bought fame. But they would misunderstand. Lyle wanted to devote his life, all of it, to helping others

21. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?

A. Dr. Tullis was very popular with his students.        

B. The author was wondering why Dr. Tullis gave students money.

C. Dr. Tullis was generous in giving his students financial help.       

D. The author had a program of providing cross-cultural experiences for students.

22. Why did Dr. Tullis give his money away?

A. He had a good fortune.               B. He wanted to buy fame.

C. He was ready to help students in need.   D. He didn’t know where to put it away.

23. We can learn from the text that        .

   A. Dr. Tullis was very content with his low pay          

B. Dr. Tullis cared little about his family

   C. the author felt confused about Dr. Tullis’ generosity          

D. many people would misunderstand Dr. Tullis

24. Which of the following can best describe Dr. Tullis?

   A. Honest.       B. Generosity      C. Friendly      D. Conservative

 The date of examination can't be adjusted,         explained reasonably otherwise.

  A. nevertheless       B. despite           C. unless            D. thus

A survey has shown that what you do on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport.

According to the results of an international passenger survey, Australians are the biggest drinkers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association(APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, aged 18 and older, who have travelled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.

The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat-belt sign switches off. They are also the first to take out their credit card for some in-flight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming. Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively---- when not drinking---- choosing to work while flying at 35,000 feet.

Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chat with random strangers----spending 50 percent more time than any other nationality. Comparatively, Brazilians conduct their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.

Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of ten interviewees said they were happy to eat up on the selection of in-flight snacks and meals. In-flight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers.

The international flyers did however express their desire for better in-flight entertainment. “The industry has greatly improved the comfort, entertainment and onboard service, and passengers are accepting those improvements” said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director. “At the same time, passengers are demanding more from their air travel experiences which will drive more improvements touching all aspects of the journey. ” he added.

12. What can you probably see in the flight according to the passage?

A. Brazilians choose to drink.

B. Americans do in-flight shopping.

C. Germans chat to kill the time.

D. The Chinese switch off the seat-belt sign.

13. When on board the plane, ______.

A. passengers from one nation have little in common

B. most passengers like to read in-flight magazines

C. more than half of the passengers don’t enjoy plane food

D. most people tend to use in-flight time to have a good sleep.

14. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Flyers care little about entertainment.

B. Flyers are not satisfied with the improvements.

C. Flyers are expecting better flight experiences.

D. Flyers have more and more demands from airlines.

15. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To entertain readers with interesting stories.

B. To encourage people to behave well in public.

C. To criticize impolite behaviors on the plane.

D. To inform readers of the results of a survey.

Lily: Hi, Dave. Do you think the weather is fine today?

Dave: Yeah. And the air is also clearer than ever before.

Lily: En, the newspaper reports that the air is less and less   56   (pollute) these days.

Dave: That’s true. Fewer and fewer people   57   (drive) cars to work since the government started the traffic control two months ago.

Lily: But the control is going to end   58   two weeks. What will happen then? Are cars coming back to the road?

Dave: That’s true, too, although we all hope   59   will never end. On the other hand, the traffic control has made things tough for people driving cars.

Lily: But it’s worth the trouble. I believe clean air is   60   most important thing.

Dave: However, many people don’t think so.  61   they can’t drive cars they will even have   62   (difficult) getting to work.

Lily: They can choose to take a bus   63   the subway. And they can even ride a bicycle. There are many other ways to choose from, actually.

Dave: Some people think buses are too crowded and riding a bicycle seems very   64  (tire).

Lily: Anyway, it’s still   65   (well) than being trapped in a traffic jam under grey clouds and in dirty air.

 I’ve ordered some pizza, so we _____ worry about cooking when we get home tired.

A can’t                 B may not            C needn’t            D dare not

I had gone to bed after a very hard day when the phone rang. It was an eccentric(古怪的)  

farmer. I had never met him before although I had often heard people talk about him. He sounded quite nervous and he had been talking for a minute or so before I understand anything. Finally all I could make out was that someone called Millry had a very bad accident. No matter who she was I obviously had to go.

It had been snowing heavily that day. I didn’t know the way. I had been driving for at least an hour when I finally found his place. He was standing there, waiting for me. It seemed Millry had died. “She meant more to me than anyone…even my own wife!” he said. I could see that he had been crying. I thought something terrible had taken place, it may be a scandal(丑闻). I was even more shocked when he told me be had put her in the barn(厩). “I wouldn’t leave her out in the cold!” he said.

Millry had clearly been a secret lover of his. I was about to tell him he could not expect me to cover anything up when he opened the barn door. He lifted his candle and I saw a dark figure on the ground, “She was such a good cow! I wouldn’t let anyone but a doctor touch her!”  

he said, and bust into tears again.

1. The underlined phrase “make out” in the first paragraph means        .

   A. expect        B. understand          C. see clearly        D. hear clearly

2. Before he arrived at the farmer’s house, the writer expected to see Millry lying       .  

   A. on the ground of a barn         B. on the floor of a room

   C. in bed in a room               D. in bed in a barn

3. The farmer wished that the writer might       .

   A. look into the matter          B. bring Millry back to life

   C. free him from a scandal       D. keep a whole thing a secret

4. The person who told the story is probably a             .

   A. farmer        B. policeman       C. country doctor      D. newspaper reporter 

—Have you seen the film The War Horsey.

—Of course, I have．It was in my hometown ______ it was made．

    A．where            B．when             C．that                    D．which

 He ______ a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope he can find a good publisher when it is finished.

  A. was writing   B. wrote               C. has already written    D. is currently writing

 There is no light on.--- they _____be at home.

A. can’t            B. mustn’t         C. needn’t                D. shouldn’t  

About five years ago, an American electrical engineer named Scott Brusaw and his wife Julie came up with the idea of putting solar panels on the ground rather than the roof. Then they began to develop the Solar Roadway. The Solar Roadway is an intelligent road that provides clean renewable energy using power from the sun while providing safer driving conditions, along with power and data delivery. They predict that the Solar Roadway will pay for itself through the generation of electricity along with other forms of income and that the same money that is being used to build and resurface current roads can be used to build the Solar Roadways.

Each Solar Road Panel measures roughly 4 meters by 4 meters and contains a microprocessor (微处理器) that monitors and controls the panel, while communicating with neighboring panels and the vehicles traveling overhead. The inventors suggest that this provides a communications device every 4 meters on every road which could be used for example to warn drivers of cars which are moving across a centre line and various other speed control problems. The top of the Solar Road panels is made of super-strong glass that would offer vehicles the tractions (抓地力) they need.

    According to the inventors, the Solar Roadway creates and carries clean renewable electricity and therefore electric vehicles can be recharged at any conveniently located rest stop, or at any business that has paved Solar Road Panels in their parking lots.

    The inventors say their Solar Roadway has many functions and advantages from main roads to driveways, parking lots, bike paths, sidewalks and runways. The Federal Highway Administration has given Brusaw $100,000 to develop the invention and Brusaw hopes to build a smart-road parking lot in the coming spring .

25. In the inventors’ opinion, the Solar Roadway _____.

   A. is too expensive to build at present

   B. costs no more money than current roads

   C. can provide as many data as present computers

   D. will bring them a large sum of money

26. It can be inferred from the text that _____.

   A. the Solar Roadway has already been put into use

   B. $100,000 is only enough to build a smart-road parking lot

   C. the Solar Roadway is not available for gas-powered cars

   D. future electric vehicles can be charged anytime and anywhere

27. What can be the best title for the text?

   A.  Solar-powered smart road of the future

  B. The great changes on the roadway

  C. The influence the Solar Roadway has on people

D. The Solar Road — a much faster road

Investing in yourself

Figuring out how to invest your money can be a difficult task. This is something that you will want to learn how to do.

___16___ Things that will improve your knowledge, skills or health are all great investments. However, before you start, you need to be clear about what you will gain out of doing all of these things.

You may think investing in yourself means investing in your education. ____17____. There are some other things you can do as well as buying a gym membership or learning a new skill.

So what are some specific things you can do? _____18_____. Reading books can really expand your mind and allow you to learn different skills and gain knowledge. I’m talking about the books where you will actually learn a new skill, not fiction books.

You can also take courses and attend seminars. These programs are taught by people with a high level of knowledge or skill. _____19_____. Only in this way can you avoid being fooled by some sales presentation.

Moreover, investing in yourself is a safe way to keep your money. Although a savings account is seen as the most secure investment, that isn’t 100% safe. Even if you never experience your bank closing down, the return is little when inflation(通货膨胀) is taken into consideration. _____20_____. But over time, they will show up in terms of your happiness level as well as your level of success.

A. This is just one way.

B. The benefits will stay with you.

C. If you aren’t a reader, you should start with that.

D. The more you do this, the more valuable you will be.

E. Of course, you need to do some research before investing.

F. The best way to invest your money is to invest it in yourself.

G. When you invest in yourself, you may not see gains right away.