AThere are many kinds of friends. Some are always 1you, but don't understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only 2friends leave footprints (脚印).I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the 3. She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves 4 on the cool 5 . In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves, 6 to the sound of them.Autumn is a 7season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me 8. But one day, the sound of a violin 9into my ears like a stream (小溪) flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was 10 in playing her violin.I had 11 seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been 12there for so long but my existence (存在) did not seem to disturb her.Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building 13 I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became 14. 15we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believe she also loved me.Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly 16. To my astonishment (惊讶), the girl came over to me.“You must like violin.” she sai d.“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.Suddenly, a 17 expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that 18 me.” she said.“In fact, it was your playing 19gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let's be friends.”The girl smiled, and so did I.I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure (身影) of the girl. She is like a 20—so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.1. A. with B. for C. against D. to2. A. good B. true C. new D. old3. A. sound B. song C. play D. violin4. A. shaking B. hanging C. falling D. floating5. A. wind B. snow C. air D. rain6. A. watching B. listening C. seeing D. hearing7. A. lively B. lovely C. harvest D. lonely8. A. up B. off C. down D. over9. A. flowed B. grew C. entered D. ran10. A. lost B. active C. busy D. interested11. A. once B. never C. often D. usually12. A. waiting B. stopping C. standing D. hearing13. A. because B. so C. when D. but14. A. interesting B. moving C. encouraging D. exciting15. A. But B. However C. Even D. Though16. A. stopped B. began C. gone D. changed17. A. happy B. sad C. strange D. surprised18. A. surprised B. excited C. encouraged D. interested19. A. that B. which C. it D. who20. A. song B. dream C. fire D. sisterBIn the middle of the night, Peter's wife suddenly fell ill. She couldn’t help crying, “Oh, my stomach (胃)! Get the 1!”Peter, awaking from a deep sleep, thought his wife was only having a 2dream.“Stop that noise.” he said to her. He turned over and tried to go to 3again, but his wife still cried out, “Oh, help! Help! I'm sure I'm 4 !”Peter got out of bed and started 5 , but he could not find him any clothes.“Where is my shirt?” he asked. His wife was6ill to tell him, and she could only cry, “Oh, my7 stomach!”As soon as he had put his clothes 8 , he said, “Now, my dear, are you quite 9 that you need the doctor? Surely you can wait 10 morning, can't y ou?”“No, I can't. Go, go, go.” his wife shouted,“11 you will find me dead 12the morning.”So Peter went out into the dark street. He had only gone a few meters 13 he heard his wife calling him again.“I'm 14again now, and I shall not want the d octor.” she said softly.Hearing this, he started running as 15as he could towards the doctor's. When he arrived there, he knocked at the door loudly enough to wake 16 around.The doctor put his sleepy head out of the bedroom window and said, “Er? Who's there?”“Oh, Doctor.” Peter said to him, “I've very 17news for you. My wife 18ill with a terrible stomachache (胃疼). I was on my way to bring you to her, but she called me back to say the trouble had suddenly 19her. So you need not come. Go back to 20now, and sleep well!”1. A. driver B. nurse C. doctor D. child2. A. terrible B. interesting C. surprising D. wonderful3. A. bed B. sleep C. dream D. hospital4. A. walking B. dying C. aching D. sleeping5. A. dressing B. wearing C. raising D. working6. A. very B. so C. too D. quite7. A. good B. bad C. wrong D. poor8. A. down B. off C. on D. up9. A. surprised B. afraid C. certain D. worried10. A. before B. for C. to D. until11. A. And B. But C. So D. Or12. A. after B. in C. before D. until13. A. after B. when C. before D. while14. A. good B. wrong C. all right D. right15. A. fast B. slowly C. hurriedly D. happily16. A. everyone B. someone C. no one D. doctors17. A. good B. bad C. necessary D. ill18. A. fell B. stayed C. grew D. failed19. A. gone B. missed C. disappeared D. left20. A. your home B. your bedroom C. your dream D. bed（一）Feeling blue about the world? “Cheer up.” says science writer Matt Ridley. “The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans a nd for nature.”Ridley calls himself a rational optimist—rational, because he's carefully weighed the evidence; optimistic, because that evidence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good. And this is what he's set out to prove from a unique point of view in his most recent book, The Rational Optimist. He views mankind as a grand enterprise that, on the whole, has done little but progress for 100,000 years. He backs his findings with hard facts gathered through years of research.Here's how he explains his views.1 ) Shopping fuels inventionIt is reported that there are more than ten billion different products for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty, our own generation has access to more nutritious food, more convenient transport, bigger houses, better cars, and, of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us. This will continue as long as we use these things to make other things. The more we specialize and exchange, the better-off we'll be.2) Brilliant advancesOne reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer lived and freer than ever before is that the four most basic human needs—food, clothing, fuel and shelter—have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour's light cost six hours' work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes' work to pay for. In 1950 it was eight seconds. Today it's half second.3 )Let's not kill ourselves for climate changeMitigating (减轻) climate change could prove just as damaging to human welfare as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fossil-fuel (化石燃料) electricity is forbidden by well-meaning members of green political movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that dies in a flood caused by climate change. If climate change proves to be mild, but cutting carbon causes real pain, we may well find that we have stopped a nose-bleed by putting a tourniquet (止血带) around our necks.1. What is the theme of Ridley's most recent book?A. Weakness of human nature.B. Concern about climate change.C. Importance of practical thinking.D. Optimism about human progress.2. How does Ridley look at shopping?A. It encourages the creation of things.B. It results in shortage of goods.C. It demands more fossil fuels.D. It causes a poverty problem.3. The candle and lamp example is used to show that ________.A. oil lamps give off more light than candlesB. shortening working time brings about a happier lifeC. advanced technology helps to produce better candlesD. increased production rate leads to lower cost of goods4. What does the last sentence of the passage imply?A. Cutting carbon is necessary in spite of the huge cost.B. Overreaction to climate change may be dangerous.C. People's health is closely related to climate change.D. Careless medical treatment may cause great pain.（二）In business, there's a speed difference: It's the difference between how important a firm's leaders say speed is to their competitive(竞争的) strategy(策略) and how fast the company actually moves.The difference is important regardless of industry and company size. Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that chose to go, go, go to try to gain-an-edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track.What's more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up” improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean.Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operational speed (moving quickly) and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value)．Simply increasing the speed of production, for example, may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference.But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion.They encouraged new ways of thinking.And they allowed time to look back and learn.By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn't develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes.Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership.Teams that regularly take time to get things right, rather than plough ahead full bore, are more successful in meeting their business goals.That kind of strategy must come from the top.1．What does the un derlined part “gain an edge” in Paragraph 2 mean?A．Increase the speed. B．Get an advantage.C．Reach the limit. D．Set a goal.2．The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means ________.A．spending more time and performing worseB．spending more time and performing betterC．spending less time and performing worseD．spending less time and performing better 3．What can we learn from the text?A．How fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.B．How competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.C．Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.D．Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.4．Which could be the best title for the text?A．Improve quality? Serve better.B．Deliver value? Plough ahead.C．Reduce time? Move faster.D．Need speed? Slow down.（三）Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill（友好）between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred（仇恨）. There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the tragic incident involving the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests.One country received its second—place medals with visible indignation after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match as, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair .Their manager was in a rage when he said:“ This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the I nternational Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension（暂停）of the team for at least three years.The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable end to their contest. The game had ended in disturbance. It was thought at first that the United States had won, by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play. A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the U.S.A. had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non national terms, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism（爱国主义）.1.According to the author, recent Olympic Games have ____.A. created goodwill between the nationsB. bred only false national prideC. hardly showed any international friendshipD. led to more and more misunderstanding and hatred2.What did the manager mean by saying,“...Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are fi nished”?A. His team would no longer take part in international games.B. Hockey and the Federation are 60th ruined by the unfair decisions.C. There should be no more hockey matches organized by the Federation.D. The Federation should be dissolved.3.The basketball example implied that ____.A. too much patriotism was displayed in the incidentB. the announcement to prolong the match was wrongC. the appeal jury was too hesitant in making the decisionD. The American team was right in receiving the silver medals4.The author gives the two examples in paragraph 2 and 3 to show ____.A. how false national pride led to undesirable incidents in international gamesB. that sportsmen have been more obedient than they used to beC. that competitiveness in the games discourages international friendshipD. that unfair decisions are common in Olympic Games5.What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?A. The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved.B. Athletes should compete as individuals in the Olympic Games.C. Sport should be played competitively rather than for the love of the game.D. International contests are liable for misunderstanding between nations.（四）There are two major parties in Britain today,the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, which have been in power by turns since 1945.The two—party system of Britain was formed in the course of the development of the capitalist state and the political parties.In order to strengthen the state machine,the British bourgeoisie（资产阶级）have let it come into being and exist in one form or another form since the 17th century. P.S.Tregidgo once said:“The more parties there are,the less likely it is that any one of them will be strong enough in Parliament（议会）to outvote all the others;but when there are only two, one of them is sure to have a majority of seats.This helps to ensure a strong and stable government.”This may be the reason why the British have the two party system.The division into two parties grew out the establishment of a Protestant Church of England in the 16th century.Because of a purely religious difference of opinion,the Puritans were separated from the broad body of the Anglican Church. The non-Puritan Anglicans were on the side of the King and Church,and their supporters were call ed by their opponents “Tories.”The Puritans were for Parliament and trade, and their supporters were called by the “Tories”“Whigs”.The Tories and the Whigs were in power by turns for a long time.In 1833,the Tory party split into two and its name was changed to Conservative.In the 1860s the Whigs became Liberals.From that time on,the Liberals and the Conservatives were in office by turns until 1922.The policies they put into effect were sometimes different, but they were both controlled by the rich.The working class became more and more unwilling to follow the Conservatives and the Liberals.They wanted to have their own party.So the Labour party was formed by the trade unions.After 1922 the Labour Party gradually replaced the Liberal Party to become one of the two major parties in Great Britain.1.What does “it” stand for in the fourth line?A. The two party system.B. The state machine.C. The Partiament.D. The capitalist state.2.We can learn from what P.S Tregidgo once said that ____.A. if there are parties in Britain,none of them will be strong enough to have control in the government.B. the more patients there are, the more likely it is that they will have the decisive say in the government.C. the two party system contributes to the establishment of a powerful and long lasting government.D. if there are only two parties in Britain, it will be easy for the government to control them.3.What can we infer from the forming of the Tory Party and the Whig Party?A. These two parties originally believed in different religions.B. These two parties were established under the influence of different religious believes.C. The British King and the Parliament supported different religions because they were for the two party system.D. The British King and the Parliament were supported by different parties for political reasons.4.According to the passage,why was the Labour Party established in Britain?A. Because the trade unions did not do much good for the working people.B. Because the Liberal Party were not strong enough to defeat the Conservative Party.C. Because the working people would not like to be members outside the Liberal Party.D. Because neither of the two major parties was the parties for the working people.5.Which of the following is true concerning the Tory Party or the Whig Party?A. The Whig Party no longer exists in Britain.B. The Tory Party has kept its unity until the present day.C. The Whig Party has taken the place of the Liberal Party.D. The Tory Party has taken the place of the Conservative Party.【答案详解】Passage A文章通过“我”和一个小姑娘秋天邂逅的故事体现了知心朋友的重要性。
