—We all had a lot of fun at the barbecue yesterday. Pity you weren’t there.

 —I really should have gone with you but I _____ on some remaining problems.

A. worked         B. was working       C. would work       D. would have worked

第二部分　閱讀理解 (共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分)

Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course," she said.

    "Can we write him a letter?"

    She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."

    My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.

    "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.

    "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Morn was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.

    She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped(纏繞) the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.

    "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."

   The balloon, carrying my letter, darted(猛沖) upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.

   Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend(超越) this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary(遺傳的). I prayed to be a balloon.

56. When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother ______.

   A. felt it hard to answer                        B. thought her a creative girl

C. believed it easy to do so                     D. found it easy to lie

57. When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she ______.

   A. jumped with joy                            B. became excited

   C. started writing immediately            D. was worried that it couldn't be delivered

58. In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?

A. An incurable disease.                      B. An unforgettable memory.

   C. The hard time her father had.                  D. The failures her father experienced.

59. What would be the best title for the passage?

    A. The strong red balloon                      B. An unforgettable experience

   C. Fly to paradise                        D. A great father

In tough economic times, school counselors (顧問(wèn)) don’t just wait for students to come to their offices in search of college brochures, health pamphlets or other help. These days, they are looking for at-risk kids to prevent personal or academic troubles before they arise. Nowadays, students and families need the guidance more than ever.

Counselors play a steadying role in schools as the economy weighs on families, college admission becomes even more competitive, immigration continues to reshape the population and state-testing pressures many students. They use computers to search through attendance data, grades and standardized test scores for kids who might need extra help.

Schlatter, director of guidance and counseling at Prince William County’s Woodbridge Senior High School, has checked attendance records against grades and test results to start peer groups (同年齡群體) for students who are failing classes but not skipping them. She said group counseling is another way to reach more students though it can be difficult. “Kids really do start helping and sharing with each other.”

At Fairfax High School, counselors found through surveys that students who transferred (轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)) to the school after ninth grade enjoyed school significantly less than those who had been there all four years. The counseling staff set up a special program and group for new arrivals in response, said Marcy Miller, the school’s director of student services. Counseling staff members also have started small study groups for students to prepare for state Standards of Learning exams, which Miller said have helped raise test scores. She said that some of the newest counselors have had some of the freshest ideas.

63. We can learn from the passage that __________.

A. counselors don’t wait for kids to come to ask for help now

B. counselors are trying to help people with economic problems

C. counselors have made college admission less competitive

D. counselors are trying to reach more kids in need of help

64. The author uses the example of Fairfax High School to show that ________.

A. counseling work is obviously effective

B. many students transfer there for help

C. new arrivals will no longer skip classes

D. counseling means little to new arrivals

65. What would the author most probably discuss in the following part?

A. What assistance they can offer.

B. The significance of their counseling job.

C. Other approaches to counseling at-risk kids.

D. The barriers of counseling the students with troubles.

66. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A. Guiding Hands Find New Ways                         B. Small Study Groups Raise Test Scores

C. Transferred Students Need More Help            D. Tough Times See More At-risk Kids

IV   單詞拼寫（共25小題，每小題1分，共25分）

61.Dear Rosemary, thanks for your letter, which took a _____________(兩個(gè)星期) to arrive.

62.When I was teaching the boys, I sometimes wondered how _____________(相關(guān)的) chemistry is to these students after they left school.

63.It was my first visit to a r___________(偏遠(yuǎn)的) village, a village as far away as you can imagine.

64.The hut was dark so it took time for our eyes to __________(適應(yīng)).

65.Fresh grass had been laid on the floor and there was a newly made ____________(平臺(tái)) for Jenny and I to sleep on.

66.I loved listening to the family talking softly to each other in their language, even though I could not p______________(參加) in their conversation.

67.I can’t understand their language, so I need an ___________(口譯人員).

68.I’ve enjoyed my stay here in your country and I’m happy with your ______________(安排).

69.It was such a _____________(特別優(yōu)待) to have spent a day with Tombe’s family.

70.Great ceremonies were held to celebrate the 60th_____(周年紀(jì)念) of the People’s Republic of China.

71.Two guards are standing there to look after the ______ (安全) of those personal possessions.

72.You have to make sure about the _____________(分配；分發(fā)) of these goods to each house.

73.This project is _______(運(yùn)作) very well—more and more children are getting what they need.

74. We’re concerned about the fate of the _________ (代替) teachers.

75. Don’t worry. It's just a r_______(例行的) medical examination.

76. He has enough money so that he can live ______（舒適）.

77. There is a________（充分的）evidence on both sides.

78. We _________（感謝） the wonderful work of you.

79. I have a certificate of tourist _______（資格）.

80. Many representatives opened blogs to make r___（建議）during the NPC and CPPCC sessions.

81. Book 1 is compulsory while Book 7 is ________（選修的）.

82. Your actions _________ （與…矛盾）your declared moral principles.

83. I was elected an excellent League member for three ______（學(xué)校的） years.

84. ________（修改）the compositions is really a difficult job for me.

85. You’d better familiarize yourself with the laws and customs of your _______（目的地）country.

Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.

    This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over the next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.

    This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.

    Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧） levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.

    “We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in the amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicted, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.

46. According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may __________.

A. result in a warming climate     

B. cause the forest fires to occur more frequently

C. lead to a longer fire season            

D. protect the forests and the environment there

47. The following are all the immediate effects after a forest fire EXCEPT __________.

A. large amounts of greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere

B. the levels of ozone which is a type of oxygen increase

C. snow on the ground mirrors more sunlight back into space

D. ashes from the fire fall on the ice surface and take in more radiation from the sun

48. Earlier studies about northern forest fires __________.

A. analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate

B. indicate that forest fires will pollute the atmosphere

C. suggest that people should take measures to protect environment

D. suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming

49.The underlined phrase “soak up” in the last paragraph most probably means __________.

A. released         B. absorbed       C. created      D. distributed

50. From the passage we can draw a conclusion that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia may __________.

A. warm the climate as the supposition goes

B. allow more snow to reflect more sunlight into space and thus cool the climate

C. destroy large areas of forests and pollute the far-off sea ice

D. help to gain more energy rather than release more energy

He is thinking of           his business while his father is strongly against it for fear of the further positive effect of the global economic crisis. .

A. expanding       B. carrying        C. exploding         D. spreading

______ is reported in the newspaper, the big fire was finally put out with very few injuries.

    A. What      B. That         C. As             D. It

When you communicate with people, it is not unusual to find yourself in a situation ____ you have to politely decline an offer.

   A. where               B. which                C. what                  D. why

Ⅱ    閱讀(共兩節(jié)，滿分50分)

第一節(jié)：閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C和D項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

In Europe, people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises.

A few explanations for this American style are as follows:?

(1) Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.?

(2) Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.

(3) Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.?

Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（無(wú)知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警覺(jué)） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.?

26 Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.?

A. the right hand                                 B. the left hand?

C. both hands                                   D. either of the two hands?

27. As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _________________.?

A. show their independence of Mother England?      

B. show their disrespect to Mother England

C. add a new tradition to those in Mother England?  

D. show off their creativeness to Mother England?

28. In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means ____________.?

A. hold                        B. play with                     C. pick up                  D. lay down?

29. Also in the last sentence, the two “them” refer to ____________.?

A. Americans             B. Europeans?

C. Americans and Europeans separately   

D. Europeans and Americans separately?

30. Which of the following statements is NOT true??

A. European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.

B. The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics.?

C. The zigzag eating method has become an American feature.?

D. European people will use the American method because of its efficiency.

It is reported that two schools, ________are being built in my hometown, will open next year.

A. they both                    B. which both      

C. both of them                 D. both of which