People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive carelessly up and down America’s main streets. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral (葬禮) which happened in a church. A teenage grandson stepped forward. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would attack her, what would Nana say? ‘Oh, what beautiful markings that dog has.’ That was Nana.”

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for Grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling. “That was Nana’s way.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up a fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled. When that boy rose to speak about the woman who had been his dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide. I was moved and learned a lot.

52. According to the first paragraph, ______.

A. young people are living a very hard life

B. young people should keep quiet in public

C. people shouldn’t forget the young people

D. people don’t think highly of the teenagers

53. From the boy’s speech, we know his grandmother ______.

A. had great influence on the boy when she was alive

B. could see everything around her though she was old

C. liked dogs very much even if they often attacked her

D. was a weak woman living in the shadow of his grandpa

54. We can infer from the passage that the boy ______.

A. was always very good at expressing himself in public

B. was filled with sadness and gave up finishing his talk

C. practiced a lot in order to give a moving speech

D. had great difficulty in accepting the loss of Nana

55. The writer wanted to tell the readers ______.

A. the young people were too weak to face certain facts

B. the young people have learned to control themselves

C. the adults could learn something valuable from the young

D. the adults should teach the young how to deal with the death

Old Americans are separating into two classes. Retirement (退休) can be either heaven or hell. “I do believe on the whole the retirees (退休者) of tomorrow will be wealthier and healthier than the same group of 30 years ago,” says Robert Friedland, director of the National Academy on Ageing. But that’s only part of the picture. There is also a large group whose household income hasn’t been growing very much. For them the future is unhappy.

“Nature is not always kind,” says Dr Robert Butler, an expert in medical care of old people, who was founding director of the National Institute on Ageing. The relationship between social-economic position and life expectancy (估計壽命) has been known for a long time. Race is also connected. And education is a powerful tool in lengthening life.

“The reality is that poor people get sick easily as they age because they live in dirty neighborhoods and have dirty jobs, they are left unprotected from environmental pollution, and the pressure of being poor wears down people’s health,” according to Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, which studies health issues.

“Cigarette smoking has a great effect because it is more common in lower socio-economic groups,” says Elizabeth Whelan, president of the American Council on Science and Health.” If you live in a state of hopelessness and helplessness and don’t think about the future, you are more likely to take up life threatening habits.”

48. The sentence “Retirement can be either heaven or hell” means “______.”

A. If an American is out of work, he or she will feel happy

B. If an American retires from his post, he or she will lead a miserable life

C. Some old people in America have to choose a life style

D. Some old people in America lead a hard life; others may lead a happy life

49. According to Dr Robert Butler’s opinion, ______ plays the most important role in people’s life expectancy.

A. nature               B. environment              C. education          D. smoking

50. The reason why poor people are more likely to get ill as they grow old is that ______.

A. they live in the countryside                     B. they work with their hands

C. their families are too large                      D. they suffer a lot from poverty

51. What Elizabeth Whelan says means that ______.

A. smoking makes people poor and hopeless

B. smoking is very popular among poor people

C. poor people should give up smoking

D. rich people in America never smoke

Sixty years ago, people asked about your astrological (星座) sign. Nowadays, they want to know your website. These days, having a web address is almost as important as a street address. Your website is an electronic meeting place for your family, friends and millions of people around the world. Best of all, you may not have to spend a cent. The web is filled with all kinds of free services and all it takes is some time and creativity.

Think of your home page as the starting point of your website. Like the table of contents of a book or magazine, the home page is the front door. Your site can have one or more pages, depending on how you design it.

While web pages vary greatly in their design and content, most use a traditional magazine layout (編排). At the top of the page is a banner (橫幅) GRAPHIC. Next comes a greeting and a short description of the site. Pictures, texts; and links to other websites follow.

Before you start building your site, do some planning. Think about whom the site is for and what you want to say. Next, gather up the material you want to put on the site.

Draw a rough layout on a sheet of paper.

While there are no rules you have to follow, there are a few things to keep in mind:

◆Start simply. If you aim too high at the beginning, you may never get the site off the ground. You can always add something new to your site.

◆Less is better. Most people don’t like to read a lot of texts online. Break it into small pieces.

◆Smaller is better. Since it takes a long time to download large picture files (資料), keep the file sizes small.

Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start building. Learning the net communities helps provide tools to help you build your site.

44. The main purpose of the author in writing the passage is to tell you ______.

A. how to build your own website

B. what a website should be like

C. how to meet people on line

D. what a website consists of

45. According to the author, your website is a place where ______.

A. you tell others about your street address online

B. you can meet people on the Internet for free

C. you can get all kinds of free services

D. you can learn the net communities

46. The home page of your website should be ______.

A. full of all the contents of your website

B. so designed that it looks like a front door

C. more or less similar to the cover of a book or magazine

D. so designed that it can direct people to more of your pages

47. The passage can be classified as ______.

A. entertainment                                        B. computer science

C. advertisement                                       D. social skills

Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear (鞋類) in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits (展品) from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.

40. Where would you find a famous singer’s shoes?

A. Room 1.                                  B. Room 2.

C. Room 3.                                  D. The Footwear Library.

41. All exhibits in each room _____.

A. share the same theme                B. have the same shape

C. are made of the same material    D. belong to the same social class

42. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum.

B. Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data.

C. The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s.

D. Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two.

43. The purpose of the text is to get more people to _____.

A. do research                              B. design shoes

C. visit the museum                       D. follow celebrities

I had looked forward to this day for a long time. Finally, I, Kirsty Sturart, would stand on the top of Mount Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. Although I climbed often in my native Scotland, this was my first trip to the Alps. My companions — Jean Pierre Barton, Maurice Gautier, and Mary Sargent — and I left our camp early and planned to reach the top by late morning.

As we neared the top, large clouds gathered and it began to snow. We found shelter and decided to wait for the snow to stop. After three hours, however, we decided to go back and try again the next day. We started down the mountain in the thick snow. Jean Pierre forgot his sunglasses and went back to look for them. As he was returning to us, he started to fall.

His fall started an avalanche (雪崩) and it was falling towards us! I was swept away by the heavy snow. Jean Pierre hurried down to me. “Are you OK?” he asked.

“I think I broke my leg,” I answered.

“I’d better radio for help!” he said. “Where are the others?” We couldn’t see Maurice or Mary anywhere.

Jean Pierre called the emergency radio number, and the police said they would send help right away. It seemed like hours, but only minutes later we heard the welcome sound of a helicopter (直升飛機). The helicopter couldn’t land on the mountainside, so they lowered two men, two dogs and a stretcher (擔架). One man ran to me, but I told him to search for the others. The dogs were trained for rescue and soon began to dig crazily in the snow.

Bernardo, the lead dog, found Mary’s scarf and led the rescuers to her. Maurice was nearby. The men gave us hot drinks and warm blankets and then prepared to lift us into the helicopter. Two men inside the helicopter pulled us up with the ropes. I went first on the stretcher.

Once we were safely inside, the helicopter flew to the hospital in Chamonix. Our poor rescuers and their dogs had to climb all the way back down the mountain. Later we would find these brave men and thank them for saving our lives.

36. What prevented the climbers from reaching the top?

A. The terrible weather.

B. The loss of the sunglasses.

C. The injury of the team members.

D. The unexpected height of the mountain.

37. How did the writer break his leg?

A. The road was covered with snow.

B. His companion knocked into him.

C. The avalanche caused a fall for him.

D. The heavy clouds blocked his view.

38. How did the writer feel while waiting for help?

A. Anxious.           B. Crazy.               C. Sorry.               D. Angry.

39. What do we learn from the passage?

A. Mary was the leader of the team.

B. The team was upset about their failure.

C. It was several hours before the rescue team arrived.

D. The writer was excited thinking of climbing Mount Blanc.

I used to hate myself because I wasn’t “normal”. Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and ride on a bicycle, but not 　16 . I had a severe spinal cord disorder (脊髓病) and I knew I would always be much 　17 than others.

I hated going to school and I hated people 　18 at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and standing 　19 and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the 　20 and seeing an ugly hunchback (駝背).

My friends found me 　21 because I didn’t let others get close to me. I thought I was going to go on like this for the rest of my life 　22 Angela appeared.

That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school — a spot where no one would 　23 me. That’s when I first heard her voice.

“Hi. Can I sit down?”

I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“Ants.”

“What are they doing?”

“No 　24 .”

“I bet they’re playing games and making friends. Don’t you think so?”

That was how our 　25 started and it didn’t stop. We talked about everything under the sun — the ants, the clouds, my little niche (處境) — until it was sunset.

Then suddenly, she saw my 　26 . She just stared.

My heart 　27 . What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would

28 me now.

She stood up, pointed at my back and said, “I know 　29 your back is hunched.”

I closed my eyes like a criminal (罪犯) waiting to be 　30 . I begged in my heart for her to

31 , but she just kept on going. “I know what you’ve got in there. Do you?”

“No,” I answered 　32 .

She bent and whispered in my ears.

“Your back is hunched because you’ve got a pair of wings from the angels.”

I was 　33 . I looked into her eyes and her 　34 touched my heart. From that day on, I started to learn to 　35 myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend.

16. A. them　　　　　　　　 B. it　　　　　　　　　　 C. me　　　　　　　　　 D. her

17. A. sadder　　　　　　　 B. shorter　　　　　　　　　　 C. weaker　　　　　　 D. slower

18. A. looking　　　　　　　 B. smiling　　　　　　 C. aiming　　　　　　　 D. glaring

19. A. still　　　　　　　　　　 B. alone　　　　　　　　 C. straight　　　　　　 D. together

20. A. street　　　　　　　　 B. sun　　　　　　　　　 C. corner　　　　　　　 D. mirror

21. A. distant　　　　　　　 B. stubborn　　　　　 C. hopeless　　　　　 D. unfortunate

22. A. after　　　　　　　　　 B. before　　　　　　　 C. since　　　　　　　　 D. until

23. A. disturb　　　　　　　 B. seek　　　　　　　　 C. interrupt　　　　　 D. ignore

24. A. wonder　　　　　　　 B. idea　　　　　　　　　 C. sign　　　　　　　　 D. action

25. A. connection　　　　 B. competition　　　 C. conversation　　 D. comprehension

26. A. face　　　　　　　　　 B. back　　　　　　　　 C. eyes　　　　　　　　 D. shoulders

27. A. sank　　　　　　　　　 B. beat　　　　　　　　 C. broke　　　　　　　 D. ached

28. A. care for　　　　　　　 B. rely on　　　　　　 C. look down upon　　　 D. put up with

29. A. that　　　　　　　　　 B. how　　　　　　　　 C. whether　　　　　 D. why

30. A. blamed　　　　　　　 B. arrested　　　　　　 C. punished　　　　　 D. sentenced

31. A. relax　　　　　　　　　 B. leave　　　　　　　　 C. stop　　　　　　　　 D. pause

32. A. shyly　　　　　　　　 B. weakly　　　　　　 C. proudly　　　　　　 D. firmly

33. A. astonished　　　　　 B. ashamed　　　　　 C. annoyed　　　　　 D. amused

34. A. wisdom　　　　　　　　　　 B. generosity　　　　 C. honesty　　　　　　 D. kindness

35. A. control　　　　　　　 B. like　　　　　　　　　 C. comfort　　　　　 D. enjoy

—Why do you know Mr. Li left that position?

—He is offered a better job at IBM where he can get paid _____.

A. as five times much　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. much as five times

C. five times as much　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. as much five times

 We have made _____ clear that we are strongly against smoking in the office.

A. this                   B. it                      C. that                   D. one

_____ in the queue for half an hour, Tom suddenly realized that he had left his wallet at home.

A. To wait 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. To have waited

C. Waiting　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Having waited

—Is Jack on duty today?

—It _____ be him. It’s his turn tomorrow.

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