Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also traveled a great deal with her mother and father.

As a child she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them. At last mind was made up. “I’m going to be a nurse,” she decided.

“Nursing isn’t the right work for a lady,” her father told her.

“Then I will make it so, “she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for home. During the Crimean War in 1854 she went with a group of thirty eight nurses to the front hospitals. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen — and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurse went to work . Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicine and food for the men. Her only pay was in smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman.

After she returned to England, she was honored for her services by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries.

Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honor nurses today.

56．When she was a child, Florence ____.

A．loved to travel very much           B．knew what her duty in life was

C．loved to help sick people    D．was most interested in music and drawing

57．During the Crimean War in 1854, Florence served in the front hospital where ____.

A．she earned a little money                B．work was very difficult

C．few soldiers died because of her work   D．she didn’t have enough food or clothes

58．The passage can best be described as ____.

A．the life story of a famous woman        B．a(chǎn) description of the nursing work

C．a(chǎn)n example of successful education     D．the history of nursing in England

Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his now place and meet his friends.

My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult(成年人)I feared(害怕) him and felt bitter about him He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boy friends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling worried.

On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical(挑剔的)air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad in his new home in Arizona is back to me from where he was.

63. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A. He was silent most of the time        B. He was too proud of himself

C. He did not love his children          D. He expected too much of her

64. When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel_______.

   A. nervous        B. sorry          C. tired              D. safe

65. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

   A. More critical  B. More talkative  C. Gentle and friendly D. Strict and hard-working

66. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

   A. the author’s son B. the author’s father C. the friend of the author’s father D. the cafe owner

D

A quarrel at home may result in you falling ill. Don’t laugh, it’s true. Family matters including living habits and even the way we speak have a big effect on our health, doctors say.

Wang Xiaoyu, a Senior 2 girl from Xichang, Sichuan Province, fainted (暈倒) in class when she heard her classmates quarrel at the top of their voices. Quarrels between her parents also put the girl into a coma. It is because she is suffering from depression (抑郁癥), caused by bad relations at home, doctors explained.

“We don’t get sick or stay well by ourselves,” says Dr Robert Ferrer from the US. Ferrer shows that family forces may explain up to a quarter of health problems, in his recent research. The genes you get from your family may cause illness. If one of your parents has a heart attack, your risk of being affected may double. But effects on health are not only written in our DNA.

Unrelated people who live under the same roof also get similar problems. Diet, lifestyle and environment affect our health, too. Ferrer’s research also found that if teenagers feel they are ignored or unimportant at home they are more likely to get sick.

We may never fully understand all the effects that families have on our health. But just as individual (個(gè)別的) problems can have effects on others, a small improvement can have big benefits, Ferrer said.

67. Which of the following can best explain why Wang Xiaoyu fainted in class?

A. Because her classmates often quarreled in class.

B. Because her parents used to quarrel.

C. Because of her depression caused by bad family relations.

D. Because her classmates shouted loudly at her.

68. According to Dr Ferrer, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. We get sick or stay well by ourselves.

B. Only the genes we get from our family have a big effect on our health.

C. Our health has nothing to do with diet, lifestyle and environment.

D. Teenagers who are ignored at home get sick more easily than those who are not.

69. The underlined word “coma” in Paragraph2 probably means ________.

A. surprise                 B. faint        C. tiredness        D. sadness                   

70. The best title for this passage is ________.

A. Family relations.                 B. The reasons why we get sick.

C. Family---- another cause to health    D. A research about health.

Stories about Kites in Japan

People have flown kites in Japan for more than 1000 years. There are many different kinds of kites there. Some look like bats; others look like birds. Most have pictures on them.

There are many interesting stories about kites in Japan.

One story tells us about a thief who used a kite to fly. He wanted to steal the gold from the top of an old tower. The thief and his friends made a large kite. One dark windy night, the thief caught hold of(抓住) the kite. His friends raised the kite into the air. Then they moved the kite near the top of the tower. The thief was able to steal the gold.

Another story tells about a father and a son who were on a small lonely island in the middle of the Japanese sea. There were no bouts or ships. They couldn’t go back to the mainland. So they made a big kite. His son flew on it back to Japan.

There is a K-Day in Japan. The young men of Japan have kite matches. When the kites are flying the match starts. The young men try to break each other’s kite string(細(xì)線). The last kite left in the sky is the winner.

35. Most kites in Japan ____.

A. are very large    B. are very small   C. look like bats    D. look nice with pictures.

36. In the kite match, the young men try to ____.

A. make their kites fly high         

B. stop each other’s kites from flying in the sky   

C. make very large kites themselves    

D. draw beautiful pictures on their kites.

37. The father in the passage made a big kite to help his son to ____.

A. return home  B. fly over Japan   C. win the match   D. steal the gold.

38. which of the following is NOT true?

A. The last kite left in the sky is the winner in the kite match.

B. The thief stole the gold from the top of an old tower.

C. The father and the son in the story were dead in the sea at last.

D. There is K-Day in Japan.

Mozart was one of the greatest composers who ever lived. He was born in Salzburg,

Austria, in 1756. Even when he was very young, Mozart loved music. His father, who was the leader of an orchestra, was very happy that his son was so interested in music. When Mozart was three years old, he learned to play the harpsichord, which is a kind of piano. Mozart began to compose music at the age of five, and his father took him to play in front of the kings and queens of Europe.

At one concert, one of the violinists was missing from the orchestra. Mozart picked up a violin and played the music without a mistake. Mozart’s father and the other players in the orchestra were surprised. Mozart had never been taught to play the violin! Mozart continued travelling around Europe with his father, who was his teacher in everything. He composed many pieces for the piano, the violin, and later for full orchestra.

Mozart could write down a piece of music even if he had heard it only once. One day, he went to hear a group of people singing in a big church in Rome. The song was very special. The church leader said that people could sing the song only once a year, and only in his church. No one else was allowed to have the music. Mozart listened to the song. Although it was very difficult and long, Mozart went back home and wrote down the whole piece from memory. The head of the church heard about this, and instead of being angry with Mozart, he gave him a prize.

When Mozart grew up, people were not so interested in him. He worked as a teacher and pianist, but he did not make much money. In 1791, at the age of 35, he died. He was so poor that there was not enough money for him to have a proper grave. No one knows where he is buried.

43. The story is mainly about ____.

A. Mozart and his music

B. a leader of an orchestra

C. the life of a great composer

D. the head of a church in Rome.

44. Mozart’s father helped Mozart a lot by ____.

A. teaching him about music

B. giving him a violin to play with

C. sending him to a music school

D. giving him a lot of money

45. When Mozart was only three years old, he ____.

A. went to Rome  B. began to sing  C. began to compose music  D. played the harpsichord.

46. Mozart had a very good _____.

A. violin   B. grave   C. memory   D. orchestra

47. Although Mozart was one of the world’s greatest composer, ____.

A. he died poor   B. he did not teach anyone.

C. he did not know many famous people

D. he couldn’t play the piano or violin

A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office a street urchin(頑童) was walking around a shining car.“Is this your car, Paul?”he asked.

Paul answered,“Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.”The boy was surprised.“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything. Boy. I wish…”He hesitated(猶豫).

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.

“I wish,”the boy went on,“that I could be a brother like that.”Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again,“Would you like to take a ride in my car?”

“Oh, yes, I'd love that.”

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said:“Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again,“Will you stop where those two steps are?”the boy asked.

He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled(殘疾) brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.

“There she is. Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm going to give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all nice things in the Christmas window that I've been trying to tell you about.”

Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.

41 The street urchin was very surprised when_______.

A. Paul received an expensive car       B. Paul told him about the car

C. he saw the shining car              D. he was walking around the car

42 From the story we can see the urchin _______.

A. wished Paul could be a brother like that       B. wanted Paul's brother to give him a car

C. wished he could have a brother like Paul's     D. wished to give his brother a car

43 We can infer(推斷) from the story that______.

A. Paul couldn't understand the urchin       B. the urchin had a deep love for his brother

C. the urchin wished to have a rich brother    D. the urchin's wish came true in the end

44 The best title of the story is ______.

A. A Christmas Present      B. A Street Urchin

C. A Brother Like That      D. An Unforgettable Holiday Ride

A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications(資歷), he said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

       This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him.

       A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was safe from damage. They found that the doors of the farmhouse had been safely fastened, and a lot of wood had been set next to the fireplace.

       The young man slept soundly.

       The farmer and his wife then looked at their property (財(cái)產(chǎn)) carefully. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage room, safe from the bad weather. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.

       The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

      The farmhand did his work loyally. When the sky was clear, he had prepared for the storm in case it broke. So when the wind blew, there was no need for him to be afraid. He could sleep in peace.

72. The underlined word “fastened” in Para. 3 can be replaced by ______.

       A. closed        B. damaged           C. taken         D. moved

73. From the passage, we can learn that ______.

       A. at first the farmer understood his words well

       B. the young man was awakened in the night by a violent storm

       C. the young man had prepared for the storm before it came

       D. the young man was too sleepy to wake up in the night

74. The best title for this passage is ______.

       A. Sleeping in peace through the storm          B. A violent storm

       C. A young man and his dream                        D. A clever farmer

75. Which of the following proverbs can best explain the story?

       A. Lookers-on see more than players

       B. Two heads are better than one

       C. A stitch（針）in time saves nine

       D. No man can do two things at a time

It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.

Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.

“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”

And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”

Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”

“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!”

76. The military camp was built in the village to _______.

A. stop the soldiers going to towns

B. stop the soldiers meeting their friends

C. train the new soldiers

D. make the young men live quietly

77. Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.

A. he was kind to them

B. they felt lonely

C. they had something important to do

D. they were the best of all

78. The young officer was worried because _______.

A. a traffic accident had happened to the nine soldiers

B. he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers

C. he didn’t think the nine soldiers would come back

D. the nine soldiers drank too much in the town

79. The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.

A. something was wrong with their buses

B. their horses died on the return way

C. it took them much time to run back

D. they all had drunk much in the town

80. Which answer do you think right?

A. I’ll believe only the last soldier.

B. The officer believed the nine soldiers.

C. I’ll believe none of the nine soldiers.

D. The officer won’t punish his soldiers.

When my wife left this world, I chose to travel in Antigua looking for a quiet place to rest my old body. Not quite old and weak, although almost, and not having yet decided to spend the best half of every day in a rocking chair, I felt I wanted something more than the usual hotel room with 24-hour room service and a piece of hard, round bread thrown through the door on demand each morning.

I decided this year to try something new and booked myself a private holiday home in Antigua. This was the best decision I have ever made, as there was plenty to do, plenty to see and lots of lovely restaurants to visit. There was a private swimming pool, and a cool, wide yard where I ate my breakfast most mornings.

Antigua has to be one of the loveliest places on earth to spend a holiday. The bright blue sea and the endless blue sky are just two of the reasons for this. Also the little bars around the beach areas proved an excellent place for me to spend the long afternoons.

I had to hurry to do what I wanted to do before the holiday came to an end. I managed to visit the Sugar Mill and Shirley Heights on my last two days and yet found myself wondering whether I could stay for a few more days.

I rented (租) a boat and came home after a day’s sailing. Everything is so pleasant in these beautiful islands, swept by the winds and warmed by the sun for so many summer months. The food just tasted better to me, perhaps because I was having such a great holiday. There was always someone to have a drink with, that’s what I liked most.

64. According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?

A. The writer is an old man.                       B. The writer’s wife has died.

C. The writer went to Antigua alone.           D. The writer liked the service in the usual room.

65. Which of the following statements is NOT talked about the private holiday home where the writer stayed? 

It had a private swimming pool.

There were lots of restaurants near it.

The writer often ate breakfast in its yard.

The writer could taste delicious seafood there.

66. The most important reason for the writer to travel in Antigua was that __________.

A. there was bright blue sea                    B. there was endless blue sky

C. there were lots of lovely restaurants    D. there were plenty of people to drink with

67. The passage is most likely taken from a part of __________.

   A. tour guide                  B. travel diary               C. health report             D. news report

Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.
　　There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl(爬行) into the house. “Look! In comes one,” she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said, “Let us try to crawl into the house together.” At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house, too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two, catch them!” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said, “You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started running away at once.
　　The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rope broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “I asked you to fetch a rope, why don’t you hurry for it?” The two thieves ran away very quickly without their sweet potatoes.
56. The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because _____.
   A. they were found out
   B. they were frightened by what they had heard in the house
   C. they didn’t work together well with each other
   D. mice stopped them from doing so
57. From the last paragraph, we know that _____.
   A. the two thieves were famous selling sweet potatoes
   B. the woman recognized the two thieves
   C. the woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and made fun of them
   D. the two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all
58. When the woman said, “How they look like the two of last night,” _____.
   A. she referred to the two thieves                 B. she meant nothing
   C. she said it on purpose                                 D. she referred to the mice

59.The best title for the passage may be ____.

A. Two Clever Thieves          B. Terrible Mice

C. Hit the Mark by a Fluke       D. A Clever Couple

The 16-year-old girl Jessica Watson is said to be the youngest person to sail non-stop alone around the world. But her record has been questioned because someone thought that she has not sailed far enough. She will also not be recognized by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, as it was too dangerous for someone under 18 years old.

Ms Watson sailed into Sydney port on Saturday, seven months after leaving on a hard voyage. Family, friends and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd have gathered to greet her. Thousands of well-wishers waited at the port and watched from boats as Ms Watson sailed her pink, 10m boat over the finishing line. Many more Australians watched the event broadcast live on television. Watson said she was just an “ordinary girl who believed in her dream”.

Ms Watson left Sydney on 18 October, despite that some people disagreed her plan. Watson traveled northeast through the South Pacific and across the equator (赤道), south to Cape Horn at the tip of South America, across the Atlantic Ocean to South Africa, through the Indian Ocean and around southern Australia. The route took her through some of the world’s most changeful waters, and she battled through huge storms and suffered seven accidents of her boat.

People around the world have followed Ms Watson’s adventures on her blog, which she has daily updated (更新). On her blog, she wrote down beautiful sunrise over seas, the excitement of meeting a blue whale and the bright, terrible sight of a shooting star flying across the night sky above her boat. Ms Watson has reportedly sold her story to a news company for $700,000. She is planning to write a book on her experience.

67. Which of the following oceans didn’t Ms Watson cross through in her voyage?

A. The Pacific Ocean                  B. The Atlantic Ocean

C. The Indian Ocean                           D. The Arctic Ocean.

68. Ms Watson’s voyage will NOT be considered an official world record mainly because ____.

A. no one can prove that her route was dangerous enough

B. she hasn’t applied for the record

C. girls are not allowed to take part in the dangerous sports

D. teenagers re not encouraged to take such a dangerous adventure

69. We can make a conclusion from this passage that Watson ____.

A. would make another voyage for money

B. made the world round voyage for money

C. had no way to communicate with others during the voyage.

D. is so confident and brave that she could overcome troubles on her own

70. All the following can be inferred from this passage EXCEPT that ____.

A. her book about her voyage is a best seller

B. people in Australia had much interest in her voyage

C. she spent more than 200 days alone at sea

D. people have different attitudes towards her voyage