There are numerous similarities between Muhammad Ali and his 23-year-old daughter Laila. She is the only one of his nine sons and daughters to have those genes that led to the ring(拳擊場). Her father’s great status had nothing to do with Laila’s decision to pursue a boxing career. She has always been proud of his achievements, but he was never a great man to her—just dad.

What attracted her to take up boxing was the unusual sight of two women in the ring on the television screen when she was about to watch a Mike Tyson fight five years ago. She was very excited and said to herself, “I can do that. ”

Laila’s father would prefer her not to take up the dangerous sport. Johnny McClain, her husband and manager (former boxer himself) feels the same way. Even though both the men in her life worry about her, they’re 100 percent supportive. “They don’t want me to get hurt, ” she says.

Long before entering the ring, Laila was a fighter. Being the daughter of an outstanding boxer made her an easy target for high school kids to see how tough she was. They, not she, failed in the test. For the public, her biggest test took place last summer in the New York State when she took on Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, her father’s most famous opponent (對手) during the 1970s.

That fight provided the biggest shot in the arm that women’s boxing has received. News reporters poured in. Some called it “Ali/Frazier－GenerationⅡ”. No match involving women had ever attracted so much attention. Laila had a narrow victory in the fight.

Like it or not, she accepts the fact that she is the face of female boxing. And she hopes that her name and fame will help get the public to take it more seriously.

The name Ali has and always will bring her attention. But she is determined to make her own mark on opponents’ faces as well as in boxing history books. She says, “I want women’s boxing to get its due respect. ”

63. Laila took up boxing because of ________.

A. her father’s great status                   B. a Mike Tyson fight 

C. her admiration for her father           D. her interest in boxing

64. From the passage we can know ________.

   A. Laila’s husband is still a boxer now

B. Laila wants to make contributions to the sport of boxing

C. Laila’s husband doesn’t think boxing is a dangerous sport

   D. when Laila was in high school, she often failed in the fight with other kids

65. What does the underlined sentence in Para. 5 mean?

A. That fight proved that Laila was a person of physical power.

B. That fight made female boxing more popular.

C. That fight provided people with a good change to enjoy themselves.

D. Laila made her first public appearance in that fight.

66. Which of the following is the best title for the passsage?

A. A female boxer—Laila Ali                     B. The best-known fight

C. Ali/Frazie－GenerationⅡ               D. Muhammad Ali and his daughter

Gloria is a famous hostess of a TV station. When she was 15, she happened to walk into a bookstore in her hometown and began looking at the books on the shelves. The man behind the counter, John Smith, asked if she'd like a job. She needed to start saving for college, so she said yes.

Gloria worked after school and during summer vacations, and the job helped pay for her first year of college. During college she would do many other jobs: she served coffee in the student union, was a hotel cleaner and even made maps for the Forest Service. But selling books was one of the most satisfying jobs.

One day a woman came into the bookstore and asked Gloria for books on cancer. The woman seemed anxious. Gloria showed her practically everything they had and found other books they could order. The woman left the store less worried, and Gloria has always remembered the pride she felt in having helped her customer.

Years later, as a television hostess, Gloria heard about a child who was born with problems with his fingers and hand. His family could not afford an operation, and the boy lived in shame, hiding his hand in his pocket all the time.

Gloria persuaded her boss to agree to let her do the story. After the story was broadcast, some doctors called, offering to perform the operation for free.

Gloria visited the boy in the hospital after the operation. The first thing he did was to hold up his repaired hand and say, "Thank you. " What a sweet sense of satisfaction Gloria felt!

At Smith's bookstore, Gloria always realized she was working for the customers, not the store. Today it's the same. The TV station pays her, but she feels that she should work for the people who watch the programmes, helping them understand the world better.

56. When did Gloria get her first job?

A. A few years before college.            B. Several years after college.

C When she was studying at college.       D. When she was working in the TV station.

57. In which part-time job did Gloria feel the happiest?

A. Cleaning in the hotel.                 B. Selling books in the bookstore.

C. Serving coffee in the student union.       D. Making maps for the Forest Service.

58. How did Gloria help the child get the operation he needed?

A. Her boss agreed to raise money.          B. She paid for the operation herself.

C She allowed the boy to show on TV.       D. Her news report affected some doctors.

59. What particularly gives her the feeling of pride?

A. Helping people through her work.        B. Reporting interesting stories.

C Being able to do different jobs well.       D. Paying for her college education herself.

Our town is in the eastern part of our country. Once a year, we elect a girl to show how beautiful and great our town is. All the girls are eager to get this position in an effort to become popular.

It was not an easy choice this year, since there were eight girls to choose from. The elder judge finally decided that either Sara or May would get the position. Both girls were beautiful with extraordinary appearance. Besides, they had a good education and cared about how pollution had a bad effect on the earth. Most important, both girls got up early to eat eggs at their breakfast. Eggs were important to people of the east of our town because the economy here depended mainly on the production of eggs.

“Either girl will win,” my father said, “But someone will cry in the end.”

“Either will be fine,” I said, “They are both great girls.”

The final round was held at the east edge of our town. Sara lived nearby so she did not need to get up early to arrive. However, she was the first person there. “You know what they say about the early bird. ” she said with a smile.

However, May arrived fifteen minutes late to the competition. “It’s the taxi driver’s fault,” she said. “I told him to head east, but he was in one ear and thought I said Bread Cheese. You know, Bread Cheese is the name of our neighboring town.”

I thought May would certainly lose because she was late, but to my surprise, she turned out to be this year’s winner. The judges liked her answer to their last question, “If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?” Sara replied, “World peace.” May, on the other hand, said, “Better market to have our eggs sell well”.

64. What does the underlined sentence “You know what they say about the early bird.” mean?

A. she liked the early bird very much.

B. she was sure that she would succeed.

C. she lived nearby, so she should get there early.

D. she wanted to show off her good language knowledge.

65. Why was May chosen in the end?

   A. Because she arrived late and gave enough explanation

B. Because she gave a different answer from Sara’s.

C. Because she looked more beautiful than Sara.

D. Because her answer was more practical than Sara’s.

66. According to the passage, which of the following maps is correct?

 I’m a 20-year-old boy, and the following is my story.

A month after I graduated from high school in August, 2007, I was coming home from swim practice in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital.

I suffered a lot from the experience of dying eight times during my coma and I couldn’t open my mouth to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around. At that time, it seemed that walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body, my dreams were completely destroyed. But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams.

After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions, I had to make every great effort to learn to talk, eat, walk, shower, and live on my own again. When I was out of hospital, I still had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, Maryland. After I spent a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own. It was a miracle that I was able to walk again, but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but also run. When it came true, I wanted to get back into the pool again. After having a few lung tests, I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training, I began my freshman year at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team.

By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world. I am just trying to live each day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is to them. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed, I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members. I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow, things would work out for the best.

67. The underlined word “coma” in Paragraph 2 probably has the meaning of “_______”.

   A. operation   B. unconsciousness（失去知覺）   C. treatment   D. emergency(緊急情況)

68. According to Paragraph 3, it can be inferred that the author _______.

   A. was unable to talk or communicate        B. was in despair

   C. faced physical and mental challenges       D. felt anxious about his state

69. What is the correct order of the following events?

     a. went to outpatient therapy

     b. received membership of the swim team

     c. was pushed around to visit other patients

     d. walked like a baby

     e. learnt to live all by himself

   A. d、a、c、b、e                       B. e、c、d、a、b

   C. d、c、a、b、e                       D. e、c、a、d、b

70. The best title for the passage would be “_______”.

   A. Attitude（態(tài)度） is everything                  B. Actions speak louder than words

   C. Everything happens for a reason         D. A good beginning is half done

Jerry was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say.

One day, I went up to Jerry and asked him, “You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Every time someone complains to me, I can choose to accept his complaints or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

Several years later, I heard that Jerry was shot by three armed robbers. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the hospital. Finally Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. About six months after the accident, I saw him. I asked him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I choose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

Jerry continued, “The doctors and nurses were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big, strong nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes’, I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

56. Which of the following words can be used to describe Jerry?

A. Impolite.             B. Concerned.               C. Stubborn.          D. Optimistic.

57. What did Jerry first think of when the robbery happened?

A. He might be shot by the armed robbers.   

B. He shouldn’t have left the back door unlocked.

C. How he could call the policemen.             

D. He might be robbed of many things.

58. From the expressions of the doctors and nurses, Jerry realized that _______.

A. they didn’t want to save his life             B. he wasn’t seriously wounded

C. they thought he had little chance to live     D. he was treated as a dead man

Jerry was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say.

One day, I went up to Jerry and asked him, “You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Every time someone complains to me, I can choose to accept his complaints or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

Several years later, I heard that Jerry was shot by three armed robbers. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the hospital. Finally Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. About six months after the accident, I saw him. I asked him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I choose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

Jerry continued, “The doctors and nurses were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big, strong nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes’, I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’”

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

56. Which of the following words can be used to describe Jerry?

A. Impolite.             B. Concerned.               C. Stubborn.          D. Optimistic.

57. What did Jerry first think of when the robbery happened?

A. He might be shot by the armed robbers.   

B. He shouldn’t have left the back door unlocked.

C. How he could call the policemen.             

D. He might be robbed of many things.

58. From the expressions of the doctors and nurses, Jerry realized that _______.

A. they didn’t want to save his life             B. he wasn’t seriously wounded

C. they thought he had little chance to live     D. he was treated as a dead man

When I stepped out the plane from Miami into Charlotte, North Carolina, airport for a connecting flight home, I immediately knew something was wrong. Lots of desperate people crowded the terminal. I quickly learned that flights headed to the Northeast were called off because of a storm. The earliest they could get us out of Charlotte was Tuesday. It was Friday. A gate agent stood on the counter and shouted, “Don’t ask us for help! We cannot help you!”

I joined a crowd that ran from terminal to terminal in search of a flight out. Eventually, I found six strangers willing to rent a van with me. We drove through the night to Washington, where I took a train the rest of the way to Providence.

The real problem, of course, is that incidents like this happen every day, to everyone who flies, more and more often. It really gets to me, though, because for eight years I was on the other side, as a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines (TWA).

I know the days are gone when attendants could be written up if we did not put the lines napkins with the TWA logo in the lower right-hand corner of the first-class diners’ trays. As are the days when there were three dinner options on flights from Boston to Los Angeles in economy class. When, once, stuck on a tarmac（機場停機坪）in Newark for four hours, a planeload of passengers got McDonald’s hamburgers and fries by thoughtfulness of the airline.

I have experienced the decline of service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe everything will change little by little, because I remember the days when to fly was to soar (翱翔). The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated. And I think the days are sure to come back one day in the near future.

Many people crowded the terminal because ________.

A. they were ready to board on the planes      

B. something was wrong with the terminal

C. the flights to the Northeast were canceled     

D. the gate agent wouldn’t help the passengers

57. How did the writer get to Providence at last?

A. by air                   B. by van                 

C. by train                       D. by underground

58. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Incidents happened to those who fly quite often.

B. The writer used to be a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines.

C. Even a small mistake might cause complaints from passengers in the past.

D. McDonald’s hamburgers and fries were among regular dinner options. 

59. What can be implied from the passage?

A. The writer lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

B. The writer thought the service was not as good as it used to be.

C. The writer with other passengers waited to be picked up patiently.

D. Passengers would feel proud of how they were treated on the plane.

Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lost his determination to lead a full and active life.

Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and diving. He competed in long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, though, is mountaineering.

As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in 1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-meter rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13, 000 feet above sea level---in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. And then, on May25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles, one to lean on and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building snow walls.

Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest. He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind. “When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on top of the world.”

60. What was unusual about his wedding?

A. He got married on the summit of Mount McKinley.

B. He got married when climbing Mount Everest.

C. His wedding was held after he prepared a lot.

D. His wedding was held at 13, 000 feet above sea level.

61. What is Erik’s special method for climbing a mountain?

A. He takes his girlfriend with him.                B. He does his share of his jobs.

C. He uses two long poles to help himself.       D. He keeps a good team around him.

62. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?

a. He topped Mount McKinley.                      b. He became blind.

c. He challenged Mount Everest.                       d. He reached the peak of Kilimanjaro.

e. He climbed the rock wall of EI Capitan.

A. b, e, d, c, a              B. b, a, e, d, c                     C. b, a, e, c, d                            D. b, e, a, d, c

       Harald Kaas was sixty. His back became rounded, and he bent a little. His forehead, always of the broadest－no one else’s hat would fit him － was now one of the highest, that is to say, he had lost all his teeth, which were strong though small, and blackened by smoking. Now, instead of “deuce take it” he said “deush take it”. He had always held his hands half closed as though grasping something; now they stiffened so that he could never open them fully. The little finger of his ldft hand had been bitten off. According to Harald’s version of the story, the fellow swallowed the piece on the spot.

       He was fond of showing off the ldft part, and it often served as an introduction to the history of brave adventures, which became greater and greater and greater as he grew older and quieter. His small sharp eyes were deep set and looked at one with great intensity. There wsa power in his individuality. He has no lack of self-respect.

       His house, raised on an old foundation, looked out to the south over many islands; farther out were more islands and the open sea. Its eastern wing was barely half furnished, and the western inhabited by Harald Kaas. These wings were connected by a gallery, behind which were the fields and woods to the north.

In the gallery itself were heads of bears, wolves, foxes and lynxes and stuffed birds from land and sea. Skins and guns hung on the walls of the front room. The inner rooms were also full of skins and filled with the smell of wild animals and tobacco-smoke. Harald himself called it “man-smell”; no one who had once put his nose inside could ever forget it. Valuable and beautiful skins hung on the walls and sat, and walked on skins, and each one of them was a subject of conversation. Harald Kaas, seated in his log chair by the fireside, his feet on the bearskin, opened his shirt to show the scars on his hairy chest (and what scars they were) which had been made by a bears teeth, when he had driven his knife, right up to the end, into the monster’s heart. All the tables, and cupboards, and carved chairs listened in their silence.

68．Who or what most probably bit harald Kaass’ little finger off?

       A．On of his fellow hunters

B．An adversary in a boxing match

C．A wild animal 

D．One of his hunting dogs

70．What can we say about Harald Kaas in the story?

       A．Brave and strong now , he was the best bunter in the neighborhood.

B．Old and lonely now, he never forgot his great past hunting life.

C．Always greedy and cruel, he was rich by hunting and selling animals.

D．Still active and busy, he managed to protect his neighborhood by killing animals.

Ben Southall, from Britain, got the world’s best job, as an island caretaker on Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia. Towards the end of his six-month contract, he had an incident. Please read his blog issued on Dec. 29, 2009 to find out more about the incident.

Now I’ve spent nearly six months here in Queensland and so far I thought I’d done particularly well at avoiding any contact with any of the dangerous critters that consider this part of the world their home. I’ve avoided being boxed by a kangaroo, nibbled by a shark and bitten by a spider or a snake—but then in my final few days on Hamilton Island I seemed to be punished by a little creature known as an Irukandji.

Irukandji jellyfish are tiny and extremely poisonous jellyfish that are in the tropical waters of the Queensland coast between early October and May, and which cause symptoms collectively known as Irukandji syndrome(綜合癥). Its size is roughly no larger than a fingernail of an adult’s little finger.

I was enjoying a post Christmas jetski session with some friends at a quiet beach on Hamilton Island. As I climbed off the back of the ski and onto the beach I felt a small bee-like sting on my forearm. I didn’t think too much of it at the time at it disappeared very quickly and left the beach to head to a sports massage appointment I had. As I arrived I noticed that my feet and hands were tingling(刺痛) slightly. The member of staff immediately suggested that I get the symptoms checked out and within minutes had the security there to escort(陪同) me to the doctor’s room, only a few hundred metres away.

I was feeling pretty hot and sweaty, had a headache and felt pretty sick too, together with pain in my lower back and a tightness in the chest and really high blood pressure all classic symptoms of Irukandji syndrome! This was not what I’d wanted at all and had caught me a little off guard to say the least--I’m supposed to be relaxing in my last few days on Hamilton Island.

The doctor knew instantly what it was and straight away started the course of treatment to get me on the mend. I had a couple of injections which immediately took away the uncomfortable pain I was feeling and I slipped into a comfortable sleep after an hour or so, waking to say hello to a couple of friends who came to see if I was OK! Bre was there the entire time tending to me like a little Florence Nightingale!

Once I’d recovered sufficiently I was discharged that evening and allowed to go home to sleep the effects off and only really knew what had happened when Bre told the full story the next morning--I had been very lucky.

I’d had a minor brush with what can be a very serious jellyfish and has led to people being hospitalized for a number of days, my slight knock was enough to tell me that it’s not something to be messed around with and I really should have been wearing a full stinger suit, as it recommended at all beaches here at this time of year.., even if you’re in the water for just a couple of seconds as I was!

66. We now know that people who suffer from Irukandji syndrome usually ___________.

A. have headache, backache, chest pain, sweat heavily and feel sick

B. have headache, backache, chest pain, breathe quickly and cough a lot

C. is not very painful in the beginning, but can be very painful the next day

D. play with these beautiful jellyfish while swimming in the sea

67. What have we learnt from Ben’s blog EXCEPT that _______________?

A. Ben Southall knows how to take care of himself

B. Ben Southall doesn’t look after himself well enough

C. Ben Southall has been in hospital for some days

D. Ben Southall’s friend, Bre tends to him well

68. What lesson can we learn from Ben’s incident?

A. All rules must be strictly obeyed all the time.

B. All recommendations should be seriously taken into consideration.

C. Always have yourselves covered when you are in the sea.

D. Never play with creatures in the sea.

69. Which of the following is the correct order of the events?

a. Keep an appointment  b. See a doctor              c. Go jetskiing                     d. Get home

A. a,c,d,b              B. c,a,b,d             C. c,b,a,d             D. d,b,a,c

70. How do islanders deal with Ben Southall’s incident?

A. Politely, certainly and successfully.      B. Nicely, slowly and carefully.

C. Hopefully, carefully and skillfully.       D. Kindly, quickly and efficiently.