1 . The Loss of Innocence

Innocence is such a precious gift. It’s explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing. Just imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt free mind. Some people wish to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood.

What would the world be like if innocence were never lost? One way it would benefit humanity is the lack of hatred （仇恨）among the world. During youth, there may be an occasional argument, even a little physical fight, but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being. And children are blind towards the racial differences of others. A kid will hang out with any other kid. It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence children otherwise. Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure. With very little if any time at all for fun，the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon adults. If innocence were kept alive, these ambitions would never depart from our lives.

However, other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting for ever. They feel that the lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive consequences to society in general. A large number of individuals would never have the urge to learn, work, and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive. Without a proper education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence, people would not have the desire to succeed, get a good job in life, or provide income for their families, which would hurt the lives of children.

The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy. As long as innocence is kept alive, no one would be terribly angered at the lack of effort people put out in the workplace, resulting in a strong decline in production and quality of needed goods.

Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence. It sure is a nice thought, though. Perhaps innocence was meant to be lost. It was God’s will to make things the way they are, and there is a good purpose for everything. All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while it lasts.

1. Author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be _____.

A．avoided	B．ignored
C．accepted	D．encouraged

2. Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that _____.

A．proper education would be provided

B．there would be no racial discrimination

C．more happy families would be guaranteed

D．people would realize their childhood dreams

3. According to the author, people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of _____.

A．motivational will

B．mental ability

C．adventurous ambitions

D．needed goods

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point   P: Point     Sp: Sub-point (次要点)       C: Conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．

2 . I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.

Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild.“This isn't family，” he replied, “though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family. Old Ed and I grew up together.”

They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it'd generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. “I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn't seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time，” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.

The first sentence “I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said“Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that”， I found myself nodding in agreement.

We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph：“So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”

“I thought your friend's name was Ed，” I said.

“I'm Tom，” he explained. “It's a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he'd died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away, I had to write a letter and post it.

1. Who wrote the letter?

A．Tom.

B．Old Ed.

C．The author.

D．The driver's grandchild.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted ________.

A．missing Ed's funeral

B．moving away from his neighborhood

C．forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards

D．not being able to keep in touch with Ed

3. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author of the passage ________.

A．often failed to write to his friends

B．had no intention to write to his friends

C．had many great moments with his friends

D．was good at expressing feelings to his friends

4. What message does the passage probably try to convey?

A．Comfort your friends when they are feeling down.

B．Life is unpredictable, so live each day as if it were your last.

C．Remember to always mail your letters after expressing your words.

D．Always make time to value and experience your lasting friendships.

3 . In high school I had a math teacher, Mrs. Davies, who took her job seriously and expected her students to put forth the same degree of commitment (付出). Strict but fair, she held our attention with her great method. One of her ______ was for students who were more advanced academically. I chose to ______ it and soon realized that the course was a bit over my head. I ____ with the complex problems that others seemed to learn without much effort.

One Friday we were tested ______ our ability to use a theorem (定理) that no one in the class thoroughly understood. The teacher would ______ our papers based on our ability to progress through the problem which easily filled two pages of formulaic notations (公式符号). I was absolutely ______. Finally, I didn't use the required theorem. Instead, I decided to use more familiar theorems to arrive at an ______. I knew I had failed because I hadn't done the ______ assignment. I became resigned (顺从) to my fate.

Our test papers were ______ back the following Monday. Everyone received a "C" except for me. To my surprise, I received an "A". I ______ that there must be a mistake. I watched ______ as the teacher approached my desk, smiled, and asked for my test ______ back. She then went back to copy my work onto the blackboard, ______ the class how I had arrived at the correct answer. "Mathematics is meant to be a creative tool, pushing our minds to a rewarding answer," she said with confidence. ______ I didn't use the required theorem, she seemed really proud of how I'd worked through the problem. The class saw her fold my test paper and put it into her textbook. She announced that it would be ______ with future classes.

My teacher would have been justified (合理的) in giving me a ______ grade. Instead, she used the ______ to deeply influence a student who often struggled. And after forty years, I still cherish the ______. It helped change my self-image. I ______ up to a broad boundary of possibilities which has made my life an adventure. She understood that teaching went beyond strict demands and could be used to ______ Thank you, Mrs. Davies.

1.

A．ways

B．tasks

C．tests

D．classes

2.

A．run

B．take

C．teach

D．like

3.

A．compared

B．struggled

C．connected

D．argued

4.

A．on

B．at

C．in

D．for

5.

A．explain

B．collect

C．print

D．grade

6.

A．tired

B．curious

C．lost

D．satisfied

7.

A．effect

B．end

C．answer

D．interest

8.

A．completed

B．proved

C．fixed

D．required

9.

A．handed

B．held

C．thrown

D．dated

10.

A．hoped

B．assumed

C．declared

D．dreamed

11.

A．angrily

B．regretfully

C．disappointedly

D．nervously

12.

A．paper

B．score

C．question

D．method

13.

A．helping

B．following

C．showing

D．praising

14.

A．Since

B．Unless

C．Though

D．Because

15.

A．shared

B．exchanged

C．practised

D．checked

16.

A．friendly

B．failing

C．corrected

D．wrong

17.

A．possibility

B．creation

C．intention

D．opportunity

18.

A．change

B．memory

C．school

D．life

19.

A．opened

B．kept

C．made

D．looked

20.

A．learn

B．survive

C．inspire

D．manage