1 . The day my husband fell to his death，it started to snow，just like any November day．His body，when I found it，was lightly covered with snow．It snowed almost every day for the next four months，while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up．One morning，I shuffled downstairs and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling(铲)my walk．I dropped to my knees，crawled through the living room．And back up stairs so those good people would not see me．I was embarrassed．My first thought was，how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair let alone shovel someone’s walk．
Before John’s death，I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors，I defined myself by my competence and independence．So who was I if I was no longer capable and busy? How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch every day and watch the snowfall?
Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn't easy．Friends cooked forme and l cried because I couldn't even help them set the table．“I'm not usually this lazy，”I wept．Finally，my friend Kathy sat down with me and said,"Mary，cooking for you is not a burden. I love you and I want to do it．It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you．”
Over and over，I heard similar emotions from the people who supported me during those dark days．One very wise man told me，“You are not doing nothing．Being fully open to your sorrow may be the hardest work you will everdo．”
I am not the person I once was，but in many ways I have changed for the better．My heart is now filled with thanks for people around me．I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole．I believe there is strength，for sure，in accepting a dark period of our life.
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The writer’s friend was unwilling to cook for her．

B．The writer had been busy with her life before．

C．The writer recovered from her sorrow quickly with his friend‘s help．

D．The day her husband died，it was snowing heavily．

2. We can describe the writer before her husband died as the following except ___________．

A．hard-working	B．independent
C．smart	D．capable

3. The underlined word“shuffled”in Paragraph 1 probably means ___________．

A．stepped steadily	B．walked slowly
C．ran swiftly	D．fell sadly

4. We can infer from the passage that ____________.

A．the writer found her husband immediately he fell off the roof

B．the writer became strong-willed immediately after John's death

C．the people around the writer were friendly and supported her

D．before John’s death，the writer never asked others for help

5. The writer wrote the passage to ___________．

A．share her sad story with us

B．express her guilty conscience to the people who helped her

C．show her thanks to the people who love and support her

D．tell us the changes she has made because of her husband’s death

2 . With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it’s not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone’s face when you know they are feeling down in the dump, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friends, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don’t know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say.
Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don’t get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to ignore the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
1. According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that _________.

A．it makes people more confident

B．it can pick up people’s spirits

C．it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world

D．it can help people get on well with others

2. From the second paragraph, we can know that __________.

A．the writer is funny and polite

B．family members should play tricks on each other

C．the writer’s grandma is humorous

D．we should relieve stress in any situation

3. The phrase “busting a gut”in the third paragraph can be replaced by _______.

A．explaining carefully	B．speaking loud
C．keeping silent	D．laughing hard

4. In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to _______.

A．encourage people to be humorous in daily life

B．talk about his own understanding of humor

C．introduce a practical way to get through daily life

D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life

5. What is the author’s attitude towards the present world?

A．Critical	B．Positive
C．Satisfied	D．Indifferent

3 . Everyone's at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn't done an eBay deal. So I decided to try my hand at online auction.
Buying for beginners: Sign up on www.eBay.co.uk. Most items (e.g. tables, computers, and books) ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with “Buy It Now” and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.
If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids for you.The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days, and when they finish you get an e­mail telling you whether you have won the item.
How to pay: Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing a bid as you might not want to post a cheque or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal, an online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card.
Selling made simple: If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item.I followed my friends' advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10­-day auction, starting on a Thursday.This way buyers had two weekends to bid.
The big things in life: It's easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be collected or sent by delivery men.Check the ways of delivery before you bid.
1. The passage suggests that a buyer ________.

A．has more than one chance to bid

B．should make payment immediately

C．can only buy one item

D．must give the credit card to the seller

2. The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is ______.

A．through an online payment system

B．through a local bank system

C．by sending the money to the seller

D．by paying the delivery man directly

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A．Big items can't be sold on eBay.

B．Including a picture of the item for sale helps make the selling simple.

C．Sellers can only be paid in one way.

D．Most items ready for auction don't have a picture.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to make payment online.

B．Ways of making delivery online.

C．Advantages of an online auction system.

D．How to use an online­ auction system.

4 . About five years ago I started at a new school when my family moved to Iowa. I was just a little excited, but I worried I would never fit in with the other sixth graders.
Lucy, a girl in my class, who I thought was not ready for change, didn’t like me from the start. In fact, I was pretty sure she hated me. I would ask her a question, and I could tell she thought I was a total fool.
My teacher made us sit by each other for the last term. Lucy was horrified (惊骇的). I didn’t wear make-up (化妆品), and I didn’t wear those terrible bell-bottom pants. I didn’t exactly look like the coolest girl. But, I kept smiling at her, though she rolled her eyes, and I kept telling her she looked beautiful, even when she was angry.
Finally, Lucy let me talk to her, even in sight of her “cool” friends. She started telling me how beautiful I looked. I still remember that first time when she smiled at me saying that, and I smiled right back, telling her thanks. Lucy invited me over to her house for a party, and talked to me all the time instead of her other friends. Lucy, the girl who hated me, called me her best friend. After that, we still were good friends a whole year later.
I may have moved to Arizona after that, but I will never forget Lucy. It’s funny — I still remember her birthday. She was a great friend. And to think, she considered me her enemy at first. Though it was hard, and it felt like I was wasting my time, and losing my dignity (尊严), I still smiled at Lucy when she made fun of me. I’m not stupid, I didn’t think she was right in doing those things, but I still put up with it. And we became great friends.
About two weeks ago, I read a sentence by Abraham Lincoln: “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” Immediately, I smiled, thinking of Lucy. That sentence just reminded me how great it was for me to change Lucy into my friend in that state of Iowa five years ago.
1. When the author started at a new school in Iowa, she worried ________.

A．she looked stupid when asking questions

B．she didn’t look like the coolest girl in her class

C．she was not ready for change at all

D．she couldn’t get along well with her classmates

2. How did the author change Lucy’s attitude towards her?

A．By wearing make-up.

B．By keeping smiling at Lucy.

C．By wearing bell-bottom pants.

D．By sitting beside Lucy in class.

3. From Paragraph 5, we know the author thought ________.

A．it was right of her to suffer when making friends

B．it was a waste of time to make friends with Lucy

C．it was a shameful thing to put up with what Lucy did

D．it was foolish of her to smile at Lucy all the time

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Patience is important in making friends.

B．Friendship needs to be cared for.

C．Making friends means losing enemies.

D．Kindness can defeat any enemy.

5 . “I will never marry, ” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married. In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous. A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organize and lead her military campaigns. More important, she needed male heirs (继承人) to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them. Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation. This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics. The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife. Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents. Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent. The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.

1. To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes, Elizabeth ________.

A．held back the truth

B．gave a definite answer “no”

C．kept them expecting on purpose

D．said she preferred the single state

2. If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.

A．prejudice against her

B．separation of the court

C．jealousy among English courtiers

D．a negative impact on English politics

3. Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?

A．Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.

B．Some foreign princes made war on Britain.

C．Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.

D．Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.

4. What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?

A．Pitiful.

B．Approving.

C．Negative.

D．Neutral.

6 . Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. If you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.
1. What is the piggy bank strategy?

A．Paying 1% income tax at a time.

B．Setting a goal before making a travel plan.

C．Aiming high even when doing small things.

D．Putting aside a little money regularly for future use.

2. Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?

A．To delight him with the latest fashion.

B．To encourage him to climb mountains.

C．To help him form the habit of saving.

D．To teach him English pronunciation.

3. What does then underlined word “something”(Paragraph 3) most probably refer to?

A．Money	B．Gifts
C．Financial success	D．Good luck

4. The piggy bank originally was _________.

A．a potter’s instrument	B．a cheap clay container
C．an animal-shaped dish	D．a pig-like toy for children

5. The last paragraph talks about ________.

A．the seriousness of educating children

B．the enjoyment of taking a great trip

C．the importance of managing money

D．the difficulty of starting a business

7 . The day that I met my best friend for the first time, I was full of anxiety. I was trying to do some _____ for an important oral exam in the local library, but people kept _____ me. I was getting annoyed and of course, I wasn't able to _____. Suddenly I heard someone singing behind me. I _____ and glared at the person who was singing. It was a tall girl about the same age as me.

The fact that she looked like a sensitive, friendly girl didn't matter. If anything, it made me even angrier.“ How could she be so selfish?” I thought _____.

I picked up my books, glared at her and whispered coldly, “Thanks to your _____, I’ve been unable to study. You’re so _____!”

I left the library in such a hurry that I left the most important textbook _____. When I got home two hours later, I found that textbook gone. I was so______ that I almost cried. Just then, the phone rang. A gentle voice ______ the speaker as Jenny and asked if I was Jane. After ______ that I was, she said that she had noticed I’d left my book in the library and as my ______ was in it, she'd asked a librarian to get my phone number. She said that she didn't live far away and could bring it around for me if I needed it.

I sighed with ______ and agreed to meet her at the convenience store down the road. Of course you’ve ______ who Jenny was. She was the girl I had shouted at for singing in the library. When I recognized her in the convenience store, I was filled with ______ and apologized for my rude behavior. I felt so ______, but Jenny just laughed, saying she was glad to see that I’d also left my ______ in the library! I couldn’t help laughing at this and I invited her back to my apartment for a quick cup of tea.

Ever since then we’ve been best friends and we got along really well. To be honest, I trust her more than anyone else. I often think how ______ I am. If Jenny hadn’t been a kind person who was willing to ______ my shortcomings, I would ______ have experienced such true friendship.

1.

A．research

B．revision

C．work

D．experiment

2.

A．watching

B．asking

C．warning

D．disturbing

3.

A．speak

B．improve

C．concentrate

D．follow

4.

A．turned around

B．turned down

C．turned off

D．turned over

5.

A．sadly

B．hopelessly

C．angrily

D．crazily

6.

A．practice

B．noise

C．attitude

D．existence

7.

A．selfish

B．active

C．sensitive

D．stupid

8.

A．out

B．around

C．aside

D．behind

9.

A．nervous

B．careless

C．upset

D．forgetful

10.

A．introduced

B．considered

C．took

D．remembered

11.

A．deciding

B．confirming

C．realizing

D．thinking

12.

A．address

B．class

C．writing

D．name

13.

A．comfort

B．relief

C．confidence

D．satisfaction

14.

A．recognized

B．found

C．guessed

D．heard

15.

A．courage

B．energy

C．doubt

D．shame

16.

A．worried

B．sorry

C．terrible

D．excited

17.

A．glare

B．expression

C．virtue

D．friendship

18.

A．considerate

B．pleased

C．lucky

D．grateful

19.

A．overcome

B．share

C．hide

D．forgive

20.

A．ever

B．never

C．seldom

D．still

8 . When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem overwhelming. If you’re short on time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings of old masters inside the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.
The Russian Museum

The Russian Museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. View Russian art creations through the ages, from Byzantine (拜占庭)-style icons to the Socialist Realism of Stalin’s times.
Kizhi Island

Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails (钉子) — the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽).

Peterhof

Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission (门票), but go to Peterhof when the fountains (喷泉) are working — during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter as well as in the evenings.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood is an attractive must-see sight. The beautiful look may make your eyes brighten, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
The Bronze Horseman Statue

The Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian Culture and a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin (普希金), this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.
1. If you’re interested in paintings, you’d better go to _____.

A．the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof

B．the Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

D．the Russian Museum and Kizhi Island

2. The man on the Bronze Horse refers to _____.

A．Peter the Great	B．Alexander Pushkin
C．Byzantine	D．Stalin

3. What can we know from the passage?

A．The fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round.

B．The largest collection of Russian art is in the Hermitage Museum.

C．The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood.

D．You can visit Peterhof free of charge.

4. The main purpose of this passage is to _____.

A．show the wonderful history of Russia

B．introduce the famous buildings in Russia

C．persuade artists to study St. Petersburg

D．attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg

9 . As a child, I was told that a wise person is the one who learns from everyone. It is a great way to live by this _____ — One begins to look at people very ____ and he no longer puts others ____ in order to feel good about himself.

Living in China _____ me with many wonderful opportunities to put this principle into practice. China is quite ____ and as a Westerner, it’s easy for me to consider many of the local habits as “strange” and even “rude”. However, slowly I began to     ___ a lot about the culture and about where many of their   ___ came from. I decided to make an effort to meet people and ____ from them.

I am living in Harbin now, a city in the Northern part of China, near Russia. Yesterday I ____ to get money from the ATM and have a good cup of coffee after lunch. But I can’t speak Chinese yet and there are no signs in English _____ the nearest supermarket or coffee shop. There are signs in Russian. ____ “espaciba” which means thanks, I don’t know much else. _____ I decided to smile at my every attempt to_______ and ask for information that would ______ me to an ATM and a coffee shop. It turned out that my efforts and my ______ were met with more smiles. I learned that ____ is to be found everywhere even _____ I cannot communicate, and that people will ____ depending on what I give.

Look around you for opportunities to learn from the most______ people. You will be surprised at what they can _____ you!

1.

A．principle

B．plan

C．person

D．reason

2.

A．excitedly

B．doubtfully

C．anxiously

D．differently

3.

A．up

B．down

C．away

D．out

4.

A．helps

B．compares

C．impresses

D．provides

5.

A．special

B．modern

C．beautiful

D．powerful

6.

A．ignore

B．forget

C．understand

D．create

7.

A．names

B．habits

C．behaviors

D．beliefs

8.

A．escape

B．suffer

C．hear

D．learn

9.

A．needed

B．refused

C．managed

D．failed

10.

A．leaving for

B．setting up

C．looking for

D．pointing to

11.

A．Except for

B．As for

C．According to

D．Instead of

12.

A．Yet

B．Or

C．So

D．Besides

13.

A．relax

B．communicate

C．explain

D．discuss

14.

A．force

B．lead

C．transport

D．follow

15.

A．thanks

B．signs

C．questions

D．smiles

16.

A．illness

B．weakness

C．kindness

D．happiness

17.

A．before

B．when

C．because

D．after

18.

A．respond

B．gain

C．bargain

D．benefit

19.

A．famous

B．useful

C．unexpected

D．familiar

20.

A．charge

B．teach

C．lend

D．require

10 . The following card includes a brief summary and a short assessment of a research paper. It can provide a guide for further reading on the topic.

Trevor, C. O., Lansford, B. and Black, J. W., 2004, “Employee turnover (人事变更) and job performance: monitoring the influences of salary growth and promotion”, Journal of Armchair Psychology, vol. 113, no.1, pp. 56-64.

In this article Trevor et al. review the influences of pay and job opportunities in respect of job performance, turnover rates and employees’ job attitude. The authors use data gained through organizational surveys of blue-chip companies in Vancouver, Canada to try to identify the main cause of employee turnover and whether it is linked to salary growth. Their research focuses on assessing a range of pay structures such as pay for performance and organizational reward plans. The article is useful as Trevor et al. suggest that there are numerous reasons for employee turnover and a variety of differences in employees’ job attitude and performance. The main limitation of the article is that the survey sample was restricted to mid-level management, thus the authors indicate that further, more extensive research needs to be undertaken to develop a more in-depth understanding of employee turnover and job performance. As this article was published in a professional journal, the findings can be considered reliable. It will be useful additional information for the research on pay structures.

1. The research paper published is primarily concerned with .

A．the way of preventing employee turnover

B．methods of improving employee performance

C．factors affecting employee turnover and performance

D．pay structures based on employee performance

2. As is mentioned in the card, the limitation of the research paper mainly lies in that      .

A．the data analysis is hardly reliable	B．the research sample is not wide enough
C．the findings are of no practical value	D．the research method is out-of-date

3. Who might be most interested in this piece of information?

A．Job hunters.	B．Employees in blue-chip companies.
C．Mid-level managers.	D．Researchers on employee turnover.