1 . 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. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |
2 . It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned. Fortunately, such moments are usually not obvious(明显的) to the listeners. Why? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. They hear only what the speaker does say. If you lose your place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain point, no one will be any the wiser. When such moments occur, don't worry about them. Just continue as if nothing happened.
Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that doesn't really matter. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King's famous speech---"I have a Dream", you may notice that he stumbles(结巴) over his words twice during the speech. Most likely, however, you don't remember. Why? Because you were fixing your attention on his message rather than on his way of speech-making.
People care a lot about making a mistake in a speech because they regard speech-making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication(交流). They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition. But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performer. They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker's ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker's attractiveness by making him more human.
As you work on your speech, don't worry about being perfect. Once you free your mind of this, you will find it much easier to give your speech freely.
1. The underlined part in the first paragraph means that no one will ______.| A．be smarter than you | B．notice your mistakes |
| C．do better than you | D．know what you are talking about |
| A．your attention is on the content |
| B．you don't fully understand the speech |
| C．you don't know what the speaker plans to say |
| D．you find the way of speech-making more important |
| A．giving a speech is like giving a performance |
| B．one or two mistakes in a speech may not be bad |
| C．the listeners should pay more attention to how a speech is made |
| D．the more mistakes a speaker makes, the more attractive he will be. |
| A．How to Be a Perfect Speaker | B．How to Make a Perfect Speech |
| C．Don't Expect a Perfect Speech | D．Don't Expect Mistakes in a Speech |
3 . Rules for the University Entrance Examination
●You must be at the examination center ten minutes before the examination starts. If you are more than ten minutes late, you may not enter the examination center. The examination takes place at the same time in different states.
●You must have proof of your name and grade as well as official examination number. Show these when you come to the examination center.
●Depending on which examination you are taking, you may bring certain items into the examination center. Mathematics examinations may allow you to use electronic calculators (计算器). Other subjects may allow you to use dictionaries and other reference material. Please read the notes sent with your timetable carefully.
●You must bring your own pencils. None will be provided for you. The following items are not allowed in the examination center: walkmans and radios, head sets, any food or drink, schoolbags, electronic equipment (unless specifically permitted for various subjects), and mobile phones.
●Once in the center, you must sit at the desk with your examination number on it. When you sit down, place your examination number at the top corner of your desk.
●You must remain silent during the examination. You must not disturb other people who are taking the test.
●If you need a drink or toilet break, you should raise your hand and wait for the supervisor (监督者) to speak to you. You will be given water or the supervisor will take you to the bathroom. You are not allowed to talk with anyone during the break.
●You must write your answers in the official answer sheet. Your supervisor will provide extra paper if you wish to make notes.
●You may leave the examination room at any time if you do not plan to return. If you finish early and want to leave, please move well away from the examination center.
●The supervisor will warn you fifteen minutes, five minutes and one minute before the end of the examination. When the supervisor says that the time is up, you must put down your pencil and wait at your desk until your paper is collected.
1. What kind of examination are these rules probably for?| A．A local exam. | B．A final exam. |
| C．A college exam. | D．A national exam. |
| A．Related material. | B．Proof of yourself. |
| C．A cell phone. | D．A dictionary. |
| A．Take some notes carefully. |
| B．Leave the room immediately. |
| C．Remain in your seat and check again. |
| D．Raise your hand to inform your teacher. |
| A．Pencils. | B．Food and drink. |
| C．Extra paper. | D．Calculators. |
