1 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.

A．show his magical power	B．pay for the delivery
C．satisfy his curiosity	D．please his mother

2. What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy’s house?

A．He wanted to have tea there.	B．He was a respectable person.
C．He was treated as a family member.	D．He was fully trusted by the family.

3. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now.	B．It has been driven out of the market.
C．Its service is getting poor.	D．It is not allowed by law.

4. Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A．He missed the good old days.	B．He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C．He needed it for his milk bottles.	D．He planted flowers in it.

2 . In 2011, the old style Malta buses were taken off the road and replaced by modern vehicles. Most of the old buses were deserted, a few were sold, and about 100 of them were put into storage in the hope of showing them in a museum at some stage.

A pre-2011 visit to Malta wouldn’t have been complete without a ride on one of the colorful buses. Until 1973 you could tell the destination of the bus just by looking at its color--Sliema was green and white, Zabbar was red and white with a blue stripe(条纹)etc. Later, the buses all had numbers. For a while, they were all painted green and white before the ‘final’ orange, yellow and white.

In their prime, walking around the Triton fountain at the Valletta bus station, you would have found it very difficult to see two buses of exactly the same design. Most of them had locally built bodies. On the front of the buses carried names like Dodge, Leyland, Bedford etc. You were equally likely to find football pennants(锦旗)and the like decorating the cabs. Real bus experts would have recognized that these were there mainly for decorative reasons, and were seldom an exact idea of the vehicle’s origins.

Nowadays much more modern buses are to be found at the Floriana bus station. They are more environmentally friendly and possibly even more comfortable than the older types. However, I miss the old buses. I remember, when you boarded your bus, you had to prepare the correct change to pay the usually bad-tempered driver as you got on. If you were seated anywhere near the front, you would have noticed that most drivers sat well to the right of their steering wheel. The reason for this, as any Maltese would tell you, was to leave space for their pet to sit alongside them. I wonder where the pet sits these days.

1. What makes a pre-2011 visit to Malta special according to Paragraph 2?

A．Traveling in colorful buses.

B．Using buses with stripes.

C．Painting buses bright colors.

D．Telling destinations by different colors.

2. Which of the following best explains ‘prime’ underlined in Paragraph 3?

A．the most painful time.	B．the loudest time.
C．the most disappointing time.	D．the strongest time.

3. What message does the author want to tell the readers about Malta buses?

A．They were of the same pattern.

B．The decorations showed their origin.

C．Most were uniquely designed.

D．Only football pennants decorated the cabs.

4. How would the author feel about the old style Malta buses?

A．Comfortable.	B．Environment-friendly.
C．Safe.	D．Memorable.

3 . We live in a technological society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor. Because of this, most people think that craft(手艺) no longer exists.
One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability(持久性). “Homes in those days were well-built,” ____say. No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship.
Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price. For example, more people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes. Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter(木匠) to build the stairway. Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways. And not only would these carpenters know how to build them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old.
One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools. Such tools as laser beams and power planes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts(精确切割)on the wood. Also, it is not uncommon any more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs.
The problem of modern quality, then, really boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material.
1. Compared to the carpenters in the past, modern carpenters are__________.

A．more learned	B．more successful
C．more imaginative	D．more hardworking

2. What does the underlined word “they” (paragraph2) refer to?________

A．Carpenters who are fond of oak stairways.

B．Carpenters who have college degrees.

C．people who think that modern material is of low quality.

D．people who think highly of carpenters of old

3. What does the third paragraph mainly discuss? ________

A．People in the past preferred to use oak to build stairways.

B．It is now expensive to employ a carpenter.

C．Good carpenters still exist in modern times.

D．Modern houses last as long as the old one.

4. What would be the best title for the text? ________

A．Craft, Back to Life.

B．Is Craft Dead.

C．History of Craftsmanship

D．Carpenters Today and Yesterday

4 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改一下你同桌写的作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误只涉及一个单词的增加，删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(^)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词，每句中最多有两处错误；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处）不计分。

I visited my aunt in the countryside near the city last week. I was surprising to see that great changes had been taken place in the countryside. Take my aunt’s family for example. We supply precious trees and flowers to the stores in the city and have ten worker working for them. Their family’s income reached as much 100,000 yuan last year. Not only did they have a house, a car and computers, they can also afford a trip abroad every year. When asking what else they needed most, they said that they wanted to learn a few English so that they could do business with foreigners directly. I think, with time goes by, my cousin can use that he has learned from university to help them with overseas trade.

5 . High school graduation—the bittersweet feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago.
As graduation day approached, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I was finally coming of age. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I wanted without someone looking over my shoulder and it meant going to school with boys—a welcome change coming from an all-girl high school. There was never any question in my mind that I would go to a college away from home. My mother’s idea, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Trying her best not to force her preferences on me, she would mildly ask whether I had considered particular schools—all of which happened to be located in or near my hometown of Chicago. Once it was established(建立) that, as long as the expenses would not be too heavy a burden on the family budget, I would be going away anyway, my family’s viewpoint changed. Their concern switched from whether I was going away to how far. The schools I was considering on the East Coast suddenly looked much more attractive than those in California. But which college I would attend was just one of what seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like? Would I be unbearably lonely not knowing anyone else who was going to the same school? Would the other students like me? Would I make friends easily? Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn’t be able to stand it? And what about the work—would I be able to keep up? (Being an A student in high school seemed to offer little hope I would be able to survive college.) What if the college I chose turned out to be a terrible mistake? Would I be able to switch to another school?
Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree turn. I really didn’t want to leave high school at all, and it was questionable whether I wanted to grow up after all. It had been nice being respected as a senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn’t enjoy the idea of being on the bottom rung of the ladder again.
Despite months of expectation, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar melody (旋律) of “Pomp and Circumstance” echoed in the background, I looked around at the other students in white caps and gowns as we seriously lined into the hall. Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was overcome by a rush of sadness. As if in a daze (恍惚), I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma(毕业文凭). As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a brand-new life. Exciting as the future of a new life seemed, it wasn’t easy saying good-bye to the old one—the familiar faces, the familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn’t particularly fond of and the long travel each day between home and school that I hated. Good or bad, it was what I knew.
That September, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university in Providence, Rhode Island. I needn’t have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still treasure today. Years later, financial difficulties forced my high school to close its doors forever. Although going back is impossible, it’s comforting to know I can revisit my special memories any time.
1. In this article the author mainly describes ________.

A．the great excitement before the graduation ceremony

B．her mixed feelings before graduation and on the actual graduation day

C．her happiness to be admitted to a wonderful university

D．her eagerness to go to a wonderful university far away from home

2. The author’s mother ________.

A．did not care very much which college her daughter went to

B．was greatly disappointed at her decision to go to a college on the East Coast

C．willingly allowed her to go to a college of her own choice

D．wished that she would study at a college or university close to home

3. Expectation and excitement suddenly changed into anxiety and fear. Which of the following did the author NOT mention as a reason for that change?

A．Growing homesick might seriously affect her physical health.

B．She might make a wrong choice and enter a university she did not like at all.

C．Her being a top student at high school did not mean she could be successful at college.

D．It might be hard for her to make friends in the new environment.

4. On the actual graduation day, ________.

A．she sang a song “Pomp and Circumstance”

B．she went through the whole ceremony in a daze

C．she came to realize that she was the only one who had a passion for her old school

D．reaching out for diploma, she was aware of a new stage in life ahead of her

5. The author adopts a(n)________ tone in writing this article.

A．negative	B．serious
C．emotional	D．cold-blooded

6 . Recently a Russian friend came to visit me. It was one of her lifelong dreams to visit London. She ______ at lunchtime and we ______ a tiring afternoon going round the Tower of London. ______, by 5 o'clock I couldn’t help ______ that she didn’t seem as enthusiastic as she had been ______. I asked if ______ was wrong and she said, “This is all very interesting but where is the ______ and where are the men in bowler hats (圆顶礼帽)? Why did everyone _____ to get on the bus at the bus stop instead of making a queue? It’s very ______ from the books I’ve read about England.”
Her______ made me think. It’s true that people don’t ______ much any more: nowadays you often find that everyone just jumps on the bus. Or maybe this is only in London. Also the idea of a man standing up and offering his______ to a woman on a train or bus is ______ these days, although my father still does it!
Speaking of the______: well, we all know that a hundred years ago there used to be fog all year round in London, but we______ have much fog; nowadays we have pollution from all the cars! Over the last few years in_____ London had been one of the hottest places in Europe, although we still get more than enough rain in the season.
What about the city men in their working “uniform”? Well, you can still see some city gentlemen in their smart ______ , but men hardly ever_____ bowler hats. A few things don’t ______, though. If you try to______ a conversation with an English person on the underground in London, she or he will probably look at you as if you were mad!1.

A．left

B．went

C．arrived

D．returned

2.

A．lost

B．spent

C．took

D．wasted

3.

A．However

B．But

C．So

D．And

4.

A．looking

B．understanding

C．watching

D．noticing

5.

A．earlier

B．later

C．recently

D．usual

6.

A．all

B．everything

C．nothing

D．something

7.

A．ticket

B．picture

C．fog

D．uniform

8.

A．wait

B．pull

C．back

D．push

9.

A．different

B．similar

C．familiar

D．strange

10.

A．notes

B．records

C．comments

D．lists

11.

A．stop

B．queue

C．stand

D．wait

12.

A．drink

B．book

C．seat

D．bag

13.

A．unusual

B．polite

C．different

D．common

14.

A．air

B．weather

C．pollution

D．season

15.

A．sooner or later

B．no more

C．no sooner

D．no longer

16.

A．autumn

B．spring

C．summer

D．winter

17.

A．dress

B．suits

C．jackets

D．shirts

18.

A．wear

B．mend

C．prepare

D．buy

19.

A．remain

B．continue

C．turn

D．change

20.

A．finish

B．start

C．stop

D．break

7 . About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的). Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below. I was one of those children, carefree and happy. I live on a street that is only one block long. I have lived on the same street for sixteen years. I love my street. One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end. When I think of home, I think of my street. Only I see it as it was before. Unfortunately things change. One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become. Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors.
It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won’t be around much longer. I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car. In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days. The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home. The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days. It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever.
The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings” as friends and peers move on. Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home. The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street. We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle. Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on. Children who rode tricycles now drive cars. The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways. Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison. Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days.
Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for new homes. For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill. The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street. We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag. The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill. When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same. It is a piece of my childhood. It is a visual reminder of being a kid. Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod.
There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change. But something happened. People grow up, and people grow old. Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved. In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors. I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction. It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child.
1. The writer calls up the memory of the street _____________.

A．every year when autumn comes

B．in the afternoon every day

C．every time he walks along his street

D．now that he is an old man

2. The writer finds it hard to accept the fact that _____________.

A．many of his good neighbors are growing old

B．the lady next door who used to yell at him and his brother is now a widow

C．the life of his neighbors has become very boring

D．the man in his black suit even wanted to end his own life

3. The writer thinks of the past all the more when he sees those who had grown up with him _____________.

A．continue to consider home to be the center of their lives

B．leave the neighborhood they grew up in

C．still enjoy playing card games in the evenings

D．develop new interests and have new dreams

4. The biggest change on the writer's street is _____________.

A．removing the hill to make way for residential development

B．the building of new homes behind his kitchen window

C．the fact that there are much fewer people around than in the past

D．the change in his childhood friends' attitude towards their neighborhood

5. What does the writer mean by saying “my street will be another pea in the pod”?

A．his street will be very noisy and dirty

B．his street will soon be crowded with people

C．his street will have some new attractions

D．his street will be no different from any other street

6. Which could be a good title for the passage?

A．The Past of My Street will Live Forever

B．Unforgettable People and Things of My Street

C．Memory Street Isn’t What It Used to Be

D．The Big Changes of My Street