2 . A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.

Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was, “No charge,” she said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.

As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage (抵押贷款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d begun to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans.

It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no plans to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me while he went to England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.

Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance.

1. What do we know about James Kennedy?

A．He was a writer of an online magazine.

B．He was a poet at the University of Florida.

C．He offered the author a new house free of charge.

D．He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail

2. It can be inferred from the text that ______.

A．the author’s family was in financial difficulty

B．rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster

C．houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area

D．the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank

3. The author learned from his experience that ______.

A．worldly possessions can be given up when necessary

B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases

C．people benefit from their sad stories

D．human beings are kind after all

3 . When I was a kid,I was the girl who kept the training wheels on my bike as long as possible.Even my younger sister had got rid of them much earlier than me.But as I began to grow older,this changed.

All this happened on the Bike Safety Day.It is supposed to be a fun day at school when all of us kids bring our bikes to school and the school provides us with the opportunity to ride outside and learn proper bike safety.Sounds like fun,right?No.In fact,it caused me to panic.What was I going to say when my friends asked me about my training wheels?

With the pressure of everyone seeing my training wheels,I determined to let them go.This was the first big change I’d ever made on my own.

I went to my parents and told them all about my dilemma.They were more than happy to help.We went outside and got my bike.Instead of running away and hiding behind,I stood in front of my bike and took great pride in my decision as my dad removed the training wheels.

I got on and steadied myself.My heart raced but my feet and hands were calm.My dad started to push before my feet even moved and suddenly I was off.The fear faded away and a relaxed mind came into its place.It was crazy to think how quickly I learned something that took so long for me to even try!

My confidence soared (高涨).This was going to be the start of a brand new world for me.My accomplishment would carry me forth to new goals and wins.I realized that if I set my mind on doing something,I could achieve it.

1. What does the school expect the students to do on Bike Safety Day?

A．Have their bikes checked.

B．Ride outside for fun.

C．Acquire bike safety skills.

D．Remove the training wheels.

2. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The author’s friends.	B．The author’s parents.
C．The safety problems.	D．The training wheels.

3. What happened when the author finally rode without the training wheels?

A．She felt extremely embarrassed.

B．Everything turned out to be easy.

C．She ended up falling down.

D．Her sisters followed her example.

4. What does the author think is necessary for her to achieve a goal?

A．Patience.	B．Determination.
C．Pressure.	D．Concentration.

6 . For years going home for the holidays has been bittersweet. I appreciate the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom but it is painful for me to see her house littered with stuff.Clothes bought but never worn, and new items in their original packaging carelessly purchased and never used. It’s evident that seeing the stuff on a daily basis reminds my mom of a time when shopping was her way of spending money.

I didn’t fully understand the extent to which my mom was suffering until this week, when I saw piles of clothes on her bed. “How do you manage to sleep every night with all that stuff, Mom?” I asked. To my horror, she replied, “I do it because I know I have to get rid of all this stuff eventually; I am punishing myself by sleeping with them until I do that. ”

Shocked and upset, I gently explained to her that punishing herself was only to make things worse,and that everybody deserves a place to sleep in peace, no matter what mistakes they’ve made. I suggested she move all the stuff upstairs, leaving her room comfortable to sleep in.

With patience and her slow but steady guidance, I helped her go through some of the piles and move them upstairs. For the rest of the week I stayed there, she was in a better mood and was excited about going through the rest of the house to finally get rid of her stuff—past mistakes and painful times. The items brought back painful memories as we inspected and moved them, but I kept reminding her that removing them would allow her to move on and heal. We finally sold so many things and took bag after bag to charity.

The stuff is just a sign of the destructive patterns of self-hatred on past mistakes. Only through the act of self-forgiveness can we bring about a chain reaction of reorganizing—both of the house and heart.

1. What made the author feel bitter?

A．She couldn’t understand her mom’s sorrows.

B．Her mom was stuck in the painful memories.

C．Her mom was always left alone at home.

D．Her mom wasted money on useless things.

2. The underlined word “that” in the second paragraph refers to _______.

A．getting rid of the stuff	B．buying the stuff
C．opening the stuff	D．moving the stuff

3. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．the author never bought her mom anything

B．the author’s mom has no money to purchase now

C．the author’s mom regrets buying so many things

D．the author knows her mom’s suffering only this week

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to do shopping wisely

B．Clearance helps reorganize the house

C．Keep an eye on the elderly’s behavior

D．Self-forgiveness makes a difference

8 . Ten years ago, I went on a vacation in Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic (全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.

Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.

Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn't want to mess with that. Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway.

Now when I look at the photo, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.

This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who "ruined" it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured and frozen on some strangers bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don't even know has been immortalized (使永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.

Perhaps we all live in each other's spaces. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us. That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.

1. What happened when the author was about to take a photo?

A．Her camera stopped working.	B．A friend approached from behind.
C．Someone asked her to leave.	D．A woman blocked her view.

2. According to the author, the woman was probably ________.

A．losing her patience	B．enjoying herself
C．waiting for the sunset	D．thinking about her past

3. In the author's opinion, what makes the photo so alive?

A．The woman's existence in the photo.	B．The perfect positioning of the camera.
C．The rich color of the landscape.	D．The soft sunlight that summer day.

4. The photo on the bedroom wall enables the author to better understand ________.

A．the need to be close to nature	B．the importance of private space
C．the shared passion for beauty	D．the joy of the vacation in Italy

9 . It is dark now when I begin my early morning walk in the woods. And now that autumn has marched into winter, darkness persists well beyond my 6 a. m. start time.

Paths have become familiar after years of hiking. But rocks and tree roots have magically appeared from previously ________ ground.

Certainly I hit my toe against or ________ on some unseen barriers. Fallen branches from last night’s storm ________ in wait. Layers of autumn leaves create a false floor through which my trusting footsteps ________. Sometimes a piece of moon donates some ________ to the mystery path. But when skies are dark, there are no ________ clues for where I step.

My very first night hike was during summer camp on a warm August night in the woods. Our leader ________ bright flashlights so we would not scare away the night creatures we hoped to find.

“See with your ________，” the leader told us over and over again.

________， that advice took effect. With ________ and courage, it didn’t take long before our feet became ________ to the ground’s textures(质地) and irregularities. Toes learned to ________ for barriers before trusting full weight on feet. Holes and dips in the ground were detected in ________ of possible fall…

But mistakes ________ happened. My foot got caught on a trip and I fell. Since the pace was ________， there was little damage except to pride. Once ________， I paused to feel the firmness of earth beneath me.

On my way home, as dawn ________ day, I thought about how similar night hikes were to journeys through life.

The same rules often ________ for both: slow down, concentration, “see” with new senses —and don’t be ________. Although the path is full of ________— hidden barriers, false surface, wet floor — the earth is solid and firm beneath. It is the nature of night ground. It is the nature of life.

1.

A．wet

B．soft

C．level

D．hard

2.

A．step

B．tour

C．go

D．trip

3.

A．stand

B．lie

C．stain

D．hang

4.

A．sink

B．break

C．walk

D．remove

5.

A．coldness

B．courage

C．loneliness

D．light

6.

A．vague

B．typical

C．visual

D．conscious

7.

A．shone

B．forbade

C．removed

D．collected

8.

A．eyes

B．toes

C．hands

D．feet

9.

A．Amazingly

B．Directly

C．Possibly

D．Luckily

10.

A．contribution

B．appreciation

C．concentration

D．expectation

11.

A．suspicious

B．cautious

C．sensitive

D．tentative

12.

A．head

B．explore

C．clarify

D．assess

13.

A．advance

B．search

C．need

D．spite

14.

A．also

B．even

C．still

D．ever

15.

A．rapid

B．mild

C．gentle

D．slow

16.

A．up

B．out

C．down

D．away

17.

A．made up for

B．made way for

C．made use of

D．made sense of

18.

A．suit

B．work

C．answer

D．apply

19.

A．scared

B．confused

C．disappointed

D．annoyed

20.

A．darkness

B．hopelessness

C．anxieties

D．uncertainties

10 . Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic (全景的) view of the blue sea, white building and green olive trees, I paused to ach my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.

Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view. Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn’t want to mess with that.

Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway.   And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.

This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who “ruined” it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured (捕捉) and frozen on some stranger’s bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don’t even know has been immortalized (使永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.

Perhaps we all live in each other’s space. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us.

That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.

1. What happened when the author was about to take a photo?

A．Her camera stopped working.	B．A woman blocked her view.
C．Someone asked her to leave.	D．A friend approached from behind.

2. In the author’s opinion, what makes the photo so alive?

A．The rich color of the landscape.	B．The perfect positioning of the camera.
C．The woman’s existence in the photo.	D．The soft sunlight that summer day.

3. The photo on the bedroom wall enables the author to better understand ________.

A．the need to be close to nature	B．the importance of private space
C．the joy of the vacation in Italy	D．the shared passion for beauty

4. The passage can be seen as the author’s reflections upon ________.

A．a particular life experience	B．the pleasure of traveling
C．the art of photography	D．a lost friendship