I was just missing them already and looking for signs of their（)here.

A.You’re welcome

B.Just so-so

C.I don’t know

D.I don’t like it at all

years ago. Even though I own a home in Port St. Lucie just minutes from the ocean, an uncontrollable urge wells up to return to Long Island even as others make their way south. I guess I am a snowbird stuck in reverse. Instead of enjoying Florida’s mild winters, I willingly endure the severe weather on Long Island, the place I called home for 65 years.

I’m like a migratory bird that has lost its sense of timing and direction, my wings flapping against season.

So what makes me fly against the tide of snowbirds？ The answer has a lot to do with my reluctance to give up the things that define who I am. Once I hear that the temperature on Long Island has dipped into the range of 40 to 50 degrees, I begin to long for the sight and crackling sound of a wood fire. I also long for the bright display o£ colors — first in the fall trees, and then in the limits around homes and at Rockefeller Center. Floridians decorate too, but can’t create the special feel of a New England winter.

I suppose the biggest reason why I return is to celebrate the holidays with people I haven’t seen in months. What could be better than sitting with family and friends for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, or watching neighbors’ children excitedly open gifts on Christmas？ Even the first snowfall seems special. I especially enjoy seeing a bright red bird settling on a snow-covered branch (My wife and I spend winters at a retirement community in Ridge, and I’m grateful that I don’t have to shovel.)

While these simple pleasures are not unique to Long Island, they are some of the reasons why I come back. Who says you can’t go home？

(1) What does the underlined word "snowbird" in Paragraph 1 refer to？()

A.A person spending winter in a warmer climate.

B.A bird seen chiefly in winter.

C.A person permanently living in a foreign country.

D.A bird flying to the south in winter.

(2)What’s the difference between Florida and Long Island？()

A.Winters in Long Island are milder.

B.The snowbirds in Long Island are rarer.

C.Weather in Long Island is severer.

D.Long Island is nearer to the ocean.

(3) What did the author miss most when he was in Florida？()

A.The colorful light display.

B.The family gathering.

C.The cold temperature.

D.The winter landscape.

(4)Which of the following is TRUE according to the text？()

A. The author enjoyed living in Florida .

B. The author had a good time in Florida.

C. The author owned a home in Florida.

D. The author did not like mild weather.

(5)What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text？()

A.To praise the beauty and warmth of his hometown.

B.To describe his dream to be a free bird.

C.To explain the reasons for moving from his hometown.

D.To express his feeling of missing his hometown.

y,“I don't know.”翻译

A、I'm finest

B、Thanks

C、it's several years

D、Just so-so

A.mean business

B.make concessions

C.pack up

D.hang up

A、You’re welcome

B、Thank you

C、Sorry, I don’t know

D、Just the work of a secretary

it. Appetite is the ______ of living; it is one of the ______ that tell you that you are still______to exist. That you still have an _____ on your longings and want to ____into the world and taste its multitudinous flavors and ___. By appetite, I don’t mean just the _____ for food, but any condition of unsatisfied desire.

t, and she didn't tell him. She didn't tell him, and, you know, she was petrified that he's gonna find out what she did, and then he's not gonna want her, and he's not gonna want the baby ... She got so wrecked about it that she burned thousands of dollars worth of paychecks. Who does that？ And I tried to get her to just relax and to think about the publicity, or think about an abortion, or think about, you know, her word. "Just keep your word."

Monica is （) to think so, on both （). Now a 40-year-old mother of four, she is preside

nt of a public sector labor union with 45,000 members. "() with my employees are probably different from those of male managers () me," she says. "I know what it's like to have to call and say my kid got the () so I won't be coming in. I have a more () style. - not soft, just more understanding." The man who is Monica's () agrees, "She tends to () more and is always looking for a (). People are happy and flourish because they have an input into decisions and they are not mere (); their energies are harnessed. On the other hand, consensus takes longer."

I made a pledge to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage.For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father.Totally loving.No ifs, ands or buts.

The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio.The speaker was quoting a Biblical (圣经的) passage about husbands being thoughtful of heir wives.Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will.A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband.Well, for two weeks that would change.

And it did.Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.”

“Oh, Tom, you noticed,” she said, surprised and pleased.Maybe a little puzzled.

After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read.Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach.I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.

So it went.Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums.Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed.I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.

There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however.Evelyn and I still laugh about it today.On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.

“What’s the matter？” I asked her.

“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “do you know something I don’t？”

“What do you mean？”

“Well… that checkup (体检) I had several weeks ago … our doctor… did he tell you something about me？ Tom, you’ve been so good to me… am I dying？”

It took a moment for it all to sink in.then I burst out laughing.

“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms.“You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”

26.In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means “_________”.

A.unintentionally

B.inevitably

C.impressively

D.unconditionally

27.From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ________.

A.with his family

B.with Evelyn

C.alone

D.with his children

28.During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ____________.

A.she looked lovely in her new clothes

B.he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm

C.he was determined to be a good husband

D.she was seriously ill

29.The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What was the one thing that went wrong？

A.He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.

B.She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.

C.He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.

D.He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.

30.By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ____________.

A.he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life

B.he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband

C.he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change

D.he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the words and expressions froma list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Each choiceshould be used only once. Maria is a failure as a n 1 . The Reverend Mother sends her off in answer t 2 a letter from a retired naval captain for a g 3 for his seven children. There is aloofness in Captain Von Trapp; however, it is just a disguise for the sadness caused by his wife’s death. Maria teaches the children to sing and brings vitality b 4 to the large house. The Captain loves singing and thanks Maria for what she has done for his family. He calls o 5 his engagement with the beautiful Baroness for he realizes that he has f 6 in love with Maria, and so has Maria. They get married and go on their h 7 . When they come back, the Nazis attempt to draft Captain Von Trapp i 8 the Naval Forces of The Third Reich. After their sensational p 9 at the music festival and with some help from the abbey, the Von Trapps escape o 10 the Alps into Switzerland.