The man’s story was so ________ that I didn’t know whether to believe him or not.

Big Ben is the great clock high up in the tower of the Parliament building.Big Ben's story started in 1834.In that year the old parliament building burned down.Its clock tower crashed to the ground.There had to be a new building and a new clock.

Plans were made.They called for a "King of Clocks, the biggest and best in the world？ So the clock had to be big.And it had to keep very good time.The big clock was made in two years.But it couldn't be put in the tower.The tower wasn't even built! Five more years went by before the clock tower was finished.Then the giant hour bell was put in place.It rang out for the first time on July 11, 1859.

The great bell had to have a name.A meeting of Parliament was called to pick one.The clock is the King of Clocks？one man said."Why not call the Queen of Bells？"

"Then why not Victoria？"said another.(Victoria was the British queen at that time.)

The talk about names went on and on.Then Benjamin Hall got up to speak.He was a big man whom the others liked.By this time they were all tired.Someone shouted."Why not call it Big Ben？"

Everybody laughed, and the meeting broke up.But Big Ben it was from then on.Not just the bell, but the whole clock.

(1) The new clock began striking years after the old clock had crashed down.

A.2

B.5

C.15

D.25

(2) The plans said that the new clock had to.

A.be named at a parliament meeting

B.be called Big Ben

C.be made in two years

D.be big and keep good time

(3) The clock tower was built five years after.

A.the clock was made

B.the hour bell was made

C.the old Parliament building burned down

D.the new Parliament building was completed

(4) Originally, the British Parliament called the meeting in order to name.

A.the clock

B.the bell

C.the clock tower

D.the whole building

(5) Big Ben was named after.

A.the king of England

B.the British queen

C.a man in Parliament

D.the clock maker

hile the youth stood on the landing-place searching in his pockets for money, the boatman lifted a lantern. By the newly risen moon, he took a very careful look at the stranger's appearance. He was a young man of eighteen years with brown, curly hair, well-shaped features. His bright, cheerful eyes were nature's gifts, and worth all that art could have done for his adornment (装饰. And now, as it seemed, he was on his first visit to town. He was wearing a rough gray coat, which was in good shape, but which had seen many winters before this one. In his left hand was a walking stick, and a leather bag in his right hand. The bag seemed not so much stocked. The youth, whose name was Robin, paid the boatman, and then walked forward into the town with a light step, as if he had not already traveled more than thirty miles that day. As he walked, he surveyed his surroundings as eagerly as if he were entering London or Madrid, instead of the little metropolis (中心城市 ) of a New England colony

1.What time of year was it in this story？()

A、Spring

B、Summer

C、Fall

D、Winter

2.At what time of day did Robin cross the river？()

A、Morning

B、Midday

C、Late afternoon

D、Night

3.Robin was apparently going to town()

A、to buy new clothes

B、for the first time

C、for the first time in several years

D、on one of his regular trips there

4.How did Robin appear as he walked into town()

A、He was cheerful and excited.

B、He was tired

C、He seemed very sad.

D、He seemed frightened by the strange surroundings

5.How far had Robin traveled？()

A、Over thirty miles

B、From Madrid

C、From a nearby town

D、From London

students on important things in life and about 36 ourselves to what is important to us.This is how the story went:

An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the 37He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street comer and 38 .He would do this every single day of his life.He sat at the same street comer and begged for almost 20 years.

His house was dirty, and a stench came out of the house and it smelled 39 .The neighbors could not 40 the smell anymore, so they called the police officers to 41 the place.The officers 42 down the door and cleaned the house.There were small bags of 43 all over the house that he had 44 over the years.

The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a 45 .They waited outside his house in anticipation (预料) to 46 the good news with him.When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no 47 for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

He said 48 at all; he went into his house and locked the door.The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the street and continued to beg.

49 , this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything 50 for his life.We learn nothing from this story other than staying 51 the things we enjoy doing: commitment(信奉).

We should remain true to our course, which may mean devoting yourselves to things that people around you would 52 disapprove of.Let nothing distract us from being happy, let nothing else determine our fate, but 53.

What makes us happy is 54 matters in the end…not what we acquire (获得).

This particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget.Every time I don't concentrate on course, I get reminded 55 this story.

36.A.attracting

B.agreeing

C.believing

D.devoting

37.A.street

B.factory

C.subway

D.airport

38.A.beg

B.wait

C.attempt

D.evaluate

39.A.pleasant

B.horrible

C.endless

D.serious

40.A.explain

B.forget

C.judge

D.tolerate

41.A.clear

B.remove

C.control

D.inspect

42.A.put

B.took

C.knocked

D.cut

43.A.rubbish

B.money

C.waste

D.food

44.A.managed

B.stole

C.arranged

D.collected

45.A.millionaire

B.gentleman

C.boss

D.gift

46.A.satisfy

B.share

C.believe

D.report

47.A.need

B.doubt

C.chance

D.result

48.A.something

B.anything

C.everything

D.nothing

49.A.Clearly

B.Actually

C.Surprisingly

D.Suddenly

50.A.fortunate

B.possible

C.significant

D.worth

51.A.acted out

B.called on

C.turned to

D.focused on

52.A.normally

B.crazily

C.finally

D.completely

53.A.others

B.the others

C.ourselves

D.some

54.A.when

B.that

C.what

D.which

55.A.with

B.of

C.on

D.from

who had obtained his transportation at that unusual hour by promising an extra fare. While the youth stood on the landing-place searching in his pocket for money，the ferryman lifted a lantern，by the aid of which，together with the newly risen moon，he took a very accurate survey of the stranger's figure. He was a young man of barely eighteen years，evidently country bred，and now，as it seemed，on his first visit to town. He was wearing a tough gray coat，which was in good shape，but which had seen many winters before this. The garments under his coat were well constructed of leather，and fitted tightly to a pair of muscular legs;his stockings of blue yarn must have been the work of a mother or sister，and on his head was a three-cornered hat，which in its better days had perhaps sheltered the grayer head of the lad's father. In his left hand was a walking stick，and his equipment was completed by a leather bag not so abundantly stocked as to inconvenience the strong shoulders on which it hung. Brown，curly hair，well-shaped features，bright，cheerful eyes were nature's gifts，and worth all that art could have done for his adornment. The youth，whose name was Robin，paid the boatman，and then walked forward into the town with a light step，as if he had not already traveled more than thirty miles that day. As he walked，he surveyed his surroundings as eagerly as if he were entering London or Madrid，instead of the little metropolis of a New England colony.

66.The story took place in ____.

A. spring

B. summer

C. fall

D. winter

67. The boatman was willing to take Robin across the river because___.

A. he wanted to make extra money

B. he saw that Robin was young and rich

C. he was going to row across the river anyway

D. he felt sorry for him because Robin looked poor

68. The stockings that Robin wore were obviously _____.

A. worn-out

B. very expensive

C. handmade

D. much too big

69. From the way he looked，it was evident that Robin was ____.

A. a wealthy merchant's son

B. a country boy

C. a soldier

D. a foreigner

70.How did Robin appear as he walked into the town？

A. He was cheerful and excited.

B. He was tired.

C. He seemed very sad.

D. He seemed frightened by the strange surroundings

rgettable travel experience on a plane in praise of people's fine deeds and the touching human relations witnessed at a critical moment.()

A、简单句

B、并列句

C、主从复合句

D、并列主从复合句

ing to each other, they have to find out the differences without looking at each other’s pictures. What is the name of this speaking activity.

A.Reaching a consensus

B.Describe and arrange

C.Find out the difference

D.Work out the story

The True Story of a Young Man

When Reginald Lindsay received a scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, what he wanted most was a good job with a good salary. But soon he became interested in the civil rights movement. At present he has a plan which he hopes will take him to Congress as a southern representative.Now in his first year at Harvard Law School, Reg is making careful plans. After earning his degree, he expects to return to the South to practice law among the poor. "I want to help them understand what their rights are and to help them achieve them," he says. Then he hopes to run for political office at the local and state level until he is ready to try for Congress.Reg grew up in a low-income Negro section of Birmingham, Alabama. Brought up by his grandparents after his parents were divorced while he was very young, Reg has been living through a period of far-reaching progress in race relations. In the summer of 1968 Reg himself became a good example of this progress when he became the first Negro student appointed to a special new program. The program introduces bright young students to the workings of the Georgia State government and encourages them to seek employment there after finishing their education. "I've been lucky," he says. "I seem to have been in the right place at the right time."

But luck is only part of Reg's story, for he has made the most of opportunities that came his way. He learned to read in kindergarten and began visiting the public library regularly to borrow books. His grandparents encouraged him, though neither of them had much education, and they bought him a set of encyclopedias. "I loved those books," he re- members. "I used to come downstairs before breakfast and read short articles. I enjoyed reading about famous men, and then I would pretend to be one of them. I guess it was partly a childish game and partly an escape. It wasn't too much fun to be a Negro when I was a kid."

While studying for his bachelor's degree at Morehouse College, Reg worked on several political campaigns helping candidates get elected to government offices. At the same time he maintained a "B" average while majoring in political science. He worked as a student advisor to earn extra money for his college expenses, and he was granted a scholarship for a year of study at the University of Valencia in Spain.With just two more years to complete at Harvard Law School, which also gave him a scholarship, Reg has made a good start on his professional career. He says, "The good life for me is the kind of life where I can find satisfaction in public service."

1.When Mr. Lindsay received a scholarship to Morehouse College, he wanted to ____

A、become a southern representative in Congress

B、participate in the civil rights movement

C、get a good job with good pay

D、help candidates get elected to government office

2.We learn from the passage that Lindsay ____

A、spent his childhood with his grandparents

B、loved to read history books

C、had well-educated grandparents

D、learned to read after his parents divorced

3.Lindsay felt that ____

A、reading about famous men would help him to succeed

B、pretending to be a famous person was a way to escape from the realities of life

C、reading in the public library was a good way to educate himself

D、reading widely would provide him with many opportunities in the future

4.In Lindsay's time, ____ .

A、there was a great improvement in race relations

B、black people were still looked down upon

C、the Georgia State government encouraged black students to work for it

D、it was impossible for blacks to enter famous universities

5.According to the passage, Lindsay's purpose in life was to ____

A、become a famous lawyer

B、be elected to political office at the local level

C、get another scholarship to study abroad

D、serve the public

A.ill; deeply

B.sick; deep

C.sick; deeply

D.ill; deep

Paying Your Way

There were red faces at one of Britain's biggest banks recently. They had accepted a telephone order to buy ￡ 100,000 worth of shares from a fifteen-year-old schoolboy (they thought he was twenty-one. The shares fell in value and the schoolboy was unable to pay up. The bank lost ￡ 20,000 on the deal which it cannot get back because, for one thing, this young speculator does not have the money and, for another, being under eighteen, he is not legally liable for his debts. If the shares had risen in value by the same amount that they fell, he would have pocketed ￡ 20,000 profit. Not bad for a fifteen-year-old. It certainly is better than delivering the morning newspaper. In another recent case, a boy of fourteen found, in his grandmother's house, a suitcase full of foreign banknotes. The clean, crisp, banknotes looked very convincing but they were now not used in their country of origin or anywhere else. This young boy headed straight to the nearest bank with his pockets filled with notes. The cashiers did not realise that the country in question had reduced the value of its currency by 90%. They exchanged the notes at their face value at the current exchange rate. In three days, before he was found out, he took ￡ 200,000 from nine different banks. Amazingly, he had already spent more than half of this on taxi- rides, restaurant meals, concert tickets and presents for his many new girlfriends (at least he was generous!) before the police caught up with him. Because he is also under eighteen the banks have kissed goodbye to a lot of money, and several cashiers have lost their jobs.Should we admire these youngsters for being enterprising and showing initiative or condemn them for their dishonesty？ Maybe they had managed for years with tiny amounts of pocket money that they got from tight-listed parents. Maybe they had done Saturday jobs for peanuts. It is hardly surprising, given the expensive things that young people want to buy, such as fashionable running shoes and computer games, if they sometimes think up more imaginative ways of making money than delivering newspapers and baby-sitting. These lads saw the chance to make a lot of money and took it.Another recent story which should give us food for thought is the case of the man who paid his six-year-old daughter ￡ 300 a week pocket money. He then charged her for the food she ate and for her share of the rent and household bills. After paying for all this, she was left with a few coins for her piggy bank.. "She will soon learn the value of money," he said. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has to be paid for and the sooner she learns that the better." At the other extreme there are fond parents who provide free bed and board for their grown-up children. While even the most hard-hearted parents might hesitate to throw their children out on the streets, we all know of people in their late twenties who still shamelessly live off their parents. Surely there comes a time when every- one has to leave the parental nest, look after themselves and pay their own way in life. But when is it？

1.One of Britain's biggest banks recently ____

A、received a telephone order to buy shares for a twenty-one year old

B、lost a lot of money because the shares they bought fell in value

C、bought quite a lot of shares for a customer and caused him to lose money

D、lost money as its young customer did not have the money to pay his debts

2.According to the passage, the young customer would have ____

A、earned ￡ 20,000, if the shares had gone up in value by the same amount they fell

B、paid his debts, if he had had the money to do so

C、continued to cheat banks, if he had not been found out

D、to go to prison, if he did not pay the money back

3.The writer's attitude to the example of the two boys who cheated the banks is ____

A、positive

B、questioning

C、neutral

D、negative

4.The reason why the man paid his daughter ￡300 a week pocket money and then required her to pay for her living expenses was that he wanted her to learn ____

A、to bear the hardships of life

B、how to live comfortably on her own pocket money

C、the value of money

D、how to save money

5.It can be concluded from the article that the writer believes that ____

A、parents should give more pocket money to their children

B、children should leave the parental nest as soon as possible

C、grown-up children should support themselves

D、children should learn to be economical

ed of having his intelligence insulted.

A、infectious

B、imperative

C、invalid

D、indignant

A、to and fro

B、foot by foot

C、by and by

D、again and again