Mom had lived in a nursing home for the past three and a half years, suffering the increasing effects of dementia(老年痴呆). They were tough years, actually   21  for us family members than for her, I believe. She suffered very little __22__ in those final years, less than she __23__ when living in her own home. This was because other people took better care of her than she did herself.

All dementia is not alike. Mom’s form   24  her short-term memory more than her long-term memory. By the time she went to the nursing home, her short-term memory was _25__ non-existent. We learned to _26___ our conversations with her to old things of the past. Usually, she could connect with these __27__ and seem to enjoy us __28___ about them. I noticed in her last year that her long-term memory was __29___., too. And it became ever more __30_ to engage her. In her last six months, we had very little __31___ of her responding, though a few times she __32__us. So, when we called her, we would just __33___ to tell her about our lives, things we were doing, things our children and grandchildren were doing. The __34__ would be short. We would tell her we loved her; she would either be __35__ or make some grunting(咕哝) sounds.

__36__ I expected Mom’s death, it was still bad news to hear. She is __37___. Even one-way conversations were more __38__ than no conversations.

So now, all we have are __39__ and a few physical items that were hers or gifts from her. On Mother’s Day this year we will send no __40__, no gift, make no call. But we will remember her.

1.                A．luckier         B．quicker         C．busier    D．harder

 

2.                A．worry          B．pain           C．noise D．fear

 

3.                A．reported       B．suggested       C．noticed   D．heard

 

4.                A．led            B．bothered       C．blamed   D．attacked

 

5.                A．never          B．almost          C．still  D．again

 

6.                A．give           B．practice        C．direct    D．pass

 

7.                A．schedules       B．experiences     C．data D．poisons

 

8.                A．hearing         B．asking          C．caring    D．talking

 

9.                A．performing      B．finishing        C．failing    D．changing

 

10.               A．difficult        B．strange         C．necessary  D．hopeful

 

11.               A．opportunity     B．choice         C．expectation    D．sign

 

12.               A．promised       B．annoyed        C．fooled D．surprised

 

13.               A．plan           B．continue        C．happen   D．pretend

 

14.               A．voice          B．calls           C．treatments D．happiness

 

15.               A．disappointed    B．friendly        C．sure  D．silent

 

16.               A．Because        B．If             C．Though    D．But

 

17.               A．followed        B．left            C．lost   D．gone

 

18.               A．disturbing       B．relaxing        C．satisfying  D．challenging

 

19.               A．memories       B．hopes          C．rules D．excuses

 

20.               A．bill            B．card           C．problem   D．mail

 

 

I’m planning to hold a party in the open air,but I can make no guarantees because it  　　the weather.

A.links with　　　　　　　　　　　　　B.depends on

C.connects to　　　　　　　　　　　　　D.decides on

Billy Joe Saunders is aiming for boxing gold at the Beijing Olympics but may have created history already.

As far as he knows, the 18-year-old welterweight from Hatfield is the first person from the Romany Gypsy community to qualify for an Olympic Games.

Billy Joe clinched （最终获得）his place at a qualifying event in Italy earlier this month and is one of seven boxers to make Team GB for Beijing.

Billy Joe Saunders is not the only British boxer with genuine（真的）medal prospects for Beijing, but his background has to be the most fascinating.

He comes from the Romany Gypsy community and lives on a caravan site near Hatfield in Hertfordshire.

Boxing runs deep in the Saunders family, who are immensely proud of their heritage.

His brother Tommy is a professional（职业的）, while his Dad Tom was an amateur and his great, great grandfather, the wonderfully named Absolom Beeny, now aged 96, used to make his living fighting in the old boxing booth at fairgrounds.

Billy Joe admits he has heard all the stories a hundred times, but once he and his brother had visited the local boxing club, he was hooked.

"Boxing has kept me off the streets, stops me smoking and drinking and gives me something to do", he said.

His background may be colorful, but make no mistake, Billy Joe Saunders is one very special boxer.

As a boy he wasn't the most naturally gifted, but had an inner toughness that set him apart from other fighters.

His trainer, Danny Hoy, said: "When I saw him have to dig down into his boots against much older boys, I thought this kid is not the same as anyone else. There is something with this kid".

It is that something which made Billy Joe a real prospect for London 2012, so qualification for Beijing means he is effectively four years ahead of schedule.

He remembers watching Amir Khan win silver in Athens four years ago, and wants to go one better. "I'm aiming for gold, simple as that", he said.

51．Where did Billy clinch his place as a boxer to make Team GB for Beijing.

A. At Beijing                                 B. At Romany Gypsy community     

C. In Italy                                                D. In Britain

52．The underlined word " amateur" (in Para. 3) here means ________

A. a person who takes part in boxing only for pleasure    

B. a person who takes part in boxing as his job

C. a coach who teaches boxing

D. a player who takes part in baseball

53．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Billy’s brother is a professional boxer.   

B. Absolom’s son is not a professional boxer.

C. Billy was very interested in the local boxing club.

D. Billy was the most naturally gifted when he was still a very young boy.

54．It can be inferred from the passage that________

A. His coach thought Billy was gifted to be a boxer when he saw Billy’s boots against older boys.

B. It was Boxing that has kept Billy off the streets.

C. Billy won a silver medal in Athens Olympic Games..

D. Billy will compete in Beijing Olympic Games four years ahead of his trainer’s schedule.

55．What is Billy hoping to win in Beijing Olympic Games?

A. A silver medal for boxing                      B. A gold medal for boxing  

C. A piece of gold                              D. A copper medal

 

The professor’s house, big and untidy, stood alone at one end of a huge garden. The place was totally uncared for, quite __36__ and overgrown with all sorts of useless things. I __37__ my way through bushes and tall weeds to the front door and rang the bell.

I was glad that I found him. In twenty minutes he put me right on all the __38__ that had puzzled me. I was on the __39__ of leaving when I looked out of his study window and said, “You’re very fond of gardening, I see”

“No, I’m not,” he said. “__40__, I love this garden, though. It’s __41__ I always wanted it to be. I never touch it __42__ all.”

“It could be made lovely. It seems a pity to let all this ground go to __43__. But perhaps you don’t _ 44__ that way?” said I.

“I don’t. I lived here when I was a child, and I had   45  of gardening then. It was my father’s hobby, you see. Unfortunately, he wasn’t   46  _ enough to do it himself. My brother and I did all of it between us year after year. There was one right way and many wrong ways. Each blade (叶片) of grass was an enemy to be _ _47__ out by hand, not just cut off. I’ve spent a good part of life at work here.”

“I see. You took a dislike to it, and now you’re getting even！”

“I dislike it. Then, of course, I didn’t understand the effect it had. It used to __48__ me. It appeared in my __49__ ——— a mistake here, something not quite straight here, the enemy showing its head in a place I was __50__ to have cleaned. The work was too much. It seemed endless. The size of the place was itself a fight to a boy.”

“And now it’s yours, you’re just letting it go to ...”

“__51__?” he said. “No, I don’t agree with that. This garden and I are now the best friends. I like  _52__ it grow in its own way. I make no __53__ on it. I never disturb it, and it never disturbs me. It has _ 54__ at last, and so have I.”

“But the path is over grown. It’s __55__ for you, isn’t it?”

“That’s part of my pleasure，” he laughed. “You can go out the back way. The weeds are shorter there because they don’t get the sun.”                             

1.                A．wild           B．crazy           C．large D．nice

 

2.                A．lost            B．felt            C．made D．took

 

3.                A．gardening       B．problems       C．plants    D．solution

 

4.                A．time           B．request         C．permission    D．point

 

5.                A．Even so         B．So             C．As though D．Even if

 

6.                A．where         B．as             C．why D．whether

 

7.                A．after           B．of             C．at   D．in

 

8.                A．desert         B．trouble         C．garden   D．waste

 

9.                A．recognize       B．observe        C．know D．see

 

10.               A．much          B．enough         C．something D．nothing

 

11.               A．interested      B．excited         C．fit    D．demanding

 

12.               A．fought         B．ruled          C．rooted    D．cut

 

13.               A．worry          B．shock          C．astonish   D．disappoint

 

14.               A．life            B．dreams         C．house D．hands

 

15.               A．thought        B．expected       C．ordered   D．supposed

 

16.               A．Ruin           B．Develop        C．Grow D．Sell

 

17.               A．watching       B．attending       C．watering   D．noticing

 

18.               A．comments      B．difference      C．sense D．demands

 

19.               A．time           B．freedom        C．sunlight   D．space

 

20.               A．important       B．useless         C．inconvenient   D．previous

 

 

Who are these people rushing by you in the street? More than 215 million people now call America “home”, but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become “American” is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of “side-by-side” living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives—such as in schools, business, and sports—but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This living “side-by-side” has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas and dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspapers.

1. More than 215 million people call America “home” because_______.

A. they have their houses there

B. they settle there now

C. they want to make their home there

D. they like that land very much

2. “Side-by-side” living style means _______.

A. to make friends with native people

B. to keep their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas

C. the groups of people who live nearby

D. that they get closer to American society

3. according to the passage, people in the USA ________.

A. share American customs and culture

B. live in a kind of “side-by-side” society

C. keep their own customs and habits firmly

D. make no choice to accept American customs

4. Which of the following statements is true?

A. They always stick to their own customs and habits.

B. “Side-by-side” living style is not suitable.

C. They face the society they are not familiar with.

D. The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.

5. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Advantages and Disadvantages.

B. Different Customs and Habits.

C. Home for the People.

D. “Side-by-side” Living Style in America.