He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention.

“Is your taxi  1  ?” I asked when he finally looked  2  at me. He nodded, then said  3  as I settled into the back seat, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a  4  .” He  5  as if he had a cold .

“I am not in a hurry,” I told him. “Go ahead and finish your letter.” He  6  his head. “I've read it several times already. I guess I  7  know it by heart.”

“Letters from home always mean a lot,” I said. “From a child?”

“This isn't  8  ,” he replied. “Although it  9  just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old Friend' when we'd meet. I'm not much good at  10 .”

“I don't think any of us keep  11  our correspondence (通信) too well,” I said. “I know I don't. But I take it he's someone you've  12  quite a while?”

“All my life. We were kids together, went to school together and all the  13  through high school.”

“There are not too many people who've had such a long friendship,” I said.

“ 14 ,” the driver went on, “I hadn't seen him more than once or twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I  15  away from the old neighbourhood and you kind of lose touch  16  you never forget.”

“You said 'was'. Does that mean—?” He nodded. “ 17  a couple of weeks ago.”

“I'm sorry,” I said. “It's no fun to lose any friend—and losing a real old one is  18  tougher.”

He didn't  19  to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: “I should have kept in touch.”

“Well,” I agreed, “we should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things  20  and we just don't seem to find the time.”

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. First I had to write a letter and mail it.

1. available    B. acceptable          C. beneficial       D. occupied

2. A.       down      B.    up    C.    to    D. off

3. A.       unexpectedly      B. curiously        C. apologetically D.  definitely

4. A.       booklet       B. novel              C.       book          D. letter

5. A.       sounded   B. spoke  C.    seemed    D. continued

6. A.       hung      B.       nodded       C. shook       D. kept

7. A.       anyhow   B.    hardly     C.    almost     D. really

8. A.       friendship       B.    family     C.    leadership       D. colleague

9. A.       could      B. might  C.    maybe     D. would

10. A.     writing    B.    reading    C.    talking    D. earning

11. A.      up    B.    with C.    on    D. in

12. A.     found      B.    written    C.    known     D. seen

13. A.     curriculum      B.    coincidence     C.    life  D. way

14. A. Eventually   B.    Actually  C.    Additionally   D. Besides

15. A. removed      B.    left  C.    headed    D. moved

16. A.     even though    B.    as though C.    when       D. whereas

17. A.     Died       B. Suffered     C. Choked      D. Survived

18. A.     ever B.    even C.    fairly      D. quite

19. A.     appeal          B. reply    C.    adapt       D. talk

20.   A.    take up         B. pick up          C. come up             D. break up

17
（2010·浙江衢州杜泽中学高三上第一次月考）
假如你是某中学高三某班学生李平，高中二年多来，经历很多次成功与失败的你觉得自己似乎一下子成熟了很多，有一种真的“长大了”的感觉，面对紧张的学习，一次次考试以及今后的打算……。你有太多的话想对关爱你的父母说。请以书信形式和爸爸妈妈谈谈。信的开头如下：参考词汇：鼓励encourage Vt. Encouragement 对…充满感激 be/feel grateful to sb
Dear Mum and Dad,
How are you doing? ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I believe that I ____ to the modern life in New York by the end of next month.

It can’t be truer that when in Rome do as the Romans do. So it’s necessary for you to know what you can talk with the local people in France, Australia and Switzerland, and different customs of these countries.

In France

You’ll find that conversations often turn into heated debates. Give opinions only on subjects that you are knowledgeable about. There is rarely a moment of silence, except when the topic under discussion has been exhausted, and nothing new has been introduced.

Food, art, music and current events or history are welcome topics. French believe in freedom, and you can criticize anyone, but not Napoleon, who is a symbol of French spirit and never use the standard. U.S. conversation opener “What do you do”.

In Australia

Australians tend to be enthusiastic debaters. A wide range of topics may be open to discussion, including religion and politics. The best policy, however, is to wait for Australian companions to bring up these two subjects; be prepared to hear their arguments.

Sport is a common topic of conversation in Australia and Australians tend to use sporting comparisons. Australians like to criticize themselves, but they can’t stand criticism from others. Don’t talk big；instead Australians prefer to judge your competence and abilities through your actions. People who show off their education in conversation may be subject to teasing.

In Switzerland

The Swiss may seem cold. Once you get close to them, however, you’ll find that they are honest, responsible people, who will be loyal to your interests.

They are good listeners and will remember practically everything you say to them. Sometimes they will even go so far as to take notes while you speak. The Swiss are a very private people, so you should avoid asking personal questions. They can be rather serious, so it is advisable to avoid making jokes on them.

1.Which of the following statements is TURE according to the passage?

A．There is no moment of silence when you talk with French.

B．French don’t like others asking their careers.

C．The Swiss may seem cold but humorous sometimes.

D．Australians tend to judge you by your words.

2.It is suggested during talking that ______

A．you should tell the Australians what education you have received.

B．you should not use too much sporting comparisons with Australians.

C．you should not ask personal questions from people of the three countries.

D．you should have the Australians bring up subjects first.

3.We can infer from the passage that ______

A．Australians don’t like to show off their success before others.

B．Australians like to criticize themselves and others.

C．you can talk with French about anything even if you know little.

D．you can criticize anyone in France because you have the right.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Talking in western countries

B．How to argue with foreigners

C．Things that can’t be talked with foreigners

D．How to adapt to the life in western countries

5.What will the author talk about in the following paragraphs?

A．How to talk efficiently with foreigners.

B．Customs of the three countries.

C．How to choose topics in the western countries.

D．How to be a good listener.

My suggestion is that you should 　　　　 yourself to the new urban living style.

A. adapt        B. apply            C. adopt           D. assist