(09四川卷)11. — I wonder ________ you’ll water this kind of flower. 

——Every other day. 

A. how often     B. how long   C. how soon   D. how much 

 (09·四川)

I was successful at my job. I worked very hard, but it __21__ me and my family a fabulous(极好的) lifestyle. I’d worked for the same company for twenty years and had worked my way up to department director. __22__, one afternoon last May, I was called to the office, and it was __23__ explained to me that they were letting me go. I just sat there __24__ they talked on and all I could think was, “I’ve __25__. ” I’d been so well respected; __26__ I was of no value.

       For six weeks, I was in a very __27__ place. I wandered around my house like a zombie(僵尸). I could __28__ things needed doing, but would not do anything. My beliefs in looking forward and seeing the positive(积极的) in everything __29__ me.

       Then.  in late June, my youngest son’s football team made the city cup final. The year before, he’d been very sad when I __30__ the same final, so he was __31__ when I told him I’d go. Not only did they win, but the look on his face as he saw me __32__ him on was unbelievable. From then on, I spent the summer enjoying my sons and their passions(激情). I attended match after match and performances of my elder son’s ban — I __33__ went to another city to watch him play. These moments were so __34__. My life had been so much devoted to __35__ for so long.  and I felt __36__ that my sons were happy to welcome me into their world.

       __37__, being unemployed gave me back a sense of purpose — I was someone’s mum! I felt a sense of being __38__ again. Now I feel more positive about my professional __39__ and I’m getting on better with my family than I ever have. Losing my job made me realize just how __40__  it is to achieve real balance in life.

21.   A. Promised                  B. afforded                   C. showed                    D.  left

22.   A. Therefore                 B. Anyhow                   C. Otherwise                D.  However

23.   A. quickly                     B. gently                       C. partly                       D.  easily

24.   A. until                         B. after                         C. as                            D.  so

25.   A. failed                       B. finished                    C. tried                         D.  changed

26.   A. suddenly                  B. finally                       C. immediately              D.  shortly

27.   A. secret                      B. quiet                        C. lonely                       D.  dark

28.   A. see                          B. get                           C. suggest                    D.  understand

29.   A. defended                  B. directed                    C. deserted                   D.  disturbed

30.   A. watched                   B. missed                            C. lost                          D.  won

31.   A. disappointed             B. worried                    C. honoured                  D.  delighted

32.   A. cheering                   B. taking                       C. leading                     D.  passing

33.   A. just                          B. even                         C. still                          D.  almost

34.   A. hopeful                    B. meaningful                C. difficult                    D.  strange

35.  A. work             B. family            C. matches           D. performances

36.  A. successful         B. thoughtful         C. thankful           D. peaceful

37.  A. Naturally         B. Doubtfully         C. Disagreeably       D. Unexpectedly

38.  A. employed         B. comforted          C. valued            D. encouraged

39.  A. education         B. experience          C. relationship       D. future

40.  A important         B. interesting           C. simple           D. surprising

    

 (09·四川C篇)

Honesty comes in many forms. First there’s self-honesty. Is what people see the real article or do you appear through smoke and mirrors? I find that if I try to be something I’m not.  I feel unsure of myself and take out a part from my PBA（personal bank account）. I love how singer Judy Garland put it.  “Always be a first-class version（版本）of yourself, instead of a second-class version of somebody else. ”

Then there’s honesty in our actions. Are you honest at school, with your parents, and with your boss? If you’ve ever been dishonest, I think we all have, try being honest, and notice how whole it makes you feel. Remember, you can’t do wrong and feel right. This story by Jeff is a good example of that:

In my second year of study, there were three kids in my math class who didn’t do well. I was really good at it. I would charge them three dollars for each test that I helped them pass. I’d write on a little piece of paper all the right answers, and hand them off.

At first I felt like I was making money, kind of a nice job. I wasn’t thinking about how it could hurt all of us. After a while I realized I shouldn’t do that anymore, because I wasn’t really helping them. They weren’t learning anything, and it would only get harder down the road. Cheating certainly wasn’t helping me.

It takes courage to be honest when people all around you are getting away with cheating on tests, lying to their parents, and stealing at work. But, remember, every act of honesty is a deposit(储蓄) into your PBA and will build strength.

49. The underlined part “appear through smoke and mirrors” in the first paragraph means “       ”     

A. to be honest

B. to be unreal

C. to become clear

D. to come from an imagined world

50. Which of the following can best explain Judy Garland’s words?

A. Be your true self rather than follow others.

B. Don’t copy others or you can’t be the first class.

C. Make efforts to be the first instead of the second.

D. Don’t learn from others unless they’re excellent.

51. What does the author expect to show by Jeff’s story?

A. Honesty the author expect to show by Jeff’s story?

B. A bad thing can be turned into a good one.

C. Helping others cheat can do good to nobody.

D. One should realize the wrong in his bad deeds.

52. In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express          .

A. one must be brave to be honest

B. it’s difficult to be honest when others are not

C. one should be honest when making a deposit

D. honesty in one’s actions can help him in the future

 (09·四川D篇)

Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.

  A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalks can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared   with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

   The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) advise that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of  time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears.

FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.

Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006, Bur among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) says.

53. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70

B. Old people are more likely to meet with accidents happened per hour.

C. Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people

D. About seven traffic accidents happened per hour.

54. What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?

A. Fixing more traffic lights

B. Providing more crosswalks

C. Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets.

D. Drivers don’t give way

56. The report from NHTSA suggests that         

A. fewer people were injured in crosswalks

B. crosswalk safety has been greatly improved

C. much has been done to reduce traffic accidents

D. pedestrian deaths in crosswalks remain a serious problem

 (09·四川E篇)

All too often, a choice that seems sustainable(可持续的)turns out on closer examination to be problematic. Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol(乙醇) for fuel from corn. Corn is a renewable resource —you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly. So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea.

   One might get a bit more energy out of the ethanol than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem. Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food. That result leads to turning the fallow land –including, in some cases, rain forest in places such as Brazil—into farmland, which in turn gives off lots of carbon dioxide (CO) into the air. Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help.

   You cannot really declare any practice “sustainable” until you have done a complete life-cycle analysis of its environmental(环境的) costs. Even then, technology and public keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results. The admirable goal of living       sustainably requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis.

57. What might directly cause the loss of the forest according to the text?

A. The growing demand for energy to make ethanol

B. The increasing carbon dioxide in the air

C. The greater need for farmland

D. The big change in weather.

58. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “           ”

A. the energy benefit                       B. the forest loss

C. climate change                         D. burning ethanol

59. The author thinks that replacing gas with corn ethanol is           .

A. impractical         B. acceptable        C. admirable          D. useless

60. What does the author mainly discuss in the text?

A. Technology                            B. Sustainability  

C. Ethanol energy                         D. Environmental protection