Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.

    Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, his mother worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage could only be stretched so far.

    What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. They ran the household in their mother’s absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.

    It was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark, then suddenly his eyes caught a shiny dime. Never has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby did at that moment.

    He went inside a flower shop. When the owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower. The shop owner looked at Bobby, then said, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”

    The shop owner returned holding red roses all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby’s heart sank as the owner placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents, young man,” said the shop owner, reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.

    Then the shopkeeper’s wife appeared. “Where are the roses you were fixing?”

    The shop owner replied, “A strange thing happened to me this morning. I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn’t sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was.”

1.According to the first three paragraphs we know that _____.

    A. Bobby’s sisters didn’t help Bobby to buy a gift

    B. Bobby had known what gift he’d give to his mother

    C. the children in the family all loved their mother

    D. Bobby’s family was rich before his father died

2.Why did Bobby walk along the street?

    A. Because he didn’t know what to do. 

    B. Because he wanted to try his luck there.

    C. Because he wanted to get some money.

    D. Because he hoped to see what he could get.

3.What could he buy with a dime then?

    A. A flower.            B. Nothing.     C. A piece of cake.       D. Many flowers.

4.Bobby slowly gave the dime to the shop owner because _______.

    A. he did not want any rose flowers

B. the flowers weren’t worth a dime

    C. the shop owner would cheat him

D. he hardly believed what had happened

5.From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the shop owner ______.

    A. was shocked by the voice he heard       

B. was always ready to help others

    C. didn’t know how to run a business      

D. was good at making up stories

“All men are created equal” is one idea that nearly every American would agree upon.  36  they sometimes betray the idea in their daily lives, they have a deep faith  37  in some fundamental way no one is born superior to anyone else.

    In the early years of American history, because titles of nobility(贵族) were forbidden, no  38  class system developed in the United States. Firmly believing that being born into a lower class would not  39  them from success and they would have a better chance in America, thousands of immigrants   40  to leave the European societies, where their    41   in life was determined  42  by the social class into which they were born. It was because the dreams of many of there immigrants were   43  in their new country, though there might be  44  in some situations, that Americans came to believe in equality of opportunity.

    Americans do not mean that everyone should be  45  equal when they say they believe in equality of opportunity.  46  , they do mean that each person should have an equal chance for success. Abraham Lincoln once said, “We wish to  47  the humblest(最微贱的) man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else. When one starts poor, free society is  48  that he knows he can   49  his condition.”

    However, competition is the price to be   50   for his equality of opportunity. Americans match their energy and intelligence against that of others in a competitive contest for success, because they believe competition  51  the best in any person. Indeed, the pressure of competition causes an American to be   52  , but it also places a constant emotional stress on him. In fact, in a society that gives so much  53   to those “winners”,   54  does not compete successfully for whatever reason never  55  into it as well as those who do.

1.A．Since              B．As               C．Although         D．Because

2.A．what               B．that             C．as               D．which

3.A．normal             B．moral            C．formal           D．general

4.A．benefit            B．prevent          C．save             D．limit

5.A．forced          B．required         C．chose            D. looked forward

6.A．place              B．meaning          C．function         D．purpose

7.A．slightly           B．largely          C．originally       D．publicly

8.A．come true          B．ruined           C．succeeded        D．realized

9.A．excitements B．expectations          C. exceptions     D．disappointments

10.A．really            B．totally          C．actually         D．truly

11.A．Besides           B．Meanwhile        C．Moreover         D．Instead

12.A．allow             B．encourage        C．approve          D．share

13.A．so                B．the one          C．such             D．as

14.A．enjoy             B．better           C．maintain         D．stand

15.A．paid              B．asked            C．cared            D．sought

16.A．gives out         B．comes out        C．brings out       D．stands out

17.A．exhausted         B．energetic        C．realistic        D．effective

18.A．honor             B．pressure         C．happiness        D．burden

19.A．anyone            B．who              C．one              D．whoever

20.A．enters            B．fits             C．falls            D．matches

If you want to get more information on how to apply for studying overseas, you can go to the office of foreign       for details.

    A．events           B．matters          C．affairs          D．business

         by beautiful green mountains and situated at the foot of Huangshan Mountain makes Tai Ping Lake a famous tourist attraction.

    A．Surrounded                           B．Being surrounded

    C．Having been surrounded               D．Surrounding

I have kept the photo        I can see it easily, as it reminds me of my happy childhood in the countryside.

    A．in which         B．when             C．where            D．that

—What do you think of your trip to Yunnan?

    —I really enjoy it. I didn’t expect it was     wonderful.

    A．as               B．more             C．most             D．very

—Mum, I’ve been doing my homework for two hours.    I play computer games for an hour?

    —No, I’m afraid not. You’d better go out for a walk. It does good to your eyes.

    A．Can’t           B．Wouldn’t        C．May not          D．Won’t

It’s really cold here. I have never experienced such terrible weather in my     life.

    A．full             B．entire           C．complete         D．total

If           mankind  is trying to find new places in          space to live and get new resources, it is fine.

    A．the; the         B．/; /             C．a; the           D．the; a

All flights    because of the storm, they had to wait in the hall.

    A．have put off                         B．were put off

    C．have been put off                                        D．having been put off