To err is human. To blame the other guy is even more human.
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes(戏谑的引语)are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature .To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do .The original quote about human nature went like this:” To err is human, to forgive, divine(神圣的).”This saying mirrors an deal people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite –find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Commonsense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company,”the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people. get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary(直接推论)to that: if good excuse is “good”even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
1. According to tile passage, which of following seems the most human?
A. To search for truth． B. To achieve one’s ideal
C. To make fun of others’mistakes． D. To criticize others for one’s own error.
2．According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?
A．Doing things his own way.
B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes.
C．Making as few mistakes as possible．
D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing.
3．Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?
A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company.
B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.
C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．
D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．
4. What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?
A. Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy.
B. Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.
C. A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty.
D. Bitter truth is better than a good excuse.
5. What would be the best title for his passage?
A. A Mirror of Human Nature B. To Blame or to Forgive
C. A Mark of Maturity D. Truth or Excuse
In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand（木架）with a small notepad（记事本）and a hole for a pencil.
I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these year.” I say to her, walking bank into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”
My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days.”
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”
This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible（看不到的）exhibits at every meal.
1．Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?
A．To leave messages. B．To list her everyday tasks.
C．To note down maths problems. D．To write down a flash of inspiration.
2. What is the author’s original opinion about the wooden stand?
A. It has great value for the family.
B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.
C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.
D .It should be passed on to the next generation.
3. The author feels embarrassed for_______.
A. blaming her mother wrongly.
B. giving her mother a lot of trouble.
C. not making good use of time as her mother did.
D. not making any breakthrough in her field.
4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A .The mother is successful in her career.
B. The family members like traveling.
C. The author had little time to play when young.
D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.
5. In the author’s mind ,her mother is_________.
A. strange in behavior. B. keen on her research.
C. fond of collecting old things. D. careless about her appearance.
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a 1ot more besides. Following the rules…planning your next move...acting as a team member…these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some off the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .
Many children’s games have a practical side Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. Which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
1. Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
A. be a team leader B. obey the basic rules
C. act as a grown-up D. predict possible danger
2. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.
A. describe life in an exciting way
B. turn real-life experiences into a play
C. make learning life skills more interesting
D. change people’s views of sporting events
3. According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
A. It inspires people’s deep love for the country.
B. It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.
C. It helps the country out of natural disasters.
D. It earns the winners fame and fortune.
4. Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
A. bring fun to poor kids
B. provide soccer balls for children
C. give poor kids a chance for a better life
D. appeal to soccer players to help poor kids
5．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Gamed benefit people all their lives.
B．Sports can get all athletes together.
C．People are advised to play games for fun.
D．Sports increase a country’s competitiveness.
第二部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2.5分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
1. A visitor can apply for a free audio tour_______.
A. in the Courtyard B. in the State Apartments
C. at the Admission Center D. at St George’s Chapel
2. What is specially offered to visitors with kids?
A. A security guard. B. A pushchair.
C. A free toy. D. A baby carrier.
3. Who can get re-entry permits?
A. Visitors wishing to eat outside the Castle.
B. Visitors buying gifts in the castle shops.
C. Visitors buying water from the Courtyard.
D. Visitors eating outside St George’s Chapel.
4. Why arc visitors required to turn off their mobile phones?
A. To ensure the safety of others.
B. To ensure the security of the Castle.
C. To prevent them from disturbing others.
D. To prevent the use of the built-in cameras.
5. In the last part, a “working royal palace” refers to one __________.
A. still being constructed
B. still used by the royal family
C. where the Queen usually works
D. where works of art are on show
第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，掌握其大意，然后从16—35各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Robert Moody, 52, is an experienced police officer. Much of his work involves dealing with 16 an gang (团伙)problems in the schools of his community. Knowing that many kids often 17 trouble, he decided to do something about it. So in 1991 he began to invite small groups of kids to go fishing with him on his day 18 .
Those fun trips had a(n) 19 impact. A chance encounter in 2000 proved that. One day, 20 working security at a school basketball game, Moody noticed two young guys 21 .He sensed trouble between them. 22 one of them headed toward Moody and gave him a hug.”I 23 you. You took me 24 when I was in fifth grade. That was one of the 25 days of my life .”
Deeply touched by the boy’s word, Moody decided to create a foundation（基金会）that 26 teenagers to the basics of fishing in camping programs. “As a policeman, I saw 27 there was violence, drugs were always behind it. They have a damaging 28 on the kids,” says Moody.
By turning kids on to fishing, he 29 to present an alternative way of life, “When you’re sitting there waiting for a 30 ,”he says, “you can’t help but talk to each other, and such 31 can be pretty deep.”
“Talking about drugs helped prepare me for the peer（同龄人）pressures in high school,” says Michelle, 17 who 32 the first program. “And I was able to help my little brother 33 drugs.”
Moody faces 34 in three years, when he hopes to run the foundation full-time.”I’m living a happy life and I have a responsibility to my 35 to give back,” Moody says.”If I teach a kid to fish today, he can teach his brother to fish tomorrow.”
16. A. drinking B．drug C．security D．smoking
17. A. ran into B．got over C．left behind D．looked into
18. A．ahead B．away C．off D．out
19. A．immediate B．damaging C．limited D．lasting
20. A．once B．while C．since D．until
21. A．quarreling B．complaining C．talking D．cheering
22. A．Slowly B．Suddenly C．Finally D．Secretly
23. A．understand B．hear C. see D．remember
24. A．fishing B．sailing C．boating D. swimming．
25. A．quietest B．longest C．best D．busiest
26. A．connects B．introduces C．reduces D．commits
27. A．where B．unless C．as D．whether
28. A．impression B．burden C．decision D．impact
29. A．asked B．intended C．pretended D．agreed
30. A．solution B．change C．bite D．surprise
31. A．concerns B．interests C．conversations D．emotions
32. A. participated in B. worked out C. approved of D. made up
33. A. misuse B. avoid C. tolerate D. test
34. A. unemployment B. challenge C. competition D. retirement
35. A. team B. school C. family D. community
---------John went to the hospital alone.
---------If he_______ me about it, I would have gone with him.
A. should tell B. tells C. told D. had told
