There was once a beautiful nymph called Echo. But Echo had one failing; she was fond of talking, and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word. As she was good company , she and Zeus became good friends. However，Zeus’ wife, Hera, became jealous. She followed Zeus to the earth to find out what he was doing and Zeus asked Echo to distract Hera until he could escape. Later when Hera discovered she had been tricked, she became very angry. She turned on Echo and said, “You shall lose the use of your tongue because you cheated me. You’ll have the last word, bur no longer have the power to speak first.” So from that moment on, Beautiful Echo was hardly able to hold a conversation because she could only repeat the last words of those around her. She became very embarrassed and hid herself deep in the woods.
One day a handsome young man called Narcissus came into the woods. He had been hunting deer and lost his way. However, the moment Echo saw him, she fell in love with him. She followed him, wishing to tell him but unable o begin a conversation. Oh, how she wished she could speak first. Unfortunately, Narcissus was far too busy worrying about where his companions might be and how he could find his way home.
Eventually Narcissus, with Echo following behind along, came to a pool of water in the middle of the woods. Feeling thirsty, Narcissus bent down to drink. As he did so, he saw a beautiful creature in the water staring up at him. . He immediately bent over and said to him, “I love you!” Echo, nearby, and seeing her chance, immediately responded “…. I love you!” But it was too late. Narcissus was already in love, with himself.
` The stranger seemed to rise up closer to Narcissus who was so involved that he entirely failed to notice Echo. “I want to stay and look at this beautiful sight forever,” he whispered dreamily to himself.”… Forever,” repeated Echo sadly. “Come her,” called Narcissus to his reflection as he moved his head and the creature seemed to move away. “…Here.” responded Echo. Narcissus bent back down to see his reflection more clearly. “So beautiful! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” “….So beautiful!” responded Echo truthfully.
Narcissus remained by the water refusing all Echo’s silent offers of food and drink until he died. Where he had been, a flower grew in his place, as beautiful as Narcissus himself. As for Echo, from that time forward, she also didn’t eat or drink till she turned to rocks and all that was left was her voice. Even now you can still hear Echo trying to attract Narcissus’ attention by repeating his words and still see Narcissus as a beautiful flower growing near a pool.
63. Why was Echo unable to let Narcissus know she loved him?
A. Because she had lost the ability to speak. B. Because she was too shy to speak first.
C. Because Hera had taken away her ability to speak first.
D. Because Narcissus took no notice of her.
64. “The stranger” in paragraph 4 refers to ______.
A. Echo B. A fairy in the woods. C. Hera. D. Narcissus himself.
65. Which of the following kinds of person can be described as a “Narcissus”?
A. A person who loves and admires himself or herself.
B. A person who’s afraid of being separated from companions.
C. A person who is too shy to have a chat with other people.
D. A person who loves to admire beautiful water flowers.
66. Which of the following is the correct order of the events?
a) Hera wouldn’t let Echo start a conversation.
b) Narcissus fell in love with his reflection in the water.
c) Echo saw Narcissus and fell in love at the first sight.
d) Echo distracted Hera to help Zeus escape.
e) Narcissus became a flower and Echo a rock.
A. a-b-c-d-e B. d-a-c-b-e C. d-a-b-c-e D. c-d-a-b-e
67. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Echo’s sacrifice. B. Echo and Hera.
C. Echo and Narcissus. D. Narcissus’s self-love.
Some of the United States’ biggest banks have closed their doors to students at community colleges, for-profit universities and other less competitive schools, even as they continue to extend government-backed loans to students at eh nation’s top universities.
Citibank has been among the most active in rebuilding the list of colleges it serves. JPMorgan Chase, PNC and SunTrust say have not dropped whole loan plans, but are cutting colleges. Some less-selective four-year colleges, like Eastern Oregon University and William Jessup University, say they have been dropped by some lenders.
The practice suggests that if the credit crisis and poor conditions in the student loan business continue, some of the nation’s neediest students will be hurt most. The difficulty of borrowing money may keep them from attending school or force them to take a semester（学期） off. For those who have got student loans, they will end up with less attractive terms and may run a greater risk of dropping out if they have to change lenders in the middle of their college year.
Tuition and loan amounts can be quite small at community colleges. But these institutions, which are a stepping stone to other educational programs or to better jobs, often draw students from the lower ranks of the economic classes. According to the most recent data, about a third of US graduates took out loans, a majority of them guaranteed by the government.
“If put too many obstacles in their way to get a loan, they ’ll take a third job or use a credit card,” said Jacqueline K. Bradley, assistant director for financial aid at Mendocino College. “That almost guarantees that they won’t be as successful in their college career.”
Some loan companies have stopped the students loan business entirely, viewing it as unprofitable in the current environment. Students attending first-class, expensive, public and private four-year universities can expect to remain plentiful. The banks generally say these loans are bigger, more profitable, and less risky, perhaps in part because the banks expect graduates from these universities to earn more.
So far, financial aid administrators say they have been able to find some lenders that students can switch to, but this is costly to students--- in money and time.
59. Who will be the most upset at the news?
A. A poor students at a top university. B. A poor students at a community university.
C. A bank clerk dealing with student loan business.
D. A teacher from a for-profitable university.
60. With too many obstacles in their way to get a loan, students will probably __________.
A. switch to top universities B. cancel their credit cards
C. fail in their exams D. win a scholarship
61. When they say something is “government-backed”, you mean it is ___________.
A. guaranteed by the government B. dropped by the government
C. against government D. for government
62. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The students loan business in America. B. Banks and universities in America.
C. Student loans start to drop colleges. D. Credit crisis starts to affect loans.
……
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there’s so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
(From Obama’s victory speech, 2008 )
56. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Ann Nixon Cooper was once a slave. B. Ann Nixon Cooper is a black woman.
C. Ann Nixon Cooper knows Obama and his family very well.
D. Ann Nixon Cooper contributed much to the changes of America.
57. What does the underlined part“cast her ballot”in the first paragraph probably mean?
A. expressed her happiness B. worked for Obama
C. voted in the election D. celebrated the victory
58. What message does this part of Obama’s speech mainly send?
A. Ann Nixon Cooper has experienced the best time and the darkest hours of America in the last century.
B. America has undergone great development in the last century and is looking forward to more great changes.
C. Ann Nixon Cooper has witnessed the development and democracy of America.
D. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.
完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）
When she was seven, we found out that Jenny had a few problems. Several ___36___ and many speech classes later, we found out that besides hearing, she also had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis（幼儿类风湿性关节炎）.
She could not put ___37___ on the heels of her feet, so she walked on tiptoe and when the pain became unbearable, I carried her.
All ___38___ grade school, and on into high school, Jenny suffered, yet never complained. She ___39___ a smile on her face, a song on her lips, and a(n) ___40___ and acceptance of others. I don’t remember her ever
___41___ self-pity. She ran when she could run. She played when she could play, and she danced when she could dance. And, when she could do ___42___ of these things, she took her medicine, and she waited until she ___43___.
Jenny never competed in a sport. She could not even take part in a gym class. Jenny continued to have one operation after another on her ___44___. Finally, her hearing improved to 60%, and she taught herself to ___45___ lips.
She was ___46___ popular and funny, attending every football game, and cheering the team on. She carried her pillow everywhere she went, so that she could ___47___ the pain, when she sat down. Then came her senior year. She would be considered for scholarships; however, school activities, especially ___48___, could often mean the ___49___ between receiving an award and losing out.
So Jenny came to a decision. She ___50___ the high school football coach to let her participate. She got her best friend to sign up with her. Finally the coach ___51___, saying, “If you miss one game, you are out!” So, Jenny became a member o the Garrett High School Football Team.
She carried bottles of water to her teammates. She did much preparation work for the team. She worked so actively that it ___52___ to be one of the best year for the Garrett High School Football Team, in its 25-year history.
When asked why he thought the team was winning all their games, even in the ___53___ of injury, one team member explained, “Well, when you’ve been knocked down, and you can’t seem to move, you ___54___ and see Jenny Lewis. It makes anything the rest of us may suffer seem pretty ___55___.”
36. A. trials B. examinations C. experiments D. treatments
37. A. control B. power C. strength D. pressure
38. A. through B. across C. over D. above
39. A. expressed B. wore C. took D. made
40. A. love B. admiration C. envy D. desire
41. A. speaking B. talking C. sharing D. voicing
42. A. nothing B. all C. none D. some
43. A. would B. could C. should D. might
44. A. ears B. legs C. arms D. mouth
45. A. see B. learn C. read D. hear
46. A. never B. totally C. occasionally D. seldom
47. A. struggle B. lose C. stop D. ease
48. A. grades B. relationships C. sports D. communication
49. A. importance B. difference C. chance D. choice
50. A. begged B. demanded C. required D. managed
51. A. gave out B. gave in C. held up D. held on
52. A. turned over B. turned out C. turned up D. turned in
53. A. sight B. fear C. risk D. face
54. A. looked down B. looked in C. looked up D. looked out
55. A. different B. worth C. difficult D. unimportant
--- Let me teach you how to download music from the Internet.
--- Teach me? ______! I know how to do it earlier!.
|
A．It’s easier said than done. |
B．He who laughs last laughs best. |
|
C．You are trying to teach your granny how to suck eggs. |
|
|
D．You can take a horse to the water but you cannot make him drink |
--- Do you think the bright girl will soon get used to the new job?
--- It’s hard to say. Intelligence only_____ for her lack of experience in part.
|
A．accounts |
B．compensates |
C．counts |
D．answers |
