“Marvin, I am too old to      44     . I stay at home and have my foods delivered, so I’ll never use the car. The idea was good, although not practical. Thanks.”

“Michael, you gave me an expensive building enough for 50 people to      45      plays or movies in it, but all my friends are dead. I’ve almost       46      my hearing and I’m nearly blind. I won’t use it. Thank you all the same.”

“Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken tasted so     47     . I liked it very much. Thank you.”

36. A. gifts            B. chances          C. wishes           D. challenges

37. A. book           B. bike             C. car              D. bag

38. A. station          B. museum          C. library           D. theater

39. A. listen          B. see               C. feel              D. walk

40. A. nurse            B. writer             C. businessman      D. lawyer

41. A. treated          B. impressed          C. threatened         D. hurt

42. A. sent out         B. put up             C. took out          D. picked up

43. A. sell             B. borrow            C. clean              D. visit

44. A. learn            B. work              C. exercise           D. travel

45. A. create           B. enjoy              C. bring             D. record

46. A. lost             B. admired           C. remained         D. discovered

47. A. strange          B. unpleasant         C. bitter             D. delicious

Section C (12 marks)

Directions: Complete the following passage by using ONE word for each blank that best fits the context.

New inventions are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these new inventions really improved     48      quality of our lives?

Picture this: You’re rushing      49     finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message      50     your friend appears on the screen, and the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay     51      all night to get it done.     52      calm and happy do you feel?

Inventions have sped up our lives so much     53      they often leave us feeling stressed and tired.     54      do people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier?

Perhaps because they lead simpler lives. The more things      55      have, the more difficult your life will become.

Part Ⅲ   Reading Comprehension (30 marks)

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

There once was a very honest shopkeeper whose business was to supply goods for the local people. He would open his shop at 8:00 a.m. after having his breakfast and at 1:00 p.m. he would go for lunch. In the evening at 8:30 p.m. he closed his shop to complete his daily routine.

However, to get time for lunch was really difficult because he didn’t have anybody to help him at that time. Therefore, it was his daily practice that whichever customer was shopping at 1:00 p.m. would be asked to oversee the shop until the shopkeeper returned from lunch.

One day, a group of four thieves planned to steal from his shop while he was gone for lunch. One of the thieves went there at 1:00 p.m. to be the customer that would be asked to oversee the shop.

The thief, pretending to be a customer, went in at 1:00 p.m. and started buying several items. As planned, the shopkeeper asked the thief to sit on his chair for thirty minutes until he returned from lunch.

Then, the other three thieves quickly came and told the pretended customer to help, but something had changed within him and he knew deeply in his heart that if he was given responsibility for the shop, he should not perform any dishonest acts during that time. His friends did not agree. As the now honest man tried to stop them, they resisted (抵抗) and a fight started. And at the same time the shopkeeper returned and asked why there was a fight. The now honest man explained the entire plan.

The shopkeeper had been searching for an honest man who could take ownership of the shop and run it. The shopkeeper felt that he had found the right man.

56. How long did the shopkeeper remain on business each day?

A. 12.5 hours           B. 8.5 hours          C. 10.5 hours          D. 16.5 hours

57. What is the problem for the shopkeeper?

A. Nobody could prepare lunch for him every day.

B. He had nobody to keep the shop when he went for lunch.

C. He was too busy to have lunch every day.

D. He couldn’t find a person to work at the shop.

58. When the shopkeeper returned from lunch, he found ___________.

A. everything in his shop was stolen

B. the thief became the new owner of the shop

C. there was a fight in his shop

D. the thief helped his fellows steal things from his shop

59. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. There was only one shop in the town where the local people could go shopping.

B. The shopkeeper was too old to look after the shop himself.

C. The shopkeeper finally found the right man to run the shop.

D. The thief was one of the shopkeeper’s friends, so he changed his mind.

60. From the passage, we can infer that ____________.

A. once a thief, he will always be a thief

B. an honest man will be responsible for his action

C. you can’t believe in a dishonest man forever

D. trust can change a thief into an honest man

B

In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are in for trouble: social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman, it’s even worse.

Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs (免受别人的指责) . This is a serious compromise. One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.

There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise: if they can’t find a good marriage partner, they say, they would rather not marry at all.

34-year-old Kate is a university lecturer in English. She said she would not describe herself as celibatarian (独身主义者) but simply a woman who hasn’t come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.     “Many people think marriage is a duty---to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not, she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will.”

Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not lay stress on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely.

61. The main idea of this passage is that _________.

A. marriage is a duty to society

B. people should get married before 30 years old

C. late marriage should be respected

D. women should get married earlier than men

62. Miss Kate refuses to get together with some young man or another because __________.

A. she doesn’t think he is the right man she wants

B. he is either too old or too young

C. he is either important or little learned

D. he doesn’t have good manners

63. In the first paragraph the underlined words “in for” refer to _________.

A. interested in       B. satisfied with       C. worried about      D. likely to suffer