All over my garden I've planted nothing but roses, because I especially love the flower. A close
friend came for a visit the other day. I told her that she should pick a bunch of roses to beautify her
bedroom. I promised that the smell of the roses would be wafted far, far away.
     That girl friend of mine, walking into the garden in high spirits, smelt here and there, but in the end
she didn't pick a single rose. I said that she could pick many flowers; I told her that I was not a flower
farmer and didn't make a living out of them. Saying so, I raised the scissors for the sacrifice of the
flowers, but she stopped me, crying no, no, no!
     To cut such beautiful roses would hurt one, she said. With her hands seizing at my sleeves, she told
me that by no means should they be cut. Roses are the smiling face of the earth, and who could be so
ironhearted as to destroy such a charming smile?
     My mind was shocked: the ugly earth, the tough earth, the plain earth-it is for the reason of that smile
that it wins the care and pity of people.

1. The writer plants nothing but roses in her garden probably because ________.

A. she can make money out of them
B. her friends like them
C. she enjoys the roses very much
D. the roses sell well

2. The underlined word "wafted" in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to "________".

A. given off  
B. lost
C. destroyed  
D. thrown away

3. Why did the writer's close friend refuse to pick a single rose?

A. Because the roses were not beautiful.
B. Because she loved the roses very much.
C. Because she did not like this kind of roses.
D. Because the writer did not want to give her any.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The Pity of People to the Roses
B. A Lover of Flowers
C. A Lovely Rose Garden
D. The Smiling Face of the Earth

     The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone
we didn't know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around
to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
     She said, "Hi, girl! My name is Rose. I'm 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?"
     I laughed and enthusiastically(熱情地)responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant
squeeze.
     "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here
to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel!"
"     No seriously," I said. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge
at her age.
     "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
     Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever
she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other
students. She was living it up.
     At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what
she taught us.
     "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are
only two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find
humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!" she said.
     "There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old
and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn 20 years old. If I am
87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow
older. But every minute counts for young men," she added.
     "The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.Have no regrets. The elderly
usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do.The only people who
fear death are those with regrets."
      She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Song of Rose.She challenged each of us
to study the lyrics(歌詞)and live them out in our daily lives.
     At the year's end, Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.One week
after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

1．Rose made herself known to the author in a________ manner.

A．serious  
B．cold
C．humorous  
D．crazy

2．From the information provided in the passage, we know ________.

A．Rose finished the college degree within a year
B．Rose did realize her dream of meeting a rich husband and getting married through college education
C．Rose enjoyed her campus life very much
D．Rose grew so old that she stopped playing

3．Rose delivered the speech________.

A．a(chǎn)t the graduation
B．which she prepared carefully
C．ended with The Song of Rose
D．to challenge all the other speakers

4．According to her speech, ________.

A．even you have a dream, you won't succeed
B．a(chǎn)ll people don't grow up while growing older
C．Rose usually regretted having done something
D．a(chǎn) nineyearold is as old as an 87yearold if he doesn't do anything

     He met her at a party.She was so outstanding,  with many boysaround her,  while he was so normal,  
with nobody paying attention to him.
     At the end of the party,  he invited her to have coffee with him.She was surprised,  but due to being
polite,  she agreed.
     They sat in a nice coffee shop.He was too nervous to say anything,  and she felt uncomfortable,  
thinking,  "Please let me go home."
     Suddenly he asked the waiter,  "Would you please give me some salt?I'd like to put it in my coffee."
     Everybody stared at him-so strange!His face turned red,  but,  still,  he put the salt in his coffee and
drank it.
     She asked him curiously,  "Why do you have this hobby?"
     He replied,  "When I was a little boy,  I was living near the sea.I liked playing in the sea,  and I could
feel the taste of the sea,  just like the taste of the salty coffee.Now every time I have the salty coffee,  I
always think of my childhood.I miss my hometown so much.I miss my parents who are still living there."
     While saying that tears filled his eyes.She was deeply touched.That's his true feeling,  from the bottom
of his heart.A man who can tell out his homesickness,  he must be a man who loves home,  caresabout
home,  and has responsibility of home.
     Then she also started to speak about her faraway hometown,  her childhood,  and her family.That
was a really nice talk,  also a beautiful beginning of their story.
     They continued to date.She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he was
kindhearted,  warm and careful.He was such a good person but she almost missed him!
     Thanks to his salty coffee!Then the story was just like every beautiful love story-the princess married
the prince,  and then they were living a happy life...And,  every time she made coffee for him,  she put
some salt in the coffee.
     After 40 years,  he passed away,  leaving her a letter which said,  "My dearest,  please forgive my
whole life lie.This was the only lie I said to you-the salty coffee.
     "Remember the first time we dated?I was so nervous at that time.Actually I wanted some sugar,  but
I said salt.It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.
     "I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life,  but I was too afraid to do that,  as I have promised
not to lie to you for anything.
     "Now I'm dying.I'm afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth:I don't like the salty coffee.What a strange
bad taste!But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!
     "Since I knew you,  I never feel sorry for anything I do for you.Having you with me is my biggest
happiness for my whole life.If I can live for a second time,  I still want to know you and have you for my
whole life,  even though I have to drink the salty coffee again."
     Her tears made the letter totally wet.
     Someday,  someone asked her,  "What's the taste of salty coffee?""It's sweet,  " she replied.

1. After ordering some salt to put into the coffee,  the young man must have felt________.

A. touched  
B. satisfied  
C. disappointed  
D. embarrassed

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Salt coffee is more delicious and sweeter than sugar coffee.
B. The man ordered the salt coffee in order to create a chance to date with the girl.
C. The man had to have salty coffee all his life to keep his word.
D. The woman hardly believed the man's explanation at their first date.

3. From the passage we can see that the man is________.

A. caring and kindhearted
B. shy and sly
C. dishonest but responsible
D. warm and understanding

4. It is implied in the passage that the woman________when reading the letter left by her husband.

A. was cheated by her husband's behavior
B. was touched by her husband's white lie
C. felt sorry to know the truth too late
D. felt angry about his dishonesty