Autumn means different things to different people.It all depends on your personality,said British
naturalist Richard Mabey."Personality shapes your view of the season," he said."You may see it as a fading away,a packing up (結(jié)束),or as a time of packing in another sense-the excited gathering of resources
before a long journey."
     If this is true,perhaps it tells us a little about,for instance,Thomas Hood,the 19th century English poet.
About November,he wrote:
     No warmth,no cheerfulness,no healthful ease
     No shade,no shine,no butterflies,no bees
     November!
     On the other hand,another English poet John Keats,already sensing he was seriously ill,was inspired by a late September day to pen one of the most famous poems in the English language,To Autumn.He wrote
to a friend afterwards that there was something comforting and healing about it.
     According to Richard Mabey,Keats has the biological evidence on his side.Autumn is not a time of
slowing down,but a time of new beginnings and great movements of creatures.For example,just at the
moment that Keats's "gathering swallows" (in To Autumn) are departing for Africa,millions of creatures are fleeing from the frozen north like Iceland,Greenland and Russia to winter along the east and south coasts of Britain.According to scientists,before falling,the leaves transfer their chlorophyll (葉綠素) and
carbohydrates into the woody parts of the tree for safekeeping over winter.What remains are the natural
antioxidants (防老劑) in the leaves:the yellow and orange carotenoids (類胡蘿卜素),and another
protective chemical specially produced for autumn,the brightred anthocyanin (花青素)．High color is not a signal of deterioration (退化) and decline,but of detox (排毒的) ability and good health.
     A century after Keats,the American poet Loren Eiseley wrote in his journal:"Suppose we saw ourselves burning like maples in a golden autumn,and that we could disintegrate (分解) like autumn leaves...dropping their substance like chlorophyll.Would_not_our attitude_towards death_be_different?"

1. From Thomas Hood's poem,we may infer that________.

A. he suffered a lot from cold November
B. he missed the shining summer days very much
C. he had a negative attitude towards autumn
D. he enjoyed butterflies and bees very much

2. Which word can best describe John Keats's attitude towards autumn?

A. Optimistic.  
B. Fearful.  
C. Doubtful.  
D. Realistic.

3. In autumn,leaves turn yellow before falling because________.

A. they can't bear the freezing
B. they can't get enough water from the woody part
C. chlorophyll and carbohydrates have been lost through leaves
D. chlorophyll and carbohydrates have come back to the woody part.

4. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A. Man can never live long,just as leaves must leave the tree annually.
B. Man is different from autumn leaves,which will come again the next spring.
C. Man should treat death calmly,just like autumn leaves fall to the ground.
D. Man should have a positive attitude towards death,quite different from autumn leaves.

                                              The Loss of Innocence(純真)
     Innocence is such a precious gift. It's explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing. Just
imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt-free mind. Some people wish
to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood.
     What would the world be like if innocence were never lost? One way it would benefit
humanity is the lack of hatred (仇恨) among the world. During youth, there may be an occasional
argument, even a little physical fight, but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being.
And children are blind towards the racial differences of others. A kid will hang out with any
other kid. It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence
children otherwise. Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure. With very little
if any time at all for fun, the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon
adults. If innocence were kept alive, these ambitions would never depart from our lives.
     However, other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting for ever. They feel that the
lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive
consequences to society in general. A large number of individuals would never have the urge to
learn, work, and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive. Without a proper
education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence, people
would not have the desire to succeed, get a good job in life, or provide income for their families,
which
     would hurt the lives of children.
     The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy. As long as
innocence is kept alive, no one would be terribly angry at the lack of effort people put out in
the workplace, resulting in a strong decline(減少) in production and quality of needed goods.
     Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence. It sure is a nice thought, though. Perhaps
innocence was meant to be lost. It was god's will to make things the way they are, and there
is a good purpose for everything. All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while
it lasts.

1. The author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be______.

A. avoided
B. criticized
C. accepted
D. encouraged

2. Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that__________.

A. proper education would be provided
B. there would be no racial discrimination
C. there would be more happy families
D. people would realize their childhood dreams

3. According to the author, people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of____ .

A. motivational will
B. mental ability
C. adventurous ambitions
D. needed goods

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?_____
CP:Central PointP:PointSp:(次要點)C:Conclusion

     A friend of mine,in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life,
asked me the question,"Who said life was going to be fair,or that it was even meant to be fair
?" Her question was a good one.It reminded me of something I  was taught as a youngster:life
isn't fair.It's a disappointment,but it's absolutely true.One of the mistakes many of us make is
that we feel sorry for ourselves,or for others,thinking that life should be fair,or that someday
it will be.It's not and it won't be.
     One of the nice things about surrendering (屈從) to the fact that life isn't fair is that it keeps
us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we
have.We know it's not "life's job" to make everything perfect:it's our own challenge.Surrendering
to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is
dealt a different hand；everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up,
facing the reality and making decisions；and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
     The fact that life isn't fair doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything in our power to improve our
own lives or the world as a whole.To the contrary,it suggests that we should.When we don't recognize
or admit that life isn't fair,we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves.Pity,of course,is a selfdefeating
emotion that does nothing for anyone,except to make everyone feel worse than they already do.When
we do recognize that life isn't fair,however,we feel compassion (熱情) for others and for ourselves.And
compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers lovingkindness to everyone it touches.The next time you
find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world,try reminding yourself of this very basic fact.You
may be surprised that it can make you out of selfpity and into helpful action.

1．The writer thought of his friend's question as a good one because ________.

A．he also wanted to know who held such an opinion
B．it made him recall something during his childhood
C．like his friend,he also thought life was unfair
D．he learned something from the question as a youngster

2．The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us that ________.

A．it's nice to accept the injustice of life
B．it's nice to surrender to life
C．we should not feel sorry for everything
D．we should not surrender to life

3．From the passage,we can learn that the author's attitude to life is ________.

A．negative  
B．positive  
C．selfpity  
D．indifferent

4．Which of the following could be the best title of the text?

A．A Helpful Action:Try to Feel Compassion
B．A Good Question:Why Life Isn't Fair
C．Do Our Best to Improve Ourselves
D．Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn't Fair