It was pouring outside. We all stood there   1  , some patiently, others annoyed   2   nature messed up their hurried day. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens   3   away the dirt and dust of the world.

“Mom, let’s run through the rain,” a girl’s voice   4   me.

“No, honey. We’ll wait until it   5   down a bit,” Mom replied.

The young girl waited about another minute and   6  , “Mom, let’s run through the rain.”

“We’ll get wet if we do,” Mom said.

“No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she   7   her Mom’s arm.

“This morning?  8   did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”

“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through   9  ’”.

The entire crowd turned   10  . Mom paused and thought for a moment about   11   she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being   12  . But then we heard, “Honey, you are   13  . Let’s run through the rain. If we get wet, maybe we just need washing,” Mom said. Then   14   they ran.

We all stood   15  , smiling and laughing as they ran past the cars. Yes, they got wet. But they were   16   by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the   17   to their cars. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, and they can even take away your   18  . But on one can ever take away your precious   19  . So, don’t forget to make time and take the   20   to make memories every day! I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

1．A．chatting                B．waiting                C．complaining         D．talking

2．A．a(chǎn)lthough                B．while                   C．because               D．when

3．A．keeping                 B．putting                C．driving                D．washing

4．A．caught                  B．a(chǎn)nnoyed              C．impressed            D．reminded

5．A．slows                   B．comes                 C．falls                    D．stops

7．A．pulled                   B．touched               C．waved                 D．held

8．A．Why                     B．How                   C．When                  D．Where

9．A．everything             B．nothing                C．a(chǎn)nything              D．something

10．A．still                     B．silent                   C．serious                D．happy

11．A．what                   B．how                    C．whether              D．if

12．A．naughty               B．silly                     C．daring                 D．foolish

13．A．right                   B．wrong                 C．stupid                 D．clever

14．A．off                      B．a(chǎn)long                   C．on                      D．over

15．A．sighing                B．joking                  C．discussing           D．watching

16．A．followed              B．stopped               C．respected            D．scorned

17．A．time                    B．way                    C．same                   D．best

18．A．sense                  B．confidence           C．health                  D．time

19．A．children               B．memories            C．courage               D．experience

20．A．possibilities        B．opportunities        C．risk                   D．challenge

The time restriction (限制) for retaking International English Language Testing System (IELTS) will be abolished (廢除) on May 1,2007.

“Instead of having to wait 90 days before retaking the test, candidates will be able to repeat the exam immediately,” announced the British Council, the IELTS organizer in China.

A change in the way the test is administrated allowed IELTS to lift the retake restriction. “In the past, for a test which has over three administrations a month, repetition of test questions was unavoidable. It’s unfair if some candidates got easy scores by luckily remembering some questions they met not a long time ago,” said Xu Chunna, Examinations Marketing Officer of the British Council.

“However, since 2002, IELTS has been using onetime testing papers,” said Xu. This greatly reduced the possibility of repeating a test question.

Changes in the way students use the test also influenced the Council’s decision to reverse the retake rule.

Cambridge surveys showed that IELTS is now used by organizations to judge both candidates’ overall English performance and their individual skills.

Many candidates attain their required overall band score in IELTS tests, but fail to achieve a score in a particular skill area.

Under the old rule, students had to wait 90 days to retake the test. This often inconvenienced students and their prospective (將來的) employers and universities.

But IELTS warns that simply retaking the test will not greatly improve a score. To significantly improve a score it is necessary to engage in serious further study.

1．The best title for the passage may be            .

      A．IELTS Abolished                                  B．A Change in IETLS

       C．IELTS Now Easy to Pass                     D．IELTS – retake – time Restriction Lifted

2．John took IELTS for the second time soon after his first attempt on 18^th March, 2007.

    He           .

       A．was likely to meet a same test question during the test

       B．might have got an ideal score for his first test

       C．might not have met a same test question during the test

       D．couldn’t have improved his score

3．According to Cambridge surveys, IELTS plays an important role in           .

       A．judging a candidate’s overall language ability only

       B．finding out candidates’ individual skills as well as general language performances

       C．judging whether a candidate is hardworking

       D．choosing proper organizations

4．The last paragraph indicates that            .

      A．retaking the test leads to a better score

       B．the more times you try, the more likely you are to improve your IELTS scores

       C．only serious preparation works when you want to get a high score for IELTS

       D．further study is necessary for an organization

The church seems cold this morning, even after all the people, friends and family, fill the benches. I sit here in silence, in shock and denial. This was not supposed to happen. What about our dreams, or our plans? We were going to raise our children, travel the world, and grow old together. I’m only 37, a typical housewife. I don’t know if I can do all this alone – two children, no father. What do I do or say?

The faces of so many people confuse me as they come to pay their last respects. Some have real sorrow; I can see it in their eyes. The others seem to just say, “I told you so.” Those famous last words: I – told – you – so. How I can’t stand them. And the pointing fingers as so – called family and so – called friends pick me out of the crowd for others to see. I want to scream and wake up but I can’t do anything but sit there. How can they be so blind? I fell in love with a man. Love knows no boundaries.

He was a good man, hardworking, caring and kind. He was retired form the Navy and a gentleman. He was sensitive to others’ needs, the kind of man that knew what to do or say, how to humor any situation and calm everyone’s fears. I remember our first child was a big surprise to both of us. I remember when I told him the news. He fell off his chair, saying over and over in disbelief, “But I’m almost sixty.” After a few months he started planning our next and even doing his famous little dance whenever he discussed the idea.

A man, thirty years older than I , lies in a coffin. Flowers, the American flag and his VFW comrades surround him, paying tribute (頌詞) to him as the man he really was. And I sit alone here, with our two children, in silence, praying that this cold morning at church is only a nightmare (夢魘) and I will awake to his loving arms again.

Our son, our first born, his joy and pride, sits to the right of me seeming just as confused as me. I look over at him. How he looks like his father – blonder hair, tall and skinny – even his Irish temperament (氣質(zhì)) and that naughty look in his eyes. He’s wearing his father’s watch. It’s too big for him but he refused to take it off. I know he’ll keep it safe. Our second, the little angel and Daddy’s little girl, lays in her stroller (嬰兒車) in the aisle, sound asleep. She’ll never remember the man she called “Da”.

1．The man passed away, leaving his dearest woman to bring up their two children, the elder of whom is a boy of about          .

       A．1                        B．3                        C．7                        D．9

2．The last paragraph, which is italicized, does not lie where it originally was. It’s better for it to go back          .

       A．between para. 1 and para. 2                  B．between para. 2 and para. 3

       C．between para. 3 and para. 4                  D．to the very front

3．We can infer from the passage that         .

       A．the woman’s family were against her marriage to the man

       B．none of the people there showed real sympathy to the woman

       C．the woman did something wrong

       D．the family had lived a happy life before the man died

4．In paragraph 3, the underlined word “our next” means          .

      A．our next dance                                    B．our next news

       C．what for us to do next     D．our next baby

       A New Store With Greens Like Emeralds (祖母綠)At his new Paradise Market, Jason Lowe displays fruit, bunches of herbs and frilly greens as a jeweler would decorates. The store, at a 1614 Beacon Street, is more than twice the size of his original one on Delaney Boulevard, which he closed more than a year ago when the rent went up. But his merchandising has not changed. “I do not wash my lettuces, or clean them the way others do,” he said. “They will last longer and stay fresher at home this way, and keep their nutrients. And I never put anything out on the street to dry in the sun.”

       His berries are placed in an open case with a cooling unit. He has added fresh breads, cheeses, imported butters, top – of –the – line oils, gourmet pastas and Del Sur ice cream. As for a salad bar, he does not believe in them. He has a small kitchen to make soups and sandwiches to go. And business goes well. “I have three times as many customers as I had on Delaney Boulevard,” Lowe said. “And my only aim is to keep them all happy.”

1．What is the name of Jason Lowe’s store?

       A．Lowe’s Grocery.                                 B．Paradise Market.

       C．1614 Beacon Street.                             D．Delaney Boulevard. 

2．Why did Lowe close his original store?

       A．Business was slow.

       B．His rent was raised.

       C．It was not large enough.

       D．He wanted to move to a busier neighborhood.

3．What does Lowe say about his store’s lettuce?

       A．It is not kept wet.                                B．It is from nearby farms.

       C．It is grown organically.                         D．It is the cheapest in the city.

4．What does Lowe’s NOT have?

       A．A salad bar.                                         B．Fresh soups.

       C．Gourmet foods.                                       D．A selection of sandwiches.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans quite so much after a 20 million project to save it was hailed a complete success yesterday. The tower, which was on the verge of collapse, has been straightened by 18 inches returning it to its 1838 position.

The tower, which has been leaning almost since building work first began in 1173, was closed to the public in 1990 because of safety fears. The 183 – foot tower was nearly 15 feet off vertical (垂直) and its structure was found to have been weakened by centuries of strain.

The last attempt at straightening the tower was carried out under orders from Benito Mussolini, who wanted it to be perfectly vertical.

Concrete was poured into the foundations, but the result was that the tower sank further into the soil.

The straightening work involved the extraction of around 70 tonnes of earth from the northern side of the tower, causing it to sink on that side. Before the digging started, the tower was anchored with steel cables and 600 tonnes of lead weights.

However, halfway through the project, concerns at the ugliness of the weights led to their removal and the tower lurched (傾斜) dramatically. “In one night, the tower moved more than it had averaged in an entire year,” said Prof. Burland. The weights were hastily reattached.

The tower’s stonework has also been restored and tourists can clearly see the difference between its levels of limestone and marble.

“If we had not stepped in, the tower would have collapsed between 2030 and 2040,” said Salvatore Settis, the president of the rescue committee. “This is crucial for the tower’s stability and it was a totally Italian success.”

The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989, killing four people.

1．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．The Italian government always steps in when towers are to collapse.

       B．Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans.

       C．How straightening work for Pisa Tower went on.

       D．Leaning Tower of Pisa is saved from collapse.

2．Why were people not allowed to watch the tower in 1990?

       A．It was destroyed.

       B．It was moved.

       C．It was in danger and also dangerous.

       D．Every tower in Italy was closed then.

3．The underlined phrase “their removal” in paragraph 6 refers to              .

       A．removal of concerns                            B．removal of tower

       C．removal of ugliness                              D．removal of lead pieces

4．According to the passage, we may infer that the tower lean to the          side of its foundation.

       A．east                    B．west                   C．north                  D．south

5．Which of the following statements is right?

       A．20 million project straightened the tower vertical.

       B．The tower has been straightened where it was in 1838.

       C．Concrete poured into the foundations worked in straightening work.

       D．The tower may collapse between 2030 and 2040.

Educating girls quite possibly achieves a higher rate of return than other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be unusual territory for economists, but strengthening women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its stress on encouragement, provides guidepost that point to an explanation for why so many girls are kept away from an education.

Parents in low – income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children. Girls are therefore seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school – the prophecy (預(yù)言) becomes self – fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle of discrimination.

An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is therefore transformed into a righteous circle.

Few will deny that educating has great social benefits. But it has great economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant effect on health practices including birth rate control.

1．Find in the passage a word opposite in meaning to the underlined word “vicious”.

2．What belief does a majority of poor parents in developing countries hold about educating girls? (回答詞數(shù)不超過6個(gè))

3．What is the reason for girls’ being educated according to the author? (回答詞數(shù)不超過8個(gè))

閱讀短文，根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文后1～10的空格里填上適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或短語，并將答案轉(zhuǎn)寫到答題卡上。注意：每空不超過3個(gè)單詞。

When you are doing business in Argentina, either with the government or the private enterprises, the bargains play a very important part. Interview may be the best way to do business, because telephone service is not so good in Argentina, and people prefer to have a face – to – face talk with his associate. If you insist on using phones, you may fail. And another thing is that, book your time before your business visit.

Most of the Argentines are descendants of a European, especially from Britain and Italy. People in political circles and business circles spend much time on clothing. They have good manners. So, be careful of your appearance. Gentlemen had better put on conservative business suit and have ties. Attending a formal bender and banquet, wearing deep color clothes should be good. Meanwhile, ladies should be decent, a suit or a long skirt is good. These rules are the same with the visitors from other places. Foreigners are used to judging one from his clothes. If you wear untidy, they must have an inappreciative conclusion.

Clothes are the base of their judgments. So, when you visit a company of a department, even you have a visit to your merchant, you need to wear business suit. The color of the suit is important. The grey color is unpopular, as it feels gloomy. Wearing this to have a visit, you will leave very bad impression. Another noticeable thing is, the popular packing colors are yellow, green and red, as black, purple and purple – brown must be careful.

The Argentines are like the Europeans. Beef, hotpot and pork are their favorite, and they treat baking complete animals as their traditional food. The Argentine businessmen like to invite the associates to their home. The authentic Argentine beef must be on the table. As a guest, when you have an invitation, it must be wonderful if you take some flowers or candies with you, a bottle of imported whiskey is also the best present. Never take a T – shirt or a tie. Argentines don’t like to accept these underclothes.

From May to November, it is the best time to do business. And avoid having interviews two weeks before and after Christmas Day and Easter Day. Holiday time begins in January and finishes in March, these are the right time to do business with Argentines.

1．          Doings and Taboos (禁忌) in Argentina

--- Well, honey, I am sorry but I have to board on.

--- ________, and God bless you when you are in Iraq.

A．Enjoy yourself                                           B．Do take care  

C．Have a nice trip                                         D．Mind your steps

—Please call me at 6:00 tomorrow morning. I’m sort of forgetful.

—Don’t worry about that, you’ll be surely _________.

A．reminded         B．told          C．warned     D．informed

---I hear the cleaners in this school get paid by ________ month.

---Correct, and most of them get about 500 yuan _________month.

A．/; a           B．the ; /         C．a(chǎn) ;the          D．the; a