I am beginning to wonder whether my grandmother isn’t right when she complains, as she frequently does, that children nowadays aren’t as well-behaved as they used to be. Whenever she gets the opportunity, she recounts in detail how she used to be told to respect the elders and betters. She was taught to speak only when she was spoken to, and when she went out on her own, she was reminded to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children in her day, she continues, were expected to be seen and not heard, but these days you are lucky if you ever hear parents telling their children to mind their p’s and q’s.

       If you give her the chance, she then takes out of her drawer the old photograph album which she keeps there, and which she never tires of displaying. Of course when you look at pictures of her parents, you feel sure that, with a father as stern-looking as that, you too would have been "seen and not heard". He had a lot of neatly cut hair, long side-whiskers and a big moustache. In the photographs, he is always clutching (抓住) his coat with one hand, while in the other he holds a thin walking stick. Beside him sits his wife, with their children around her: Granny and her elder brothers. It always occurs to me that perhaps those long, stiff, black clothes were so clumsy to a little girl, that she hadn’t enough breath left to be talkative, let alone mischievous (淘氣的). It must have been a dull and lonely life too, for she stayed mainly at home during her childhood, while her brothers were sent away to school from an early age. Despite their long black shorts and their serious expressions in the photographs, I always suspect that their lives were considerably more enjoyable than hers. One can imagine them telling each other to shut up or mind their own business, as soon as their parents were out of sight.

       Going to see Granny on Sundays used to be a terrible experience. We would always be warned in advance to be on our best behavior, since my mother made a great effort to show how well brought up we were, in spite of our old, comfortable clothes, our incomprehensible (to Granny) slang, and our noisy games in the garden. We had to change into what Granny described as our "Sundays best" for lunch, when we would sit uncomfortably, kicking each other under the table. We were continually being ordered to sit up straight, to take our elbows off the table, to wait till everybody had been served, not to wolf down our food, nor to talk with our mouths full. At length we would be told to ask to be excused from the table and ordered to find quiet occupations for the rest of the day. We were always very bad-tempered by the evening, and would complain angrily all the way home.

       Yet though we hated the Sunday visit, we never questioned the rules of good manners themselves. I remember being greatly shocked as a child to hear one of my friends telling her father to shut up. I knew I could never have spoken like that to my father and it would never have occurred to me to do so.

       However, my childhood was much freer than Granny’s. I went to school with my brother and I played football with him and his friends. We all spoke a common language, and we got up to the same mischief. I would have died if I had had to stay indoors, wear a tight dress, and sew.

       But I do sometimes look wistfully (惆悵地) at an old sampler which hangs in the hall, which was embroidered (刺繡) by an even more distant relative—my great-great-aunt, of whom, regrettably, no photograph remains. It was done as an example of her progress in learning. The alphabet is carefully sewn in large colored childish letters from A to Z, and below it a small verse reads:

                     Mary Saunders is my name,

                     And with my needle I worked the same,

                     That by it you may plainly see

                     What care my parents have for me.

       It must have taken that little five-year-old months and months of laborious sewing, but, in a circle in a bottom corner of the sampler, there is a line: "Be Ever Happy".

50. The writer’s grandmother will complain that ______.

  A. children used to be mischievous

  B. children behave worse than they did in the past

  C. children are often reminded of what to do

  D. children are very badly behaved

51.Visiting Granny on Sundays was a terrible experience because ______.

  A. the writer was not so well raised as she was required to pretend

  B. Granny continually warned the writer to be on her best behavior

  C. Granny was always describing the writer’s "Sunday best"

  D. the writer was always blamed for not behaving well

52. From Paragraph 4, we can infer that the writer ______.

  A. seldom spoke to her father in the way her friend did

  B. was never questioned about the rules of good manners

  C. never doubted the value of the strict rules at that time

  D. was worried that her friend’s father would be shocked

53. The writer looked wistfully at the sampler, because______.

  A. it was embroidered by a relative.

  B. she wished she could sew herself.

  C. it called to mind the values of good old days.

  D. she had no photographs of Mary Saunders.

54. By sewing "Be Ever Happy" in the sampler, Mary Saunders ______. 

  A. suggested she was unhappy then

  B. indicated happiness was hard to gain

  C. expected we would find happiness in sewing

  D. hoped happiness would be everlasting

If it is not only possible but even easy to predict which ten-year-old boys are at greatest risk of growing up to be persistent offenders (慣犯), what are we doing with the information? The last thing that we should do is to wait until their troubles have increased in adolescence and then attack them with the new Criminal Justice Bill.

If this bill becomes law, more young people will be drawn into prisons and all the evidence shows that this worsens rather than improves their future. The introduction of short sharp punishment will simply give more young people a taste of something else they don’t need and if you want to train someone to be anti-society, "I can’t think of a better way to do it" says the writer of this report.

The Cambridge Institute of Criminology comes up with five key factors that are likely to make for adolescence crimes: a low income family, a large family, parents regarded by social workers to be bad at raising children, parents who themselves have a criminal record, and low intelligence in the child. Of the 63 boys in the sample who had at least three of them when they were ten, half became criminals—compared with only a fifth of the sample as a whole.

Three more factors make the prediction more accurate: being judged troublesome by teachers at the age of ten, having a father with at least two criminal records and having another member of the family with a criminal record. Of the 35 men who had at least two of these factors in their background, 18 became persistent offenders and 8 more were in trouble with the law.

The role of the schools is recognized as extremely important. The most reliable prediction of all on the futures of boys came from teachers’ ratings of how troublesome they were at the age of ten. If the information is there in the classroom, there must be a response that brings more attention to those troublesome children: a search for things to give them praise rather than academic achievement, a refusal to allow them to go on playing truant, and a promoting of ambition and opportunity which should start early in their school careers.

46. According to the author, adolescence crimes should be dealt ______.

  A. before they become adolescents

　B. when they are put into prison

　C. when they are in the period of adolescence

　D. when the problem becomes serious

47. The number of young offenders could be reduced by the way of ______.

　A. setting new legal system

　B. helping with their academic performance

　C. applying brief periods of severe punishment

　D. knowing about their backgrounds　　

48. Ten-year-old children likely to become offenders are usually______.

　A. spoilt children from small families

　B. bright children in a poor family

　C. slow children with many brothers and sisters

　D. children whose parents gain wealth dishonestly

49. The writer concludes that potential offenders could be helped by ______.

　A. making less trouble through self discipline

　B. being given more encouragement at school

　C. being permitted to leave school as they like 

　D. stricter treatment from teachers

　　　 Have you ever gone to work to find that one of your coworkers is coughing and sneezing all day long? You do your best to keep a safe distance and wonder: Why did he or she come to work when they were ill? The reality for many Americans is that they do not have enough paid sick time each year to afford them the luxury of staying home because they don’t feel well.

　　　 This problem doesn’t just affect the working employees who are sick，though. In an article by James Warren for Bloomberg Business Week, a second-grade school teacher, Stilli Klikizos shares about the sick children that must stay in school all day long because their parents can’t get off work to come and get them. In the past school year, she had several children who were unable to be picked up at school who were later diagnosed with H1N1.

　　　 There is a movement called the Healthy Families Act in Congress that would change this situation for many Americans. The Healthy Family Act would require employers with 15 or more employees to provide 7 paid sick days a year for their workers. These days could be used not only for days when the worker is sick, but the time can also be used when caring for others, or going to routine doctor’s appointments.

　　　 Those who are against the Act argue that many businesses are struggling to make ends meet owing to recession (經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退), and point out that this is the wrong time to force employers to add an additional expense.

　　　 Those who support the Healthy Families Act say that our nation can’t afford to not take these measures. When an individual goes to work sick, they are possibly infecting their coworkers, clients and customers.

　　 According to a report by Katie Couric on the CBS evening news, three fourths of low wage earners get docked when they are sick. Those individuals include daycare workers and restaurant workers, whose health can affect the health of many.

41. Why do many Americans still come to work when they are sick?

A. They often ignore the illness if not serious.

B. They work in high spirits.

C. The cost of staying home is great.

D. The cost of medical treatment is high.

42. In the article mentioned in this passage, James Warren intends to say ______.

A. children need more thoughtful and considerate care

B. teachers are responsible for taking good care of children at school

C. parents shouldn’t leave the sick children at school

D. adults’ not having enough paid sick time may be bad for children

43. According to the Healthy Families Act, ______.

A. all the employers are required to provide 7 paid sick days a year for their workers

B. the employees can use the paid sick days to take care of their sick children

C. the employees could demand their companies pay for their medical bills

D. the employees can use the paid sick days to take a trip so as to relax themselves.

44. Why are some people against the Healthy Families Act?

A. Many companies’ financial situations are not so good due to the recession.

B. Companies have no such duty to provide paid sick time.

C. The nation can’t afford to do as the Act requires.

D. Usually one’s illness won’t infect his coworkers and customers.

45. The term "get docked" (Para 6) probably means"______ ".

A. get fired B. get paid C. lose their health　　　　 D. lose part of wages

One day I was shopping in a small town in southern California. It was my 　 21　 to be approached by a clerk whose personality clashed(沖突) with mine. He seemed most 　 22　 and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought　 23　 , and marched angrily out of the store. My 　 24　 toward that clerk and the entire establishment increased with each step.

On the outside, standing by the parking lot, was a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties. His 　 25　 brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, broad smile 　 26　 his face. My attention was immediately arrested. The 　 27　 power of that smile removed all 　 28　 within me, and I found the muscles in my own face 　 29 responding. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked, in passing. Then, obeying an impulse(沖動(dòng)), I 　 30　 . "I really owe you a debt of gratitude," I said softly.

His smile deepened, 　 31　 he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman 　 32　 and eyed me inquiringly. "Carlos, he does no speak English," she 　 33　 . "You want I should tell him something?"

In that moment I felt 　 34　 . Carlo’s smile had made a big person of me. My friendliness and good 　 35　 toward all mankind stood ten feet tall.

"Yes," my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, "Tell him what I said, 'Thank you!'"

　　　 "Thank you?" The woman seemed slightly 　 36　 .

I gave her arm a friendly pat 　 37　 I turned to leave. "Just tell him that," I insisted. "He'll understand. I am sure!"

Oh, what a smile can 　 38　 ! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning. 　 39　 , I became smile-conscious, and I practice the 　 40　 diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody.

21. A. misfortune B. luck C. opportunity　　　　　　　 D. burden

22. A. helpful B. hardworking C. uncertain D. unfriendly

23. A. something B. nothing C. everything D. anything　　

24. A. attitude B. walk C. approach　　　　　 　　　 D. anger

25. A. blank B. painful C. expressive　　　　 　　　 D. critical

26. A. covered B. twisted C. spread D. wiped

27. A. magic B. shocking C. evil D. dragging

28. A. happiness B. excitement C. bitterness D. sorrow

29. A. unwillingly B. happily C. merely D. slightly

30. A. turned back B. looked ahead C. cut in D. went away

31. A. and B. for C. but D. so

32. A. showed off B. stepped forward C. marched on D. passed by

33. A. hesitated B. volunteered C. responded D. begged

34. A. ignored B. involved C. transformed D. absorbed

35. A. power B. mind C. fortune D. will

36. A. frightened B. frustrated C. discouraged D. confused　

37. A. while B. as C. since D. after

38. A. operate B. run C. do D. attract

39. A. From that day on B. Since then C. Every now and then D. Up till now

40. A. kindness B. art C. work　　　　　　　 　　　 D. expression

 China's reform and opening has been going on for ______ is like about 30 years now and it's really quite remarkable.

  A. that                      B. which                      C. what                        D. it

 I think that's unlikely to happen, but if that ______ occur, both America's and China's interest would be    severely damaged.

    A. should                  B. could                       C. would                      D. might

 Global Health officials have been closely monitoring a new virus related to SARS that is believed ______ at least one person in Saudi Arabia.

  A. to kill                    B. to be killing               C. to have killed            D. kill

 Wolves are very ______: they can live in forests, on open plains, or in the snows of the Artic.

  A. adaptable              B. adoptable                  C. available                   D. accessible

 Red Sorghum was adapted from Mo Yan’s 1986 novel of the same name, ______ to life a visual landscape of red sorghum and a fiery ______ sun.

  A. brought; setting                                        B. bringing; setting              

  C. having brought; set                                 D. bringing; set

Economic growth in the world remains weak throughout 2012 and it is hoped that it will _____ gradually in 2013.

A. break up　　　 　　　 B. make out　　　　　 　　　 C. work out　　　　　　　　 D. pick up