We all have storms through our lives. But we have no right to make everyone else suffer with our own   31 .
The carpenter I   32  to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a(n)   33  first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his truck   34  to start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony   35  .
On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused   36   at a small tree,   37  tips of the branches with both hands.
When opening the door, he underwent a(n)   38  transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles, and he   39   his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
The next day my   40  drove me to ask him about what I had seen. “Oh, that’s my trouble tree,” he replied. “I know I can’t   41  having troubles on the job, but the troubles don’t   42  to the house with my family. So I just   43  them up on the tree. Then in the morning I pick them up again.”
“  44  thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren’t nearly as   45  as I remember the night before.”
Putting   46  around our problems is a really good idea --- it prevents our difficulties from spilling over onto loved people, who can’t do anything about our problems. Why   47  them if they can’t help us?
So, plant yourself a trouble tree outside and use it   48   you come home. Be grateful that you have loved ones to go home to    49  your loved one is simply your beloved dog. And when you picked up your troubles on the way each morning, be   50  that they’re not as heavy as they were the night before.

Ⅲ. Reading Comprehension: 35%
Part A: Cloze Test 15%
Competition for admission to the country’s top private schools has always been tough. This is spreading from Manhattan to the rest of the country. Precise 50 data on private schools are unavailable, but interviews with representatives of independent and religious schools all told the same 51: too many applicants, higher rejection rates. Surveys indicate that Americans’ No. 1 52 is education. 53 the long economic boom(繁榮) has given parents more income, many are turning to private schools, even at price tags of well over $10,000 a year. “We’re getting applicants from a broader area, 54, than we ever have in the past,” said Besty Haugh of the Latin School of Chicago, which experienced a 20 percent increase in 55 this year.
The problem is that while demand has increased, supply has not. “Every year, there are a few children who do not find places, but this year, for the first time that I know of, there are a(n) 56 number of children who don’t have places,” said Krents, who also heads a private-school admissions group in New York.
So what can parents do to give their 4-year-old a(n) 57? Schools know there is no simple way to pick a class when children are so young. Many schools give preference to boys or girls or alumni(校友) children. Some use lotteries. But most rely on a 58 of subjective and objective measures: tests that at best 59 developmental maturity and learning potential, interviews with parents and observation of applicants in classroom settings. They also want a diverse mix. Children may end up on a waiting list simply because their birthdays 60 at the wrong time year, or because too many applicants were boys.
The worst thing a parent can do is to pressure preschoolers to perform --- 61, by pushing them to read or do math exercises 62 they’re ready. Instead, the experts say, parents should take a breath and look for 63. Another year in preschool may be all that’s needed. Parents, meanwhile, may need a more 64 mind about relatively unknown private schools --- or about magnet（具有吸引力的）schools in the public system. There’s no sign of the private-school boom letting up.
50. A. traditional                B. current                                   C. processed                 D. average
51. A. story                       B. advice                             C. context                     D. promise
52. A. venture                    B. concern                           C. occupation                D. interest
53. A. For that                   B. So that                                   C. Now that                  D. After that
54. A. intellectually            B. psychologically                C. commercially            D. geographically
55.   A. applications             B. locations                         C. schools                     D. admissions
56.   A. considerate               B. inadequate                       C. significant                D. moderate
57.   A. advantage                 B. skill                                C. place                        D. school
58.   A. choice                      B. mix                                C. preference                D. base
59.   A. identify                    B. exploit                                  C. employ                    D. confirm
60. A. set                           B. fix                                  C. date                         D. fall
61. A. in a word                 B. to a great extent               C. in any case               D. for example
62. A. when                       B. since                               C. before                      D. until
63.   A. occasions                 B. competitions                    C. alternatives               D. pressures
64.   A. open                        B. closed                             C. active                       D. secret 

Learn a new language as quickly as possible.
Learn like a spy! Be mistaken for a native.
Pimsleur courses help people who need to speak another language quickly. Our courses took 40 years to develop and are now used by the FBI, CIA, and business professionals everywhere. They’re so effective; you have nothing to lose!
You will get:
?Language instruction that is proven to be effective
?No boring repetition, charts or meaningless formulas
?Eight fluency-focused lessons on four audio CDs
?Audio instruction with a 25-year history of success
?Full 30-day money-back guarantee (just in case)
?Special offers on our more advanced courses
Reasons to learn using the Pimsleur Approach:
?Speak without an accent so that you sound like a native.
?Practice what’s natural to you in English.
?Feel safe and confident. You’ll know how to deal with any situation.
?Protect your busy life. 30-minute lessons are perfect for your daily commuting, lunch break, or workout.
?Remember without trying. Material is scientifically arranged so that you learn without pain.
?Join 25 million people who have graduated with success since 1980.
The entire Pimsleur Approach is what language learning should be: quick, fun, and easy! Each lesson is the foundation for the next. You’ll keep building on what you’ve learned.
【小題1】What can prove Pimsleur courses to be successful?

第二節(jié): 完型填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）

閱讀下面短文，撐握其大意，然后從31—50各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

I believe listening is powerful Medicine.

Studies have shown it takes a(n) __31__ about 18 seconds to __32__ a patient after he begins talking.

It was Sunday. I had one last patient to see. I __33__ her room in a hurry and stood at the doorway. She was an older woman, sitting at the edge of the bed, __34__ to put socks on her swollen feet. I stepped in, spoke quickly to the nurse, __35__ her chart noting she was in stable __36__. I was almost in the clear.

I stood against the bed looking down at her. She asked if I could help put on her socks. __37__, I started a monologue that went something like this: "How are you feeling? Your sugars and blood pressure were high but they're better today. The nurse __38__ you're anxious to see your __39__ who's visiting you today. It's nice to have family visit from far away. I bet you really __40__ forward to seeing him."

She __41__ me with a serious, authoritative voice. "Sit down, doctor. This is my story, not your story."

I was surprised and __42__. I sat down. I helped her with the socks. She began to tell me that her only son lived around the corner from her, but she had not seen him in five years. She believed that the stress of this __43__ greatly to her health problems. After hearing her story and putting on her socks, I asked if there was anything else I could do for her. She shook her head no and smiled. All she wanted me to do was to __44__.

Each __45__ is different. Some are detailed; others are unclear. Some have a beginning, middle and end. Others wander __46__ a clear conclusion. Some are true; others not. __47__ what really matters to the storyteller is that the story is __48__-— without interruption, assumption or __49__.

Listening to someone's story is key to healing and diagnosis. I often thought of what that woman taught me, and I often __50__ myself of the importance of stopping, sitting down and truly listening.

31. A. physicist            B. physician          C. expert               D. dentist

32. A. understand      B. recognize         C. interrupt           D. know

33. A. entered                 B. passed                     C. left                  D. approached

34. A. continuing      B. learning                  C. pretending               D. struggling

35. A. observed            B. scanned               C. designed           D. evaluated

36. A. level                  B. condition          C. position            D. period

37. A. Therefore           B. Otherwise         C. Instead             D. Moreover

38. A. indicated            B. responded         C. mentioned               D. announced

39. A. son                    B. husband                   C. brother             D. nephew

40. A. look                  B. tolerate                    C. chant         D. clarify

41. A. bothered            B. influenced                      C. stopped            D. puzzled

42. A. disappointed       B. scared                    C. thrilled             D. embarrassed

43. A. attached             B. contributed              C. devoted            D. owed

44. A. sit                        B. wait                        C. listen                D. comfort

45. A. feeling                      B. case                        C. life                  D. story

46. A. without              B. to                           C. for                   D. at

47. A. And                   B. Yet                         C. So                   D. Then

48. A. read                   B. written                    C. repeated           D. heard

49. A. judgment           B. acknowledgement      C. encouragement   D. commitment

50. A. convinced          B. informed                 C. reminded          D. Warned

One day, four lawyers were riding along a country road. There had been a(n)  36 , and the ground was soft. The lawyers rode  37 , talking and laughing. As they were passing through a  38 , they heard some noises in the grass.

“What’s the matter here?” asked one man.

“Oh, it’s only some old robins (知更鳥)!” said another one, “The  39  has blown them out of the nest. They are too young to  40  .”

“What a  41  ! They’ll die,” said the third one.

“Well! They’re nothing but  42  ,” said the first lawyer.

The three men looked down and saw the mother robin  43  to her mates. Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. In a few minutes they had  44  the birds. But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln,  45  . He got down from his  46  and gently took the little ones up. They didn’t seem  47 , but chirped (唧唧叫) softly, as if they knew they were safe.

“Never  48 , my little fellows,” said Mr. Lincoln. Then he looked up to find the nest from which they had  49 . It was much higher than he could reach. But Mr. Lincoln could  50 . He put the birds softly, one by one, into their warm home.

In a few minutes, Mr. Lincoln  51  the others. He had torn his coat on the thorny (多刺的) tree. Then all three of them  52  heartily. They thought it so   53  that a strong man should take so much trouble just for some worthless young birds.

“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lincoln, “I couldn’t have  54  tonight if I had left those helpless robins to die in the  55  grass.”

Abraham Lincoln afterwards became President of America.

1.                A．war            B．earthquake      C．fire D．rain

2.                A．calmly          B．nervously       C．slowly    D．frequently

3.                A．forest          B．room           C．street    D．city

4.                A．snow          B．storm          C．light D．flood

5.                A．fly             B．speak          C．move D．eat

6.                A．success         B．shame          C．pity  D．case

7.                A．trees          B．pets           C．children  D．birds

8.                A．dancing        B．pointing        C．singing   D．crying

9.                A．dealt with       B．forgotten about   C．cared for D．turned to

10.               A．shouted        B．stopped        C．considered D．insisted

11.               A．wall           B．car            C．horse D．truck

12.               A．frightened      B．tired           C．interested D．touched

13.               A．stay           B．mind           C．stand D．rest

14.               A．learned        B．come          C．fallen D．heard

15.               A．drive          B．climb          C．cook  D．run

16.               A．noticed        B．blamed         C．visited D．joined

17.               A．laughed        B．jumped         C．worked   D．cried

18.               A．lucky          B．clear           C．foolish    D．dangerous

19.               A．changed        B．returned       C．read  D．slept

20.               A．wet           B．green          C．small D．fresh